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Questions:

1) Stretching prevents injuries and improves performance. Truth or Myth

2) Running barefoot is better for the body. Truth or Myth

3) You need to focus on your core to become a better athlete. Truth or Myth

4) Guzzling water and electrolytes before a race prevents cramps. Truth or Myth

5) Ibuprofen before a hard workout prevents sore muscles after. Truth or Myth

6) Dehydration hurts race performance. Truth or Myth

7) Ice baths speed recovery. Truth or Myth

8) Long and slow is the best way too burn calories, Truth or Myth

9) Fructose is a performance killer. Truth or Myth

10) Supplements take performance to the next level. Truth or Myth

Answers:

1) It could ruin your 10K time.

2) It all depends on your body type and discipline.

3) Core strength is probably overrated and you risk injury by focusing too specifically on it.

4) Water and electrolytes have little to do with muscle seizure.

5) It does more harm than good.

6) Overhydrating is more likely to sabotage your PR.

7) They're not worth the chill.

8) You need to pump up the intensity.

9) Fructose can be a performance superfuel.

10) There's no such thing as a magic pill (legal or otherwise)

Meaning that all the correct answers are also myths. With fine print, asterisks and additional reading, lab work, experimentation and data required.

Because every body is different. As a somewhat comical example consider the plight of the triathlete who stretches statically, trains barefoot, does 1000 crunches daily, drinks Gatorade with Advil, takes ice baths after long slow runs, sups and drinks cranberry juice on race day (in which she dominates) vice the marathoner who limbers up dynamically, wears Nike's, has no core focus, has weaned himself off water, takes no drugs, uses no ice, runs a weekly LSD, swears by sucrose, sups with condroiton and ALSO DOMINATES!

What does all this mean to you?

If you're not dominating, which in this reference means achieving your goals as personal bests, not waxing the competition, you need more, or different, testing and training.

So if you are already dominating your chosen event, keep doing what you are doing. If you're not (the 99%) you need to change something. As antidote, here is what I have changed: Volume, schedule, weight and diet. I have added (on average) six hours of HIT spinning per week between Tuesdays and Thursdays, skewing the weight from run to bike for the winter block and testing protein supplements from hemp and eliminating gluten from daily intake. I am still not back in the water, but that will happen soon.

Last question:

L) No one has ever become a dominant triathlete over the age of 60. Truth or Myth

Last answer:

L) Not yet.

Myth questions, commentary and links all at Outside Magazine.