Hello Gators, Following January we’re looking at a strong 50+ member club (and still growing daily) for 2015! It should be an exciting year with many, many fun days of training, competing, and socializing! The first pass of our “Who’s In?” 2015 event participation calendar will be posted on Facebook this weekend. There is still a lot of input needed to complete it, so if you have not yet provided info on your planned events, you can send it in anytime and we’ll get you added to the calendar. You can also provide updates throughout the year. We will also be putting together relay teams for…Ironman Syracuse (half Ironman distance; June 21)Challenge Pocono Mountains (Olympic and half Ironman distances; August 16)Survival of the Mills (7 stage triathlon… 2 person teams; October 11) … so stay tuned for more info on that… We are still very much open to additional participants, so if you have not already done so, please let us know if you are interested in joining in on the fun! This week's news topics include...Who’s Next?... The keys to running!!!About a Gator... Jumping into triathlon with both feet!!Lactate Threshold Heart Rate Running Test… The ABCs about how to find your running LTHR!!!Recommended… Which are you… A Gazelle or a Glider?!?!Mark Your Calendars… Open House, Endurance Sports Expo, Yoga Workshop, Indoor Triathlon, and more!!! Welcome!: We have several additional new club members. Welcome to all! We look forward to meeting you guys at an upcoming event or workout!Marcus BloodworthHeather Williams Jay Sherman (past Tri Swim Class participation) Who’s Next? Well, Chris Reiter got our long distance events off to a start in the pool with his 1,000m swim a few weeks ago. This week Vince Bellino and Trevor Bellino along with Lucy (and lots of other Bellino family and friends) participate in our year’s first running event and it’s a big one… Ragnar Relay Florida Keys… and it starts this morning! This is a 200 mile team relay event that begins in Miami and ends in Key West. Vince is running 20+ miles in his 3 legs and Trevor will be running a long distance as well… Have a great race, guys (and get some sleep on Saturday afternoon)! About A Gator: We’re sticking with the Doctor theme this week as we learn about one of our fantastic runners who is also preparing for both her first triathlon (spring), her first Ironman, and her first Boston Marathon… This and more about Tiff Pfluger in this edition of “About a Gator”! Lactate Threshold Heart Rate Test: Our coaching staff recommends that all Gators conduct both a bike and a run Lactate Threshold Heart Rate (LTHR). Why and how? The reason for this is that your LTHR is used to set your heart rate zones, which can be used in your training and are the basis for many of our club workouts. There are multiple methods to complete these tests, but here is one simple method that can be used for cycling and running…Warm up for 10-15 minutesAt the end of the warmup, begin a 30 minute effort at the maximum effort that you can maintain for the entire 30 minutes (i.e. you want to be going as hard at the end as at the beginning, so don’t go out too hard).10 minutes into the 30 minute effort, start tracking your average HR and continue to track it until the 30 minutes is completed… The best way to do this is with a watch that calculates average HR. Your average HR for that 20 minute period (i.e. between 10 minutes and 30 minutes) is your LTHR.Send your LTHR to Danny and/or Don and your zones will be calculated for you and entered into your Training Peaks account where you can view them and begin to use them in your workouts.This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but typically you will find that your bike HR zones are in the neighborhood of 10-15 beats lower for the bike than for the run. I’m planning to complete my run test tonight at the Y on the treadmills at around 8pm… Feel free to join me if you are up for some high intensity Friday night running! Recommended: This week’s recommendations include a couple of videos and a website with oodles of triathlon information…Ironman Running Styles – Gazelle vs. Glider (24 min): This is a video comparison of the two major running techniques used in Ironman racing (and most distance running for that matter). Which are you... a gazelle or a glider?... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJWPwVF30yoBeginner Triathlete website: Since we have a lot of new members, you might be seeking information about the sport… In addition to our outstanding Gators coaching staff and knowledgeable members, this is a website that contains great information for you to learn even more… http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/1989 Ironman World Championships (1 hr, 26 min): This event is now known as “Iron War”… It features two of the greatest Ironman athletes of all time, Dave Scott and Mark Allen, both 6 time championships of the Ironman World Championship (Kona, Hawaii), going head to head for the entire 140.6 miles. If you were not at this Thursday’s Tri Club bike workout (where we watched it), you might want to check out this classic race (on ABC’s Wide World of Sports, commercials included)… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSrY2e6DrqA Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming Events:Monday, February 16 (5pm-8pm) and Saturday, February 21 (9am-Noon): YMCA Open House… We will use this opportunity to promote the club and show off our new tent and club banners… If you are not signed up to volunteer, we still encourage you to stop by and say hello!Weekend of February 21-22: Endurance Sports Expo (Oaks, PA)… http://www.endurancesportsexpo.com/ (discount codes: try ese1off, ese2off, and ese3off for a discount on online ticket orders.Sunday, February 22, 10am-Noon: Yoga Workshop with Maribeth (YMCA Studio Room)… This is your chance to get in a yoga workout as well as learn about some techniques you can use at home!Coming in April: Indoor Triathlon… We are starting to plan for this event… Details coming soon! Weekly Workouts: Remaining workouts for this week include...Friday, 2/6 and Sunday, 2/8: We do not have planned group/coached workouts on these dates, but just a reminder that run workouts are now being posted on Training Peaks in the Friday (shorter run with intensity) and Sunday (longer run with a small amount of intensity) slotsSaturday, 2/7, 7:15am-9:45am: Tri Club with Don M7:15am-9:15am: Bike Trainers on the pool deck… Note that the full workout is set for longer distance athletes (i.e. half or full Ironman distance). Athletes training for shorter distance events (sprint or Olympic) should consider only participating for a portion of the ride (recommendation is to start at the beginning and cut out 1 or 2 of the planned 17 minute zone 3 sections.9:15am-9:45am (or immediately after the completion of your bike ride): Brick Run (30 minutes; 15 minutes for shorter distance athletes) and Stretch (5-10 minutes) Go Gators! Don M