Bryan Green on The Talent Distraction.

George Will on Nurture Shock: New Thinking About Children.

About treadmills and other indoor stuff. Here.

Solitude and Leadership. Excellent.

Q&A with Shannon Rowbury.

With the exception of Scott Jurek, I'm not aware of any runner who is also a vegetarian, though many limit their red meat intake, including Don. The debate about the matter is often passionate and fun to read, like here.

The Los Angeles Times has stories on the murder of Chelsea King. Yes, good people make mistakes, but why is it that such pyschopaths are not put away for a very, very long time, or executed? In this and other recent and like instances, the criminal justice system, and the politicos, are not up to the task of protecting us against all enemies, foreign and domestic?

Brando tells us about the life of a runner at San Francisco State. Link. Are we all a bit envious?

Any Saugus results? Track today:

Canyon at Crescenta Valley
Valencia at Birmingham
Hart at Burroughs
Golden Valley at Glendale

West Ranch opens at the SCV Invitational (Canyon High) on Saturday, 3/6.

Let the fun begin. Best wishes to all. Don't forget to write. Send results.

There will be a debate amongst the City Council candidates, and we are invited to submit questions here. My question: The six high schools in SCV have no decent, dedicated cross country course, though we have been promised same for decades. The running community of runners and walkers want a great three mile course, mostly on trail and outside the fences, at Central Park. Will you commit to ensuring a permanent course, following consultations with the community, this year?

Is Mt. Everest the "highest spot on earth"? Consider.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin reports on additional benefits of exercise for the older athletes. See Read More.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
March 7, 2010

Atrial Fibrillation in Older Athletes

A study from Norway shows that 13 of 78 (16 percent)
older competitive cross country skiers have atrial fibrillation,
a condition in which the upper chambers of the heart flutter and
collect blood (European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention &
Rehabilitation, February 2010). Blood that is not moving collects
in the upper chambers of the heart where it can form clots that
travel to the brain to block the flow of blood to cause a stroke.
Almost all people who suffer from atrial fibrillation at
any age are treated with drugs to prevent clotting, since they are
at increased risk for strokes and heart attacks. However, the
older endurance athletes are different from other people with
atrial fibrillation.

* The incidence of atrial fibrillation in these great older
endurance athletes is the same as for non-athletic Norwegian men
over 75. However, the skiers developed their atrial fibrillation
at the average age of 58, which is much younger than its occurrence
in the general population.

* People who suffer from atrial fibrillation usually have a history
of something damaging their hearts, such as high blood pressure,
high cholesterol, heart disease, heavy drinking or chronic
inflammation, but ten of the 13 skiers with atrial fibrillation
had none of these risk factors. The older endurance athletes have
the highest rate of fibrillation without any known cause in the
entire world's literature.

* The vast majority of endurance athletes live significantly
longer than average citizens.