Hello Gators, Over the final three months of 2014 we will pass through many holidays and events and, at the same time, many of us will greatly reduce our training due to a combination of schedule conflicts and simply allowing our bodies to recover from the long year and prepare for 2016. One of the biggest challenges we face during this time is avoiding the large weight spike that can occur due to this combination. To help with that included in this week’s Gator News are some tips from, club member and Registered Dietitian, Heather Irwin. Also member contributions to Gator News are very welcome and highly encouraged! If you have any ideas or contributions for a future edition, please contact Don Mack. This week’s Gator Fitness Challenges:jSBR Challenge: At least 20 minutes each swimming, biking, and running with a combined minimum total of at least 1 hr, 30 min.Plank Challenge: 40 seconds And don’t forget to keep track of your overall totals as you get bonus points each time you complete 10,000 yards of swimming or 5 hours of cycling or 50 miles of running! This week's news topics include...Accomplishments… Running in Chicago, Philly, and Royersford!!Who’s Next?… A Crabby Ironman, the Sweetest Place on Earth, and Runners World is Gators World!!No Cane, No Gain… So what can you do (besides avoiding candy canes) to keep your weight in check during this time of year?!?Mark Your Calendars… Upcoming club events include the Philadelphia Festival of Food, Wine, & Spirits, Off Season Training Seminar, the Philadelphia Marathon/Half Marathon, our End of Year Club Party, and Annual Members Meeting!! Happy Birthday!: Best wishes to the following Gators/Fosters celebrating birthdays this week!Monday, October 12: Tree FosterSunday, October 18: Adrienne Foster Accomplishments: Lots of running and successful finishes!…Saturday, October 10:Bobtoberfest 4 Mile Run (Philadelphia, PA): Tree Foster successfully completed this Oktoberfest themed event held along Boathouse Row. Great job, Tree!!Sunday, October 11:Chicago Marathon (Chicago, IL): Adrienne Foster followed up her July Ironman Lake Placid finish with this event joining over 46,000. Adrienne had a great day finishing in the top 25% of both her age group and all female participants as well as in the top 30% overall. Awesome accomplishment, Adrienne!!Spring Valley YMCA Game Day 5K (Royersford, PA): Our “home” race featured a kids race followed by a 5K on the Spring-Ford Area High School cross country course. It was a great day for the Gators with awesome weather, many kids participating, a bunch of Gators volunteering, and all six Gators that ran achieved podium finishes…Kids Race finishers included Alessandro Afre, Emily Afre, Aiden Brannen (assisted by Jason), Keira Brannen, and Lucas Peterson (Michelle and Byron’s nephew)… Great race by all!!5K Race: Congrats to everyone for running fantastic races!Eric Afre finished 2nd in his age group… PODIUM!!... and #7 overall.Kerri Brannen finished 1st in her age group… PODIUM!!... and #17 overall.Bill Cooney finished 1st in his age group… PODIUM!!... and #15 overall.Rob Fletcher finished 3rd overall… PODIUM!!... and 1st in his age group. Also from Rob’s family…Sophia Fletcher won the 12 & under age group by over 13 minutes!... PODIUM!!... and also as the #11 overall female and finished in the top 40% overall… Wow!!Anne Fletcher paced Sophia and just missed the podium finishing #4 in her age group, #12 female, and in the to 40% overall.Don Mack finished 2nd overall… PODIUM!!... and 1st in his age group.Heather Williams finished 1st in her age group… PODIUM!!... and in the top 35% overall.Volunteers and Cheerleaders: Thanks to the following Gators for volunteering and/or cheering on the runners!... Irene Afre, Steph Bieloski, Marcus Bloodworth, Joe Boris, Jason Brannen, Michelle Leonard, and Byron Solvason! Who’s Next?: Best wishes for safe and successful events for the four Gators that are in action this weekend in Maryland and Pennsylvania where 3 is the magic number…Saturday, October 17:Ironman Maryland (Cambridge, MD): Brent Voynar takes on his first Ironman event and what may be the final Gator triathlon participant for 2015. This event was originally scheduled for October 3, but was postponed due to the weather, so Brent has had to endure even more than the usual amount of suffering in preparing for this monumental event.Runner’s World “Hat Trick” 5K and 10K (Bethlehem, PA): Interested in doing a race this weekend? Maybe a 5K? Or how about a 10K? Or a half marathon? Okay, how about all three?!? A trirunthalon! That’s the challenge that Tiff Pfluger and Tim Pfluger have taken on for the weekend with the 5K and 10K events taking place on Saturday morning and the Half Marathon taking place on Sunday morning.Sunday, October 18:Hershey Half Marathon (Hershey, PA): Heather Tracey will be running in the Sweetest Place on Earth.Runner’s World Half Marathon (Bethlehem, PA): Gregg Heimer will join Tiff and Tim as they complete their hat trick. No Cane, No Gain: Some tips from Heather Irwin, MS, RD, LDN… You have been training hard all year long. Now that it’s off season and holiday season, here are some tips to help you avoid weight gain: Set your goal. Some may want to maintain their current weight. Other athletes may allow for 3, 5, or even 8 pounds of weight gain without worry. Whatever your goal is, write it down and check your weight once a week to ensure that you stick to it. You may even consider keeping a food log to track your caloric intake. There are several apps that can help you do this… “My Fitness Pal” and “Lose It” are two popular ones. Beware of liquid calories. Resist the urge to drink high calorie cocktails. Alcohol offers no nutrients, just empty calories. Eggnog drinks with whipped cream, hot toddies, and spiced rum can have as many calories as a personal pan pizza! Opt instead for sparkling water with a splash of fruit juice of your choice, or stick to a small glass of wine. Eat small healthy meals before party time. It is harder to maintain self-control when you are hungry. Try to eat seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day to help fill up your stomach but not your calorie level. When compared to other snack foods like chips, crackers, and cookies, gram for gram, fruits and vegetables contain fewer calories and tons more nutrients. Also, the fiber in fruits and vegetables fill you up faster and keep you full unlike traditional snack foods. Don’t stand by the food at the party. You will be less likely to unconsciously snack all night if you mingle and socialize. If you are hungry at a party, reach for the vegetables, fruit, or rye crackers. Fill your plate half full of vegetables, salad, or fruit to allow for less room for the higher calorie foods.Eat protein. Quality proteins include lean meats, eggs, seafood, yogurt, chicken, and turkey. Protein foods help you feel full and control your appetite.Pick your battles. Try to make conscious food choices at each gathering. Decide in advance what you are going to eat. For example, only 2 cookies, or 3 hors d’oeuvres – enough to enjoy, but not over eat!Enjoy this time of year and if you have a bad day and make some bad choices, remain positive and get back on track the next day. Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming events include…Friday, October 16, 6pm-10pm: Gator Night at the Philadelphia Festival of Food, Wine, and Spirits (Valley Forge Casino). If you did not pre-purchase a ticket, but your schedule is open for this evening, tickets are available at the event.Thursday, November 5, 7:30pm, Spring Valley YMCA: Off Season Training Seminar. This seminar will be conducted by our three USAT coaches and will cover recovery, strength training, and technique training during the latter part of the year.Saturday, November 7, “The Barn” in Royersford: End of Year Club Party. More details will be coming soon, but if you can attend, please accept Mellissa’s Facebook invite!Sunday, November 22: CLUB EVENT – Philadelphia Marathon and Half MarathonThursday, December 17, time and specific location TBD: Annual Member Meeting. The meeting will likely take place at the YMCA and may be followed by an informal gathering at a local establishment afterwards. Go Gators! Don M