NOT THE WHOLE STORY

Your article about V̇O₂max (“Maximize Yourself,” January/February 1999) by Frank Horwill gives one the impression that V̇O₂max is easy to improve and lactate threshold isn’t. Just the opposite is true for your readership—most likely more experienced runners. V̇O₂max is hard to increase after the usual amounts of training your readers have probably done. It’s probably easiest to raise by losing weight, not by more training (since the measurement is per kilogram body weight). More important is that V̇O₂max is not closely related to race performance while lactate threshold is. Improving lactate threshold is much easier to do, although the methods to do so optimally have come into question recently. As Mr. Horwill states, tempo runs have long been considered a great way to improve this fitness variable.

Greg Diamond
Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

I received the first two copies of M & B this week, and I have enjoyed the first articles I have read. The magazine is everything I had hoped it would be, quite a relief from the repeated “sound bite” journalism that our most popular running magazines offer. Thanks also for the personal touch you gave with the call about my subscription. As you grow it will be difficult to stay in touch with individual subscribers, but your call and our discussion really made me feel welcomed to your magazine and the community of distance runners.

Paul Johnson
Redlands, Calif.

BEST OF THE BEST

I just got my March/April M&B and was immediately pulled into it. This may be the best edition ever! From the piercing sketches by Andy Yelenak and the compelling tribute of George Sheehan III about his inspirational father to Jeff Hagen’s insightful training piece about 24-hour track races and the big feature, “Best of the Best,” M&B is truly a world-class running publication!

Theresa Daus-Weber
Littleton, Colo.