Each week a nutritionist from the University of Maryland Medical Center provides a guest post. This week, Mindy Athas, RD, CSO, LDN, weighs in on Halloween food.

Halloween is lurking so some party hosts and hostesses may be in need some last-minute, themed food ideas. Whether you keep it simple with pumpkin muffins or get frightful with edible entrails, here’s a smattering of tasty trussed treats to help you get your scare on and sneak in some nutrition too.

Freaky finger foods

Slice up fresh veggies and fruit to form feisty faces and scary shapes. Serve these healthy, easy-to-eat portable appetizers with creatively creepy dips and sauces. Shake up your hummus or spinach dip with puff-pastry “fingers” topped with almond “nails.” Form a spider web over the top of seven- layer dip with light sour cream piped over guacamole and serve with red peppers strips. Make a mini Dracula with light cream cheese balls, red pimento or roasted red pepper fangs, and black olive widow’s peak hairline and eyes. Or serve guacamole dip with green guacamole tortilla chips for a swamp effect. Zinc-rich roasted pumpkin seeds are always welcome — just limit or omit the salt.

Spooky soups

Spike your protein- and fiber-rich black bean soup with plastic novelty “body parts” like mini-skeletons, fake fingers, vampire teeth or even plastic bugs and spiders: but don’t eat the decorations.Serve vitamin A-rich pumpkin or butternut squash soup in mini hollowed-out pumpkin “bowls” or use a larger pumpkin as a tureen. Garnish with crème fraiche or light sour cream piped from a plastic bag with a tiny hole cut in the corner. To form a spider web, make concentric circles or octagonal shapes and draw lines with a toothpick or knife, from the inner to the outer circles.

Beastly bites

Try edible arachnids formed from onion rings, slimy night crawlers made via gelatin in straws (instructions found at divinedinnerparty.com/halloween-party-food.html) or creepy cockroaches created from sweet dates stuffed with walnuts and cream cheese. Meatloaf from lean ground beef or turkey can be formed into a rat shape and topped with green peas for eyes, carrot rounds for ears, and a spaghetti noodle tail; serve it with plenty of lycopene-rich red tomato sauce.

Gnarly nibbles

Deviled eggs can be transformed into bloodshot “eyeballs” with beet juice and pimento-stuffed olives for irises; serve atop a crimson salsa bath. Enjoy meringue “bones” made from egg, a “brain” of mushroom soup and reduced-fat cream cheese, “fingers” formed of dough, and “eyeballs” of gelatin and sugar. See brittablvd.com/Halloween/recipes.html for details.

Tricky treats

Turn ordinary sugar cookies into pumpkins, goblins and ghosts with Halloween-themed cutters or pre-made pans. Spice up cupcakes with canned pumpkin and antioxidant-rich nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Turn the mini treats into spiders with thin chow mein noodle legs glued with melted dark chocolate and raisin eyes. Or serve roasted wrinkled pears seeping honey: marthastewart.com/343458/shrunken-pears.

Screaming sips

Make a bloody-good punch with beet juice for color, sparkling fruit juices for flavor and seltzer for bubbles. Create witchs’ brew from gelatin, 100 percent fruit juices and ginger ale (use versions containing real ginger); carefully put dry ice nearby for a smoky effect: foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/witchs-brew-recipe/index.html. For more fun drink ideas: brittablvd.com/Halloween/recipes.html#brew.

What I’m doing: I'll be off running in the mountains, far, far away. Let me know if you have any tips. (Regarding running as a tourist, Anica has already provided a good start on advice.)

What I recommend: I know nothing about it, but the Trick-or-Trot 5K gets points for original naming in what will soon be a sea of turkey trots. On the other end of the distance spectrum, the Fire on the Mountain 50K is something ultra runners can sink their mesh-lined, waffle-soled feet into. (All links after the jump, as usual)

Full list of Maryland options this month:

Baltimore Pacemakers morning track runs	Repeats	Baltimore
BRRC Group runs at Goucher	Repeats	Towson
Prometheus Bound	Repeats	Bel Air
PGRC weekday runs in Bowie	Repeats	Bowie
Rockville All-Comers Group Fun Run	Repeats	Rockville
Investigation: Detective McDevitt walking tour	Repeats	Sparks
NCR Trail Snails Saturday training runs	Repeats	Freeland
Mommies in Motion	Repeats	White Marsh
Walking program	Repeats	Glen Burnie
PGRC weekday runs at National Harbor	Repeats	National Harbor
ESRC daily runs (Salisbury area)	Repeats	Salisbury area
19th Annual Golden Shoe Race	October 27th, 2011	Elkridge
G.I.R.L.	October 27th, 2011	Clarksville
Mount Vernon GhostWalk	October 28th, 2011	Baltimore
The Original Fells Point GhostWalk	October 28th, 2011	Max'Baltimore
Fells Point Haunted PubWalk	October 28th, 2011	Max'Baltimore
The Headless Horseman 5K Run/Walk	October 29th, 2011	Frederick
There's No Place Like Home 5K	October 29th, 2011	Frederick
MCCA-Columbo 5K Race & Family Fun Fest	October 29th, 2011	Rockville
St. John's Run in the Valley 5K and Walk	October 29th, 2011	Glyndon
St. Mark Monster Dash 5K & Fun Run	October 29th, 2011	Catonsville
Fort Meade Run Series Halloween 5K Run/Fun Walk	October 29th, 2011	Fort Meade
Miles for Megan 5K and Family Fun Walk	October 29th, 2011	Timonium
KidsPeace Trick-or-Trot 5K	October 29th, 2011	Baltimore
Brent A Rosenberg Walk for Maryland's Children	October 29th, 2011	Baltimore
Run in the Valley	October 29th, 2011	Reisterstown Area
Cavalier Classic	October 29th, 2011	Sykesville
Baltimore Walk Now for Autism Speaks	October 29th, 2011	M&Baltimore
Scarecrow Classic 5K and 1-mile Walk	October 30th, 2011	Ellicott City
ECO Run	October 30th, 2011	Churchville
Gut Runners Foundation 5K and 1Mile	October 30th, 2011	National Harbor
Fire on the Mountain 50K Trail Run	October 30th, 2011	Flintstone, Maryland

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Here's another interesting link sent by Liz Kay of Consuming Interests, posted today at discovery.com.

A group of researchers at the University of Michigan has gone over Olympic starting data and found that the sensors used for detecting false starts may be making some errant assumptions.

From the Discovery article:

In Olympic running events, false start detecting technologies cry foul when runners apply a certain amount of pressure to the starting blocks within the first 100 milliseconds (or one one-hundredth of a second) after the firing of the start gun. The basis for that criteria came from a 1990 study of eight Finnish sprinters, all men and none as elite as Olympic athletes.

Read more >>

The result, the researchers say, is that lighter people may have an advantage, as do those with less forceful starts.

It should be interesting to see whether the IOC leaves things the same, tweaks things, or scraps everything for another approach -- RFIDs tracking movement, for example.

Here's a look at what's been happening in the health, fitness and running worlds.

New infrastructure

During its famous rehab Camden Yards went from locamotives and industry to light rail, suburban fans' minivans and baseball. Now, it's making another transition, adding permanent bike facilities to the mix.

Hope for third-world women

A topical drug has been shown to reduce risk for women in HIV- and herpes-prone situations, according to new research. From the Los Angeles Times:

In human tissue, the drug inhibits enzymes that the virus needs in order to replicate. But to protect against herpes, tenofovir needs to be topically applied to the vaginal canal -- taking a pill isn't enough. Participants in the study were asked to apply the gel topically before and after sex.

More >>

As the Times notes, risk is still present, but this is potentially the first time that women who lack power over more effective forms of protection might be able to surreptitiously give themselves some level of safety.

Also ...

A South Pole evacuee is coming to Hopkins after suspected stroke down there; trail interest grows in Catonsville; jagged Olympic typography complaints invoke Steve Jobs' name; a trainer intentionally gets fat so he knows how it feels. (Answer: Not good. Finally, I believe there was a big event of some sort in Hunt Valley.)

 

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The 12th Mayor's Fall Cleanup is today, slipping in on the calendar just before things get cold. There's a kickoff at 8 at Charles and 22nd streets, but groups all over the city are participating.

My neighborhood is conspicuously absent from the list below, but that's one of the nice things about Baltimore: Unlike some of the municipalities near my childhood home, this area is so compact that a resident can walk through six or seven official neighborhoods in an hour without rushing. That means getting to a cleanup site shouldn't be too tough, assuming I can just manage to get a couple of chores completed ahead of time this morning.

Here's the city's list of participating neighborhood groups:

Ames Shalom Community Inc.

Architect Row Community Association

Belair- Edison

Belvedere Improvement Association

Berea

Better Waverly

Better Waverly Association

Better Waverly Community Organization

Callaway-Garrison

Carrollton Ridge

Cedarcroft

Center For Martial Arts

Central Park Heights

Charles Village

Chatham Homeowners Association

Chinquapin Park-Belvedere

Coldspring Community Association

Coldstream Homestead Montebello

Concerned Citizens Of Rosemont

Druid Heights

Eastwood Association

Edmondson Village

Ednor Gardens-Lakeside

Etting Street Association

Evergreen Lawn

Fairmount Community Association

Fells Prospect

Forest Park Golf Course

Franklin Square

Glen Oak

Greektown

Hanlon-Longwood

Harlem Park

Harwood

Hoes Heights

Holabird Industrial Park

Howard Park

Howard Park Civic Association

Howard Park Community Association

Hunting Ridge Community

Idlewood Association

Jefferson Court Community

Johnston Square Community Development Corporation

Keswick

Lake Evesham

Lake Walker Community Association

Levindale Community

Loch Raven

Loyola/Notre Dame

Lucille Park

Matthew A Henson Community Association

Middle East

Mid-Govans

Mid-Town Belvedere

Milton-Montford

Mondawmin

Morgan Park

Morrell Park

North Ave & Hilton St Business and Community Task Force

Old Goucher

Oldtown

Oliver

Oliver Community

Orangevill Community Association

Panway/Braddish Avenue

Park Circle

Park Heights

Park Heights Renaissance Association

Parkview/Woodbrook

Patterson Place

Pen Lucy

Penrose/Fayette Street Outreach

Poplar Grove Street Community

Remington Neighborhood Alliance

Riverside Neighborhood Association

Robert Coleman & Fulton Heights Community

Sharp-Leadenhall

South Baltimore Neighborhood Association

St. Helena Community Association

Towanda-Grantley

Upper Fells Point

Walbrook

Washington Hill

Westport

Whittier Monroe Neighborhood Association

Wilson Heights

Winchester

Zeta Center Association

2,915 Volunteers

We received some pretty nice shots from readers of the Baltimore Marathon / Baltimore Running Festival, and I'm happy to say that our social media team has another gallery started for this weekend's Komen Race for the Cure.

If you're going to Hunt Valley on Sunday, please consider adding yours via the instructions here. We'd love to see what you're up to, whether that's a shot from this week or a past Komen event.

Thanks for submitting all of your great questions last month for the University of Maryland Medical Center nutritionists who provide us weekly guest posts.

We sent the questions to the nutritionists, and they will address them in future guest posts. Stay tuned here on Wednesdays. 

First up is our book winner, Becky, who asked: "My 4-year-old eats very little meat, poultry, or fish. He does like eggs, nuts, yogurt and cheese. Will these foods provide sufficient protein for him as he grows? How much of these foods should he be eating? Do I need to add something new to his diet?"

Becky was chosen in a random drawing of all the commenters and will receive the "pocket posh complete calorie counter," which covers thousands of foods in grocery stores and restaurants.

She will get the answer to her question on Nov. 2. 

Congratulations, Becky. 

While cleaning out my e-mail archives, I just found this link to a video about Harford County's Phil Anderson:

Marathon: The Phil Anderson Story from wherl on Vimeo.

This was sent to me by Anderson's nephew, Matt Downin.

Anderson is one of the people behind the HAT Run and the Survivor Run.

Along with some nice local details, this includes quite a bit of useful information about strokes and their cousins, transient ischemic attacks. One of the takeaways: Just because you run doesn't mean you shouldn't get a carotid artery check once in awhile. Even marathoners can find themselves susceptible to strokes and heart attacks.

From the running festival on FB (via Liz Kay):

Baltimore Running Festival

Following up on the runner tracking issues: for the people who did not receive tracking messages but signed up, did any of you do it before 4AM on Saturday, Oct. 15th? Apparently 328 registered after 4AM Saturday and their information never got into our vendor's system.

FYI: we posted the tracking registration closed at 7AM on Saturday. Our vendor was supposed to shut down the website at that point, but did not. What the issue was between 4AM-6:59AM is still being investigated.

(Continues ...)

So I need you guys to verify please...if you did not get messages, but signed up before 7AM Saturday, we need to know so we can try to put this issue to bed. Nearly 12,000 messages were sent out, so it did work to a degree. I know this by no means is a consolation to those who didn't get messages.

We screwed up, we know it. We believe in being transparent and honest with you guys. We are hardest on ourselves and pledge a level of service that you are entitled to for your hard-earned $.

Did you have problems with the runner tracking system? Let them know.

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More recent marathon posts:

What I’m doing: Probably just relaxing this weekend after a couple weeks of big events. That is likely to mean a quick training run on Saturday, then brunch.
 
What else I recommend: The Ma and Pa trail run looks like fun. My newsroom neighbor, Chris Kaltenbach, also had a nice writeup on the Run for your Lives this week. It looks like running registration is closed, but spectators can still sign up.
 
Full list of Maryland options for this month:
 

Walking program	Repeats	Glen Burnie
Stilt-walking classes	Repeats	Baltimore
Rockville All-Comers Group Fun Run	Repeats	Rockville
Baltimore Pacemakers morning track runs	Repeats	Baltimore
PGRC weekday runs in Bowie	Repeats	Bowie
Mommies in Motion	Repeats	White Marsh
PGRC weekday runs at National Harbor	Repeats	National Harbor
BRRC Group runs at Goucher	Repeats	Towson
NCR Trail Snails Saturday training runs	Repeats	Freeland
ESRC daily runs (Salisbury area)	Repeats	Salisbury
Next Step Half/Full Marathon Training Program	October 18th, 2011	Columbia
G.I.R.L.	October 20th, 2011	Clarksville
The Original Fells Point GhostWalk	October 21st, 2011	Max'Baltimore
Fells Point Haunted PubWalk	October 21st, 2011	Max'Baltimore
Mount Vernon GhostWalk	October 21st, 2011	Baltimore
St. George's Dragon Run	October 22nd, 2011	Hempstead
Howard County Walk to End Alzheimer's	October 22nd, 2011	Ellicott City
Run for Your Lives: Zombie Obstacle Course Race	October 22nd, 2011	Darlington
Greater Baltimore Heart Walk	October 22nd, 2011	Baltimore
Greater Howard County CROP Hunger Walk	October 23rd, 2011	Columbia
Monster Dash 5k Run/1 Mile Walk	October 23rd, 2011	Columbia
HCA WS Legends of the Fall Race #4	October 23rd, 2011	Columbia
RASAC 6 mile Rocks State Park Ma & Pa Trail Run	October 23rd, 2011	Bel Air
Halloween Young Run	October 23rd, 2011	Rockville
"Run 4 Life" Dustin Bauer Memorial 5K	October 23rd, 2011	Hunt Valley
Howard County NAACP General Body Meeting	October 24th, 2011	Ridgely'Jessup
19th Annual Golden Shoe Race	October 27th, 2011	Elkridge
Brent A Rosenberg Walk for Maryland's Children	October 29th, 2011	Baltimore
Cavalier Classic	October 29th, 2011	Sykesville
Miles for Megan 5K and Family Fun Walk	October 29th, 2011	Timonium
Run in the Valley	October 29th, 2011	Reisterstown Area
Baltimore Walk Now for Autism Speaks	October 29th, 2011	M&Baltimore
ECO Run	October 30th, 2011	Churchville
Gut Runners Foundation 5K and 1Mile	October 30th, 2011	National Harbor
Gutrunners 5K and 1Mile Walk	October 30th, 2011	National Harbor
Scarecrow Classic 5K and 1-mile Walk	October 30th, 2011	Ellicott City
Fire on the Mountain 50K Trail Run	October 30th, 2011	Flintstone

What did you do last weekend? Leave a comment or upload race photos here.

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In case you missed it, Chris Kaltenbach has something interesting in today's print edition:

Picturesque little Darlington is a national historic district, home to an annual Apple Festival that attracts thousands and, come Saturday, a feasting ground for the undead.
"Run for Your Lives," a 5K run, with zombies, is coming to this tiny Harford County town. Oh, the horror.
"That's such a cool thing they're doing," says Heather Wheatley, a three-year resident of Darlington who sells soaps out of a newly opened apothecary shop across the river in Port Deposit. "We're gonna take these zombies just the way they are and accept them wholly."

Continue reading "The walking dead are ready to pick up the pace" >>

Here's what happened over the weekend in the worlds of running, health and fitness.

More four-leg room

At least one letter writer wants more space for her dogs at Robert E. Lee Park, which just reopened with dog facilities. Part of the letter:

I, however, am part of a small but growing community of people who would like to be able to walk our dogs off leash in the back of the park. Our reasons are varied, but in general, we find that allowing our dogs to walk off leash in a play area while we sit and watch is not particularly pleasurable.

In other words, fences are boring. Read the full letter here.

Miles and miles and miles

There were tons of marathons this weekend, including Detroit, Des Moines, Grand Rapids, Columbus, Hartford, Kansas City and, yes, the Baltimore Running Festival.

Readers' pictures from the Baltimore Marathon are still coming in -- you can submit and view them here. Full coverage from the event is here.

Scuba as a recovery tool

Johns Hopkins researchers are looking at scuba diving and its effects on paraplegics. From Meredith Cohn:

Outfitted in scuba gear and 100 feet underwater, Cody Unser noticed a weird tingling in her legs. She dived a second and a third time, and again felt tingling. It was subtle, but it was the first new sensation that she had felt in three years, since becoming paralyzed from the chest down at age 12.

"I couldn't believe I had gotten some feeling back," said Unser, daughter of Indianapolis 500 champ Al Unser Jr., now 24 and leading a foundation focusing on paralysis research and quality-of-life issues called The Cody Unser First Step Foundation.

More >>

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Also: St. Joseph wants to team up; minority kids may face more risk in car crashes; Annoying pinkwashers are finally getting noticed.

Here are the top times from Maryland finishers in today's marathon:

Bib	FName	LName	City	State	Country	Age	Sex	ChipTime	ClockTime
19	DAVE	BERDAN	OWINGS MILLS	MD	USA	30	M	2:21:19	2:21:19
27	TEZETA	DENGERSA	BURTONSVILLE	MD	USA	30	F	2:37:52	2:37:52
36	TIRINGO	SHIRERAWU	SILVER SPRING	MD	USA	27	F	2:40:41	2:40:43
2021	CONRAD	LASKOWSKI	BALTIMORE	MD	USA	25	M	2:44:00	2:44:02
1776	SEAN	JONES	MASSEY	MD	USA	46	M	2:44:49	2:44:52

More results can be found here.

Many of the runners from the half and full marathon races have begun to merge near Patterson Park.

This is one aspect of the Baltimore race that I've always appreciated. Of the three round-trip marathon courses I've completed, Baltimore is the only one where the runners start separately and finish together, and the spectator energy this setup generates is amazing. There's no "no we're on our own" moment -- marathoners are surrounded by people through the entire course.

Kenyan Stephen Muange has barely pulled ahead of two competitors to win the 2011 Baltimore Marathon.

Muange battled fellow elites Ambesse Tolosa and Tesfaye Assefaudube until the very end of the race, with all three competitors finishing within seconds of each other -- a relatively unusual situation in a race that spans more than two hours.

Muange managed to stay ahead, with a chip-recorded time of 2:15:16, while Tolosa and Assefaudube had chip times of 2:15:20 and 2:15:22, respectively.

Speed appears to run in the winner's family: Muange is a nephew of 1983 Chicago Marathon champion Joseph Nzal. Muange has generally competed in 21Ks -- half-marathon-distance races. This was his first victory in a major marathon. He is 30 years old.

Julius Keter, the favored, 22-year-old, Kenyan runner who set the course record of 2:11:52 in 2008, was a presence early in the race. Keter dropped back near mile 23, according to tweets from a truck near the lead pack.

In the women's race, 2010 winner Olena Shurkhno has repeated her victory. Shurkhno is 34 years old.

-- Sun file photo by Kenneth K. Lam

With the 5K complete and the marathon underway, we were hoping to move to the next segment of our coverage around this time -- live video from the finish line area.

However, connection problems have made that impossible. Meanwhile, please keep checking the Baltimore Sun front page and marathon page for detailed coverage of today's events.

If you need a marathon video, try this instead. For other Baltimore Sun video, go here. Upload your photos here.

The first of five half marathon waves is about to start.

That may seem like quite an ordeal, but it's not as many waves as some races use. Surf City is said to have nine waves of starters, and many triathlons use multiple, small-scale starting groups to avoid water collisions.

Welcome to this morning's live coverage of the Baltimore Running Festival. The Baltimore Marathon is scheduled to start in just over an hour, at 8 a.m., with the wheelchair division starting slightly earlier.

As of Friday night, the MarylandWeather.com forecast for 8 a.m. included mostly clear conditions and a 55° F temperature.

The Sun's Frank Roylance wrote about wind conditions for the race on Friday, including advice to remember that a full-loop course tends to have tailwinds as well as headwinds. You can read his whole post here.

The half marathon, which is the festival's largest event by number of participants, will start at 9:45 a.m. While the Baltimore Marathon is not one of the world's top road racing draws, the running festival has a record number of participants this year.

 

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A comment in Chris Eckard's well-done marathon preview this morning piqued my interest.

"We've earned our spot on the calendar in Baltimore, in the state of Maryland and the race calendar across the country," the head of Corrigan Sports Enterprises said. "It's a top-10 race in the country."

I realize that Corrigan was referring to stature, not size, in saying this. But the comment got me wondering which races drew the largest crowds of competitors.

From Running USA, here are the 10 biggest races in the world:

Ranksort icon	Finishers	Code	Race Name	Location	Date
1	67,999		Sun-Herald City2Surf 14K	Sydney, AUS	08/08/2010
2	65,000	E	Stracittadina Fun Run 4K	Rome, ITA	03/21/2010
3	64,000	E	JPMorgan Corporate Challenge: Frankfurt 3.5 Mile	Frankfurt, GER	06/09/2010
4	55,123		Cursa El Corte Ingles 11K	Barcelona, ESP	05/30/2010
5	50,918		Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race 10K	Atlanta, GA	07/04/2010
6	50,721		Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K	Spokane, WA	05/02/2010
7	50,477		Dick's Sporting Goods BolderBOULDER 10K	Boulder, CO	05/31/2010
8	44,977		ING New York City Marathon	New York, NY	11/07/2010
9	40,000	E	Stramilano 10K	Milan, ITA	03/21/2010
10	39,861		Vancouver Sun Run 10K	Vancouver, CAN	05/09/2010

You can see all sorts of variations on this list here.

Baltimore's not in the top ten on the world size list, but we're in good company: Notice that only one of the World Marathon Majors makes it, and not even very high up -- New York squeaks in at number eight.
 

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Just in time for this weekend's Baltimore Marathon, here's a story from England. Enjoy!

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer

LONDON (AP) -- Rob Sloan boasted he'd completed an "unbelievably tough" marathon near Newcastle after crossing the finish line in third place with a personal-best time.

Apparently, he didn't count the bus ride.

Sloan dropped out 20 miles into the race, hitched a ride on a spectator shuttle bus and emerged from the woods near the finish line to make the podium.

After Sloan initially described as "laughable" claims he cheated in the Kielder Marathon on Sunday, the 31-year-old former army mechanic admitted his transgression following an investigation by organizers.

Continue reading "English club runner disqualified from marathon after taking bus to complete course" >>

Each week a nutritionist from the University of Maryland Medical Center will provide a post on nutrition topics. This week, Shanti Lewis weighs in on enhanced water.

Over the past decade, have you noticed more types of bottled waters? Some grocery stores now devote an entire aisle for their display. You can find water with enhanced vitamins, antioxidants, herbs, fiber and coconut. When looking at labels, it can be confusing whether these added ingredients are really worth the additional costs.

Many brands of water promote increased energy. Caffeine is often added to act as a stimulant. Different brands can offer between 50-120 mg of caffeine, which is the same amount you would get from a 5-12 ounce brewed coffee. Some energizing drinks add guarana, an extract from a plant in the Amazon that is rich in caffeine. Many people assume that they are consuming a caffeine-free beverage when they see guarana on the food label because it does not mention that the product contains caffeine. Other companies add ginseng to promote alertness; however, no studies have produced conclusive evidence that a specific dose can improve alertness, mental arithmetic or reaction times.

Antioxidants are also marketed as an additional health benefit. The Center for Science for the Public Interest reports that “no studies have yet to find any clear link between antioxidant supplements and disease” despite health food claims. Some immune-enhancing waters claim to fight off illness, and many of these beverages contain zinc. The only study showing zinc to be immune-enhancing used zinc lozenges as an additive in the diet. The results of some studies showed that colds are shortened in duration with the addition of zinc in the diet.

Most people assume that water is calorie-free; however, many enhanced waters are far from it. A single bottle of 2.5 servings of 8 fluid ounces may contain 125 calories depending on the brand and the additives. This may be a problem for people who are trying to maintain or lose weight. Drinking a large quantity of a calorie-dense beverage as a source of hydration can equate to additional pounds if not taken into consideration with overall caloric intake. Some enhanced waters are labeled as calorie-free and have swapped its calorie-containing sugar for artificial sugars, such as acesulfame potassium or sucralose.

According to the Center for Science for the Public Interest, some brands of water are adding 10 percent of an individual’s daily value of fiber to the water. The fiber that is added to water is called maltodextrin, which is composed of smaller chains of carbohydrate from starch that cannot be digested by the body. However, it is unclear if water with maltodextrin has any weight loss benefits by increasing satiety compared to water that contains no fiber. Maltodextrin is a soluble fiber with different properties than intact fibers found in foods, such as grains, beans and non-starchy vegetables.

Different varieties of waters come from coconut and have been described as super-hydrating, fat-free, cholesterol-free and naturally rich in electrolytes. Coconut water is particularly high in potassium with 569 mg per serving and 160 mg of sodium, compared to electrolyte sports drinks that contain 53 mg of potassium, but 193 mg of sodium. The higher potassium content is supposed to help regulate blood pressure by counteracting the stimulating effects of sodium.

If you are looking to add coconut water as a source of hydration during a workout, it is important to remember that people lose more sodium than potassium with strenuous exercise. Your body cannot tell if you replenish your electrolytes from a sports recovery drink versus coconut water, but your wallet might. Most individuals not participating in strenuous exercise over one hour who are not meeting their potassium needs are most likely not eating enough fruits and vegetables. The bottom line is that coconut water can be added to your diet if you are mindful of the 46 calories per cup and do not use it to replace fruits and vegetables. Keep in mind its high potassium content, and use it for shorter, low intensity work-outs. It remains unclear if coconut water helps with weight loss, additional energy, heart disease or diabetes.

In the end, it is important to drink water, whether it is enhanced or not, to meet hydration needs. Additional calories, artificial sugar, antioxidants or coconut may not be worth the additional costs to some consumers. Consumers should choose their water preferences based on taste, personal environmental concerns, costs and need to maintain hydration. All types of enhanced waters can be incorporated in a healthy diet in moderation.

What I'm doing: I'll be blogging from the Baltimore Marathon on Saturday morning. Other than that, this is lazy time for me. Next week I might start some cross-training or light running again.

What else I recommend: I would find it tough not to push the stilt-walking class. Who doesn't like stilt-walking?

More Maryland running events this month:

Walking program	Repeats	Glen Burnie
Stilt-walking classes	Repeats	Rash Field
Investigation: Detective McDevitt walking tour	Repeats	Washington, DC
Rockville All-Comers Group Fun Run	Repeats	Rockville
PGRC weekday runs in Bowie	Repeats	Bowie
Baltimore Pacemakers morning track runs	Repeats	Baltimore
Mommies in Motion	Repeats	White Marsh
BRRC Group runs at Goucher	Repeats	Towson
PGRC weekday runs at National Harbor	Repeats	National Harbor
ESRC daily runs (Salisbury area)	Repeats	Salisbury
NCR Trail Snails Saturday training runs	Repeats	Freeland
10k Fun Run	October 12th, 2011	Greenbelt
The Original Fells Point GhostWalk	October 14th, 2011	Max'Baltimore
Fells Point Haunted PubWalk	October 14th, 2011	Max'Baltimore
Mount Vernon GhostWalk	October 14th, 2011	Baltimore
Under Armour Baltimore Marathon and Half Marathon	October 15th, 2011	Baltimore, MD
SMHS Run for the Bathroom 8K	October 15th, 2011	Burkittsville, Maryland
Family Hike	October 15th, 2011	Woodstock
Black Hills 10K	October 15th, 2011	Boyds
Audubon Society of Central Maryland Nature Walk	October 15th, 2011	Mount Airy
Next Step Half/Full Marathon Training Program	October 18th, 2011	Columbia
G.I.R.L.	October 20th, 2011	Clarksville
St. George's Dragon Run	October 22nd, 2011	Hempstead, Maryland
Howard County Walk to End Alzheimer's	October 22nd, 2011	Ellicott City
Run for Your Lives: Zombie Obstacle Course Race	October 22nd, 2011	Darlington
Greater Baltimore Heart Walk	October 22nd, 2011	Baltimore
Monster Dash 5k Run/1 Mile Walk	October 23rd, 2011	Columbia
Greater Howard County CROP Hunger Walk	October 23rd, 2011	Columbia
"Run 4 Life" Dustin Bauer Memorial 5K	October 23rd, 2011	Hunt Valley
RASAC From Highlands to Nova Scotia	October 23rd, 2011	Bel Air
HCA WS Legends of the Fall Race #4	October 23rd, 2011	Columbia
Halloween Young Run	October 23rd, 2011	Rockville
Miles for Megan 5K and Family Fun Walk	October 29th, 2011	Timonium
Cavalier Classic	October 29th, 2011	Sykesville , Maryland
Baltimore Walk Now for Autism Speaks	October 29th, 2011	M&Baltimore
Run in the Valley	October 29th, 2011	Reisterstown Area
Fire on the Mountain 50K Trail Run	October 30th, 2011	Flintstone, Maryland
ECO Run	October 30th, 2011	Churchville
Scarecrow Classic 5K and 1-mile Walk	October 30th, 2011	Ellicott City
Gutrunners 5K and 1Mile Walk	October 30th, 2011	National Harbor, Maryland
Gut Runners Foundation 5K and 1Mile	October 30th, 2011	National Harbor

What did you do last weekend? Leave a comment or upload race photos here.

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Evan van der Spuy was competing in the Time Freight Express mountain bike race in South Africa last weekend when he became the target of a 300-pound Red Hartebeest. His teammate, Travis Walker, caught the open field tackle on his GoPro helmet cam. Van der Spuy was shaken up but his helmet took the brunt of the damage.

Thankfully, Maryland's wildlife seems a bit less aggressive, though I was almost taken out by a squirrel last year.

On Saturday, I mentioned talking to to Wylie Belasik, who's on the national staff for Back on my Feet, a well-known group that provides services -- including running -- to homeless people. (Their Baltimore chapter is here.)

One of upcoming changes Belasik mentioned was an expansion to Atlanta, which is set to take place two months from today, on November 11.

While he said the organization's staff is excited about growth, they want to make sure that the cities where they locate get the most out of their services.

You can see BOMF blog posts about the Atlanta expansion here. One of those posts includes a nice map of some other expansion plans.

Posted this morning on Getting There:

Each year about this time, Baltimore traffiic grinds to a halt as the ciity turns over many of its streets to people in running shoes for the Baltimore Marathon.

It is, on one hand, a great event that draws thousands to Baltimore. But for motorists and bus riders in the city, it can be a day of headaches. This week, the event falls on Saturday, when dozens of parking restrictions and road clsoings willl be in effect along the 26.2-mile course.

Continue reading "Marathon to force many street closings in city" >>

Yes, it's Columbus Day, which means that instead of reading this blog, you should be out doing ... whatever it is people do on Columbus Day. (That apparently means eating spaghetti, according to a search of our event listings.)

But, since you're here, here's a slice of what happened over the weekend in the worlds of running, health and fitness:

In Chicago, a death alongside a course record

There was a new course record for Chicago's flat, windy route on Sunday. From Tribune staff:

Moses Mosop said his fitness level was only 85 percent of optimal because of training time lost to an injury this summer. And he still set a course record of 2 hours, 5 minutes, 37 seconds in Sunday's Bank of America Chicago Marathon. More >>

... but there was also a death. From a separate story:

Firefighter William Caviness was a life-long athlete and veteran marathoner from North Carolina who signed up for the Chicago race aiming to raise $2,000 for burn victims. More >>

Closed streets for cycling in Los Angeles

From the Los Angeles Times' Jason Song:

CicLAvia, which closed 10 miles of city streets from East Los Angeles to East Hollywood to traffic, turning streets full of SUVs and sedans into one big bike lane full of cyclists, runners and skaters.

Authorities reported no major injuries or crimes along the route. And event organizers estimated that the turnout for Sunday's ride exceeded April's, which was estimated at 130,000. More >>

Obesity grants in Michigan

63 across the state are being awarded grants to fight obesity. From the Associated Press:

The grants are part of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's Building Healthy Communities school program.

...

Blue Cross first offered the program in 2009. Grants have been awarded to 63 schools across the state to help children incorporate exercise and healthy eating into their lifestyles. More >>

Also: Elementary cross country in Washington County | Food-aid policy debate in Patterson Park | Sliding seat rowing in the water

 

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Tribune staff

A 35-year-old Chicago Marathon runner collapsed 500 yards from finish line and died about two hours later, officials said.

The man, a firefighter from Greensboro, North Carolina was identified as William Caviness.

He collapsed near Roosevelt Road and Indiana Avenue where paramedics were able to determine he had a pulse, but he later died, officials said.

"Our hearts go out to his family," said Greensboro Dep. Fire Chief Clarence Hunter.

Authorities suspect Caviness suffered cardiac arrest, but the cause of death was pending autopsy results, according to a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office. He was pronounced dead at 12:03 p.m. at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, officials said.

Continue reading "Man dies running Chicago Marathon" >>

Tomorrow, I'll be running the Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, and I have to admit that I'm a bit scared of "accidental time banking," a problem that develops when a course is downhill at the start, then flat or uphill near the end.

I have long procrastinated on getting a GPS watch, and a friend kindly loaned me one in order to help me avoid this downhill problem, which is unique to point-to-point marathon courses.

As someone who has run the Baltimore Marathon, my generous loaner donor has plenty of experience with elevation changes: While the Baltimore course for next weekend's race is not in the same category as the old Maryland Marathon route (described as one of the most difficult marathon courses ever devised), one of the first things that usually comes up in discussions of Mobtown's fall race is the challenging topography.

(One counterexample: Last year's winner said he was "used to mountains," so this course suited him just fine.)

The Chicago marathon, which, like Steamtown, will take place tomorrow, has the opposite situation. Wylie Belasik, the top Maryland finisher in Chicago event last year, remembers the race well.

"If you ever run in this general area of the country, you can think you're on a pretty flat road," Belasik said of distance training in the Mid-Atlantic. But on the course in Chicago, "it's incredibly flat. It feels like you're running around on an airplane runway. It's a great course in that you're able to really get into a rhythm."

Belasik is a vice president for programming at Back on My Feet. He's now training for an Ironman, having switched to focusing on triathlons this year, after tendonitis delayed his marathon plans.

Before the tendonitis hit, however, he had been signed up to run Chicago again, and he hopes to return someday.
"The coordination, the enthusiam, the support were really second to none in terms of any event like that that I've experienced."

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The Chicago Marathon starts at 7:20 CDT Sunday. The Steamtown Marathon starts at 8 a.m. EST.

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I like slightly, slow, steady uphill grades during my runs. What's your topography preference? Does it even matter much, or are other factors like weather and crowd support more important to you? Let us know.

In honor of ... well, you know.

Nitpicky note: This is actually a bit off, since it's a IIgs emulation.

I had an Apple II+ as my first computer, and while there are plenty of emulation options out there for models that existed during Steve Jobs' tenure at Apple, I wanted to give users something that would work directly in their browsers.

 

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Each week a nutritionist from the University of Maryland Medical Center provides a guest post. This week, Christine Dobmeier, RD CSR LDN, weighs in tailgate snacks.

Fall is officially here, which brings with it football season. And with the arrival of football, most fans think of beer, chicken wings, pizza and cheesy dips. The goal for football season (besides the playoffs, of course) is to make it through the next few months without bulking up to a size of an offensive lineman.

Football treats can be healthier, but still tasty. Score a health “touchdown” with some of these tips:

First down: With proteins, think lean. Instead of chicken wings, try getting chicken breast tenderloins, and cooking them in a crock-pot with either buffalo wing sauce or barbecue sauce. Make meatballs out of 93 percent lean ground beef or turkey. Another lean protein idea is to cook pork tenderloin in a crock-pot with barbecue sauce, and make pulled pork sandwiches; serve on slider rolls or small whole wheat buns. They’ll be such a hit that no one will realize they are low in fat. If you have a grill available, throw on some chicken breasts or thighs, lean burgers or marinated pork tenderloin instead of ribs.

Second down: Use lower-fat substitutions to make favorite dips healthier. Some easy fixes are to use light cream cheese or sour cream, and to use less (and 2 percent or low-fat) cheese. Try serving carrots, celery or baked tortilla chips with the dips instead of chips. For an easy, lighter taco dip, mix one box of light cream cheese with 16 ounces of light sour cream and a packet of low-sodium taco seasoning. Top with shredded lettuce, then a layer of salsa and sprinkle three-quarters of a cup of 2 percent milk shredded cheese on top. Try using fat-free plain Greek yogurt as a substitute for sour cream in dips as well.

Third down: Don’t forget the veggies. Have someone bring a vegetable tray complete with the fixings: celery and carrots for dips; lettuce and tomato slices for lean burgers; and peppers, zucchini and squash for the grill. Skewering marinated vegetables on the grill is an easy and tasty way to incorporate vegetables into a tailgate. Vegetables are an excellent way to fill up on low-calorie, high-fiber foods to help you from overindulging in unhealthier choices.

Fourth down: For a sweet treat, try making low-calorie cake or cupcakes. An easy recipe is use one box of yellow cake mix, mixed with one can of Sprite Zero or Diet 7-Up. Bake as directed on the box (without adding any eggs/oil/water). For frosting, try blending powdered sugar with water and some lemon juice to taste. You can add food coloring to make it purple. Chocolate cupcakes can be prepared with Coke Zero in the same manner.

Touchdown: Watch those portions. Even healthier meats, vegetables with low-fat dip and lower-calorie desserts add up. Bring smaller plates to the tailgate, which will help make your plate appear full.

Extra point: Try to get active at your tailgate. Throw a football around, or bring a game of ring-toss or bean bags so that you aren’t at the food table the whole time.

Do you add some healthy or lighter options to your tailgate? If so, tell us in the comments. 

What I’m doing: I'll be running the Steamtown Marathon this weekend.

Why: The race is known for great community support on its relatively rural route, along with a fast, downhill grade. As a result, the point-to-point marathon has made several critics' top-pick lists, including this one.

What else I recommend: Assuming you can't make it to Scranton or Chicago, I'd be interested in hearing about your experience at the stilt-walking lessons on Saturday.

Full list of Maryland options:

Weekday events - Pacemakers weekly track workouts, Thursday Night Hikes, Monday runs Federal Hill Runners, PGRC weekday runs at National Harbor, BRRC Group runs at Goucher, Glen Burnie daily walking programs, ESRC daily runs (Salisbury area), Stilt-walking classes, PGRC weekday runs in Bowie, Rockville All-Comers Group Fun Runs, Various CCR training programs

Saturday - Stilt-walking classes, Run Wild for Autism 5K, NCR Trail Snails Saturday training runs, Mount Vernon GhostWalk, The Original Fells Point GhostWalk, Fells Point Haunted PubWalk, Waterman's Half-Iron Triathlon, IMA World Health 5K Run for Health, Epilepsy 5K Run And Walk , Glen Burnie Improvement Association 5K Run & 1 Mile Walk, Crime Victims Fund 5K

Sunday - Run for Green, Group Runs at McDaniel, 11th Annual Walk for Paws, Cross Country on the Farm, HCS Legends of the Fall Series #3, Lower Potomac River 10-miler, Blaine Whorl 5K, Feel the History 5K, Waterman's Sprint Triathlon, "Healing in Heels" Dash for Breast Cancer, Harvest Harrier 5K, Williamson School 5k, Dimes for Lymes 5K

What did you do last weekend? Leave a comment or upload race photos here.

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By Keshia Pollack and Alicia Samuels

On Wednesday, Baltimore schoolchildren will join students from around the world by participating in International Walk to School Day. Now in its 15th year, this global initiative aims not only to help keep students healthy but also to improve air quality (fewer motor vehicles, less pollution) and decrease traffic congestion (nationally, as much as 20 percent to 30 percent of morning traffic is generated by parents driving their children to school).

To many readers, walking to school may not seem like news. If you were born before 1960, almost half of your peers likely walked or biked to school. Currently, however, only 13 percent of children ages 5 to 14 do, meaning the vast majority are missing out on this daily opportunity for physical activity.

The reasons behind this are complicated, but urban planning is one important factor. Many of us now live in communities that were designed for driving at the expense of walking, and the distance from our homes to resources such as shops or schools is prohibitive. (The "neighborhood school" may be quite far from the neighborhood). Indeed, research shows that among children who do not usually walk to school, distance is the most common barrier, followed by traffic danger.

Continue reading "Walking to school: Steps toward health" >>

Happy Monday. Here's a slice of what's happened over the last couple days in the spheres of health, fitness and running.

A twin cities win

Here are the top 10 listed Maryland finishers from this weekend's Twin Cities Marathon, including Yeshimebet Tadesse-Bifa, an Ethiopian pro who snagged the first-place women's spot for a $15,000 prize.

Name	Gender	Age	City	State	Time
YESHIMEBET BIFA	F	23	WALDORF	MD	2:28:24
LUCINDA SMITH	F	30	DARNESTOWN	MD	2:43:43
GREGORY HOGAN	M	31	COLUMBIA	MD	3:04:16
JAMES WRIGHT	M	62	GAITHERSBURG	MD	3:13:44
DAN KUEHN	M	48	BETHESDA	MD	3:15:43
JAEDEN TRAUM	M	37	OWINGS MILLS	MD	3:19:18
TASHA HOGAN	F	27	COLUMBIA	MD	3:40:45
KEVIN BARNABA	M	35	BEL AIR	MD	3:41:05
DANIEL SCHLEIS	M	29	CAMP SPRINGS	MD	3:53:03
MAUREEN MCRAITH	F	44	CHEVY CHASE	MD	4:00:31

Kenyan Sammy Malakwen won on the men's side. See full results here.

More marathon stories: Milwaukee | SoMD.

Now it's the green stuff, too

There's now a lettuce recall to join the cantaloupe worries of last week, though they don't appear to be related. From Amina Khan in Los Angeles:

A lettuce grower is expanding a recall of chopped romaine because of possible listeria contamination to nearly 2,500 cartons across the United States, federal and company officials say.

The recall is unrelated to the recall of tainted cantaloupes after a deadly multi-state outbreak of listeria monocytogenes, said Food and Drug Administration press officer Tamara Ward.

"There have been no illnesses," Ward added.

More >>

High school athletics safety scare

In Baltimore County, school administrators and EMS staff are re-evaluating how they communicate. From ExploreBaltimoreCounty.com:

Seconds likely felt like hours as coaches and spectators came to the aid of Breanna Sudano, a member of Perry Hall High School's jayvee field hockey team who collapsed at the conclusion of the Gators' game at Catonsville High School on Sept. 27.

Even after the call to 911 had been made emergency responders finally arrived, the distress of the fans and members of both teams did not diminish as they saw the emergency vehicles pull into the wrong entrance for access to the field at Comet Stadium.

"What happened Tuesday -- going to one access area instead of another -- is a common problem when we respond to an address that covers a large area," said Elise Armacost, chief of public safety information for Baltimore County in an email Friday evening.

"In this case, the call came out as a cardiac arrest at Stadium Field at Catonsville High, 421 Bloomsbury Ave.," she wrote.

More >>

Stretching is free. Instruction is cheap.

Living Social has a deal on what I still think of as insanely warm yoga classes. I know, I know, this is a big trend, but right now I'm still trying to adjust to the idea of having my furnace on for the first time this year. I'm no Andy Rooney, but you have to give me time on some of this stuff.

 

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