c o n t e n t s

pa ge 2• Welcome• Our Mission Statement

pa ge 3• Real Fruit• Clothing Overstock!• Caught in Kona

pa ge 5• Cardio Caps & Enduro Caps

pa ge 6• A Dirty Little Secret by Tony Schiller

pa ge 7• Mont-Blanc “Mountain Goat”• Nate’s Corner by Nate Llerandi• Hammer Gel Wins Award

pa ge 8• Off-Season Weight Lifting

pa ge 9• Ask Dr. Bill

pa ge 10• From the Saddle of Steve Born

pa ge 11• Hammering the Nordic World

pa ge 13• 2003 Furnace Creek 508

pa ge 14• Athlete Spotlight

Get to Know Bevan Barton

pa ge 15• Race Report

4 1i s s u e

(see RACE CAPS on page 4)

Race Caps Supreme

Half The CapsulesMore BenefitsSame Unbeatable Price

The new Race Caps Supreme formula willbe hitting the shelves in early spring soget ready! This new formula is the resultof many, many hours of Dr. Bill’s research,emails and calls exchanged between thethree of use (Brian, Dr. Bill, and myself),and our meetings together. The end result,after countless hours of research andbrainstorming, is a formula that is morepowerful than ever, one that incorporatescomponents of the current Race Caps andEnduro Caps formulas, but expands onthose two formulas substantially. Best ofall, we’ve got it in one product, whichmeans that the amount of pills you takewill be reduced by half, and your cost willbe exactly the same as you paid for a bot-

tle of both the current Race Caps andEnduro Caps products.

Why Everyone, Especially Athletes,Needs Race Caps Supreme

In simplest terms, in order to produceenergy more efficiently and consistentlyfrom your food and oxygen intake, thebody requires adequate levels of specificsubstrates to assist in this complexprocess. Naturally occurring levels of atleast some of these nutrients diminish asan unfortunate part of the aging processand the demands of exercise also depletethem at an even more accelerated rate.Without adequate replenishment of theseimportant nutrients the body cannot meetenergy demands sufficiently. Quite simply,if your body’s supply of these key sub-strates runs short, your performance will

(see COMPEX on page 12)

by Steve Born

The ATP Production-Enhancing ProductIn An Even Stronger Formula

In contrast to the numerous ‘fake’ prod-ucts sold worldwide which promise to helpyou lose weight and develop washboardabs all while sitting on your couch, neuro-electrical muscle stimulation (NEMS) is aserious technology developed and used byathletes concerned with improving theirp e r f o r m a n c e. Until recently, e x p e r i e n c ewith electrical muscle stimulation (EMS)was limited to the treatments of atrophiedmuscles after an accident and EMS treat-ments for injured athletes byphysiotherapists or in recovery medicalc e n t e r s. N o w, this technique is beingextended to the training of healthy mus-cles for improved performance.

First of all it’s important to clearly identi-fy the role of electricity. Electricity is not a

magical flow that improves the muscle tis-sue. Contrary to common wisdom, theelectricity used in the electrical stimula-tion process has no intrinsically beneficialeffect on our muscles. The truth is that theprocess of electrostimulation stimulatesthe muscle via the motor nerve. This ismost efficient and effective for two rea-s o n s. Fi r s t , electrical stimulation of amotor neuron requires much less currentthan would be needed for direct stimula-tion of the muscle fiber and, second, thesurface excitation effect achieved by usingthe nerve to distribute the current to allmuscle fibers transmits the flow deep intothe muscle.

Electricity acts on the muscle by provok-

The Compex EMSA Complementary Training Technique

Our Mission

a newsletter for the endurance athlete

The objective of Endurance News is to

provide you, the serious endurance

athlete, with a valuable resource that

you will find to be informative, educa-

tional, thought provoking and helpful in

your ongoing pursuit of optimum per-

formance and health.

Endurance News features insightful

articles on diet, nutrition, training and

other topics of interest for endurance

athletes — written by myself as well as

professional and elite amateur athletes

and other experts in the area of nutri-

tion and exercise. In addition,

Endurance News will include articles

highlighting new and existing E-Caps

products and how to get the maximum

benefits from them.

In reading this and future issues, please

remember that the views expressed in

this publication will always be biased in

favor of a healthy diet, hard training that

emphasizes quality over quantity, and

prudent supplementation to improve

health and performance. But above all,

we at Endurance News believe there

are no short cuts, and success can only

come from hard work.

Brian FrankCEO

Back issues of Endurance News areavailable online at: www.e-caps.com

Legal disclaimer: The contents ofEndurance News are not intended to providemedical advice to individuals. For medicaladvice, please consult a licensed health carespecialist.

Dear Client,

Thank you for helping to make 2003 ourbest year ever! Without your enthusias-tic support, none of it would have beenpossible. Your satisfaction and successis the driving force behind everythingwe do.

As I sat down to write this I thought Iwas having a total deja vous - Last yearwas a great year but the best is still yetto come, etc. But then I realized that itwas not a deja vous, but instead it wasanother year of progressing down a veryfocused path. So, as we start our 17thyear it is habitual to both look back atwhat we’ve accomplished and to lookforward to where we are going in thisnew year.

2003 was a year of substantial growthfor E-CAPS and Hammer Nutrition byany means you might choose to meas-u r e. It was also a year in which we wereable to help more of you reach newheights and milestones in your athletice n d e avours than ever before. Our veryown Steve Born was inducted into theUltra Cycling Hall of Fa m e. H a m m e rGel was rated the #1 nutritional productby the readers of MTBR.com. Retail dis-tribution and sales more than doubledand now most of our distributors areoffering the complete Hammer Fuelingline to the bike shops and retail storesthey serve. S o, in the near future, y o u rf avorite Hammer Gel retailer will likelybe offering Endurolytes, Perpetuem andHammer Pro Whey as well.

We introduced new products such asPerpetuem to rave reviews. Allen Larsenwon RAAM using it and many other ath-

letes recorded breakthrough perform-ances too. Wa t ch for this product tobecome even more dominant in the ultradisciplines this year. In the E-CA P Sproduct line, we introduced Mito-R Capsand REM Caps, w h i ch have been quitepopular with our cl i e n t s.

It also represented growth for us interms of reaching international mar-kets. Hammer Gel sales in Canada grewsubstantially. We also began full scaledistribution of Hammer Gel in PuertoRico and Australia.

Before going any further, I’d just like tothank you again for your support andhelping to make 2003 our best yet.

Now, about 2004 - It’s going to be anamazing year. We have some monumen-tal product updates and consolidationsafoot, brand new products that we thinkyou’ll enjoy and cutting edge technologythat promises to launch your traininginto the 21st century. You can read moreabout all of this exciting stuff in the fol-lowing pages of this issue.

We also have major technology improve-ments planned that will allow us toserve you even better than we have upuntil now. And, of course, we are fever-ishly working to improve our new website to be the best it can be.

Lastly, I want to remind you that Ireceive and personally respond to all e-mail sent to suggestions@e-caps.com.If you have ANY suggestions that youthink would help improve our products,service, support, web site or anythingelse related to doing business with us,please let me know. Your suggestionsand feedback help me keep my finger onthe pulse and it’s the best way to ensurethat we continue to provide you with thebest possible products and service.

Happy New Year!

Brian

Real Fruit?

Caught in Kona!

Is this you? We were in Kona forthe Ironman Championships andsaw a number of mystery athleteswearing the Hammer gear. (Whichlooked great!) We just want toknow who you are!

So, if you recognize yourself give usa call, or send an email. We’d loveto put a name with the face.

1.800.336.1977 or graphic@e-caps.com

M’s Top - $29.00M’s Short - $21.00M’s Skinsuit - $50.00W’s Shimmel - $18.00W’s Short - $21.00W’s Skinsuit - $47.00

Tri-Clothing Blowout!!

Arm Warmers

Cycling Shorts

Clothing Overstock!10% off on all cycling clothes!

M’s Tri Suit w/pocket

W’s Shimmel w/pocket

We’ve got too much clothing and we’d liketo clean out the closets (so to speak). Fr o mnow until it’s gone all cycling clothing willbe 10% off its regular price.

This is a fantastic time to get high-qualityVoler cycling clothing at a really greatp r i c e. From thermal jackets to arm wa r m-e r s, c y cling skinsuits to bibshorts, t h e s eclothes are unbeatable.

All apparel is quick drying and breathable,assuring you of a comfortable ride.

Get it before it’s gone! Limited to stock on hand.

We’re blowing out our entire stock ofVoler-made, triathlete-specific clothing.Sale prices listed below...order today!

We’ve heard from several clients thatanother brand of energy gel has indicatedthat their product is the only gel on themarket that contains real fruit. We felt itwas worth mentioning that this is not thec a s e. We have contacted this company andasked that they not say this in their adver-t i s e m e n t s, on their web site, or in pressr e l e a s e s. H o w e v e r, we also wanted toinform you directly so you are not confusedabout the fruit content in Hammer Gel.

Since February 1998 when the HammerGel flavor offerings were expanded fromthe initial chocolate and vanilla to incl u d ethree fruit flav o r s, only real fruit pureeand or real fruit juice has been used. T h o s eHammer Gel flavors are Raspberry,Orange and Banana. It is notable that theother brand of energy gel did not introducetheir reformulated gel containing real fruituntil August of 2000, according to theirweb site. Apple-Cinnamon was the fourthf r u i t - f l avored Hammer Gel, added inFebruary 2001, w h i ch has also always beenmade using real fruit puree/fruit juice andreal cinnamon.

We hope that this clarifies the matter for you.

a newsletter for the endurance ath lete

be sub-par. The new Race Caps formulaprovides the body with a greater variety ofthese key substrates, more than everbefore and now in even more superbamounts, to ensure consistent and effi-cient energy production.

Another important thing to note is thatwhile energy is vital for life itself, themetabolism of energy is also a destructiveprocess as well in that it produces massiveamounts of free radicals. Left uncheckedthese excess amounts of free radicals arecapable of damaging every type of mole-cule in the body. This rampant attack oncells and tissues is considered to be a pri-mary cause of age-related diseases.Fortunately, the primary nutrients in RaceCaps Supreme not only assist the processof efficient energy metabolism, they’re alsotremendous antioxidants as well, aiding inneutralizing excess free radicals.

The original Race Caps formula addressedtwo primary functions - enhanced energyproduction and antioxidant/general healths u p p o r t . With this new formula, these twoprimary functions have been addressedand resolved more powerfully than everb e f o r e. Any person, especially an athlete,would benefit greatly, in a variety of areas,with consistent use of Race Caps Supreme.

Here’s what the new formula looks likeand what these nutrients do...

“Mito Matrix” -A Vitamin E / CoQ10 / IdebenoneProprietary Blend

Although it’s hard to give any of the ingre-dients even a slightly lower “ s t a t u s,”arguably the key players in the formulahave to be Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) andIdebenone. These two nutrients are theprimary substrates involved in theElectron Transport Chain process of ATPproduction by the mitoch o n d r i a . We ’ v echanged the dose of each of these nutri-ents and put them in a specific ratio inRace Caps Supreme. We believe the bene-fits of both these extraordinary nutrientshave multiplied as a result of this change.Here’s a brief explanation of why thesetwo nutrients are the cornerstone of thisformula...

As most of us know, mitochondria aremicro organelles (“little organs”) found invirtually all cells in the human body,except red blood cells. The 20-2500 mito-chondria per cell produce the majority ofthe body’s energy (ATP) by means of anintricate and complex process called cellu-lar respiration. The production of ATPwithin the mitochondria involves twometabolic cycles known as the tricar-boxylic acid (TCA) cycle, which is alsocalled the “Krebs” or “citric acid” cycle, andthe oxidative phosphorylation electrontransport chain, commonly abbreviated asETC.

CoQ10 is a vital catalyst, perhaps THEprimary substrate involved in the mito-chondrial electron transport ch a i n .Without going into the complexities of thisprocess, which would take several pages,we can truly say that CoQ10’s importancecannot be understated because quite sim-ply, without it, the chain of cellular energyproduction is broken. This is key not onlyfor athletic performance but also for main-taining cardiovascular and brain health,and strong immunity in general. I nregards to cardiovascular health, one well-known cardiologist is quoted as saying, “Ihave long considered CoQ10 a wondernutrient because of its ability to supportheart health.” In addition, CoQ10 helps tolower blood pressure and may play a keyrole in the prevention of Parkinson’s dis-ease. For both athletic performance andgeneral health applications, there is sim-ply no question that the athlete MUSTsupplement with CoQ10.

Idebenone, also called hydroxydecyl Q, isan analogue of CoQ10 and a superb com-pliment to that remarkable nutrient. Infact, some experts even suggest it to beeven more powerful in action than CoQ10.Dr. Misner explains, “Idebenone suppliesall of the same benefits as CoQ10 plussome distinct advantages based on itsmore complex chemical structure. Thoughvery similar in chemical make-up toCoQ10, its longer chain organic structuregives it extra powerful antioxidant proper-ties making it a more effective “ f r e eradical quencher” resulting in less cell andtissue damage.” In essence, I d e b e n o n eextends the already powerful benefits ofCoQ10 and under hypoxic (low oxygen)conditions Idebenone’s ATP generatingcapabilities are even superior to CoQ10.

Vitamin E, while not directly involved inthe cellular respiration process, is a vitalcomponent in the Race Caps Supreme for-m u l a . The naturally derived, e a s i l yassimilated succinate form of this mineralsupports CoQ10 and Idebenone in neutral-izing free radicals, which, as mentionedearlier, are a naturally occurring metabol-ic by-product of energy production.Succinates are also a key component inthe TCA (or “Krebs”) cycle.

“Oxy-Assist”Optimized Oxygen Delivery / EnergyEnhancing Formula

A precise blend of T r i m e t h y l g l y c i n e(TMG), inosine, and glycerol phosphateprovide substantial benefits for enhancingoxygen utilization, optimizing fats-for-fuels capabilities, and for providingadditional support for energy productionand acid buffering.

Dr Bill calls TMG a “ L i p o t r o p i cAntioxidant Supreme” and writes,“ T r i m e t h y l clycine is more commonlyknown as betaine, an alkaloid of beets. Asan oxidation product of choline... it (TMG)also has been shown to perform lipotropicactivity (fatty-acid utilization for energyproduction). It (TMG)...has been used totreat muscular weakness and degenera-tion... is a powerful antioxidant, whichprimarily acts as a methyl donor, enhanc-ing the transport of oxygen to muscletissues.”

Dr. Bill writes, “Inosine, also known as ananti-fatigue nutrient, is a naturally occur-ring metabolic product that is readilyutilized by the body. Inosine increases theoxygen-carrying capacity of the blood,allowing more oxygen to be delivered tothe muscles, thereby reducing fatigue.”

Phosphates (in the form of glycerol phos-phate) are used in the muscl emitochondrial cells for the production ofenergy and are also beneficial for buffer-ing excess acidity.

“KCI Support”A Proprietary Krebs CycleIntermediate Chelated Mineral Blend

Earlier both the TCA and ETC cyclesinvolved in ATP production were men-

(RACE CAPS from page 1)

tioned and that Race Caps Supreme’sCoQ10/Idebenone combination fulfilled amajor component for the ETC portion. Forsupporting the TCA (or “Krebs”) cycle, theRace Caps Supreme formula supplies aprecise amount of the Krebs Cycl eIntermediates (KCI) Malate, C i t r a t e,Aspartate, Lysinate, Glycinate, which arechelators for the minerals calcium, mag-nesium, and potassium. Another KrebsCycle Intermediate, alpha ketoglutarate,has been added as well. With this KCIdonation now a part of the formula, RaceCaps Supreme provides key substrates tosupport and enhance both metaboliccycles involved in ATP production.

“Absorb-Assure”Specific nutrient-absorption blendGetting every bit of these valuable nutrientsinto the bloodstream is of prime importanceso to enhance and maximize absorptionRace Caps Supreme contains a potent blendof various digestive aids. One component ofthis unique nutrient-absorption combina-tion is a proprietary formula called theEnzyme Enhancement System and theother is the well-researched standardizedb l a ck pepper extract called Bioperine.

The Formula - A Guarded SecretSince the beginning of E-CAPS, our policyhas been to give full disclosure of the exactamounts of each nutrient contained in ourproducts. As a result, other companieshave attempted to duplicate certain for-mulas of ours. Now, copy may be thesincerest form of flattery but the new RaceCaps Supreme formula is so unique andtook so long to arrive at that we’ve decid-ed to keep this proprietary formula“cloaked” a bit more, so as to deter copycatproducts from sprouting up. You can restassured though, that the quality of thisnew product is at the same uncompromis-ingly high standards as all our productsare. As with all E-CAPS products, the sup-pliers of our ingredients are extremelyreputable (we work VERY closely withthem). We make sure that each and everynutrient contained in all our products isthe highest quality possible - fully potentand pristine. As it has been from thebeginning of E-CAPS’ existence, you haveour guarantee of that.

ConclusionA long time ago Dr. Bill wrote, “The objec-tive in formulating the original Race Caps

was to provide the ultimate ergogenic aidnot only for improved cardiovascular-mus-culoskeletal performance on the field ofcompetition, but also to benefit the overallhealth of the athlete.” This is still theobjective of the Race Caps formula onlynow, with the arrival of the new Race CapsS u p r e m e, the desired outcome of thisobjective has been realized in a greaterway than ever before. Now more than everwe guarantee that you will not find anyproduct comparable to Race CapsSupreme for the combined effects ofimproving athletic performance AND sup-porting overall health.

HOW SUPPLIEDRace Caps Supreme will come in bottles of90 all-vegetable (vegan-friendly) capsulesand will retail for $59.95. This is roughly aone-month supply (depending on usage)and is equivalent in price to one bottle ofthe older Race Caps formula and one bot-tle of Enduro Caps (which will no longerbe produced as it is no longer necessary).

SUGGESTED DOSESNon-workout days & workout days up to 1.5 hoursAthletes weighing less than 150 pounds orANY athlete under the age of 20 - 2 capsules daily

Athletes weighing more than 150 pounds -3 capsules daily

Workout days over 1.5 hoursAthletes weighing less than 150 pounds orANY athlete under the age of 20 - 3 capsules daily

Athletes weighing more than 150 pounds -3-4 capsules daily

More detailed usage suggestions will be included with orders

NOTESFor even greater and more amplified ben-efits Race Caps Supreme should be takenwith Mito-R Caps.

With the release of the new Race CapsSupreme formula two long-time staples inthe E-CAPS line will be no more. BecauseRace Caps Supreme improves upon the RaceCaps/Enduro Caps combination and com-bines the two products into one, the currentEnduro Caps product is no longer necessaryand is being discontinued. With Race CapsSupreme you will derive even greater bene-fits than you did with the Race Caps/EnduroCaps combo, you won’t have to take as manycapsules to get these benefits, and the priceremains the same...it’s all good!

Cardio Caps was a tough one to let go of.Designed as “the younger athlete’s RaceC a p s,” Cardio Caps filled a specific need forboth younger athletes and athletes lookingfor a less expensive alternative. H o w e v e r, t h enew Race Caps Supreme formula is so uniqueand so potent that it would be extremely dif-f i c u l t , if at all possible, to produce a similarCardio Caps-like product that could matchthe original Cardio Caps price while still pro-viding acceptable benefits. We do realize thatthe cost difference between a one-month sup-ply of Cardio Caps and Enduro Caps and abottle of the new Race Caps Supreme is sub-stantial ($37.95 vs. $ 5 9 . 9 5 ) . What wa soverwhelmingly apparent though is the supe-riority of benefits in the new Race CapsSupreme formula. We are so convinced thatALL athletes, regardless of age, will benefitmore thoroughly with Race Caps Supremecompared to the Cardio Caps/Enduro Capsc o m b i n a t i o n , that we chose to discontinue theCardio Caps product.

If you’re currently using the CardioCaps/Enduro Caps combination we encour-age you to give a bottle of the new Race CapsSupreme a try. We think you will find thesubstantial increase in benefits to more thanjustify the difference in cost.

For all you die-hard Cardio Caps or EnduroCaps fans, we still have a substantialamount of inventory available until thearrival date of Race Caps Supreme (duesometime in February). To make room forRace Caps Supreme we’re selling existingsupplies of Cardio Caps, Enduro Caps, and/orthe Cardio Caps kit at reduced prices, no lim-its, while supplies last.

Enduro Caps Reg. $24.95 SALE - $15.00Cardio Caps Reg. $19.95 SALE - $10.00

So, farewell to two long-time favorites. We’reon to something even better for all athletes ofall ages with the new Race Caps Supreme.

Cardio Caps & Enduro CapsThanks for the memories

one that brings tears to my eyes at thes t a r t . Perhaps that’s because with only 4attempts it’s still special, or could it be mysubconscious mind preparing for the painahead? W h a t e v e r, all I know is it’s therace age groupers andpros want to conquermore than any other. I ’ v ewon many races and sev-eral ITU world titles,with Kona always goingdown as my worst race ofthe year. T h a t ’s hard tos wallow and this yearwas going to be different.With a new age group, arelaxed and patient atti-t u d e, and an ironcl a dnutritional plan thati n cluded Pe r p e t u e m ,there was no stoppingme now.

Well let me just “ b l a h ,b l a h , b l a h ” f o r ward to the7-hour mark...still verym u ch in contention, feeling pretty darnedgood after running an easy 27-minutes forthe first four miles and then, boom...a 15-minute next mile. What can I say ?Doggone it if I didn’t bonk hard again (likethe Red Sox and Cubs to the World Series,I must be jinxed in Ko n a ) . About 40-min-utes and 3-miles later I came upon mypotential sav i o r, Brian Frank of E-Capsf a m e. “Help me Brian. Please give me somea d v i c e. How can I turn this thing around?”“I don’t know man, you don’t look so good.I t ’s Hot. Just heard DeBoom dropped out.Hang in there though, and um, pop someE n d u r o l y t e s.” I moaned back , “They don’tseem to be working today.” “ We l l , t h e y ’ r eworking for Jeff Cuddeback . Did you seehim? He’s kicking ass in your division - topamateur I think.” “ Ye a , I saw him. What as t u d . See ‘ya later Brian.”

And so I popped and popped but still feltp o o p e d .A mile later I saw Tony Rich a r d s o n ,an ex-pro colleague who, like Brian, wa ssmart enough to be wa t ching the race. H esaid to me, “No matter what To n y, f i n i s h .I t ’s the worst feeling being here and not fin-i s h i n g. It’ll haunt you forever.” ( Ye s, I wa st r aveling slowly enough to actually carry-on such lengthy interactions withs p e c t a t o r s ) .Then he said,“ You’re still in thetop 5 in your age group. Don’t be down on

a newsletter for the endurance athlete

“Among the truly sacred places on thisearth, you have to include Fenway Park,Wrigley Field and Kona.” Dick Tomlin

In sharing that opinion with me via cellphone from Hawaii, Dick’s reverent tonegot my heart racing. 24 hours later Iwould be there as his roommate for thebest and worst week in triathlon: pre raceweek at the Hawaii Ironman.

It’s the best because so much happens - anentire week obsessed with everythingtriathlon. It’s the worst because nothinghappens - an entire week obsessed witheverything triathlon. I’m not sure whatyou feel more of: total exhilaration or totalo v e r l o a d ; m aybe both. R e g a r d l e s s, b yFriday night you are raring to get thedarn thing started.

Ironman Hawaii is known for its meticu-lous organization and attention to detail -a good thing. Unfortunately, the size of thefield (now 1700) overwhelmed the systemon race morning. Unless you were a pro orVIP, you likely spent 60-90 minutes stand-ing in cattle corrals to get through bodymarking and to the swim start. Gone nowis one of my favorite and most charmingaspects of Ironman - the chance to walkout onto Allii Drive for final good byes,hugs, photos and well wishes from familyand friends before heading into the water.Gone too is any quiet time and space ath-letes used to have to sit and stretch, topray and meditate, and to gain one’s com-posure before making way to the swimstart. Instead, athletes are horded intosteel fencing for a dreadfully slow proces-sion toward the water’s edge. For over 30minutes we stood helplessly waiting withfear growing that we’d still be stuck on thepier when the cannon blasted the start.Thankfully, I reached the water and swamto the start with two minutes to spare; Idoubt the hundreds of athletes behind mewere as lucky.

That fiasco aside, everything else aboutthe race was typical Hawaii Ironman...w h i ch is to say, the greatest triathlon ofa l l . Where else can a 45-year-old-fart com-pete alongside the best athletes in theworld as they contest the most importantchampionship in their sport? The unique-ness of this race just overwhelms. Of the600+ races I’ve done, it remains the only

A Dirty Little Secret

y o u r s e l f. You’re awesome man!” “ T h a n k sTo n y. I appreciate it.”

That place didn’t last long but his wordsp i cked up my spirit. Then the Endurolytes

k i cked in and I wa sable to start runninga g a i n , even if slowerthan sch e d u l e d .Whether it’s a sign ofstrength or weakness,I’m not sure, but once Ilet go of the disap-pointment and startedrunning sans goal, m yenergy and pace pick e du p. The rest of the race,though not fast,became surprisinglye n j o y a b l e.

That’s where the “dirtylittle secret” comes in.In making my wayalong the Queen K andback toward the finish

in Kailua, I was contented by the wonder-ful realization (cover your eyes SteveBorn) that, it’s ok to go short! I don’t haveto go long or race Ironman to be fulfilledas an athlete. Yes, there is still unfinishedbusiness in Kona, and it’ll just have tostay that way.

There are so many ways to enjoyendurance racing without pounding outthe ultras. You won’t see me ever againbuilding a Hawaiian tropical vacationaround self-inflicted torture. I am donewith it, forever. Now I can focus on all theraces I’ve always wanted to do.... “Hi hon,I’m home. Say, did you get that message Isaved earlier for you on voice mail? It’sfrom Jeff Cuddeback. He said to call ifyou’d like to come to Florida to train withhim for Hawaii.”

“Oh yea, did he leave a number?”

Despite his troubles in this year’s IronmanH a w a i i , Tony Schiller finished in 10:38,good for 20th in his division. He was theoverall winner of 3 triathlons in 2003.P r o f e s s i o n a l ly, Tony is a full-time motiva-tional speaker/business consultant and apart-time triathlon coach . His website isw w w. t a l k i n g t o n y. c o m .

Tony Schiller

Not again!

Bouncing Back After Sickness

When athletes get sick we look at it as adeath sentence to our fitness. Most of usstress out about missed workouts anddeteriorating fitness. It’s almost as if wecan see our hearts shrinking, our waist-lines bulging and our enduranceplummeting. Well, the reality of it is some-thing you might have heard me say in thepast: Rome wasn’t built in a day, and nei-ther was your fitness.

The best thing to do when you are sick is tohonor what your body is telling you. B a ckoff and take some time off. Let your bodyspend it’s energy in helping you get betterrather than trying to cope with the workouthell you’re putting it through. Your recov-ery will be quicker and more complete.

If you’re sick for several days to up to aweek (or more), then give yourself time toget back into your routine. I take theamount of time I’m sick and cut it in half.T h a t ’s the number of days I give myself tobuild back into my routine in terms ofintensity and duration. Don’t just jumpb a ck in full throttle to “make up for lostt i m e ” . You may find yourself in a relapse ofthe sick n e s s.

In no time, you’ll feel like your old self andyou’ll forget you were sick. Push too hardtoo soon and you’ll rue the day.

Happy Training

Na te Ll erandi is a form er national champion classs w i m m er / w o rld class tri a t h l e te. He has been coach i n gsince 1990 and cre a tes pro grams for athletes of a l ls p o rts and ability level s . You can contact him atn a t e ll e ra n d i @ y a h o o. c o m

Nate’s CornerNate Llerandi

1.800.336.1977 • www.e-caps.comOrder today!

Get over $200 worth ofvitamins and minerals forjust $59.95!

$59.9560-packets

Only PIC’s contain 19 key amino acids 17 super foods & fullspectrum digestiveenzymes 12 of the highest quality vitamins10 chelated minerals.

Hammer Gel Given MTBR 2003 Choice Award

Photo courtesy of Gregg Kato

Highest Rated Product in Nutrition Category

Viva Las Vegas!

Hammer Gel received the2003 MTB Review ChoiceAward for highest ratedproduct in the NutritionCategory. Steve Bornaccepted the award duringthe 2003 Interbike in LasVegas. A big thanks goesout to all those who votedfor Hammer Gel.

Werner SchweizerE-CAPS’ Mont-Blanc Conquering “Mountain Goat”The first edition of the Ultra-TrailInternational Tour of Mont Blanc (67, 110& 150 Km ultra runs) tookplace in Chamonix, France onS a t u r d ay, 30th August &Sunday, 31st August 2003. Itsure doesn’t sound like yourtypical ultra run though; checkout what the race web site givesas “Race Details”:

The Ultra-Trail Internationalaround Mont Blanc - throughFr a n c e, Italy & Switzerland.Passing 7 valleys, 71 glaciersand 400 summits (the Mont-Blanc massif). 400 Summits? Yikes! Well,unfazed by the length or difficult terrain(which involved 24,000 feet of climbing),long-time client and ultra runner extraor-dinaire Werner Schweizer conquered thechallenging course, finishing a fantastic5th overall (out of approximately 700entrants) in a time of 24 hours, 15 min-utes. Best of all - are you ready for this? -

Werner is 64 years old! No wonder weoften refer to him as the “A g e l e s s

Wonder”!

We recently received aletter from We r n e r(who is one of themost humble athletesy o u ’d ever meet) andhe wrote, “ With thehelp of someone aboveu s, Ja c q u e l i n e, and E-CA P S, I made the runof my life, f i n i s h i n g5th overall, at age 64.Very bad conditions,

h e avy rain and fog (the Americans saidthat they have never run in such bad con-d i t i o n s ) . I think this performance is thebest testimonial that E-CAPS andHammer Nutrition work.”

An absolutely stellar effort from anotherterrific E-CAPS athlete. C o n g r a t u l a t i o n sWerner on a tremendous accomplishment!

a newsletter for the endurance ath lete

Why Should I Lift Weights In The Off-Season?

It is always humorous to hear the myriadmythological reasons athletes conjure upto avoid this stepchild of the endurance-training world. From the possibility ofweight gain and the decrease of leg speed,to the infamous lack of time and fear ofi n j u r y, endurance athletes find moreexcuses for not lifting weights than themeans teen-agers can come up with toavoid doing their ch o r e s. The irony of thesituation is that this simple and relativelypainless activity can not only be fun, b u tm ay be the critical link for many athletesto have that extra edge that goes so far inenhancing athletic performance once theracing season rolls around.

There are the obvious reasons for incorpo-rating weight training into yourpre-season regimen. From maintaining orbuilding up some of that vital lean massthat gets catabolized in the racing season,to gaining the strength necessary to turnover the gears to produce significant poweron the bike, weight training produces aplethora of effects that the endurance ath-lete stands to benefit from. Never mind thefact that weight training can boost them e t a b o l i s m , help regulate hormonal bal-a n c e, and improve posture. How manytimes have you needed that extra kick atthe end of the race? Weight training canp l ay a major part in helping the athletefind the necessary power at the end of afatiguing event that their otherwise lesser-trained competitors may not be able tom u s t e r. This slight advantage could meanthe difference between the podium andgetting dropped!

One of the other, more commonly heardreasons for not heading to the gym is theoft heard “I am a cycl i s t / t r i a t h l e t e / r u n n e r,not a body builder. Why should I liftweights? I do not want to get big andb u l k y ! ” This is where having a coach or atleast someone vaguely familiar withstrength training protocols designed in thecurrent century comes in handy.

Just because you lift weights, does notmean you are going to get “ b i g ” . The truthi s, most people do not have the genetics todevelop the size and bulk that many bodybuilder types carry around. For those thatdo have a propensity in this direction, c o m-

mon sense and awareness of properset/rep/rest and weight schemes comes inh a n d y. Endurance sports rely on very spe-cific muscular actions and combinations offunctional movement patterns. This iswhere it is important to consult a coach orstrength and conditioning professional toget the guidance necessary to keep youheading in the direction of your goals andnot wasting time performing exercises thatm ay not only be of little benefit to you, b u tm ay actually hinder your performance. Aknowledgeable coach or fitness profession-al can guide you in setting up a strengthtraining program that includes the appro-priate set/rep/rest and weight sch e m e sperformed over time with progressiveresistance that will give you the stability,s t r e n g t h , and power gains that will boostyour performance and take you to the nextl e v e l !

Fi n a l l y, one of the most beneficial reasonsfor anyone, but especially for enduranceathletes to incorporate strength work intotheir training programs is one that israrely talked about in the general public.This not so well known but criticallyimportant benefit is the effect strengthtraining can hav e, if done properly, in cor-recting muscular and postural imbalances.

This is a huge one for endurance athletes.The very nature of the posture found incycling lends itself to turning the athleteinto a hunch back with rounded, protract-ed shoulders and a forward head whichcauses all kinds of dysfunction, like cervi-cal problems, head and neck aches, not tomention making many of us look likehunch backs! Runners and swimmers donot make out much better and often endup with postural abnormalities, musclei m b a l a n c e s, and strength discrepanciesthat lead them to decreased performanceand often season ending injuries thatcould have been otherwise avoided byincorporating the proper corrective andpreventative strength exercises into theirtraining.

The repetitive movements involved in oursport reinforce muscular imbalances likethe ones mentioned previously due too v e r u s e d , hypertonic antagonists andweak and elongated antagonists. The tick-

et is to be as smart about your approach toweight training as you are to your train-ing on the bike. Using the same principlesof specificity and progressive overload, theathlete can work on strengthening what isweak and what is functionally necessaryfor the movements involved in their sport.They can leave out many of the bodybuilding type exercises primarily aimed athypertrophic (size) gains in parts of thebody that just aren’t crucial to perform-ance in their sport.

The other key element in the off-season isgetting involved in a proper integratedflexibility training program to comple-ment the strength work and stretch theshortened overused muscles which makeup the 2nd half of the imbalance equation.I agree that much of what is traditionallydone in the gym has little to no relevanceto what we do in our sports. However,there is much better knowledge out theretoday and incorporating this in the off-season and some of the in-season canmake a huge difference in an athlete’s per-formance and in the longevity of theircareer by decreasing the likelihood of painand dysfunction, and performance limit-ing injuries.

Hopefully, by now, you are at least curious,if not convinced, that getting involved in ascientifically based, safe, and sport specif-ic strength training regimen will help youin your athletic endeavors when the sea-son rolls around. My hope is that anymisconceptions you may have had aboutweight training prior to reading this arti-cle are now in question, if not completelydispelled, and replaced by a desire toimprove your overall athletic performanceby incorporating proper strength and flex-ibility work into your annual trainingplan. So step into the 22nd century and donot let strength training be the bogeymanthat keeps you from going to the next levelthis season. Seek out a knowledgeable,c e r t i f i e d , and experienced coach orstrength and conditioning professional tohelp you put together an off-season pro-gram that will help you enjoy a longerathletic career and reach a peak level ofperformance this year!

Jeb Stewart BS, CSCS, Coach

(see WEIGHTS on page 9)

QUESTION:I’ve had a conversation with a coach... hedoesn’t believe that we can absorb carbsolutions greater than 8%. Can you pointme toward some independent researchthat proves we can absorb much higherconcentrations of large molecule carbs?Personally, I believe it, but my friendwould like some proof.

ANSWER:Your colleague is correct if he is referringto short-chain carbohydrates, simple sug-ars, which are absorbed between 6-8%solutions due to osmolar pressure gener-ated by solution. H o w e v e r, long ch a i ncarbohydrates are absorbed immediatelyin 15-20% solutions. Maltodextrin is anexample of long chains of simple sugarslinked together, and when in as high as

15-20% solutions they are absorbed due totheir osmolality of 280-303 mOsm, whichduplicates transient body fluids osmolali-ty. If you separate maltodextrin linkedsimple sugars, they must be diluted to 6-8% in order to achieve an acceptableabsorption osmolar value of body fluids @280-303 mOsm. If the osmolality value ofa carbohydrate solution is above normalbody fluid levels of 280-303 mOsm, the gutmust draw both fluids and electrolytes,namely sodium, in order to reduce theosmolar values down to body fluid levels of280-303 mOsm. There is a great amount ofresearch that establishes the given neces-sity for osmolality of a solution requiredfor absorption.

This is basic research from Weber &Ehrlein - Glucose and maltodextrin inenteral diets have different effects on jeju-nal absorption of nutrients, sodium andwater and on flow rate in mini pigs.D t s ch Tierarztl Wo ch e n s ch r. 1 9 9 8Dec;105(12):446-9:

“Absorption of glucose and fat from themaltodextrin diet was significantlygreater than from the glucose diet, where-as absorption of protein was only slightlye n h a n c e d . A net water absorptionoccurred at perfusion of the isotonic solu-

tion with maltodextrin. Perfusing thehypertonic glucose diet, water was secret-ed. Therefore the flow rate increased fromoligomer to monomer glucose source. Withenhanced flow rate sodium secretionincreased. However, the sodium concen-tration of the effluent was determinedmore by the transepithelial water move-ment than by the sodium secretion. Thepresent results indicate that in enteraldiets with interactions among differentnutrients there is a ‘kinetic advantage’ inglucose absorption from maltodextrincompared to glucose. H o w e v e r, t h ereduced flow rate of the maltodextrin dietdue to the lower osmolality contributed tothe enhanced absorption.”

The balance between electrolyte flux,fluid volume and the length of carbohy-drate chains determines what solutionwill be receptively absorbed immediately.This report is a “ g i v e n ” from widely-accepted concluded basic science.

Jeb Stewart is a USA Cycling Expert Levelc o a ch and a Master’s degree candidate inExercise Science and Health Promotion.He is certified by the AC S M , The NSCA,and is the head assistant coach and a part-ner at the Peaks Coaching Group. He has along history of competing in a variety ofathletic endeavors at the national leveland currently races on the road around thecountry annually. He specializes in coach-ing athletes of all walks of life using aholistic approach and is on the forefront ofc o a ching cyclists with power. Je b ’s passionfor helping people go to the next level in allof their endeavors has led him to become anational presenter, w r i t e r, and consultanton anything related to training, p e r fo r m-a n c e, and wellness. You can contact Je bd i r e c t ly at jeb@peakscoach i n g g r o u p.com orat (813) 230-2900.

E-CAPS/Hammer Nutrition enthusiasti-c a l ly sponsors Peaks Coaching Group. Fo r

more information on subjects related toendurance training or for any of yourc o a ching and training needs ch e ck out Je band the rest of the coaches from the Pe a k sC o a ching Group at w w w. p e a k s c o a ch i n g g r o u p. c o m .

(WEIGHTS from page 8)

The handbook every athlete should have!That’s right...don’t miss out on the Endurance Athlete’s Guide ToSuccess. It’s an incredible 44-page handbook that contains every-thing you need to know about optimum caloric, electrolyte, andfluid intake for training and competition. Request your copy whenyou place your next order or go to our website and download aFREE PDF version!

Call Now! 1.800.336.1977Log on and download your FREE copy! www.e-caps.com

A goldmine of triathloninformation in your hands!

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1.800.336.1977

• Race strategies & tactics• Nutrition & fueling

Written by tri-coachNate Llerandi &Ultra Cycling Hall of Fame inductee Steve Born

a newsletter for the endurance athlete

Welcome to the first edition of EnduranceNews in 2004! I hope you’re as excitedabout this upcoming year as I am, as all ofus here at E-CAPS are. We’ve got a lot ofgreat things in store and we know you’regoing to be stoked by what we’ve gotplanned.

The “Supplement Summit”That’s what I call the meeting that tookplace between Brian, Dr. Bill, and myselfabout week or so prior to Christmas. Whata powerful meeting that was! We spent allday and part of the night going throughthe E-CAPS/Hammer Nutrition line, dis-cussing new product possibilities andupdates to current products. The researchDr. Bill shared with us was nothing shortof astounding and needless to say, it’spretty exciting stuff.

I know I’m somewhat biased, having usedE-CAPS products for over a decade andnearing the end of my fourth year ofemployment with the company. Still, I’vebeen involved in the health food/supple-ment industry for a long, long time, nearly15 years, and during that time I’ve dealtwith a lot of companies. I’ve seen and trieda lot of products so I’d like to think I’ve gota pretty good handle on what’s been goingon in the industry. What I’m getting at isthis...without a doubt, the updates we’redoing to some of the E-CAPS products, Dr.Bill’s ongoing research (just phenomenalstuff), and the new product possibilitiesthat we’ve already come up with reallydrives home the fact that this company isunique and, in my opinion, even moreadvanced than any other company I knowof. The term “cutting edge” is a too-oftenused phrase but it really is applicablewith E-CAPS.

Simply put, the supplements we produceare the right products with the right

ingredients in them and in the rightamounts. I truly believe these are thefinest supplements available, ones thathave benefits that go way beyond athleticperformance enhancement. And after our“summit” I am even more convinced theproducts we’re producing have no equalanywhere. We will of course keep you upto date on everything that’s happeningwith E-CAPS/Hammer Nutrition and Ican assure you that we’ve got some greatthings in store.

The New Race Caps Supreme Whenever an existing product is updated,especially one as venerable as Race Caps,it’s newsworthy. Even though the RaceCaps formula many of you are now enjoy-ing got a “face lift” not too long ago, it’sgoing to be completely overhauled. And forall you Race Caps/Enduro Caps clients,one thing this change will do is make pilltaking a bit easier for you. Here’s how.After serious discussions between Brian,Dr. Bill, and myself during our aforemen-tioned Supplement Summit, w e ’ r eunveiling Race Caps Supreme - one prod-uct that incorporates components of theexisting Race Caps and Enduro Caps for-mulas, plus some exciting new nutrients.

That’s right, the new Race Caps Supremewill have a newer, more powerful formula(it’s going to blow you away) and it will allbe in one product. Instead of taking 1-2Race Caps and 2-4 Enduro Caps, you’llnow just have to take 1-3 of the new RaceCaps Supreme. Best of all, a 90-count bot-tle of the new Race Caps Supreme willretail for $59.95 so not only will you enjoythe benefits of an even more potent for-mula, one that cuts the amount of pillsyou need to take in half, you’re not goingto pay any extra for it. Sweet!

Special RecognitionThere are so many phenomenal E-CAPS/Hammer Nutrition athletes outthere that we could literally fill everyissue (and then some) with nothing butrace results. We always try to get as manyathletes and their accomplishments “inink” but I wanted to take the opportunityhere to recognize a few specific athletesand congratulate them on their tremen-dous efforts. In no particular order:

Team Epinephrine - Paul Romero,Karen Lundgren, Darren Clarke, and Rick

Baraff - won the first ever adventure raceon the island of Maui. Paul emailed merecently and said it was an absolutely bru-tal race. With only seven of 25international teams that started able tofinish, I’d call that brutal with a capital“B”! Great job Team Epi! More about theirwin can be seen on the team’s web site at:w w w. t e a m e p i n e p h r i n e. c o m / h t m l / n e w s _ i ndex.html

Connie Gardner - She always comes upwith such incredible performances that itseems like she’s in every issue ofEndurance News. This time her mentionin EN is extra special though because weget to congratulate Connie on beingawarded the 2003 Female Ultrarunner ofthe Year by the US UltrarunningAssociation. What a great way to cap off atremendous season...way to go Connie!The complete story can be read at:w w w. u l t r a m a r a t h o n w o r l d . c o m / n e w s _ 2 0 0 3/n04de03a.htm

Suzy Degazon - On November 30, 2003Suzy completed her 6th straightUltraman World Championships race inKona, Hawaii. For the uninitiated, this isa three-day ultra-distance triathlon con-sisting of a 6.2-mile swim, 261.4-mile bike,and 52.4-mile run. Suzy came in 9th over-all with her best time to date of 31:50:49.Her story can be found at :www.xtri.com/article.asp?id=1086 More about the race can be found at :w w w. u l t r a m a n w o r l d s. c o m / 2 0 0 3 / i n d e x . h t m l .Congratulations Suzy!

Dick Weber - I know I mentioned Dick’saccomplishment in the Furnace Creek 508a r t i cle elsewhere in this issue. I justthought it deserved special mention herebecause as most of you know, this race is ofparticular interest to me. It is such a diffi-cult race that finishing it at all is a realhonor. Dick not only finished, he destroyeda very good age-group course record byover an hour. C h e ck out the FurnaceCreek article in this edition of EnduranceNews for more.

Events!Now is the time of year that a lot of us arethinking skiing and in this issue we’velisted the many Nordic ski races we spon-sor. That doesn’t mean there aren’t otherevents that we’re involved in. Here aresome of the ones we sponsor that are hap-

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The Undercover Adventure RaceFebruary 14-16 in Sarasota, Florida.This is one of three great races put on byAdventurous Concepts. Check out theirweb site at:h t t p : / / w w w. f l o r i d a r a c e s. c o m / a d v e n t u r e _ r acing_news.html

The Swamp Stomp Adventure Race isthe first event of the 2004 Jeep AdventureRacing Series. This 24-Hr race will beginat Noon on Saturday, January 31 and fin-ish Sunday, February 1. For more infocheck out:www.x-tremegear.com/newsite/html/stomp.html

The 10-race Built Ford To u g hMountain Biking Series kicks off onJanuary 25 and we’ll be sponsoring the 12 Hours of Razorback Te a mCompetition as well. More informationabout all the events can be found at:www.goneriding.com/2003/2003events.htm

February 7th is the date for the inauguralSaguaro Lake - Desert Rage Sprint IAdventure Race. We’re really excited tobe sponsoring all the races in the DesertRage Adventure Race Series and moreinformation can be found at:www.sierraadventuresports.com

It’s never too early to start thinking “dou-ble century” (if you’re a cyclist that is) andagain in 2004 we’re enthusiastic sponsorsof the Planet Ultra c y cling events(www.planetultra.com). Along with fourcentury-length (100 mile) rides, s e v e nclassic double centuries such as the DeathValley Double and Tour of Two Forestsmake up the calendar of Planet Ultra,organized by Chris Kostman, the racedirector for the Furnace Creek 508 andBadwater Ultra Marathon (www.badwaterultra.com)

Great ideas, great products, great ath-letes, great events - that all adds up to aGREAT 2004!

I want to wish all of you the very best for ahealthy and successful year.Thanks for beingan important part of the E-CAPS family!

Sincerely -

Steve Born

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Hammering theNordic World

a newsletter for the endurance athlete

Compex Square Wave Technology

(COMPEX from page 1)

The FDA has cleared Compex for the following 6 indications:

• Increased Muscle Strength/Density• Increased Muscle Size• Improved Endurance (VO2 max)• Improved Explosive Strength

(Velocity and Strength)• Increased Speed of Muscle Recovery• Ability to Warm-up Muscles

ing muscle work and the muscle progressis nothing but the result of that work. Theelectrical pulses excite the motor nerve,which transmits to the muscle the order torespond mechanically. These pulses mustbe prepared to pass through the skinwithout getting deformed and arrive prac-tically “ cl e a n ” to specifically excite,without producing burning or electricalpain. Though each current pulse corre-sponds to an elementary work order, themuscle fibers responding to this order do amuscle response (a work unit).

The number of working fibers, meaningthe amount of progressing fibers, dependson the power of the pulse. Powerful pulsesare needed in order to work the maximumnumber of fibers and get the overcompen-sation phenomenon on the highestpossible percentage of muscle fibers. Toachieve this result, an efficient electros-timulation must produce very powerfulc o n t r a c t i o n s. N o r m a l l y, when we talkabout powerful electrical pulses, we thinkof electrical danger and pain. So an inno-vative solution was required to providepowerful pulses and at the same time,comfort, with no electrical pain (burning,electrical discharges, etc.). Only a productusing a sophisticated technology, alongwith high quality and accurate electroniccomponents, can respond to the doublechallenge of power and comfort.

Having the quality electronics able to givean order to make the maximum number ofmuscle fibers work is not the only condi-tion. It is also necessary to control thenature and the amount of work imposedon the fibers through stimulation. Forexample, the work done by the quadricepsof a sprinter is not the same work per-formed by the quadriceps of a marathonrunner!

The physiology of the contraction and themuscle effort gives very precise informa-tion about the function of the different

types of muscle fibers (slow, fast, interme-diates, very fast, etc.).

The different working regimes correspon-ding to the particular types of muscleperformance are also known in a verydetailed way. Trials on animals andhuman beings have established the corre-spondence between the frequency of therepetition of the pulses and the nature ofthe work obtained (strength, e x p l o s i v estrength, light or active endurance, resist-ance). The different programs and, withinthem, the different levels, correspond tothe differences of nature and quantity ofmuscle work. By adapting the pulse fre-quencies, the contraction, rest durationand the total time of the ESM sessions, weget different working regimes and there-fore different muscle trainings.

The Compex Sport An EMS device, like the Compex Sport,which meets the requirements describeda b o v e, provides an extremely powerfulmeans for improving muscle performance.In fact, thanks to its different stimulationp r o g r a m s, one can impose exactly therequired nature and quantity of stimula-tion for specific sport disciplines.

With this product one can:Increase and improve the muscle recoveryafter a competition or an intense trainingsession; Impose a considerable amount ofwork to the muscles, not limited by themental and general physical fatigue;Recruit an amount of muscle fibers biggerthan the one obtained by voluntary con-t r a c t i o n s ; Improve the proprioceptivec o n t r o l ; Modify the fibers’ typology;Impose some beneficial work that thefibers can not do with a voluntary con-traction; Improve the muscle elasticity;Increase the resistance; Increase theendurance; Increase the strength; Developthe explosive strength; Have a much bet-ter and faster warm-up

The training possibilities with EMSdepend on the type of programs one can

f i n d : S t r e n g t h , Explosive Strength,R e s i s t a n c e, E n d u r a n c e, Po t e n t i a t i o n ,Active Recovery

Strength Programs Classical programs of muscle reinforce-ment consist of tetanic contractions of thefast fibers alternating with long activerest periods. These programs are meant toimprove the muscle strength and are rec-ommended for the majority of sportswhere an increase in strength willimprove the performance. For instance,they are often used in skiing and moun-tain biking, as a muscle trainingcomplement or even instead of the activemuscle work out. These programs can beused during the season to reduce the gen-eral fatigue induced by the active musclework out.

Explosive Strength Programs These programs are different from theclassic strength programs, since theyallow a supra-tetanization of the fastfibers. They are conceived to increase theexplosivity of the strength and they aremainly useful for sports using enormousstrength and velocity (jumps, s p r i n t s,throws, etc.). They are extremely benefi-cial since they impose activity regimes tothe muscle fibers that usually can only beobtained in a voluntary way with terrificand maximum strength efforts, which aretraumatic for the body.

Resistance Programs The resistance programs are composed ofrelatively long tetanic contractions andquite short active rest periods. With this,the stimulated muscles get a large quanti-t y, as well as, a high intensity of work to betaken until the limit of their glycolyticm e t a b o l i s m . I f, in the voluntary training,we wanted to achieve comparable levels, w ewould have to do physically and mentallyexhaustive trainings. The resistance pro-grams allow the athlete to replace gruelingtraining sessions or go beyond what couldbe achieved in the resistance trainings.

The erratic patterns of other electrical EMS units.

The 20th Anniversary of theAdventureCORPS Furnace Creek 508bicycle race was held on October 11-13,2003 and what a race it was. Idealweather conditions throughout themajority of the race greeted the nearrecord field. Considered by many to bethe premier ultra marathon bicycle racein the world, the Furnace Creek 508begins in Santa Clarita, C a l i f o r n i a ,passes through a large portion of DeathValley and surrounding desert areas,and finishes, after 508 miles and 35,000feet of cumulative elevation gain, inTwenty Nine Palms, California.

Arguably the most competitive women’srace in years took place this year andwhen the dust had settled, Lisa MarieDougherty from Los A l a m o s, N Mclaimed the victory in 35 hours, 36 min-u t e s, 41 seconds. Riding in cl o s eproximity for a good portion of the racewere rookies Janet Christiansen(Poway, CA) and Carol Chaffee (Arvada,CO), with the three within an hour ofeach other at the Furnace Creek timestation (252 miles). The battle betweenDougherty and Christiansen was anepic one and it wasn’t until after thelast time station at the top of SheepHole Pass (479 miles) that Doughertyreeled in a tiring Christiansen and wenton for the win. Christiansen finishedsecond in 37:51:07 and Chaffee tookthird in 38:38:43.

The men’s race looked like it was goingto be a competitive one from start to fin-ish but by the time Andrew Bohannon(Sunnyvale, CA), a former RAAM fin-isher and 508 champion, had crestedthe summit of Towne Pass, the race’stoughest climb (a 10-mile, 3400’ of ele-vation gain brute), he started pullingaway from a deep and talented field.When Bohannon reached the time sta-tion at Furnace Creek (252 miles) thegap was close to 30 minutes and by theShoshone time station (325 miles) hehad built a two-hour lead. Bohannonclaimed the victory in the very-fast timeof 29:19:18, almost exactly two hoursahead of impressive rookie Je f fLandauer (Fair Oaks, CA) who finished

r u n n e r-up in 31:19:22, 19 minutesahead of last year’s winner EricOstendorff. 40 men in various under-50age group categories started the racewith 27 finishers including theyoungest finisher ever, Bevan Barton(Piedmont, CA) who took 19th in a timeof 42:37:38 (see Athlete Spotlight thisissue).

In the 50+ division, Eric Wi l s o n(Palmdale, CA) took the win from ahighly competitive field in 33:10:05.Four of the eight entrants, including acouple very talented RAAM/508 veter-ans, succumbed to the fast pace beingset or other various maladies and wereunable to finish.

In the 60+ division, D i ck We b e r(Clackamas, OR), 61 years young, brokeone of the 508’s venerable courserecords, that of Jim Pitre, and broke itsubstantially. He not only won his divi-sion by nearly 10 hours, he broke theexisting 60+ course record by over anhour, winning in 36:50:44, a time thatplaced him 13th overall.

Another course record was set by JamesKern (Sunyvale, CA) in the solo recum-bent division in an incredible time of3 3 : 4 3 : 1 5 . Anyone who knows howmountainous this course is understandshow difficult it is to do it in a recum-bent, let alone in such a phenomenaltime.

In the team divisions, the two-manteam of Matthew Iness (Tempe, AZ) andDan McGehee (Mesa, AZ) set a newcourse record of 25:38:08. The four-manteam of Pat Tafoya (Redwood City, CA),Chris Hahn (Santa Barbara, CA), KerryRyan (Bakersfield, CA ) , and MikeWracher (Santa Barbara, CA) took tophonors in 23:46:30.

All in all, eight course records were setin various divisions in this, the 20th edi-tion of this great race. The 2004Furnace Creek 508 is scheduled forOctober 16-18 and more information,photos, results, and stories can be foundat www.the508.com

The 2003 Furnace Creek 508An Amazing Anniversary

Endurance Programs These are long programs with mediumintensity efforts, but with a large amountof work imposed on the slow fiber of thestimulated muscles. The different levelsoffer great precision to progressivelyincrease the working intensity. They givea complement of endurance training tomost sports in which a good level ofVO2max is necessary. They also may allowthe reduction in total duration ofendurance training sessions and may, per-haps, reduce the need for the number oflong runs, which could reduce the osteo-tendinosis trauma, w h i ch is often aconsequence of these long runs.

Potentiation This program is not used to train the mus-cles; instead it is used as a super warm-upafter the normal one. It is based on thephysiological mechanism (not widely)known as “twitch potentiation”. A musclewith potentiated fibers releases greatervelocity and reaches its maximumstrength more easily and rapidly. It is pri-marily used before sprinting, j u m p i n g,and throwing. Used shortly before a foot-b a l l , b a s k e t b a l l , h o ck e y, v o l l e y b a l l , o rbaseball player starts to play; it enablesthe athlete to compete at peak perform-ance immediately after using it brieflybefore an event.

Active RecoveryThis program is particularly efficient andappreciated by all the athletes. It isdesigned to speed recovery of the musclesafter a strenuous workout or competition.It consists of a low stimulation frequencyregime, without tetanic contractions. Thefrequencies progressively decrease auto-matically allowing for optimum recoveryby accelerating the elimination of lacticacid without adding to the general fatiguethat usually accompanies voluntaryefforts. This program provides “massagelike” pulses that increase blood circula-t i o n , and then provoke an endorphinanalgesic effect resulting in a very intensemuscle relaxation, so you feel better faster- and can resume training more quickly.This is much more than a simple means tomitigate the muscle inactivity of an ath-lete prevented from training due to aninjury! The integration of ESM in a train-ing program is not a substitute for thenecessary training regime of any sportpractice, but this technique, already usedat the very high level, is now becoming areal training complement for all compet-ing athletes.

Reprinted with the consent of Compex Technologies, Inc.© Compex Technologies, Inc. 2003

a newsletter for the endurance ath lete

Q : B e v a n , first of all, how does it feel tobe the youngest ever finisher (by sev-eral years) of the Furnace Creek 508?

A: It feels good. I had been training forthis race for many months, and it wasgreat to see my work pay off.

Q: That’s such a hard race that every-one gets very nervous before thestart, even the veterans who have fin-ished it before. What was goingthrough your mind prior to the startand did you feel any extra nervous-ness because of your age and the factthat no one that young had everattempted the race before?

A: Seeing the RAAM veterans lining up atthe start made me more than a bit nerv-ous, but once we got started I found itpretty easy to focus on my riding and notthose around (ahead of) me. However, notbeing a favorite to finish the race, I didn’thave all that much to lose, which was apsychological advantage.

Q: Indeed, there were several 508 andRAAM veterans who had difficultiesout there and some didn’t finish atall. Most everyone involved in the 508knows how important having a goodsupport crew is. Who was on yoursupport crew and did they have anyexperience crewing an ultramarathon cycling race before?

A: My support crew was my dad Dennisand my cousin, Omalley who flew in fromConnecticut to crew for me. My dad did hisfirst century when I did my first double, atthe Death Valley Double last March. Hehadn’t crewed for anyone before, but hasbeen very supportive in my cycl i n gendeavors. My cousin didn’t have anycrewing experience either. Despite this,

they were a great team, and I credit myfinishing to the motivation they gave me.

Q : What was your favorite part ofthe course?

A: Up until the Furnace Creek checkpoint(about mile 250), I was having a greattime. The scenery the first day was verybeautiful, and biking across the desert atsunset was awe-inspiring. I could say thesame for the second day, but at that pointmy focus had shifted to my front wheeland the ground directly in front of it.

Q: What was the hardest part of therace for you? Did you take a sleepbreak during the race? W h e n ?Where? Was there ever a time (ortimes) when you thought, “You know,this is just too hard and I may not beable to finish?” If so, how did youwork through those tough times?

A: The hardest part of the race for me wasapproaching Badwater (mile 260-70). Thetoughest climb of the course (To w n e sPass) had taken a lot out of me, and beinginexperienced, I skimped on my nutrition-al needs on the long decent, and throughthe Furnace Creek time station, so I wasfeeling very bad near Badwater. I wasnauseous, and fatigue was setting in, so Idecided that sleep would be necessary if Iwas to finish the race. I thought I’d sleepfor an hour or so, but when my crew awokeme, I knew I wasn’t ready to continue. Iwas very nauseous, and the fatigue wasoverwhelming. At that point, I didn’tthink I would finish, and even told myDad that I couldn’t do it. However, I decid-ed to rest instead (any amount of sleepwould be better than ending the race.) Anhour or so passed before I decided to con-tinue on again, but after about ten miles Iknew I needed more rest if I was to finish.Fi n a l l y, around seven o’cl o ck Sundaymorning I got on my way again and, sur-prisingly, was able to put in another 18hours or so to the finish without too muchh u r t . I had about six hours of restthroughout the race.

Q : Ye a h , that section throughBadwater can be pretty demoraliz-ing; I know it gets to me every timeand motivation can be tough to find.How did you stay motivated duringthe race?

Bevan Barton

The Furnace Creek 508 bike race is con-sidered by many to be the most difficultultra marathon cycling event in the coun-try aside from RAAM itself. This year’srace had many notable stories, perhapsnone more than Bevan Barton’s whobecame the youngest finisher in the histo-ry of this grueling race at the age of 16. Inthe men’s field, 48 men started, 27 fin-ished, and Barton came in 19th with atime of 42 hours, 37 minutes, and 38 sec-onds. The 508 was the culmination ofB e v a n ’s first season in long distancecycling:

200 KM Brevet - San Francisco - SanFrancisco Randonneurs - February 1, 2003 -Youngest finisher

Death Valley Double Century - DeathValley, CA - Planet Ultra - March 1, 2003-Youngest finisher-Course record, under 21

300 KM Brevet - Davis, CA - Davis BikeClub - March 22, 2003-Youngest finisher

Solvang Double Century - Solvang, CA- Planet Ultra - March 29, 2003 -Youngest finisher

400 KM Brevet - Davis, CA - Davis BikeClub - April 19-20, 2003 -Youngest finisher

Furnace Creek 508 - (508 miles) -California desert - AdventureCorps -October 11-13, 2003-Youngest ever finisher, only solo competitor in the 10+ category.-Overall place: 19th of 52 male solostarters

Think about it; what were YOU doingwhen you were 16? Chances are youweren’t thinking, “ Ye a h , I think I wa n tto ride my bike through the desert for500+ miles.” H aving done the 508 a fewtimes myself (that being me, S t e v eB o r n ) , I can tell you that it really is abrute of a race and for someone so youngto display the kind of maturity (not tomention endurance) it takes to completes u ch an arduous endeavor is definitelyworth spotlighting.

Race Report

Just a quick note to tell you that I won theSan Diego Endurance 100 Miler( h t t p : / / m e m b e r s. c o x . n e t / s a n d i e g o 1 0 0 ) . Icame in first place in the women’s overalldivision, about 1 hour and 45 minutesahead of second place. Ran against sometough ultra females. Also beat all the menbut one...darn! So, I came in second placeo v e r a l l . Sustained Energy, E n d u r o l y t e s,and Hammer Gel were proven again. I feltgreat the whole race. I can’t tell you howmany Endurolytes I passed out to themen. Hopefully they have learned theirlesson and will do business with E-CAPS.H ave a wonderful holiday season andthanks for all of your support.

Diane Van Deren

Catching Up With Our Amazing Athletes

I have some excellent results to reportfrom my season finale. At the E-CAPSsponsored Powerman Tennessee, I wonthe 40-44 age group to become the USATNational Duathlon Long CourseChampion!!! I also earned an “A l lAmerican” status to boot!

I can’t thank you enough for choosing meto represent E-CAPS. Your sponsorshiphelped defray the cost of my training,which allowed me to travel to more “highprofile” races this year.

I am looking forward to another good rac-ing season next year. I am a strongbeliever in your products and am happy topromote them.

Christopher Weiland

Brrr! Saturday, November 8, 2003 markedthe 14th annual Iceman Cometh inT r averse City, M i ch i g a n . Six inches ofsnow and 25 degree temperatures madefor an epic event in one of the largestpoint-to-point (mountain bike) races in thenation featuring more than 2000 racers.The freshly fallen snow even delayed thestart one hour because automobile trafficwas at a near stand still.

Determined not to let the frigid conditionsget the best of me I bolted from the startand led most of the expert race. My firstplace finish beating out top pros like RiderHesjedal, Steve Tilford, and Nate Rosswas a rewarding way to end the season.

Peace,Mark Hendershot

Diane Van Deren100 Miles In San Diego

Christopher WeilandPower Man

Mark HendershotTraversing Traverse City

Many thanks to Faron Reed forthis great picture of baby Annaka

Another Adorable Baby Photo!

Athletes....want the E-Caps/Hammer Nutrition community to know whatyou’re up to? Have a great photo you want to share? Send a short email tographic@e-caps.com (please put Race Report in the subject line) about your

recent accomplishments and we’ll try to include it in our Race Report

A: Staying motivated was nearly impossi-ble at some points during the race. Thefirst night was one of those times. Duringtraining I had attempted to preparemyself for moments like this, and I had amental list of things to think about whichkept me going. This strategy worked well,and I think if I had been more on top of myfuel consumption I could have made itthrough the first night without a longbreak. Encouragement from other com-petitors, their crews, and race officials alsohelped me stay on the bike, much more sothan one might think.

Q: Definitely, getting the fuel thingdialed in is a primary key for success.What fuels/foods did you consume?Any supplements?

A : My main fuel was Pe r p e t u e m , w h i chworked great. I was taking A n t i - Fa t i g u eCaps in my water bottle along with thePerpetuem every hour. I had phosphateloaded with Race Day Boost for four day sbefore the race, and had taken the rec-ommended amounts of Enduro andCardio caps an hour before the start. Ialso had some Hammer Gel to get methrough the last few miles of the race. Icomplimented these supplements withreal food, s u ch as sandwich e s, p l u m s,beef jerky, and diluted soda. I hadplanned to do the race exclusively onPe r p e t u e m , but found that I craved realfood during the second half. I was tryingto get about 280 calories per hour.

Q: What kind of mileage did you do intraining?

A: When I peaked, I was doing around 300miles per week. My training was struc-tured around a long and fast workout withreps up Mt. Diablo (3000’ +), a ride ofabout 120 miles, which I’d do each week.

Q: What are your future goals?

A: My ultimate goal is to compete inRAAM before I turn twenty. I also plan tofinish first at Furnace Creek and do therace on a team. As for my shorter-termgoals, I hope to compete in Round CzechRepublic (780 mile RAAM qualifier) thissummer, time and money permitting.

PRSRT STDU.S. Postage

PAIDKalispell, MTPermit #274952 Whitefish Stage Road

Whitefish, Montana 59937800.336.1977www.e-caps.com

n dT h e

Inside This Issue!

- The Compex Sport EMS

- Race Caps SUPREMEThe Supplement We All Need

- Good-Bye To Two Products

- Off-Season Weight LiftingWhy Should I?

- Hammering the Nordic World

- Caught in Kona!

- Mont-Blanc “Mountain Goat”

- A Dirty Little SecretBy Tony Schiller

- Race Report

- Athlete SpotlightGet to know Bevan Barton

- and much more!

Sponsored athlete Chris Timmon sent in the fo l-lowing account and picture of an alternate usefor Hammer Nutrition products. Thanks Chris!

September 18, 2003 Hurricane Isabel.

I live in Poquoson, an area hit very hardby the hurricane. The power, water andphone service were out for over a week.As a result reliable food was a problem.No refrigeration, no ice, no fresh foods,no breads, well not much of anythingwas available.

I work for the United Parcel Serviceand had to work the day of the hurri-cane and those afterwards. Taking abagged lunch was not really an option(I’d need a BBQ grill or canned goods).So I turned to the cycling supplies ofHammer Nutrition. I’d boil the water inthe morning while making breakfast onthe grill and used it for a Hammer Gel

mix and also Sustained Energy drinkfor lunch. So if you have a hurricanecoming stock up!

Chris TimmonJames River Velo SportPoquoson, Virginia

Just as this issue of Endurance News wasgoing to press, we learned of an amazingaccomplishment by long-time E-CAPS /Hammer Nutrition client Jeff Cuddebackand thought we should include it.

Jeff was recently named by the editors ofInside Triathlon as an All-American forthe 45-49 age group and as the AmatuerInside Triathlon Man for 2003.

Jeff set an unprecedented third age-grouprecord this year in Kona with a time of9:12:09 smashing the previous record bysix minutes. Jeff also holds the 35-39(8:49:57 in 1993) and 40-44 (9:05:33 in2000) records.

Congratulations Jeff!

An All-American