Most runners believe that nutrition can help improve performance and endurance but it is often difficult to separate marketing hype from good science. With the introduction of The Performance Zone, runners, as well as athletes in all sports, now have a resource they can rely on.

Written by two leading sports nutrition researchers, The Performance Zone is based on cutting-edge research from leading sports science laboratories around the world. The authors, John Ivy, Ph.D., and Robert Portman, Ph.D., synthesize the science and show athletes how to develop their own nutrition action plan to increase their endurance and strength, reduce injuries and muscle soreness, accelerate their recovery after training and competition, and reduce their susceptibility to colds and infections.

One of the most practical features of The Performance Zone is a simple four-step plan that enables any athlete to easily determine their nutritional needs before, during, and after exercise based on their exercise activity and intensity. The Performance Zone (Basic Health Publications, U.S. $10.95/Canada $17.50) is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and GNC stores this spring.

Olympic gold medal marathoner Frank Shorter declares, "The Performance Zone is a must-read for athletes in all sports at all levels."

The Performance Zone also details the special needs of different sports and contains sports-specific nutrition tips from Olympic athletes, leading coaches and trainers, nutritionists, and exercise physiologists for all major individual and team sports.

Jeff Galloway, one of the world's most respected marathon coaches and an Olympian, claims The Performance Zone, "Is the best nutrition book for runners I have ever read." Galloway and legendary track and field coach Joe Vigil each author a section offering running and track and field nutrition tips.

About the authors:
John Ivy, Ph.D., is a professor and head of the department of Kinesology and Health Education at the University of Texas. Dr. Ivy is a world-renowned expert on the role of nutrition and exercise performance. He has published more than 300 research papers and review articles.

Robert Portman, Ph.D., is president and director of research for PacificHealth Laboratories, a leading nutrition technology company. Dr. Portman has been a pioneer in developing nutritional products that can improve exercise performance and recovery.

The Performance Zone
By John Ivy, Ph.D., and Robert Portman, Ph.D.
Foreword by Dave Scott
Basic Health Publications
ISBN: 1-59120-148-9
Price: U.S. $10.95/Can. $17.50
Publication: May 2004