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Thank You for all those who contribut-

If you have a race report, article, recipe

please submit it to

REMINDER:

See Melissa if you are a new memberand need to grab your swag bag. Also forany of your clothing order needs and/or

questions.

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Want to know the best way to stay connected to what is going on

in your club? About time you join Facebook and find us there with

lots of up to date post, events, photos & so much more. Check out

& sign in to our new Race Reach, mainly for Members Only of the

Tri-Fusion club, where you can find & RSVP to any and all

scheduled dates from club events, training, meetings & races.

Take advantage of what your club is offering you!

Any questions, ask a member of the board! Happy Training

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for her sister to finish the marathon when the first bombexploded, causing her to lose both legs.

on it. On my naked legs seeing those words and having the

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marathon when the first bomb exploded. Shrapnel hit his

caused permanent hearing damage. He is pictured herewith his wife and daughters.

put back together, there will be a lot of people back. It'sbecome a huge part of our lives." (image of family)

READ MORE… runnersworld.com/dearworld

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Swim against theOlympians MichaelPhelps or Ryan Loch-te and, chances are,you’re bathing in theirurine. And they’re notalone. Nearly one infive Americanadults (pdf,p.5) admits to havingurinated in publicswimming pools. Phelps, for one, doesn’t think a little in-pool relief issuch a big deal.

+“I think everybody pees in the pool,” Phelps told The Telegraph in2012. “It’s kind of a normal thing to do for swimmers. When we’re inthe water for two hours, we don’t really get out to pee. Chlorine kills itso it’s not bad.”

+But though chlorine might kill bacteria, it also reacts with chemicalsin human urine to create harmful gases. Scientists have long-knownthat when urea—a compound present in urine—combines with chlo-rine, it gives off nitrogen trichloramine (NCl3), a poisonous gas thatcan cause acute lung injury. Scientists monitoring the presence of ni-trogen trichloramine during a national swimming competition foundthat it doubled after the first day, increasing by three to four timesthroughout the rest of the four-day event.

+Until now, much less has been known about chlorine’s reaction withuric acid, another chemical in urine. However, recent research indi-cates that uric acid is responsible not only for more nitrogen trichlora-mine, but also for a large share—between 24% and 68%—of another

Pool pee isn’t just gross—it’s also harming swimmers

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dangerous gas, cyanogen chloride, that wafts around indoor swimmingpools. If inhaled, the latter compound can harm the lungs, heart andcentral nervous system, says Jing Li, professor of applied chemistry atChina Agriculture University and co-author of the new study. Both ni-trogen trichloramine and cyanogen chloride have been linked to acuteand chronic health problems among swimmers (pdf), as well as amonglifeguards and pool staff.

+What does this mean in practice? Imagine a smallish indoor pool duringpeak hours (pdf, p.4), with 20 swimmers using it simultaneously. Scien-tists estimate that each swimmer releases 50 mL (0.25 cups) of urine,which in this scenario would equal two pint glasses of pee in total. If thechlorine levels were consistent with those typical of pools in western Eu-rope, that would cause cyanogen chloride concentrations of 12 µg/L(.012 mg/L)—a good bit higher than the the 5 µg/L that the US NationalInstitutes of Health cites as the lowest irritant concentration.

+What’s to be done? Li identifies two ways to decrease the concentrationof cyanogen chloride. Upping the pool’s chlorine content reduces the cy-anogen chloride problem (though it may exacerbate the nitrogen trichlo-ramine problem). Better yet, he suggests: “swimmers can improve poolconditions by simply not urinating in pool.”

+While you wait for that happen, the study suggests avoiding “the vicinityof urine release locations in pools.” That means it’s probably wise tosteer clear of anywhere with lots of children—or, for that matter, anycompetitive swimmers.

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"Training" Before Real Trainingby Gina Kehr

Not more than a few weeks into the new year Iheard two athletes talking about how they were onday 1 of their Ironman training. When I asked themwhat race they were training for they said IronmanTahoe. I thought to myself, “Isn’t that about 9months away?”“Training” for an event takes a lot of energy, not on-ly physically, but emotionally. Planning your seasoncan help keep that physical and emotional compo-nent in check so you can put the right focus whereit needs to be and make sacrifices at the right timeto help prevent burnout.One of the biggest reasons athletes may want to sitdown with me for consulting is to discuss why theyfeel lost and unmotivated. Two common drivers forthis are they are very early in their seasons and ac-tually lack direction on what to do or they are stillsix months away from an A race and are alreadyburnt out.Both scenarios have the same answer: create aspreadsheet that shows the number of weeks to anevent and then create the schedule. This helps re-lieve any anxieties and lack of drive one may beexperiencing. The first thing I do when looking attotal number of weeks is to see how far away theathlete is from 12-15 weeks from his or her A race.This is where you to say to yourself, “I am trainingfor ‘X’ race” and mark it as such on your calendar.In many cases the date that we select is about 8-20weeks away from the A race.For athletes who have loss of direction and lack ofmotivation, this shows them they still have time toget started. The weeks leading up to their “training”is their time to get themselves ready to train by fo-cusing on consistent training and a routine. It is thetime to allow work and life to get in the way, butstrive to do their best to get it done.For athletes who have already been “training” andalready been making way too many sacrifices, thisallows them to relax a bit and let them rebuild theirwell, so when the sacrifices and hard focus needsto be applied they are ready to do so. This planningalso works well for athletes who have suffered asidelining injury or illness to help them outline theirrecovery.Below is a way to look at the season for an A race.

Weeks X-16 to go - Get consistent, focus on

skills and strength and start seeing mile-age increase on certain weeks. Mentallyfeel like you are getting in shape and stayengaged with fitness. Do not make big sac-rifices like missing events that are im-portant to you. Eat well, but be consciousof your choices. Sleep well.

15 weeks to go - Training has begun. Con-sistency should be established. Mentallyyou are prepared for the next 15 weeks.You may make a sacrifice here and thereto get workouts done. Eating becomesmore for fuel and recovery, sleeping be-comes more important.

12 weeks to go - You are totally committed toyour training. Key sessions are the mainfocus. You make specific decisions in re-gards to the foods you eat for training andsleep has just become a priority. You startsacrificing extra activities for sleep andrest.

8-4 weeks to go - You are all in. This is it.These are your money weeks. The lasttime to move the ball forward. Sacrificingbecomes a part of your lifestyle. All of yourdecisions are based on your race. Youhave invested time and money and if youhad to pick one period to absolutely beabout you and your training, it is here.

3 weeks to go - Know that the work is done.Sleep and extra rest is what will help solidi-fy the work that you just did for the last fourweeks. You should feel things let up andtry and go back to a relaxed feeling like inweek 12. Food and sleep are the most im-portant, if you miss workouts here you arenot to make them up, but move on in therecovery and be okay with it.

Two weeks to race day - ENJOY. You aretotally invested and you should be feelinglike Christmas morning is coming. Spendmore time with family and friends, be in arelaxed and positive environment, makeyour workouts count and get lots of sleepand continue to eat for recovery and fuel.Work may get in the way more than youlike during this time; it is okay -- be kind toyourself. Get fired up and smile while onthat start line.

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by Sharon Underwood

Has this happened to you? When I first began to get serious about triathlon, I wanted alot of information fast. I bought books and subscribed to magazines. I thought I hadit nailed down until I realized that many of the suggestions that were offered as factswere contradicted by the next book or article I read. The contradictions were plentiful:consume salt, don't consume salt; you need a coach, you don't need a coach; focus onvolume not intensity, focus on intensity not volume; drink 18oz per hour of water,drink only when thirsty; do this but not that, do that but not this! Are they ever go-ing to make up their minds? End result was that I cannot learn about this sport quickly.Well, pooh.

I was volunteering in T1 at the Couer d'Alene IM when a young woman came joggingtoward the bikes. Her wetsuit was already at her waist and her face was solemn. Sud-denly she stopped, drew back her shoulders, beamed, and exclaimed to herself “Why amI in such a hurry, I have all day!”.

Disclaimer: I am not a good cyclist. After I wrote the article about my bike tour inColorado, someone said “you must be a great cyclist”. I am not. I am average and I amnot being modest. The point of pointing out the seeming ease with which I pulled offthat week long tour was that if I can do it, any of you can do it. If your an average ornovice cyclist like me, just go slow and you will have no problem... and if you can, gowith someone you love.

I started running as a walk-on for the women's track and cross-country team at theuniversity I attended as an undergraduate. The men's track coach didn't allow us to usethe track until he was force to by the passage of Title IX. As such, I have really appreci-ated the lack of gender bias in triathlon. However, there is an inherent and unintendedfinancial bias. The sport is not a level playing field in that regard. I'm really pleased tosee such wonderfully affordable events like Trifusions kids triathlon breaking the mold!

Tri-musings

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Purposeful Eatingby Brady DeHoust

Over the past 10 years, the eating habits I’ve adopted have come in very small pieces. If I think about how I ate 10 years ago versushow I eat now, the major difference would be the purpose of the food I’m putting in my mouth. Ten years ago, the purpose was toget the flavor -- usually very quickly -- and fill the stomach -- usually too full -- then repeat the process four hours later. It didn’treally matter what I was putting in my mouth, it just mattered that it tasted good and filled me up. I don’t want to be misleadingwith the thinking I was overweight or eating total junk, I’ve always been health conscious by virtue of my upbringing (thanksMom!). However, with the years of progressively becoming a better athlete, I’ve profited greatly with little-by-little adaptations towhat I eat (or don’t eat), and more importantly, why I eat the foods in my diet.When considering diet changes for ultimate health, I’ll outline my personal view on:

How to make changes

Purpose in relation to our life and training

Challenges of a healthy diet lifestyle

Use of supplements

Note: I am not a registered dietitian or medical doctor. My thoughts and recommendations are driven by years of trial, error andmy overall feel (good and bad) from different food and diet selections.

The How - Positive Change Comes SlowlyIf you say “never” with your diet choices, you’re likely lying to yourself and setting up the chance of failure. Maybe you consumetoo much sugar-saturated soda. Don’t start off by saying, “I’m cutting out all soda from my diet.” This may be attainable for a con-densed period, but likely won’t be a lifestyle diet change and when you have that soda after days, weeks or months of sticking toyour plan, you’ve ultimately failed your diet and are likely to revert back to old habits. Better would be a plan to limit your intakeand replace a normal daily soda with something nutritious, still allowing yourself the occasional sugary drink that your body is ac-customed to from years of “too much.” The positive feelings you’ll gain from less of what isn’t healthy will “teach” the body todesire less of the unhealthy food, and more of the healthy food. It’s a process and it cannot be taught with one fad diet or a two-week “detox.” One soda per day becomes one soda per week, and then becomes one soda as a treat (such as after long or hard train-ing). Understand the “feel” of the changes you want to incorporate rather than just assuming it’ll be never-again-and-last-forever,and possibly result in failure and a relapse back to what was normal (which is too much!). This is the problem today with fad dietsand the all or nothing mentality to eating for health.While I’ve tried the “all-in” diet changes, I never do so thinking that it will become the way I eat for a lifetime. I’ll often implementa certain style of diet for a defined trial period to better understand its promoted benefits. In 2010, I adopted gluten-free for 60 daysleading up to an “A” race. In 2013, I ate a modified raw food diet for eight days (I did allow some cooked protein at night from fishor chicken). I adopt these diets to get a sense of whether there is positive change in how it makes me feel, and it’s not always thecase that these super-nutritious-this-is-the-only-way-to-eat diets make me feel good, and that’s what’s important in the long runbecause the feeling of “good” is what teaches the body to want more of the good (or less of the bad).With gluten-free eating, I felt a positive change in my overall digestion and a less uncomfortably full feeling after eating. Wheat isnaturally inflammatory, and the elimination of wheat resulted in reduction over the overall inflammatory response in the body, lead-ing to a positive adaptation and feeling.The raw diet was easy in some ways and difficult in others. I tackled this without a lot of research, or any books driving the “how.”One weekend, between visits to Whole Foods Market and the local farmer’s market, I spent $88 and never left the produce section.Preparing a meal was simple; slice up some fruits and veggies, figure out a way to make it taste good (often in a salad), and have atit. Being diverse became a challenge and I felt like all I ate was asparagus, cucumbers, and peeled and sliced raw sweet potatoes.After a few adjustment days, I again -- similar to the gluten-free trial -- felt positive changes in the digestion process. Things felt

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cleaner and less clogged with discomfort. However, I also experienced some of my worst feelings with triathlon training. I was lowon energy and -- without any conscious effort to do so -- got down to a weight eight pounds under my “sweet spot” weight (I waslosing a pound per day). That part wasn’t a positive feeling and I noted that and quickly adjusted back to my normal diet. But theeight-day trial exemplified the positive feelings that unprocessed and raw foods can have on the body, which means I now eat more(not all) whole and unprocessed or cooked foods. I took a small slice of that diet and implemented it to what works for me in myown diet and lifestyle.

Purposeful Eating - For training… for performance… for lifeWhat drives the desire to eat healthy? It feels better is the simplest answer. Unfortunately, most folks who eat for no other purposethan the time of day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and intermittent non-nutrient rich snacks) won’t ever allow the body to get that posi-tive sense of feel that nutritious, whole foods (that we prepare and don’t take out of the box) give you.I began the journey to being more health conscious and selective with what and when I ate to complement a dedicated training regi-men driven by the goal of optimum performance on race day. If I was going to train the body, consistently and sometimes hard, itmade sense to feed the body well when I wasn’t training to get the highest return on the training investment. I had a purpose to ad-just the foods I ate and get a sense of the positive adaptations in training recovery, racing performance, and ultimately, lifestyleadoptions that became the norm.

Challenges of Healthy EatingFood marketing and labels are tricking us into believing that what we put in our shopping carts is healthy. The buzz words ring loudas you stroll down the grocery store aisle: “All Natural,” “Gluten-Free,” “Whole Grain,” “Omega-3 Fortified,” even “Organic.”The “All Natural” food label means nothing. Take a look at the ingredient list (or paragraph!) on a bag of All Natural Tostitos. Sure,it’s better than grabbing a bag of Tostitos laced with food processing chemicals, but it’s still a bag of highly processed chips anddoes not provide the amount of nutrients we should look for any time we eat.While the Gluten-Free label will save you from the inflammatory response of the protein wheat-gluten, there should be caution inrelying on gluten-free being nothing but healthy and nutritious. Many gluten-free products are highly processed and contain a lot ofcorn starch and contain ingredients just as hard to pronounce as the gluten-loaded product on the next shelf.The American diet is too focused on the claim that whole grains make the box of whatever you’re buying healthy. In retrospect, itcan be the converse in that too much whole grain, although providing a greater amount of fiber in the diet than the non-whole graincounterpart, can result in an overall increase in the body’s inflammatory response.Most people are aware of the importance of EFA’s (Essential Fatty Acids) and that Omega-3 is the healthy fat we all need andcomes mainly from cold water fish and other sea life such as krill. So, when you see a dozen eggs that are fortified with omega-3s,how do you think that omega-3 got into that egg? It’s doubtful that the hen was fed a diet rich in North Atlantic wild salmon. It real-ly just means that the “All Natural, Omega-3” eggs were processed to be fortified with the label-enhancing omega-3 EFA.It may be surprising to see the “Organic” label make the list, but how nutritious and healthy do you think an Organic Pop-Tart is?It’s not, and justifying the purchase of foods in your diet based on these labels only puts non-nutrient dense -- and expensive --food substances in your shopping cart.

Keys to a healthy food shopping trip:Spend the most time in the produce section (or at the farmer’s market) and fill most of your cart there. If a food product

doesn’t have a label, and isn’t enclosed in a box, it’s probably very healthy and has never been through any type of foodprocessing. Buy whatever you want, and eat it as often as you’d like.

Be cautious of the labels, and check the ingredients. If the ingredients list is in paragraph format, put it back. If you cannotpronounce the ingredients, put it back. Look for labels with real food ingredients, and not things that – when all formulat-ed together – make up a food substance.

Look for the “Local” label. Choosing locally produced food is sometimes better than the USDA Organic label. Local food isfresher, probably higher in nutrient content, and often not treated with any chemicals, but the process to stamp produce orfood products “USDA Organic” is too expensive for farms or companies that do not have a wide distribution channel for

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their product(s). Look into your local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) to get fresh and local produce, meats,and dairy and also support the local farmers who may not have the mass distribution to supermarkets to sustain theirfarming business.

Look for “Grass Fed” if you’re buying beef. While we should always steer clear of meats and/or dairy coming from sourcesthat were treated with hormones or antibiotics, it’s important as well to look for grass fed and not meats from cows thatare fed lots of corn to quickly “beef” up.

Supplements - Should be supplementedThe mass marketing of supplements to keep you “energized, clean, healthy, and full of vitality” is just as big as the food labeling inthe industry. You could literally walk down the supplements aisle at your local health food store and fill your cart with every type offood and nutrient requirement your body needs, and not have one piece of whole, real food in the cart -- you’ll also likely have amega shopping bill at checkout. This is not to say that supplements aren’t healthy, or that they don’t result in whatever it is theyclaim to “enhance, restore, or maintain.” However, whole food supplements: minerals, vitamins, EFAs, phytonutrients (such fromsea plants like seaweed and algae) should be supplemented and not sucked down on a daily dose regimen. I’d also look at the indi-vidual needs for anyone looking to take “this” or “that.” It certainly makes sense for a slightly anemic female who engages in endur-ance training to look into iron supplementation to ensure adequate needs are met. But just because iron is essential for the body’sability to carry oxygen in the blood, it isn’t a reason for every athlete to go out and start popping iron pills. For one, it can causeproblems in the gut, and two, the body just may not need (or want) it. It’s also wise to understand and monitor your serum bloodlevels when supplementing certain vitamins and minerals; to both understand the “need” and to know if the supplements are reallyworking (raising or lowering levels as they should).I write all this with the caveat that I have fallen victim to exactly what I’m suggesting we don’t do. My cabinets have been filledwith supplements I’ve read about on holistic health sites and I’ve gone down the road of having a supplement-rich daily diet. Basedon the recommendation of a friend and athlete I highly respect, I recently read a health food book written by David Wolfe called,“Superfoods”. What was most astounding to me was the culture behind the superfoods Wolfe claims to be the top 10: from the hon-eybee’s process to produce honey, royal jelly, or bee pollen to the bottom-of-the-food-chain-and-packed-with-everything make-upof phytoplankton.During one of my visits to the local Mom’s Organic Market, I had the book in hand and found myself filling my cart with spirullina,chlorella, raw honey, hemp seeds, cocoa and macca powder… basically anything the book told me would make me feel more ener-gized, vibrant, recovery quicker, have a higher capacity for endurance sport went into the cart. Now, this is all fine and good, until Istarted eating all of these things… every single day. That’s not the point of eating a superfood-rich diet. The point is to include thesefoods in your diet and replace less nutrient-dense foods slowly while the body adapts (and learns) to like the good stuff. So ratherthan making sure I take a spoonful of raw honey daily in a morning smoothie, I occasionally use it to sweeten a cup of green tea, oroccasionally put it into the morning super-green-smoothie-blend -- the key word here: occasionally.

To wrap all this up …Make diet changes small and over time and changes that fit you and your lifestyle

Don’t become a victim to fad-diet-hopping. Take the pieces of these health-promoting diets that work for you and result inpositive feelings and adaptations.

Buy locally produced and local farm fresh foods as often as you can.

Exercise caution with buzz word product labeling.

Supplement your (necessary) supplements (and put the unnecessary ones into the toilet!).

Don’t say “never” and enjoy your vices… on occasion!

Enjoy the process of defining the diet that is right for you.

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I committed to doing the Snake River Tri long ago. I signed up on day one of the race.

This race has long been one of my favorite early season triathlons. It's a quirky race

for sure. The swim is held Friday night, the bike and run are in Lewiston Idaho Saturday

morning. Name another race where a 19 hour T1 is considered a good split.

In an effort to give back to our local community's early triathlon season and to support

a great race put on by some great people, Team TriFusion has stepped up to sponsor a swim

right here in Spokane.

The last time I was in the water was Sunday, November 19th for Ironman Arizona. I haven't

been swimming at all and that's "by design". After a conscious effort to take some time

away after IMAZ, my training has been light this Spring. Under the direction of my Doc-

tor, I am to work on my bike and run first. Using those two disciplines to start building

a base for the season, the swim will come last. Because of this I had some reservations

about signing up for this race.

I got into the pool for a 500 yard swim with the encouragement and some light ribbing

from teammates. I knew it would be a challenge. You can't take that kind of time away

from the pool, show up to give an all out effort and think it's going to go well. It went

as expected. I was out of the water in 35th place...You get what you pay for.

T1 - My favorite T1 in all of rac-

ing.

After helping with the timing and

recording of other swimmers, we

cleaned up and headed to dinner.

Eight friends and teammates had a

great Mexican meal where I was

sure to order a single adult bev-

erage only so I could claim I had

a beer in T1.

The following morning Bootsy and I

were up and on our way to Lewiston by 6:30 a.m. We arrived in time to find a good spot in

transition and time for a quick warm up.

Teammates: The Push and Pull by Craig Thorsen

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The race was scheduled to start at

10 a.m. but keeping in the low key

nature of the race, it started

shortly after the top of the hour.

And in keeping with the quirky na-

ture of the race itself, the par-

ticipants line up at the far end of

transition and after the gun fires

you stand around waiting for the

clock to hit your swim time. So if

your swim time was 7 minutes 30

seconds you waited at the start

line until the clock shows 0:7:30

and off you go. The gun fired and

we all just stood around, some of us posing for pictures

As we stood waiting for our individual times to appear on the race clock a few jabs began

to fly. Kellee was first to throw the gauntlet which landed squarely at my feet. Just

something friends do in an effort to push each other to make sure they are prepared and

willing to give their all. She quipped how she would out split me on the bike. Kellee is

a world class athlete, qualifying and racing Boston, she has out split me on the bike in

other events. At Ironman Coeur d'Alene this past summer I wasn't in her time zone off the

bike. The guys quickly picked up on it and the challenge was on.

This race features a 13 mile bike course which takes you 6.5 mile straight up Tammany

Creek Grade on an out and back course which naturally comes 6.5 mile straight back down.

I settled in quickly and found a good rhythm. Do to my level of fitness (or lack there

of) the obvious plan was to race on feel. I would error on the side of over riding in

hopes of taking back more time on the bike then I would give up on the run. Never a solid

race plan by any means but I knew my run wouldn't be strong whatever the case. I was hav-

ing some luck moving through the field and when I came upon Kellee my intention was not

to lift my effort or rhythm. Passing just off her left shoulder I gave her a "jump on my

wheel". Missing my wheel she did lift her effort to match mine. This is another thing I

love about small races and triathlon as a whole, pushing each other in an effort to get

their very best.

When I hit the turnaround at the midway point, Kellee was standing right on top of me. I

knew she would get me in the run but I was glad I could help pull a friend along on the

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bike. Turning for the bottom I pushed hard knowing gravity never takes a day off and my

oversized frame would need to rely heavily on that. I got off the bike 10th overall.

Bootsy had elected not to race but was kind enough to travel with me. She was standing

just out of T2 as I began the run. As I started out I wondered if I were "running" at

all. After the race Bootsy confirmed my doubts asking "How was your run? You looked like

you were struggling out of T2". Never able to settle into a good rhythm, I used heart

rate to control or push my effort, not worrying about pace. Shortly after the turnaround

Kellee returned the favor with a quick hand slap of recognition as she passed with a

"come on let's run this in together". The only thing I could do was to utter "Go get

yours Girl" or I'm all in and there is nothing I can do to match that pace.

I came to this race with some reservation but it didn't disappoint. The Snake River Tri

proved fun as always in its

own quirky way. I enjoyed

spending time with friends and

teammates, pushing each other,

supporting each other, ribbing

each other. I finished second

in my age group well behind a

teammate who had turned him-

self inside out in an effort

to test his fitness. This guy

left it all out there, trom-

boning what was left of his

breakfast just past the finish

line. Whether a fellow compet-

itor finishes 10 minutes ahead

of me or 20 minutes behind,

pushing themselves hard enough to leave the remainder of their breakfast on the sidewalk

always leaves me asking if I did enough. Did I leave it all out there? Next time can I go

harder, push myself further?

After returning to Spokane, Bootsy and I had some lunch and a quick nap before heading

down to a local brewery to hear a long time friend play some music and to celebrate a

birthday. Bootsy convinced me to ride the mountain bikes down. She thought it would be a

good idea to spin out the legs that had tightened up from a sprint effort. This proved to

be a great idea and a reminder that we don't do enough of this. With the weather changing

for the better I hope we continue to take the opportunity to do more of this kind of

thing. It proved to be a great day all around I must say.

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A group ride can benefit yourtraining and make you faster.Though triathlon is generally anon-drafting sport, ironicallysome of the most fun and bene-ficial training we can do on thebike involves riding in a draft-friendly group. Organized grouprides can be found in nearly allactive communities, and may begeared toward bike racers, rec-reational cyclists or triathletes.As a coach, I structure my ath-letes’ bike training to allow am-

ple time for solo sessions in order to prepare for the specific demands of non-drafting rac-ing, such as time in the aerobars, focused effort and intensity management, but I alsostrongly suggest adding in a weekly group ride as an excellent way to meet others, improvebike handling skills and get a killer workout. In a single group ride you may find yourselfhaving a grueling hill workout, a leg-searing lactate threshold session, and plenty of steadytempo riding, often at or above the level you might be able to achieve on your own.

To find a suitable group ride near you, head to the nearest bike or tri shop and ask themfor suggestions. Be sure to let them know your ability level and experience with group rid-ing so they may tailor their recommendations accordingly. If you have access to a triathlonor bike club in your area, one of the many perks of joining may be the chance to join week-ly group rides. Facebook may also be an excellent way to get some targeted suggestions onthe subject, and if your FB friends aren’t yet hip to the local group ride scene then you mayjust start a group ride of your own!

Once you have decided to “test ride” a group, you’ll want to keep a few key areas of groupriding etiquette in mind:

Minimize the “tri geek” factor by leaving the aero helmet and tri outfit at home. Surelyyou’ll want to let them know that you are a triathlete, but there will be plenty of time forchitchat when you can casually mention the 4,000 meters you swam at 6 a.m. and the 30-minute brick run you’ll be doing off the bike.Ride a road bike if you have one. If not, then a tri bike is fine as long as you refrainfrom using your aerobars when riding within 25 meters of others. Your hands belong outwide on the base bar, near the brakes so you are prepared for sudden stops or turns.Keep your eyes up and active at all times—and off your Garmin or iPhone. And try touse only one hand when efficiently taking sips from your water bottle or eating. It is best totake care of your nutrition needs at the back of the pack.Ride about a bike length or closer from the rider in front of you, and pay attention totheir verbal warnings and hand signals regarding road obstacles, traffic and upcoming turnsand stops, and pass the message on to those behind you.Most importantly, be sure to smile a lot, ask a lot of questions and be a humble and safeambassador for the sport of triathlon. After a couple of rides the others may start askingyou questions about wetsuits, Body Glide and compression socks.

The Benefits of the Group Rides for Triathletes

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Cycling clinics are held each winter/early spring in the Thompson SweatLodge (i.e. their basement) once a weekfor 6 weeks. This year the clinics fo-cused on getting the most of an indoorcycling workout. Cycling expert, RogerThompson, led the workouts and gaveinstruction about proper cycling tech-nique, drill work, and intervals. Therewas nutrition provided by Powerbarand entertainment often provided bythe Tour de France on the big screenor occasionally by the Thompsons’ 2year-old, Owen.

“The cycling clinics were a wonderfulexperience for me! I learned aboutproper cycling technique – try to limitrocking side-to-side, full range of mo-tion with my legs while cycling—I neverthought about those things before Rog-er spoke about them—very help-ful! The cycling with one leg drill wasreally useful too! The music and videoskept me interested. Really appreciatedthe opportunity to “ride” with such ex-perienced cyclists.”–Jennifer Durand

“I enjoyed connecting with the energythat doing things with Tri Fusion mem-bers gives me, especially during the longcold winter days.”–Sharon Underwood

“It's always great when top tier athletesare generous with thier time, tips andspace. I learned that "tempo" ride isn'tthe same as "easy" ride. I learned thescience behind the benefit of temposegments on trainer rides as they relateto developing the force necessary toovercome the most challenging parts ofa ride or race. Also, suffrage is moretolerable and more fun when surround-ed by teammates and friends.”–David DennisonHere’s what some of the members had to

say about their experience:

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“One of the elements I like about theThompson Indoor Bike Clinics is thecamaraderie. When people show upthey're usually in a good mood and ifthey're not, they are when theyleave. The workouts are positive, up-beat and designed with a pur-pose. There's also nice variety of nutri-tion samples to keep are legs pumping!If anyone is looking for a fun, efficientand quality indoor bike ride, I'd encour-age them to give it a try.”– Dave Erickson

“This was my first exposure to an actualbiking clinic, after decades of riding abike. And it was wonderful! Jessi andRoger invited us into their home and Iimmediately felt welcomed. Not onlyby them, but the others joining in theclinic. Music, bike/tri video and greatcompany made the hour and a half flyby. What I felt was helpful were thevarious drills: tempo (low cadence), in-tervals (with high cadence), steady,etc. In getting ready for other rides andmy cross country trip, I had never putrecovery sections into my train-ing. Lesson learned : ) Their direc-tion and explanations, when I wasn'tsure what I should be doing, were veryspecific and helpful. Loved the ses-sions!”–Mary Stockinger

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High-intensity interval sessions are key for boosting fitness. Here’s how to work them intoyour training.While endurance buffs often revel in long, slow runs, any good training regimen will alsoinclude some high-intensity sessions. This often comes in the form of interval training,which can create significant jumps in fitness. “Ultimately, as endurance athletes, we wantto be able to sustain as fast a speed as possible over the duration of our events,” says Kris-ta A. Schultz, an exercise physiologist and triathlon coach for Endurance Works in Boulder,Colo. “Proper training including workouts aimed at increasing speed will improve one’s lac-tate threshold (LT), the point at which lactate is produced at such a rapid rate it cannot becleared. The benefit of interval training is that it helps us increase our LT.”

New research offers insight into the ideal length of the intervals themselves, as well as howto best recover. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic pulled together 37 separate studies on in-terval training and VO2max to get a clearer picture of what scientists collectively knowabout interval training. They identified 3–5-minute intervals as being the most effective.

Another recent study out of Great Britain examined the recovery piece. While some coachesfavor complete rest between intervals, this research revealed that active recovery wasmore effective in clearing metabolites from the muscles. This, in turn, allows athletes to re-cover faster between high-intensity bouts when they keep moving, which also likely leadsto better performance during those subsequent intervals. “Running easy or jogging be-tween intervals will help clear lactic acid quicker because it is being reused as fuel at a fast-er rate when you’re moving around,” Schultz says.

The next time you’re headed to the track or trail for some high-intensity training, considerthe following workouts. Start with workout 1 before graduating to 2 and 3. Keep in mindthat intervals should not be performed all-out. This means that it should feel difficult, butyou shouldn’t be sprinting. The point of these workouts is to be able to do multiple inter-vals, not crash and burn after the first couple.

Interval Workout 1- Warm up 10 min- 5×3 min at 5K pace- Jog easy for 3 min between each- Cool down 10 minInterval Workout 2- Warm up 10 min- 4×4 min at 5K pace- Jog easy for 2 min between each- Cool down 10 minInterval Workout 3- Warm up 10 min- 4×5 min at 5K pace- Jog easy 2:30 between each- Cool down 10 min

The

Perfect

Running

Interval

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Last weekend I finished one of those races that, up-on reaching the finish line, makes you feel likeyou're exactly where you want to be. For those ofyou who raced the Snake River Half Marathon,you likely felt the same way I did waking up thatmorning: fearful of wind so strong as to blow us allinto the river. I know I woke up to winds out of thenorth that made the house creak and the Americanflag hanging off our porch assume a new resting po-sition in horizontal. For a race already known for itsstrong headwinds, I knew it could only be worse ifadditional winds were forecasted, too.

Bryan and I considered staying home. In hindsight,that would have been our first and only mistake ofthe day. If we'd never have driven down to the race,we likely wouldn't have run at all that day. The clos-er we got to Wawawai landing, the calmer it felt. Welooked down to the Snake River driving down Wa-wawai grade, taking in the view of a river free ofwhite caps.

I had a long warm up to do considering the temper-atures hovered in the low 30s. It precluded a fastrace start. I started out running with B&B PhysicalTherapy owner and TriFusion sponsor, Mike Laufferand his friend. My coach advised me to start outconservatively, but if the pre-race adrenaline causedme to run faster than my goal pace, I was only al-lowed to take advantage of it in the first 5k. Usingthis as my motivation, I bridged a gap betweenMike's group and the group I desired to run in: theone led by Russell-the-work-horse-Abrams. Tobridge my gap, I found myself running about a6:50min/mile pace, which fell just on the boundaryI'd established for myself as too fast.

Nonetheless, I'd just passed the 3-mile marker andsnuggled in close to Lora Jackson running behindher man, Russ. We ran comfortably behind him un-til the 5th mile marker when Russ began to lose hissteam. After giving him my thanks, Lora, AllisonBeall Chauvin, and myself struck out against the

headwind to the turna-round point, at whichpoint the strong headwind

turned into a billowing tail wind. The hardest workof the race had just concluded. Now, all that re-mained involved a tough mental game.

Allison and I ran together for much of the way backuntil about mile 12. At this point, I reveled in thefeeling of legs that had not completely given outyet. I began to thank myself for running conserva-tively up until then. I don't think I've run a racefeeling as though I had a substantial kick to use tothe finish line. The last time I'd run this race, my feetburned for the last 4 miles. This time Ruby's Lubesuccessfully kept my feet comfortable, even pre-venting the calluses on my arches from turning toblisters as they've been known to do in the past.

I pushed myself to the finish line, and with the fin-isher's clock visible in the last half a mile, it served asincredible motivation that contributed to a nearly 1-minute PR. I finished 2nd in my age group with atime of 1:28:53, happy to have followed myplan, exhausted from a hard effort, grateful to haveavoided a disastrous flop.

It definitely set me up well for this final 6-week pushto the Boston Marathon. This morning, I used lastweekend's race experience to propel me through my17+ mile training run with my pup. Maci and I ranfrom home to the YMCA. Bryan found us mid-runto hand out water, then continued on to the gymto swim. While he swam, Maci and I made our waythrough Whitworth campus before approaching theY. We ate a snack, I sat in the hot tub and stretched,and we cleaned up all before the rain began to fall.

Currently, Maci sleeps swaddled in her blanket,snuggled as close to me as our bodies will allow. Iam anxious for what next week's training plan has instore. Most importantly, I am blessed.

-Meghan Faulkenberry

Snake River Half marathon = complete success

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Marda Berg

Member since: August 2013

Branch Manager for Moneytree

“A” Race 2014: Yellowstone ½ marathon and Wunder-woman Olympic

Swim, Bike or Run: Bike, I don’t have to think so much on the bike, I can just go and lose my-self in the ride.

My Song(s): Old 80’s rock bands for the most part, Queensryche, Judies Priest, Motley Crueetc.

Biggest Challenge in races:Convincing myself I can swim that far!

Proudest Moment: The day my son was born.

Pet Peeve: People who say they can’t do something about their fitness level. If I can ac-complish what I have then anyone can.

Perfect Day: Coffee watching the sun rise while playing with the dog. Then a stolen bit oftime with the husband, a hike or anything active with the family and a nice movie orgood romance book to end the day with.

Indulgence: Pizza! It’s my favorite cheat!

To be a veterinarian. Didn’t quite finish that up but I have a house fullof furry children and am happy where my life has lead.

Best Quote: If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never accomplish anything….unknown

My Life My Tri

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Steve Orvik

Member since: 2014

Occupation: Pressure Control-man at Avista Utilities

“A” Race 2014 : Troika- this will be my first ever Triathlonand I am stoked.

Swim, Bike or Run : Running- of the three, this was my firstpassion.

My Song(s) Anything by Pearl Jam!

Biggest Challenge in races: I will tell you after Troika.

Proudest Moment: I have four of them and they don't have anything to do with racing. Mar-rying my best friend and the birth of my three girls.

Pet Peeve: People who throw their cigarette butts out the window. I don't care who youare… That's nasty.

Perfect Day: Sunshine, Beach and a whole lot of free time.

Indulgence: Anything that sounds like, looks like or tastes like a cookie.

Childhood Ambition: To be a superhero. Ironically, I always thought Aquaman was cool. Oneof the more underrated superheros. I felt sorry for him because he never got his ownmovie. ):

Best Quote: "Looks like you've been missing a lot of work lately……….."I wouldn't say I'vebeen "missing " it, Bob." Peter Gibbons-Office Space

My Life My Tri

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PROTEIN WAFFLES & jam

1/2 c Quick Oats

2 egg whites

1 scoop of your favorite protein

powder

1/2 c. water

Mix, Cook, Enjoy... calories 314,

protein 37, carbs 30, fat 5

Top with whatever you like, Mindy adds this jam as it's healthfull

and easy to make on the spot

1/2c. berries (any kind)

1 Tbs coconut oil

1 packet Truvia (or sweetner of your choice)

blender, mash mix however you wish and enjoy

cal 152, prot 1, carb 7, fat 14

- Marda Berg

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adapted from White on Rice Couple1/4 cup Meyer lemon juice1/4 cup olive oilabout 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar2 teaspoons Dijon mustard2 cloves garlic, crushed

Place all ingredients in a small liquid measuring cup. Use animmersion blender to combine all the ingredients, or whiskvigorously by hand. Drizzle over a bed of mixed greens and

fruits, toasted nuts, and feta cheese.dressing in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Mexican Green Goddess Dressing

1 cup pepitas (raw)

1 tbsp ground coriander

1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves(stems will make the

dressing bitter)

juice and zest of 2 limes

6 green onions,light green and white parts only

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 large pinch salt

3/4 cup olive oil

water as needed

Place all ingredients in a canning jar except water in a quart size canning jar. Using an

immersion blender, blend until smooth. Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time until de-

sired consistency is reached, up to 1/2 cup.

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Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Ingredients:

8 fajita-size tortillas (flour, corn or whole wheat)

2 cups roasted sweet potatoes, cubed

1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, rinsed and slightly

mashed (you can also substitute refried black beans)

1 small onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1 small jar salsa (we used a mango salsa)

1 small jar green salsa verde

1 cup grated cheese such as cheddar or Monterey Jack

Sour cream, sliced avocado and cilantro for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a bowl mix together the mashed black beans, minced onion, garlic,

cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.

3. In a large casserole dish, cover the bottom with half of the green salsa

verde. On a tortilla spread a generous amount of the mashed black bean

mixture and add some of the sweet potatoes. Add a heaping spoonful of sal-

sa, a small out amount of the grated cheese. Fold the tortilla over and place

in the casserole dish and repeat with remaining tortillas.

Once all of the enchiladas are assembled, pour the remaining green salsa

verde over the tops and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melt-

ed and the tortillas are slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and

top with sour cream, avocado and fresh cilantro

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THANK YOU to our amazing SPONSERS

Eric Byrd— Membership Director

Jarod Crook— Treasure

Meghan Faulkenberry— Mentor Director

& Sponsorship Liason

Natalie Gallagher— Social Director

Greg Gallagher— Vice President

Rene Guerrero— Website Director

Melissa Erickson— Clothing Director

Alison Stitt— Newsletter Director

Jessi Thompson— Secretary

Roger Thompson— President

TRAINING OPPORTUNITES

Masters Swim offered FREE toTrifusion members most Sundaymornings 8:30AM @ Whitworth.Be sure to sign up on the Forumas limited spots

Lots of workout opportunitiesposted on the Tri-Fusion websiteforum and/or Facebook page,Race Reach. Also a great placefor all members to post theirworkouts that is open to public

SOCIAL EVENTS

Check out the Race Reach on theTri-fusion Facebook page for anyupcoming Social Events! Lots ofclub training opportunities listedand see who else you can swim/ride/run with.

RACES

April 21, Boston Marathon

April 27, Lilac Century Ride

May 3, Ironman 70.3 St. George

May 4, Bloomsday

May 25, Couer d’Alene half/fullmarathon

May 31, Troika

June 1, Windermere Half/Fullmarathon

June 7, Moses Lake Olympic

June 7, Boise 70.3

June 14, Yellowstone Halfmarathon

June 14, Tri-Fusion kids triathlon

June 29, Couer d’Alene Ironman

Check the Tri-fusion FACEBOOKRace Reach for more Races listed onthe calendar and see who else is partic-ipating at such events.

Also check out active.com for localevents, or city of your choice for rac-ing opportunities.

MEETINGS:

May 21, 6:30pm @ WandermereTwigs Bistro and Martini Bar.You can RSVP for this meetingon RACE REACH on the Tri-Fusion Facebook page. Get reg-istered to stay connected!

April/May/June 2014