Tri Tips: Here’s the Beef

As spring approaches and training intensifies, it

seems we could all reap the benefits of some expert advice

from seasoned multi-sport athletes, so enjoy!

1. The benefits of running with proper form include injury

prevention, increased enjoyment from running, and

using less energy to run. Some proper form

components include:

• Upper body=> stay as tall as you can, avoid

scrunching or hunching over; pretend somone is

leading you along with a string tied to your belly

button. This will help you lead with your hips for

proper form.

• Stride length=> take shorter steps more frequently

2. It doesn’t matter if the competition is against yourself

or for a spot on the podium, the training principles of

elite athletes can apply to you too. For example, take

rest days seriously so that when you have a challenging

workout you can push yourself to go fast and hard.

3. Tight hamstrings are common among athletes,

particularly runners and cyclists. To loosen up, try the

following after a workout: lie on your back and bend

your left knee. Loop a towel or elastic band around

the bottom of your foot. Raise and straighten your leg

until you feel a stretch in your hamstring. Be careful

not to overstretch. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Release

and repeat with your right leg.

4.Did you know? Low-fat or skim

chocolate milk may be a good recovery

drink! It has the right mix of carbs and

protein to refuel spent muscles, says

Indiana University Research Team. Drink one

to two 8-ounce servings within an hour after a

tough workout.

5.Not enough time for your long run or ride? Not to

worry, a short speed workout may work in a pinch

occasionally. In a recent Canadian study, sixteen

subjects were divided into two groups: a sprint group,

performing 30-second intervals of all-out-sprints; or

an endurance group, cycling continuously for sessions

of 90 to 120 minutes. Total workout time over the two

week period was 2.5 hours for the sprinters and 10.5

hours for the endurance riders. Both groups showed

similar performance gains in post-sprint and endurance

time trials. Bottom line: mix it up with high-intensity

short stints and long steady efforts for best results.

FEATURES:

* Up Close with a Member ................. page 2

* Classified Ads ................... ............. page 2

* Breathing & Relaxation Drills.. pages 3 & 4

* Member Info, Calendar, Sponsors.. page 5

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UP CLOSE WITH KIM ELLIS BY NATALIE GALLAGHER

Age: 39

Years Competing: 1

Occupation: Corporate Travel Agent

Goal Races for this Season: Medical Lake Trailblazer Sprint, Medical Lake Kiwanis Sprint, Valley Girl Triathlon, and Colbert Half-Marathon.

Among friends and teammates, Kim is most famed for her successful journey toward a more healthy and fit lifestyle. Since January of 2006, Kim has joined Weight Watchers, trained for and completed two sprint distance triathlons, one half marathon, joined Tri Fusion to serve as treasurer, and she was most recently chosen for sponsorship with Team Wickedfast. Yes, all of her accomplishments in the past year are amazing and awe-inspiring! Add to all that the fact that Kim and her husband, Mike have lost a combined total of 125 pounds and countless inches since last January. One more thing... Kim Ellis is one of the most genuine people you’ll meet.

Over 15 years ago, Kim volunteerd at the sprint distance Wildflower Triathlon in California where her boss was racing, the first triathlon that Kim had ever watched. While handing out water at the run portion of the triathlon, Kim felt uplifted just witnessing athletes finish a race that they had obviously trained hard to complete.

Ten years later, when Kim was 34 years old, she decided that she wanted to become fit and healthy enough to complete her own sprint distance triathlon by the time she

turned 40. So lit the sparks for Kim’s health quest that motivated her to join Weight Watchers and begin training for triathlons last year.

When I asked Kim for some personal commentary about multisports, she said she likes triathlons because she believes the sprint distance is something a real person can do. “What I love about the short distance is that you don’t have to be a “mega-athlete” to do it, regular people can complete sprints.”

This doesn’t mean Kim is a regular person, evident by how she thinks about every athlete in the big picture and sees potential success for the beginner or meek athletes among seasoned and confident triathletes alike. Whoever you are - Kim hopes you keep with it, it will only help your level of health and fitness, and she should know.

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•• 2006 T1 DeSoto First Wave Wetsuit:

top is a size 6 & bottom is a size 5, fits Ben Greenfield who is 6’2”, 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.

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• HR/GPS Monitor: Do you have a used Heart Rate Monitor or Heart Rate Monitor/GPS? Please contact Ben at 208-883-7705 or elite@pacificfit.net.

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

FOURTH EDITION FEBRUARY 2007

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Breathing and Relaxation Drills by Ben Greenfield

OK, here’s Drill #1: 3-In-5-Out. If you're an endurance athlete who struggles with a heart rate spiking problem, begin to incorporate this drill at least three different times during the day (i.e. on the elevator, in the shower, before your run). As you breathe, attempt to "hear" your breath. It should almost sound like a roaring ocean.

* Imagine your lungs as a tire around your entire body, sur-rounding the front, back and sides of your torso (in this case, a spare tire is a good thing). * Utilizing the breathing pattern discussed above, draw in a steady breath to the count of three. * Hold your breath for a three count, but try to stay as re-laxed as possible while holding your breath. Think of it as be-ing "suspended" in your body, and not "held". * Now, breathe out, deeply and slowly from the stomach, to the count of five. * Wait for a three count. * Repeat the entire pattern 3-5 times.

Drill #2: Leg Raises, just focus on completing it once at some point during the day. I suggest completing it in the morn-ing as part of a stretching routine. * Lie down on a flat, somewhat solid surface (i.e., not a bed). During the entire drill, try not to let your low back "arch" off the ground. This may require forcefully keeping the belly-button pressed down * While fully inhaling, slowly raise the right leg as close to 90 degrees as possible. Attempt to inhale slowly enough to where you can continue to inhale for a count of three when the leg reaches 90 degrees. * After the three count, fully exhale while slowly lowering the leg. * Repeat the exercise with your left leg. * Now repeat the exercise with both legs. * Complete this entire sequence 3-5 times.

Drill #3: Runner's Salutations incorporates some of the core principles of Yoga. This is a perfect drill to do immedi-ately prior to your long run as part of your warm-up. * Stand with your feet together and your arms at your side. Take a deep breath. Bring arms up over your head with the palms together. Tilt your head back, and look toward your thumbs, pressing your hips slightly forward. Tighten your thighs and buttocks. Do not arch your back.

* Exhale (remember the diaphragmatic breathing). Bend your knees slightly, bringing your palms to the floor alongside your feet. Tuck your head into your knees. Inhale. While main-taining this position, raise your head, look up and lift your chest. * Exhale. Walk your legs back until your body is straight like a plank. Drop down into a push-up position. If this is too diffi-cult to hold, you can drop into a modified knee push-up posi-tion. * Inhale. Push your torso off the ground with your arms, keep your legs and feet on the ground (tops of the feet should be facing down) and raise your head, looking up at the ceiling. * Exhale. Adjust your feet so that your toes are on the ground and push the butt towards the ceiling into a capital letter A position, pushing the heels backwards and the palms forward. * Bend knees, and step forward to the second position listed above, then inhale and stand into the first position. * Repeat this sequence three times before your next run. Eventually work up to 6-8 repetitions. Now, after learning the three key breathing drills, focus on utilizing the same pattern during your run. There is no magic breathing pattern that says you must breathe in once every two strides, or twice every one stride. Just breathe as naturally as possible, but be sure to utilize diaphragmatic breathing. To put you in the proper breathing mood, it may be necessary to precede your run with a 5-10 minute walk, in which you gradually increase speed while focusing on deep and relaxed breathing from deep inside your stomach. Al-though I recommend continuing to breathe through your nose, it may be necessary to breathe through your mouth, depend-ing on your unique nasal and sinus profile. Remember that the problem is two-fold. Now that you've taken care of breathing, what about the upper body tightness in the head, neck, shoulders, and jaw? The good news is that most of it will naturally diminish as a proper breathing pattern takes precedent. However, it may also be necessary to focus on the following relaxation drills, especially during your long run:

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* The "Arm-Shake": Every 5 minutes, completely loosen the shoulders, straighten the arms, and allow both arms to hang and wobble at your sides for 30 seconds as you run monkey style. * The "Tongue-Press": After the Arm-Shake, press the tongue firmly against the roof of the mouth and hold it there for 8-10 seconds. Then allow it to relax, and as you do so, feel the tension released from your jaw and neck muscles. Focus on maintaining this relaxed jaw until your next Tongue-Press. * The "Horizon-Glance": Pick a distant spot on the horizon and gaze at it for 8-10 seconds. You should feel your posture become more proud as the elastic recoil from the ground pushes you forward.

Seem like too much information? It is quite a load. Gradually adopt these breathing and relaxing drills into your program over the course of several weeks, and it won’t feel like such a drastic change. If you really want to see positive physi-cal changes, it will take profound mental commitment. But once these habits become an integral part of your running program, you’ll be able to go on auto-pilot during those long runs and be confident that you won't stray into overexertion or overtraining. At least until that killer hill at mile 9…

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• Kathi Best - Social Director

• Kevin Best - Vice President

• Kim Ellis - Treasurer

• Greg Gallagher - Photographer

• Natalie Gallagher - Newsletter Director

• 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

Fitness Fanatics Night On Wednesday night,

February 21st, Tri Fusion was treated

to an after-hours shopping spree at

Fitness Fanatics! Members enjoyed a

wine bar and appetizers while owner,

Robin De Ruwe offered special

discounts on all of the multi-sport

merchandise in her store.

A huge “Thank You!” to

Robin and her crew at Fitness

Fanatics for a truly fun and rewarding

evening!

A Genuine Thank You to all of Our Generous Sponsors:

Hammer Nutrition

March CalendarSocial Events:

Sunday, March 18 @ 1 pm : Charity lunch at Steelhead Bar & Grill.

Training Opportunities:

North Spokane --

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

Wednesdays & Fridays @ 5:30-7 am: Pool swim @ OZ North.

Thursday evenings @ 7 pm: Headlamp Run @ KW-G house.

Saturdays @ 7:15 & 8:30 am: Double up your spin classes at OZ North OR

5:30-10:30 am: BAT’s at Gallagher’s, or Ward’s, or Thompson’s. Breakfast follows, usually. OR outdoor ride!

Sundays @7:00 am Mornings with Martin structured swim workout at OZ North and @ 8:45 am: Meet at Hawthorne Starbucks for fellowship, unstructured swim workout follows@ OZ North @ 9:30 am.

March 5, 12, & 19:Girls Gone Tri @ 6:30-8:30 pm @ Brentwood Library.

March 16 & 23: Metabolic Party @ 4-6 pm @ Thompson’s=> 12009 N. Riverwood Drive.

Liberty Lake --

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

Races:

March 3: Snake River 1/2 Marathon

March 11: St. Paddy’s Five Miler @ SCC

March 17: Hell’s Gate Du in Lewiston, ID

March 30-31: Snake River Sprint Triathlon in Lewiston, ID

March 31: California 1/2 Ironman in Oceanside, CA

March 31: Wenatchee Valley Du in

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