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> Athletes often credit an outstanding performance to a "second wind" -- a sudden burst of energy that seems to occur after fatigue has set in. But two University of Utah researchers have apparently shown that there is really no second wind. Nyles Humphrey and Robert Ruhling, of the University's department of physical education, asked 26 men between the ages of 18 and 25 to run on an inclined treadmill at a constant speed of 7.5 m.p.h. until their heart rates reached 180 beats per minute or they became fatigued. Fourteen of the stationary runners said that they experienced second wind, while twelve did not. But in neither group could the doctors measure any significant physical changes that would enable the runners to perform better or longer. Their findings thus confirm what many athletes have long suspected: in sports, the head is as important as the body.

> How can a person determine if he is a candidate for a heart attack or stroke? One way is to have a complete medical examination. Another is to play Risko, a simple game invented and distributed by the Michigan Heart Association and played on a board covered with numbered squares. Participants need merely find the squares that best describe them and then add up their scores. A player who does not smoke can award himself a zero. One who puffs two or more packs a day gets ten points. Seven points are given to all who are more than 50 Ibs. overweight, one point to anyone who regularly exercises or does hard physical work, and eight to those who do not exercise at all. Players who score fewer than eleven points at Risko are assured that they have a good chance of avoiding stroke or heart attack. Those scoring more than 40 are warned: "Danger urgent. You must reduce your score." The task is more easily ordered than accomplished. Any player who really wants to can cut the risk factors of overweight, smoking or lack of exercise. But other scores are immutable. A player whose close relatives have died of heart disease is awarded up to seven points, and one who is over 60 years old gets eight points simply for having lived that long.

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