In the Bitterroot
Athlete Valley
July 2008

new events added: Whitefish (8/24) & Polson Lake (8/2) swims –1 mile each

Run Review

June 21st we had our first run at Como. It was beautiful at 8:30 in the morning. Four of us did the trail run to the falls. The air was fresh, birds chirped, and the creeks babbled. Since the run to the falls felt like it was down hill, I expected the return to be uphill; but it also ran like it was down hill! It was 6.2 miles. We then did a “token” swim since it was already 10:20 after fall/trail pictures and such.

The next week, Justin saw a moose on the trail. Justin took off one way and the moose the other!

July 5th, I was on the trail by myself, 8:30 am. Howard and Liesel came to the beach with a beautiful wooden canoe that he built. They took off paddling in the morning silence. Since I had a full triathlon workout the day before, I was tired. So I decided to walk. I walked from the beach to the falls’ trail to the end of the pavement. It was so peaceful and quiet. I sat down and enjoyed the scenery and peacefulness and watched Howard and Leisel paddle toward the falls. I thought, “This is nice. Nobody is coming down the trail…it is only me today…so I’ll sit and enjoy nature.” After a while I got up and walked back.

I made the rounds at the Market for the first time this summer enjoying the sights, sounds, and friendly faces. Then I went to Valley Bike for cat eye instructions. Then I started to itch. I headed to my store, itching some more. I was itching and itching.

Finally, I got to check out what I was itching and discovered that I had been bitten almost 100 times on the back of my thighs. I am pretty sure it happened when I was sitting on the bench. I think it might have been fire ants?? Do we have them here? But, they were mosquito size bites?? If there had been other runners, I wouldn’t have sat down! I need YOU! Please come run next Saturday and don’t let me sit on that last bench!!

Other Goings On

The following events represent a very busy calendar. From July 21st to Aug 8th is rather quiet and a time to regroup for the next onslaught of events.

June 16th, track workouts began with Coach Gideon at the Hamilton Track. Everyone who has done it agrees that track workouts help your speed. 5:45/6:00pm at the track on Mondays.

A swimming BBQ on June 25th was hosted by Beth Fischer at Lake Como…some swam, some just ate, and some had a cold lake swim without a wetsuit!

The Ratpod, benefiting Camp Make-a-Dream, was attended by a number of Bitterrooters on June 28th. The 130-mile bike ride around the Pioneer Mountains was a perfect day. Participants included: Jim Wood, Steve Gideon, John List, Lisa Kersher and others.

The 28th was also the Lolo Mountain to Meadow Trail Half Marathon. The first annual was a success. Lisa Phillips, Stan Doran, and others ran the scenic backroads. The coordinator, Colleen Mathison said that 200 people attended—more than they expected. Results click here

June 28th & 29th, the Bitterroot Swim Team had a meet at the Aquatic Center. It looked like tent city with other town teams camping out. The weather was hot and our team was in top form winning the overall points. Antara Sports had a booth on Sunday and sold a number of goggles, suits and shorts. I will be looking to attend a triathlon or two that I am not participating in for booth sales as it was excellent crowd exposure.

July 13th was the Missoula Marathon and the Helena Spring Meadow Triathlon. The triathlon was attended by Bitterrooters Greg Bremer, Dr. Kirk Crews, Donn Livoni, John Croft and Antara. Greg & Antara got first place medals in their age groups, Dr. Crews was third in his and the results page cut off after that….

The Missoula Marathon had a number of Valley participants including Matt Guzik and Josh Alexander who ran as pacers holding flags for their mile pace. Jeremy Oury ran the half for pledges and raised money for the Bitterroot Youth Home. He requested support via email claiming that he was “…an out-of-shape slug.” Click here for a great write up on his experience. Other half/marathoners that I am aware of were: Jamie Wood, Carolyn Yetter, Stan Doran, Roland (?) and…time to start writing names down!!

July 19th was the One Helena Hundred century bike ride. It was a beautiful blue-sky, hot day along the Missouri River starting at Wolf Creek near Helena. More Bitterroot Athletes participated in this event for the first time. Laurie Anderson and Brian Lawless were a few.

July 20th was also the Xterra Wild Horse Creek Triathlon. Results click here. Justin Yetter, Christophe Tanvier, and Claire Checroun all participated on mountain bikes for this Bozeman triathlon. Justin was 13th for the overall men.

July 20th was the 1-mile Steve Omi Swim in Coeur d’Alene. Kristen Weese, Lisa Kersher, Susie Thomas and Antara all ventured up to the Lake and had a wonderful swim. The lake must have been around 66 degrees and was calm. It was a perfect day. Amy Mack, Richard (?) and Kari (?) from the Missoula Masters swimmers were also there. If you are a swimmer, check out the next two 1-mile swimming events, Whitefish and Polson, besides the Long Bridge 1.75 mile swim coming up in Sand Point, Sat., Aug. 2nd…same as Polson. (The Polson swim-Water Daze-is put on by Matt Seeley’s wife, Tannah.)

Taper Blues

Are you tapering for a race and experiencing depression? Local athletes talk about a mental fluctuation when physical activity decreases dramatically or stops all together. (Hence, exercise does produce feel-good endorphins!) How much do you need to taper for an upcoming event? How strenuous is the event? Is this depression real? What do you do to take care of it?? Most experienced athletes know to expect this physical/mental imbalance and some have regimens to accommodate these times.

Never heard of tapering? When preparing to be at the height of one’s physical best, athletes decrease their training workouts to save energy/glycogen/muscle fatigue. Some believe more rest is better, some believe less. It all comes down to knowing how your body responds. And of course that means having done it before. But if you are new at it and you know you feel like lead when you miss two or three days training or working out…then don’t do it before a race! Some athletes like to refrain from exercise two days before the race. Then the day before, they do minor stretch-out work outs (swim, bike, run, etc.) of whatever you feel you need to work on most. And of course you are monitoring what you eat—storing good carbohydrates and drinking water.

So what do you do if you do get the tapering blues? My opinion is that you could be tapering too much. Don’t wear yourself out working out, but do easier workouts during the week, decreasing output energy, rest more if you are doing a half or full Ironman. For sprint or Olympic distance, half or full marathons, possibly do ½ to 1 mile run the day before; and/or 300-500 yard swim; or 3-5 mile bike ride only. Maybe you are at a level you just want to have a good brisk walk. Just do something to mildly placate your Pituitary gland where your endorphins come from.

You can also decrease taper blues by doing something nice and pampering for yourself before the race. Watch an inspiring athletic movie or event (Rudy!); plan the event to involve your family; schedule a massage, a facial, a pedicure; enjoy relaxing and/or reading a good book; and of course, you can buy a new outfit for the race.! A little dark chocolate isn’t so bad either. And there is always St. John’s Wort, the herb, which reduces the blues at any time. Eat right, drink water, and taper according to what works with your physiology. You get to be very much in tune with your body and mind when you work out regularly.

Recovery is another story…but, the older we get, recovery supplements speed your recovery time. And then athletes differ for how much time off of exercise if any they may require after an event. Again, do what works for your physiology and your mental conditioning. Allow for enough recuperation to feel rested yet still be back to exercise regularly. Everyone is different. It is a balance you must find that works for you. (Here is something interesting)

Friendly Reminders:

• Antara Sports still has summer and triathlon wear on sale.
• We also have Direct TV and have been playing the Tour de France in the store. The Olympics will be televised in August. Some have gathered to watch the Tour at the store. We may need to do the same for the Olympics. The 10K swimming and triathlon events might be a possibility. No means to record though.
• Tell me about your summer adventures and events. Steve Gideon went to S. Korea for a Teaching Grant he was awarded. He will be wearing an Antara Sports shirt at the DMZ.
• If you do not eat a whole package of gel…don’t put open gels in your purse and forget about them! Don’t leave gels open in your car either…stand them up in the refrigerator…they keep.

Happy One-Month-Left of Summer,