Weekly Newsletter 6 january 2014

First Race for 2014

Our first race for the year saw 87 members tackle the Run-Swim-Run, whilst rain threatened fantastic conditions made for some good racing & some interesting duels with the bike out of the equation. Full race results are available on the web site.

We are back to our normal format for the next race on the 19th January, please remember to be ready for a 6:30am start as the roads & jetty area is still likely to be quite busy.

Championships – Forster 6th April 2014
Within the next week entries for this year’s NSW Club Championships will open via the www.trinsw.org.au website. Without doubt the event will again be a sell-out so please don’t leave your entry too late. In the past some members have missed out so again PLEASE GET YOUR ENTRY IN ASAP. This year we are is offering a $20 discount off your entry fee for all Coffs Tri club members and while comparisons may be made to certain Rugby League clubs (think Manly and the Roosters) who buy premierships, this weekend is about getting together as a club. Yeah right!!

As usual the club has accommodation booked at the Foster Holiday Village for Friday and Saturday nights. Thanks to those members who have indicated your interest and now is the time to commit financially. You will need to transfer $80.00 into our club BCU account BSB 704328 account number 197693. This will get you two nights’ accommodation, pizza and drinks on Saturday night plus a irreplaceable and highly sought after club champs T shirt. Please remember to put you name as a reference.

We also welcome any members who can’t stay but intend coming down to race, your presence will be greatly appreciated.

If you have any questions please contact club President Michael Dougherty [email protected] or 0418 210 207.

As a famous American President once said “Ask not what your club can do for you, but what you can do for your club” or something like that.

LIFE EXPECTANCY?- By Club Coach Andrew Rowlings
Not for you... for your shoes!
How long should you keep using that favoured pair of runners before (reluctantly) purchasing replacements?
As with all things in our life, there is not cut-and-dried true-and-tested fail-safe formula to follow when it comes to mileage from your shoes.
Are you getting muscle or joint soreness?
Are the soles wearing away unevenly?
Do you have recurring injuries?
Can you rotate your shoes, or have only one pair?
Do you look after your runners (air them and dry them after use) or throw them in a dark corner until next time?
What surfaces do you predominantly run on?
Are you heavier framed?

All the above have a bearing on how long you can expect to use each set of running shoes.

I would expect the average triathlon club member to anticipate getting somewhere between 450 and 750km from a pair of running shoes.

Should you choose a heavier model for the majority of your runs, you would be looking at the upper end of the 750km figure.

On the other hand, if you do the majority of your work in a pair of lightweight racing flats, it is likely you will be at the lower end of the scale.

Although your shoes may look in good condition to the naked eye, through constant use the absorption factor can be dramatically reduced, so that despite the appearance showing little wear, the soles have become compressed and no longer offer the same protection they did when newly purchased.

Should you begin to get soreness through the lower limbs, it may be time to grab a new pair of shoes and get back to enjoying those runs rather than surviving from one sore day to the next.

Ideally it is nice to have more than one pair in use, rotating shoes so that the life of them is extended fractionally, as well as ensuring you always have a suitable pair available should your favourites reach their use by date.

At any one time I have 12-14 useable pairs of shoes in the garage. Probably a bit excessive, but there is a pair for every workout over every distance, and in all stages of being "broken in".

When in use the midsole becomes fatigued over the course of your run and then needs time to rebound in between sessions to return to its original, bouncy state. After a few hundred kilometres, the midsole breaks down to the point where it no longer offers the same level of shock absorption on footfall. The shoe doesn’t have the rebound properties that it once did. Niggling aches and pains begin to appear. You’re not injured, but your body is talking to you. It’s telling you that your shoes need changing. You should listen.

As you buy a new set of shoes, consider keeping a log of their mileage in your training diary you have one of those, right?)

When those little aches appear in the lower limbs, flick back through the log and add up the total number of kilometres you have run in those shoes.

Once that figure gets around the 700km mark, get down to the running shop and try on a new shoe of the same model. Feel the difference?

Remember that although a new set of shoes every few months may seem expensive, it is far more appealing than a mountainous physio bill and the frustration of a rehabilitation schedule that could have been avoided.

Quote of the week
"There is nothing about a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
Buckminster Fuller

"A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner:
Inside of me there are two dogs.
One of the dogs is mean and evil.
The other dog is good.
The mean dog fights the good dog all the time.
When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied,
The one I feed the most.
And you know how you eat tells much about who you are!"
George Bernard Shaw