In the Bitterroot
Athlete Valley
August 2008

August photo gallery here

As I sit here in the store, on the eve of my shift at the Swim Team’s Elephant Ears Booth at the Fair, the last days of summer are upon us. With everyone’s busy summer schedule, Fall might be looking a bit more endearing to slow down and consider lounge lizardry…. But, fear not; Antara Sports will keep you thinking about fitness and living a healthy lifestyle throughout the fall and winter. Monthly talks will begin in September beginning with a Kangen water presentation on the benefits of drinking alkaline/antioxidant water for health and fitness.

A few days later I am writing…. Labor Day! Alas, Fall has crept up on us with the rain and cloud cover. What a great summer we had. It is one for the record books with only about three days of smoke and about the same for over 100 degrees. We put in as many Como Lake swims as we could get. Steve Gideon placed first in the Hayward Classic Track event in Eugene running a 2:10:70 for the 800 and a 58:07 for the 400. He also got a great picture with an Antara Sports shirt at the DMZ in South Korea this summer. Matt Guzik and Josh Alexander both qualified, again, for the Boston Marathon while at the Pocatello Marathon this past weekend. Josh came in 6th overall at 3:06:41 and Matt came in 10th at 3:11:31. (Matt and Josh are also guiding a 15-week marathon [or half] training with Monday night and Saturday morning runs. Please call, email or come in for more info. Week two is just beginning.) I know there were a bunch of other events and major accomplishments going on this summer…tell me your experiences...these are just a few.

Triathlon Update

August held some excellent eventsincluding the Scenic Challenge in Coeur d’Alene with 1300 participants, Whitefish (Photos by Bob Blazek, Free Time Productions and our hometown favorite, the Bitterroot Classic Triathlon (BCT), which endeared many to consider doing this event next year. The BCT wasa very successful local event. It seemed like everyone in town knew someone who was involved. There were a lot of newcomers toosuch as Dr. Peter Silcher, Pete Dunn, and the Recht family. There are some great pictures andresults on line at: www.bitterrootclassictriathlon.com . It was a full day, starting out cold, 38 degrees and ending up in the 80s. But, with a sense of accomplishment and a good workout, it was a day that will be well remembered and we are all looking forward to receiving the DVD once again documenting the event and proudly displaying so many well-known faces…coming out around Christmas.

September 6th was the Garden City Triathlon at French Town Pond, in which half a dozen Bitterrooters will be participated. This will be the last tri of the season for many around this area. Others like Justin Yetter will continue training for an IronMan out of state such as in Arizona.

Runner Update

Runners and walkers – Saturdays are starting up again at 8:00AM out of the shop. Matt Guzik lead the run last Saturday up to a 10 miler. All levels are WELCOME no matter what your mileage!…I’m not up for a 10 miler yet! We are looking for power walkers too. We want everyone to have someone to run/walk with. There are places to turn around for your workout. Mondays at 5:45 are alternating track workouts and hill repeats starting from the shop. Track workouts increase your speed and familiarize you with your pace. Hill workouts put you at a great advantage against those who do not train on hills. You can see it at races and events like Bloomsday in Spokane where a little hill will psych out some people that aren’t used to them and you will run by them as you see them walking. Come and join us for any distance. Note a few links for event runs coming up in Missoula and at the Daly mansion.

Monday, Sept. 1, four of us did hill repeats in the light rain. It was perfect running weather and we felt great after we were done. It is nice as Hannah put it…”when you run, you can eat anything you want….” Last Saturday we had 5 people running 4 to 8 miles from the shop and a group along with Coach Gideon’s Cross Country team did the trail run around Lake Como, 7.75 miles.

Biker Update

Tuesday evenings remain the best time to do a group road bike ride and Sunday rides are available too. Tuesdays, riders are meeting with Quintin Apedaile near the Main Street Bridge at 6:00. Sundays, riders meet with Jim Wood and Steve Gideon at 9:00 at River Rising. You can go short or long just cut out when you need to. There are a lot of nice Fall days of riding ahead. I have some bike tights (with bike pad) and warmer jerseys and jackets by Sugoi and more coming in by Zoot, Pearl Izumi and Hincapie Sportswear.

Fall and winter is a great time to build strength and core conditioning by weight lifting (also great for bones and preventing osteoporosis), yoga, spinning, aerobics, and always swimming. (I will carry suits, goggles and caps all winter…including water aerobics suits with more support.) Mike Stahl said that his regular exercise schedule lowered his insulin levels by 30 points to where he no longer takes medication as a Type II diabetic. You can’t beat staying fit all year, feeling good, looking younger, and doing something good for your heart and overall health. It is a lifestyle to maintain your fitness and strength all year.

Keep up the good work and watch for the first presentation on Wednesday, September 17th about Kangen water with Barry Wilcox. And thank you for spreading the word for me about the athletic wear, lingerie and shoes I carry. I appreciate your kind words to stimulate the local economy!

Thank you and endorphin cheers to you,