Sleep,Caffeine,Audio Books And Running

“Science…. It’s only sacred truth is that there are no sacred truths…” -Carl Sagan 

In reply to Secretariat, he wants to use the criteria for the equine (endurance races) and use it to compare with human (running events) criteria. When he talks about” riding time”he uses the rules established for the poor under evolved horse. Unfortunately, the evolution of the horse has reached a plateau as it has to stop to eat, pee and hydrate.  So the veterinarian’s, the protectors of the horse, came up with this artificial one hour hold time to allow the horse to eat, poop, pee,  drink and rest. Should superior, in evolution, man be subjected to veterinarian criteria for his competitions?  It doesn’t make sense to equate riding time as the only correct criterion since both man and beast is on the trail from the start to the( Tevis ) to finish. Not only that, the horse is then evaluated after the event to see if it still sound. The vet tells the rider to come back in an hour or so in order to evaluate the steed. These rules and criteria are simply man-made and subjected to personal opinion. Let’s be objective and scientific and have a start time and a finishing time and be done with it as far as comparing the superior and tough human with the four-legged beast. Forget riding time. Your opinions are welcomed.

Man is inclined to exaggerate almost everything - except his own mistakes. 

From Secretariat:  Like I said Frank if you don't like using ride time go ahead and add the two hour  hold time to Witezrif the horse still wins. As to having to stop to poop and pee the humans are the only ones I know that need to do that. Yes the horses do have to pass Vet cks so what. If the runners had to pass the same test less then half would finish. And lets see you pass a fit to continue test at the end of the run. Only the first few runners in would the rest would all be pulled. If fact most runners look so bad at the end we call them the walking dead. Oh one more thing Frank has forgotten to mention that it takes most of those superior humans more then 24 hrs to complete. Ask Frank how long it took him!!

We know that the ability to sleep particularly deep sleep or slow wave sleep is important for your health. We also know that individuals use alcohol, tranquilizers and sleeping pills to medicate and to assist in falling asleep. However, these so-called aids can be habit-forming, they can knock you out and more importantly they can reduce the total time spent in deep sleep thereby complicating   and not solving the issue of sleep disturbance.

However there is good news. For example the following sleeping pills have minimal impact on the sleep stages: Sonata, Ambien and Lunesta. Further, the following meds are non-habit forming and may help with sleep:  Trazodone, Remeron, Tricyclics, Benadryl, Seroquel, and Melatonin. Also, don’t forget to avoid proteins late in the evening; avoid stimulation (sex is good) late in the evening, and eliminate exercise three hours before bedtime. Another technique to consider is meditation or mindfulness-based stress reduction which focuses on the body, breathing and one’s feelings and thoughts. We know that employing mindfulness changes physiology and brain chemistry. Are you living a balanced life?

A few statistics about caffeine beverages and caffeine amounts per beverage:  1 .Coffee (6 ounces) 125 mg.  2. Decaf coffee (6 ounces) 5 mg .3.Espresso (1 ounce) 50 mg. 4. Tea (6 ounces) 50 mg .5.Green tea (6 ounces) 20 mg.6. Hot cocoa (6 ounces) 15 mg. 7. Energy drinks (12 ounces) about 200 mg.8. Caffeinated soft drinks (12 ounces) 40 to 60 mg. 9. Chocolate candy bar 20 mg. This source is from the Institute for Brain Potential.

Now you have some idea of the amount of caffeine in the above beverages. Consider totaling up the amount of caffeine you’re consuming within a day. If you are ingesting caffeine after 12 noon during the day and having difficulty with your sleep, part of the problem may be related to caffeine consumption.

Remember, sleep disturbances are a big issue in this country and if you can’t   resolve it on your own, make sure you make an appointment with a health care professional.

For some runners, the use of audio books has grown by 13% last year and downloads to mobile devices were up 30% accounting for 54% of  sales per survey by the Audio Publishers Association which is an industry trade group. US marathoner Ryan Hall read these books while running at a 6:45 minute pace (not on a treadmill) and burned calories   based on the number of miles. For example  reading Anna Karenina for 430.7 miles  he  burned 43,068 calories; reading 50  Shades  of Gray for 249.4 miles  he burned 24,944  calories; reading the Da Vinci Code for 214.7 miles he burned 21,471 calories; reading The Hunger Games for 142.1 miles  he burned 14,209 calories; and  reading The Great Gatsby for 60 miles he burned 5,999 calories. Article found in the Wall Street Journal November 27, 2012.

If using a audio book helps get you off the couch go burn some calories. Remember keep moving and run for your life.

Comment From Penny Fink
Secretariat's sister

Penny is sitting on the fence on this issue.
Yea I have been having a good time reading the two of you arguing. 
For me it's hard to say humans and horses have done many miraculous things when you consider the wars and how hard they worked but so did man working the fields and mines.  Both species have such determination.
From my point of view I personally watched my horse Madison give me everything he had at all cost to himself.  He would make me so mad that he wouldn't let me know he was hurting and then fall over after a session.  I always said he was the best example of any human I have ever known.  He loved life so much that he fought through his pain to live it as mom did until he could take no more and it stopped being fun. 
He will forever be my example of strength and courage.
But I have seen man so the same thing.  Look at the challenges athletes go through and how they fight on and the cancer victims and how some of them fight on without complaint.
So for me strength is not just about how many miles but about what's inside as well.
I do disagree about the fact that you are not competing fairly by getting off your horses back. To me this is what's inside and you are making a choice to help your horse stay healthy and sound by keeping yourself in equally good shape.
This to me is how it should be both human and animal should both be in shape so the horse doesn't have to take the whole load. This is to be expected of an athlete and I hate to see out of shape people on the horse’s backs.  They are kind and endure but it breaks them down and is not fair.  That to me is selfish.
So there you have it.
I am sitting on the beach with the sun finally out, as my bike needed a rest before I head back home haha.
Bet you wish you were on the ocean now.
Posted by Penny Fink