We Love Our Sponsors!

FITNESS FANATICS: 12425 E. Trent Ave. 922-6080

This month, all Tri Fusion members were once again

treated to a discounted shopping night at Robin DeRuwe’s

very own multisport store, Fitness Fanatics.

Even though Robin treated us with a similar

shopping opportunity recently in February, we were ready

to spend some more cash to buy much “needed” triathlon

gear ranging from new carbon wheel sets to speed suits.

Fitness Fanatics sells some of the area’s top of the line

triathlon shoes and clothing, bicycles and accessories,

running gear, swim suits, wet suits, and nutrition gels, drink

mixes and bars, as well as cross-country ski equipment,

skate skis, snow shoes and gear.

Owner, Robin DeRuwe is an experienced triathlete

herself, and she knows what an athlete needs to

successfully train and compete in multisports. Fitness

Fanatics also has a bike mechanic to help you with your bike

fit, maintenance and mechanical issues.

Members of Tri Fusion feel fortunate to have a

supportive relationship with Robin and her crew at Fitness

Fanatics. If you haven’t had the opportunity to utilize the

great knowledge and convenience of your local multisport

store, take advantage soon!

RUNNER’S SOUL: 221 N. Wall St. 624-7654

In downtown Spokane you can find one of the best

stocked running shoes and accessories stores, Runner’s

Soul. Home to hundreds of men’s and women’s running

shoes, owner Curt Kinghorn has been specializing in

runner’s needs for several years. If you’ve ever been to a

local running event, you should recognize Curt as

Spokane’s premier volunteer announcer!

Proudly, Runner’s Soul is one of Tri Fusion’s

sponsors, where Curt offers members a 10% discount on

running shoes. Not only do members receive a discount to

purchase shoes, but we also get the opportunity to take a

test spin in our prospective new shoes (while at the store),

followed up with expert shoe fit advice from experienced

runners like the owner himself. Still wanna try a few miles in

those new shoes after your purchase to guarantee running

satisfaction? No problem, simply run on a treadmill to ensure

your shoe happiness and if there’s a problem, Curt will work

with you to find the best shoe for the job!

FEATURES

FE

* Recipe & Classified Ads.......................... page 2

* Race Reviews.... .............................. pages 3 & 4

* Check It Out!............................................page 5

* Member Info, Calendar, Sponsors........... page 5

SIXTH EDITION APRIL 2007

PAGE 1

RECIPE: Tropical-Fruit Pizza

Submitted by Kathleen Taylor from Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients needed:1 (18-oz.) package refridgerated sugar cookie dough 1/3 cup sugar1 .5 tspn. grated orange rind1 tspn. coconut extract1 (8-oz.) block fat-free cream cheese, softened1 C (1 inch) pieces peeled ripe mango1 C sliced banana (about 1 large)6 (1/2-inch) slices fresh pineapple, cut in half12 slices fresh strawberries2 kiwifruit, each peeled and cut into 8 slices1/4 C apricot preserves1 tbspn. triple sec (orange-flavored liqueur) or orange juice2 tbspn. flaked sweetened coconut, toasted

Preheat oven to 350°∘.

Cut cookie dough into 8 slices; firmly press slices into a 12-inch round pizza pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350°∘for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Combine sugar, orange rind, extract, and cream cheese in a bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer un-til blended. Spread cream cheese mixture over cookie

crust, leaving a 1/2-inch margin around edges. Arrange mango, strawberries, banana, pineapple, and kiwifruit on top of cream cheese mixture. Combine pre-serves and liqueur in a small microwave-safe bowl, and microwave at high 30 seconds or until melted. Drizzle over fruit; sprinkle with toasted coconut. Chill 1 hour.

Per serving nutritional info: 283 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4 grams protein, 48 grams

carbohydrate.

Classified Advertisements For Sale:

• 2004 Bianchi Veloce 20 spd. Road Bike: size 55, carbon fork & seat post, Campagnolo Veloce Compo-nents & 12/25T cassette, 1,000 miles, like new cond., retailed for $1699, asking $900 OBO.

Call Natalie at 768-4243.

• Shimano 9 speed Ultegra Crank-set: cranks FC-6500, 172.5 length,

53/39 for $50. Contact Kathi Best at kathibest@comcast.net.

• 2006 T1 DeSoto First Wave Wetsuit: top is a size 6 & bottom is a size 5, worn to 7 races + training sessions, retails for $460, selling for $275, OBO. Call Ben at 208-883-7705, or e-mail elite@pacificfit.net. ,sizing chart can be found @ www.t1wetsuits.com/size.html.

• Tri-spoke carbon front race wheel & 8 speed rear Zipp 440, asking

$100 ea./$200 both. Contact Steve Rupe @ 868-1884.

Wanted:

• Womens triathlon training apparel/gear donations for women sizes S-XL. Please contact Jessi Thompson at jthompson@mead.k12.wa.us.

SIXTH EDITION APRIL 2007

PAGE 3

Boston Marathon by Teri Orr

The day in the life of a triathlete is all too familiar to everyone reading this newsletter. There are challenges we face everyday juggling our personal, professional and training life.

It started off as a normal trip to the Boston Marathon – my fourth and “no big deal” compared to that of a “newbie” who has set their sights on this goal and has a sparkle in their eyes, completely naive and innocent.

I heard the weather forecast at the beginning of the week and I packed accordingly. I never dreamed I would be placed amidst the worst weather in the 111th running of the Boston Marathon. It never crossed my mind I would contend with gusting wind, rain and sleet continuously throughout the race. I had run Boston in optimal weather and finished in a respectable time three years and I believed I was invincible and weather would not change my atti-tude or pace.

Then came the morning of. . . . throughout the night I heard the gusts of winds beating the trees outside our hotel room. I was still not afraid. I woke up the morning and did my usual ritual of preparation for a 26.2 mile jour-ney. As I walked out of the hotel into the weather, reality hit that I would be racing one of the most prestigious and oldest races in history in less than optimal conditions.

The panic began to strike on the walk to the bus lines as I saw the mass of people bundled in everything from garbage bags to shower caps. At that point I realized that I needed to stay dry and make an attempt to never get too cold. Hypothermia was common talk among the racers.

I was lucky, as soon as I hit athletes’ village it was time to get ready for the first wave start to start. I barely had time to get my head straight and the runners were moving forward in the corral and we were taking off across the official chip time start line. I started my watch and wondered what lied ahead.

Boston is downhill the first five miles so it literally feels like you are flying. Then the hills start gradually until you make your way to the infamous “Heartbreak” hill at mile 18 where the pain begins. From that point on a runner is faced with multiple down and ups in the race and in the mind. The weather progressively got colder as I neared the finish. I was constantly taking my rainproof cycling jacket off and on throughout the last 12 miles trying not to overheat and get wet, but at the same time staying cool enough to keep a comfortable pace.

I saw the finish line in the distance and even though the race was completely different than any past Boston marathons I have experienced, the feeling of accomplishment still felt the same.

In the end the Boston marathon is special. No matter rain or shine, the crowds are out in full force and the smell of beer and hamburgers line the course with happy Patriot’s Day participants and. . . you are just happy to be there. The finish line looked no different than years past, but I was different. I just survived another Boston. I was one proud, happy finisher.

SIXTH EDITION APRIL 2007

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Snake River Spring Triathlon: Reflections from a Rookie

By Tia Rupe

“Whew! It’s over and I did it!” After 6 months of training, wondering what the heck I was doing and second guessing my deci-sion, I arrived in the lovely town of Clarkston on Friday, March 30, to do the swim portion of my first triathlon. I found myself standing on the pool side with my hands shaking so bad I couldn’t get my swim cap on straight. I was amazed when I got out that it was actually done. Unfortunately, there were still two legs to go in my journey.

After everyone completed their swim, the whole team went to Tomato Broth-ers for a post/pre event meal. We awoke to a beautiful morning and headed to the park to start the race.

Upon arrival, I chose a transition area, set everything up, checked, re-checked, and then took a deep breath. Soon the gun would go off and my “Tri Virginity” would be lost forever. I thought I would throw up. When my swim time came up, I took off for my bike. It was pedal to the metal. When I arrived back at the transition area, that’s when it all becomes a blur, but off on the run I went. Run however, is not quite the word I would use to describe it, more like a cross between a waddle and a plod, but my body didn’t let me down and as I came to the finish line, my wonderful teammates were there waiting for me.

What a feeling of accomplishment! Tri Fusion turned in an amazing performance that weekend. Jessi and Ben were the overall winners. Tiffany, Kathleen, Allison, Jennifer, Greg, Dave, Mark and much to my surprise, myself, all placed in our age groups. Thank you to all who have supported me. I fondly bid farewell to my “Tri-Virginity”, and embrace the journey yet to come.

........................................................................................... ................................................................................

Easter Spring Thaw Triby Tiffany Byrd

Last Sunday, April 15th, was the Spring Thaw Triathlon in Elma, Wash-ington, near Olympia. Jessi and I left on Saturday and spent the night half way between Spokane and Olympia.

We woke up to sunshine and blue skies which was a welcome sight

knowing we were going to be swimming in a lake in a couple of short hours. The race started at noon with a 250

meter swim, a 13 mile bike ride and a 3 mile run.

The swim was incredibly chilly and physical as everyone piled on top of

one another trying to round the boat.

It was quite the experience for my first open water swim! However, Jessi

and I both made it out of the cold water in good time.

The bike and run were really fast with nice, flat courses and plenty of cows

and horses grazing along the way.

Jessi had a fantastic race -- winning the women’s division overall. I placed

first in my age group division. We took a quick stop afterwards to take some

pictures with our awards and some cows, and we were on our way home!

Thanks to Jessi for pushing me to do this race, it was a blast!

SIXTH EDITION APRIL 2007

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• Kathi Best - Social Director

• Kevin Best - Vice President

• Kim Ellis - Treasurer

• Greg Gallagher - Photographer

• Natalie Gallagher - Newsletter

• Ben Greenfield - Website Director

• Mark Hodgson - Team Event Director

• Sam Picicci - Uniform Director

• Jim Powers - Membership Director

• Jessi Thompson - Secretary

• Roger Thompson - President

• Scott Ward - Marketing Director

• Kirk Wood-Gaines - Mentor Director

Check It Out!Thanks to our extraordinary

webmaster, Ben Greenfield, we have

an amazing website at www.tri-

fusion.com. Web surfing triathletes

and regular folks can spend tons of

time perusing our website because it

is filled with information about

everything multisport!

The homepage features eleven

toggles: training, races, members,

photo gallery, sponsors, coaching,

contacts, links, info. about joining,

our monthly newsletter and our

newest addition; the Tri-Forum.

Our Tri-Forum is a bulletin board for

our multisport club that features

topics that members or guests can

read about and then post comments

at whim. Topics include: upcoming

races & training, to race results for

our team members. So check it out!

A Genuine Thank You to all of Our Generous Sponsors:

Hammer Nutrition

May CalendarSocial Events:

Wild Walls climbing: TBA

Training Opportunities:

North Spokane --

Tuesdays & Thursdays @ 5-6 am: Spin class @ OZ North.

M-W-F: @ 5:30-7 am: Unstructure pool swim @ OZ North.

Tuesday evenings: BLTs @ 5:15 & 6:15 pm @ KJW-G’s house. Bike loop repeats, come for 1, 2, or 3 loops.

Thursday evenings @ 6:15 pm: MEADwork speedwork @ MHS track, various workouts, changes weekly, please check Tri-Forum.

Saturdays: Outdoor ride, meeting location & time posted weekly on the Tri-Forum.

Saturdays @7:00 am Mornings with Martin structured swim workout at Valley OZ and @ 8:45 am: Meet at Sullivan Starbucks following the swim for fellowship.

Liberty Lake --

Mondays & Wednesdays: Spin class @ 5:45-6:45 am @ Liberty Lake Athletic Club.

Races:

May 5: Wildflower 1/2 IM, Sunflower Trail Run, Napa Valley 1/2 IM

May 6: Bloomsday 12k Road Race, Wildflower Olympic Tri

May 12: Gulf Coast 1/2 IM

May 13: Over the Dam Run 5k, 10k or 13.1 miles.

May 19: Fiasco in Pasco Du, Tour of Swan Valley bike ride 2 X 100 miles.

May 20: Tour of Swan Valley, Spring Thaw Du #2, Florida 1/2 IM, Auburn 1/2 IM & Int’l Tri

May 27: Onion Man Olympic Tri, Coeur d’Alene 1/2 & Marathon

Upcoming Events:

Next Member Meeting: May 23rd @ Brentwood Elementary. BoD meeting @ 5:30 pm, followed by General Members @ 6:30 pm.

SIXTH EDITION APRIL 2007

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