Registration for the Fall Season will open up later this week, so stay tuned. We will be training for Texas Adventure Racing's Huntsville Hammer being held on Saturday, November 13th.

If you know of anyone looking to learn more about adventure racing or our training programs, please invite them to attend one of our practices for free (must check in with organizer or coach first to sign waivers). Guest limited to one free practice per season; club race excluded.

New Member registration is $135 or returning members $110 for the 11 week Fall Season.

Hyponatremia vs. Dehydration
By Steve Mertz

A lot of people taking up any kind of sports or workout routine is probably familiar with dehydration. Where you don't drink enough water or sports drink to replenish what you sweat out. What a lot of people are unaware of is the opposite problem, where you drink too much water and end up with hyponatremia (also known as water poisoning or hyper-hydration). Hyponatremia can be even more of a problem than dehydration as it becomes fatal more quickly. But before you start freaking out, it is very simple to keep it from happening.

What is hyponatremia? It's quite simply when you have a depletion of electrolytes (salt) in your blood from drinking too much water and not taking enough electrolytes at the same time. So, up front on hot days and long workouts or races, drink sports drinks or take electrolytes with your water and you will avoid this problem!

Paddling Big Bend
By Asst. Coach Gabe Haarsma

So we have gone backpacking the last trip, this time we are going for a river trip. Flowing through the Texas-Mexico desert, the Rio Grande River offers spectacular views of high mountains, the desert floor, wild animals, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, breathtaking flora and fauna and just about everything except signs of civilization. This is truly the heart and soul of the Wild and Scenic River, providing outstanding opportunities for solitude and a great paddle.

Gear List: You will need pretty much everything from the backpacking trip, except trade in your backpack for a large drybag. Weight is less of a concern than with backpacking, so you can take some brewskis with you and try to cook a little nicer by leaving the freeze dried entrees behind.

By Katharine McCoy
Road Bike Action for Active.com

Sometimes, the one thing that keeps us off of our bike is the one this that should be making us get on it: stress.

Stress is a major buzz word, so much so that it has become almost meaningless. We all use it and we all feel it, especially when economically tough times are upon us and especially during busy times. Unfortunately, sometimes, when we are too busy and feeling stressed, the most important stress buster that we have in our anti-stress arsenal are eliminated: exercise.

Don't forget about our referral program as you gear up for the Fall Sesaon. This program, made possible by our sponsor, Volant Solutions, rewards current members of Houston Fit AR for referring new members. With one referral you get $25 off your Fall membership. With two, you get a free race jersey. And with three or more, your Fall Season membership is FREE!

Thanks to Bob & Joel for always catching the best photos out there while we race. Adventure racing is not always a spectator sport, sometimes being away from transition area for hours, so we appreciate you being out there in the action to capture those moments!

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.