Author Archives: Linda

ALL TERRAIN VEHICLES ASSUME A NEW ROLE

All Terrain Vehicles Assume a New Role – ATVs offer opportunities for sport, work and play.

It is often customary to run a line through outdoor activities dividing them between motorized and non-motorized. Paddling/motor boats, cycling/motorcycles, walking, running, hiking, cross country skiing/snowmobiles and ATVs. But the line blurs.

Shared passion involves a love of the outdoors, that visceral need to be outside on water or on the trail; appreciation of the land and loyalty to Vermont.

The landscape is changing. As users grow in number and respect, boots, mountain bikes, snowmobiles and ATVs segue from foe to friend replacing damage with care. New generations are repeating the admonition to be “good stewards of the land.”

What is an ATV?

A Google search offers a formal definition: “An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a quad, quad bike, three-wheeler, or four-wheeler, is defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along with handlebars for steering control.”

There are single rider models for, obviously, one person, and there are two-ups that accommodate an operator and one passenger. The latter seem to dominate the market today. There are ATVs for racing, touring and utility. As the price escalates, versatility broadens and the population of users grows exponentially.

To ride off-road, young and old alike are starting their engines on Arctic Cats, Kawasakis, Hondas, Yamahas, Rangers, Gators and even Slingshots. At this year’s Tunbridge World’s Fair two leaders in the field were represented: John Deere and Polaris.

Tom Trottier of South Royalton has known ATVs “my whole life,” currently working for the John Deere business his dad owns in Hartland.

“When we first started selling,” he said, “they were primarily work machines. Now they’re for recreation and hunting as well as work.”

People at the Fair who stop to look “come from all walks of life,” Trottier said. “Some have barely seen one before.”

Once a potential customer identifies the way in which he or she plans to use the ATV, there are decisions to be made and options to choose. “A customer needs the ATV to qualify for work, play or both,” Trottier said.

An ATV is an investment, starting about $8,000 and up to $18,000 or so. There’s more horsepower to be had, better shocks, maybe more speed. Safety features include seat belts, doors or nets. Gas or diesel, power steering, brush guards, winches ….

Mike Stone

Mike Stone, who lives in Orange and owns Stone’s Service Station in Barre, is passionate about both his sport and the state in which he lives. An energetic advocate of shared responsibility and community, he exudes enthusiasm for his ATV club, the maintenance of the roads and trails on which he rides, and the community in which he lives.

Stone has been involved with ATVs “for a lot of years,” he said. He began riding in the late 80s when there were no organized trail systems and he participated in what he calls “renegade riding.”

His interest began at around age 9 but quickly fanned into something more. Stone was that “kid that sat on the corner drooling,” watching Joey Laquerre on snow machines and bursting to get out there himself.

For Stone, an ATV offered a way to get out and see the backcountry. Today that means seeing the backcountry by means of a trail network designated for ATV use. Stone is a key player when it comes to trails. In fact, named as VASA “Trail Master of the Year,” Stone oversees and maintains trails, always with an eye on the future.

VASA, Vermont ATV Sportsman’s Association, initiated in 1998 by the West Rutland ATV Sportsman’s Club, operates similarly to VAST, the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers. Both organizations coordinate leadership, recreational use, trail design, education, events and community relationships in order to grow their sport safely and responsibly.

Old-school renegade riding is out. Today’s operators must know and obey clearly defined laws, register their ATVs and provide proof of insurance. As in other Vermont recreational activities, ATV users study, test and consequently earn certification of their successful completion safety education. (The safety education course is mandated for riders 12-18.)

Membership in one of the 18 clubs throughout the state offers further guidance regarding laws, safety and, of course, plenty of events to bring together like users to share the trails and have fun.

Stone, a member of the Central Vermont ATV club, moved to his 80 acres in Orange nine years ago. “How lovely, right in my back yard I can be legal,” he said of his easy access to a marked trail system.

Though to some the image of an ATV rider is young and reckless, like Stone, many contemporary users are mature. With a wide spectrum of ages represented, Stone estimates that the average age is 40, but with quite a few riders in their 60s-80s as touring and group rides increase in popularity.

What about the young and reckless? Of course, they’re still out there. Just the other day on one short drive home I watched a kid on an ATV speed along the shoreline of the Winooski, get tossed free when he rolled his machine, then jump back on and tear off.

On that same drive I was passed by more than one muddy ATV being transported on a trailer. Are these activities wrong? Wrong may be the wrong word. They are simply not the activities that I am discussing here. “Mud will ruin an ATV,” Stone said, and as a mechanic, he should know. “Brakes, bushings, bearings – gone in 3 years. Mud is for the greenhorns.” Responsible users would like to break that reputation.

Though certain designated Class 4 roads are appropriate for use, not all are. “To interconnect trails is do-able,” Stone said, but challenging and work-intensive. A legally integrated statewide trail system offers solutions and enticements to this growing sport.

Most often ATVs need to be trailered to a trailhead. A more extensive network with approved feeder trails would be helpful to a sport that encourages families and provides for young and old, fit and disabled.

Much relies on the cooperation of landowners. This is a common theme when it comes to building land or water trails of any kind and, as is always the case, those involved with the trails express their debt of gratitude to the landowners.

Stone has spent many hours talking with landowners, obtaining permission from most to use their land for trails. There are benefits to all parties. For example, building water bars makes a big difference as water is responsible for much damage. The landowner benefits; the user benefits.

“We’re all together,” Stone said, “snow machines, bikers, skiers, horseback riders. We all need to work together. It’s about us all taking pride, using our resources, all working together.” This is a recurring theme for Stone who is a compelling campaigner for the partnership of land and ATV use.

Is it a sense of ownership that encourages stewardship? Stone points to a recently built parking lot at a trailhead. “Everything was donated. It is a community trail. Anyone who wants to park there and support the trail is welcomed. Each user is expected to add to the upkeep.” Clean, functioning trails improve property. “It’s about people taking personal responsibility,” Stone said.

Vermont needs to play catch-up with neighboring states that are enjoying increased revenue from ATV tourist dollars. This year Stone rode 90 miles in Rangely, Maine, where he noted that the large trail system included access to towns, restaurants and stores. Woodsville and Gorham, New Hampshire, two other New England ATV destinations, offer long, well-groomed or surfaced trails that attract visitors.

Clubs run a full calendar of activities, some simply for fun but many for a purpose. Stone won this season’s big event, the Poker Run sponsored by VASA out of Danville. He also speaks proudly of the good being done by the Washington Club where the annual March spaghetti dinner and silent auction raise enough money to give to each fire department in W Topsham, Orange and Washington as well as send two kids a year to summer camp.

But it is that special time on the trail that Stone describes that intrigues and beckons. “It is a low-speed sport,” he said, “with an average of 15-20 mph. Over 20-25 mph and the machines don’t handle well. They’re not designed for it.”

Quieter than a snow machine and noisier than a car, what Stone likes to do is “stop and park and listen.” There are sights and sounds that can only be experienced away from traffic, in the woods, or on top of that distant, inaccessible hill. An ATV can take you there.

“My biggest thing,” Stone said, “is not what the state of Vermont can do for us. It’s what we can do for the state. It’s not all about money. We need to take responsibility for where we’re living. There’s a lot of good feeling out there.”

And Stone, a charismatic speaker for the ATV community, liberally shares “a lot of good feeling” about his sport and his state. He makes you want to get out there on the trails as much as you can; and then to take care of that privilege.

From the Rutland Herald & Times Argus Sunday Magazine section, ACTIVE VERMONT, by Linda Freeman, 10/4/2015.

MASSAGE NO LONGER A TOUCHY SUBJECT

MASSAGE – NO LONGER A TOUCHY SUBJECT

Sarah Bothfeld, 2015 (photo Larry Gilbert)

There was a time when the word massage conjured images of steamy locker rooms or steamier massage parlors. With the rising popularity of spas and costly pampering that only those with deep pockets and free time could afford, massage assumed a privileged space in which touch performed the task of pleasant soothing.

Today massage therapy is recognized as an effective tool to be used for those suffering from a multitude of physical and emotional problems and by those who seek overall wellness.

Taking this a step further, massage therapy is integral to fitness and athletic performance, preparation, recovery, and injury rehabilitation.

To learn more, I spoke with Sarah Bothfeld, a massage therapist who grew up in Northfield, currently resides in East Montpelier and practices in Montpelier.

Bothfeld offers this definition of massage therapy: “Massage is a gift to the self. It works on the physical, emotional and mental aspects of our being. It can relax, rejuvenate and rehabilitate soft tissue. For the athlete, the person living with chronic pain, the stressed and the recovering, touch with the intent to balance, heal, and support can be a great addition to one’s life.”

Bothfeld lives an active lifestyle and understands the importance of her work. As a child she dared to keep up with her two older brothers as they swam, biked, explored the woods and skied. The outdoors has been important to her family, especially her dad who led the way and continues to bring the family together to sugar each spring.

Bothfeld’s diverse background underpins her ability to relate to her clients. She taught school in Camden, Maine where she acquired a love of sailing, and a boat. When she “needed to get out of town and wanted to do something drastic,” she joined the Peace Corps and spent more than 2 years in Costa Rica where she was able to snorkel, swim, commute by bike and run, “until it was too hot.”

It was in Santa Fe, NM, where Bothfeld transitioned to her profession. Having completed a 1,000 hour program at the New Mexico Academy of Advanced Healing Arts, and with over 500 hours of continuing education during her 25 years experience, she continues today to practice her craft.

On weekdays Bothfeld can be found exercising daily in a gym before her first client arrives. On weekends she is outdoors hiking, paddling and gardening in the summer; skiing Nordic, back country, Alpine or telemark when the snow covers the ground.

Among other things, a massage therapist must be fit for the profession. There seems to be an average of 7 years in the work before a therapist moves on due to the stresses involved.

Is there a licensing procedure for therapists in Vermont? “I think it’s inevitable,” Bothfeld said. “We are one of only a few states where licensing is not required. It will come about as concern for the profession grows.”

Bothfeld is a member of the Amerian Massage Therapy Association, AMTA and a board certified massage therapist. “The AMTA is a professional organization that you join as an active member after graduation from an approved school or with approved credits,” she said. “They provide liability insurance, lobbying and funding toward research and information to the public.” Renewal every four years requires proof of continuing education credits.

A board certified massage therapist has met the standards of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, NCBTMB, by passing a test and reapplying every two years with appropriate CEUs, indicators of continuing professional excellence.

Exercise and performance involve much more than simply going through the motions, pounding the roads to run, turning the pedals or the paddles, lifting weights, and increasing muscular and cardiovascular strength by whatever means works for you or for your sport.

In Active Vermont you have read of the importance of nutrition, balance, flexibility, recreation and recovery. Today, we add another component, especially useful for those coming off an active summer season and moving into an autumn offseason.

If you do not already include massage as a part of your regular training schedule or wellness program, you might want to consider doing so. Don’t wait until you need it, though massage therapy is an excellent addition to recovery from injury, illness or surgery.

Stress relief through massage is valid, though not the entire picture.

Massage therapy comes in a variety of packages: deep tissue, Swedish (basic techniques that most learn for therapeutic or relaxation), shiatsu, Rolfing®, neuromuscular therapy, medical massage to address needs of oncology, lymph system, scar tissue, orthopedic problems, hypertension, chronic pain and more. As with medicine, the changing landscape of massage mandates specificity for individual needs.

Sarah Bothfeld, 2015 (photo by Larry Gilbert)

Athletes gravitate towards a form of sports massage that is functionally a composite of techniques.

A therapist massages muscles to reduce pain and fatigue, increase flexibility and circulation, blood flow, and broaden joint range of motion.

An athlete, for example, may complain of knee pain. Frequently the condition is diagnosed, somewhat surprisingly, as not difficulty with the bones in the knee joint, but as a tight illotibial band or IT band syndrome. IT band and even shin splints, are often caused by connective tissue that needs enhanced blood flow that massage stimulates.

Injury, tears, trauma and over use make a muscle group so tight that it can actually pull bones out of alignment and cause further complications, possibly preventable through massage.

While massage therapy used for recovery is a no-brainer, systematic inclusion in a training program helps preventatively by keeping the body nourished with blood which in turn enhances performance, releases toxins, reduces mental and physical stress and brings to the individual an increased self-awareness and knowledge.

How do you choose a massage therapist? Word of mouth or a referral from another trusted professional is one way to find a massage therapist, and perhaps the best way. Remember, however, that what works for one person may not work as well for another and you may want to try several different techniques and therapists.

Interview the therapist before scheduling your first appointment. If you are referred by a medical professional because of an auto accident or workman’s compensation, be sure to check with your insurance company as some treatment is covered.

Frequency of massage depends on individual budget, schedules and needs. Regular massage does, however, encourage consistent and continuing results and benefits.

Sarah Bothfeld, 2015 (photo by Larry Gilbert)

Massage is a therapy of touch. Touch is physical and has been a practice of healing arts for much of history. In a negative world, touch can be invasive and inappropriate. Used within the context of massage therapy, touch, gentle or powerful, is the means to an end. The technique of touch provides a way to enhance strength and energy, release tension and open the door to quality of life.

10 Tips to Get the Most From Your Massage

American Massage Therapy Association (www.amtamassage.org)

Be receptive.
Don’t eat just before your massage.
Be on time. Take a few minutes to settle, de-stress, before you enter the massage therapy room.
How much clothing do you need to remove? Speak frankly with your therapist, who will in turn offer you privacy to undress and dress. Most are comfortable removing all clothing. The technique of draping is a part of the practice of massage. Your body will be covered except for the area being massaged. Modesty is always respected.
This is a big one. You will meet with your therapist before the massage begins to discuss your treatment. You must speak freely of your condition, what you bring to your massage on that particular day. You should let you massage therapist know if you have a problem with the lotion used, the music, or even if you’d prefer to talk or not to talk during your massage. Let your therapist know if you have concerns or anxieties or if something is uncomfortable or insufficient during the massage. He or she wants to make certain that you receive effective work and is dedicated to that purpose.

SAFETY ON THE ROAD for ALL USERS

Vermont cyclist by Jeb Wallace Brodeur

When it comes to the measure of a wheel chair, stroller, tractor, horse, cyclist or pedestrian against a vehicle that carries passengers, tools, gravel or freight, there’s clearly no contest.

TAKING THE LEAD FOR SAFETY ON THE ROAD

On Sunday, September 13, I sat down with a cup of coffee and the Rutland Herald & Times Argus. Mike Smith’s Commentary entitled “My friend Tim” grabbed my attention. Oh man, I thought, here we go again. Another cycling story. Another cycling fatality. Is it hopeless? Is this ever going to go away? Will I ever get on my bike without thinking a dark thought about the end of my ride?

The answer to each of these questions is probably NO.

Smith spoke eloquently. Of the four cycling fatalities here in our Vermont this season, and that of his close friend, Tim, Smith drew three conclusions, three lessons, three positive actions to be taken. One was a no-brainer, something we know all too well and still fail to do. Say I love you and say it now.

A second was to pursue safety more aggressively and in doing so recognize the vulnerability of those inadequate to receive the force of a collision with a vehicle.

His third point forced me to write yet another editorial on pedestrian and cycling safety in this, our own small, very small, piece of the world. “Someone needs to stand up and lead,” Smith said. Well, yes. Oh so many of us support efforts to make our streets and roads safer for every user, but who is taking the lead? Are we simply saying “Yes, of course, something needs to be done, this is so sad, this is scary, this is tragic…” then wring our hands and walk away? Who will take the lead? Will you?

The first annual Kelly Brush Century Ride. photo supplied

We live in a generous, blended community. The day before reading Smith’s story, I had the privilege of participating in the Kelly Brush Century Ride out of Middlebury. We rode 100 miles across farmlands, along the Lake, through Panton, Vergennes, and Ferrisburg, past Mt. Philo, into Hinesburg, beside the Shelburne Museum and Wake Robin, back along the Lake, over Ferry Road, and making our way arduously back to Middlebury passing railroad tracks, highways, cows, even a curious horse walking down the middle of a country road. In so doing we cycled evenly through an enormous swath of people and lifestyles, culture and education, survival and affluence, and beauty.

Interestingly as I pedaled and often labored, I took particular notice of those helping us safely manipulate what could have been dangerous cross roads. The ride was well organized and those who assisted along the way did so with what I found to be surprising involvement. I was particularly struck by law enforcement officers, stationed for long hours on the road to stop traffic for a group of cyclists (boring, right?), who smiled, offered words of encouragement and even thanked us for doing what we were doing, riding to raise funds for a worthy cause. Very nice.

Motorists, with a few exceptions, were polite, curious, and cheerful.

We’re getting there. More often than not I find awareness creeping into the scene. Distracted drivers are quickly becoming the most dangerous drivers on the road. It’s not all about alcohol, drugs and talking on cell phones, though those are unquestionably murderous factors. Fatigue, medication, and simple daydreaming also come into play.

When a motorist maintains speed and shaves close to a cyclist or pedestrian, does he or she do so out of meanness or is that motorist just “out to lunch?”

Of course there are deliberate violations: the beverage cans hucked out the window at someone on the side of the road, the dump truck speeding by too close for comfort, the oncoming driver who lays on his horn when a courteous driver moves over a little.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that as a driving community, we are sharing the road more graciously. Perhaps more drivers are cycling, running or walking. Perhaps all that is written, spoken and urged is being heard.

Infrastructure is becoming a lead player in the efforts to make roads and streets safer for everyone. Earlier this year I wrote about the “11’ rule” that is being adopted in some areas. When roads are being built or repaired, the side line is uniformly marked 11’ from the center.

Have you driven on a road with rumble strips? How about the center lines that cause tires to shudder and whine? These get our attention. Is capturing attention what it’s all about?

There are states and countries with a better track record when it comes to road safety. Is it that those cultures include more use by non-motorists? Is it speed limits, shoulders, bike lanes or crosswalks?

REPORT FROM FRANCE

Andrew McCullough from Montpelier is currently living in Brittany, France in his second season racing for a Division 2 National French team. He speaks passionately and from experience about cycling safety, spending between 2 and 7 hours on the road daily. Cycling is his sport, his job, and his life.

What follows are excerpts from an email I received from McCullough earlier this summer following yet another Vermont fatality.

“ It seems like the dialogue that exists in addressing this issue is stuck in a repetitive cycle, and I want to avoid just repeating everything that has already been said.

With that, I do have a few thoughts that directly compare the driver-cyclist relationship in Vermont and Brittany, France. I am fortunate enough to have lived here now for two years, so I think I have a realistic image of what to expect from my interaction with cars.

This is not an exaggeration; in the two seasons I have been here I can count on two hands the number of times that I have had a bad experience with a vehicle. And in most cases this was only an angry honk.

When I hear about an incident back home involving a car and cyclist, it is tragic to say the least. The dialogue that follows though is even more heartbreaking. The dialogue that I hear afterwards adopts a tone, whether directly or indirectly, that suggests cyclists are taking up too much space on the road and are a basic annoyance that doesn’t belong on the road.

One question that I have sticks out to me: Why don’t I have the same problems here in Brittany that we have back home in Vermont?

The riding conditions here are extremely comparable to those in Vermont, even more extreme in some cases.99% of the roads that I ride on every day are no wider than many of the dirt roads in our area. In many cases these roads can become significantly narrower, barely enough for two cars to pass in opposite directions. These roads rarely have sight lines any longer than 200 feet and few shoulders. These roads are trafficked as often as those back home. The posted speed limit for all of these roads past town lines is 90km/hour. This is faster than 50 mph speed zones.

I train primarily by myself, but on team camps we will also be riding 2 abreast, 6 riders deep, and often times have a team car following behind us which takes up even more space in the road. This would be a recipe for disaster back home, but here doesn’t cause a problem.”

McCullough goes on to identify a criticism that our roads are inadequate for both cars and cyclists. The roads he rides in France are certainly not boulevards. “On a daily basis, when I am riding my bike here in France, cars that pass me routinely move completely across to the other lane to safely pass. They do this smoothly and without problems. Why?

First, I am not positive if this is a law here or not, but all cars tend to signal left when passing a cyclist. (Similar to how a car would signal shifting lanes on the interstate)This signals cars behind of an obstacle, and cars ahead to be aware of what’s happening. This could be a simple law to pass that may help.

Second, drivers seem to be more willing to adapt to changing driving conditions. I’ve had many cars pass me in this fashion despite there being an oncoming car. The car passing me gave me more room than with the other car. Similarly, the oncoming driver oftentimes seems to recognize this and also move right to provide additional space for everyone.

And third, if it doesn’t work, a driver waits; and I’ve had times where because of the rolling, winding road or because we had a full team on the road, the driver was stuck behind me for a pretty long time. No hard feelings.

I’ll also offer the converse. There are also times, when a driver has to pass me a bit closer than I would like. Whenever this happens, they do it slowly and in control. It is never malicious, ever.”

paceline

McCullough concludes that though a driver might anticipate that 100% of the lane is available exclusively for his or her use, it is not always so. Riders may help by forming a single line, but in the case of multiple riders, that line simply becomes a longer line to pass.

That a driver slow down is significant. Though cyclists, runners and other users are taught to ride or run predictably, things happen. A tire might hit a pebble the wrong way, a shoe might catch an edge or a bee sting a horse. I guess we’re back to awareness, aren’t we?

And, having someone step up to take the lead.

STEPPING UP TO TAKE THE LEAD

Vermont’s Lt. Gov. Phil Scott is taking the lead. The Vermont Highway Safety Alliance, AAA, Local Motion, State Police, VTrans and others are taking the lead.

To date this year, thirty-seven lives, have been lost on VT highways. Thirteen of these tragedies involved vulnerable users. It is time.

Vermont Road Users Rally for Safety

Friday, Sept. 25th

5:30pm, State House Lawn, Montpelier

Will you follow the lead? Join your family, friends and neighbors to hear what leaders Lt. Gov. Phil Scott and others have to say and how our community can work together to make our roads safe for everyone.

For more information contact Local Motion (802)861-2700

or go to www.highwaysafety.vermont.gov

Kelly Brush Century Ride

Kelly Brush Davisson has a story to tell and work to do. The Kelly Brush Century Ride, September 12, 2015, will help. It is a ride to savor, remember, and feel good about. Read below what was featured in the Rutland Herald & Times Argus ACTIVE VERMONT section on 8-23-2015.

Kelly Brush Davisson at the start of the 2014 Kelly Brush Century Ride

Active Vermont: ‘Getting people back to life’

As the story goes, Forest Carey, head alpine ski coach at Middlebury College in 2006, sent his athletes home for the summer with the mandate to each to “Raise $1,000 or don’t come back.”

Though there may not have been teeth in this charge, the 20 or so member team one-upped their coach by raising $60,000 for their injured teammate, Kelly Brush, to purchase adaptive equipment that would allow her to pursue her athletic dreams.

Today, Kelly Brush Davisson is still dipping into those funds.
But there’s far more to this story. Let’s go back to the beginning.

Kelly grew up skiing in Vermont and, after graduating from the Green Mountain Valley School, went on to ski for Middlebury College. Racing in February 2006, she crashed into a lift tower, broke her back, and became yet another in the growing number of spinal cord injuries.

The damage was done at T7 (the seventh disc of the thoracic spine located in the upper back) resulting in permanent and total paralysis from that point downward.

During a long and intensive rehabilitation, Kelly thought of her then-boyfriend, Zeke Davisson, her sister, Lindsay Brush, her parents, and her friends, all of whom were still out there on the slopes skiing and subject to the same risks.

“How could this have possibly happened to me?” she thought. Furthermore, what could she do to help prevent the same thing from happening to others?

At first she wanted to form a foundation to improve ski safety. “I felt like my life as an athlete was over,” she said. “then I learned I could get back.”

Getting back, however, is expensive. “It is so unfair for people who have this injury to be faced with higher life costs and then expensive equipment to help them live a full life.”

The Kelly Brush Foundation was born with a twofold purpose: to assist groups in promoting ski safety and, perhaps more significantly, to help injured individuals to explore and pursue the active lifestyle available to them with appropriate funding for adaptive equipment.

Zeke Davisson illustrates the problem a potential adaptive athlete faces: “If you want to do something active, say walk or run, you can buy yourself a good pair of shoes for less than $100 and head out the door. But if someone like Kelly wants to begin, even entry level costs are prohibitively expensive, starting at a minimum of $2,000 for equipment.”

The first annual Kelly Brush Century Ride. photo supplied

Each year since its inception, the foundation has raised funds that are in turn awarded to selected recipients. In 2014, the foundation awarded $240,000 in grants fulfilling only a part of the $525,000 received in grant requests, yet up 62 percent from 2013. “Grants to date are nearly (if not over) $1 million,” Zeke said. The goal is to do more.

Zeke and Kelly, married in 2012, live and work as a team. I met with them at Sea Dog Brewing Company near Brunswick, Maine, where they currently live, though the foundation is located in South Burlington.

Kelly works full time as a pediatric nurse practitioner. Zeke is executive director of the Kelly Brush Foundation. One cannot spend time with this young, athletic, attractive couple without being caught up in their vivacity, enthusiasm and passion for life and their shared goals.

The fact that Kelly is in a wheelchair becomes irrelevant. She is just like everyone else.

This young woman overcame logistics and her own nerves and with the help of a team of friends, skied Tuckerman’s this spring. This same young woman not only skis, but cycles, plays golf and tennis, and drives a car to work where she pursues her chosen profession, suffering the same anxieties and stresses as others.

Kelly’s achievements are impressive. In 2009 she was awarded the NCAA Inspiration Award and followed that by winning the women’s hand cycling division of the Boston Marathon in 2011. In 2012 she was one of 10 chosen “Athletes Who Care” by Sports Illustrated, possibly topped by snagging viewers’ attention in the Buick Human Highlight Reel broadcast during the Final Four Men’s Basketball Tournament of 2013.

This year Kelly is the featured subject of a spotlight on athletes who have overcome adversity and turned that adversity into advocacy at the A2A Alliance. Anther milestone in 2015 is the 10th anniversary of the Kelly Brush Century Ride, which this year will be held on Saturday, Sept. 12.

Kelly Bush Century Ride

The sixth annual Kelly Brush Century Ride in Middlebury on Saturday drew 721 riders including 24 adaptive athletes using handcycles.The event supports the Kelly Brush Foundation raising money for spinal cord injury prevention and adaptive sports equipment grants and is one of the best attended events in the Northeast for adaptive athletes using handcycles.

Riders along the scenic route.

At a time when fundraising events proliferate, many “whose time has come” fall by the wayside from dwindling participation, the Kelly Brush Century thrives. Each year there are more cyclists, more funds raised for the foundation, and more fun had by the growing community that embraces riders new and seasoned.

Why a century ride? The Davissons are often asked that question since skiing is Kelly’s primary sport. “It just happened,” Kelly said. That first ride just took off and has mushroomed since.

Part of the attraction is the scenic and forgiving course, some of which is often described as rolling hills. The country roads meander through a piece of Vermont’s most beautiful landscape and along Lake Champlain. With the start/finish at Middlebury College, riders choose distances from 25 to 100 miles with optional turn-backs along the way. Furthermore, the event is well organized, the course well marked and the support excellent and plentiful.

Originally twice around a 50-mile loop, the full ride now continues up to Shelburne, and back, partly along the Lake. It is truly a ride designed for each participant and can be adapted according to each one’s needs for the day.

The Kelly Brush Century Ride Powered by VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations. Saturday, September 7, 2013. Photographs © 2013 Rajan Chawla Photography.

Sharing the road with hand cyclists reminds all riders why they are here (For more information, to register or to donate, go to http://kellybrushfoundation.org). Kelly, along with most hand cyclists, rides the 25-mile segment. From Jan. 1 to 7 a.m. the day of the ride there are ups and downs of planning and stress.

“It’s a really fun event, “ Kelly said. “A lot of work goes into it to make it enjoyable, a good ride, but there is definitely a stressful component.” The day itself, however, makes it all worth it.

“A month after, giving out the grant money, makes it more than worth it,” Zeke added.

One look at a smiling Kelly on century day proves the point. But right now? “As I get closer I begin to stress about the shape I’m in,” Kelly confessed. Preparation becomes a matter of logistics and conditioning.

An active lifestyle

Kelly maintains her fitness and conditioning, her athletic edge, by training and pursuing recreational and competitive activities along with Zeke, her family and friends. “You should see our garage,” Zeke said. “Kelly’s equipment claims prime real estate.”

A hand cycle is just like a bike but with three wheels. It has arms, the same gears as a regular bike and the same tires on somewhat smaller wheels but equally susceptible to flats.

Hand cycles are built for a broad range of capabilities from recreational to racing. The entry level, recreational variety is more upright and has more padding, starting at around $2,000. Racing hand cycles can range to far higher costs much the same as a two-wheeled bike, depending on materials, components and design.

Kelly added to her stable of hand cycles a mono ski and a tennis chair (similar to an everyday chair but with wheels that have enough camber to allow the chair to spin faster).

“Tennis and skiing are some of the few conventional sports that work well with or without disability,” Zeke said. Kelly also plays golf by means of her golf cart that is a power driven wheel chair designed to enable her to stand up to swing her club and drive the ball.

An investment

The Kelly Brush Century Ride is a win-win, a sure investment despite the condition of the day’s economy. Entry fees and money raised buy more than a great day for the participant, and, might I add, some of the best swag and incentive gifts around.

“All donations go directly to our mission,” Zeke said. And that mission is more expansive every year. “Over the last 2 years we have grown a ton and have become nationally recognized,” Kelly added.

The KBF has made a strategic decision to grow and has restructured accordingly. “The demand is huge and is only getting bigger,” Kelly said.

“We can never do enough,” Zeke added. “There are 12,000 newly diagnosed spinal cord injuries documented each year. An average individual grant is $3,000. We want to allow anybody with a spinal cord injury to lead an active lifestyle.”

There are two types of individuals who submit grant applications. One is clearly the athlete, perhaps injured during his or her athletic pursuit. The other is the individual who may or may not have been previously active but suddenly sees the possibilities of adding something to his or her altered life expectations.

Adaptive sports programs that offer coaching and equipment fill an essential role in developing adaptive athletes and introducing the potential to engage in sports.

“We want to be the next step,” Zeke said. “We want to offer to that individual the ability to take ownership of an active lifestyle, and to be able to join family and friends when and where the opportunity exists.”

To offer opportunity, possibility, a level playing field, this is what drives the KBF. And this is what could drive each of us as we cycle through our ride on September 12 or ask our friends for support.

“I was so active before,” Kelly said, “now this is what I want to do.” Her message? It’s all about “getting people back to life.”

TRAIL RUNNING IS NOT A PASSING FAD

GET OFF THE TREADMILL AND HIT THE DIRT: Gotta run. That’s us. Always in a hurry. In fact, that sense of urgency surfaces in one definition of the verb run, to “move about in a hectic or hurried way.”

Then there’s “moving at a speed faster than a walk, never having both feet on the ground at the same time;” or even running for political office. (google search)

There are wonderful quotes about running as a metaphor for life and how life is a marathon and not a sprint. Running clubs proliferate, as does running- specific gear, books and even movies. Running is touted as the best possible form of exercise. Running is dissed as the worst possible exercise.

To run is cheap (except for running shoes), requires no special equipment (except for running shoes and a water bottle), and, as Christopher McDougall and Bruce Springsteen say so eloquently, we are all “Born to Run.”

That being said, running and any or all repetitive sports and activities place a strain on the body. Good form and intelligent management help to reduce the potential for overuse injuries.

One way to enhance the running experience is to get off the treadmill, leave the pavement, and head for dirt. Running on country roads or trails is good for the joints and good for the spirit. What’s more, unless you get distracted and fall over a root or stub your toe on a rock, you add to the experience a substantial element of safety.

TRAIL RUNNING: Trail running begs definition. At www.trailrun.com, there is this: “And so, you step off a road, into the wilderness, single track, double track…whatever, you are a trail runner. If there is some form of raw earth underneath, you are a trail runner. The rest is personal. It can be competitive. It can be spiritual. It can be for body or for mind. Whatever it is, trail running is yours.”

From newest newbie to gnarly veteran, trail runners approach each run as something new and different, an experience that supersedes the workout. There is no wrong way to go.

In 2014, Jeff Galloway, Olympic runner, coach and prolific writer, added his book, Trail Running, to the mix. While there may be no “wrong” way, there are better ways to enjoy and grow in the sport.

As is popular to do these days, Gallway begins a chapter with the words, “We are hard-wired to be trail animals.” More important than the action is the journey itself, the social component, the variety, the joy of getting away and into the natural world.

As always, Gallway espouses his walk-run training recommendation, a technique that works particularly well on the trail.

Often one finds runners obsessed with heart rate, pace, training plans and negative splits. On the trail, a runner is just as likely to find sprints fired by terrain or pause for a beautiful view, something a seriously training road runner might not do. Furthermore, trail running is not always about speed. Conversely, the racer who cross-trains on the trail will find that doing so shaves time off the paved events.

While Gallway discusses finding venues from Rail Trails to parks and hikes, he also shares advice on gear (do you really need to buy trail running shoes?), skills, training plans and injuries.

Safety precautions are the same as any other outdoor sports. Layer for changing weather conditions, pack fuel and water and wear sunscreen. Do carry a cell phone, but also tell someone where you are going and your estimated time of return. Better yet, run with a partner. Know about where you are going. Stay alert and keenly aware of your step and your surroundings. Do not allow yourself to become overtired or underfed or dehydrated. Plan a run that matches your fitness level or is designed to help you improve safely.

Whatever your trail running expertise or experience may be, you might want to check out a great little book published this year: TRAILHEAD, The Dirt on all Things Trail Running, by Lisa Jhung. Small enough to fit in your pack, it is large on information, helpful tips and humor.

While you may know that running typically results in a higher level of fitness, did you know that trail running , because of varied terrain, is both more forgiving and more challenging to a wider variety of muscles, ligaments and tendons than running on a flat surface? Even your core is more fully engaged when navigating the twists and turns, ups and downs, of the trail, as well as balance and coordination tested.

Running, partly due to the consistent rhythmic nature of repetition, smooths and soothes stress. Trail running adds the mental, emotional and spiritual elements of nature.

Since trail running is often termed “natural,” it follows that when you’re out there on the trail, communing with nature, you need also respect her.

Learn to adapt to and deal with rain, snow, wind, heat, cold, bugs, poisonous plants, wildlife and sun. Adjust your pace, stay focused and on course.

Run with your friends, run with your dog, respect trail etiquette. Finish your run better for having spent another day on the trail.

ULTRAS: In recent years, unable to want more, runners have transitioned from marathons on pavement to distance events on trails and ultimately to multi-mile, multi-day ultra-distance events. Ultra runners are a breed apart. They embrace pain, ooze grit and define determination and survival. It’s not pretty, but it works for them. The rest of us read about their struggles, applaud their success (which is ultimately all about finishing), and revere their accomplishments.

Remember back in July when Vermont was about as wet as it gets? During the soggiest of days Scott Jurek, ultra icon, was slogging his way through our state on the Appalachian Trail, on his way to significantly breaking the previous record for fastest thru-hike. Jurek and his support team began his run from Springer Mountain, Georgia. Averaging 50 miles a day, the 41 year old Jurek traveled 2,189 miles in 46 day and a touch over 8 hours. He crossed 14 states with elevation changes of 515,000’ and finally kissed his wife at the top of Mt. Katahdin in the early afternoon of Sunday, July 12^th.

In 2012, Jurek’s book Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness was released. Maybe he’ll write another one, give himself a break.

Moving beyond the press-grabbing Jurek and Karnasez and their ilk, close to home, we find the Vermont 100 Endurance Race. This event is one of the original 100-mile runs in the USA and a part of the Grand Slam Series of Ultrarunning. It’s hilly, of course, and though the route includes back roads and trails, running under a 30-hour cut-off leaves little time to sightsee. http://vermont100endurancerun.blogspot.com

Do ultras signal the running elite or simply those who have the tenacious resolve to always reach beyond where they are? If you can run a 5k road race, must your goal be a marathon? If you can enjoy an hour or so running a trail with your dog or your friends, are you failing if you decide against an ultra?

One thing is clear, however: running on dirt is here to stay. Each year more runners, walkers and hikers become part of the larger community of trail runners, those who choose to exercise, tour, visit, or race off road.

Furthermore, a second thing is clear. Vermont offers a smorgasbord of unpaved roads, trails, single track, technical, climbing, hiking, privately owned, community and state supported, drop-dead beautiful trails on which to run. More likely than not, you, too, can become one, a trail runner.

RANDOM NOTES FROM TRAILHEAD:

Because trail running is fun, you will be more inclined to repeat the experience.

Trail running shoes may, in fact, be worth the purchase as they often offer more stability, better traction, more sidewall protection and toe bumpers (you will, after all, stub your toe).

Wear what works for you. There’s no stylin’ on the trail.

Rocky, rutted, overgrown, snow, ice, mud – know the conditions and plan for them. (preferably stay off muddy trails, but if you find yourself on one, run through the middle and not the sides)

Always pack food, water, layers, light and that sometimes invaluable cell phone. If you’re in bear country, carry bear spray (and know how to use it). Remember that bears are climbers so don’t waste your energy climbing a tree.

Interesting fact: your dog, running off leash in bear country, might attract a bear and lead it back you.

Speaking of wildlife, a common denominator seems to be to remain calm and never turn your back and run away.

Here is Vermont you might come across a moose or multiple moose (the plural of moose, that is).

Jhung writes:“They are not particularly interested in humans, but if a moose feels threatened or is trying to protect its calf, it may charge. (It’s the hooves you need to worry about, not the antlers.) They don’t want to eat you as they’re herbivores, and besides, many moose attacks are bluffs. “Do not,” however, “stand your ground. Just get the heck out of there.”

Ticks present an increasing risk of Lyme disease. Check carefully for ticks after each run and, if found, remove the tick properly. (You might want to keep the tick in a Ziploc for future reference if you become ill.) Be sure your dog is well protected.See your veterinarian.

Trail etiquette is mostly about courtesy and thinking of the other guy. There are a few basic quasi-rules:

Bikers yield to just about everyone including pedestrians and horses.

Mountain bikers and trail runners yield to walkers, equestrians, rock climbers, families, birders and the like.

Sometimes it’s just a matter of being nice: “Older couples holding hands on trails,” Jhung writes, “should always have the right of way.” (Yeah, right, if an older couple is still holding hands, they deserve the right of way.)

Momentum is a factor either needing to remain in constant motion to make it up the hill, or traveling downward when stopping is difficult. Defer.

Passing requires mutual cooperation. If you know someone would like to pass, make it easier for him or her if you can. If you are the one wanting to pass, don’t surprise the party ahead but generate some sound or a few words. Though we are taught to shout out “on your left,” this could be abrasive so use with care.

Finally, preserve the trail that you are using by not “rearranging nature” or taking it with you. Don’t feed wildlife, stray off the designated path or leave even your energy bar wrapper behind.

Of course your trail running experience will be more enjoyable if you have trained properly. And if you train well, you may decide to enter some of the many trail-racing events held annually throughout the state.

Jhung concludes: “If you raced, any distance, any type of course, congratulations. Be proud.

“And if you didn’t race but enjoy your non-racing miles on trails, congratulations. Be proud.

“You’re a trail runner.”

This story appeared on the Active Vermont page of the Rutland Herald & Times Argus, Sunday, August 16, 2015, by Linda Freeman.

Training for Endurance Means Fueling Well

Endurance sports appeal to athletes of all levels. Training is, of course, specific and necessary in order to achieve satisfying results. Nutrition, or fueling, is often overlooked as an integral part of training. The following appeared in the Rutland Herald & Times Argus, Sunday, ACTIVE VERMONT 8-2-2015

The tortoise and the hare of training and sports, by Linda Freeman

Endurance. The negative connotation of endurance is of tolerance, resignation, stoicism; certainly long-suffering. On the other hand, endurance is often linked with patience and perseverance that demonstrates moral and physical strength. Endurance of any kind is based on experience, practice and tenacity. Physically, endurance is built on a foundation of consistent, appropriate and adequate training.

Sports often fall quite neatly into one of two categories: aerobic and anaerobic, marathon and sprint, fight or flight, tortoise and hare.

A sprint, for example, requires a sudden, swift burst of energy that pushes to the point of pain or even collapse, the very end of one’s competitive rope. A marathon takes hours to complete. Though runners now race at surprisingly fast paces for such continuous exertion, it is still a slower pace than the 400-meter dash.

Athletes train for their sport with a mixture of base-building, LSD (long slow distance) combined with intervals, high-intensity work with built-in breaks.

Team sports are often more fun to watch than individual endurance events, but even the infielder, goalie or forward who must be ready to move, and move fast, must also have the endurance to play through one game or even an entire tournament.

Consider these: adventure sports, running (half-marathons are increasing in popularity, marathons, and the new darlings of the running world, ultra-distance trail events), triathlons (swim, bike, run), cycling (even casual riders score a century of 100 miles along with mountain bike marathons and grand fondos of “great distance or great endurance”).

Golf (18 to 36 holes), fishing derbies, single- or multi-day hikes and daily or weeklong sports camps are yet more examples of the need for endurance as a significant tool in one’s fitness and performance toolbox.

For the average person, endurance sports are possibly more accessible than speed events. Remove factors of genetic predisposition, skill, and even budget from the equation, activities based on acquiring endurance are, in some form, universally achievable.

Furthermore, endurance sports are often cited as a metaphor for life, a field on which to play out the challenges one faces daily, personally and professionally. Endurance requires practice, discipline, focus and the equanimity to continue through ups and downs. In competition or in real life, the power to finish, especially to finish strong, is evidence of the depth of preparation and training, of mental, physical and emotional endurance.

Other than spending long, carefully planned and executed hours of physical training, fueling well before, during and after an endurance event is as critical as the strength and skills you have worked so hard to acquire. No longer does one stuff a plateful of pasta the night before an event and assume that it will satisfy nutritional needs. Today, the concept is to eat and drink well all the time, not just during taper week or the day before. What, when and how to fuel needs to be as strategically planned and executed as each step or mile along the way.

Nutrition is a complex and often confusing topic. Below, Kimberly Evans, MS, RD, organizes and simplifies strategies for you to sample as you prepare for your next endurance event. If you train well and fuel sufficiently, you will give yourself the opportunity to perform your best and have much more fun as you do so.

GMSR photo by Jeb Wallace Brodeur

Don’t forget the nutritional needs of staying active By KIMBERLY EVANS

We are fully into cycling season here in Vermont, and one thing that is on everyone’s mind, as it well should be, is cycling safety. Cyclists are heading out in pairs or groups, wearing brightly colored clothing, securely fastening their helmets and riding far enough to the left to be in the line of vision of motorists, but not so far as to be in the middle of the road.

However, one aspect of cycling safety that might not be high on the minds of riders is nutrition. Many experienced cyclists know that good nutrition is key to race day performance, but outside training and racing many cyclists don’t really consider nutrition as part of their riding experience.

Now you might be asking, what does nutrition have to do with cycling safety? When you are not fueling properly on the bike you are much more likely to be less alert and responsive and, if out on a long ride and not fueling properly, you are vulnerable to making poor decisions. In other words, your head just might not be fully in the game … or in the ride, as the case may be. Poorly fueled riders are more likely to make poor decisions and more likely to be involved in crashes. So here are some key points to consider when heading out for a long ride:

The last supper

Heading out for a long ride tomorrow? Make sure to really fuel up the day before and take special care to focus on a carbohydrate-rich diet. A great pre-ride dinner might be 1 cup of brown rice, a 4-ounce piece of salmon and an oatmeal cookie. High fiber and heavy foods should be avoided the night before a long or hard ride.

Fuel up

A good pre-ride breakfast will also be rich in carbohydrates. Don’t skimp but don’t overeat. A few of my favorites include oatmeal with berries, buckwheat waffles with bananas, or whole grain pancakes with a Greek yogurt. Aim for about 500-700 calories in the 2 hours before your ride.

If you cannot get all of your fuel in with solid food add a sports drink such as Skratch Labs or a homemade electrolyte, anti-oxidant lemonade:

1 large lemon, juiced.
2 tablespoons of honey.
1 pinch of Himalayan pink sea salt. 8-10 ounces of water. Raspberries.

Plan ahead

Before every ride consider what you might need to bring to fuel your ride; how many water bottles, how much sports drink and how much solid food.

Some targets are one 16-ounce bottle of water for every hour on the bike, 300 calories of fuel for every hour on the bike, and a source of electrolytes for hot riding days. Think about packaging 300 calorie snack bags for every hour you will be on the bike.

Some of my favorite 300-calorie fuel packs include: a Kind bar plus a half-bottle of Skratch Labs, half of a peanut butter and banana sandwich, a half-cup of trail mix or dried fruit such as dates.

How will you carry all of this fuel? Most cycling shirts have great back pockets that make it easy to store fuel. I have also fallen in love with the biking Bento box. The Bento box is a nylon pouch that sits just behind your stem, making it easy and safe to eat from the saddle.

If you are less inclined to bring fuel with you on the bike, plan ahead to stop along the ride. Where are the gas stations, convenience stores or favorite latte shops along your route?

No matter how you fuel, a nutrition plan is the safest and best way to make sure that you not only don’t bonk on your ride, but also really maximize your performance as an athlete.

If you are really going the distance, and training for a ride of some distance — such as a half-century, a century or a brevet — I would highly recommend consulting with a dietitian with a specialization in sports nutrition for a fueling and hydration plan that considers your daily needs in the months and weeks leading up to the event in addition to your specific needs to fuel your ride.

If you are not hitting the road this summer on your bike, these smart fueling practices likely still apply to you. From team sports to endurance athletes of all ages and competitive abilities, proper nutrition enhances performance and athletic enjoyment.

Kimberly Evans co-owns Peak Physical Therapy Sports and Performance Center and Whole Health Nutrition in Williston. Contact RD@wholehealthnutritionvt.com or 999-9207.

Rest and Recovery – Key Tools for Fitness

The quickest way to fitness is to have a plan, follow the plan, and have faith in your fitness. Rest and recovery will make you stronger. Yet recovery seems to be the most difficult aspect of training for so many of us. Often elusive, rest is something we shy away from and recovery is a balance with which we struggle. Read below what Joey Adams of Intelligent Fitness, Shelburne, Vermont, has to say when he coaches his athletes to honor rest and recovery.

Relaxing Paddle. Photo by Jeb Wallace Brodeur.

Rest, relax, restore. Do we allow that in our culture? Do we honor siestas, holidays and just general recovery and restoration? If you are into your fitness and well-being, rest is an essential tool in every individual’s training arsenal. It is time to take time to restore you.

This isn’t about being selfish, it is about being self-full! Anyone can go, go, go – it takes true courage to carve out time to rest, relax, and restore.

Rest and recovery are key ingredients to any athlete’s training. And I would argue that anyone with a goal, a consistent workout schedule, a heart, and lungs is an athlete. For some of us, it might be time to shape up and balance things out.

The people that I work with on their training, and who get the best results in pursuit of their goals, get the best sleep and have planned recovery as part of their training.

Let’s start with sleep hygiene. Sleep is your body’s natural steroid. It is where your body rebuilds, restores and unpacks the day’s cognitive clutter. In sleep the body releases Human Growth Hormone (HgH) and this essential hormone (amongst others) helps build the new and stronger you. A host of other beneficial hormones are released and the stress hormones such as cortisol decrease, giving your adrenal glands a needed rest.

When is the last time you had 8, 9 or 10 hours of sleep? How consistent are your sleep and sleep patterns? Are you averaging 7-8 hours or more a night of uninterrupted sleep?

There are simple things you can do to ensure you get a good night’s sleep. Start by turning off electronics an hour or more before bed and Feng Shui the bedroom. Take the electronics out of the bedroom and create a sleep sanctuary, a place to turn off the monkey mind, a place that is cool, comfortable and dark.

Sleep, like any form of training, takes practice. The more you practice the better you get.

The next step in rest and recovery is to plan your recovery day. Yes, you read it right. You need at least one day off from training, and depending on your goals and intensity, you might need two or more. Your day off should be just that, a day off (yes, I know guilt is the gift that keeps on giving).

According to the Mayo Clinic, if you’re an average person who exercises, you workout 75-150 minutes a week. A person in training for an event might workout 5-20+ hours per week. In an organized schedule, that still leaves plenty of time for rest, even accounting for a job and daily life.

Rest comes in many forms. It can be meditation on your day off or an extra hour of sleep during the time you normally workout. It can be as simple as reading a book with your legs propped up or as active as a massage. The key is REST, and not cramming something else in during that allotted workout time.

Generally, the more intense your workouts are, the more rest you need. And be sure that your workouts are balanced – that they aren’t all out all the time. For cardiovascular athletes I recommend no more than 20-30% of their training volume be above their anaerobic threshold.

Without planned rest you are constantly depleting your body’s energy stores. If you think of your body as a bank account and exercise as a loan, rest is the way to pay back the loan with interest. Otherwise, if you continue to exercise without planned and strategic rest you will start to incur a general debt.

You are taxing your body by depleting stored fuel – glycogen. This will potentially lead to one or many symptoms such as feelings of heavy legs, changes in heart function, blood pressure, sleep, night sweats – just to name a few, sometimes characterized as a “stale” feeling.

With proper rest, balanced with just the right dose of exercise and fueling, you will top off the energy tanks each time you eat and rest instead of slowly depleting your reserves.

It is important to consider nutrition as part of the recovery process. Nutrition not only sets up success during exercise, it sets up success after exercise. Thus, it is recommended that one eats 2-4 hours before exercise and that one eats within 30 minutes post-exercise.

Depending on specificity and intensity of a person’s exercise they may need to get even more dialed in on the pre and post-workout meals. For the average person, it is simply best to eat a sensible meal before working out and a sensible meal or snack after their workout. Food is arguably the second tool in recovery, after rest and sleep.

The next tool is hydration. You don’t need any fancy dyed-blue liquid in a bottle, with a gimmicky name. Water is still pretty good for most of us. Just like reading the ingredients on a banana or a handful of almonds…water’s ingredients are uncomplicated. And when assimilating tools for recovery needs, generally the body best absorbs simple things.

Water, like well timed food, helps the body regain homeostasis, the natural balance point. Only when your body has its basic needs met can it consider building a new and better body.

Once you’ve mastered the rest day you are ready to plan rest weeks. Depending on your age, fitness and intensity level a recovery week might be every 3-6 weeks. A recovery week might mean more days off from training, coupled with different activities, or just lower general intensity.

The key, even in a rest week, is to keep the body guessing. When your mind and body learn something new, it is forced to compensate and adapt.

The quickest way to fitness is to have a plan, to follow the plan, and have faith in your fitness – that rest will make you stronger.

A plan should be a cycle of training that includes building a base, adding in just the right intensity at the right time, building up to a peak and then adding in rest and recovery along the way.

A fitness professional can help you with the right plan based upon your starting point and your goals. It should be a road map to success and like any roadmap there should be several destination points to check in and evaluate how you’re doing. No good journey is complete without a destination, and of course, rest stops along the way. May your fitness pursuits bring you miles of smiles!

Joey Adams, M.S. Exercise Science, Intelligent Fitness, Metabolic Specialist, VO2 assessments and performance analysis. www.intelligentfitnessvermont.com

LINCOLN’S QUODDY LIGHT LV KAYAK

Marc Bourgoin, CEO, Lincoln Canoe & Kayak, asked me for a recommendation for the wonderful, snappy little Quoddy Light LV kayak that I own and love. Here it is – with pleasure.

As I segued from equestrian sports to skiing and, when single-parent finances dictated, to running, it never occurred to me to try a water sport. Then came surgery that stole my running shoes. So if I was to be permanently grounded, I’d try water.

My first boat was a plastic tub that served only to get my attention. I traded up, really up. A friend in the business found me a great deal on an elegant Epic18. She was beautiful, swift and, though light, a pain for me to maneuver on land or to the roof of my car. But I was hooked and even dreamed dreams of joining a local recreational racing group.

That was 6 years ago. In the interim I fell in love again, this time with road cycling. Normally I am a one-sport woman, but I have learned the perfect formula – dedicated training hours on my bike balanced by any extra hours I can find to paddle.

I have finally acquired the perfect bike and absolutely the best kayak for me, a low profile Quoddy Light.

It all began when, on vacation, I met Marc Bourgoin in Freeport, Maine. I wanted to test the local waters and he sent me out with a Quoddy Light. In fact, he wanted to share his love for a Chebeague, but once I had paddled the Quoddy Light, I was snared.

Why? My Epic was serious. I am serious. Paddling the Quoddy Light made me laugh out loud. The day I tested it, the wind was up and the boat should have been unstable. It was not.

Mind you, I am small, not brave or super strong or highly skilled. I am also a grandmother. But in that boat, on that day, I sliced through wind and waves that should have alarmed me. Instead I returned wet, salty and exhilarated. So much from so little.

It didn’t make sense. Anyone knows you should paddle at least a 16’ boat if you want performance and stability, right? Wrong.

The fun I had that day haunted me. Bottom line? Marc was patient. Finally I let go of my beloved Epic. The sale made the new owner very happy and financed my new, custom built Quoddy Light.

Each and every boat that comes out of the Lincoln factory is meticulously finished and embodies a spirit, a personality, of its own. The lucky ones are those of us who connect with our boat. I love mine. She rides on top of my X-Trek along with my bike. I can go anywhere and ride on land or water. These two are my friends, my training partners, my playmates. And we trust each other. We fit. We work hard and celebrate big. We live life the way it is meant to be lived.

Who knows, maybe someday there will be room in my “stable” for a Seguin. But whatever, it will be a boat built by Lincoln, maybe even by Rusty himself.

Dirty Girl Mud Run, Killington Vermont

Dirty Girl Mud Run

The Dirty Girl Mud Run (DGMR) is coming to Vermont, July 11, 2015. Partnering with Bright Pink, a breast and ovarian health organization, DGMR has attracted over 900,000 participants since its inception in 2011.

If you can walk or run, crawl, climb, reach, bend, and slide, and, of course, if you don’t mind giving new meaning to the word MUDDY, you can earn a medal while raising funds for a worthy cause. You will also be the envy of every kid on the block!

DGMR participant; photo supplied by Human Movement Management

This is your chance, girls. A team of talented contractors are planning an obstacle course to challenge but not defeat you. This is an untimed event. Some will make it a race, while others will demonstrate sisterhood and be happy to claim their medal at the finish. However the 5k (3.1 miles) is conquered, all are winners.

For more information or to register, go to: www.godirtygirl.com.

For 10% discount on registration fee use promo code MUDLOVE.

Registration fee $75.00. Heads up there is also a $10 parking fee. (cash)

Lodging at Killington Resort can be obtained with a 25% discount with DGMR.

Look for full story to appear in the Rutland Herald and Times Argus ACTIVE VERMONT page on Sunday, June 28.

DGMR participant gets dirty; photo supplied by Human Movement Management

CYCLING SAFETY

Just today, June 18, 2015, we learn that yet another cyclist has been killed while riding a popular cycling route in Ferrisburgh, Vermont. Once again the fatality was caused by a drunk driver. This is the third time in recent weeks the small state of Vermont has suffered loss of human life and a blow to what should be a safe, enjoyable and healthy outdoor activity. Ironically what follows was printed in the Rutland Herald & Times Argus recently.

ROAD NOTES

On two feet or skinny tires, behind the wheel or astride a horse, driving a tractor or pushing a stroller, here are some road notes of interest.

Submitted by Linda Freeman for 6-7-2015

Active Vermont

Though unlikely, streets and roads are the new sexy, a hot topic being discussed, written about, argued over and complained nationwide and throughout Vermont where individual voices are heard. Traffic fatalities, whether motorist, cyclist or pedestrian, are a slap-in-the-face wake-up call to action.

An article in the July issue of Bicycling Magazine, “The Secret to Safer Cities,” suggests that designated and protected bike (and pedestrian) lanes are the answer to the growing number of cycling and pedestrian accidents. Could this concept be relevant for a small state like Vermont?

From 2009 to 2014 Rutland pedestrians suffered 4 fatalities and 73 injuries in traffic related incidents. This spring, through a US Department of Transportation grant for a pedestrian audit, VTrans selected Rutland as the site to be studied. Jon Kaplan, Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager of the Vermont Agency of Transportation, said the audit provides ways in which to “move forward – has recommendations for both things to address behavior and infrastructure changes. It also outlines the process to be used for similar assessments in other communities.” (Go to www.vtrans.vermont.gov. Check out the 2015 Bicycle and Pedestrian Program.)

Susan Schreibman, Assistant Director of the Rutland Regional Planning Commission, an active participant in the audit, speaks to moving forward. “Save the date-April 1, 2016,” she said, “for the bi-annual Walk Bike Summit in downtown Rutland. Different tracts will focus on the economic impact of a walkable and bikeable community, engineering and Complete Streets and education. Mobile workshops will follow on 4/2.”

From class 4 roads to I89, from traffic laws designed to accommodate farmers to discussions of safety for commute, recreation or competition, streets and roads are the star players. Perhaps, however, what should be said is that the people who use streets and roads assume leading roles.

When it comes to safety, it is about behaviors, attitudes and infrastructure.

Local Motion, newly merged with Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition, began as an organization in the Burlington area but has grown to function statewide. “Your Voice for Active Transportation and Recreation, Local Motion … [promotes] people-powered transportation and recreation for healthy and sustainable Vermont communities.” (www.localmotion.org)

Recently I met with Emily Boedecker, Executive Director of Local Motion. “We’re talking about people who bike, people who walk, people who drive. We must keep the focus on the human being and not the vehicle,” she said. “I don’t care if you’re wearing lycra, there’s an underlying element – the system that we move on, the roads, how they’re designed, built and maintained. It is also the other users of that system. Our actions make our roads dangerous.”

Boedecker believes that behaviors and attitudes can change. Compare accepting shared use of streets and roadways with previous cultural adaptations with respect to smoking, drunk driving and littering. Does any of this still occur? Yes, but public awareness and, to a large extent, practice has changed over the years.

“The bottom line,” Boedecker said, “is that everyone can individually choose to make our roads safer in the same place and the same infrastructure.”

While some routes are designated for use by motor vehicles only, others such as recreational paths prohibit motorized travel. As for the remainder, it is no longer an issue of who should or shouldn’t be on the road. “It is what it is” and sharing the road is here to stay.

Boedecker speaks of the invitation that certain conditions offer to users: a paved road, scenic path, friends and bike racks encourage walking, running and riding. To those who already do so, this is preaching to the choir, but there are resources available that prove useful.

Local Motion is one that provides advocacy to efforts across the state. “VTrans is trying to be open and accessible,” Boedecker said “and demonstrates seriousness to accommodate all kinds of road users.” For example, when a recent VTrans project asked the public to comment on where they would like to see bike lanes, there were over 2,100 responses.

Vtrans also offers two websites to help plan summer outings and routes for motorists and cyclists with up to the minute data on construction and conditions in progress as well as planned. http://vtransparency.vermont.gov/ and http://vtransmaps.vermont.gov/vtrans511listing.asp, Vermont 511 Online Map.

Have you heard of the 11’ line? With the different widths of Vermont roads, one solution might be to measure 11’ out from the center line, paint a stripe, and end up with what width is available for a shoulder. “With a broader coalition, we want to be able to celebrate when a local town crew restripes at 11’,” Boedecker said. “Local advocates can have this conversation.”

Information and education may be the key to today’s challenges and future usage.

“Everyday Bicycling” is not about riding your bike every day, but rather is a project offered, free of charge, to organizations and businesses that want to promote biking as transportation and healthy exercise to their constituents and employees. Local Motion has “gone out around the state for partners for hosting classes and bringing people in,” Boedecker said. “There are 12 contracted trainers throughout Vermont.” Adult skills workshops and coaching sessions have been presented most recently in Northfield, Rutland and Brattleboro. (To inquire about a workshop in your area, contact Mary Catherine Graziano at marycatherine@localmotion.org or 802-861-2700 x106.)

Young students in Driver’s Education courses learn the rules of the road, and the Vulnerable User laws. Young cyclists learn their part in riding safely in the Kohl’s for Kids, Bike Smart Program, a game-based bike skills curriculum that has been presented in eight counties to 5,096 kids, 40% of whom were low income. “The goal,” Boedecker said, “is to reach 7,000.” Local Motion provides a trailer (now there are two), loaded with bikes and helmets, training for teachers on how to deliver the bike curriculum, and lots of fun mixed in with the learning.

In addition to road skills rides, this program gets kids outside, gives them an option to get to school, an opportunity for fun, addresses health (and the obesity rate), teaches respect for rules and law enforcement officers and encourages each child to act as a productive member of a community, helping each other along the way.

Local Motion is not the only bicycle and pedestrian advocacy in the state, but it is one with experience and exists as a connector for individuals, communities and diverse issues.

“We can all say yes to walking and biking in whatever shape or form works for us,” Boedecker said. Having migrated to Montpelier a decade ago, Boedecker brings the best of her childhood with her. She grew up in a mining and farming village in England and spent her first 20 years outside on bikes and walking. “My bike was my pony,” she said. “I enjoyed the luxury of being independent and mobile.”

Since then she has mountain biked in California, hiked and skied in France. Today she bikes, hikes, walks, paddles and digs her fingers in the dirt. “I don’t consider myself an expert,” she said. “I am a person who does activities. There is a way for each to get outside and move.”

There is much to be said and Boedecker wants to know. “I want to hear from as many people as possible. I want to hear what needs there are. There’s a tipping point for safety that is incredibly low.” Once that point is reached, “safety improves for everybody.”

Contact Emily Boedecker at Emily@localmotion.org or (802)861-2700 ext 105.

Linda Freeman Fitness

All About Fitness