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ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Tyler Bray and Kevin Hogan strolled side-by-side toward Scanlon Hall, their home for the next few weeks of training camp, almost as if they had already formed some sort of alliance.Maybe they intend to vote Aaron Murray off in the Chiefs version of Quarterback Survivor.All three of them arrived at Missouri Western on Tuesday, along with rookies and some other select veterans, to begin the true audition to be Alex Smiths backup. Murray may enter the race as the slight favorite, but all of them will have an opportunity to get on the field.This is a great three days for the quarterbacks to get re-acclimated to the offense, the terminology, the situational offense, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. Its a great week for them.Reid acknowledged that training camp is a better barometer in the quarterback race than the voluntary workouts and minicamp that marked the summer. But he also said that nothing is likely to be decided until his young quarterbacks get on the field for some preseason games.The first of those isnt until Aug. 13, when Seattle visits Arrowhead Stadium.Smith has been a durable starter during his time in Kansas City, somewhat assuaging the fear of an unproven youngster under center. But the Chiefs had also had the comfort of a veteran in Chase Daniel if something should go awry, and that security blanket left for the Philadelphia Eagles.Its possible the Chiefs could still add a veteran quarterback in camp, especially once the first round of cuts happen. But they are strapped for salary cap space, so its likely that one of the three quarterbacks who arrived at Missouri Western will have to earn the job.Handicapping the race is about as difficult as learning Reids offense.Bray has the strongest arm and biggest frame of the bunch, and the former undrafted free agent out of Tennessee has been in the system the longest. But he has also dealt with a number of injuries that have held him back the past few years, and he has yet to take a meaningful snap.Asked to judge the competition, he replied: You know as much as I know.Its what you have to live for in the NFL, Bray continued. Theres always going to be a guy coming in thats going to be just as good as you are.Murray was the first person brought in after Bray, a fifth-round draft pick a couple years ago out of Georgia. He may be the most polished off the three options, but he is somewhat undersized and some wonder whether he has enough arm strength to make the deep throws.Still, he did have last season to absorb the offense, and the meticulous notes that he took while serving as the third backup behind Smith and Daniel will no doubt have paid off.Its a big, open competition, he said. I have to keep showing the coaches what I can do. I didnt sit back the past couple of years. I paid attention and learned a lot from Alex and Chase.Then there is Hogan, the biggest wild card. The Chiefs thought enough of him to select him in the fifth round of this years draft, despite a somewhat funky throwing motion, and he played in a similar-style offense at Stanford that could help him with the steep NFL learning curve.I think competition is good, Hogan said, no matter where. Its healthy.In other news, Reid said that star pass rusher Justin Houston would attend camp but would not participate in any of the football activities. Houston has surgery in February to repair the ALC in his left knee, and the Chiefs hope he will be able to play at some point this season.Reid also said he was unsure how much Jamaal Charles will participate after surgery on his ACL last season. Charles attending the mandatory minicamp in July and should be ready for the regular-season opener Sept. 11 against San Diego.The biggest question heading into Fridays full-squad report day is whether safety Eric Berry will show up. Negotiations on a long-term contract broke down and Berry, who was designated Kansas Citys franchise player, does not need to report until he signs his contract. The one-year deal, at about $10.8 million, would make him the NFLs highest-paid safety.Theres our feeling for him as a football player and theres a business side of it, and they are two different things, Reid said. Im hoping hes here. If hes not, I understand that, too.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFLMark Barberio Jersey . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Matt Nieto Jersey . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. http://www.hockeyavalanche.com/authentic-teemu-selanne-avalanche-jersey/ . Sulaiman, 44, was chosen unanimously Tuesday in a vote by the leadership, the World Boxing Council said. Sulaiman becomes the sixth president of the organization. Paul Kariya Avalanche Jersey . McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford. Philipp Grubauer Avalanche Jersey . Carey Price didnt, but he still came out on top against one of his rivals for the No. 1 job at the Sochi Games. The Anahim Lake, B.C., native was stellar in making 39 saves in his home province and Lars Eller got credit for a bizarre short-handed winner as the Canadiens defeated the Canucks 4-1.Running downhill is far more difficult than most people realize, but it can have significant benefits during training if done properly. I discovered this the hard way when I ran a marathon at Nanisivik on Baffin Island in Nunavut. The final 15 kilometres of the race consisted of a 10 km downhill section, followed by a 5 km climb to the finish. The 10 km downhill section caused me more quadriceps pain than I care to remember. I also took close to an hour to finish the last 5 km, the pain in my legs was so intense. But I now know that downhill running can be a powerful stimulus for your muscles to get stronger (even if it makes you a bit sore...). By understanding and applying the science of downhill running, you can improve your technique and train your nervous and musculoskeletal systems to help you run faster more easily. Downhill running training will also strengthen your body to be able to handle many of the muscle stresses associated with downhill, flat and uphill running. How Downhill Running Works When you run down a hill, your muscles are engaged in what is known as "eccentric" contraction. This means you are simultaneously lengthening and tightening your muscle fibres at the same time. If you think about lowering a heavy weight slowly – your muscles are contracting at the same time as you lengthen your muscle. For example, imagine doing a biceps curl where you lift a weight in your hand from your side up to your shoulder. The eccentric contraction happens when your biceps is still active despite the fact that you are lowering the weight back down to your hip and lengthening the biceps muscle (lifting the muscle up by contracting and shortening your biceps is a "concentric" contraction). Under normal walking or running conditions, some of your muscles contract and stretch slightly as your leg impacts the ground. Downhill running amplifies this effect causing greater lengthening of the muscles (such as the quadriceps or calf muscles) as they absorb the impact of the foot landing on the ground. On top of this, when you run downhill, less energy is required for propulsion and yet speed is maintained or even increased! It is the eccentric loading of the muscles during downhill running that causes more muscle fibre damage than running on flats. This may cause some delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) within the 24-72 hour period following the downhill workout or race. Delayed onset muscles soreness is probably caused by micro-tears in the muscle fibres, an effect that we can expect when running downhill. Downhill running also increases muscle weakness when the fibres are recovering. Researchers studying muscle strength loss after 8 bouts of downhill running at 80 per cent of a participants maximum heart rate found a strength reduction in the knee extensors of more than 50 per cent right after the exercise. They also found that recovery was slow and even after 7 days there was still a significant reduction in strength.1 This might sound like bad news for runners, but the key finding in this research is that the physiological impact of downhill running is significant but can be a powerful stimulus for muscle adaptation. You can use downhill training to stimulate muscle growth and to improve performance! But because downhill running can cause muscle damage you need to limit this kind of training and do your best to support your downhill training session with great nutrition to provide your body with the nutrients it needs to repair and strengthen tissues. You should schedule longer aerobic or recovery runs after your downhill sessions rather than interval or speed workouts. The other thing to keep in mind about downhill running is that it helps you learn the technical aspects of running faster. Because downhill running uses gravity rather than muscle propulsion to increase speed, we can run quickly with less effort than would normally be required. The difference in energy expenditure can be spent on holding perfect running form att faster speeds than your typical pace.ddddddddddddSome people call this "overspeed training" or "assisted running". It is used by elite runners to practice technique and train the nervous system for increased speed. Do this type of run training carefully and under control however because youll be running faster than you might be used to! What The Research Tells Us Research tells us that when you complete an eccentric movement like downhill running, there is an observed "repeated bout" effect wherein your muscles are less susceptible to damage during subsequent eccentric movements. This means that you can use downhill running to improve your ability to cope with the stresses of basic running. You can also stimulate muscle growth using eccentric exercises that challenge your quadriceps and hamstrings, such as forward or reverse lunges. These exercises will help your body to ward off the muscle damage that comes with running because your muscles will ultimately become stronger and better able to handle physical stresses. Plyometric exercises that involve jumping or hopping are also good training for muscles because of their powerful muscle and nervous system training effects. Its similar to the knee jerk reaction you experience if your doctor taps your patellar tendon - your quadriceps and the tendons that connect the muscle to bone stretch very quickly, and the sudden lengthening of your muscle sets off what is called the stretch reflex. The stretch reflex can stimulate a powerful muscle contraction that has significant training effects! Plyometric training for downhill running could involve tuck jumps, box jumps, or two-legged hurdle hops. When performing these activities, proper technique is critical - make sure you get coaching so you learn how to do these exercises properly and that you have done the background training necessary to prevent injury. The Importance of Technique Maintaining proper technique is critical when you run downhill. The pull of gravity and the sensation that you are moving faster promote freedom of movement that can lead you to lose your form and may increase your risk of injury. Focus on maintaining a controlled but relaxed gait with a good posture and controlled core. The key concept is to work on decreasing the impact on your joints and muscles as much as you can. Improve Your Performance To take advantage of the benefits of downhill training, consider the following: - Use eccentric exercises like plyometrics to train your muscles to handle simultaneous lengthening and contraction- Use plyometric exercises to help your body learn to cope with landing under force and to build muscle power- Concentrate on form when you run downhill- Avoid doing downhill training too frequently so that your body has time to recover- Research the profile of any race you are entering so that you know if you will be faced with a downhill section on the course and plan your training and race strategy accordingly. As long as you are careful about how you use this important technique, you will find that there are significant benefits to training on downhills that can improve your overall performance and help you reach your goals. References Eston RG, Critchley N, Baltzopoulos V. (1994). Delayed-onset muscle soreness, strength loss characteristics and creatine kinase activity following uphill and downhill running. I Sports Sci 12:135. Greg Wells Ph.D. (www.drgregwells.com, @drgregwells) is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto in the Faculties of Medicine and Kinesiology. He was the sport science analyst for the Olympic Broadcast Consortium during the 2010 & 2012 Games, and is the author of Superbodies: Peak Performance Secrets from the Worlds Best Athletes. Jessica Caterini is a member of the Human Physiology Research Unit in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Toronto. http://www.drgregwells.comhttp://www.twi....superbodies.tv ' ' '