Hello Gators,Over the first three weeks we've had at least 76 completed Gator Fitness Challenge commitments... Great job!  We should go over 100 after this week.  If you have not yet participated and would like to start, just send me a brief note and we'll add you to the list!
This week's topics include...Accomplishments... A marathon first timer and lots of other great running!Who's Next?... Good question... Anyone racing this weekend?About A Gator... Here's the story, of a man named Bellino... Meet one of the leaders of the "Bellino Bunch"!Recommended Podcasts... Half IRONMAN first timer, the Mindset of Triathlon, and Tips for "OutSeason" Training!Upcoming Workouts and Events... Wanted: Participants in the Strength Training for Triathletes and Yoga classes!  Also, NEW START TIME for Saturday's bike ride... 8am... Woo hoo, an extra 30 minutes of sleep!!
Happy Birthday! to Matt Davidson who is celebrating this week!  Matt's birthday was yesterday, October 21.  Best wishes, Matt!Accomplishments: Lots of success in lots of events...Atlantic City Marathon and Half Marathon:First Time Marathon Finisher!!!... Melissa Moffa completed her first full marathon.  And just for an extra challenge, Melissa also participated in the event's 5K race on Saturday... Way to go, Melissa!Ellen Friend, with some outstanding training from Danny Friend, also completed the full marathon... Congrats, Ellen!Maureen Pinkerton had a successful finish in the half marathon setting a PR in the process... Great job, Maureen!Runners' World Half Marathon (Bethlehem, PA): Don Mack had a successful event finishing 35th overall (out of 2,832) and also achieving a 1st place age group finish... PODIUM!Evansburg Challenge 10 Mile Trail Race (Collegeville, PA): Dave Gale endured leave covered trails with rocks and roots as well as multiple water crossings (with one being waste deep and about 30-40 feet across) to successfully arrive at the finish line in the top 50% overall.  This was Dave's third consecutive week of racing (he's taking the next couple of weeks off)... Way to persevere, Dave!CM35 Run for Courage 5K (Royersford, PA):Ken Beauchamp finished 5th overall (out of 135) and 1st in his age group... PODIUM!... Ken was the only one in the top 14 without an association to the Spring-Ford High School Cross Country team... Most people looking at the results will probably think he's their coach... Great work, Ken!Kelly Beauchamp also had a successful race finishing 2nd in her age group... PODIUM!... and in the top 40% overall.  Awesome run, Kelly!5K Color Run (Phoenixville, PA): Michelle and Byron Solvason both successfully completed the race and, more importantly, successfully returned their hair and skin back to their original colors.  Michelle just missed the top 3 in her age group... Congrats, guys!
Who's Next?: Looks like no one from the club is racing this weekend, which hopefully means lots of great training!
About A Gator: Six kids plus work plus triathlon... Sounds more like a decathlete than a triathlete!  Learn about Vince Bellino in this week's edition of "About A Gator".Recommended Podcasts: A hodge-podge of topics this week...Triathlete Training has a two part podcast/interview (pre and post race) with a woman and fairly new triathlete who participated in or first
Half IRONMAN event recently… http://triathletetraining.com/Triathlon Research posted a speech that was delivered in late August by Mark Allen (6 time IRONMAN World Champ) at a triathlon training camp.  The podcast is titled "The Mindset of Triathlon"… http://triathlonresearch.org/podcasts/Endurance
Nation has a couple of newly published podcasts that you might find interesting: http://www.endurancenation.us/podcasts/"Triathlon
OutSeason Do’s and Don’ts"... Endurance Nation refers to what most people consider to be the "off season" as the "OutSeason" as they promote maintaining your fitness versus losing it and starting over at the beginning of the year... Hey, sounds like the Gator Fitness Challenge!"Kona
Part 1: Swim"... One of Endurance Nation's coaches participated in IRONMAN Kona/Hawaii and delivers a three part report on each event.  This one is the first covering his swim experience.
Weekly Workouts: Remaining workouts for this week include...Wednesday, 10/22, 8:30pm-9:30pm: Tri Swim class.  Thanks to Nabil for bringing his underwater camera to one of the Tri Swim classes last week and for posting the videos for our swimmers!  We plan to do that more in the future..Thursday, 10/23:7:30pm-8:30pm: Bike trainers on the Y indoor pool deck... There were 12 of us last week.  Can we do that again (or even better) this week?8:45pm-9:30pm: Yoga (NEW LOCATION: Studio room)Saturday, 10/24, 8:00am start (NEW START TIME): Bike ride on the Schuylkill River Trail and maybe mix in some hills (meet at the usual location... Oaks/Egypt Rd./New Mill Rd. parking lot)Upcoming Events: There are several significant tri club-related events coming up over the next couple of months, so here's an early head's up so that you can mark your calendars...Saturday, November 15: SVMG End of Year Extravaganza at the Trappe Tavern.  Possibly to be preceded by an IRONMAN World Championships highlights show viewing party.  More details coming soon!Thursday, January 1: 2nd Annual RefrigaGator OWS... More coming later on this for any brave/nutty souls that are interested!Date TBD (probably in December): Member's Meeting... Stay tuned for more info!
Have a great rest of the week!  Go Gators!
Don M

Hello Gators,My apologies for the brief two week hiatus... Lots of work travel interrupting my triathlon lifestyle.  Things are now back on track.  I've still been able to get in my weekly Gator Fitness Challenge commitment as have many of you (funny how challenging it can be to get in a 15 minute swim some weeks).  Over the first six weeks we've had at least 20 complete the GFC every week with a total close to 150!... Great job!  If you have not yet participated and would like to start, just send me a brief note and we'll add you to the list!  As mentioned on Facebook yesterday, there is also now the additional incentive to participate in that you can win a FREE one month YMCA membership!  Each completed week will get you an entry into our early January drawing.  There are eight weeks left in the GFC, so you've got plenty of time to get lots of entries (and gain lots of fitness)!
Also, as we pass Veteran's Day, I'd like to thank all veterans, particularly our club members that are veterans for their service!  Not sure who all is in this group, but it does include Jon Wesler and Danny Friend.  Thanks!
This week's topics include...Accomplishments... New York Marathon and lots of K's... 5K, 10K, 12K, and 25K!Who's Next?... Yo Adrian!About A Gator... Allison is "all in" on triathlon!Recommended Podcasts... Girl Power!Upcoming Workouts and Events... This Saturday is "Triple Tri" day for us... Mini-Tri in the morning, Kona in the afternoon, and party time at the Trappe in the evening!
Happy Birthday! Best wishes to the following club members who have recently celebrated birthdays!October 29: Chris PhillipsOctober 31: Heather TraceyNovember 11: Kerri BrannenAccomplishments: All of our recent race participants had successful finishes...New York Marathon: Adrienne Foster and Jim Foster both conquered the winds and successfully completed one of the world's great marathons.  Great job, Adrienne and Jim!Turkey and Taturs 25K Trail Race (Tulsa, OK): Dave Gale continued his series of fall running events by completing this challenging and very hilly course.  Way to go, Dave!Stoudt's Brewery 12K: Gregg Heimer picked up the pace as he approached the latter part of the race... Guess the free beer at the end was just the incentive needed to run a negative split race.  Fantastic finish, Gregg!Phoenixville Run 10K: Mary Kain and Mark Donovan finished back to back (#32 and #31 respectively; top 30% overall) in this event, both taking 3rd place age group finishes... PODIUM!  Excellent races, Mary and Mark!Rehobeth Beach 5K: Maureen Pinkerton and Lew Pinkerton both participated in this event.  Maureen finished with a PR and was also first in her group... PODIUM!  Awesome, Maureen!
In the News: Gregg Heimer was recently recognized for his work that contributed to Montgomery County Community College's recognition by the League of American Bicyclists (Washington, DC) as a bike-friendly university.  See the attached article that ran in last Sunday's Reading Eagle.  I also understand that a video is coming that features Gregg sporting his Gators jacket.
Who's Next?: We have a handful of participants (see below) in this Saturday's Rocky Balboa 5K/10K Run in, of course, Philadelphia.  Anyone else racing?Gregg HeimerAiden MilliganKim MilliganRiley Milligan
About A Gator: This edition covers one of our most accomplished female athletes, Allison Wesler.  She's a regular podium finisher and also makes a mean cupcake!  Note that all past "About A Gator" profiles are being posted to our Facebook group... Good way to learn about your fellow club members (especially before this Saturday's party)!Recommended Podcasts: Both of this week's podcasts are focused on female triathletes...Friday Fat Black's Episode #57 includes an interview with "Witsup" website founder Steph Hanson.  The podcast is so-so, but the "Witsup" website is dedicated to female triathletes and is worth checking out...Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/trispecific-ironman-triathlon/id848817185?mt=2Website: http://www.witsup.com/Endurance Planet's interview with pro triathlete Angela Naeth and some of the struggles she has encountered as a female athlete along with what she did to address them... http://www.enduranceplanet.com/angela-naeth-struggles-with-female-issues-and-the-survey-on-menstruation-and-cramping-in-female-endurance-athletes-with-results/
Weekly Workouts: Remaining workouts for this week include...Wednesday, 11/12, 10am-11am and 8:30pm-9:30pm: Tri Swim classes with Don S (morning) and Maribeth (evening)Thursday, 11/13:7:30pm-8:30pm: Bike trainers on the Y indoor pool deck with Don M8:45pm-9:30pm: Yoga in the Studio with MaribethSaturday, 11/15, approx. 7:15am-9:30am: Mini-triathlon (non-competitive)... Get this great day off to a great start!Swim (2 options):7:15am: 1000 yards7:30am: 400 yards (or 15 minutes if you are completing your weekly GFC commitment)Bike: 45 minute group trainer session starting at 8am (those that finish swimming before 8am will work up to/maintain Zone 3).Run (2 options; can be completed on treadmill, indoor track, or outdoor track):5K (40 laps on indoor track; 5 laps on outdoor track)2 mile (26 laps on indoor track; slightly more than 3 laps on outdoor track)
Upcoming Events: There are several significant tri club-related events coming up over the next couple of months, so here's an early head's up so that you can mark your calendars...Saturday, November 15:1:30pm-3pm: IRONMAN World Championship viewing... Any suggestions on a location?6pm: SVMG End of Year Extravaganza at the Trappe Tavern.  Hopefully you have received the invitation and will be able to join us for what's sure to be a great time!  Please reply back if you need more information.Thursday, January 1: 2nd Annual RefrigaGator OWS... More coming later on this for any brave/nutty souls that are interested!Date TBD (probably in December): Member's Meeting... Stay tuned for more info!
Have a great rest of the week!  Go Gators!
Don M

Hello Gators,Awesome party last Saturday!  Thanks to Melissa and Allison for doing all of the coordination!  You can't beat giant forks, flowery bathing caps, and Steelman hand me down sweatpants.  I'm already looking forward to the next one!
This week's topics include...Accomplishments... Successful surgery and "Win, Rocky, win!"Who's Next?... Philadelphia fever!About A Gator... He first became an IRONMAN over a decade ago!Upcoming Workouts and Events... Member meeting coming in December... Wednesday, 12/17!
Happy Birthday! Best wishes to the following club members who celebrating birthdays!November 15: Mike ConnellyNovember 22: Mindy MatarazzoAccomplishments: Some accomplishments don't involve races.  Way to go Gators!Successful Surgery: Danny Friend had successful knee surgery yesterday and is currently recuperating.  All went well and Danny expects to be off of the crutches in a few days.  We're looking forward to helping you with your recovery, Danny!Rocky Balboa Run: Yo, we had a bunch of Gators fight the cold and knock out this race...5K:Aiden MilliganKim MilliganRiley Milligan (finished in top 10% of age group and top 8% overall)10K: These guys were all tuning up for the Key West Triathlon (December 6)...Gregg HeimerDave MarineJeff Spillane10K: Maureen Pinkerton also paced her brother to his first 10K finish
Who's Next?: A bunch of us are taking on the Philadelphia Marathon and Half Marathon this Sunday, November 23...Half Marathon: Kerri Brannen,  Kelly Beauchamp, Ken Beauchamp, and Heather WilliamsFull Marathon: Don Mack, Tiff Pfluger, and Tim Pfluger
About A Gator: This week's profile is on one of our most experienced IRONMAN triathletes, who also happens to be one of our tri swim class coaches, Don Schlichtmann.
Weekly Workouts: Remaining workouts for this week include...Wednesday, 11/19, 10am-11am and 8:30pm-9:30pm: Tri Swim classes with Don S (morning) and Maribeth (evening)Thursday, 11/20:7:30pm-8:30pm: Bike trainers on the Y indoor pool deck with Don M8:45pm-9:30pm: Yoga in the Studio with MaribethSaturday, 11/15, approx. 7:30am-9:30am: Get the day off to a great start!7:30am-9:00am: Bike9:05am-9:25am: Run9:25am-9:30am: Stretch
Upcoming Events:Wednesday, December 17, 7pm-8:30pm: Member's Meeting... Stay tuned for more info!Thursday, January 1: 2nd Annual RefrigaGator OWS... More coming later on this for any brave/nutty souls that are interested!
Have a great rest of the week!  Go Gators!
Don M

Hello Gators,Week 9 of the Gator Fitness Challenge is in progress and we have a second prize to add to the one month free Y membership.  It's a one of a kind autographed Bill Rodgers "Relentless" poster specifically congratulating the winner of the first GFC (it even includes a typo to add some character).  If you do not know "Boston Billy" Rodgers, he's a four time winner of both the Boston Marathon and the New York City Marathon (late 70s/early 80s) plus a US Olympian and a USA Track and Field Hall of Famer.  The poster's "Relentless" title and the subtitle... "To be a consistent winner means preparing not just one day, one month, or even one year - but for a lifetime"... fit perfectly with the purpose of the GFC. So make sure you stay relentless for the remainder of the GFC and you could be the proud owner of this poster.
This week's topics include...Accomplishments... May the Fork Be With Us!... It was!!!Recommended Reading/Nutrition... Run Less, Run Faster to Infinity and Beyond!!Mark Your Calendars... Weekend opportunities to burn off the turkey and pumpkin pie plus our 1st ever Gator Member Meeting on Wednesday, 12/17!!!  And if that's not enough... A fun Friday, December 5th, evening (6:30pm) 2 mile race before the West Chester Holiday Parade that is run by our sponsor, Chester County Running Store!!
Happy Birthday! Best wishes to Suzanne Angelaccio who celebrates a birthday this Sunday, November 30!Accomplishments: Philadelphia fever... A bunch of us participated in the Philadelphia Marathon and Half Marathon this past weekend and I'm happy to report that "the Fork was with us" (thanks to Byron and Michelle) and all 9 participants successfully completed their mission!Full Marathon:Tiff "Pitbull" Pfluger, despite having completed the Chicago Marathon just 6 weeks ago and suffering an "on the job injury" during race week (a pit bull mistook her leg for a Pupperoni... one of the unfortunate hazards of being a veterinarian), comfortably qualified for the Boston Marathon by over 3 minutes, setting a PR in the process... Tiff also finished in the top 12% of her age group, the top 9% of all female finishers, and the top 20% of all finishers... Boston 2016, here she comes!... Awesome, Tiff!Tim Pfluger, who also qualified for Boston 2016 in the Chicago Marathon, was the ultimate pacer in assisting Tiff in accomplishing her goal (and, by the way, finishing another marathon as well)... Way to go, Tim!Eric Afre completed the race and was able to set a PR in the process. Eric finished in the top 35% of his age group, top 29% of all male finishers, and top 21% overall!... Fantastic, Eric!Don Mack was also able to qualify for Boston and set a PR in his 10th marathon.  Don finished in the top 5% of his age group, top 7% of all male finishers, and the top 5% of all finishers.... Good job, Don!  Thanks, Don!Half Marathon: In addition to the accomplishments below, I believe that Kelly and Ken also had the fastest transition from their car to the starting line...Kelly Beauchamp set a PR and also finished in the top 1/3 overall as well as the top 25% of all females and her age group... Way to run, Kelly!Ken Beauchamp set a PR and also finished in the top 5% of his age group, top 7% of all male finishers, and top 4% overall... Excellent, Ken!Kerri Brannen had a great race finishing in the top 11% of her age group, top 10% of all female finishers, and top 16% overall... Congrats, Kerri!Don Schlichtmann and his son, Jake Schlichtmann, had an awesome time running around the streets of Philadelphia and crossed the finish line together.  Both had great performances with Don coming in 20th overall in his age group and Jake coming in 11th in his age group.  Both were also in the top 10% of all male finishers and the top 5% overall... Great teamwork, Don and Jake!Heather Williams, who had previously run a marathon, had a great event completing her first half marathon!  It's great to have one of our Y's leaders on our team and out there running with us!... Way to go, Heather!

Who's Next?: Good question!  Anyone racing on Thanksgiving or sometime this weekend?
Recommended Reading and Nutrition: For the Philadelphia Marathon I used two new tools that I wanted to share with you since I had a really positive event...Book: "Run Less, Run Faster": Since transitioning from distance running to triathlon and distance running, I've struggled with how to fit my 4-5 weekly runs into a schedule that also needed to include swimming, biking, family, work, etc.  While attending a race expo, I came across a book entitled "Run Less, Run Faster" that caught my attention as I am interested in doing both of those things.  The plan in the book basically includes three weekly runs (a "tempo run", a "track repeat run", and a long run) with the key being less workouts and distance (typical range is 30-35 miles/week with a max week just under 40 miles) but all three runs are high quality (i.e. difficult).  I've been able to much more easily fit the workouts into my schedule than I was able to do previously.  The book includes information that can pertain to any race distance or speed and has a section specifically for triathletes.  If anyone would like to borrow it, just let me know.Nutrition: Infinit: The other area I've struggled with in longer races is my nutrition.  I've always been a GU Roctane gel and water (with the occasional Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard packet mixed in) user, but I didn't think they were going to get me through an IRONMAN distance event.  So I heard about Infinit from a couple of club members and decided to try it out when I saw they had a booth at last year's Endurance Sports Expo.  Basically it's a powder mix that you add to water.  The formula is customized according to your responses to a series of online questions.  The output of the responses is shown and then you can further tweak things such as calories, electrolytes, sodium, protein, caffeine, and even flavor strength to produce a formula that will best meet your needs.  I first used it (bike formula) for the bike leg of IRONMAN Eagleman 70.3 in June and then for the 112 mile bike leg of Challenge AC race later that month.  In both cases it was my only source of nutrition and it worked flawlessly.  So I decided to try the run formula (similar to the bike formula with no protein) for the Philly marathon.  The difficulty with a marathon is that to use something like Infinit, you have to carry it all with you, which means heavily concentrating it... i.e. fitting what I was using in a 20 oz bottle on the bike into a 6 oz container on the run.  Somehow it worked and I was able to complete the marathon with nothing but my four small Infinit bottles and lots of aid station water.  If anyone is interested in trying it, I'm pretty sure they will again be at the 2015 Endurance Sports Expo (Oaks convention center, February).
Mark Your Calendars:
Weekly Workouts: Remaining workouts for this week include...Wednesday, 11/26, 8:30pm-9:30pm: Tri Swim class is CANCELED due to the weather.Thursday, 11/27: Tri Club is CANCELED due to the Thanksgiving holiday.Friday, 11/28, 9:00am-10:30am: Bike trainers on the Y indoor pool deck with Don MWhile everyone else is dealing with the crowds and traffic of Black Friday, you can burn off some calories during Bike Friday!Saturday, 11/29, approx. 7:15am-9:30am: Tri Club with Don M7:15am-7:45am: Swim7:45am-9:00am: Bike trainers on the Y indoor pool deck9:05am-9:25am: Run9:25am-9:30am: Stretch
Upcoming Events:Wednesday, December 3: Coaches Planning Meeting... We'll be putting together the plans for January-March.  If you have any input, please reply to Danny and Don.Thursday, December 4: Bike Lactate Threshold Heart Rate Test... Will be conducted during our Tri Club session that evening.Friday, December 5: Jingle Elf Run... Our sponsor Chester County Running Store is also the sponsor for this fun event, a 2 mile race, that precedes the West Chester Old Fashioned Christmas Parade (which also happens to feature this year the multiple champion Spring-Ford High School Golden Rams marching band with Josh Mack on baritone).  This is a fun race that includes two loops of the heavily crowded parade route and a "Jingle Elf Hat" for all registered participants.  There are also two kids runs, a one mile walk, and lots of places on the race/parade route to celebrate afterwards.  Anyone interested?  http://runccrs.com/results/race-calendar/?event_id=1397Wednesday, December 17, 7pm-8:30pm: Member's Meeting... Stay tuned for more info!Thursday, January 1: 2nd Annual RefrigaGator OWS... More coming later on this for any brave/nutty souls that are interested!
Happy Thanksgiving (and happy shoveling)!  Go Gators!
Don M

Thanks Don! Congratulations all and Happy Thanksgiving!

Heather Williams
Executive Director
Philadelphia Freedom Valley YMCA
Spring Valley Branch
19 W. Linfield-Trappe Rd.
Limerick, PA 19468
414-213-8483

On Nov 26, 2014, at 1:41 PM, "Don" <nflsteeler8@msn.commailto:nflsteeler8@msn.com> wrote:

Hello Gators,
Week 9 of the Gator Fitness Challenge is in progress and we have a second prize to add to the one month free Y membership.  It's a one of a kind autographed Bill Rodgers "Relentless" poster specifically congratulating the winner of the first GFC (it even includes a typo to add some character).  If you do not know "Boston Billy" Rodgers, he's a four time winner of both the Boston Marathon and the New York City Marathon (late 70s/early 80s) plus a US Olympian and a USA Track and Field Hall of Famer.  The poster's "Relentless" title and the subtitle... "To be a consistent winner means preparing not just one day, one month, or even one year - but for a lifetime"... fit perfectly with the purpose of the GFC. So make sure you stay relentless for the remainder of the GFC and you could be the proud owner of this poster.

This week's topics include...

• Accomplishments... May the Fork Be With Us!... It was!!!
• Recommended Reading/Nutrition... Run Less, Run Faster to Infinity and Beyond!!
• Mark Your Calendars... Weekend opportunities to burn off the turkey and pumpkin pie plus our 1st ever Gator Member Meeting on Wednesday, 12/17!!!  And if that's not enough... A fun Friday, December 5th, evening (6:30pm) 2 mile race before the West Chester Holiday Parade that is run by our sponsor, Chester County Running Store!!

Happy Birthday! Best wishes to Suzanne Angelaccio who celebrates a birthday this Sunday, November 30!

Accomplishments: Philadelphia fever... A bunch of us participated in the Philadelphia Marathon and Half Marathon this past weekend and I'm happy to report that "the Fork was with us" (thanks to Byron and Michelle) and all 9 participants successfully completed their mission!

• Full Marathon:
  *  Tiff "Pitbull" Pfluger, despite having completed the Chicago Marathon just 6 weeks ago and suffering an "on the job injury" during race week (a pit bull mistook her leg for a Pupperoni... one of the unfortunate hazards of being a veterinarian), comfortably qualified for the Boston Marathon by over 3 minutes, setting a PR in the process... Tiff also finished in the top 12% of her age group, the top 9% of all female finishers, and the top 20% of all finishers... Boston 2016, here she comes!... Awesome, Tiff!
  *  Tim Pfluger, who also qualified for Boston 2016 in the Chicago Marathon, was the ultimate pacer in assisting Tiff in accomplishing her goal (and, by the way, finishing another marathon as well)... Way to go, Tim!
  *  Eric Afre completed the race and was able to set a PR in the process. Eric finished in the top 35% of his age group, top 29% of all male finishers, and top 21% overall!... Fantastic, Eric!
  *  Don Mack was also able to qualify for Boston and set a PR in his 10th marathon.  Don finished in the top 5% of his age group, top 7% of all male finishers, and the top 5% of all finishers.... Good job, Don!  Thanks, Don!
• Half Marathon: In addition to the accomplishments below, I believe that Kelly and Ken also had the fastest transition from their car to the starting line...
  *  Kelly Beauchamp set a PR and also finished in the top 1/3 overall as well as the top 25% of all females and her age group... Way to run, Kelly!
  *  Ken Beauchamp set a PR and also finished in the top 5% of his age group, top 7% of all male finishers, and top 4% overall... Excellent, Ken!
  *  Kerri Brannen had a great race finishing in the top 11% of her age group, top 10% of all female finishers, and top 16% overall... Congrats, Kerri!
  *  Don Schlichtmann and his son, Jake Schlichtmann, had an awesome time running around the streets of Philadelphia and crossed the finish line together.  Both had great performances with Don coming in 20th overall in his age group and Jake coming in 11th in his age group.  Both were also in the top 10% of all male finishers and the top 5% overall... Great teamwork, Don and Jake!
  *  Heather Williams, who had previously run a marathon, had a great event completing her first half marathon!  It's great to have one of our Y's leaders on our team and out there running with us!... Way to go, Heather!

Who's Next?: Good question!  Anyone racing on Thanksgiving or sometime this weekend?

Recommended Reading and Nutrition: For the Philadelphia Marathon I used two new tools that I wanted to share with you since I had a really positive event...

• Book: "Run Less, Run Faster": Since transitioning from distance running to triathlon and distance running, I've struggled with how to fit my 4-5 weekly runs into a schedule that also needed to include swimming, biking, family, work, etc.  While attending a race expo, I came across a book entitled "Run Less, Run Faster" that caught my attention as I am interested in doing both of those things.  The plan in the book basically includes three weekly runs (a "tempo run", a "track repeat run", and a long run) with the key being less workouts and distance (typical range is 30-35 miles/week with a max week just under 40 miles) but all three runs are high quality (i.e. difficult).  I've been able to much more easily fit the workouts into my schedule than I was able to do previously.  The book includes information that can pertain to any race distance or speed and has a section specifically for triathletes.  If anyone would like to borrow it, just let me know.
• Nutrition: Infinit: The other area I've struggled with in longer races is my nutrition.  I've always been a GU Roctane gel and water (with the occasional Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard packet mixed in) user, but I didn't think they were going to get me through an IRONMAN distance event.  So I heard about Infinit from a couple of club members and decided to try it out when I saw they had a booth at last year's Endurance Sports Expo.  Basically it's a powder mix that you add to water.  The formula is customized according to your responses to a series of online questions.  The output of the responses is shown and then you can further tweak things such as calories, electrolytes, sodium, protein, caffeine, and even flavor strength to produce a formula that will best meet your needs.  I first used it (bike formula) for the bike leg of IRONMAN Eagleman 70.3 in June and then for the 112 mile bike leg of Challenge AC race later that month.  In both cases it was my only source of nutrition and it worked flawlessly.  So I decided to try the run formula (similar to the bike formula with no protein) for the Philly marathon.  The difficulty with a marathon is that to use something like Infinit, you have to carry it all with you, which means heavily concentrating it... i.e. fitting what I was using in a 20 oz bottle on the bike into a 6 oz container on the run.  Somehow it worked and I was able to complete the marathon with nothing but my four small Infinit bottles and lots of aid station water.  If anyone is interested in trying it, I'm pretty sure they will again be at the 2015 Endurance Sports Expo (Oaks convention center, February).

Mark Your Calendars:

Weekly Workouts: Remaining workouts for this week include...

 *   Wednesday, 11/26, 8:30pm-9:30pm: Tri Swim class is CANCELED due to the weather.
 *   Thursday, 11/27: Tri Club is CANCELED due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
 *   Friday, 11/28, 9:00am-10:30am: Bike trainers on the Y indoor pool deck with Don M
    *   While everyone else is dealing with the crowds and traffic of Black Friday, you can burn off some calories during Bike Friday!
 *   Saturday, 11/29, approx. 7:15am-9:30am: Tri Club with Don M
    *   7:15am-7:45am: Swim
    *   7:45am-9:00am: Bike trainers on the Y indoor pool deck
    *   9:05am-9:25am: Run
    *   9:25am-9:30am: Stretch

Upcoming Events:

 *   Wednesday, December 3: Coaches Planning Meeting... We'll be putting together the plans for January-March.  If you have any input, please reply to Danny and Don.
 *   Thursday, December 4: Bike Lactate Threshold Heart Rate Test... Will be conducted during our Tri Club session that evening.
 *   Friday, December 5: Jingle Elf Run... Our sponsor Chester County Running Store is also the sponsor for this fun event, a 2 mile race, that precedes the West Chester Old Fashioned Christmas Parade (which also happens to feature this year the multiple champion Spring-Ford High School Golden Rams marching band with Josh Mack on baritone).  This is a fun race that includes two loops of the heavily crowded parade route and a "Jingle Elf Hat" for all registered participants.  There are also two kids runs, a one mile walk, and lots of places on the race/parade route to celebrate afterwards.  Anyone interested?  http://runccrs.com/results/race-calendar/?event_id=1397
 *   Wednesday, December 17, 7pm-8:30pm: Member's Meeting... Stay tuned for more info!
 *   Thursday, January 1: 2nd Annual RefrigaGator OWS... More coming later on this for any brave/nutty souls that are interested!

Happy Thanksgiving (and happy shoveling)!  Go Gators!

Don M

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