reviews why the novices joined Team NOVA.
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profiles the team that will be coaching the runners from start
to finish.
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shows the tests team members undergo at Tufts University to
establish baseline fitness levels—a sophisticated body
composition analysis and a maximum oxygen consumption
measurement, known as VO2 max.
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notes that runners who are at an ideal body weight may still be
over-fat and under-muscled.
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reveals through animations how VO2 max provides
information on heart, blood vessel, and capillary fitness.
reviews the runners' 40-week training regimen.
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notes the circulatory system improvements that occur after nine
weeks of training—hearts are more efficient, arteries are
more elastic, new capillaries have developed, and mitochondria
have increased to aid aerobic metabolism.
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chronicles the physical injuries and mental challenges the
runners face as they carry out their training.
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identifies the two types of muscle fibers in the human body.
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presents the idea that humans evolved anatomically to run long
distances, an advantage that would have allowed them to engage
in long-distance hunts.
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notes that most heart attacks are caused by blocked coronary
arteries—often due to a poor diet and lack of
exercise—rather than by a tired and stressed heart muscle.
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retests body composition and maximum oxygen consumption in the
trained runners and finds that while most have dramatically
improved their VO2 scores, few weight or body
composition changes occurred.
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explains why running on its own is not particularly effective
for active weight loss efforts.
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points out that the body uses both fat and carbohydrates for
fuel to run, and that while even lean people have a large
reserve of fat, carbohydrates stored as glycogen in the liver
can be depleted during a marathon.
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follows Team NOVA members as they run the 2007 Boston Marathon.
NOVA assembles a team of 13 sedentary non-athletes aged 21 to 60 to
face the ultimate test: Run the 26.2-mile Boston marathon.
