Author Archives: Linda

GIRLS ON THE RUN VERMONT

Girls on the Run Vermont, a piece of the national pie, is an organization that, through cooperative effort, teamed energies, and plenty of activity, promotes and sustains budding confidence, awareness and individuality for girls.

When RUN = FUN

Girls on the Run, Vermont, Culminates Another Year

Submitted by Linda Freeman for 6-14-2015

At the Start 2015

ACTIVE VERMONT

In a small café in Randolph, in the spring of 2011, I met Nancy Heydinger, Executive Director of Girls on the Run Vermont. The coffee was good, our connection was warm and immediate, and I left with full admiration for Heydinger and her mission, to make Girls o the Run (GOTR) available to every girl in Vermont.

Four years ago Heydinger said: “As a coach, runner and mother, I was drawn to the way GOTR builds girls’ confidence and also how it helps them become physically and emotionally strong. The curriculum emphasizes values of health and self-awareness, the message is to teach the girls to feel strong and proud of who they are, unique and beautiful, inside and out.”

Fast-forward to Saturday, June 6, 2015. My fourth grader and I pulled onto the Essex Fair Grounds parking lot and claimed a slot in the first row. We were eager to get on with our day. Soon it was apparent that the prediction of 2000 girls and 3000 family and supporters was conservative.

This was the GOTR year-end 5K event, the grand finale, of a 3-month GOTR season, drawing participants from schools throughout central and northern Vermont. It was designed for fun, and fun it was. Cool and breezy didn’t matter; pre-run activities heated up quickly.

The place was popping with color, laughter, nerves, costumes, face painting, hair streaking, warm ups, cheers, high 5s, music, photo ops and so much expended energy one wondered if there would be enough left to lap the grounds twice for a total of 3.1 miles.

By the time the 1700+ girls along with many more registered supporters lined up for four wave starts, the mass of tutus, feathers and decorated skin on faces, arms and legs, looked like a moving circus about to parade through town.

And then the parade began. Actually, some of the participants ran fast with the first few clocking in around 23 minutes. But this event was not about fast. It was about finish. It was about running and/or walking with a buddy. It was about cheering and hugging and crying and going back at the end to welcome friends across the line.

Halfway around I saw my girl and her buddy taking a walking break. I called out their names with a “looking good” and off they went again, perhaps wanting to prove my point.

Watching, I wanted to take in every detail of the mass and freeze the memory. There were girls with their families and friends from every imaginable background and of every size, shape, socio-economic level and ethnicity. It was a feast for the eyes, food for the soul.

As we drove away to stop for a celebratory bagel, I asked my fourth grader if all the girls in her school group participated. “Yes,” she said. “In the beginning some of them could hardly run at all, but everyone finished. It didn’t matter whether they walked or ran, but what mattered was that we helped each other. And that we had fun.” And there you have it.

What is GOTR?

GOTR was first organized in 1996 in Charlotte, NC. and is currently a national organization with national partners. Girls on the Run Vermont took first steps in 1999. Now, June 2015, Heydinger’s vision has escalated to a statewide organization of over 3100 girls from 144 schools and 825 volunteer coaches.

Annie Guyon, Director of Marketing, Communications and Development, credits Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, state-wide program sponsor, for “substantial financial contributions that support the program itself, the entire program.”

(Note that BCBSVT also supports Velocity, a similar program for boys. For more information see http://www.bcbsvt.com/velocity.)

Other sponsors step up to help out with additional costs such as Peoples United Bank that sponsored the Essex 5k event.

Somewhere in the United States this year, one young girl was the one millionth to have participated in the GOTR program. The national goal is two million by 2020. That’s a lot of girls.

Here are the basics. GOTR is about more, much more, than running. It is a three-month long after-school program that meets twice weekly and is coached by a trained leader and assistants who follow a carefully developed curriculum that includes tools to address health and fitness, confidence through accomplishment and social skills to be used in everyday experiences faced by young girls in contemporary society. GOTR is about self-awareness and understanding, about relationships and teamwork, about how to connect with each other and the community and world in which they live.

There is a small fee, but scholarships are available. Fundraising helps to support these scholarships.

At the end of the program, each region hosts a 5k event: Brattleboro on 5-16-2015, Rutland on 5-30-2015 and Essex on 6-6-2015.

Of this year’s 5ks, Heydinger said: “Our three 5k events were fantastic and continue to grow. Our goals for these events are to provide the girls with a joyful lifetime experience in a fun, festive and non-competitive environment, an opportunity to be successful in the goals that they set for themselves at the beginning of the season … to complete a 5k run/walk.”

Following the Rutland event, Guyon said: “Today’s Rutland 5k was amazing, where over 950 girls came to celebrate their limitless potential, their confidence, their uniqueness and their inner and outer strength. It was spectacular, with beautiful balmy weather, lots of smiling faces and amazing achievements, with all the girls finishing strong—and beaming.” (Rutland’s Presenting Sponsor was Rutland Regional Medical Center.)

“Crossing the finish line is a defining moment when the girls realized that even the seemingly impossible is possible.” (www.girlsontherun.org)

What happens after the finish line? GOTR is available to girls in grades 3-5. Girls then move on to Girls on Track, their sister middle school program for grades 6-8. Soon, GOT, restructured, will morph into Heart & Soul.

For detailed discussions on each program as well as contact information and ways in which to support or participate, go (run or walk is ok) to www.girlsontherunvermont.org or www.girlsotherun.org.

MAKE IT FUN

For years, as a single mom with two kids, I drove a truck decorated with the Ben & Jerry’s blue and white bumper sticker that proposed “If it isn’t fun, why do it?” (I can’t remember the exact words. I also had “NO FEAR” pasted across the top of the windshield so you can guess the era.)

Later I learned that the quote, “If it ain’t fun don’t do it,” is attributed to Jack Canfield, the originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series.

Now I tweak the original saying. Fun is an often underestimated part of the fitness equation and must be both considered and honored. Why? If the fitness activity you pursue isn’t fun, that activity will gradually disappear from your daily schedule.

If it isn’t fun, then find other pursuits, other ways to include activity in copious amounts in your personal and corporate life.

Perhaps a better way to say it might be, if it isn’t fun, MAKE it so. This was my take-home message from last weekend.

Quickly, when I say the word “run” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For many it is merely a grunt or an “ugh.” Run does not always equate fun. Change one letter and you’ve got it. Change parts of the process and you’ve got it as well.

Make a run, walk, hike, ride, strength training session, even laps or an elliptical fun by adding quirky, amusing or light-hearted pieces. Be creative. Join friends for a start, tell stories along the way, wear something funky, plot coffee or a beer for later, even a bribe works, but make it fun.

Then, just maybe, you’ll find yourself in the habit of exercise, a habit that you should not break and might not want to.

SAFETY ON THE ROAD for the VULNERABLE USER

Article published May 17, 2015, Rutland Herald & Times Argus, ‘ACTIVE VERMONT’

AN URGENT NEED FOR COURTESY

With death resulting. It’s an unimaginable way to end a sentence, an outing and a life. Every time a runner laces up his running shoes, a cyclist clicks into her pedals or a driver fastens his seatbelt, he or she ventures onto a road that may lead nowhere.

Vermont attracts people who choose the outdoors, who choose to walk, run and ride. The reasons for doing so vary from an economic or environmental incentive to leave the car home, to recreation, health and fitness or training for pleasure or competition. That people who make this choice risk injury and death is an unnecessary and sad reality.

Sometimes the line between safety and fatality is as fine as simple courtesy. Vermont law dictates the rights and responsibilities of all concerned in what is known as the Vulnerable User law in which motorists, cyclists and pedestrians are mandated to share the road and to do so abiding by laws designed to protect, not to punish.

Transcending the clearly defined rules of the road are actions that bond a community and build a state in which quality of life is imperative: respect, tolerance, patience; a pause, a smile, a thank you.

Already this year the news has been sobering. On April 14, Kelly Boe of Middlebury was struck and killed by a motorist while riding his bike in Weybridge. On April 26, Richard Tom of Hinesburg was killed by a motorist while riding 1⁄2 mile from his home, an incident in which the young driver lost his life as well.

Yes, in Vermont communities, such sorrows serve to bring out the best in neighbors and friends. On May 4, 400 rode in memory of both Richard Tom and Joseph Marshall; and on May 5, a ride was held in Middlebury to honor Kelly Boe.

The Green Mountain Bicycle Club established The Richard Tom Foundation to honor the cyclist’s memory and to promote bicycling and bicycle safety. The Kelly Boe Memorial Scholarship Fund, dedicated in his memory, is to encourage Middlebury Union High School students and continue Boe’s commitment to their success.

Jason Van Driesche is Director of Advocacy and Education for Local Motion, an organization designed to promote opportunity and safety for pedestrians and cyclists. This spring’s fatalities have spurred the organization to take stronger and broader steps to reach goals and function effectively.

“Local Motion is officially statewide,” Van Driesche said. “Now we have to make good on that promise. We must engage in communities all over the state.” What works in one community might not work in another, he said. “We must explore their needs and wants.” (www.localmotion.org).

Van Driesche and his wife moved from Western Massachusetts to Vermont after a Christmas visit with family in Middlebury and then welcoming the New Year in Burlington. They loved what they observed and experienced.“We saw some of the best qualities of where we grew up,” Van Driesche said. Shortly after their relocation to Vermont, each embarked on a new job. Van Driesche has been with Local Motion for six years and embraces the mission “to help communities become great places to walk and bike,” he said.

With advanced degrees in urban planning and conservation management, Van Driesche said: “What I’m interested in is connection between people and places. We need to relocalize Vermont’s transportation system. We need to make it safe and comfortable to travel around your own community, to give people choices.” Van Driesche doesn’t live far from his work, but a sharply uphill morning ride begins his day. As a commuter, he recognizes the difference between biking as a means of transportation or recreation and that of training for cycling performance. “We try to talk about activities and choices,” he said. “The focus on what we do is on the middle drive-walk-bike. Some people would do more if they actually felt safe.”

Most people who walk or ride a bike, also drive a car. The reverse is not always the case. Perhaps there would be more understanding if it were so. Van Driesche believes it is divisive to consider bicyclists and pedestrians separately as both need consideration, and, in fact, many more walk than ride.

Local Motion identifies street and road design as particularly significant for pedestrian safety. Noting individual action and personal responsibility, Van Driesche said: “There’s a much larger piece, bigger than any individual. The best way is to design an environment for safety.”

Working closely with VTrans, Local Motion finds partnership in revisiting state road standards, plans, construction and maintenance, attempting to look forward in so doing.

Local Motion offers the program, “Everyday Bicycling Project” to give people practical skills to use a bike as transportation. These free workshops are available around the state. (Contact Mary Catherine Graziano, marycatherine@localmotion.org.)

“The Vulnerable User law,” Van Driesche said, “has given people a vocabulary for talking about how our streets and roads can work. Having discussion helps to shift conversation from ‘what are the cyclists doing on the road?’ to ‘how can we play safe together?’”

Recently Van Driesche addressed the role of law enforcement at the Vermont Police Academy in Pittsfield. He told a class of new candidates, “Vermont is the third highest state in the nation of people who walk or ride to work.” He pursued the effective use of enforcement as a tool for improving safety. The law is spelled out and enforceable.

The vulnerable user, one with no built-in protection, also travels roads that were, for the most part, not originally designed with their safety in mind.

Though the specifics are clear with respect to rights and responsibilities of all users, there are gray areas that are often a matter of judgment. For example, a cyclist may attempt to ride predictably and toward the side of a road, but to do so insofar as it is practical. When a motorist approaches a cyclist, the motorist might not understand that there is a pothole or debris on the shoulder that the cyclist needs to avoid. Awareness is a significant concept. Simply taking a foot off the accelerator could prevent an accident.

“Consider this,” Van Driesche said. “If a car travels at 40 mph in a 25 mph zone and hits a walker or cyclist, there is an 85 percent chance of death. In a 55 mph zone, though, it doesn’t matter if a car is going 55 or 70 – you’re dead either way.” If, however, a car has slowed to 25 mph with 45 feet in which to stop, there is a 95 percent chance of survival for the pedestrian or cyclist. If a motorist is in a hurry, perhaps a good habit would be to leave a few minutes earlier.

There is much to discuss and, in light of recent events, discussions are more meaningful. Information needs to be disseminated to participants, law enforcement, driver’s education instructors and students, and the public in general.

Each year the National Ride of Silence is held on the 3rd Wednesday in May to honor victims of bicycle and automobile collisions. (Photo by Jeb Wallace Brodeur. Vermont Lt. Gov. Phil Scott leading the 2014 Ride of Silence in Montpelier.) This year rides are planned for Northfield and Middlebury. Not everyone participates as each has his or her own way of promoting safety and honoring victims. “My preference is to focus on positive solutions,” Van Driesche said.

There is a clear correlation between increasing numbers of walkers, runners and cyclists on the road and the potential for accidents. Interestingly, in practice, roads that are highly utilized by vulnerable users are often safer; perhaps because motorists anticipate sharing the road.

While there is a pressing need to address safety here in Vermont, there is also a need to preserve the joy of walking, running and riding. This is not a case of us versus them, motorists versus athletes and active others. This is a case of communities coming together, of a state that supports, encourages and attracts active participants, a case of sharing the road and infrastructure on which to do so. Courtesy — motorist to vulnerable user and pedestrian, runner and cyclist to motorist — is a big part of the answer.

Lessons from an Equine Athlete and His Jockey

American Pharoah

Take-home lessons from watching the running of the Preakness 5-16-2015.

Did you watch the Preakness on Saturday? The Preakness is the 2^nd race in the Triple Crown series. Once again we have a contender. American Pharoah (I know, they spelled his name wrong, I didn’t, and spellcheck keeps correcting me.), the winning bay colt, is not a particularly big boy, measuring in at an average 16.1 hands, but he seems unflappable and I’m not sure we’ve seen him go to the limit yet. Both the horse and his jockey, Victor Espinoza, seem pleasantly confident – not cocky, but just kind of nice about their possibilities.

Who knows? Maybe this horse will be the one to finally do it – win the Belmont Stakes in 3 weeks and thus become the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win all three legs of the Triple Crown. Only 11 horses have done so.

Belmont may present the biggest challenge of all for 3 reasons:

American Pharoah must race on only 3 weeks’ rest while many of his opponents will have either skipped the Preakness or even face him for the first time – all on fresher legs than his.
At 1.5 miles, it is the longest of the three races.
He could just plain be getting tired of this stuff. You know how it is with athletes, at some point we just get enough of a competitive season and need to recoup.

BTW, personally I think the rules should be changed – not as some suggest and allow more recovery time between races, but to level the playing field at the Belmont. I think any horse allowed to start should have also competed in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. Oh well, but what do I know…?

But here’s what I really want to share with you. It’s a little lesson that I learned while watching. First of all, just as the horses took to the track the sky opened and all concerned were pelted (a word trainer Bob Baffert later used to describe the conditions) with buckets of rain. The camera lenses were so wet it was difficult to see. Jockeys tried to tuck their chins into non-existent collars on their silks and horses blinked their eyes in futility trying to keep the rain out while their hooves splashed through the mini flash flood on the track.

While the infield was cleared of spectators just in case of lightening, in the absence of a nearby strike, the race went forward as if nothing unusual was happening.

Winning the Preakness 2015

Now here’s where it gets interesting. Jockey Espinoza quickly changed his race plan. Starting at the disadvantageous gate #1, on the rail, Espinoza boldly scrapped his original strategy and as soon as they broke, hustled his horse along the rail to the front. He had to really push him. This was a daring move and rarely pays off. But, the jockey didn’t want his horse to follow anyone on a track where hooves would kick gobs of mud into the face of American Pharoah. And no one did.

So, not only did (a) the show go on no matter how much it rained and (b) the jockey quickly adapted but then (c) when he was where he wanted to be, he let up and let Pharoah find his sweet spot and settle in to regroup and run on – cool, calm and collected. (Oh that we all could do the same!) Then when push came to shove, he pushed and won by a convincing margin.

What an athlete – this horse was mentally and physically prepared to get the job done. Several times the announcers mentioned that he had not lost weight since the Kentucky Derby (aha, someone is seeing to it that his fuel is perfect). In fact, his trainer and the whole stable team that cares for this guy have balanced work, rest, and all that it takes to keep him fit and happy and, well, pardon the pun, stable.

Can we learn from him? Why the heck not?!

May 26th, 2015 – First Group Ride

courtesy of a friend

Be sure to sign up in advance at ORS on Langdon Street. All riders must sign a waiver before riding. Club membership at $15 is a great way to become part of a community and enjoy additional benefits such as 10% discount on cycling accessories and notices of random discounts offered by ORS only for RS members.

Represent our club in the Onion River Century – this year offering a full century(+), a metric(+) and a 40 mile out and back on Route 12 from the pool to the food stop at Lake Elmore – an achievable goal for all riders! Participate in the annual Harpoon Point to Point training ride on Tuesday, July 14 and wear your ORCentury jersey (purchase for the event) that this year will sport the new RS logo.

Finally – ask if you have any questions. For each ride, ORS will provide a support rider who will sweep and be sure to be there for anyone who needs mechanical help. All riders are, of course, asked to arrive with their bikes in good working order, and clean. But accidents do happen, flats occur and potholes take their toll. Your ORS rider will be there to help.

Your ride leaders this year are: Tom Descoteaux, Kate Harbaugh, Scott Hess, Frank Partsch and Ann Ripley. They will be wearing ORS jerseys and available to any and all for questions or suggestions.

Arrive early. Be ready. And here we go ….:) linda

‘GO WILD’, Take Your Training to the Next Level – OUTDOORS

Take your training to the next level – outside.

The human body is a wonderful thing. Tracing evolutionary development, we see that the body changes, grows, reaches and adapts with amazing competence. The human body is efficient. When a task is regularly repeated, the body learns to perform that task with minimum stress to muscles, bones and mind. Apply this simple truth to our fitness routines, and we will soon see why we plateau, why exercise that at first was demanding becomes moderate and why results diminish. For example, the new exerciser might struggle to run-walk a mile, lose weight with the effort and then suddenly, at the same pace, cease to lose and become bored and discouraged.

As we incorporate exercise into our daily schedules, it is important to vary that exercise and to continue to challenge in different ways, to embrace complexity. To eat the same foods every day, to run the same route, to work out at the same level of intensity, is counterproductive. More and more of the same, results in less and less. Think about it. Boot camp and Cross-Fit classes address adaptation by providing constantly changing training. Road runners have taken to trails, marathoners have moved to ultras, cyclists have turned onto dirt roads, rail trails and into the woods and swimmers have left the pool for open water.

Making the move takes courage. We must push outside our comfort zones; be bold. But we do not need to be pioneers. Others have gone before us and are eager to encourage and share. There’s more. Moving outdoors is relative to play. Though solitary activity has its own benefits, going outside is often done in community. And, community, as well as exercise, nutrition, recovery, balance and sleep is part of the equation of health and well-being.

FROM THE FITNESS BOOKSHELF

“GO WILD” by John J. Ratey, M.D., and Richard Manning (Little, Brown and Company 2014), is my new favorite read. “GO WILD, Free Your Body and Mind From the Afflictions of Civilization”

Go wild. When was the last time you were told to do that? Well, you’re being told to do so now, and in no uncertain or irresponsible way.This book visits many places, sight-sees voraciously, organizes findings and presents convincing proof of what we discovered while we were there. No, this is not a travel book, but it charges through universal themes and connects the dots from early hunter-gatherers to you and me today via evolution and civilization. So if this stuff interests you, grab a copy and settle in for a thought-provoking, perhaps life-altering venture.

Or you might want to begin with “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain” by John J. Ratey and Eric Hagerman, first published in 2007. Documented evidence suggests that regular exercise does far more than strengthen the body and help to create a healthy body composition. Dedicated exercise positively affects cognitive development, stress, depression, dementia, ADD, ADHD and a multitude of other disorders related to the brain. Exercise is commonly accepted to be a major contributor to a host of diseases that plague contemporary society.

But back to “GO WILD.” Having laid the foundation of the science behind his experiments and research, Ratey moved on to his more recent book, this time collaborating with Richard Manning, a journalist who was not content to take notes, but needed to put into practice what he was learning.

Trust me, this is not a rah-rah book to encourage you to get to the gym and log your hours, nor is it feel-good pop-psychology. I invite you to do a background check on the authors. You’ll find that Ratey is associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, author and speaker (www.johnratey.com and www.sparkinglife.org). He brings to this project the clinical, academic and yet practical data focusing on movement, nutrition and their effects on the brain and body, while Manning provides balance with personal interests in the wild, agriculture, the environment and eco-system restoration. Each has a story to tell.

Many other names appear on these pages. Some are recognizable for their voice in current fitness and athletic circles: Foreword by David Perlmutter, M.D., author of “Grain Brain” (2013); Dr. Loren Cordain, founder of the Paleo movement; Christopher McDougall, author of the wildly popular “Born to Run” (2009) and just released “Natural Born Heroes: How a Daring Band of Misfits Mastered the Lost Secrets of Strength and Endurance.” There are more, but these few names could whet your appetite. Then there’s talk about the value of CrossFit, Tabattas and TRX. Shall I continue?

Civilization and evolution have brought mixed blessings: an advanced society that diminishes physical exertion, promotes processed foods, extends years, but fails to sustain body and mind. The authors assault heavy issues with audacious assertions yet back their claims with anecdote and science. Though they highlight nutrition and movement as primary movers, they firmly support the value of community, connection and relationship.

Then there’s the whole piece about diseases. “We are designed to be wild, and by living tamely we make ourselves sick and unhappy,” they write. A sedentary lifestyle is relative to many illnesses as well as a culprit in malfunctioning cognitive development and skills. According to the authors, the lack of exercise makes us dumber. While movement may not prevent disease, it may help to lessen the risk and hasten the cure.

Like all good teachers, the authors tell stories; like good researchers, they generously cite resources; and like good scientists, they test their claims. In fact, they use themselves as test subjects as well. “This book is not an academic exercise for either of us, but rather a product of living our real and textured lives,” they write.They stress diversity, applying that concept to the complexity of human wants, needs and experiences. Nutritional advice is founded on two principles: reduce/eliminate the consumption of carbohydrates and, more importantly, make variety paramount in food choices.

Throughout the years, there have been countless theories surrounding sugars, fats (good, bad and trans), cholesterol, bacteria, meat and grains. The authors do not suggest a restrictive diet, but “Nuts, root vegetables, leafy greens, fruits, fish, wild game, clean, cool water. Range far and wide. Eat well.”

Equally important is the mandate to get off the couch and get moving. Go wild. The gym is good, but outdoors is better. “Exercise in nature is exercise squared.” Hit the trails, hike the hills, snowshoe through the woods, backcountry ski. Exercise daily, in many places and in many ways. Find your tribe, friends and family who will join you; a class, running partners, leaders who will challenge and followers who will encourage. Play. Pursue new projects and ideas. And when you have done so, rest. Sleep — eight hours a night if possible.

“Whether you’re stressed or relaxed, well-being is not about always being safe or fed or comfortable. Rather, it is learning to walk the line between the two, to balance, to move back and forth between them with ease and grace. Well-being comes from learning to talk to the lions.”

As you prepare to re-wild (a Ratey word), heed the closing advice: “Take a step. Assess. Then take another. This whole business becomes not an assignment or duty — rather, an exploration, a process of discovery. It’s guided by rewards.”

(Text was part of piece that appeared on the ACTIVE VERMONT page, Rutland Herald & Times Argus, by Linda Freeman, May 3, 2015.)

FUN-FOCUS-FLOW-FIT-FORM-FUEL-FITNESS-(avoid FOOEY a/k/a/ phooey!)

Joey Adams, metabolic specialist and esteemed athletic coach, contributed the following to ‘ACTIVE VERMONT’ on March 29, 2015. Read on:

The pursuit of fitness has varying “rules”. Do this, try this, don’t do this, eat this, not this. Yet, where is the fun in any of that – in following someone’s dogma? So, without being dogmatic, I’d like to start with the concept of FUN in re-defining the pursuit of fitness.

When I think of the concept of fun, and the creation of my F rules (Fun-Focus-Flow-Fit-Form-Fuel-Fitness to avoid Fooey!) in pursuing fitness, I always use fun as the litmus test. As a true Vermonter, I think of Ben and Jerry and their famous quote, “if it is not fun, why do it?”

I then immediately think of the experience of watching my own children at play and now pursuing their own fitness passions. I’m captivated by their total immersion in their sports. It LOOKS like fun. You can see it on their faces and in their bodies’ expression.

So I offer you this, when it stops being fun, when you don’t look forward to your wellness pursuit in whatever form, it is time to stop and change course, shake it up, try something new. Get outside, try a new sport, take a new class, dance, move, play, create!

Chris Cover, 3-28-2015, having fun on the bike, Ironman 70.3, Oceanside, CA.

Even if you can’t do it YET, the key is a growth mindset. You can always learn, evolve and grow. It is in these moments that one can experience what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi called FLOW. This is the moment of the autotelic experience, or of being immersed in the moment, a zen-like experience.

Eckhart Tolle would call it the “Power of Now” (1997). It is those experiences one has in the pursuit of a passion, of a time warp, where one loses the sense of time.

So if you’re working out and you find yourself looking at the clock, it is time to go back to the first F rule, time for some FUN. But, if you’re experiencing flow on a regular basis, move to the next F rule.

FIT. Your stuff has got to fit you. This comes down to EVERY contact point that your body makes with the ground or gravity or friction. I cannot tell you how many people who, when asked where they got their shoes, equipment, etc., and how they chose it, answered: “I got it online, it was a good color, or I thought it was the right one.” Inappropriate equipment leads to a path of injury through one’s endeavor. When a foot strike is wrong, a bike too big, or even a yoga mat too slippery, injuries and setbacks are waiting to happen.

This is where it makes sense to go to a local vendor, do research and spend time checking out what is right for you and your unique body.

For example, most running shoe fittings can take an hour or two to ensure you’ve got the right shoe (and the left one too). The clinician should have you run in multiple shoes on a treadmill and even do a video analysis to ensure proper fit that will enhance proper form.

Any equipment you buy should come with a warranty. If it doesn’t work for you, within reason, your provider should help you find what will and make the appropriate exchange.

Assuming things FIT, you’re now ready to work on FORM. Form is simply how you move in your endeavors. Do you move well, or are there imbalances? If you are a creature of the 21st century, you likely sit a lot, or have a job or life-demands that strengthen one part of the body over another. (I think about all those times I carried my kids around on one hip while doing something else with the other hand. Ouch.) It all adds up and translates to poor form caused by body asymmetries that derail your training. In addition, when you exercise, if you go at it too hard, you tend to favor strengths rather than addressing weaknesses, which in turn exacerbates weaknesses.

Think of the cognitive demands of Tai Chi, dance or any activity that requires precise form (which in actuality is everything, if done well).

Often the movement patterns developed as a basis, for the aforementioned activities, are done with slow movements first, adding on more complex patterns once those are mastered and then adding speed. So why start to sprint when you could walk, jog and then run?

It is during the slow pace that there is cognitive space to think about form. When I workout hard, form is the first thing to go; I’m just trying to survive. The body will follow the mind, not the other way around. A thought elicits a body response. We can be the masters of our thoughts and thus our movement and reactions.

F rules build a foundation, and now that you’ve grasped these, you’re ready for FUEL, repeatedly mistaken as the first rule. When people come to me for a metabolic test, they often think they have a slow metabolism. I’ve been assessing people’s metabolism for over a decade. In all that time I’ve tested less than three people (out of thousands) with slow metabolism, and those people were on very restrictive diets, unfortunately starving themselves fat.

For most people the key to weight management is to eat enough, eat early and often. Eat like a king or queen in the morning (it is called break-fast for a reason), a prince or princess in the afternoon (why the midday meal is biggest in many cultures), and a pauper in the evening (circadian rhythm slows and the body favors storing evening calories as fat).

The other concept to FUEL is to eat during exercise. Depending on your activity and intensity, if you know you’re going to exercise for more than 60-75 minutes, you need to eat 200-300 calories per hour. Too often I work with people who forget to eat during an event or workout and then pay the price towards the end.

Finally, after quantity and timing, remember to refuel post exercise. We are primal people, just a little better dressed than our paleolithic ancestors. But, at that stage of ancestral development we were either running to get food or running from being food according to the Paleo Diet for Athletes (even though I would argue no cookbooks survived from that time). Research supports eating within one half hour post exercise. It doesn’t have to be a lot; it could be a balanced meal as simple as fruit and nuts.

Fuel and timing help build the new, better, stronger you. Isn’t that one of the reasons why you do what you do?

Your F rules are in line. You’ve mastered and embraced FUN. You’ve discovered FOCUS that led to FLOW. Your gear finally FITS because of the guiding hands and eyes of a specialist. Your FORM is impeccably evolving and you are continually vigilant. You honor your FUEL needs. You have created a deeper FITNESS FOUNDATION.

The other choice, when any F gets out of balance is to just say Fooey (you could put in your favorite F word), but there’s good news. You then go back to FUN and start again, maybe in a new direction. When I was out of balance, I found yoga and meditation in my arsenal and I’m sure I will discover other fun things in my future.

Wishing you miles of smiles down your personal road to wellness, balance and peace…and as always, lots of fun!

Joey Adams, M.S. Exercise Science, Intelligent Fitness, Metabolic Specialist, VO2 assessments and performance analysis, www.intelligentfitnessvermont.com, “Getting workouts on target and making your time count.”

JOEY ADAMS

MEET JOEY ADAMS: Joey Adams, who has an M.S. in Exercise Science from Colorado State, is a Metabolic Specialist. “I specialize in assessing human performance and metabolism to help people make the most of their time by understanding their unique physiology,” Adams said. “My end game is to help people understand how their body works with the time and skills available to them.” Adams, who lives in Shelburne, travels throughout New England to test.

Meeting with Adams, one recognizes that there is more to his work than a job description. Adams finds a way to connect the nuts and bolts of training and teaching with the essence of humanity. For example, Adams teaches at Shelburne Community School and Champlain College where he “aspires to inspire kids to question everything around them, including authority, and prove everything they know so they can become the masters of their future.”

In his personal life, Adams is a devoted family man and generously dedicated to his students. “I’m an evolving compartmentalizer,” Adams said, “and stay true to my personal mission statement: Be true to myself, my family, and my students. Be present in each moment. Accept that I am human and try my best every day. In doing so I have the ability to create positive change.”

New research, new studies explained and books written, tout the importance of the mind-body connection to personal health and individual performance. Adams has ridden the crest of this wave. “For the past 5 years, the mind-body connection has been the driver for me,” Adams said. “This goes back to my earlier years working with corporate wellness. So many people think of their body as a vehicle to move their head from meeting to meeting rather than the interconnectedness between them.”

Adams prioritizes sleep hygiene as part of daily health and well-being. He practices yoga and meditation each several times a week, trains balance and functional movement, follows a vegan diet and lifestyle and the guidance of a naturopath. As a vegan he believes “that small changes than an individual makes can have a bit of global impact.”

These practices dovetail perfectly with the physical part of the equation and Adam’s expertise as a multi-sport athlete including cycling, cross-country skiing, skating… “ There’s not a sport I don’t love,” he said. “Currently it’s following my kids’ interests.”

Adams practices what he teaches and learns. By living an active lifestyle he relates to his students who yearn for more and to his clients who bring their hearts as well as bodies to the quest for higher performance. He models what he coaches and digs deep into mental and physical components of competition as well as daily life. [by – Linda Freeman]

Celebrate the Full Moon

A Vermont Full Moon – Stefan Hard

A full moon – it’s the perfect time to throw a party, to celebrate, to be festive, loony if you like, and to have some active fun.

Let me explain. I am active and constantly coach, prod, teach, encourage and nag others, including you, dear readers, to move, to get outdoors as much as possible, to include exercise in each day and to play.

I sincerely believe purposeful, deliberate, structured training is great, but that it must be accompanied by hours of moving through life, in a variety of activities, with a sense of humor and within a community of friends.

Like many of you, I become bogged down in the busy-ness, the hustle and bustle of work, responsibilities, obligations, tasks and worries of daily life. I neglect to take my own advice, and the recommendations of so many others much wiser than me, to play, to have fun.

A few weeks back I was invited to join some awesome women on a full moon snowshoe to the summit of a wooded mountain in central Vermont. I was about to decline when I said to myself, “Hey, this is what you are always recommending to others — just do it.”

When the time arrived to join my friends, I had many excuses prepared as there were deadlines and unfinished tasks piling up around me.

I snowshoed. It took time to get where we were going, through woods on trails that were sometimes packed and sometimes deep and new, sometimes gentle but usually steep, sometimes with headlamps, sometimes simply under the starlit sky, sometimes in full chatter and sometimes silent, sometimes focused and breathing hard, sometimes in awe. But always in companionship.

And then it happened. Over the crest of the hill, past the distant mountain range, there it was, the moon beginning its ascent. It was a celebration of life in Vermont, of friendship, of the blessing of an active lifestyle. It was also a workout and we were happy to return to a warm house to eat and drink and share.

So why don’t we do this more often? Those five or so hours with friends have sustained me with pleasant memories during the weeks since. Do we need an excuse to get outdoors, to do something fun or maybe even a little silly, a bit — lunatic?

Here’s the excuse, a full moon. The very next full moon is known as the Full Pink Moon, supposedly dubbed that because of the early flowering pink phlox. It’s also called the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon and, on the coast, the Full Fish Moon because of the shad headed upstream to spawn. There’s more. In the early morning, for about five minutes, there will be a total lunar eclipse.

Here are a few lunar facts for you. The moon is actually a satellite, billions of years old, and rather than a face in the moon, what we see are craters. The solar eclipse happens during a new moon, but a lunar eclipse comes about at the time of a full moon, and thus April 4. The moon affects ocean tides and the length of days.

Moving beyond the scientific, the moon figures prominently in music, literature, mythology, nursery rhymes, folk tales and art. There’s the man in the moon, a man on the moon, the attempt to reach the moon, over the moon and to the moon and back.

In January, we had a Full Wolf Moon and in February, a Full Snow Moon. (no kidding). The March Full Worm Moon sounds less enticing, but it worked.

May 3 brings us a Full Flower Moon, June 2 a Full Strawberry Moon and July offers a bonus of two in one month: the Full Beach Moon on July 1 and the Blue Moon on July 31 (the 2nd of two full in one month is a Blue Moon).

Aug. 29 provides the Full Sturgeon Moon, Sept. 27 the Full Harvest Moon, Oct. 27 the Full Hunter’s Moon, and Nov. 25 the Full Beaver Moon.

The year ends coincidentally with the Full Moon Before Yule, or the Full Cold Moon, falling on Dec. 25.

Because the calendar is based upon the moon, perhaps you will join me in taking pen in hand and noting the remaining full moon dates of 2015. Then, go ahead and put yourself out there.

Plan now, and more importantly invite others to join you, thus stating your intention, to actively celebrate each full moon. There are full moon walks, hikes, runs, skis, snowshoes, paddles, cruises, events, outings and frolics in the moonlight just waiting to be devised and enjoyed.

Thru-Skiing the Catamount Trail

The Catamount Trail is unique to Vermont and the Vermont winter of 2014-2015 has offered skiers on the Catamount Trail the equally unique opportunity to thru-ski the entire 300 miles. The quality as well as abundance of snow during this very cold winter has provided coverage and unlimited possibilities.

The following story appeared in the Rutland Herald & Times Argus, ACTIVE VERMONT section, Sunday, March 8, 2015.

Snow and Cold

This has been a winter to remember. For some, memories of battling the cold, shoveling snow off roofs and moaning about the salt brine that sticks to vehicles as well as roads, are not the best reminders of the winter of 2014-2015. But for others, this has been an astonishing trip and it is still going.

Recreational snow sports participants, competitive athletes and kids of all ages love the white stuff, and this has been white stuff to love.

Alpine ski areas boast multiple feet of snow, 100% open trails and powder, yes powder, in the north east. Cross-country ski areas have not been hampered by the lack of snow-making and VAST snowmobile trails have never looked better. Out the back door, on with the snowshoes, and there’s adventure to be had for almost anyone.

What makes this year’s snowfall so special? Amy Kelsey, Executive Director of the Catamount Trail Association, explains. “The abundance and the cold,” she said. “There are no layers of ice. The snow is soft, not crusty. Significant amounts of snow make breaking trail challenging, but the abundance and quality of the snow provide uniform coverage.”

Catamount Trail

Photo by Greg Maino

The Catamount Trail extends 300 miles from Massachusetts to Canada through the state of Vermont. Since 1984 the Trail has been developed, managed and conserved by the member-driven Catamount Trail Association. At times, some of the 31 sections of trail are unavailable due to poor snow coverage. Not this year. “With several feet of snow in some locations, 2015 has been a banner year for winter enthusiasts,” wrote Andy Wood, Outreach & Youth Program Coordinator CTA in a recent press release, “and thru-skiers on the Catamount Trail reported deep snow and excellent trail coverage across the state.”

The Catamount Trail beckons skiers of all levels. Some choose to spend a few hours on cross-country skis or even snowshoes enjoying a local section of the trail. Time or skill constraints make this a possibility. Others embark on more challenging uses of the trail and most often with back country (BC) skis and gear.

Then there are those who choose to ski the entire distance. “Thru-skiers undertake the 300-mile trip in one journey,” Woods said, “camping along the trail or staying in the homes of CTA members and friends.”

“Of the 70-plus skiers who have skied the entire trail, few undertake the journey in one season, let alone in one expedition. Currently at least four separate attempts to thru-ski the Catamount Trail are underway or recently completed.”

Inn to Inn

On Tuesday night, Bob Ordemann was in Lowell, just 28 miles from the finish of his thru-ski. Ordemann, from Groton MA, began on the southern end of the trail and pursued a unique journey, carefully arranging in advance with innkeepers along the way who often helped pick up or drop off at the trail after spending the night at their inn.

Ordemann has skied alone as many do. “Skiing alone forces me to engage with other folks,” Ordemann said. “I meet people I would never meet with somebody else. The variety is stunning.”

The hours of solitude on the trail balanced the social interaction at the inns. “I wanted to clear my head and relax,” Ordemann said. Fortuitously between jobs, he has been able to do this with the support of his wife and three kids, all of whom now have bragging rights to his soon-to-be success.

With storms pounding the states south of Vermont, one can only imagine the amount of snow Ordemann faced in Massachusetts. “I struggled early on, there was so much snow. Sometimes I broke trail in 20” and in Sections 3 and 4 the drifts were dense.”

There has been, however, a good side to the intensity of effort. Did the cold bother him? “Not at all. It was surprising but I was working so hard breaking trail that I kept warm.” Dressing appropriately, of course, is a must. So is fitness.

“I’m rather fit,” Ordemann said, “and because I compete in triathlons and running races, I train all year round.” As to ski skills, however, Ordemann said: “This is a do-able trail. If you have determination, basic skills, can side-step, snow plow and herring bone, you can do it.”

Ordemann spent leisure hours posting photos, travel notes and helpful advice on planetbcatamount.blogspot.com.Check it out.

“Wednesday, February 18, 2015, Blueberry Hill to Rikert XC ski center “The ski from BB Hill to Rikert (thru to Wagon Wheel road) was the most pleasant 12 miles of skiing I’ve done on the trail. The terrain was undulating, but relatively flat, and in the woods. The trails were all groomed or broken. There was a nice long downhill with bumps heading down to highway 125.
Photo by Bob Ordemann.

17 Days

Sam Blakely, owner of Hermit Woods Trail Builders in Norwich, thru-skied the trail in 17 days, camping out every night but one (a visit to his grandma in Middlebury). Blakely has a history of experience in the backcountry beginning with trail building behind his dad as early as 8 years old, and moving on to long-distance hikes and paddles. “Every year I guide month-long canoe trips to northern Quebec,” Blakely said. “That was why I set out on this adventure. I love being in the woods, the rhythm that a trip falls into, and the peace and serenity I find by slowly moving across a landscape.” Looking for a different adventure, “the Catamount seemed a right fit.”

While Blakely brought strong outdoor skills to his challenge, his ski skills were something less. Formerly a downhill skier, Blakely gave cross-country skiing a try because of his girlfriend. “Since she was so passionate about it, we would go out together, she gracefully gliding along while I shuffled and huffed and puffed behind, arms akimbo as I tried to keep up. I didn’t even like it all that much at first.”

Things must have changed. Finishing the trail in 17 days indicates some powerful skiing.

Temperatures were extreme, well below zero. “Every minute of every day I was conscious of my body and my extremities,” Blakely said, “and maintaining sufficient warmth and circulation was always at the forefront of my mind.”

Nights were long with almost 13 hours of darkness. He carried a small tent (“on several mornings I woke up with just the top 10-12” showing above the newly fallen snow”), 3-4 days of food, (Consuming enough calories was necessary yet he still lost 8 pounds on the trail.) and a Whisperlite stove. “Each night I just packed out an area of snow, set the tent up, cooked my dinner, and then crawled into my sleeping bag for some reading and writing.

Perhaps most memorable for Blakely, however, were the people. Other skiers, store-owners, folks in a general store – all were supportive, generous and shared his enthusiasm.

“It was so cold out there that mistakes would not have been good,” Blakely said. “And that, in and of itself, was liberating and exciting.”

“By living like that, alone in the snow and cold, I knew that I was capable and self-sufficient. I could face challenges and conquer them, and keep on making progress, while also enjoying the stunning beauty and wintry silence of a Vermont forest landscape.”

SUE JOHNSTON’S STORY

Sue Johnston of Danville has a different take on snow conditions. Despite her early worries that there might not be enough snow, its abundance hasn’t always been in her best interest. Johnston skis alone. “If the trail’s not broken out,” she said, “it’s really hard to trail break by yourself.”

Sue Johnston, Little Pond in Section 5 of the Catamount Trail, near Stratton. Photo by Chris Scott. (2/2015)

Johnston, primarily a Nordic skier who has chosen to ski the length of the Catamount Trail this season, brings a mixed bag of skills to her plan. “I am not a gifted skier,” she said. “mostly touring center. BC (back country) is new to me. I am so not a BC skier.” Last year she bought BC skis, “a little wider with metal edges, and soft boots that come up a little higher. I’m a snow-plower. I don’t do tele (telemark)turns.”

What Johnston must confess, however, is that she has a history of endurance sports: ultra running, distance hiking, (Appalachian Trail and Long Trail), and winter hiking in neighboring New Hampshire mountains.

This is significant. Yes, Johnston skis alone, but she’s fit, experienced and “knows what to put in a pack.” She is an excellent example of what CTA teaches and encourages: you don’t need superior ski skills but you do need to prepare thoroughly and understand risks as well as self-sufficiency.

“I like to make grand goals,” Johnston said, “and reach them.” On January 18 her journey began at the Canadian border. With the help of her husband, a non-skier, who supports by dropping off or picking up, snowshoeing in to bring supplies or to check on her, Johnston skied as far as Camel’s Hump in Duxbury. She did so in day trips, going home each night and missing a day now and then.

Because it seemed easier to follow the guide from the south, she decided to change tactics and, on February 18, hit the trail in Massachusetts and has, so far, gotten to Heldville, near Ludlow. What remains are the sections connecting Camel’s Hump with Heldville, and she hopes to finish these before the end of the month.

For Johnston, who must deal with the cold hands of raynauds syndrome, managing the sub-zero temperatures has been challenging. “The cold has been such a pain,” she said. Chemical handwarmers helped, but grasping the poles was problematic.

After so many days of cold, however, she said she became acclimated to it. “There were a couple of days with severe wind chill warnings. I had intended to start at 7 a.m. but told myself ‘I can’t do this,’” so spent a few hours over coffee before a delayed start.

Johnston’s advice is uncomplicated: “Watch the weather and know your limits.”

Johnston makes it clear that skiing alone is not for everyone. She was surprised by the extent of cell phone coverage, but knew better than to rely on it. “Concerns cross my mind,” she said, “but I’m never afraid. I’m always comfortable outside in the woods by myself and carry enough to survive an emergency.” Except for lightening, cold rain, and city subways, not much alarms her. But, then, her off-trail partner knows where she is.

End-To-Enders

Not all who embark on the journey plan to complete it in one trip. “Since the inception of the Catamount Trail, nearly 70 intrepid skiers have completed all 32 sections,” Wood said. Some complete section by section with days, weeks or even years off in between. All deserve kudos as successful End-To-Enders.

In the stories of Ordemann, Blakely and Johnston, one thing becomes clear: while advanced ski techniques may be helpful, they are not mandatory. What IS mandatory is a functioning level of strength and endurance, a huge dose of determination and an appreciation for the Vermont outdoors, an appreciation that is best coupled with experience, planning and respect for what nature might deliver.

This is where the Catamount Trail Association can help. Visit the website http://catamounttrail.org. There you will find answers to questions you might not even know to ask. CTA maintains trails, works with landowners, provides education and sponsors guided tours and events.

Timid or unsure? Ski with others. Considering an overnight? Check out the Winter Camping Guide. Want to know what it’s like before you head out? Look to those who have gone before. You might be breaking trail in the snow, but you do not need to reinvent the wheel. Others are happy to share their stories and helpful information with you.

“Contact us,” Kelsey said. “It’s fun for us to help you make connections. Don’t let the winter and cold keep you from being outside. The Catamount Trail is only one of many. I’ve bundled up and gone out and it’s made me happy.”

The remarkable snowfall, cold temperatures that can be dangerous but have created a quality of snow unparalleled for recreational use, spectacularly crisp, clean and clear vistas, and the availability of a designated trail system, can be acknowledged from the comfort of an armchair in front of a blazing fire, but are best understood through involvement.

“The Catamount Trail,” Kelsey said, “gets you to places you can only imagine.”

The Catamount Trail Classic

Section 22, the stretch of trail from Bolton to Traps may be the most frequently skied and dramatic section of the Catamount Trail. On Sunday, March 15, CTA offers a fund-raising event to benefit the CTA’s Ski Cubs and Youth Ski Program. “This is not a race,” Kelsey said. Come enjoy a 9 mile climb of about 1,000’ followed by a 2000’ descent into the Nebraska Valley, all supported and with a sweep provided to be sure that all participants have a safe and enjoyable day. Follow it up with an after-party at Trapp’s with a “few surprises.” This event offers a perfect opportunity to sample the Catamount Trail if you haven’t already. If you have, come show your support and celebrate a ski season to remember.

ACTIVE VERMONT, Linda Freeman, Contributing Writer and Field Editor.

Nutrition Must Be An Integral Part of Training

Nutrition and Training go hand in hand to produce health and performance. In my role as a writer, and as field editor of the ACTIVE VERMONT page of each Sunday’s Rutland Herald & Times Argus, I am privileged to meet experts and fellow participants in the active life we share in Vermont. It is my pleasure to introduce you to one of the best, Kim Evans of Whole Health Nutrition in Williston, Vermont.

Below is my introduction of Kim as well as her writing on nutrition and the athlete. Both stories appeared in ACTIVE VERMONT, 3-1-2015.

Kimberly Evans, MS, RD, co-owner of Peak Physical Therapy Sports and Performance Center and Whole Health Nutrition

Meet Kimberly Evans, dancer, athlete, business owner, mother of five and generous friend. Professionally, Evans is a registered dietitian whose continuing quest for knowledge gives her depth in specialized areas of sports nutrition, functional medicine and integrative nutrition.

Often introduced as a sports and wellness nutritionist, Evans teaches and lives her belief that “Food should be friend, fuel and fun.” To Evans, it’s all about the “power of nutrition meeting the pleasure of eating.”

Evans spent her early years in Michigan, living in New York City and Pennsylvania as well. “I’m a person who likes change,” she said. One summer, Evans came to Vermont to hike and fell in love with the state. A 1998 return visit sealed the deal. It was Halloween and a stroll along Church Street in downtown Burlington with everyone dressed up in costumes provided the final nudge for a move here in 1999. “It stuck,” Evans said. “The more I travel and the more I see, I realize that Vermont is a special place.”

Talking with Evans, one becomes aware of the juxtaposition of care with knowledge, theory with practice, composure with passion and the desire to reach to the center of another’s needs. “Vermont has allowed me to develop myself as a professional in the world of health and wellness.” In her chosen field, Evans is required to maintain her accreditation as a registered dietitian with rigorous continuing education layered on top of her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology and health care administration.

“I’m a person who loves to learn,” Evans said. As an RD, she is tasked to continually develop. Evans would have it no other way. What makes the academic practical for Evans is her personal history of movement, sports and an active lifestyle.

Evans began to dance at the age of 3 and didn’t stop until 37 years later. “Because I was a dancer, I wasn’t allowed to run,” she said. “I was always that kid in high school who couldn’t run a mile, always a ‘bun head’.” As soon as the dance chapter of her life closed, the running chapter opened. Perhaps the discipline of dance, the order, the attention to form and technique, the willingness to put in hours of practice, helped transform Evans into a runner and a cyclist. Evans now claims that she is not an adrenaline junkie, but wants to “role-model for her children and her community.” She does so, and well.

Evans is indeed passionate about her family, community, work and clients. More significantly, she embraces a deep feeling of responsibility with respect to her own health and body, and shares that sense of responsibility with others in pursuit of health and well-being as well as performance. “Eat well and move your body,” she said. “You are what you eat.” Be responsible, honor emotional, physical and spiritual well-being.

Evans is co-owner (since 2010) of Whole Health Nutrition in South Burlington, as well as Peak Physical Therapy Sports and Performance Center in Williston. “I am excited to be a part of an integrated wellness practice,” she said. “The model is exciting. We wrap a team around people striving to reach their goals.”

Welcome Kimberly Evans to the “Active Vermont” page. She will periodically share insights on relevant topics of nutrition related to recreational and competitive sports as well as individual pursuit of balance, strength, health and vibrant daily life.

FUEL FOR THOUGHT. Active people need to include nutrition in their training.

By KIMBERLY EVANS
Eating can be complicated. Let’s face it, there are almost as many opinions about nutrition as there are people who eat. That’s a lot of opinions. Eating to fuel athletic performance can be even more confusing. Think about it. Where, as an athlete or an active person, did you learn about nutrition specific to fueling your activity? Do you have set fueling practices? If you are like many athletes that I know the answer would be ‘no.’

Typically, when an athlete comes into my office, they often have a detailed plan about their workouts and training, and gadgets to support the plan. Yet when I ask them about their nutrition plan, I get a blank look. Nutrition is simply overlooked. Here is the thing. Whether you are an endurance athlete or a recreational athlete, a newly active person or an experienced competitor, your nutrition practices need to be at least 50 percent of your training effort.

Proper fueling increases lean body mass, making strong performance more attainable. Regularly adhering to good nutritional practices helps to reduce the risk of injury while shortening recovery time between exercise and managing hormones, such as cortisol, associated with exercise.

Meeting nutritional goals translates to meeting training and sports performance goals. When performance declines, there can be several reasons, such as lack of sleep, overtraining or inadequate fuel. Nutrition supports the mental and emotional aspects of sports performance as well. Fueling appropriately keeps your head “in the game,” improves mood and helps prevent fatigue.

But here’s a favorite reason to underpin your playing, training or competing with good nutrition: You have another reason to eat. This is always a plus for me.

Let me share my story. I have been a registered dietitian for 27 years, and yet I learned about sports nutrition the hard way. I grew up dancing ballet. Dancers have their own ideas about nutrition. When I turned 40, I decided it was time to hang up my pointe shoes and tutu and take up running. This is where trouble began.

Very early into training for my first half-marathon, I realized that something was not going according to plan. My first impulse was to also hang up my running shoes and dismiss my troubles as me just being a “bad runner.” But I am determined and when I set my mind to something I am going to do it.

I decided to engage in my own medicine and began tracking and analyzing my eating in relationship to my training expectations. The results were staggering.I was eating too few calories, very little carbs, and was woefully deficient in vitamin C and iron, amongst other things. I am a quick learner. I made some adjustments to my own eating, ran that half-marathon (and many more after) and my quest began to learn as much about nutrition in relationship to various physical activities as possible.

GET STARTED. In a nutshell, here are my top three tips to get you started thinking about your own sports nutrition practices.

1. Meet your energy needs. All bodies require fuel and athletes need even more. The more you move, the more you need. Fuel demands are made up of your basic metabolic needs, daily activity, digestion and exercise. Most of us need a bit more fuel than we think we do. Consider getting your resting metabolic rate assessed. RMR is a measurement of how many calories a day your body needs as a bare minimum, just to breathe, digest, function and stay alive.

2. Don’t fear carbohydrates. Endurance athletes and athletes in the “push” phase of their training have a particularly high demand for carbs. Match your carb intake to the intensity of your activity. Choose quality carbs such as oatmeal, quinoa, brown and wild rice, beans, sweet potatoes, and the ancient grain farro.

3. Time your eating with your exercise. Strive to calorically balance your day, including energy expended during exercise. What you eat before, during and after exercise will help to maximize performance and improve recovery times.

You don’t have to be an elite athlete to benefit from applying the science of sports nutrition. Small changes and attentiveness to eating will surprise you with big changes in health, energy, stamina and performance.

If you are wondering how to get started, check out some of my favorite resources for athletes:

Visit a registered dietitian who specializes in sports dietetics. This professional will have an RD after his or her name, and sometimes CSSD.

Sign on to Nutritiming to see how it can help with personalized, specific information. The website is nutritiming.com/welcome.

Runner’s World Magazine is a valuable resource for training and nutritional information that applies to all athletes, not just runners.

Finally, move more, eat better. Eat better, move more. Enjoy.

Kimberly Evans, MS, RD, is co-owner of Peak Physical Therapy Sports and Performance Center in Williston and Whole Health Nutrition in South Burlington. She can be reached at RD@wholehealthnutritionvt.com or visit her website: www.wholehealthnutritionvt.com.

Pro Cyclists Train in Vermont Winter

As I write this it’s -12 degrees and the State of Vermont is blanketed in snow. How cold is it? It’s so cold that on Saturday an avid fatbike enthusiast came to Spinning® class instead of riding outdoors. It’s so cold that my dogs had to break the ice on their water in the heated garage. It’s so cold that many of us have finally given up and are out there bundled up to within an inch of our lives just because we can’t bear to miss another day of some sort of outdoor adventure.

But to think of training in this stuff, bicycle training, is a reach. Skiing? Of course, but cycling? So, to learn more, I turned to a talented you rider in Central Vermont. Keep reading. First you will learn about Elisa Otter. What you learn may surprise you. Then you will read what she has to say about all this. Enjoy and do read on.

MEET THE ATHLETE: ELISA OTTER, by Linda Freeman, “ACTIVE VERMONT”

: Elisa Otter

Elisa Otter, Montpelier native, has only begun to show what she can do and already that’s a lot. At 28, Otter has demonstrated exciting cycling potential and, as a reliable source tells me, “This gal ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

From Evergreen State College in Washington state, Otter landed at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, N.C., where she raced on the varsity mountain bike team. For a small liberal arts college “of under 1,000,” Otter says, “15 were from central Vermont.” There Otter received coaching and racing experience that catapulted her to an amazing journey.

After Wilson, Otter was recruited to coach and race as a graduate student at Union College in Southeast Kentucky. “I was racing full-time with a sponsorship out of Kentucky,” Otter says, and then came a move to Colorado.

The name Leadville strikes fear in the hearts of runners and cyclists who know the challenges of racing there. If not fear, then respect. Otter won the National Championship for Category 1 Women (that’s overall) and then burned out. Fifty races in one summer, doing it all on one’s own, will do that to an athlete.

“I was pretty much forced to come back here,” Otter says. “I needed to ground myself.” It had been an astonishing summer, but Otter was depleted. “It was a gift,” she says. “I was able to see the window of where I want to go, but I wasn’t ready for it yet.”

After some time off and a soft re-entry, Otter got on a bike, renewed her pro license and returned to the National Championships in Pennsylvania where she finished in last place. But last place was a victory. “I did it,” Otter says. “I was scared. I had no idea you could overdo it.”

Living in Middlesex, Otter has gravitated to Northfield where she runs the after-school program at the local elementary school and is an enthusiastic member of Team Bicycle Express, a professional cycling team out of Bicycle Express bike shop on the square in Northfield.

Since 2008, under the leadership of Noah and Ezra Tautfest, TBE has worked to provide a community-based cycling experience for multiple levels of riders through professional, development and club teams who ride, train and compete in MTB, road and cyclo-cross races and events (for more information go to www.bikeexpressvt.com). Riding with TBE, “I was training for fun,” Otter says. “It was great. I took pressure off myself. I had team support, loved the camaraderie and had a blast.”

July 2014, Otter was back, finishing 13th overall in the pro field of the National Championships in a four-day comprehensive event of cross country, short track, super D (as in the enduro stage, pedaling downhill as fast as possible combining endurance and gravity skills), that tests all elements.

Post race, Otter was better able to define her goals and was “really inspired.” Next came the World Cup in Quebec and qualifying for the U.S. Team in August. “It was awesome,” Otter says. “I lined up with 60 of the best women in the world.”

Today Otter continues to find fun in her cycling experience, even as she trains for bigger and better performance challenges. She values her home, family and community in Vermont and is testing her belief that a pro cyclist can indeed live and train here yet be a national and international presence. “I’m pretty focused,” Otter says. “My teammates are going to California mid-March for national races. I’m trying to do what I can within my own budget. I hope to bike full time on sponsorship on the World Cup Circuit eventually.”

What does winter training look like for Otter? On top of her 30-hour work week, she trains six days. She has a gym membership at First in Fitness in Montpelier where she works on strength and core twice a week and then spends another 10-15 hours a week on cardiovascular, aerobic exercise either outdoors on a bike or skiing, or indoors Spinning on a trainer with her team.

Tomorrow is another matter. Speaking of TBE she says: “We definitely want to put ourselves out there as the Vermont based MTB team. Our mission is to promote a healthy lifestyle and spread the Vermont brand.” They are, after all, racing on an international level from small town Vermont.

Otter’s story tells its own message, but does she have another for you? “Keep moving,” Otter says. “We’re born to move and it’s become so easy not to. Moving stimulates happiness.” She adds, “When you start, it’s so hard it hurts. If you stick with it though, it’s euphoric.”

Article published Feb 15, 2015, “ACTIVE VERMONT”, by Elisa Otter for the Rutland Herald & Times Argus Sunday Magazine Section

Vermont: Training ground for Elite-class cyclists?

The first question asked when I say I race mountain bikes on a national level is, “Can you do that in Vermont?” It’s true. The winters are long, cold and snowy, making year-round bike riding difficult, if not impossible. It may be precisely these harsh conditions that provide the mental demand it takes to push oneself through the intensity of an endurance competition.

At least that’s what Elite-class racer Noah Tautfest of Vermont likes to think. He rides for the Bicycle Express Race Team based out of his shop in Northfield and is gearing up for highly competitive cross-country mountain bike season this year.

“It’s a mental sport when you get down to it,” Tautfest says. “Here, you have to fight the mental struggle of the harsh weather. It’s easy to do a six-hour training ride at 70 degrees in Arizona. But moving through the wind and cold, and people thinking you are crazy, that’s getting mentally prepared for the pain of a race.”

He should know. Tautfest has been spotted, bundled up and biking on a two-hour commute home in below-zero temperatures and on stormy nights. That is mental strength. Luckily for Vermonters, and according to Tautfest and top riders around the globe, cycling training does not need to be solely on a bike. In fact, mixing up training methods may be another positive aspect to training that is essentially forced in Vermont.

Montpelier native Andrew McCullough is another Vermont-based cyclist. His dedication and hard training landed him a spot on the professional road team, VCP Loudeac, based in Brittany, France.

“Being outside and moving in any capacity provides a mental freshness and inspiration to keep training,” McCullough says.

Before leaving for France, he spent a large amount of time cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and hiking the trails of Vermont. Like Tautfest, McCullough recognizes the importance of the mental aspects of training.

Cycling, or any sport done year-round and at the volume necessary for Elite competition, can push athletes to “burnout,” a condition that can lead to severe depression. “Burnout creates gaps in training. You have to change it up, keep it interesting” McCullough says.

McCullough and Tautfest use indoor training bikes as a tool to keep legs accustomed to the motion of cycling, providing specific training for bike racing. But this method is used in conjunction with other cross-training methods and does not, and arguably should not, be the only method. The growing popularity of fat biking could change the perception of climates and conditions ideal for competitive bike training. Oversized tires (up to 5 inches wide) allow for low tire pressure and good traction on snow and ice. Centers around the country are building designated trail systems where sustained winter training on fat bikes could become a reality. Here in Vermont, Kingdom Trails in East Burke, the Catamount Family Outdoor Center in Williston and Fat Bike Vermont at Killington are already providing this service.

Endurance cycling requires pushing the body and mind to ruthless extremes. Without a solid network and the support of family, friends, teammates and coaches, an athlete will break. The small state of Vermont provides a strong sense of community out of which has come an astounding number of world-class athletes.

“I do some of my best training in Vermont,” McCullough says. “The community, camaraderie and active lifestyle are conducive to effective training. There’s so much support here and you can always find people to ride with.”

I, myself, am gearing up and training early for a competitive cross-country mountain bike season ahead. I have been racing for five years. Most of this time was spent down south where I was going to school. The last two seasons I have qualified within the Elite field and have raced with the fastest women in the country. But I have never trained through a winter in Vermont. I am curious to see if training in the cold, harsh conditions will deepen my mental capacity to overcome discomforts experienced in competition.

Will the cross-country, backcountry and Alpine skiing help me to come into the season mentally fresh and excited to ride my bike? Will living in my home state, close to the support of my family and the active community I grew up in provide a stronger a sense of self? Will Vermont prove to be a training ground for Elite cycling? We shall see.

Photo of Elisa Otter by Jeb Wallace-Brodeur.

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