Our spring training season is well under way.
In fact, we are at the halfway point now!
We have
experienced 30 degree weather up to 70 degree
weather in one week. We have had snow and
weeks of rain, however, that hasn't stopped
many of you from training diligently towards your
fitness and race goals. Way to go and keep
up the hard work!
You've Got This! |
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By Fayza Elmostehi
Look at you, kid. You've made it to your
second month!
But you're not feeling so victorious in your
achievement. Your archenemy is an inflatable
boat
that won't cease spinning in circles. Trees
seem to
sprout legs when you're on the bike trails,
and the
roots are always sticking a foot into your
path. Your
compass doesn't work, or, well, maybe you
just have
no idea how to use it. And pace counting always
seems to land you too far north of the
checkpoint. "Staying found"? Forget it!
You're just
trying to stay in the game. You can't fathom
calling
yourself a "vet" in the next 30 years, and
right now,
you're not sure if you can even really deem
yourself
an "adventure racer" at all.
Believe it or not, we've all been there. And
we know
what you're feeling. Just keep going.
Yup. Keep going. Because in a few months, when
you're talking shop about endos, dead
reckoning, race
pace, and cadence, and you're banging out
races on a
regular basis, you'll barely recall your
current self.
You'll get to a point when you can't even
imagine how
you pedaled without clips or how you ever, ever
paddled a Sevy. You'll giggle at the idea of
misplotting
a point. You'll know the ins, and you'll
know the outs.
Like it was a reflex; like you knew all
along. Really.
Truly. That'll all happen.
But right now, you're not there yet. Yet.
That's okay.
You're not supposed to be. Don't fret. You
will get
there. Guaranteed. Just keep going.
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Nutritional Corner |
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Nutrition for 1-2 Hours of Training
By Steve Mertz
So last month we covered hydration and what
to drink and when to drink it. Now we need to
know
what to eat, and when to eat it!
When working out for less than an hour, you
don't really have to worry about eating. You
have enough glycogen (carbohydrates) in your
muscles to get you through it. But, what
about if you go beyond that one hour? Well
you need to start to replenish your glycogen
levels. You can burn on the order of
500-1,000 calories per hour easily while
training or racing. But you cannot ingest
that much per hour. Your body just cannot do
that while also working.
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Can you Buy Speed on your Bike? |
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By Jim Willis, Novice Bike Coach
Well the answer is yes! The weight of your
tires directly effects the speed at which
your muscles can rotate that weight. The
heavier the tire, the harder it is to keep
turning, the lighter you tire, the easier it
is to keep turning. The advantages of a
lighter tire weight are more noticeable on
smoother roads then on curvy technical
trails, due to higher speeds on roads. There
is a another speed feature speed on your tire
you should be aware of, the center bead.
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Partner Spotlight |
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Cheering Section |
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NAV TEXAS (02/21/2010)
Navigation Race
HFAR (Kelley Simmons) - 3rd Overall
Win in spite of Jen (Bobby Kitchen) -
4th Overall
Time Bandit (Taylor Powell) - 5th
Overall
Multi-National suit case Traveler (Nicki
Adams) - 6th Overall
KBO (Kevin Bowen)
HFAR/Divide By Zero (Josh Thompson)
Helena Handbasket / Scalpel (Cynthia Bryan &
Helena Finley)
Not A Couple (Sharon Mensik & Don Hunt)
Shoaf (Scott Shoaf)
Wild Wendigo Adventure Race
(02/27/2010)
Sprint
Pumpkin Pie/HFAR - 2nd Coed Masters
HoustonFitAR.com - 2nd Coed
Oasis Racing/HFAR - 4th Coed Masters
HFAR Ho'mance - 4th Coed
Galant Wookies/HFAR - 1st ADVENTURE
RACE!
Eco Lonestar Adventure Race
(03/06/2010)
12 Hour
Lonestar/HFAR - 1st Coed Masters
HFAR Knights - 2nd Coed
Werewolves of Austin/HFAR - 3rd Coed
HoustonFitAR.com - 5th Coed
Sprint
Biggy Small - 8th Coed
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Photo Gallery |
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(from left to right):
Asst. Coach Nicki plots her course at the
Texas Adventure Racing Nav Texas race. | Team
Lonestar / HFAR (Helena, Cynthia, and Will)
scored another top finish at Terra Firma
Eco Lonestar 12 hour race on Will's birthday!
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Newsletter Contributions |
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If you've got something to say, we want to
hear it!
Email Cody & Bambi at organizer@
houstonfitar.com
with your articles,
photos, story ideas or suggestions, and we
will try to
include them in our next issue.
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March Events |
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HFAR EVENTS
- 3/11 - Social
- 3/13 - Saturday Practice
- 3/20 - Saturday Practice
RACES AND EVENTS
- 3/06 - Terra Firma - Eco Lonestar Adventure
Race
- 3/13 - SteelSports.net - Pain in the Pines
Adventure Race
- 3/13 - Buffalo Bayou Regatta
- 3/14 - TMBRA - STORM Hill Country
Challenge
- 3/20 - GHORBA Short Track Stampede (Jack
Brooks Park)
- 3/21 - Texas Adventure Racing - Nav Texas
- Clinic & Race
- 3/27 - Too Cool Racing - Gnarly Naduah
Adventure
Race
- 3/28 - TMBRA - Bicycle Sport Shop Pace Bend
Race
COMMUNITY
- 3/11 - Advanced Bike Maintenance
(REI-Willowbrook)
- 3/13 - Advanced Bike Mechanics
(REI-Willowbrook)
- 3/13 - Bike Maintenance Basics
(REI-Westheimer)
- 3/13 - REI Members Only Garage Sale
(REI-Willowbrook)
- 3/23 - Bike Houston Regular Meeting
- 3/26 - 03/28 - Bayou City Art Festival
- 3/27 - Trash Bash (waterway cleanup)
HOLIDAYS & SPECIAL DAYS
- 3/03 - Texas Independence Day
- 3/14 - Daylight Saving Time Begins
- 3/17 - St. Patrick's Day
- 3/20 - Spring Begins
- 3/28 - Palm Sunday
BIRTHDAYS
- 3/09 - Vanessa R.
- 3/15 - Deissy A.
- 3/19 - Don H.
- 3/19 - Jim W.
- 3/20 - Cody H.
- 3/26 - Jeff H.
More events....
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