Hello Gators, We’re about as far as you can get from the triathlon race season… It’s been almost 3 months since the last time a Gator participated in a triathlon (Brent Voynar in Ironman Maryland on October 17) and it’s more than 3 months until the next Gator will participate in one (Allison, Suzanne, Brian, and Jon in Ironman New Orleans 70.3 on April 17). Does that mean that there isn’t much triathlon stuff going on? Heck, no! We have an amazing number of things happening over the next few months as we begin to prepare for the 2016 triathlon season including Gatorthon, an indoor triathlon, the Endurance Sports Expo, as well as many, many seminars and training opportunities including the reintroduction of the “Intro to Tri” class on Saturday mornings starting in late February. So, if you haven’t yet gotten into gear for your upcoming season, now is the time. When you set a new event distance record or break a PR, it’s because of the work you do during this part of the year. Definitely take advantage of your club benefits by participating in some workouts and/or utilizing the workouts posted in Training Peaks. And learn how to become a better endurance sports athlete by taking in a seminar or two. We look forward to seeing you there! This week's news topics include...Accomplishments… Qualified!!!Membership Renewal… Don’t miss the opportunity to be win a free race entry by renewing by January 15 (that’s today!!!!Swimming with the Best… A nice invitation from our Masters Swim team!!!Gatorthon… Coming to a treadmill near you on Sunday, 2/28!!!Are You in Love?... Help!! We need about a half dozen runners to get our own port-a-potty!!!Gator Fitness Challenge Update… Hopefully you are making good progress on the challenges!!!Mark Your Calendars… Lots of upcoming events including a Training Peaks tips and tricks seminar coming later this month!!!Weekly Workouts: What do we have planned for the weekend? Happy Birthday! Best wishes to Don Schlichtmann who celebrates his birthday on Saturday, January 16! Welcome! A warm welcome to the following new members who recently joined the club!Tree Foster: It’s hard to think of Tree as a “new” member… Tree is already part of the family. She tested the waters last year with some of our workouts and decided to join us full-time this year!Paul Kent: Paul has already become a regular at our Tri Swim workouts. We look forward to meeting, training, and racing with you in 2016! Accomplishments: Some nice recognition for 2015 accomplishments…Maribeth Baker qualified for USAT Nationals taking place in Omaha, Nebraska on August 13 thanks to a stellar performance at the 2015 Steelman Triathlon. This qualification comes from finishing in the top 10% of her age group at the event. Way to go, Maribeth!!Don Mack qualified for USAT Nationals as a result of his performance at the 2015 Quakerman Triathlon. Don was also recognized as an Ironman bronze “All World Athlete” based on his combination of results achieved at the 2015 Ironman Syracuse 70.3 and Ironman Lake Placid, which placed him in the top 10% of his age group worldwide.Chris Reiter qualified for USAT Nationals as a result of his top 10% age group finish at the 2015 Quakerman Triathlon (in what is traditionally a very tough age group). Congrats, Chris!! Membership Renewal: Just a reminder that ALL members must renew by the end of January to maintain continuous member benefits through 2016. And if you register by the end of the day today, you will be entered into a drawing for a FREE ENTRY into the French Creek Triathlon (May 22) directed by our new sponsor, John Kenny. The fees are the same as 2015… $125/individual or $200/couple (same household). You can renew at the Y’s front desk or online under “Aquatics”… https://philaymca.org/locations/spring-valley/ Swimming With the Best: Gary Sangmeister, our Masters Swim team leader, is including a “developing swimmer” workout at the evening Masters Swim workouts (Mondays and Wednesdays, 7:30pm-8:30pm) specifically to encourage Tri Club members to join in. So if you’d like to check out the Masters program, please plan to take advantage of an upcoming workout. For more information, you can reach Gary at SVYGators@gmail.com. Gatorthon: Based on the success of Gatorthon last March, we are again going to host this club event/fundraiser on Sunday, February 28 on the treadmills at the Spring Valley YMCA. And we already have a huge number of runners based on the Facebook replies. If you have not yet replied and are interested in participating, please let us know! Basically you can run any length from a mile to 26.2 miles with teams each completing a treadmill marathon. This is also a major fundraiser for us so watch for an announcement soon about how to make contributions. Last year we had 17 runners and raised $1,000… This year we are looking to exceed both totals (and have a lot of fun)! Are You in Love?: If you have not already registered for the upcoming Love Run in Philadelphia on Sunday, April 10, what are you waiting for? We are closing in on 20 runners, which will enable us to accomplish a grand achievement… The use of our own port-a-potty at the event. So join the fun by registering as part of our team today! Note that you can also register as part of a relay team (each team counts as 1 towards our goal). Contact Michelle Leonard for more details… Michelle.M.Leonard@gsk.com. Gator Fitness Challenge IV: GFC IV began last week. The GFC motto is “it’s never too late to start”, so if you have not yet signed up and would like to do so, please contact Don Mack. This week’s Gator Fitness Challenges:SBR Challenge: At least 30 minutes each swimming, biking, and running with a combined minimum total of at least 2 hours.Plank Challenge: 40 seconds (increases 20 seconds each week) Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming events include…Saturday, January 16: Lady Gators Night Out (Center City): Uh oh.Wednesday, January 27, 7pm-8:15pm: Training Peaks Navigation and Use seminar by Danny Friend taking place at the Y in the Corporate Conference Room.Saturday, February 20-Sunday, February 21: The Endurance Sports Expo will take place at the Oaks convention center.Sunday, February 28, 8am: Gatorthon II will take place on the treadmills at the Spring Valley YMCA.Sunday, March 20: “Gatorman Indoor Triathlon” will take place at the Spring Valley YMCA… More details coming soon. Weekly Workouts: Here’s what’s left for the weekend…Saturday, January 16, 7:30am-9:30am: Bike Trainer/Run brick workout led by Don M in Room 2.Sunday, January 17: THIS WEEK’S MORNING RUN WORKOUT IS CANCELED. We’ll resume at 8am on Sunday, January 24. Go Gators! Don M