Hello Gators, By now most of you are probably aware that the “Triathlete Training” podcast interview with Tiff Pfluger<http://triathletetraining.com/tt066-from-runner-to-ironman-lake-placid-in-12-months/> that was announced at last week’s annual members’ meeting has been released and it is FANTASTIC! Make sure to take a listen to Tiff as she very eloquently recounts her journey from non-triathlete to Ironman in one year. Besides being really cool that a Gator is appearing on a podcast, it’s also a very good overview of what it takes to prepare for a first Iron distance event. Since we’re talking podcasts, I’ve included a list of my “Top 10” endurance sports-related podcasts. I have a 45-90 minute commute to and from work each day, so I listen to a lot of podcasts and I find many of them to be very informative and educational (as well as entertaining). This week's news topics include... · Accomplishments… What did you do this year?!?! · Who’s Next?... I Can’t Drive 55 and as Dory would say!!! · Stay Uniformed… Another opportunity to order your 2016 uniform is coming up!!! · Once a Gator… It’s almost membership renewal time! · PODtastic!... Editor’s Top 10 endurance sports podcast series!!! · Gator Fitness Challenge III and IV… Final two weeks and time to start over!!! · Mark Your Calendars… Holiday workouts, RefrigaGator Swim III coming up on New Year’s Day, and an early January seminar to look forward to!!! Farewell (for Now): Best wishes to Mike Aliprantis and his wife and daughter who relocate to Austin, TX this weekend. Mike has been a regular participant for years in our evening Tri Swim classes and Mike is also a regular at the TriRock Philadelphia triathlon. So long for now, Mike, and we look forward to staying in touch and hopefully seeing you back for the June TriRock Philadelphia triathlon next year! Happy Birthday! Best wishes to the following Gators who are celebrating birthdays this week! · Monday, December 21: Nabil Radouane · Wednesday, December 23: Ken Beauchamp Accomplishments: Rather than a look at last weekend (no Gators raced) we’re taking a look at the past 12 months. What was your top endurance sports-related accomplishment in 2015? Watch for a Facebook post coming during the holidays asking for you to post a reply with your answer to that question (and we’ll also want to know what your top goal is for 2016). Who’s Next?: The Bellinos kicked off our year in Florida in February and Ruth is bringing the year to a close in Texas. And then we’ll get 2016 off to a frosty (maybe not) start… · Snowdrop Ultra 55 Hour Race & Relay (Sugarland, TX): Ruth Subach will begin her journey towards a solo ultra running event by competing in this three day event (Wednesday, December 30 – Friday, January 1) as part of a relay team. · RefrigaGator Open Water Swim (Pottstown, PA): This will be our 3rd year participating in Pottstown’s annual New Year’s Day Polar Bear Swim. So far we have eight Gators signed up to participate and another three thinking about it. Who will be next to join? · 2016 “Who’s In?” Member/Club Event Calendar: Just a reminder to get your 2016 anticipated event schedule in (send to NFLSteeler8@msn.com<mailto:NFLSteeler8@msn.com>). Don’t worry… We won’t hold you to it if you change your mind later. Stay Uniformed: There will be opportunities in January to both try on uniform items as well as place your order. Stay tuned for more information coming soon! Once a Gator: Just a reminder that all club memberships expire on December 31 (and we’ll send out some additional reminders in future weeks). Starting in January you can renew your membership either online or at the YMCA. This does not happen automatically, so please renew your membership as soon as you can once January gets here. Membership rates are the same as 2015… $125/individual or $200/couple (same household; can be husband/wife, parent/kid, etc). We’re looking forward to having you back for another great year in 2016! PODtastic!: Following are your newsletter editor’s top 10 endurance sports related podcasts with links to each. Do you have some to add to the list or opinions on the list below? · Never miss an episode: o Triathlete Training:<http://triathletetraining.com/>This is the series that includes Tiff’s interview, BUT that is not the reason it’s on the list. It’s a great series because it includes both interviews with “famous endurance sports people” such as book authors (e.g. Joe Friel, Hunter Allen) and professional athletes, Olympians, and coaches (e.g. Brent McMahon, Matt Dixon, Pete Pfitzinger) AND interviews with age group triathletes about their training and racing experiences. New episode every few weeks. o Zen and the Art of Triathlon<http://www.zentriathlon.com/>: This was one of my first. It’s also one of the oldest triathlon related podcasts. It’s delivered by Brett Blankner, a early 40s triathlete and coach who is constantly using himself as an experiment with new equipment and training techniques. The podcasts are the longest out there… typically exceeding two hours (and sometimes three). Brett includes triathlon news, interviews, and “the training log” where he records audio during some of his actual bike and run training offering some fantastic tips along the way. Episodes released every 2-3 weeks. o TRS Radio<http://trstriathlon.com/radio/>: Ben Hobbs is definitely the Howard Stern of endurance sports podcasts, so you will likely either love him or hate him or maybe both. But he has one of the most downloaded endurance sports podcasts so he draws amazing guests. And the questions he asks (and answers he gets) are definitely not the typical that you may be used to. Be warned that some potentially offensive verbiage is used and opinions are given, but if you are okay with that, be sure to check it out. Episodes released weekly. o Marathon Training Academy<http://marathontrainingacademy.com/>: Run focused podcast that includes a couple that participates in many long distance events with the woman working on a 50 marathons in 50 states goal and also now branching out into ultra running. Podcast includes interviews and tips. Episodes released about every two weeks. · Listen to most episodes: o Endurance Planet<http://www.enduranceplanet.com/>: Includes a variety of series including “Ask the Coach”, “Project Badwater” (about ultra runner Michelle Barton as she prepares for the 2016 135 mile ultra race), and “Sports Nutrition”, plus plenty of standalone podcast interviews including many with Dr. Phil Maffetone who’s “MAF” (max aerobic function) heart-rate based philosophy some of us follow for our training. Typically there is at least one podcast released each week, sometimes more. o Endurance Nation<http://www.endurancenation.us/podcasts/>: Endurance Nation is an online coaching service (mostly Ironman athletes) and there is some promotional element in their podcasts that can be a bit of a turnoff, but they do put out some pretty good podcasts with coaching tips, and, my favorite, race reports from some of their athletes. I listened to quite a few reports from recent IM Lake Placid events as I was preparing for my race. Episodes are released in spurts… Sometimes none for many weeks and then a few will be released in a short timeframe. o IM Talk<http://www.imtalk.me/>: This podcast is delivered by two New Zealanders and has been around for a long time (episode 500 is coming up soon). It includes triathlon news and interviews. And also some tips along the way. Podcasts are released religiously every week. They also have a pretty good off shoot podcast series called “Legends of Triathlon”<http://www.legendsoftriathlon.com/>that includes interviews with athletes and others that have been involved in triathlon in the past. · Listen when I can fit it in: o The Effortless Swimming Podcast<http://effortlessswimming.com/>: Lots of good swim tips and interviews. Delivered by an Australian former swim champ. Includes good information for triathletes. Episodes released fairly infrequently… Averages about one per month. o Fitter Radio<http://www.fitter.co.nz/fitter-radio.htm>: This is another New Zealand-based podcast with a mix of interviews, tips, and nutrition info. Episodes are released weekly. · Just started listening, so far so good… o The DC Rainmaker Podcast<http://www.dcrainmaker.com/podcast>: This is a newer podcast that includes TRS Radio’s Ben Hobbs as the host and DC Rainmaker’s Ray Maker reviewing triathlon gear and products. You may be familiar with DC Rainmaker’s extensive website<http://www.dcrainmaker.com/>collection of product reviews (if not, definitely check it out before you make any purchases). Well this is taking the website and basically producing an audio version of it. Included are questions from listeners. And one I haven’t listened to yet, but will try soon… Real Coaching Podcast<http://joelfilliol.com/podcast/>, which is delivered by top pro triathlete coaches Joel Filliol and Paulo Sousa. And one last one that has nothing to do with endurance sports but one I listen to often when I’m working out and looking for a break from tri-related podcasts… Stuff You Should Know<http://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts/>… Great interaction between the two hosts and you learn “important stuff”. Be sure to check it out! Gator Fitness Challenge III and IV: GFC III is about to come to an end, which can only mean one thing… Time to sign up for GFC IV! · GFC III Update: GFC III ends on Sunday, January 3. o This week’s Gator Fitness Challenges: · SBR Challenge: At least 20 minutes each swimming, biking, and running with a combined minimum total of at least 1 hr, 30 min. · Plank Challenge: 4 minutes o 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! · GFC IV Preview: GFC IV begins on Monday, January 4 and will run until Sunday, April 3. It will include an SBR weekly challenge of 30 minutes of each with a minimum total of 2:00 per week. And the Plank Challenge may also return… Watch for a sign-up post coming soon to Facebook! Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming events include… · Holiday Club Workout Schedule: o Saturday, 12/26, 7:30am-8:45am, YMCA Room 2: Bike Trainer workout led by Don M o Monday, 12/28, 8:30pm-9:30pm: Tri Swim workout led by Brian o Tuesday, 12/29, 7:30pm-9pm: Spin/Strength/Core workout led by Michelle o Wednesday, 12/30, 8:30pm-9:30pm: Tri Swim workout led by Maribeth o Saturday, 1/2, 7:30am-9:30am, YMCA Room 2: Bike Trainer/Run brick workout led by Don M o NEW: Sunday, 1/3, 8am-9am, YMCA: Run workout led by Maribeth. Meet in the Y lobby at 8am for further instructions. · Friday, January 1, 10:30am: RefrigaGator Swim III. As we’ve done the past two years, those of us that have recovered from the previous night but are still somewhat foggy will participate in the Pottstown “Polar Bear Swim” (or you can just watch, participate in the Christmas Tree Toss, and/or try to determine if the annual world’s largest bonfire will lead to a forest fire this year). For more details (you have to page down quite a ways)… http://www.pottstown.org/index.aspx?NID=136<http://www.pottstown.org/index.aspx?NID=136> · Wednesday, January 6, 7pm-8:15pm, Spring Valley YMCA conference room: Building a Training Plans and Effective Use of Training Peaks seminar. Conducted by our Head Coach, Danny Friend. Merry Christmas and Go Gators! Don M