Minutes from the September meeting.

Tri Club Meeting 9/15/2013

Attendees:  Peggy, John, Jim, Kathy, Lou, Denise, Ryan, Randy, Krissy, Jason, Colleen, Dan, Em, Deborah, Keith, Robert, Michelle,

Items Discussed:

1.     End of year party to be held at The Library @ $20 per person.  All members and your guests welcome.  Adults only please. 

2.     Teaching bike safety to new drivers at high schools.  Patti from Action Wheels in Deptford apparently has done this is several schools in her area. 

3.     Hangover Run – New committee formed of Dan, Colleen, Jim, Lou and Peggy.  We will charge $5 for the run with half to go to Frank from SJ Timing and half to go to Badger fund.  Possibly advertise with signs on the bike path and it should be linked up on SJ Timing website. 

4.     Talked about setting up a kids duathlon/triathlon next year in Williamstown.  Committee formed for this task are Denise, Deborah, and Michelle.  Tasks to consider for this project would be location, advertising (how to get kids involved), and contacting someone who has done this before.

5.     Membership for the Badgers runs from Jan 1 – Dec 31^st.  We will keep the dues at $20 for next year.

6.     Sometime over the winter we will have a family fun night out at the Turnersville Bowling center.

7.     Still need to complete the plaques for our sponsors.

8.     Sponsorship for next year will be $100 or $200.

9.     We will not change the design of our shirts or tri suits for next year but if the sponsors change, Vomax will probably charge a nominal fee.  Re-orders of tri-suits, jerseys, or shirts will take place again next year.

10. If anyone has photographs of Badgers from any events or training this year can you upload to the Badger facebook page or send in an email to Williamstowntriclub@gmail.com

11. The brochures need to be finished for printing.

12. Next months meeting is Oct 5th, 4pm at Randy and Colleen’s house.

Action Items:

1.     Lou to check on dates for end of year party at The Library (11/1 or 10/25)

2.     Randy to contact Patti at Action Wheels and see what we need to do to bring her into Williamstown School district to speak to students there.

3.     Dan and his committee will follow up with items for the Hangover Run

4.     Jerry to get the plaques for our sponsors.

8 Reasons Why the Badger is the Perfect Mascot for our Tri Club

Many people ask 'Why did you pick a badger for your club mascot?'. The real answer is it was a joke between Peggy and I a couple of years ago. However, after a little research it is really quite fitting.

Here are a few things that I learned in my research of Badgers that pertains to our club athletes.  

1. 'The badger can run at 16-19mph for short periods of time.' In other words, they can run fast but they choose not to. 
2.  'Badgers have rather short, wide bodies, with short legs for digging'. Um, that describes me and half our club..... 
3. 'When a badger is attacked, it also uses vocalizations. It hisses, growls, squeals and snarls. It also releases an unpleasant musk that may drive a predator away.' If a competitor swims over you be sure to scream and fart at the same time to drive them away. 
4. 'Badgers tend to be aggressive and often get into fights with much larger animals.' I can see this being a problem for a few members. 
5. 'Badgers can swim, but will usually avoid doing so unless it's absolutely necessary.' The 'absolutely necessary' usually occurs two seconds before the swim start. 
6. 'Badgers do not hibernate but do become less active in the winter, particularly during very cold periods when they may stay in their burrows for days on end.' Oh, that's why we don't see anyone from December to March. 
7. 'Despite their relatively slow speed above ground, they can cover great distances when they want to.' Sounds about right. Anyone up for a LSD? 
8. 'Badgers bury their droppings'. Not sure about this one. 

Sources:
http://www.ontariobadgers.org/biology.html
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/americanbadger.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badger

Hippy Runners

So lately my knee and hip (opposite sides) have been bothering me while running and after. The obvious solution would be to stop running but I would really like to make it to Broad Street this year as I gave up on it last year for a similar problem. Overtraining could be the reason for these problems but I have been very carefully increasing my mileage and taking breaks. I started thinking about IT band problems and came across many articles/studies suggesting that injury prone runners may have weak hip abductor muscles. Flashback to my teens and twenties when I couldn't even do a good stretch without getting a charlie horse in my one hip and it sounded like a probability. So if you have any chronic lower extremity injuries this might be helpful. Here is a link to an article about a study performed to determine exercises that can be done to strengthen those muscles without aggravating the tensor fascia lata which runs along the IT band. If you want to cut to the chase, the last page has the exercises. I am going to give it a shot and see if I can't make that Broad Street finish line with less pain. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9Kg8FW_W0ppdDZaX2lGNmtNNjA/edit?usp=sharing

Two more good recipes

Fred forwarded me his famous Veggie Lasagna so I could post it.  Haven't tried it yet but it looks awesome!
Also, I tried a recipe today for Bean & Bacon soup that I came across on a blog called Table for Two
It was awesome.  Of course, anything with bacon in it can't be half bad.  Don't be fooled by the simple ingredients, it has a ton of flavor.  I used canned beans instead of the dried because that was what I had on hand.  I copied and pasted it below.  Both of these recipes work well for someone watching their carbs and if you are not, just add bread and a beer on the side!

Veggie Tofu Lasagna

Ingredients:

§  Extra virgin olive oil spray

§  1 medium uncooked eggplant, trimmed, 1/4-in thick slices

§  1 large uncooked zucchini, 1/4-in thick slices

§  1 large uncooked squash, 1/4-in thick slices

§  5-6 thin slices of onion

§  1 cup sliced mushrooms

§  2-3 cloves finely chopped garlic cloves

§  1/8 lb Angel Hair pasta, broken into 1” lengths

§  1 pound shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

§  3/4 pound part-skim ricotta cheese

§  2 16oz cans Hunts Fire Roasted Tomatoes

§  1 lb pack FIRM Tofu

§  Sea Salt, to taste

§  Cracked Black Pepper to taste

§  Oregano to taste

§  Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

§  1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions:

§  Pre-heat oven to 425°F

§  To assemble lasagna, coat bottom and sides of a 13x9x3 baking dish with olive oil spray

§  Layer half of eggplant, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, 4-5 onion slices, garlic to taste

§  Season to taste with salt, pepper, oregano (salt will pull the moisture out of the eggplant)

§  Sprinkle half of the basil across veggies

§  Add all of the pasta

§  Crumble half of the tofu across veggies

§  Place 6-8 tsps of Ricotta cheese across veggies

§  Cover with Fire Roasted Tomatoes

§  Sprinkle half of the Mozzarella across veggies

§  Repeat a second layer

§  Cover with foil, place on a flat cookie sheet and bake until the bottom starts to bubble, about 40-45 minutes. Remove foil and let bake for another 15 minutes, and then broil for 2 minutes.

§  Remove lasagna from oven and allow to rest for about 5-10 minutes.

Modifications include

• using whole milk instead of part skim ricotta and mozzarella cheese
• adding another protein, cooked chicken (breast or thighs), or ground turkey
• Fire roasted tomatoes can be substituted with pasta sauce
• I like to use the Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic and Oregano included
• If you’re not into Tofu you could leave it out but I encourage you to give it a try
• You could try no cook lasagna noodles, I’ve never tried it.
• Add a salad, some whole grain bread (Rosemary, Olive Loaf), and a nice red wine and enjoy

Creamy White Bean and Bacon Soup

Yield: 4-6 servings | Prep Time: 10 minutes plus overnight soaking of the beans | Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups of dried cannellini beans

5 strips of bacon, cut into tiny pieces

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 tbsp. (or more) of fresh rosemary, chopped

4 cups chicken stock

1 tbsp. tomato paste

Instructions:

1. Soak your beans overnight covered in water. Drain the next day and set aside.
2. In a large stockpot, add the bacon to the pan and cook until bacon pieces are brown and crispy. Remove and let drain on a paper towel.
3. If there's a lot of bacon grease in the pan, dump out all but 3 tbsp. of it.
4. Saute onion, garlic, and carrots in the bacon grease until vegetables start to get tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rosemary and cook for an addition 1 minute.
5. Gently pour in the chicken stock and add the drained beans. Whisk the tomato paste in until all has dispersed and incorporated into the soup.
6. Bring mixture up to a boil then cover and let simmer gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. When the soup is ready, carefully use your immersion blender and gently pulse the bean mixture until a desired creamy texture is achieved. You see whole beans in my picture - that's because I gently pulsed and left some beans whole because I wanted texture in my soup. You're more than welcome to blend the entire mixture to be more of a puree consistency. If you're worried about blending too much, you can always ladle out a few scoopfuls of beans, blend the soup, then add the beans back in. Really, it's all up to preference! :)
8. Serve hot with bacon pieces on top.
9. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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This delicious recipe brought to you by Table for Two
http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/2013/01/23/creamy-white-bean-and-bacon-soup/

Swim Workouts

These are the swim workouts for Saturdays session at St Matthews.  I will bring a copy for each lane on Saturday.

More Swimming Gear

I know we have talked about good swim fins on the Facebook page and some people have asked about swim paddles.  Swim paddles increase your pull through the water and strengthen your upper body, much like fins do for your lower body.
I came across these swim paddle reviews on Swim Outlet by swimming professional Mark Gangloff.  I think I will read it and get a pair.

Swim Paddle Review by a Pro

Not-So-Boring Treadmill Workouts

Got this email in my inbox this morning.  Normally I don't read articles that are just silly (how could the treadmill not be boring?!).  However, being relegated to the gym today, I did try the first workout at lunch today.  Surprise, surprise I did 4.5 miles and didn't spend the whole time wishing I was done.  It worked nicely because it wasn't based on time or distance but rather how many intervals could I go until I was shot.  Plus I spent so much time moving the speed up and down I didn't have time to realize how far I had gone.
Not sure how the other workouts will be.  If anyone else tries them, let me know!

4 Boredom Busting Treadmill Workouts

Another good swim article

Love this swim article.  Very succinct answers to popular swimming technique questions.  Check out the rest of the site too.  Very helpful!

10 Contentious Issues in Swimming

A message from our Mascot

Honey Badger says, Merry Christmas!

Swim like a Fish

I personally hate swim drills but I found this article very informative.  Great suggestions for advanced and beginners.  Now I understand better why skills in the pool do not translate so well to open water.  The video at the end is worth a watch too.  Instruction on how your stroke should look.

Swim Drills for Triathletes

Overtraining?

This was an interesting article that my brother forwarded me. I don't think all you marathoners and Ironmen/women are going to agree with it but it is worth a read.
For myself, I am not in any danger of violating the running 'rules' suggested in this article.   Click on the link below.

 Running fast is bad for you?

Honey Badger don't Care!

Came across this video today.....interesting viewing of our newly adopted mascot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg

Holiday Gifts for the Athlete in all of us

Just a few items that you may want to buy for the athlete in your life or add to your own wish list for the gift giving season.  I will say that I have not tried any of these personally but I know I wouldn't mind finding them in my stocking.  Yes, this list is skewed a little toward women.  Hey, I write what I know.

For the stat loving athlete on your list:
Nike FuelBand ($149): Tracks your every movement and calculates calories burned, steps taken and more.  The band also has a watch feature and you can sync it to your smartphone with the NikeConnect software.  Its a lot nicer looking than your average Garmin too.

 

Kinetic Bike Trainer ($349):  A great, easy option in the winter for keeping up with your bike mileage.  This model has a feature that when you change speeds, the resistance adjusts automatically from 5 to 3,000 watts

 

Road Machine Fluid Bike Trainer

 Under Armour ColdGear Leggings ($49):  Frankly, anything ColdGear from Under Armour is a great gift for a winter runner, male or female.  

For the not-so-flexible athlete (which would be most tri-athletes/runners/cyclists, we don't do enough flexibility work!):
Zenzation Premium Yoga Mat $30), Restore 12 inch foam roller($24), Yoga for Athletes DVD ($10.99)

Alex and Ani charm bracelet ($28):  I have personally asked for this but there are plenty of pretty, inspiring options.

And if you just happen to have 16 grand to blow, buy your athlete a bike that will make them droool:

Colnago C-59 Disc bike

For all you water lovers out there that want to make the time fly by in the pool (I do have the older version of this and I love it):
Nu Technology Waterproof Mp3 Player ($81)

Anyone else have any good gift ideas?  Comment please!  I am always looking for new things.

Oh Lance......

Love him or hate him, for some reason this photo from Armstrong's twitter post made me smile.  You got to admire the guy's audacity.  Plus, I want to hang out in Lance's basement...

Lance Armstrong laying around....(Twitter)

Paleo? Gluten free?

If you have spent any time at all reading any nutritional articles I am sure you have come across athletes trying Paleo or Gluten Free diets.  The idea behind both of them is better nutrition by ingesting more whole foods and less preservatives or hard to digest grains.  If you can digest your nutrients better then your body is fueled more efficiently.
Paleo diet eliminates dairy(except for butter), soy, corn, grains, potatoes (sweet potatoes are allowed), any artificial preservatives, and sugar.  Some versions of the diet allow dairy.  It is a tough one to follow religiously if you actually want to eat out once a week.
Gluten free refers to elimination of any grain that includes gluten.  Wheat, barley, malt, spelt and Bulgar are the most common culprits.

My husband has participated recently in an eight week challenge that follows the Paleo diet while encouraging other healthy habits.  He has had a hard time following the Paleo diet to a T mostly because it is impossible to eat out without questioning every single thing that is on your plate.  Forget taking your kids out for ice cream.  What on earth can you order?

I myself am mostly Gluten Free (beer is a tough one) but that is more for stomach issues than any desire to improve my running times.  I have not noticed any huge jump in my athleticism but I can say that it makes you think more about what you eat and how it affects you.  Any diet that encourages you to eat more whole foods (I am stuck with mostly salads instead of hoagies) can't be entirely bad.  Hummus, fruit, and yogurt are my new best friends.  Pasta, bread, and crackers can all be replaced but I try not to rely on all substitutes.  Thank god chocolate is mostly gluten free.

I have posted two of my favorite Paleo/Gluten Free recipes.  For me, they require the least amount of effort with the most flavor:

Greek Lentil Soup:

1 Tbsp EVOO
1 small onion, chopped
2 Celery, chopped
2 Carrot, chopped
32 oz box of Chicken stock or broth (preferably organic)
1 cup of diced tomatoes drained (I leave this out as my kids are not fans of tomatoes in their soup)
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup lentils
1/2 cup cooked, chopped chicken (you can omit this for a vegetarian option)
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Add salt and pepper to suit your own preferences.  

Cook celery, onion, garlic, and carrots in EVOO.  Add stock, 1/2 cup water, and other ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, simmer for 40 minutes.  Remove bay leaf, serve.

Frozen Pumpkin Dessert

4 Frozen bananas
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk (soy, almond, regular, whatever)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground clove
pinch brown sugar

Break up bananas, throw everything into a heavy duty blender and pulse away.  Serve and eat immediately.

Enjoy!

Welcome!

Our first post on our new blog page!  I created this blog with the intention of posting anything that may interest our members.  Workout schedules, nutritional recipes, the latest tri equipment for example. Also, here is a link to the minutes of our first meeting.

Do you have knowledge\advice to contribute that would benefit our members?  Please forward any information to williamstowntriclub@gmail.com or post on our Facebook page.