October 2014 - The Achievement Issue

Voting

Are These Folks Fit For Office?

AustinFitMagazine.com

Aaron Ross and Sanya Richards-Ross, Austin’s Championship Couple Connecting with Cooks at the Natural Epicurean October 2014

Work Out Around Austin’s Festivals

“Riding a bike is a great stress reliever for me.

My favorite ride is definitely riding around Lady Bird Lake in the morning. Seeing the sun come up on the lake. Seeing downtown. It’s a beautiful sight. When it’s just me, my bike and the road, there is nothing more peaceful.

I tell people that you don’t have to break the bank to get started. The important thing is to get on a bike, any bike, and start riding.

THE RIDE TO AUSTIN STARTS AT BICYCLE SPORT SHOP.”

BICYCLESPORTSHOP.COM

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AUSTIN FIT MAGAZINE PRESENTS

AFM Fit Talks is back!

Come join Austin Fit Magazine for an evening of discussion on Oct. 22 for “Surviving Setbacks: Positive Progression through the Injury Maze.”

Emcee Carrie Barrett of FOMO Training leads AFM’s panel of experts through a discussion on navigating all aspects of injuries for athletes.*

Expert Panel Heidi Armstrong

injury recovery coach, Injured Athlete’s Toolbox

Chris Braden

strength and conditioning coach, Train 4 the Game

Brian DeMarco

former NFL player, founder of Primal 7

Chris Sellers, DC, ART

chiropractor, Performance Wellness

Tim Zeddies, PhD

sports psychologist, Central Austin Psychology

Where: Bicycle Sport Shop, 517 South Lamar Blvd.

When: Wed., Oct. 22, from 6:30–8 p.m.

RSVP: Reserve your seat at afmfittalksurvivingsetbacks.eventbrite.com Check out the AFM Facebook page for more up-to-date information—we’ll see you there!

@austinfit #afmfittalks *Austin Fit Magazine reserves the right to change the panelists at any time.

Contents

October 2014

Features + Cover Stories

56 Starting on page

AARON ROSS & SANYA RICHARDS-ROSS Gold, glamour, and a lot of good, hard work make this championship duo special. AFM profiles the football star and track legend as individuals and couple in this month’s cover story section.

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30 Eat Fresh

The Natural Epicurean guides budding chefs in healthy food preparation

42 Meet Robert Dutra Moreira

This Brazilian jiu-jitsu master finds health, harmony through discipline

50 Putting the Sport into Marching

68 Fit for Office

Taking a look at this November’s mayoral candidates from the standpoint of health and fitness

106 Burpees, Meet ACL

Coach Carrie finds a lighter way to mix Austin’s festivals and fitness

Musical athletes practice and compete at DCI shows across the nation Richard-Ross‘ cover clothing courtesy of Neiman Marcus; cover, contents photo by Brian Fitzsimmons

Contents

October 2014

Departments + In Every Issue

30 Fuel

26 Kale and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad Add a tasty crunch to this veggie salad with apples and walnuts

28 Can You be Fit and Fat?

Nutritionist Anne Wilfong examines the health paradox

34 Gadget Review: Bullet Blender Extraction is the buzzword for this smoothie machine

LIVE

36 Finding Wellness at School

Parents, students, and teachers discover ways to work out together

40 Taking to the Trails in Texas High school mountain biking soars in popularity

48 Run Free Texas Supports AtRisk Youth Former probation officers bring running, confidence to kids through local nonprofit

LOOK

FEEL

84 When to Push It...and When to Pit Stop Sports psychologist Tim Zeddies shows how to navigate the fine line between pushing and over training

88 Is the Flu Vaccine for You? What to know about the season’s influenza preventatives

74 AFM Around Town

90 Sleep Apnea—Not Just a

76 Fit Finds: Healthy Bling Jewelry that shows your fit side

Weight Problem How this debilitating syndrome may be impacting life, and what can be done

Who's who at the Zilker Relays

80 What’s New in Austin Profiling the latest in shops and stock

92 Hearing and Your Ears Providing interesting info on this sensory organ in honor of October’s festivals

TRAIN

96 Keep Training Through Temperature Drops Tips for when the mercury eventually dips 98 Sensing Proper Swim Technique Coach Kim Brackin shows how feel for the water can be learned

100 Why Run?

Stay goal-oriented to stay on the road

102 Muscle Movement

Exercise and movement provide clarity, vitality

In Every Issue 14 From the Publisher 16 Letters to the Editor 20 Contributors

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22 WWW 24 Fit Focus 46 FAQ

54 The Pulse 94 Healthy Bits 108 Events Calendar

110 Rides & Races 114 Discover!

photography by FotoHogg

DON’T LET AN INJURY STOP YOUR TRAINING BECOME A PART OF OUR TEAM

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Coming Soon

Downtown 410 Pressler Austin, TX 78701

Publisher's Letter Publisher/CEO Louis M. Earle COO & Assistant Publisher Alex Earle eDITOR in Chief Leah Fisher Nyfeler

Sports, Politics, and Living the Good Life in Austin

G

Assistant Editor Natalie England Art Director Weston Carls Copy Editor Alicia Dietrich Director of Marketing & Communications Carrie Crowe

reatness is a good thing. It provides measure, allows us to contrast elements in our lives and make comparisons from which valuable lessons may be learned. In this month’s issue, AFM highlights significant achievers, those who commit to living their dreams and spend their time being the absolute best that they can be. Their stories are important because they reflect what can be achieved and the determination that comes from a passionate belief in our own directions.

October’s cover feature focuses on two Austin-area athletes who have excelled in their individual sports to pinnacles only imagined by those in the top tier of professional athletics. Former Longhorn track star, Olympic gold medalist, and American record holder Sanya Richards-Ross and pro football player Aaron Ross, winner of the Jim Thorpe Award and part of two Super Bowl teams, are a couple who epitomize high achievement with grace and aplomb.

What they have learned from their competitive quests—which have shaped their lives, families, and relationships—demonstrates the power of sports and its influences on those who pursue the ultimate levels. Their story is a great read and gives a strong lesson in living a quality life.

Shifting gears to another popular American sport, politics, is not much of a stretch. AFM examines Austin’s mayoral candidates, people who may shape the future long after November’s elections. As you might expect, the focus here is on each candidates’ viewpoint regarding fitness and living healthy lifestyles, and the ideas and positions held regarding this crucial area of culture and society.

Having met and chatted with a number of these folks, I’ve come to the conclusion that running for office is not for the faint of heart. It takes a special kind of commitment and alacrity to get into the race, let alone win it. And as with sports, there are many mental and physical challenges, and few who achieve greatness. The stakes are very high—not just for the candidates, but also for their families and the voters who depend upon their performance in so many ways. The decisions these future leaders make—on health-related topics ranging from “built environment” and “food deserts” to “tobacco policy” and “air quality”—will have a lasting impact on living healthy lives, something we at AFM believe should be an absolute top priority.

In these interesting times, our ability to navigate challenges has much to do with living well and being prepared for the future. We hope this month’s issue will provide some insight into how to stay at the front of the pack.

Interns April Cumming, Keri K. Heath (Editorial)

Keep Austin Fit,

Austin Fit Magazine assumes no responsibility for the content of articles or advertisements, in that the views expressed therein may not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or any magazine employee or contributor.

This publication and all of its contents are copyrighted.

Advertising Consultant Brittany Summerford Associate Digital Coordinator Gretchen Goswitz Writers Carrie Barrett, Kim Brackin, April Cumming, Patrick Evoe, Andrea Fisher, Keri Heath, Emily Laskowski, Carly Reed, Kristen Turner, Mason Wheeless, Diane Vives, Anne Wilfong Operations Assistant Jackie Pica

General Inquiries info@austinfitmagazine.com Advertising Inquiries ads@austinfitmagazine.com Submissions ideas@austinfitmagazine.com fitfocus@austinfitmagazine.com Event Listings austinfitmagazine.com/events Subscriptions austinfitmagazine.com/subscribe 2201 N. Lamar Blvd., Ste. 220 Austin, TX 78705 p 512.407.8383 f 512.407.8393

Austin Fit Magazine is the assumed name of its publisher, Louis M. Earle, who has no interest in the business of Denis Calabrese who operates an exercise program under the assumed name of Austin Fit, which trains individuals to improve their jogging or running skills to participate in marathons. The views, opinions and other representations published in Austin Fit Magazine are not those of Austin Fit or any of its directors, officers, employees or agents.

Lou Earle, Publisher, CEO

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Senior Advertising Consultant Betty Davis

photography by Dennis Burnett

Please recycle this magazine

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Letters to the Editor

Many AFM readers took the time to respond to the recent survey. While the questions were more aimed at getting a portrait of the average AFM reader, a few of you chose to share some thoughts that were related to magazine content.

“The articles in your magazine are top notch. I especially like the boxing one and your coverage of the X Games.”

“Seems like it is always the same places getting featured, or the same models used; maybe mix it up. There are so many fitness people in the ATX area. Maybe you could do a casting call or fitness try-out….”

“I’d like to see more stories about the social life of Austin. More stories and articles about the fitness life, gyms, people, etc. It would be fun if there were more videos online, prizes, and features on how people get and stay fit in Austin.”

“It would be neat to have a column that features someone of interest. For instance: there is a guy that always rides around in a yellow banana cycle. It would be neat to know what that guy’s deal is.” photo by Brian Fitzsimmons

“More short-form pieces would be nice. Think Men’s Health; the articles aren’t long (a page or two) but full of little informative snippets would be great for when you don’t have a ton of time to sit and read.”

“The articles in your magazine have really improved dramatically over the past 18 months or so. Keep up the good work!”

“I like your coverage of martial arts and boxing in the Austin area. The cover story on boxing this month was excellent. Please keep doing stories like that.”

“I really enjoy the articles on health and tips on working out. I also enjoy some of the stories about everyday people and different obstacles they have overcome.”

AFM wants to hear from you! Letters should be addressed to Letters to the Editor, AFM, 2201 N. Lamar Blvd., Suite 220, Austin, TX, 78705. Email address is leah@austinfitmagazine.com. All letters should include the writer’s name, address (email included), and daytime phone number. We are unable to acknowledge or return unpublished letters. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

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photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

How do you #KeepAustinFit? We want you to show us! Tag AFM in your social media post with @AustinFit or #KeepAustinFit and you could be featured in the magazine. This month, photos by @samslawter, @Memoirs_of_Aicacia, and @Levblack made the list.

What We’re Looking For Show us how you keep Austin fit by capturing your fitness moments—doing a handstand at an historic Austin landmark, SUPing around Lady Bird Lake, or working out with your children when you find time around the house.

However you keep fit, we look forward to seeing what you can do! The best photos will be included here in the Letters to the Editor page.

Join Us facebook.com/austinfitmagazine twitter.com/austinfit instagram.com/austinfit pinterest.com/austinfitmag youtube.com/austinfitmagazine

ALTA’s Cafe was developed to support the beauty of the park and the active lifestyle that surrounds us.

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Contributors Thank you to AFM’s contributors who make this magazine a worthy source of health and fitness information in Austin.

Write for AFM Here’s how.

Tim Zeddies

Martin Denbar, D.D.S

Martin Denbar, D.D.S., is a general dentist in Austin whose practice predominantly treats sleep disordered breathing with oral appliances. Dr. Denbar is the only Diplomate with the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine in Central Texas, and he is an assistant clinical professor at the Texas A&M School of Medicine for this therapy.

Dr. Denbar brought the field of dental sleep medicine to Austin in 1995 and is a recognized lecturer in this field on a state and national basis. (page 92)

Andrea Fisher

Andrea Fisher is the aquatics manager for the JCC Austin, and owner/ coach of Texas Iron Multisport. Working full time while being the mother of two rambunctious young girls has provided her with multiple reasons to abandon her own training path.

However, she practices what she preaches and has managed to still be nationally competitive at the age of 42. (page 26)

Timothy J. Zeddies received his doctorate in counseling psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, and completed a residency in clinical psychology at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio. Dr. Zeddies maintains a full-time private practice in Austin specializing in mood and anxiety disorders, psychological testing, and sports psychology for adolescents and adults. He has published numerous articles and book chapters on the psychotherapeutic process and clinical theory. (page 84) @psyched2win psyched2win.com

texasiron.net

Letters should include the writer’s name, address (email included), and daytime phone number as well as a short description (250 word max) of the article premise.

Send to Story Ideas, AFM, 2201 N. Lamar Blvd., Suite 220, Austin, TX, 78705.

Email address is contributors@ austinfitmagazine. com . Response time

may vary greatly due to publishing dates.

Detailed submission guidelines will be provided by AFM as appropriate.

Submit FitFocus Photos

austinapnea.com

Here’s how.

James Russell

James Russell is a long time resident of Austin with a life long passion for fitness and politics. As an active member of the community, he is currently the executive director of the Trail of Lights Foundation and the vice president of the Police Activities League of Austin.

He enjoy long walks on the beach and an evening by the fireplace with his dog. (page 80) austintrailoflights.org

Lauren Pape Amy Neuzil

Amy Neuzil is a naturopathic doctor, author, teacher and speaker. Her first book, DIY Health: For Women, was published in 2009. She has been seeing local and national clients in the Austin area for 11 years. Neuzil’s focus is on complex multi-endocrine disorders such as PCOS, but mood and sleep disorders and homeopathy are also a big part of her practice. She was awarded Naturopathic Doctor of the Year for Texas in 2011. (page 100) dramyneuzil.com

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Lauren Pape is a freelance journalist based in Austin, Texas. Originally from Frisco, the Texas Tech graduate holds a degree in electronic media and communications.

Pape was on staff at the Daily Toreador, Tech’s student newspaper, and worked for four years as a photojournalist for the yearbook, La Ventana. She also served as its photo editor for two years, while also reporting for 88.1 KTXT-FM in Lubbock. She now specializes in event coverage, editorial, portrait photography, and wedding photography in the Austin and Dallas areas. (page 32) @LaurenPapePhoto laurenpape.com

Photos must be original artwork submitted in 300 dpi.

Include credited photographer’s name, title of photo, and location in an email with the photo attachment. Email photos to fitfocus@ austinfitmagazine. com . Images

published in Austin Fit Magazine become the property of AFM.

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Watch Diane Vives and fitness model Jessica Clark go through the October workout at Spark Fitness Club. And we’ve changed this workout presentation; see easy-to-follow images of exercises starting at page 102, and visit the AFM digital magazine for a more in-depth article on the science and thought behind these movements.

AFM Newsletter

Every second week of the month, the AFM newsletter provides coupons, discounts, and special deals for subscribers. To get the latest information about new blogs, upcoming online articles and past print favorites as well as these special discounts and giveaways, go to austinfitmagazine.com/subscribe and sign up. As presenting sponsor of the Austin Distance Challenge, AFM will be giving away entries to each of the six races in the series.

Don’t miss this opportunity! photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

Need health insurance?

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If you’re between jobs, in school, or starting your own business, don’t sweat it. I have plans from Assurant Health designed with your needs in mind. To find out more about short-term, student, or individual medical coverage, call me today.

See a local State Farm® agent for more details on coverage, costs, restrictions, and renewability. Assurant Health products are underwritten and issued by Time Insurance Company, Milwaukee, WI, which is financially responsible for these products. No member of the State Farm family of companies is financially responsible for these products. Assurant, Assurant Health and Time Insurance Company are not affiliates of State Farm.

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Fit F o c u s Air, Water, & Wakeboard Chris de Haro disrupts Lake Austin's early morning calm.

Photography by Todd Martin

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Send your active lifestyle photos to FitFocus@AustinFitMagazine.com for a chance to be published.

Guidelines are provided in our Fit Focus photo album on Facebook.com/AustinFitMagazine

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Recipe

Kale and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Apple and Walnuts

By Carly Reed

Tickle the palate with this sweet and savory salad What You Need 2 sweet potatoes, cut into ½ pieces 3 tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper 1 ½ tablespoons fresh orange juice 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

Serves 4

1 bunch Tuscan or lacinato kale, thick stems removed, and leaves torn into bite-size pieces 1 Fuji apple, thinly sliced ¼ cup walnuts 4 ounces shaved pecorino or Parmesan cheese

How to Make It 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Toss sweet potatoes in 1 tablespoon of oil.

Roast on a sheet pan for 18 to 20 minutes, flipping potatoes half way through, until tender.

Allow to cool.

3. While potatoes cook, assemble dressing in a small bowl by combining remaining olive oil, fresh orange juice, whole grain mustard,

salt, and pepper.

Mix to combine.

4. Place kale in a large bowl.

Drizzle dressing over kale, and then use hands to rub dressing into leaves to coat and tenderize.

5. Add roasted sweet potatoes, apple, and walnuts, and toss to combine.

Top with shaved cheese before serving.

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Did you know?

While walnuts are full of good-for-you omega-3 fatty acids, watch the amount. A tablespoon or two can add 50 to 100 calories to a salad.

There are four tablespoons in ¼ cup, so each salad is garnished with approximately 1 tablespoon.

photography by Lauren Pape

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Can Fat Fit? Taking a look at more than weight in health

By Anne Wilfong, R.D., L.D.

Y

ou exercise regularly and are mindful of diet, but your weight is still stuck in the overweight or obese body mass index (BMI) category.

That yearly physical is looming, and you know your doctor is going to bring up that BMI. Sound familiar?

Or perhaps you have lost weight and your body has completely plateaued, or maybe you are just having a difficult time maintaining weight loss. If you are frustrated by a similar scenario and wonder whether your body weight classifies you as “unhealthy,” it may be time to consider research indicating that it’s possible to be “fit but fat.” Current studies investigating this concept generally use healthy cardiovascular/metabolic profiles as a determining factor. For example, are blood lipids, blood sugar, and inflammatory markers within normal limits?

If you are overweight and have been diagnosed with diabetes or heart disease, lifestyle changes to improve your health are still recommended.

BMI doesn’t take into account muscle mass versus body fat and, therefore, I encourage my clients to view BMI as only one part of the picture for weight status. For a clearer picture, it’s important to get an estimate of body fat percentage and where extra body fat is stored (on the abdomen as opposed to on the hips, for example).

When combined with BMI, this information can give more information about body composition and how it may affect overall health. Additionally, I encourage clients to think about what they eat and how their dietary lifestyle plays a role in extra weight.

Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, M.D., asked this question in The Obesity Paradox: Does it Matter?: “Did those 28 • austi nfItmagazine .com • 10.2 014

Even if you have no time

Breaking activity into 10-

or 15-minute segments tion of ‘empty calorie’ excess pounds accumucan still have the foods?” late through ingestion same positive effect One of the keys to of healthy foods from a as continuous the “fit but fat” theory is healthy diet, such as one exercise. physical activity, as Steven comprising nuts, low-fat C. Moore, Ph.D., explained dairy, whole grains, fruits, in an article published in Medscape vegetables and omega 3-rich foods Medical News entitled “Fit, Yet Fat?: A like salmon? Or did the extra calories Little Exercise May Add Years to Life.” accumulate through excess consump-

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Moore is the co-author of a study that examined the increased life expectancy associated with physical activity during leisure hours and at different BMI levels. The researchers found the relationship between fitness and life expectancy was true regardless of BMI and wrote, “At the minimum recommended physical activity level… equivalent to 150–299 minutes of brisk walking per week—the gain in life expectancy was 3.4 years.” Translation: Regardless of BMI or weight status, a moderate amount of physical activity has the potential to add years to life.

Other studies have confirmed the importance of fitness regardless of weight status. Dr. Barry Vaughn and other researchers at Middle Tennessee State University found that “fit individuals who are overweight or obese are not automatically at a higher risk for all-cause mortality.” They went on to state, “These findings are promising for all individuals, including those unable to lose weight or maintain weight loss, as all can experience significant health benefits by developing and maintaining a moderate level of cardiorespiratory fitness by participating regularly in physical activity at the level of physical activity currently recommended by the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines.”

What are the current U.S. Physical

Activity Guidelines? For adults ages 18–64, weekly exercise recommendations include 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity. If a busy schedule creates barriers to physical activity, recognize that breaking activity into 10- or 15-minute segments can still have the same positive effect as continuous exercise.

A common trap for many is increasing food intake beyond what is needed to facilitate exercise. I wish it weren’t so, but exercising doesn’t provide a hall pass to eating thoughtlessly and consuming more than is needed. It’s important to remember to practice moderation and consider exercise as a mechanism for improving overall health, not just as a tool to change physical appearance. The “fit but fat” studies are not an argument for remaining overweight or obese; they are, however, unique in the sense that these studies can open to the door to a conversation with your doctor regarding overall health, genetic risk factors, and how fitness can play a role in decreasing risk of disease. afm

10.2014 • au stinfI tm aga z in e.co m • 29

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Back to the Cutting Board Meet Natural Epicurean Academy, a health-conscious cooking school

By April Cumming

T

he kitchen is a flurry of white aprons, outstretched hands, and stainless steel mixing bowls; a cacophony of sharp knives clashing onto cutting boards, oven doors opening and slamming shut, and chefs clamoring over each other’s creations. A bowl falls to the checkered linoleum floor, and everyone stops to listen.

Welcome to the Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts, a plantbased cooking school in South Austin.

Here, budding chefs are instructed in five modalities, or methods, of cooking: raw, vegan, vegetarian, Ayurvedic, and macrobiotic.

Owner Rich Goldstein, who has been practicing yoga for 25 years, said he was inspired to start the school after reaping personal benefits from adopting a healthy, plant-based diet.

“Eating in an Ayurvedic—or plantbased and meatless—way enhances your immune system, increases your longevity, and reduces multiple other health risk factors,” he said. Many agree with Goldstein’s claim; a 2008 study conducted by Vegetarian Times found that 10 percent of the American population, or 22.8 million people, say they follow a largely vegetarian-inclined diet.

Stepping through the kitchen doors of the academy and into the classroom is like stepping onto the set of a reality TV cooking show. An intangible sense of

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hurried focus and creative genius fills the room as instructors—professional chefs themselves—circulate from student to student, asking them why they chose to use certain ingredients. Unlike a reality TV cooking show, however, that questioning is meant to be constructive, not critical.

“We don’t teach in a dogmatic way,” Goldstein said. “We want students to learn how to cook for their own bodies, for their own needs, and in a skillful way.

And the more you cook, the better you get—as long as you’re instructed well.”

Students’ goals are as varied as their home states and countries. Many dream of opening restaurants and food trucks, some of starting their own catering companies and health coaching services. A few want to be personal chefs. All of them agree on one thing: They want

to inspire people to eat healthier.

“We’re very unique in that we’re one of the few schools in the world who have this kind of curriculum and who teach this kind of cooking,” Goldstein said. “Students who come here are looking for a very different experience. Not everyone can come to Austin though.”

On a recent Saturday morning, students were testing recipes for their graduation ceremony—the final cooking event where their own personalized plant-based, raw, and vegan creations are showcased and then judged by professional chefs.

At one table, a student is making smoked jackfruit and mushroom tacos drizzled with an avocado sauce. Another is carefully constructing tempeh bulgogi sliders–a Korean-inspired creation–as though he were playing a photography by FotoHogg

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Fuel

Bleu, we cooked more for flavor. If we game of Jenga. A rack is pulled out needed to add another stick of butter, of the oven and the sweet smell of we’d add it.” vegan, salted caramel chocolate chip Bothma calls students her little cookies wafts through the room. pioneers, “because they go out into The dishes being created here are the world and show people how to eat a far cry from those sitting on the healthy.” For the last three months of average American’s dinner table. And the program, students participate in that’s exactly what Goldstein wants externships at local restaurants and to see coming out of the kitchen. businesses such as Uchi, Trace, Skinny “Eating the standard American Limits, Juiceland, and Whole Foods. diet degrades your taste buds,” he Goldstein dismisses the idea that said. “By eating a clean, healthy diet– this way of cooking is just a fad. and easing away from the chemicals “Trends take time to develop and found in other foods–you start to grow,” he said. “And I think that as recover and reboot your taste buds. more people out there start It’s a virtuous process, a cycle. to understand that food is What you put into your core to our health, this body affects how you feel sector and style of plantand how you feel affects “We focus based cooking will keep what you eat.” a lot more on booming.”

The school works ingredients and With plans to open with local farms and the health side of affiliate campuses businesses, includcooking here.” in San Antonio, New ing Johnson’s Backyard Orleans, and Los Angeles Garden and Wheatsville in the near future, GoldCo-Op, to source their foods. stein hopes to eventually make From tracking down seasonal a nationwide name for the school. fruits or specific flours to securing For now though, he’s proud to be in proper egg substitutions and exotic Austin. But more than that, he’s proud spices, their needs are expansive and of those who have entered the school change daily. “We want to teach them as students and left as chefs. how to cook with foods that are local.

“I want them to use their educaThat’s the nature of what we’re doing tion to make an impact on people’s here,” Goldstein says. health,” Goldstein said. “I want them The school’s South Lamar locato become superstars.” afm tion (situated next to Yoga Yoga and gluten-free food trailer Picnik) is going through its third expansion since Goldstein took over in 2009.

In addition to their weekly, open-tothe-public cooking classes, Goldstein is excited about what’s in store for the culinary academy’s future. He’s particularly enthused about the school’s new online distance learning program, which he sees as a form of public outreach designed to “address the need in America to teach people to cook again.”

Budding chefs go through a ninemonth, 900-hour professional training course where they are taught science and nutrition theory, current trends in food, and business acumen in addition to professional cooking skills.

“We focus a lot more on ingredients and the health side of cooking here,” said Inge Bothma, a LeCordon Bleu-certified chef and Natural Epicurean instructor. “In LeCordon 32 • austi nfItmagazi ne .com • 10.2 014

Fuel

The Gadget

NutriBullet $100

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Super Smoothies

How the NutriBullet turns produce into delicious nutrients

F

or smoothie lovers, the NutriBullet is one of those musthave items. Its blades break down and extract nutrients, which is a step above the whipping and stirring that occurs in most blenders. The NutriBullet comes with an extractor blade (the primary blade) and a milling blade (designed to grind herbs, chop nuts, and mill seeds), both of which are stainless steel and never need sharpening. Included with the NutriBullet are 24- and 18-ounce cups for different serving sizes and mixtures; the 18-ounce cups also come with re-sealable lids so that you can create single-serving beverages to take with you. Cups and lids are BPA free and dishwasher safe, though blades and motors must be washed by hand. A user guide and recipe book are included and provide nutritious recipes, food tips, and a six-week “transformation plan.”

The NutriBullet (shown here) has a 600-watt motor. There’s another product called the Magic Bullet; it is smaller than the original NutriBullet, with a 250-watt motor and a maximum vessel capacity of 18 ounces. Both models are compact and take up little counter space. Price ranges from $90 to $130 for the latest update, the Magic Bullet NutriBullet Pro 900. This extractor can be purchased online at nutribullet.com or at a variety of stores in town, including Target, BestBuy, Kohl’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, JC Penny, and Sam’s Club.

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How to bring adult fitness classes to your school: 1) Engage a teacher, parent, PTA leader, or administrator in spearheading the efforts.

Creating School Community Through Fitness Families are finding fitness opportunities through kids’ schools By Kristen Turner

D

uring the hot days of late summer, Austin pulses with the excitement of a new school year. Bright yellow school buses punctuate regular traffic routes, and children flood back into classrooms sporting new school clothes and colorful backpacks. The natural rhythm of the next academic year creates a perfect opportunity for parents and teachers to infuse renewed enthusiasm into their fitness routines.

Through a growing wellness movement in Austin, more and more families are finding their school communities ripe with potential adult fitness opportunities.

Fitness Professionals: Giving Back to Teachers

Fifth-grade teacher Jessie D’Andrea is passionate about her personal fitness routine, but last year, her exercise regimen suffered.

A faithful participant during the summer months, her long school hours challenged her ability to attend group workouts once school started.

D’Andrea’s fitness plight was not lost on Molly Daniels, her coach at iGnite. “Teachers give their heart and souls to teaching and don’t do enough for themselves,” said Daniels.

In a creative attempt to reach out to educators, Daniels’ fellow iGnite coaches brainstormed ways to support teachers in the community.

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District School, Caraway Elementary, seemed a logical place to begin.

With the principal’s endorsement, iGnite founder Neissa Springmann addressed the Caraway faculty with an inspirational message of wellness and self-care. “Knowing that our educators are the ultimate nurtures and caretakers, we’ve always hoped for the opportunity to provide them with the iGnite experience—to love on them the way they love on our children,” explained Springmann.

The Caraway faculty enthusiastically welcomed Daniels twice weekly after school. Now, D’Andrea can walk out her classroom door and exercise with colleagues. “We love to be coached after a long day of teaching,” she said.

“Finally—someone is telling us what to do. We are so thankful to have someone leading us.

When I go back to grading papers after the workout, I feel so refreshed.”

In a city resplendent with fitness opportunities, it’s fitting that the Austin Independent School District (AISD) is invested in the healthy habits of its employees. Through AISD’s wellness program, teachers and staff bring fitness to their campuses by drumming up interest among their colleagues.

This past summer, fitness vendors from around Austin donated services to a large curriculum writers teachers’ conference held in town. Offerings included yoga/ dynamic stretching, mid-afternoon meditation, and higher intensity activities, such

2) Generate interest among the target audience (faculty, parents, or both), and request permission from the administration to start a group.

3) Invite a fitness professional to bring a workout to the school community.

4) If your child’s school is within AISD, check out the fitness vendors listed at austinisd.org/wellness/ vendors. These vendors have a standing relationship with AISD and can bring classes to the campus with approval from the administration.

If you are a fitness vendor and want to serve local AISD schools: 1) Submit a Request for a Proposal (RFP) on the AISD wellness website (austinisd.org/ contractandprocurement/ advertised-bids-rfps) 2) If accepted, contact AISD’s Wellness Coordinator Ian Kahn and the interested campus or facility to bring your services directly to the staff.

3) Donate services to the district’s special events, such as the employee health fair in October.

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as Zumba and boot camps.

AISD wellness coordinator Ian Kahn said, “These programs really opened the teachers’ eyes to the value of exercise.” He received effusive feedback from participants: “Wow, this makes a huge difference in how I feel every day.” Kahn believes the momentum from this conference will inspire many teachers to request fitness classes at their own AISD campuses: “I have a suspicion that this program is going to take off this year.”

Larry Chauvin, coach for Young Guns Youth Fitness and a teacher at Casis Elementary, was a pioneer in bringing teacher fitness to his AISD campus. In 2008, shortly after catching the running bug, he decided to invite other teachers and parents to join him for running workouts after school. His group gradually evolved into a more comprehensive fitness program that includes cardio, circuit training, yoga, and Zumba classes.

“It's great to have so many healthy and active adults in our students’ lives. When students see their teachers running the track after school, they see how important physical fitness and community is at all ages,” explained Chauvin. “We even got our new principal out to a Zumba class because that’s something she was interested in.”

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Teachers aren’t the only ones benefiting from school-based fitness classes. Parents are flourishing as well. At Veritas Academy, a private Christian school in Southwest Austin, the expansive school courtyard is filled after morning dropoffs with moms engaged in a boot-camp style workout called FitMoms. Lunging, jumping, skipping, and squatting, the women share parenting stories, offer support, and encourage one another.

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FitMoms has been a vital part of connecting women at the school for the past five years. Participant Janette Cantwell joined when she moved to Austin last year. “Being new to the school and new to Austin, FitMoms gave me the opportunity to really connect with other moms who share similar interests,” Cantwell explained. “Working out together facilitates friendships in a way that standing in the pick-up line can’t.”

Just down the road in the Shady Hollow neighborhood, another workout group shares fellowship in the pre-dawn hours.

This conditioning group grew organically; last year, Baranoff Elementary School mom and personal trainer Sarah Lear formally started the Shady Hollow Sweat Camp in the park area next to her house.

“It’s so fun seeing people’s workout personalities come out. The bonds with other people are much stronger than they were before,” said Lear. “I see them building friendships within the group, and they are still chatting when I leave.”

Weaving together the expertise of community fitness professionals with wellness-minded parents and teachers is a logical connection point in the microcosm of a school environment. These adults act as advocates for and models of fitness throughout the school community and can, in turn, influence the most important people that schools exist to serve—the kids. D’Andrea explained, “It’s fun that the students get to see us working out together—working hard and sweating—it motivates them.” afm

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Teens Take to the Trails

Texas high school mountain biking gathers speed

By Keri Heath

I

n recent years, mountain biking has become increasingly popular sport for active adults, and this interest has trickled down to high school kids. Last year, more than 160 student-athletes raced in the Texas High School Mountain Biking League, and even more are expected in the upcoming spring season.

The Texas League opened its first season in the state four years ago. Four races and a championship are hosted each year at locations such as Reveille Peak and Rocky Hill Ranch. While 40 percent of the league comes from teams in Central Texas (includingWestlake, Austin High, and St. Stephens), there are currently 19 teams statewide. Each year has seen a growth rate of about 55 percent.

“I was looking for a fast-paced sport that would challenge my body as well as my mind,” said Wes Figg, a senior rider at two-time state champion Lake Travis High School. “I quickly came to learn that mountain biking demands a high level of fitness as well as skill. To me, this sport means combining the outdoors with the spirit of competition.”

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One possible reason for the popularity of the sport may rest in the league’s commitment to active participation for all students. Vance McMurry, executive director and founder of the Texas League, said that he decided to bring high school mountain biking to Texas when he watched his son play at a high school football game. It was the only game his son would play all season.

“That does nothing for your self-esteem,” McMurry said.

“So I was trying to find something that integrated my two biggest passions, which are my kids and mountain biking, which was inclusive… You show up; you want to ride; you ride.

Everybody counts.”

More than anything, McMurry stressed that this is a sport open to all riders of any skill level, including students who may not have any biking experience. The races foster a sense of community among the riders, coaches, and their families. Many teams choose to camp at the ranch or park the night before a race for a pre-ride of the course and an evening together.

“We are helping entire families get involved in working out photography by Steve Morton

Texas has one of 13 high school mountain biking leagues across the country.

and spending quality time with their kids,” said Doug Lange, a coach for the Lake Travis team. “We welcome all riders at any level. I started to coach because I love to ride, and I felt we could make a difference with kids at this crucial time in their lives.”

Mountain biking is traditionally a male-dominated sport.

Females make up only 12 percent of total membership for the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA), but the high school league has been attracting young female riders.

In the first year of high school competition in Texas, only five girls participated; just two years later, in 2013, the number had grown to about 45. Next year, 70 to 80 female riders are expected to participate, as all teams in the Texas League are required to include girl riders before their team can score in competition.

“I was riding the same stuff the boys were and loving the wind through my hair and the excitement of riding over stuff I had never dreamed of riding over,” said Megan Dawkins, a rider on the Lake Travis team. “This sport means a lot to me because it's something I'll be able to do for the rest of my life.

Mountain biking will always be exhilarating and fun, and I'll always be able to get better.”

There are currently 13 high school mountain biking leagues across the country. Texas was the fourth to form.

These leagues fall under the organization of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), which was founded in 2009 and provides coach licensing and stresses trail safety. All coaches are required to attend risk management workshops and become CPR certified,

while head and assistant coaches must also be certified in wilderness first aid and pass a safety exam.

The national goal is for high school mountain biking to be seen like any other youth sport. NICA’s mission aims to promote strong bodies, strong minds, and strong characters in student athletes, much like other popular youth sports.

Following this principle, the Texas league focuses on providing a team setting for teens who wish to mountain bike, regardless of skill level.

“The league provides the perfect blend to teach discipline, attitude on a fun yet competitive atmosphere,” said Ramon Avina, a coach for the Laredo Consolidated team. “[Seeing] how young individuals transform and mature in front of your own eyes as the season goes on....is a powerful experience.”

The size of Texas also gives the league a lot of future potential. Younger leagues, such as those in Colorado and Utah, already average several hundred students per race.

The league has certainly gained national attention, with sponsorships from Clif Bar, Camelbak, Specialized, and, locally, Bicycle Sports Shop.

“The scale of the opportunity we have in Texas is absolutely staggering,” said McMurry. “There will be a day when we have well over 1,000 high school kids racing mountain bikes.

“Something magic happens (when) you put these kids on a mountain bike, send them into the woods, and the world turns around. It is absolutely amazing.” afm

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Robert Dutra Moreira, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Master Finding harmony and health through discipline

By Emily Laskowski

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photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

F

or 35 years, Master Robert Dutra Moreira has been practicing the art of jiu-jitsu. At age 26 he reached the expert level of black belt and went on to win numerous titles in the sport. Now, at the age of 51, Moreira lives in Austin and teaches Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Sharp End Athletics.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is known for its emphasis on technique.

Rather than encouraging blunt force, the goal is to utilize proficient technique in a way that eliminates the need for physical strength. “Apply technique with no strength,” stresses Moreira. That, and never giving up, are his most important lessons to his students.

As a teacher, Moreira believes that there is no age cap to learning and reaching one’s physical and spiritual potential.

Ben Himes, owner of Sharp End Athletics (where Moreira trains and teaches classes), agreed, highlighting such benefits as reduced stress and increased libido for adults and those

in their golden years. “Jiu-jitsu will help each student reach harmony associated with the right way of breathing, cardio, speed, endurance, etc.,” said Moreira on the learning process of the sport.

Often referred to as an art form rather than a sport, jiu-jitsu boasts numerous benefits to young people as well. Moreira’s philosophy on jiu-jitsu is simple—discipline and respect: “I feel extremely satisfied and accomplished to be able to teach an art capable of transmitting principles like discipline and respect for others.” Other positive benefits for teens and preteens ascribed to the sport include problem solving, respect for elders, and the establishment of a routine. When asked what he believes is the No. 1 benefit of jiu-jitsu, Moreira responded easily, “Self confidence.”

For Moreira, self-confidence from jiu-jitsu didn’t become a part of his life until the age of 16. As a kid, Moreira noted that he had “lots of energy” and so his mother took him to try out 10.2014 • au stinfI tm aga z i n e . c o m • 43

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judo. “This took me to a different universe,” said Moreira of his exposure to the modern martial art. Starting at the age of 13, he competed regularly in judo until he was invited to learn jiu-jitsu. The rest is history.

As Moreira put it, “I have never stopped doing jiu-jitsu since then. It has been 35 years of dedication to this art and sport.”

In his many years practicing Brazilian jiujitsu, Moreira has collected trophies, accolades, and numerous belts.

In 2011, he fought back from what would be for some people a career-ending injury to win a European Championship that he now refers to as the award of which he is most proud. Describing that struggle, Moreira said, “With will and dedication, I overcame many obstacles in my life, and that’s one of the teachings I try to pass to each of my students.”

Each of Moreira’s experiences has led to a teachable moment. What he most enjoys teaching is self-defense.

As a result of his teachings, Moreira has seen that “students will be more able to cope with a situation of risk or aggression.” And Moreira takes great pride in all of his students and their very different goals. “Every single student that signs up to train with me is [on a] specific mission,” explained Moreira. “Some want to learn the art, some want to compete, some want to overcome [a] difficult personal situation, and some just want to get healthy.” For example: One of Moreira’s students had open heart surgery a few years ago and just recently won two of 44 • au st infI tm aga z in e.co m • 10.2014

his categories at a championship event in Austin in August.

Moreira’s love of his sport is evident in the passion put into his healthy lifestyle.

A dedicated servant of the sport, Moreira himself trains in jiu-jitsu every day.

He tries not to eat carbs after 8 p.m., eats two eggs every morning, and eats coconut and acai (known for their antioxidant powers) on a daily basis. After living here for a little more than a year, Moreira fits right in with what he calls the “sport spirit” of Austin.

And what should his fellow Austinites consider when learning more about jiu-jitsu?

“Me, my students, and every jiu-jitsu practitioner are living proof of the amazing impact this art can have in any person who decides to make this art part of his [or] her life,” he said. afm

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F A Q Guidance for working out your healthy conundrums Questions submitted by readers, answered by AFM staff

I’m at the gym and I see the spray bottles with cleaners.

What exactly am I supposed to clean? Everything I touch? The stuff I sweat on? Help!

A: The gym is a great place to pick up some germs. Many hands—and other bits—come into contact with many items. While gym staff is doing the heavy cleaning (industry recommendation is twice daily), it’s helpful for members to do their part. In addition to germs and viruses that can live on equipment, oil and dirt can interfere with sensors, and collected grime can cause deterioration of padding. Wipe down the items you touch with your hands, sit on, and sweat on—and that includes cloth items, such as TRX Bands. The next user will thank you. And don’t forget to wash your hands when the workout is complete.

Every time I run a 5K or some other road race, I feel like my starts are a challenge because I’m battling the adrenaline surge on a body that is still warming up. What is a suitable warm-up I could perform before the race to have my legs and lungs ready for the starting gun?

A: You’re right; a good warm-up is critical to a good start in the race. Runners who have already experienced elevated heart rates and respiration before the gun are able to minimize the acclimation to those factors at the beginning of the race. Or, in other words, suffer early so you can suffer longer.

Assuming that you have at least 45 minutes

before the start of the race—you’re already checked in, have your bib number or timing chip, and know where the start line is—take off on a short (15 to 20 minutes, maybe) slow jog, just to get the legs loose and blood flowing. Following the jog would be a good time to get other chores done, like bathroom breaks, shoe changes, pinning on the bib, or swapping shirts. Within 15 minutes of the start, somewhere near the start line, begin a series of striders, anywhere from 50–100 yards in length. Jog back to your original point for recovery, then hit it hard again.

Repeat until it’s time to take your position in the start chute, so your muscles stay warm and heart rate gets elevated.

I really enjoy being active (meaning, breaking a sweat) every day. However, I realize that recovery is necessary in any training plan. What are some good active recovery workouts?

A: The good news is that recovery doesn’t have to mean sitting on the couch or restriction from all activity. The point of the recovery day is to recover from the mental aspect of training as much as anything else. Active recovery just requires low intensity—the whole focus is getting blood flowing and reducing muscle fatigue.

This can take a wide variety of forms— easy runs, walks, gentle spin on the bike, dancing, hiking, yoga—and is a great way to try a new activity. Just be sure to keep the intensity low, and focus on breathing, form, and mental clarity. afm

Do you have a workout question that needs addressing? Submit your healthy conundrums to FAQ@austinfitmagazine.com (please include your name, email address, and phone number with your question).

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photography by Travis Perkins

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Run Free Texas Teaching at-risk youth discipline through distance running

By Mason Wheeless

M

iranda Villarreal and Sabine Medrano spent many years as juvenile probation officers in the Texas justice system.

They were all too familiar with the future that often awaits juveniles who enter the system. It can become a revolving door for kids. Having worked so closely with these young people, though, they also knew how rare it is to find a truly “bad seed.”

While bad circumstances abounded, almost all of the kids Villarreal and Medrano had dealt with wanted to do the right thing; they had just never been shown what that was. With this experience in mind and an August 2011 Runner’s World article about the Topeka Correctional Facility in Kansas as inspiration, Villarreal and Medrano created Run Free Texas in 2012. Run Free Texas is a local nonprofit organization that offers a free running program to at-risk youth in the community. Its mission is “to assist our youth in lowering their selfcompromising behaviors, to educate the youth on the physical and mental health benefits of being physically active, and to build a support system around the youth comprised of positive family, school and community members for the youth to succeed within our community.”

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Through its founders’ hard work and existing connections, Run Free Texas was immediately added to the recognized rehabilitation programs within the Williamson County Juvenile Services Department. This meant that juvenile probation officers, after sitting with their young clients to assess their needs and evaluate how they might best be helped, could assign youngsters to Run Free Texas as a condition of their probation.

From there, Medrano said, the two founders “work to teach at-risk youth how to think about their future, how to attain confidence, and how to develop a sense of personal control over themselves and their environment.

Learning and knowing how to make better choices for themselves will allow them to become healthy contributing members of our community.”

At first, kids may approach the 12-week program with some hesitation from the kids; they may not be used to physical activity and structure, or may have expectations about what a program like this entails.

“Youth are typically very nervous when they first start our program, as they often come with preconceived notions:the staff acting like drill instructors, or that they are going to be running the entire time,”

Medrano said. “What they soon find out is that Run Free Texas is all about providing a fun, safe environment where there is a lot of encouragement.”

The staff and volunteers participate in whatever they ask the kids to do, and the atmosphere is always supportive. Having worked for so long with kids in these same situations, Villarreal and Medrano work hard to include elements that might otherwise be missing: a team dynamic, rewards that include games of kickball and basketball after good workouts, support outside of the group, and guest speakers who appear regularly to share messages of triumph and positivity. Upon completion of the 12 weeks, the team participates in a 5K, signifying a new milestone in their burgeoning running careers as well as the end of the compulsory part of the Run Free Texas program.

Those students who have embraced the program and achieved 90 percent attendance are offered a one-year scholarship, wherein Run Free Texas pays all fees for the student to participate in any sport of their choosing. Villarreal and Medrano, avid runners themselves, understand that running isn’t for everybody, but the positive experiences and new sense of self cultivated within can hopefully be taken up elsewhere. afm

Running with Run Free Texas In early August, I had the opportunity to join a Run Free Texas workout in Round Rock. At first it was a quiet group. Medrano peppered the kids with questions. They gave one-word answers, staring at their feet, the sort of awkward behavior expected from middle and high school students.

She announced they’d be running a 1-mile time trial, and the atmosphere changed. As Medrano read off results from the last time trial and asked for predictions, the energy was suddenly palpable. We lined up (even I was nervous), there were some last second shouts of encouragement, and we were off.

Following the run, it was a changed group. The times were hardly important; pride and accomplishment were easily seen in each of their faces. As new times were read, there were “oohs” and “aahs” from the huddles of students and volunteers, laughter and hugs, and the joy of a hard effort celebrated. It was a wonderful moment, and an example of the main reason why Run Free Texas is growing so fast as a unique and much-admired program in Central Texas.

Comments from the Run Free Texas Youth "Run Free Texas is a place I can go to get the support I need to accomplish my goals."

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"Run Free has helped me get rid of a lot of stress that I have had on my mind. It's also helped me sleep easier at night. It's a good program. It's been fun dusting y'all every Tuesday and Thursday."

"I think Run Free Texas is encouragement and inspiring. The staff treat you with respect and help you reach goals that you have not reached before."

How Can You Get Involved?

The entire Run Free Texas program, which is offered free of charge and includes shoes, tech shirts, paid staff, race fees, and scholarships, is paid for through two yearly fundraisers. The first is the Run Free Texas 80’s 8K, which for the first time this year will be featured as the first race of the Austin Distance Challenge sponsored by Austin Fit Magazine on Sept. 14. The second is the Guns N Hoses and Average Joes Dodgeball Tournament, featuring teams of police officers, firefighters, and average folks.

Despite the overwhelming success of these two events, Run Free Texas still needs private donors and sponsors as they continue to grow in program scope and in locations. Volunteers are also a much-needed part of their success.

Contact Run Free Texas at runfreetexas@gmail.com, Facebook (facebook.com/RunFreeTexas), or Twitter (@RunFreeTexas).

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photography by Lauren Pape

Not Your Average Marching Band Musical athletes redefine ‘sport’ By Lauren Pape

E

very summer, hundreds, ages 15–21, join to compete in a unique activity that combines musical, mental, and physical skill, in an activity that usually isn’t considered a sport— drum corps.

For those who have marched in a corps or are veteran fans of the activity, trying to explain exactly what drum corps is isn’t an easy task. For those who are unfamiliar with the competition, it’s best described as professional marching band.

From May to August each year, band and color guard members from across the country come together to form bands, or corps. Each corps then learns a unique show and travels from coast to coast performing it at competitions for judges and crowded stadiums full of Drum Corps International fans.

With a schedule full of 12-hour rehearsal days, thousands of miles on the road, sleeping on gym floors, and physically demanding performances several nights a week, these musical athletes must maintain peek physical health to avoid injury and ensure they make the most of the grueling summer schedule.

Ready, Set, Run

While the drum corps season officially starts in May, each corps holds auditions and camps throughout the winter and spring for hundreds of musicians to compete for 150 spots between the brass, color guard, drum line,

and front ensemble. These camps combine music rehearsals with physical training exercises like running, push-ups, jumping jacks, and sprints to gauge each performer’s skill and fitness level.

Rachel Osborn, color guard member in The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps, said these camps are designed to be much like real rehearsal days, and the corps staff watches closely to see who can take the heat and who’s already panting on the sideline. While no one is expected to be in perfect shape already, it’s clear who will be able to prepare in time for the summer. “It definitely takes time for your body to adjust to the type of physicality that we do,” she said. “There’s a reason that we’re on tour for three months. It’s because you can’t just jump into something like this.

Your body has to train for it.”

After being accepted into a corps, each member is encouraged to work out several times a week to build strength and stamina.

The Cadets even offered a prize to the section with the most miles run in the off-season. As a member of the color guard, Osborn said she also prepares with bicep curls and push-ups to prepare her arms and back to spin her color guard rifles, sabers, and flags for hours at a time during long rehearsal days.

10.2014 • au stinfI tm aga z i n e . c o m • 51

Live

Tessa Harmony, a physical trainer for The Cadets, said that even after months of preparation, it’s a tough transition for most corps members at the beginning of the summer. “They come from school, where they sit seven hours a day, and they come here, and their bodies are just in shock because they’re going nonstop,” Harmony said. “Some of them have lost 20 pounds, and they’re just all muscle now.” With a cardio intensive schedule that leaves little time for anything but rehearsal, it’s no wonder they lose a few pounds.

Day by Day

Rehearsal days start at 8 a.m. After a quick breakfast loaded with protein and carbohydrates to maintain energy throughout the day, it’s off to the football field, where they waste no time getting down to business with an hour of stretching and cardio-based activity. Stamina is key in pushing through long show performances, and one of the best ways to prepare for this is with running.

Following a couple of miles around the track, it’s time for visual rehearsal. When learning drill, a show is split up into sets. Drum corps shows usually contain some 150–200 sets, with a different number of steps in each set.

Each set also requires different step sizes. For example, an eight-to-five step size means that there are eight steps between every five yards on the field (22.5 inches per step). Drill becomes more difficult when step sizes increase to six-to-five or four-to-five (3.75 feet per step), forcing marchers to take larger steps or run from set to set, sometimes backwards or diagonally across the field, all while staying in the constantly changing form around them.

Marchers are often required to move at paces of 180 beatsper-minute while taking four–five steps. This means that for extended periods of time, performers are moving at up to 12 52 • austi nfItmagazi ne .com • 10.2 014

feet per second or 8.18 miles per hour while simultaneously pushing air through their instruments.

After visual rehearsal comes lunch, sectionals to work on music, dinner or a short snack, and finally, ensemble rehearsal. At the end of the day, the entire corps meets to combine all of the visual and musical changes made throughout the day.

By the end of this rehearsal, corps members have spent approximately 12 hours rehearsing in the sun, holding instruments at attention, running from set to set, and applying new information and changes during every rep.

Despite plenty of water breaks, Harmony said she can sometimes see the pain in members’ faces by the end of the day, particularly at the beginning of the season. “They’re blowing out so much air and trying to suck in so much air, but they’re running across the field so their bodies are trying to compensate for all of that,” she said. “It definitely puts their bodies through a very high-stress state.” She said the amount of oxygen performers’ bodies can consume increases throughout the season as they adjust to the routine exercise, making it a little easier every day to push through long rehearsals and decreasing chances of injury.

Common injuries include tendonitis, shin splints, stress fractures, strained muscles, and even broken fingers among color guard members; in summary, anything related to overuse. Color guard member Osborn, who is studying to become a nurse, said many injuries could be prevented by using simple practices she’s learned in class, such as stretching and

drinking water at night to avoid injuries related to dehydration and strains, but over the course of the season, every performer learns what works best for the individual to maintain a healthy body.

While most injuries only require a couple days of rest on the sideline, corps staff makes sure that more serious issues are treated by a doctor.

Sometimes, it is determined that a performer should not continue the season.

For this reason, every corps makes sure to have a few kids on call to fill any spots that open up.

Despite the risk of injury and the weeks of work put into learning a show, Osborn said it’s all worth it when the tour begins and it’s time to perform at competition for the first time each season.

The Texas Heat

Similar to a professional athlete’s busy travel schedule during game season, a drum corps athlete spends nearly every minute of the day rehearsing or traveling; just replace the private planes and fivestar hotels with smelly charter busses and sleeping bags on hard gym floors.

While some corps mostly travel up and down the East Coast and others prefer to spend some time in California, they all make the trip to Texas for a series of competitions across the state, ending at the DCI Southwestern Championship in San Antonio each year. Because Texas is known for its strong high school marching bands, many kids who march in a drum corps are from Texas and see the trip down to the Lone Star State as coming home. For everyone else, Texas is only one thing: hot.

Fortunately for those who usually dread the scorching temperatures in

Texas, rain brought cooler weather to Austin this year. Unfortunately, this also caused the DCI Austin show at the Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex in Round Rock on July 17 to not quite go as planned.

Guardians, Genesis, Troopers, Colts, and Crossmen were able to perform, but before Madison Scouts, Boston Crusaders or The Cadets could take the field, lightening cut the competition short.

Disappointed fans left the stadium, but the change of plans didn’t faze corps members. With dozens of performances under the belt, it’s understood that bad weather is always a possibility with outdoor shows, and they began to refocus on next day of rehearsal.

So, is drum corps a sport?

While some say a sport must involve passing a ball down a field and scoring points, others argue that it’s more about the athleticism and teamwork involved.

The definition of the word may be up for interpretation, but any audience able to witness the sweat rolling down those drum corps performers’ face during a rehearsal and the passion in their eyes at the end of a show will be able to make that call for themselves. afm

10.2014 • au stinfI tm aga z in e.co m • 53

The Pulse

| Keeping Fitness Fun ACL Numbers

2002

first year festival held

$25

weekend pass price in 2002

67

number of bands that performed during the first festival

$200

130+

number of bands in 2014 lineup

12.1"

OR

Waste it?

225K

revenue C3 Presents brought to Austin with festival in 2012

festival attendance for first weekend in 2013

total amount of overnight rainfall that cancelled the last Sunday of ACL on Oct. 13, 2013

2

number of weekends festival is now held

“True Blood” novelist Charlaine Harris made a cameo appearance in the series finale on Aug. 26.

She’s manning the production console in the “commercial” for New Blood.

Count Chocula

Calories: 108 (3/4 cup, without milk) The burn: Jumping rope=9 minutes at moderate intensity Walking=20 minutes Zumba=11 minutes Pilates=24 minutes Boxing=15 minutes on the heavy bag

Book Bit

Dracula by Bram Stoker

$1.02 MIL

festival attendance in first year

weekend pass starting price in 2014

Rocky Horror Picture Show—Austin connection. Tim Curry (Dr. Frank-N-Furter) was awarded honorary citizenship in 1977 by Mayor Jeff Friedman.

Worth it

42K

His face was a strong—a very strong—aquiline, with high bridge of the thin nose and peculiarly arched nostril; with lofty domed forehead, and hair growing scantily round the temples but profusely elsewhere. His eyebrows were very massive, almost meeting over the nose, and with bushy hair that seemed to curl in its own profusion. The mouth, so far as I could see it under the heavy moustache, was fixed and rather cruel-looking, with peculiarly sharp white teeth; these protruded over the lips, whose remarkable ruddiness showed astonishing vitality in a man of his years. For the rest, his ears were pale, and at the tops extremely pointed; the chin was broad and strong, and the cheeks firm though thin. The general effect was one of extraordinary pallor.

The name of the original Austin City Limits theme song is A. I Wanna Go Home (to the Armadillo) B. London Homesick Blues C. Great Gonzos D. Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother

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Eminem: ‘Till I Collapse Pearl Jam: Even Flow Outkast: The Way You Move Calvin Harris: Let’s Go The Avett Brothers: Kick Drum Heart

54 • austi nfItmagazine .com • 10.2 014

Icona Pop: I Love It Sam Smith: Life Support Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue: Say That To Say This The Head and The Heart: Shake Iggy Azalea: Work

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Championship

by Natalie England Photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

Coupling

Since meeting at the University of Texas More than a d e c a d e a g o , A a r o n R o ss a n d S a n y a R i c h a r d s - R o ss h a v e elevated each other to the top of their games

Between them, they possess two Super Bowl rings and four Olympic gold medals, plus six national championships from their days as University of Texas student-athletes. Indeed, theirs is a love match etched in the blood, sweat, and tears only world-class, competitive athletes can appreciate.

Aaron Ross and Sanya Richards-Ross met as students on the UT campus, he a cornerback and she a sprinter. Aaron, known to most as simply “Ross,” actually spied his future wife while he was in the stands at the 2003 Clyde Littlefield Texas

56 • austinfItmagazine.com • 10.2014

Relays, but Richards-Ross claims she was the one who actually made the first move, almost a year later at a campus cafeteria.

“I called this sexy man over, and the rest is history,” RichardsRoss said.

Married since 2010, these best friends and training partners support each other in their athletic endeavors and inspire each other to make the daily sacrifices required of world champions. Austin Fit Magazine recently visited with Mr. and Mrs. Ross in their Austin-area home to discuss life in their unique fast lane.

Question & Answer You both have made your mark as competitive athletes. But are you competitive with one another, at home?

AR : Yes, we are. It’s mainly over little friendly things, nothing real serious.

SR-R: We will get in a fight over the Wii game and bowling.

What is your favorite thing to play together?

AR: Bowling SR-R: Bowling. We love to go bowling.

He’s yet to beat me, so that’s why we keep going.

Was that your first date, bowling?

AR: Our first activity date was bowling, but not the first date.

SR-R: Our first date, we went to Bennigan’s. And then we went to church on Sunday. That was our second date, and I knew, “He’s the one.”

Ross, how would you beat Sanya in a race?

AR: I guess I’d just trip her. That’s the only way.

2003–04: Aaron Ross and Sanya Richards begin dating as University of Texas studentathletes.

Sanya, if you were lining up against Ross as a receiver, how would you beat him?

SR-R: He doesn’t have a major weakness off the line. I guess I’d have to just outrun him, or distract him.

Who is the more health-conscious?

SR-R: I think I am. I’ve grown up that way. My parents are really clean eaters.

Our family didn’t eat red meat. When Ross met me, he stopped eating pork. We definitely eat healthy.

AR: I’m a Texas boy, so I like to eat everything.

SR-R: He’s really good with his water intake. I think I’ve learned from him, because I’m not so much a water person.

What is your favorite treat meal?

SR-R: I could eat pizza every day, so that’s my struggle.

AR: Sweets. Any candy. Skittles, we both really like.

Do you think your success as individuals is because, together, you make a supportive team?

SR-R: We’re a great team. We always seem to go through the same things at the same time. It’s crazy. It helps us, because

we can comfort each other and motivate each other to be doing extra work if we need to.

Who will be the stricter parent?

AR: (Laughs) She will. She definitely will.

SR-R: I’m a drill sergeant. I’m a strict disciplinarian. I even see it with my godchildren, and my sister says I’m really mean, but the kids love me. Because I was disciplined growing up, I always knew the rules, and I always wanted to do the right things. I had great structure, and I think it helped me to be the person I am.

So I’m going to ensure that my kids are the same.

Will you let them find their own way to sports?

AR: I think they’ll pick which sport, but I’m definitely going to push them to play some type of sport. The decision is theirs on which one.

SR-R: I’ve learned so many great life lessons through sport, and I want them to experience that. Even if they never take it to the next level, it’s something that forces you to set goals and work hard. It’s important in life.

Golden Goals

Richards wins first gold medal as part of 4x400 relay squad at Athens Olympics.

2006: Ross claims Jim Thorpe Award as nation’s best defensive back.

Richards runs 48.70 in Athens to set new American record.

2005: Ross and Texas Football win national championship with 41-38 Rose Bowl win against Southern California.

58 • austinfItmagazine.com • 10.2014

2007: Ross is selected in the first round of the NFL Draft by the New York Giants.

With Ross starting at CB, the Giants go on to win Super Bowl XLII.

2008: Richards wins second gold medal with 4x400 relay and first individual Olympic medal (400m, bronze) in Beijing.

photo by AJ Guel

2010: The couple is married on Feb. 26, 2010 in Austin, Texas — also Richards-Ross’ 25th birthday.

2009: Running 49-flat, Richards claims her first individual world title at the World Championships in Berlin.

2012: Richards-Ross wins two gold medals (400m, 4x400m) at the London Olympics. Her victory in the 400m marks her first individual Olympic gold medal.

2011: Capping a season with 60 tackles, a career high, Ross wins his second Super Bowl with the New York Giants.

10.2014 • austinfItmagazine.com • 59

America’s 400-meter Sweetheart S a n y a R i c h a r d s - R o ss c o m b i n e s t a l e n t, f a m i ly, a n d unwavering belief in a gold-medal package

As the blistering July day fades into a cool sunset, an unexpected guest spreads across the rust-colored oval at Waco’s Hart-Patterson Track & Field Complex. Dusk settles, and the clouds and current stir air in from the north.

Most any other occasion, this would be a welcome thing, a gust to break relief from the relentless heat, but right now Sanya RichardsRoss is at work. The track is her office, and wind is the sprinter’s constant foe.

When gobbling up 8 meters per second, springing the body forward at nearly 18 mph, even a gentle wind must feel like a gale. Of course, Richards-Ross didn’t become the American record holder and reigning Olympic champion in the 400-meter dash by bending with breezes. “Be still,” her mind says, and even if the blowing doesn’t slow, she believes it does.

Ultimately, her journey to every finish line, to every medal stand, is a testament to trust —a belief in herself, her ability, and her supportive team, which blurs the lines between loved ones, coaches, managers, and friends. As this late summer practice boils to its climax, Richards-

Ross is shepherded by the nurturing presence of two men who always see her at full potential. Her father, Archie, is the Richards family athletic patriarch and his daughter’s constant training companion, while coach Clyde Hart purposefully orchestrates all the action on this, his namesake track. A decade ago, Hart walked into their lives as a mentor who prophesied Richards-Ross as the best quarter-miler in the world, stealing the words right out of Archie’s throat.

Together, they monitored Richards-Ross as she slugged through the weekly practice Hart reserves for event situations; the workout poses some circumstance that prepares the runner’s mind and legs for a race. For this one—a pair of 320s—Hart wants Richards-Ross rolling at almost race pace, and of course, he’s forcing her to charge straight into that headwind.

“She’s tough, and she knows it,” Hart said.

Richards-Ross dominated this workout in 2009, her world championship year, but today, during her rehabilitation year, Richards-Ross hit even harder. Hart’s prescribed time ap-

10.2014 • austinfItmagazine.com • 61

peared conservative, as Richards-Ross fluidly revved up to drop the hammer. In the fading light, Archie smiled with wonder, absorbing “one of those workouts” that, one day, with the grace of hindsight, might be remembered fondly as an indicator, a trigger, a primer. See, even after her two hot laps, Richards-Ross didn’t wait through the entire rest period before starting her cool-down run.

“That’s how we know she’s ready,” Archie said.

Even in the immediacy of time, those 320s revealed that Richards-Ross was indeed ready to race, and coming into the 2014 season, that’s a victory unto itself.

Following her double-gold medal performance at the London Olympics, RichardsRoss, 29, underwent two surgeries to treat the stubborn bones of her right big toe. It seems that after more than two decades of bearing the spring-loaded power of Richards-Ross’ sinewy, leg-dominated, 5-foot-9 frame, even her toes are calling 62 • austinfItmagazine.com • 10.2014

out, asking when they get to retire, slow down, and chase after children with her husband, Aaron Ross.

Richards-Ross answered by winning a pair of Diamond League races in Europe and breaking 50 seconds twice.

“The race to me is so magical when you’re fit and ready and race sharp,” Richards-Ross said.

The physical potential was never in question. It’s been there since Archie noticed his 7-year-old daughter was running better times than older kids at her Jamaican preparatory school. The family—Archie, wife Sharon, Sanya, and youngest daughter Shari—migrated to south Florida, where Richards-Ross flourished as a junior competitor before a championship career at the University of Texas.

“She already had a killer instinct.

She knew what she wanted,” said Bruce Johnson, the strength and conditioning coach who has worked with Richards-

Ross since her UT days. “She’s strongwilled and just has an ability to hone in and focus on the task at hand.”

This season is a building block, a foundation, for her final two years as a fulltime professional runner, culminating with the 2015 World Championships in Beijing and then the Rio Olympics—the capping stones to her legacy on the track.

And as always with Richards-Ross, this season came down to one thing. It came down to belief.

“Are you ready to believe that the toe is fine?” Johnson asked.

Trust it, dig into it, and push. That’s how Richards-Ross responded. It’s also how every race starts.

For the crouched sprinter, a starter’s pistol ignites the coiling power harnessed throughout the trunk and torso.

At her best, and most of this season, Richards-Ross is one of the first to react out of the blocks, and it begins with that right foot. It’s the ignition, the launching

pad, the burst that allows her to drive through the first 200 meters at almost top speed.

Surging into the back straightaway, Richards-Ross can open her stride and settle into her rhythm, which appears effortlessly smooth because of her efficient turnover and easy-flowing arm action.

As the race builds through the final turn, it’s all about claiming the right position.

“Pace and race,” Hart said.

“Execute or be executed.”

For 400 meters, one full lap around the track, no person can maintain top speed the entire race, which makes the quarter mile the ultimate test of mind over matter. As the body fills with lactic acid and muscles stiffen, the last 100 is a gut check. Who can refrain from retreating to bad habits and still retain a small stable of stamina? No one is actually speeding up at the finish. The winner is the one who slows down last, who draws on every ounce of motivation and memory to hold the line.

That’s why, when RichardsRoss breaks that turn into the home straightaway, she’s not looking at the finish line.

Maybe her eyes carry 15 feet beyond that line, or to the next bend in the lane. Maybe there’s even a whisper of Beijing, the site of Olympic disappointment in 2008 and possible retribution next year.

Anything, so that she just keeps running. Anywhere, so in that space and that time, she believes.

“I learned that you don’t win the race until you win the race,” Richards-Ross said. “In my heart, I feel like I have more to do and more to accomplish, so that keeps me motivated.”

Sanya Richards-Ross

By the Numbers If a holistic body of work is to be viewed as a testimony of dedication and drive, Richards-Ross is building a case to be the most dominant 400-meter runner of her generation, if not all time.

Dr. John Hoberman, University of Texas professor and noted expert in sports and culture, said character still matters when reviewing an athlete’s career.

“It’s always a guessing game when you compare performances. There are always incongruencies, be it shoes or weather. The more data you see, the better,” said Hoberman, who authored Mortal Engines: The Science of Performance and the Dehumanization of Sport.

The Sub-50 Standard Richards-Ross has logged more sub-50 second race performances in the 400 than any other female runner in the world. Marita Koch of East Germany, who set the 400 world record of 47.60 in 1985, holds 37 sub-50 finishes. Richards-Ross currently holds 48.

“Right now, historically, Sanya is on the same level as Flo-Jo. They stand ahead of the class,” said James Dunaway, a sport documentarian who is in the United States Track & Field Hall of Fame. Flo-Jo is Florence Griffith Joyner, the legendary American world record holder and multiple Olympic champion.

SR-R Sub-50 Races By Year 2004: 1 2005: 9 2006: 9 2007: 8 2008: 5 2009: 9 2010: 0 2011: 1 2012: 4 2013: 0 2014: 2

Top 400-meter times by American women 1. Sanya Richards-Ross, 48.70, 2006* 2. Valerie Briscoe, 48.83, 1984 3. Richards-Ross, 48.92, 2005 4. Richards-Ross, 48.94, 2009 5. Richards-Ross, 49.00, 2009 T6. Chandra Cheeseborough, 49.05, 1984 T6. Richards-Ross, 49.05, 2006 8. Richards-Ross, 49.23, 2009 9. Richards-Ross, 49.25, 2006 10. Richards-Ross, 49.27 (three occasions) *Richards-Ross’ American-record setting run in 2006 stands as the 16th fastest time ever in the world. All 15 faster times were run between 1979-1996.

10.2014 • austinfItmagazine.com • 63

Ross uses the Vertimax platform to improve his explosiveness and leg strength.

The Corner Stone Q u i c k t o t h e b a l l a n d qu i c k t o l e a r n , l i f e t i m e L o n g h o r n a n d S u p e r B o w l c h a m p i o n A a r o n R o ss a l w a y s finds his spot

Aaron Ross isn’t a football player by definition or design. Destiny, maybe. Distinction, definitely. Just look at his helmet, and the way he wears it. He’s always wearing it.

Growing up in Texas, his early years in San Antonio before finishing high school in Tyler, Ross knew no offseason. Football faded into basketball, and the springtime meant he was sprinting around the track. Ross was the playmaker, the one who made things happen. In the moments that mattered, the ball or baton needed to be in Ross’ grip. For the John Tyler Lions football team, Ross lined up as a cornerback, wide receiver, running back, and even quarterback. He couldn’t afford to put his helmet on the ground, or even rest it on his knee. Any moment could require action, so in brief gasps of respite, on the sideline or in the huddle, Ross would unstrap and slide his face mask skyward.

One little tug, and he was ready to go.

His athletic versatility was attractive to the Texas Longhorns, who first recruited Ross as a wide receiver, but with classmates like Roy Williams and B.J. Johnson as worthy enough quarterback targets, Ross fell under defensive back guru Duane Akina’s wing as a cornerback. The position is actually a natural fit for Ross. A cornerback lives in a constant state of hustle, and with one tug, Ross was always ready to go.

For the cornerback, reactions must be quick, actions quicker.

The cornerback exists to defend and offend. Planned retreat transforms into combustible collision. It starts at the line, identifying the formation. That’s obvious enough, but subtle motions,

the twitch of a wide receiver’s eye perhaps, can indicate his intended route. This allows anticipation, and with that, movement.

Because, when in a full-speed backpedal, energy can’t be wasted in the wrong direction. In an instant, the cornerback turns a frantic footrace into an all-out pursuit. Where’s the ball? There’s the ball. The ball gives permission to engage. See ball. Hit ball.

Get ball. Ball, ball, ball, ball, ball.

“I enjoy the physical nature of the position,” Ross said.

A national champion and All-American at UT, where he also received the Jim Thorpe Award as the country’s best defensive back, Ross was selected in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the New York Giants and started on their Super Bowl champion teams in 2007 and 2011. Ross’ football ways were bred on the fields of East Texas, originally plowed by Earl Campbell. The Tyler Rose rolled the gridiron into a dusty powder, swirling that dry dirt into a tumbling boil.

Campbell won the Heisman Trophy as a Longhorn, was the first pick in the 1978 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers, and is a member of both the Pro Football and College Football Hall of Fame. This past fall, Ross joined Campbell as the inaugural members inducted into the John Tyler High School Hall of Honor. Across from Campbell’s offensive powerhouse stands Ross’ defensive protocol.

At 6-foot-1 and just shy of 200 pounds, Ross isn’t the one to always lay the wood. He is, after all, the one people call “Silky.”

Sure, he’s smooth, but he’s also sure to wrap you up. As a tack10.2014 • austinfItmagazine.com • 65

ler, Ross’ angles had to be just right, popping ball carriers at just the right spot and speed. Identify target, deliver the blow, and hold on.

“I just like defense. I like being physical and hitting people,” Ross explained.

Indeed, Ross prospers when mentored by those who encourage his physicality. Growing up, it was his uncle, a man whose stature Ross hopes to replicate as a maturing adult. In college, it was Duane Akina who extracted Ross’ skills.

As the secondary coach for 13 years at UT, Akina was the mastermind behind the famed DBU (Defensive Back University), which produced 11 NFL defensive backs. Ross trained with a stone-cold crew of heavy-hitters, including Tarrell Brown, Michael Huff, Michael Griffin, and Cedric Griffin. A badge of honor was earning placement on Akina’s position-room video of big plays, and his verbal stamp of approval. “Oh, that was a great lick,” Akina would say when one of his defenders mowed down a ball carrier.

Timing, which is crucial to any defensive back’s movement on the field, has certainly provided the story arch to Ross’ football career. His burst onto the scene with the Longhorns was actually delayed two years, after the NCAA clearinghouse ruled Ross academically ineligible to compete his freshman year. One day Ross was on the practice field backing up Quentin Jammer, and the next in head coach Mack Brown’s office being informed he couldn’t play. An English credit was in question, and the NCAA didn’t accept Ross’ high school transcript.

“I worked, prayed, essentially went back to high school,” Ross said. “I don’t really like regrets. I just like to learn from everything that has happened.

That situation taught me to always take care of the details.”

Ross then became an NFL rookie at 24, drafted No. 20 overall by the Giants. In seven NFL seasons, Ross has totaled 250 tackles and 11 interceptions. Ross starred on New York’s 2011 Super Bowl champion squad, starting a career-best 16 games and also notching career-bests with 60 tackles and four interceptions on the season.

The following year Ross signed as a free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars. They finished the 2012 season with just two victories and tied for the league’s worst record. Injuries have hampered Ross since. After re-signing with the Giants for 2013, Ross appeared in just four games and was placed on injured reserve with a back injury.

This past offseason, Ross rededicated himself to focusing on his passion for the game. He lifted weights in the morning, performed afternoon footwork and speed drills specific to his position, and also cleaned up his diet. Known to many friends as the “Candyman,” for his love of sweets, Ross ate primarily fish, vegetables, and nuts. His energy gains were significant, and it resulted in Ross beating out a handful of other cornerbacks for a spot on the Baltimore Ravens’ training camp roster.

Steve Spagnuolo coaches the secondary for the Ravens, and 66 • austinfItmagazine.com • 10.2014

he was Ross’ position coach with the Giants. “When we (the New York Giants) drafted Aaron as a rookie, what we immediately saw in him was a highly competitive guy,” Spagnuolo said.

“And even though he didn’t know everything early on, he was always willing to compete. I was always impressed with not only his athletic ability, but also his ability to pick things up and learn as quickly as he did.”

On the first day of training camp, Ross tore his Achilles tendon in a conditioning drill, and will miss the remainder of the season. Now 32, Ross faces a future that he’s determined to not let be affected by his past. No regrets, just lessons and action.

One tug, and Ross is always ready to go.

“I think my life in general kind of molded me to be a better cornerback,” Ross said. “All the struggles and life lessons I had to learn and forget about—that’s basically been the point of being a corner, you have to have a short memory.” afm

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Austin’s Mayoral Candidates Talk Health and Wellness Help with local voting this November

By James Russell

68

austi nfItmagaz ine .com • 10.2 014

O

n Jan. 6, 2015 a new era in Austin governance and politics begins when the winners of the Nov. 4, 2014 election (and any runoffs) are sworn in as the new City Council. The Council includes ten seats, each representing respective districts, plus the mayor, who will be the only at-large elected official to hold office in Austin. With this new system come a few important questions for voters to consider: 1. What district am I in?

2. Who is running for my district seat?

3. Who is running for mayor?

The answer to question No. 1 is found by visiting austintexas.gov/page/maps-and-demographics If a list of names will suffice, the remaining questions are just as easily answered; there are 70 candidates for the ten council seats, and eight people vying for the honor of being Austin’s next mayor (austintexas.gov/cityclerk/elections/ballotapplications2014.html).

While only those who live within the district can vote on that council seat, everyone registered in Austin has the opportunity to vote for mayor. AFM sat down with each of the candidates to learn more about them. These candidates are varied: some have many years of public service experience; for others, this is a first attempt at running for office. If the diversity of these candidates could be summed up into one sentence, it might sound like the beginning of a joke: Two council members, a lawyer, activist, engineer, musician, airline mechanic, and tech writer walk into a bar….

One commonality, however, is each candidate’s love for this city and a desire to see all of its citizens prosper. Here is a brief recap of their responses regarding the influence of health and wellness on their political positions. (Note: As of printing, responses had not been received from candidates Sheryl Cole and Mary Krenek.) For more information, see the extended article at austinfitmagazine.com To register to vote, go to sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/reqvr.shtml

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would want to maximize the potential of the Mayor’s Health and Fitness Council. There are a lot of health issues that the city has in any kind of community. There have been some high profile people in the city that have been members of that council, so there are role models within that council, and we need to leverage that.

The truth is, I don’t know all the specific things that it can do, but the mayor’s power in this city is the power to convene and the power of the bully pulpit—and the power to try to set community priorities and community focus.

I think Austin is at a tipping point…We are facing real significant challenges that are not new; we just haven’t been able to solve them, and we have to. Five years ago, we were the sixteenthmost congested city in the country, and today, the fourth, “I’m and we aren’t solving that problem. We live in city where actually property values are increasing five times more rapidly doing a workout than income, and people [are] losing homes because now with an eye to they can’t afford to pay property taxes. In this city, some what will best sus53 percent of African American kids under 18 and 44 tain me when I’m percent of Hispanic kids under 18 live in poverty. We Party affiliation: Nonpartisan older.” have water and electric utilities with business models that Educational background: B.A. from Princeton; J.D. from UT don’t last the next 10–12 years. We need to be more thoughtful Law School and deliberative, more proactive, more long-term in [our] choices.

Current office (if applicable): attorney We need to focus on ensuring that everybody in this city gets the Website: adlerforaustin.com same opportunity for a great education. I think that the 10–1 system Extra info (from website): “Within 45 minutes of first arriving in we are about to start is an absolute gift. Cities don’t [often] get the Austin [in 1978], I was swimming in Barton Springs. I knew I had opportunities to do government restarts….But we only get one shot found my home.” at this, and if we do government on Jan. 6, 2015 the way we did Campaign themes: Affordable Housing, Education, Traffic government on Dec. 15 because that’s what we’re comfortable with, that’s what we have experience with, then shame on us. Every bit Form of exercise: working with a trainer three times a week, weight of gravity and inertia will be pulling us back, and the way we have training, functional movement exercises done things in the past is not good enough. The spirit and soul of Austin literally lies in the balance of this election.

Steve Adler

Randall Stephens

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f I were elected mayor, [I’d support public policies regarding] healthy lifestyle and diet.

I would introduce a workout with the mayor. Let’s do a hike; Party affiliation: let’s have a morning workout. If the participant list is longer than Nonpartisan my campaign donor list, we can have it down in the park; right now, you can probably have it in a closet down at City Hall [said laughEducational background: ing]. I try to contain myself because humor in politics sometimes N/A; served in the U.S. doesn’t come out well. I say that with a wink and a smile.

Air Force and the Air “My wife I’ve been in a few [local athletic events]. I rode in the National Guard and I hike; we go to Colorado during Hill Country Ride for AIDS once. I thought that was the Current office (if applicable): CEO the summer and mostly best-managed and organized ride. hike trails, but cycling for I show up and park in the same garage every night. of adbirds.com; me is something that I’ve been married to the same inspiring lady for the last aircraft mainteI get a lot of joy from.”

20 years; she’s helped me work harder and do more nance technician aside from my career to achieve higher goals. I’m inspired Website: stephensforaustinmayor.org by my wife, and I believe that anyone involved in local politics Campaign themes: Transportation, Small Business Development. needs to be a caretaker of the city, uplift the citizens, and protect the weakest among us.

Form of exercise: walking the dogs, cycling, hiking

Mary Krenek

Party affiliation: Nonpartisan (Or Democrat; the Austin Bulldog found in August that Krenek voted in one Democratic primary election since 1990 and no Republican primaries)

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Educational background: N/A Current office (if applicable): investor and activist (occupation listed on Krenek’s filing form) Website: N/A

Sheryl Cole

Party affiliation: Nonpartisan Educational background: B.A. in accounting from UT; J.D. from UT Law School

Current office (if applicable): Mayor Pro Tem for City of Austin Website: sherylforaustin.com Extra info (from website): Cole has served on the Austin City Council since 2006; she is the first African-American woman to be elected by the council

Mike Martinez

over to what we are used to: junk food, chips, soda. I supported an item to create more healthy options at all city vending machines; Party affiliation: Nonpartisan while that seems somewhat insignificant, it’s huge because it starts a Educational background: Attended ACC and culture shift. We were having council meetings at Austin Energy, and UT (no info on whether graduated or not) I was pleasantly surprised to see fruit and cheese trays, proteins, Current office (if applicable): Austin and vegetables available in the vending machine. That is a City Council member “I’m a direct result of the action that the council took, and those Website: mike4mayor.com runner and are the initiatives that I would love to continue. I will keep a Extra info (from website): During his 13 years with Austin keep a tight cautious eye [on] overreaching bounds and trying to have Fire Department in East Austin, Martinez was elected and consistent government too involved in people’s lives but at some president of the Austin Firefighters Association (2003) schedule of point, we have to own these problems, take responsibility Campaign themes: Affordable Housing, Environment, running.” as a community, and realize that we have a lot of folks that Transportation are unhealthy. If we measure how much it’s costing us in indigent health care because people are eating unhealthy, we’d be doing all Form of exercise: running, working up a good sweat that we can to change that mentality. If we look at it from that broader perspective, it’s worth every penny and every ounce of energy that s chairman of Health and Human Services, I know all too we can put into trying to get folks healthier in our community. well how many Austinites are food-deprived. We have over I think it’s important [to know] know that I have experience on 120,000 folks in Travis County eligible for Supplemental the City Council. With at least nine out of 11 council members being Nutrition Assistance Program that aren’t registered. One of the things brand new, you’re going to need a mayor that understands all of that I’ve fought for—and will continue to fight for—is more outreach the issues that Austin faces [to] help this council be as successful to those folks and those children that are food-deprived to get their as it can be. The other thing I’d like to mention to your readers is to parents or guardians to enroll in SNAP to get the level of nutrition register to vote, and it’s free. You can go online and register just as that they need. Many AISD students would not get nutrition if they easily as for a race, and it doesn’t cost you a dime. didn’t get free meals at school. That is an area where we can impart education about healthy eating and not just exposing them over and

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use it as a source of easy-to-use information on everything, including health, and you can promote community engagement. Millennials especially understand the power of the Internet. You could use Party affiliation: Nonpartisan the city website as a vehicle to improve public health.

Educational background: N/A I am all about improving the quality of life in Austin; I’m all about Current office (if applicable): retired tech writer social equity; but most important, I’m all about lowering the Website: N/A “My cost of living and maintaining our neighborhoods as familyExtra Info: Orshalick told United Way secret weapon friendly places. For example: I was dead set against the of Austin in September that “we is a Health Rider.

A Health Rider is an commercial use of houses as short-term rentals…It’s just [residents of Austin] are victims of our exercise machine; I start not right—they should have never allowed that. I’m all own success. Intense marketing of off doing the whole for people being able to rent out their own home during Austin around the country may be a body then do just legs and then just SXSW and ACL to make a few bucks but to take a house source of pride to some, but massive demand has been upper body.” out of the housing stock that someone doesn’t live there incredibly inflationary and has resulted in gentrification and on a regular basis is horrible because it puts more inflationary over-crowding. All of this marketing hype needs to stop.” pressure on the rest of the houses. I was forced to enter the race because none of the other candidates were talking about any of Form of exercise: exercise machines these things. Even when they talk about quality of life issues, they don’t have any ways of fixing this. They aren’t addressing it systemiy background is in IT…they revamped the city website a cally or holistically (the way you would approach your health), and couple of years ago and spent over $1 million and in my they're not just doing the things we ought to be doing, especially opinion, it is worse than the old website. Why do I bring this in Austin, Texas…We can act as a shining beacon on the hill for the up? There is no end to the good works that a government can do, rest of the United States just as the United States is a shining beaso the only limitation we have is money. Are there ways we can imcon on the hill for the rest of the world. prove the quality of our citizens’ lives without spending any money?

The answer is to have a good website that works, and you can then

David Orshalick

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Todd Phelps

eat well because of my mama, not the government. Common sense choices in Party affiliation: Nonpartisan life, fitness, and government decisions Educational background: N/A can go a long way. I would say a goal to Current office (if applicable): Austin encourage people—especially kids—to musician, owner Texas Music Events, spend more time outside is important founder of Texas Alternative Wind Energy to me.

Website: toddphelpsforaustin.com Government fitness councils should Extra Info: Phelps told United Way of provide guidelines on how to stay Austin in September, “We [residents of healthy, but not make people feel Austin] are victims of our own success. shamed into doing things. I will Intense marketing of Austin around stay focused on the Mayor's the country may be a source of “I usually Health and Fitness Council's pride to some, but massive throw on a goal of providing commudemand has been incred40-pound weight vest and go for a run/walk nity connections, building ibly inflationary and has in the park with my dog, alliances, and supporting resulted in gentrification where he can run free the implementation of best and over-crowding. All of and do the slide while practices and programs that this marketing hype needs I do some pull-ups and dips.” truly effect positive change to stop.” to healthy lifestyles. I also intend to further its vision for Austin Form of exercise: mostly mainteto be the fittest, healthiest community in nance during campaign (gym work, weight America, along with its mission to supwork, stretch bands), walking the dog port and inspire people to improve their health by encouraging physical activity, f elected mayor, I will sponsor recomimproved nutrition, and tobacco-free mendations (not requirements) regardliving. Former mayor Will Wynn estabing ample amounts of outside time for lished the Health and Fitness Council children and possibly some "real” (not to raise awareness of the cost of health video) game play days. We can provide care, promote prevention of chronic lists of healthy food choices and recomdiseases and better health in Austin, mended amounts and types of exercise. and to promote the city of Austin as a We can highlight which foods to avoid healthy place to live and work, with the and how to identify things, like transvision of becoming "the fittest city in the fats, in packaging. At the end of the day, U.S." I intend to continue this effort and though, it is about personal responsibilenhance it in the future. ity and families…I am in good shape and

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Ronald Culver

them, nothing ever changes. If everybody is a “button pusher,” nothing changes. I like active people….When you’re active, your Party affiliation: Nonpartisan (Or Democrat; the Austin Bulldog mind is working and in a way, you can see things that people sitting found in August that Culver voted in eight Democratic primary elecon their tails all day can’t see. I want to change the Austin governtions since 1994 and no Republican primaries) ment to a more citizen-responsive government; I want to go from Educational background: N/A a more passive management to an active management. We pay Current office (if applicable): retired electrical engineer all sorts of fees for things, but we don’t get the service. I want to Website: N/A institute a program—these people that we pay all this money for Campaign themes: Culver told the Austin Monitor in September do not get one cent in bonus unless they get an 80 percent that he plans to “address increasing traffic, population, and “I try to do approval rating from every district…not 80 percent of costs to citizens from city bonds and utility fees.” enough to keep the city, but 80 percent of each district. We have to put me in good shape more quality into the work we do and more pride into Form of exercise: exercises (sit-ups, push-ups), walkand away from doctors. it. Two months ago, a woman got a bill ($5,000 for ing, I didn’t play any sports in water)…and she had to argue that? I want to institute a high school or college because I worked program where, if it takes more than a day and a half e have in Austin probably 10–12 marathons through both of to settle a dispute like that, the department [pays] the from different companies and organizations; them.” citizen for his or her time. People hate to have their time I don’t know of anything I could push for right wasted. I want to change the culture of our city staff to serve away. We have swimming; we have parks that people run the citizens of Austin. afm in, and you have activities in these parks. I would hope that people would come to me and let me know if something is lacking.

I’m a problem solver. I’m more of a logical thinker than subjective. I want people to be free thinkers; I love free thinkers—without

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1. Steve (dog), Zack Williamson 2. Savy Escobar, Robyn Rogers, Stacy Johnson, and Alyssa Rowles 3. Amy Farley and Erin Tyrrell 4. Kai Ventura, Frank Ramos and Camille Vega 5. Luke Urie and Abby Tomlinson 6. Jesse Penn, Kelly Ho, and Nicole Rockey 7. Lance Powers, Mariano Arismendi, Manuel Rojas, and David Cooper 8. Harper and Charlie 9. Sophia Roach, Brooke Cresswell, Rachel Greer, and Caroline Hadner 74 • austi nfItmagazi ne.com • 10.2 014

#Besomebody Weekend.

AustinTexas | October17-18.

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Fit Finds

Abercrombie Gems abercrombiegems.com AFM has a soft spot for this beautiful jewelry; we gave these necklaces as awards to the 2012 and 2013 AFM FITTEST overall winners. Owner A.J. Rosenberg created a kettlebell necklace for his wife Liz, who is a CrossFit competitor, as a gift. So many people liked it that he now offers the necklace in stock and as a custom order at this family-owned establishment on Bee Caves Road.

The pieces shown here ($350) are sterling silver and a combination of sterling silver and black rhodium; other options include rose gold, white gold, and a variety of chains.

“These are high-end pieces,” said Rosenberg. “The model was hand sculptured, and the pavé stones are hand set.”

Ivy League Charms, prices vary by material (sterling or 14k gold) jamesavery.com Put together your own personalized necklace with red, black, or brown cording cut to length. Then, add sports charms (soccer, basketball, football, baseball, runner’s shoe), engravable disc charms, and numbers to symbolize PRs, jersey numbers, wins—you name it. Spacer beads help create the right look. And, being James Avery, there are any number of other charms to choose from without a fitness focus.

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Workout Bling

Runner’s necklace, $59 peggyli.com Silver Linings Jewelry (Marathon Charms and Sports Jewelry) marathoncharms.com Owner Laura Garrett has been a marathon expo feature for years, and chances are, the female dedicated marathoner in Austin owns one of her bracelets, pins, or necklaces. Garrett ran her first marathon in 2000, and a friend suggested commemorating the event with a charm bracelet. She was hooked; Garrett created Marathon Charms, and has since gone on to complete marathons in all 50 states and on each of the seven continents…twice. Each major marathon has a charm symbol (for many runners, this may dictate which event to choose), and bracelets, like the one shown, become a wearable keepsake of special events. Garrett’s booth can be found at race expos all over Texas and the United States; check the website for schedule.

Original pieces of handmade jewelry from Peggy Li Creations have been seen on a variety of TV shows, including American Idol, The Vampire Diaries, and Hart of Dixie. The runner’s necklace comes in a variety of lengths and distance tag, which is hand stamped, and a variety of race lengths can be selected; the necklace can also be ordered with just the shoe, dropping the price slightly.

Runners’ ring, $79 nelleandlizzy.com Two mothers from Ft. Worth, one with an interest in having a custommade ring stamped with her sons’ names on a banded ring and the other an experienced jewelry designer, formed Nelle & Lizzy in 2004.

In addition to mother’s jewelry, the personalized, hand stamped items include the Runners’ Collection, designed to commemorate and inspire fitness achievements. In addition to the ring (which can be single, double, or triple banded) are bangle bracelets and charm necklaces.

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Fit Finds

45 Plate with Strength, $35–40 (per chain selected) Barbell Strong is Beautiful, $82 (sterling)/$50 (sterling/pewter) Kettlebell keychain, $30 flashletics.com Owner Sarah Wilson is a nationally-ranked endurance athlete based in Miami who designs and creates handmade athletic jewelry for men and women. You can even “build your own” by combining any of the 60 charms—everything from tires to female weightlifters to inspirational words—and all are made in the USA.

Stainless steel heart bracelet with dumbbell, $100 shieldsofstrength.com For the past 17 years, this Texas-based company located in Beaumont has been producing fitness- and military-themed “jewelry with power” that forges a spiritual connection. Founder John Kennedy Vaughan has sent more than two million Shields of Strength to U.S. service men and women all over the world, often at his own expense. Fitness items include scripture etched on a variety of weight equipment, and sports items featured cover everything from footballs to rodeo.

Yoga bracelet, $245 linkouture.etsy.com Bev Feldman fell in love with creating chainmaille jewelry and started out with an Etsy shop in 2011; she opened her online store in 2013. She works with clients to create handmade fitness-related jewelry, such as a commemorative Ironman bracelet (allow 3–4 weeks for custom pieces to be created). Twenty percent of each fitness-focused bracelet sale goes to a nonprofit organization, a practice inspired by the desire to donate to One Fund Boston.

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New to Austin Stores and products for fitness-minded folk

RunLab Austin 700 S. Lamar Blvd.

RunLabAustin.com

Kim Mullen is a triathlete, adventure racer, and endurance athlete who moved to Austin years ago to begin working with CATZ. In January, she branched out on her own, opening BackAtIt Sport Performance, which focused on sport-specific rehab.

What she quickly found was that her practice morphed into something different; in the course of working with area runners and triathletes, she discovered that she was focusing on building sound biomechanical practices, and so, RunLab was born.

“We’ve become a one-stop shop for runners,” Mullen explained. Tied in with Mullen’s chiropractic background is a staff nutritionist, a partnership with the University of Texas’ FIT LAB for testing, and tight relationships with several of the running stores in town. RunLab provides whole body videotape analysis, ART, soft tissue massage therapy, and sports rehab (a lot of it focused on shoulder, knee, hips, and feet) through Mullen and personal trainer/rehab tech Jimmy Eirdon.

In addition, RunLab leads a free group workout on Saturday mornings, called “Pain in the Park.” The workout takes off from the store at 9 a.m.; everyone runs to a location to move through a variety of exercises. All ages—from tweens on up—and ability ranges are welcome.

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Fuerte Fitness 4631 Airport Blvd.

Iamfuerte.com

Having an MBA from Duke University may not be the first qualification that pops into mind when identifying who might open a fitness facility, but that background is one of the key aspects behind new Fuerte Fitness. Owner Romy Parzick noticed that there was a significant dearth in her neighborhood of the type of gyms that she as a life-long athlete (swimmer, four-year

varsity collegiate soccer player, runner) and mother of small children wanted and needed. Parzick’s desire is to create a fitness facility with a variety of classes at a variety of times at affordable prices, filling what she described as “an unmet need” in the Airport Boulevard corridor. She’s approached her business as a “curated studio,” recruiting instructors who’ve provided expert advice on types of classes and workout formats. The most

popular classes are their fusion workouts such as HIIT+Barre, which combines the skills of Coy Schneider (strength and conditioning) and Abby Bounds (barre) for one hour of sweaty, muscle shaking movement.

The family-friendly atmosphere encourages multigenerational fitness: the Fit Family

workout has stations with ageappropriate exercises so that kids and adults can spend time together, and Poser Kids Yoga gets the little ones (ages 3–6) into the groove. “Our message is about being inclusive and welcome,” said Parzick.

In addition, scholarships are available for folks in need of financial assistance.

Special new member deal: 30 days unlimited classes for $35

PrimeMyBody’s Prime Protein Superfood Available online primemybody.com

Friends, Texans, and co-founders Austin Tice and Brian Cummings launched PrimeMyBody in September of 2014. “We had two primary reasons,” explained Tice. “Our impetus was to provide education about what is—and isn’t—in food and to create something good for you that tastes good.” The resulting nutrient-dense, plant-based powder can be used as a snack, meal replacement, or post-workout recovery option. Claim to fame—it’s clean (meaning dairy-, soy-, and gluten-free), contains no artificial substances or GMOs, and is vegetarian. The currently available flavor (Chocolate Love) mixes with 14–18 ounces of water, coconut water, or almond milk, and each single scoop of powder provides 140 calories. A new flavor, Vanilla Crush, is in the works and Tice says the Houston/Austinbased company hopes to release it by the beginning of 2015.

One container costs $70 and provides 20 snacks or 10 meals/ recovery shakes, though placing an order for regular home delivery or by the multi-pack will provide savings.

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CX7s

Austin Cyclocross Festival

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Whither Exercise?

When to push it, when to coast, and when to pit stop

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Taking this kind of mental and physical self-inventory is critical in gaining clarity on what to do on those days you don’t want to exercise.

While we all recognize that the attainment of exercise-related goals are put at risk if we do not exercise (whether because of injury, poor planning, or just plain lack of discipline and commitment), it is just as true—if not more so—that exercise goals are compromised if optimal rest and recovery (along with diet, of course) are not emphasized. In fact, rest and recovery—especially in the form of sleep—might just be the most important aspect of health and fitness most athletes

neglect in spite of recent findings from sport science.

Increasingly, professional sports teams, for instance, are employing the services of sleep experts to improve individual and team performance when competing away from home and in different time zones. In fact, it is more common for elite and professional athletes to have scheduled nap times during the day in place of sport-specific practice.

Moreover, when researchers recently examined the effects of sleep on performance, they found that the sprint times of swimmers and track athletes markedly improved after only several weeks of getting nine hours of sleep at night and then napping for another one to two hours during the day.

But let’s be honest: In this busy, buzzy, upside-down world, few have the luxury of sleeping as much as elite and professional athletes. Nevertheless, an important goal to consider putting at the very top of any New Year’s resolution list might just be to better balance exercise and recovery. Doing so will, in itself, improve fitness and athleticism. Striking this balance effectively requires ongoing, honest self-assessment as well as openness to the opinions of others who occupy a privileged vantage point on our exercise efforts (e.g., spouses, medical practitioners, friends, workout partners, sports psychologists, coaches, and trainers).

An example of how challenging it can be to balance the need to push hard in exercise and training with the need to rest and recover is seen when we wake up with sore, lactic-acid soaked muscles and stiff, achy joints. If you’re like me, you might find yourself wondering how you’re ever going to survive—much less crush— your workout that day. You might even entertain thoughts of not exercising.

What are you supposed to do in these situations?

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hat’s the first thought that comes to mind when thinking about that next workout or training session? If you reflect on what thoughts just ran through your mind, you may notice that the answer to this question was informed by at least several factors, including: • How your body feels – Has it recovered from the last workout? How well or poorly did you sleep last night? Are you battling illness or injury?

• The details (if known) about the particular workout that lies ahead • Your general outlook on and attitude toward exercise – Do you enjoy and look forward to exercise and see it as one of the highlights of the day? Or do you view it with negativity, an unpleasant activity you feel compelled to perform?

• Your goals – Enhancing physical appearance and attractiveness, elevating performance in a particular sport or on certain measures of fitness, improving various indicators of health such as blood pressure or cholesterol levels, etc.

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For starters, self-assessment should not be conducted while the head is still on the pillow and the mind is acting like an out-of-control sprinkler, spewing negative thoughts about exercise. It’s all too easy to make poor exercise decisions while drowsy in bed. After you’ve gotten up, moved around for at least 20 minutes, and perhaps had a cup of coffee, incorporate the following coding system to assist in assessing workout-readiness.

Green Your body feels great. No soreness. No discernable injury or ailment. You’re in a position to push hard and find out what you’re capable of, maybe even go for a personal best if the moment presents itself.

Recommended workout intensity = 80–98 percent

Recommended Modification = None. Focus on good form, become familiar with how your body feels exerting itself at near-maximal levels, maintain a healthy but not excessive rep count, and “leave one in the box” (i.e., do one less rep than your max to preserve solid form and prevent injury).

Yellow You feel some soreness, but no sharp or intense pain whatsoever. While soreness may make muscles somewhat sensitive to the touch, there is no discernable injury.

Recommended workout intensity = 60–80 percent

Recommended Modification = A thorough warm-up is key in this stage, and paying attention to how well muscles loosen up is crucial.

Don’t go all out or go for a personal best, but push hard enough to feel muscle fatigue and aerobic exertion.

Flashing Red You feel a very high level of soreness, to the point that even regular, non-exercise-related movement is not fluid and spontaneous but slow and strained. You may also have an injury that, at this stage, is necessary to train around.

Recommended workout intensity = 50 percent or lower

Recommended Modification = Extended warm-up that may actually comprise the main part of the workout. Avoid too many (or any) quick, sudden, or explosive movements. Emphasize mobility work along with stretching and/or light cardio. Consider non-intense activities like yoga, Pilates, and swimming. If training around an injury, make sure to avoid anything that directly or indirectly places your injured body part at risk. Do not go heavy or all-out in any resistance movements; instead, lower the weight and increase rep count.

Red Your body is in pain or you feel a level of physical or mental exhaustion that hurts. At this level, you may also be sick enough that you would seriously consider staying home from work.

Recommended workout intensity = Don’t work out!

Recommended Modification = Your body needs to recover.

Emphasize optimal (not just adequate) rest and sleep, take care of yourself with healthy fluids and foods, and avoid sources of stress to the extent you are able. Also, consider using this time in the Red Zone as an opportunity to work on mental skills and lifestyle improvement, such as positive visualization, meditation, foam rolling and flexibility work, and diet planning.

If you are experiencing a pain that is sharp, worsens with time, or does not improve, schedule an appointment with the appropriate healthcare professional (such as a sports chiropractor or sports medicine physician).

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When using this coding system, keep in mind that each level is designed to improve health and fitness. For example, when you are in the Red Zone, your best workout is not at the gym, around the track, on the bike, in the ring, or on the trail. To get to your healthiest and fittest, you must do what is necessary to heal your body so that it can move another day. This may include foam rolling, stretching and flexibility work, taking time off from exercising, or seeking out medical consultation.

Likewise, if you’re in the Green Zone, there is no excuse to half-ass it. Pushing yourself almost to the upper limit of performance threshold not only is healthy for your body, but doing so also builds mental strength and stamina that will improve performance in a future competition or race. However, keep in mind that rarely is it necessary or advisable to give100 percent during a training session, especially for masters-level athletes; maximal efforts should be reserved for competitions, races, and scheduled attempts at a personal best.

One more thought to consider when learning how to strike a healthy balance between exercise and rest: We all have different rates of recovery, part of which means that two equally-fit athletes may respond very differently to the same workout.

While rate or speed of exercise-related recovery can sometimes provide information on an individual’s level of fitness, I would venture to say that using recovery time as a measure of fitness is unreliable at best.

Unfortunately, many in the exercise and fitness community have unwittingly adopted the decidedly Americanized notion that more is always better. (Regarding training intensity, the accomplished bodybuilder Lee Haney was fond of saying, “Stimulate, don’t annihilate.”)

Taking Haney’s lead, we should all aspire to be more like a fitness-minded Goldilocks—not too much, not too little, but juuuuust right. afm

photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

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CDC and Flu Vaccination

The Flu and You

What you need to know about getting vaccinated this flu season

T

By Amy Neuzil

he flu vaccination is widely encouraged by public health officials and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), but many people have concerns about vaccine effectiveness and safety. Making the right choice about vaccinations requires accurate information, and there are several different types of vaccines, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

The longest-standing flu vaccine is actually an injectable Inactivated Influenza Vaccine (IIV). This contains egg ingredients and can be unsafe for people with severe egg allergies. These vaccines can also contain a host of other ingredients that could include mercury (thimersol), antibiotics, aluminum, formaldehyde, or polysorbate-80 depending on which company is manu-

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides general information about flu vaccinations as well as a specific report concerning the 2014-2015 season at the website cdc.gov. National Influenza Vaccination Week is Dec. 7–13, 2014.

facturing your specific injectable.

Always ask the person administering the vaccine for the package insert from the bottle, which will give you a complete list of ingredients.

This year, for the first time, there is also a Recombinant Influenza Vaccine (RIV) on the market under the trade name Flublok. This form does not include eggs or egg protein anywhere in its production and is therefore safer for those with severe egg allergies. Interestingly enough, this vaccine also does not contain the actual flu virus, but is made instead from a genetically modified insect virus called baculovirus. With this replacement, it is technically impossible to get the actual flu from this injection. Because it is new, however, it has only been approved for adults between the ages of 18 and 49. There is not enough data to recommend this for pregnant women, nursing mothers, children, or those 50 years of age or older. According to the CDC, this vaccine does not contain many of the alarming incipient ingredients that the IIV does.

Another vaccine on the market is a nasal spray form of the flu shot called FluMist, which is actually a Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV), meaning it contains the actual strains of the influenza virus in a weakened form. Because this vaccine contains actual virus, it can create an extremely strong immune response, but there can also be viral shedding. This means it isn’t an appropriate choice if there is anyone else in

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close contact with the vaccine recipient who is immune-system-compromised like those with organ transplants, HIV, or those on immunosuppressive therapies.

It also isn’t safe if others in the household are at high risk for severe complications of influenza such as lung disease, heart disease, or kidney disease. This form of the vaccine is also not recommended for children under 2, pregnant women, people who are allergic to eggs, and also children or adolescents who are on long-term salicylate therapy. This form of the flu vaccine does contain egg ingredients as well as MSG, EDTA, and the antibiotic gentamycin sulphate.

Overall, actual flu shot effectiveness is difficult to interpret at best—especially for people who are not researchers or statisticians. A big part of the problem is that many cases of the “flu” that people claim to have are actually caused by “Influenza Like Illness” (ILI) and the flu vaccination could never be effective against those because they aren’t actually the same virus. Additionally, the effectiveness of the flu shot depends entirely on researchers correctly predicting which forms of the influenza virus, which mutates and changes rapidly, are going to be most active this year. Like any other form of prophecy, this is never 100 percent accurate.

According to a study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases in 2012, the flu shot is 59 percent effective, which sounds really exciting until you do the math. This means 2.7 out of 100 people normally get

the flu, but if they all get vaccinated only 1.2 of them will get the flu. Remember that all of the people getting ILI, which looks and feels exactly like the flu, are still getting the vaccine. So out of every 100 people vaccinated, 1.5 people don’t get the flu—hence the 59 percent reduction rate of the virus.

A separate study conducted by Vanderbilt University showed that the flu shot was 71 percent effective at preventing hospitalizations, meaning that of the 17 people hospitalized with confirmed influenza virus, 11 of them were not vaccinated while only six of them were.

Still, there are times when the flu shot actually has tremendous benefits, especially in those at high risk for cardiac disease. People with heart disease are far more likely to suffer from the most serious complications of influenza including pneumonia, respiratory failure, and, worst of all, heart attack. According to the Mayo Clinic, getting the flu shot can help to prevent the flu and in turn prevent heart attacks. Not only that, but if you do get the flu after taking a flu vaccine, then it is more likely to be a mild case and not lead to any of the severe complications.

Making the choice to get vaccinated requires accurate information, and always be sure to talk with your doctor about your particular health risks. afm

10.2014 • au stinfI tm aga z in e.co m • 89

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Feel

Options for Opening Airways

New therapy minimizes debilitating effects of sleep apnea

By Martin Denbar, D.D.S

Warning Signs Excessive daytime sleepiness Loud snoring with periods of no breathing Abrupt waking accompanied by gasping for air Frequent urination at night Nighttime acid reflux

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You work out regularly, watch what you eat, head to bed at a reasonable hour, and generally strive to lead a healthy, active lifestyle. Yet, too often, you wake up fatigued and move through the day feeling tired, possibly overindulging in caffeine to stay alert. At night, you sometimes suffer from uncomfortable reflux or get up to use the restroom several times. Perhaps your bed partner comments on your loud snoring and occasional snorting or gasping. Maybe your workouts aren't generating the results you expect, or you are finding it difficult to break through that weight loss.

Impacting Quality of Life

Sleep apnea is a widely misunderstood and underdiagnosed disease. Apnea can have a profound impact on quality of life and physical well-being. Without treatment, OSA can reduce the ability to concentrate, cause memory problems, promote weight gain, inhibit weight loss, and exacerbate diabetes, high blood pressure, and depression. Research has also directly linked OSA to cardiovascular disease and strokes. OSA affects all ages and shapes, and a significant number of patients who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia also have an OSA component that can be exacerbating their problem. Although excessive weight is directly involved with sleep apnea, body shape, whether patients were breastfed as a child, genetics, mouth breathing, sleeping position, and previous brain injuries

C

hallenges like these may result from a variety of underlying causes, but medical research is zeroing in on a common culprit of truly epidemic proportions. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most prevalent syndrome in a class of ailments known as sleep disordered breathing. OSA is estimated to affect up to 25 percent of the adult population. Although overweight individuals are significantly more affected by sleep apnea, men and women in excellent overall condition are routinely affected.

Sleep apnea occurs when the airway closes off during sleep, causing breathing to temporarily stop.

Sufferers are often unaware this is happening, and in serious cases, apnea can manifest itself up to 50 or more times per hour during sleep. This can cause blood oxygen levels to fall to dangerously low levels, exposing the sleep apnea sufferer to a possible heart attack or stroke.

are only some of the other factors that will determine susceptibility to OSA.

Traditional Therapy

Treatment of choice for many years has been CPAP, which stands for “continuous positive airway pressure”; a hose, mask, and air pump to blow air into the sleeper’s nose or mouth to keep the air passages from collapsing between breaths. CPAP is an excellent therapy if patients use it as prescribed. Unfortunately, many patients find the apparatus to be claustrophobic, uncomfortable, and restrictive. Too often, these factors cause patients to stop therapy, undermining the benefits of the treatment.

New Hope for OSA Patients

In recent years, oral appliance therapy (OAT) has gained popularity among practitioners and OSA patients. In this new FDA-approved approach,

a trained dentist (ideally one credentialed as a Diplomate by the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine) molds a custom oral appliance that fit the patient's mouth. The appliance works on the same general principle as tilting the head while performing CPR— bringing the jaw forward to open the airway before mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is given.

This non-invasive therapy allows for healthier sleep while maintaining proper oxygen levels. OAT is backed by extensive medical research. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends oral appliances for mild and moderate sleep apnea or for severe cases when patients cannot—or refuse to—use CPAP. Severe cases can also be treated through a combination therapy of OAT and CPAP that eliminates the need for CPAP’s uncomfortable headgear and chin strap and

utilizes lower required air pressures. OAT is covered by Medicare and most medical insurance policies if sleep apnea sufferers see a dentist who is an in-network medical provider.

OAT gives patients more options to treat their medical condition. In my experience, most patients tolerate appliances very well, and they usually notice dramatic results within a short period of time. “OAT gave me more options to look at to control my sleep apnea,“ said Bob Atkinson, who had worn an oral appliance for more than 12 years. “I just could not wear CPAP, and I felt hopeless. Now I am able to treat my apnea, sleep in the same room with my wife, and lead a normal life without always being tired or having an increased risk of stroke or heart attack.” afm

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Feel

The Ear Things to know about hearing and your ears

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U.S. Kids and Hearing 1 in 5 teenagers experience hearing loss in at least one ear.

3 out of every 1,000 children are born deaf or hard-of-hearing.

9 out of every 10 children who are born deaf are born to parents who can hear.

20 Which of these can cause of tinnitus (ringing in the ears)?

La oreja – Spanish, “outer ear” El oído – Spanish, “inner ear” Orichiette—Italian, “little ear”

Percentage of U.S. population that experiences ringing in the ears.

There are essentially three parts to the human ear–the outer, middle, and inner ears.

Pinna – the outer ear; made of ridged cartilage covered by skin.

buildup of earwax

Ossicles – the smallest bones in the body; located in the middle ear.

The ossicles consist of the malleus, incus, and stapes bones. Sound causes these bones to vibrate and conduct vibration to the cochlea in the inner ear.

rapid change in air pressure environment repeated exercise with the neck in a hyperextended position (bicycle riding, for example

Cochlea – transforms sound into nerve impulses that travel to the brain.

Eardrum – the thin layer of tissue separating the middle ear from the ear canal and outer ear.

drinking an excessive amount of alcohol or caffeine living in the South as opposed to the Northeast

[Answer: all of the above]

Cost of Hearing Aids There’s a wide range in hearing aid options out there, ranging from $25 for one that goes behind-the-ear to $6,000 for one that is custom fitted. Downside: Medicare and most private insurers don’t cover the cost of hearing aids.

Airplane Ear The stress exerted on your eardrum and other middle ear tissues when the air pressure in your middle ear and the air pressure in the environment around you are out of balance.

This is the clogged feeling you may get in your ears when flying–either while the airplane is climbing or descending. Yawning, swallowing, or chewing gum typically solve this symptom.

Ear Wax—it’s sticky and kinda gross. Is it necessary?

It keeps the ears from feeling itchy or dry in the same way that tears act to lubricate the eyes, and it traps dirt and dust, preventing outside contaminants from entering the inner ear.

When Your Ears Ring, It Means… someone is talking about you a loved one is thinking about you a friend is coming to visit you are going to have a feast you are going on a journey you can expect a happy event you are in for good luck

Physical Activity and Hearing Loss A 2013 study published online in The American Journal of Medicine finds that a higher body mass index (BMI) and larger waist circumference are each associated with a higher risk of hearing loss. Researchers used data from 68,421 women in the Nurses' Health Study II who were followed from 1989 to 2009. Compared with women who were the least physically active, those who were the most physically active had a 17 percent lower risk of hearing loss. Walking, the most common form of physical activity reported among these women, was associated with lower risk. Walking two hours per week or more was associated with a 15 percent lower risk of hearing loss, compared with walking less than one hour per week.

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Healthy Bits Taking a brief look at the science behind wellness

Powered by Sweat Researchers from the University of California San Diego presented information at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society that they have designed a sensor that detects and responds to the lactate present in sweat.

The device, in the form of a temporary tattoo, is worn on the upper arm and measures the electrical current generated while exercising. The research team also created a “biobattery” that removes electrons from lactate via an enzyme, which is then accepted by the cathode. “The current produced is not that high,”

said Wenzhao Jia, Ph.D., “but we are working on enhancing it so that eventually we could power some small electronic devices.”

In an interesting side note, the most avid exercisers produced the least amount of power.

Researchers attributed this to the fact that fitter individuals took longer to reach fatigue, the point at which the process of glycosis is engaged and lactate production increases.

Video: youtube.com/watch?v=3_ D7JOd07M8&feature=youtu.be

Fist Bumps for Health A hearty handshake has been a staple of American greeting, but a study published in The American Journal of Infection Control suggests that this practice needs to change.

British researchers at Aberystwyth University in Wales conducted a test that measured the transmission of a bacterium found in the human intestines and discovered that a handshake shared about twice as many germs as a high five or fist bump; the stronger the handshake, in fact, the more likely it was to transfer germs. A fist bump consistently produced the lowest transference.

Link: ajicjournal.org/article/S01966553(14)00659-2/fulltext 94 • austi nfItmagazine .com • 10.2 014

Impact Location Affects Concussion Severity

A

recent study from the American Academy of Pediatrics investigates how the location of impact could affect concussion severity. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, is one of the first to focus on how location of impact can yield different concussion outcomes.

Researchers used data from the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study to calculate rates and circumstances of concussions that occurred during football as a result of player-to-player collisions.

The team observed that most concussions of this type (44.7 percent) occurred on the front of the head, while 22.3 percent occurred on the side of the head. Based on where the impact occurred, the number and type of symptoms, symptom resolution time, and length of time before returning to play did not vary significantly.

But the data revealed that more football players whose concussions resulted from top-of-head impacts lost consciousness than those whose impacts were located elsewhere on the head. Eight percent of players with top-of-head concussions experienced loss of consciousness, compared with only 3.5 percent of those with impacts on other areas.

Link: aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/ pages/Top-of-Head-Concussions-More-Likely-toResult-in-Loss-of-Consciousness.aspx

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Train

Right gear and layers

Gear Up for Winter

Training essentials to keep you moving as the temperatures drop By Patrick Evoe

T

he change of seasons is quickly approaching, bringing the cooler temperatures of the winter months. Having spent many mild winters in Austin and now a much colder one in Boulder, I've learned a lot more about training in the cooler months.

Also, growing up in Michigan, I’ve had quite a bit more winter experience than the average Texan. Not everything I've picked up is 100 percent applicable to training in Austin's winters, but most of it can be adjusted to a milder climate.

First and most importantly, you need to have the right winter training gear for your climate. This doesn't mean you need the most expensive, just the most appropriate. When I moved to Boulder, I worked with my clothing sponsor to get a complete set of “bombproof” cycling and running gear so I could get outside in nearly all conditions. Growing up in northern climates, we learned early on that layering is important to staying warm.

Always start with some form of base layer to wick the moisture away from the body. Then I wear the main insulation layer. This can be a single or multiple jerseys or shirts of differing thicknesses. Finally, depending on the conditions, comes the outer layer, usually a piece of clothing to help keep out wind and moisture, such as a wind-stopper vest or a full waterproof jacket. Another advantage to layering is that you can change what you're wearing as you're training. If you get too warm or the day heats up, you can always take a layer off.

Train later

I understand that many people don't have a great deal of flexibility with training time due to jobs and family. One big difference I've noticed between Boulder and Austin's winter training cultures is that in Austin, most people keep their summer early-morning meeting times for winter workouts, even on the weekends. In Boulder, cycling and running groups shift meeting times later to allow the day to heat up a little. If I want to train early in the winter, I take advantage of morning swim practice. Why not shift the weekend long run or bike ride a couple hours later to be more comfortable and enjoyable?

Feet, ears, hands

Your torso may be toasty warm, but if your 96 • austi nfItmagazi ne.com • 10.2 014

Longer warm-up

With the understanding that muscles don't get warm as quickly in the winter comes the need to take longer to warm-up in each session before pushing the pace. Running too fast with cold leg muscles is the fastest way to a pull or strain. This is why if I'm doing intensity while running or cycling, I'll take a long time to warm-up, and I'll almost always wear full tights to keep those muscles warm and supple.

feet, ears, and hands are cold, you'll be miserable.

When getting dressed for that run or bike, pay special attention to those areas. Proper toe and shoe covers are critical for winter cycling. On the coldest days, I'll wear good skiing socks with my cycling shoes.

Boulder cyclists have learned that high quality skiing gloves keep hands warmer than most cycling gloves when the mercury drops below freezing.

Overdress/ underdress

Learn your temperatures and conditions

Keep moving

I know exactly what I'm going to wear out biking or running in the winter by looking outside to see if there are clouds or sun and by knowing the temperature. Learn the same for your location and know your tolerances. It takes a little time and experimenting because everyone is different, but by being aware of how comfortable you feel during various sessions, it’s possible to fine tune future clothing choices.

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Harden up

My motto: “I'd rather be 10 degrees overdressed than 10 degrees underdressed.” Too cold, and most are miserable and will probably quit the training session.

Too warm, and sweating follows. In the summer, there’s no problem being warm and sweating, so what's the issue with sweating in the winter? Wet clothes can quickly bring down body temperatures.

If you do start sweating, don't stop moving.

Movement keeps the body warm; as soon as it stops, sweat cools and body temperature drops fast.

Once cold and wet, it's tough to get warm again.

While running, make those water stops quick.

When cycling, get moving again as fast as you can after water stops. I've been known to warm and dry my base layers on the hand driers in gas station bathrooms to prevent getting cold on pit stops during winter rides.

When winter comes around, especially in Boulder, I’ve learned that I have to get in the proper mindset. It's almost too obvious, but you need to convince yourself that it's winter and that means it’s going to be cold, just as you know that summer means you will be uncomfortably hot at times while training. If you're mentally prepared for the winter, you'll be much better off.

No place for macho

I remember turning up for winter bike rides in Austin where guys would make fun of someone they thought was overdressed for the weather. Wearing the least amount of clothing for the weather was all about the male ego. I never understood how wanting to be warm while cycling was somehow wimpy. I haven't seen this attitude in Boulder.

I have training partners who are multiple Olympians and top ten in world rankings. They overdress, wear more layers, and have warmer clothing than anyone I've seen. It’s about being smart (and warm), not macho. afm

10.2014 • au stinfI tm aga z in e.co m • 97

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Train

Are You Born with ‘Feel’?

Tips to help swimmers learn proper position in the water By Kim Brackin

I

like to think that feel for the water is like rhythm for a dancer. Though some people seem to be naturally gifted, a feel for the water is certainly a skill for swimmers to develop.

Develop is the key; it takes time and practice, and forcing the skill can hurt more than help.

During Olympic swimming coverage, commentator Rowdy Gaines referred to Michael Phelps and Missy Franklin as “holding the water” or having “great feel for the water.” What exactly did he mean? Gaines was referring to a swimmer’s ability to treat the water like a solid—placing the hand and forearm on it and moving the body past the hand. The swimmer is holding onto the water.

Successful swimmers typically have a very high, early catch and instead of the “blade” of their paddle (the hand and forearm) slipping past the torso, they hold that catch position. To

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move past their arm, swimmers use core rotation and a strong kick. This dynamic is why I like to refer to the catch as the “anchor” in the stroke. Elite swimmers’ hands actually enter and exit in almost the same spot. Again, think of the pulling arm as “anchored” when it is in the catch position and with momentum from the rotation and kick (and in some cases, such as freestyle and backstroke, the recovering arm) creating movement past that anchor.

I generally coach all of my swimmers on improving their catch or anchor and in doing so, I always talk about developing a better feel for the water. Feel involves knowing what direction your blade is facing, the pitch changes you make, and how much pressure is needed on the water. I asked Longhorn Aquatics coach and 2014 Master’s Coach of the Year Whitney Hedgepeth if she believed “feel” can be developed and she definitely does. “The older you get, the harder it is to find the feel for the water,” said Hedgepeth. “Fear of the water, body awareness, and body mass will all play a role.”

To help you enjoy your time in the water and keep swimming smart, here are some drills for developing feel for the water.

Sculling

Strapless Paddles

Sculling is a drill that helps strengthen the important muscles in the hand and forearm as well as develop feel for the water. It’s important to have proper positioning when sculling. Think of your forearm as a blade of an oar. Consider that when paddling a kayak, canoe, or SUP, the blade is pitched to face opposite the direction the craft is headed. Keeping that in mind, position your blade to face the wall you just pushed off from—opposite of where you are headed. Here are two different sculling drills to practice.

Windshield Wiper Scull

Lie facedown in the water, flat and balanced. Imagine lying over the roof of a car and your arms becoming the windshield wipers. Use a pull buoy or a very light flutter kick, ideally while wearing a front-mounted snorkel.

Keeping the elbows ahead of the ears, bend the elbows so that fingertips are pointing to the bottom of the pool. Pitch your blade slightly inward on the sweep in and slightly outward on the sweep out, tracing the shape of very thin infinity signs. Remember: The goal is to keep that blade facing backwards as much as possible, so be careful not to turn too much. Don’t just turn the wrist; your blade is one piece—no hinges at the wrist.

No, I am not encouraging you to buy another piece of equipment; use the paddles you currently own. Just take the straps off.

After you have learned how to scull properly, use paddles without straps to provide sensory feedback as to whether constant pressure is being kept on the water. Put the paddle flat on your hand (no wrapping your fingers around the top or sides—the paddle stays on solely because of adequate pressure and maintaining the correct pitch of your blade). Yes, the paddles will fall off but that sensory feedback will help cue in on what you did wrong. I love to have my breaststrokers get good enough that they can swim full breaststroke without ever losing a paddle.

Reverse Tuck Scull

This is a challenging drill that I use more for strengthening than developing feel. Begin by facing away from the direction you want to go. Sit up in the water in a very tight tuck with toes and shins at the surface, tops of the quads in contact with the torso. With elbows to the side, face your blades in the direction you are looking (opposite to where you are heading) and put pressure on the water in small quick movements, as if scrubbing a window. The faster you “scrub,” the faster you move. Don’t be surprised by a burning sensation in the forearms and abs; you’ll feel it very quickly if you’re sitting up correctly.

Tennis Ball Swimming

I use this drill to learn to appreciate how valuable my hand and forearm are in efficient swimming. Take away the surface area of the hand, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly it’s missed. Swimming with fists is a common drill, but I like to take it one step further by putting a tennis ball or whiffle ball in the hand; those trying to value the blade will be extra diligent about recognizing the feel of the water on the forearm and setting up a better catch. Another good sensory addition to this drill is to swim a certain number of cycles with the balls and then drop them mid-cycle. You’ll be amazed at how much you can feel on the palm of your hand and how valuable it is to efficient swimming. afm

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Train

Build Your Own Footbridge

Mental focus helps maintain momentum in race season training

By Andrea Fisher

Y

ou’re out on a long hike, enjoying the beautiful weather and feeling great. There’s a skip in your step and the feeling of being fit from the outside activity is feeding those endorphins as they build within. Then you round the corner only to find the trail’s footbridge is out, ultimately putting a halt to what was a picture-perfect outing. Now left with the decision of what to do, how do you proceed knowing that the ultimate goal for that hike was to make it to a final destination? Do you give up and turn around? Do you get your shoes and feet wet by jumping in the water and crossing right there? Do you look for a fallen tree or rocks that would facilitate a well-balanced and carefully executed crossing? Maybe head downstream a few yards to see if there’s a more narrow area that can be easily crossed without problems or saturated footwear? Do you give up, or do you look for an alternative answer to the problem at hand?

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This scenario is a similar example of what the vast majority of people experience as they head into the running season.

Athletes start training months ahead for what will ultimately be a culminating season goal (like a marathon or half marathon). Initially, they find their groove, handling the mileage and workouts beautifully, all while building strength and fitness along the way. Then inevitably it hits, and they come around a corner to find the proverbial footbridge out—be it from an injury, a work issue, family obligations, or basically anything that throws a reason at them to quit. However, with some positive and creative help, a runner can still reach that ultimate goal and accomplish what they initially set out to do.

Let’s take the most common reason why runners end up cutting training plans and seasons short: injury. The majority of running injuries are impact-related. The act of running itself is the most high-impact exercise that an athlete can do for an photo by Richard Williams

extended period of time. Along with that impact force comes the propensity for structural and soft tissue injuries. Examples of these kinds of injuries consist of iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS), shin splints, stress fractures, bone structural displacement, strained muscles, torn muscles, etc. All of these are potential season-ending hiccups that can create a hazard in what was supposed to have been a fluid and flawless training plan plus race schedule.

Instead of throwing in the towel because of a new injury, seek out alternative ways to sustain and build on the current banked fitness gains. One of the best non-impact ways to continue run training—and it happens to be affordable and accessible—is water running.

All that is needed is a small stretch of a deep-water pool or body of open water, and a water running belt. This activity maintains and even builds on the strength already developed from any previous land running, and can even be used as a great recovery run workout during non-injury times.

Another curve ball often seen by individuals consists of work or family conflicts. The scenario where career or family obligations wipe out the late-day run workout plays out all too often.

There is always an intention to hit those track intervals after work, but priorities come calling and when that happens, the workout always loses. The best way to avoid having this become an issue is to get key run workouts taken care of early. Logging those focus run workouts before the rest of the day takes hold of the schedule is one of the only ways to guarantee it gets done. By no means does every run workout need to happen when the morning paper is being delivered; if an easy workout doesn’t happen, it’s not missed like a key workout. Plus, those focus workouts typically consist of quality work, which means they are likely to be shorter and more intense then easier aerobic workouts.

Typically completed in an hour or less, a

short warm-up combined with hard fast repeats and an easy cool-down can be knocked out before the rest of the day comes calling.

The last familiar and potential factor that can derail a runner’s season is mental burnout. Athletes get fired up months and months out from a race in which they hope to PR, and they can often start focused training much too early. Eventually, they are so burned out from following a training schedule and making sacrifices to ensure that training plan is followed, they end up not finishing out the plan or ultimately racing at a subpar level. Experience and history have shown that a focused training build lasting more than 16 weeks opens up an opportunity for overtraining to become an issue. This doesn’t mean that training or workouts don’t start before that—it means the actual training plan building up to a key event should stay within that 16-week window. Advanced athletes can even knock that down to 12 weeks if the proper mileage required during the start of the build can be seamlessly meshed into their solid fitness base. A good experienced coach will be able to provide guidance on these parameters and help facilitate a proper training schedule that allows for growth and eliminates the potential for any burnout.

As the run season approaches and athletes start down the path toward their goals, it’s important to recognize that there is a pretty good chance a footbridge is going to be out on the trail. The choices made on how to best navigate the obstacle will ultimately be reflected in the success or failure of attaining the season’s objective. With a little re-routing and initiative, there is no reason to abandon the trail and every possibility of ultimately reaching that final destination. afm

Instead of throwing in the towel because of a new injury, seek out alternative ways to sustain and build on the current banked fitness gains.

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Workout

Building Strength

How to use kettlebell carries and work push-ups, pull-ups for improvement

By Diane Vives, M.S., C.S.C.S., N.S.C.A.-C.P.T.

T

his month, Diane Vives guides trainer Jessica Clark through a variety of kettlebell carries and methods to improve and strengthen push-ups and pull-ups at Spark Fitness Club. These first exercises share information she gathered this summer from work with Gary Gray of the Gray Institute and Dan John (athlete, author of weightlifting books) about kettlebell carry positions and walks to gain postural integrity and strengthen the overall system. The second section of exercises focuses on three positions to challenge trunk stability learned from Martin Rooney (Training for Warriors) to improve the push-up. And last, Vives gives pointers on using isometric exercises to gain strength and build for the pull-up.

Warm-up & Kettlebell Position Check What You Need: a kettlebell Starting Position: standing, with strong posture

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photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

Kettle Bell Carry Variations

Why: to help determine proper kettlebell weight and carry positions as well as build postural integrity and strength

1

3

BOTTOM-UP POSITION • Keeping a strong posture, hold the kettlebell with one hand in neutral wrist position • Raise the kettlebell into a bottom-up position (arm is bent, kettlebell is upside down at shoulder height) to check the weight— should be able to maintain hold and form for about 10 seconds

FRONT CARRY • Arm bent, elbow tucked nice and close to the body, kettle bell at shoulder height • Check for nice tabletop position of shoulders and hips • Take short steps forward, turn around, and come back • No lateral bending or loss of position in the trunk This is a self-limiting exercise—repeat only as long as the integrity in posture and arm position can be maintained

performed by Jessica Clark at Spark Fitness Club

2

Overhead Position • Holding the kettlebell, raise the arm into a straight, streamlined position; elbow is straight, and the kettlebell hangs from the grip • Check for nice tabletop position of shoulders and hips • Take short steps forward, turn around, and come back This is a self-limiting exercise—repeat only as long as the integrity in posture and arm position can be maintained

4

Suitcase Carry • The kettlebell is held down at the side; it should feel as though you are punching downward (this packs the shoulder and engages the lats) • Check for nice tabletop position of shoulders and hips • Take short steps forward, turn around, and come back; the kettlebell should not swing as you walk This is a self-limiting exercise—repeat only as long as the integrity in posture and arm position can be maintained

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Workout

Thai Push-Ups

1

2

3

4

5

6

Why: these three great position changes challenges trunk stability and build upper-body strength What You Need: floor space to maintain a prone position Starting Position: “up” plank position, palms of hands shoulder-width apart on floor, back making a tabletop Exercise: • Start in up position 104 • austi nfItmagazi ne .com • 10.2 014

• As you move into the down position, punch the knee to the outside of the same-side shoulder (lateral transition) • Return to up position • As you go into the down position, perform a vertical punch with the knee (punch the knee straight to the chest) • Return to the up position • As you go into the down position, perform a cross punch with the knee (punch the knee toward the opposite shoulder) • Maintain integrity and trunk stability all the way through

Building Pull-Up Why: challenges the weak points—the top and bottom—to build strength through isometric exercises

What You Need: pull-up bars Starting Position: grasp the pull-up bar with palms facing away from the body; arms are straight

Down Position Hang • Simply hang from the bar in the starting position • If at any point posture is compromised (space between ear and shoulder is lost, excessive bowing of the trunk occurs), stop Start with hangs of 10–20 seconds and build up to 60 seconds, depending on your endurance

Up Position Hold • From the starting position, pull up into the top position • Maintain the top position as long as you can for a few holds; there is a tremendous amount of grip strength in just maintaining the top position • Let it go when postural integrity is lost

Want a guided look at these movements? Interested in a more in-depth explanation of the science behind these movements? Check out the workout video and Diane Vives’ companion article on austinfitmagazine.com

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Coach Carrie

Keeping a Fitness Routine Around October Events

Avoiding F1, ACL, and University of Texas football training disruptions By Carrie Barrett

I

've got good news and bad news. The good news: It's October, and Mother Nature has finally released her stranglehold of heat and humidity, making this one of Austin’s most perfect months for being outside on hills, trails, and tree-lined streets.

Mornings are cooler, middays are downright pleasant, and even happy hours can, once again, be spent outside on decks and patios.

Then, there's the bad news. It seems that everyone else has also figured this out, because October is also the month that brings hundreds of thousands of potential new residents (eeek!) who descend upon town for events: Formula One racing (Oct. 31–Nov 2), ACL Music Festival (Oct. 3–5, 10–12), and University of Texas football games. It's a dream come true for sports and

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music lovers around the world—and for those into being seen, this is your month.

I can complain all I want while it's happening, but I'll be among the throngs (or even “thongs” in this town) riding my bike down to Zilker to check out some music. You may even see me get my horns up for a game or two. My advice for those who fret these disruptions to routine? Embrace them. These high-profile events make Austin what it is: alive, healthy, young, vibrant, and so dang cool. So plan to shake up that fitness routine and find creative ways to incorporate health and fitness into October’s events. Yeah, you may have to get creative, but creativity is another vein that makes this city pump with vitality. With this in mind, here are five creative ways to photo by Weston Carls

run from one stage to the next. Be careful of lawn chairs, festive flagpoles, and the thousands of people who don't care that you're trying to get 30 seconds in heart rate Zone 4. Get really creative and wear a pedometer or FitBit to see how many steps you can take in a day at Zilker Park. Heck—wear a heart rate monitor to see which artists give the best workout of the day. My money is on Eminem!

Create a Home Routine

be a part of the action and still keep up that fitness regime.

Hipster Reference? Drop and Gimme Five Burpees You may look a little bizarre at ACL, but that's what being at a music festival is all about, right? People may even think you're doing some interpretive dance to Lorde's “Royals.” You'll gain some serious muscles because I'm convinced burpees are the hardest exercise on the planet (next to pull-ups).

Ride a Bike

This one is a nobrainer for those events in town that don't have nearly enough space for car parking. There are bike racks as far as the eye can see outside ACL’s main gates, and Austin B-Cycles are increasing the number of stations, even installing some that are temporary and mobile on the UT campus and at other event locations.

You’ll get a great workout as you head to the event on that commuter bike, and you'll look like the ultimate hipster.

(Oops. Drop and give me five burpees).

Cycling to the F1 races may prove a little more difficult and not nearly as cool as landing a private helicopter on the photo by ACL Flickr & motocross photo by Kurt Bradley

infield, but you will have burned some serious calories. Just make sure to bring earplugs and dismount before accidentally riding onto the track. While COTA does hold cycling and running races, this isn't one of them.

Start Hydrating Now

October is an ultra-marathon month of activities, so it's vital to be properly hydrating. I'm not saying you're going to overindulge in alcoholic beverages at any of these events, but let's face it; you might.

Seriously—keep water at hand, and consume plenty of it on those dry, hot days.

Drinks can go down as fast as an F1 car on a straight. Take it slow, and stay hydrated.

Fartleks from Stage to Stage

I suppose if you're going to be doing burpees at ACL, you may as well work in some fartleks, too. Heck, I think they even schedule the lineups so that you have to

This may be a great time to pull out that treadmill or exercise bike that has been collecting dust. I have TRX bands that have been hanging in my bedroom door for a year; I walk by them every day.

The plan was to do pull-ups and core work every time I entered my bedroom, but now I hardly even notice them (much less use them). There are a million things to do from the comfort of home. Pop in the old P90x DVDs or download yoga routines online. If you've got chairs, you can do tricep dips, step-ups, and pushups. You don't need a single weight or piece of equipment to get in a total body workout from the comfort and silence of home. Plus, you don't have to come face to face with a hipster if you don't want to (oops—I did it again. Another hipster reference. Now, drop and give me five burpees, which can also be done at home whenever you want).

Be kind to those who are visiting, vow to stay healthy, and have a wonderful October in Austin. And, if F1, two weekends of ACL, Longhorn football, and—oh, yes—Halloween aren’t enough entertainment, just remember that the Fun, Fun Fun Music Festival and Wanderlust Yoga Festival will be here in November. afm

Want more of Coach Carrie’s tips for training through October?

Visit austinfitmagazine.com for additional information.

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7 Fit Studio 1st annual Halloween Bash for Breast Cancer

Events Featured 2014 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix

This year’s theme Gansters and Gals. Dress to impress.

Sports and Outdoors

Friday, October 17 8:00 PM to 2:00 AM

RafflE Drink Specials Costume Contest Live Music from Sid Kurupt & Waking Fable Burlesque Dancing

Blackheartbar.com located at 86 Rainey Street

Guest List Available Through Donations at 7fitstudio.eventbrite.com

October 8 Full Moon Hike at McKinney Falls Join a park ranger on a moonlit hike and look for scorpions, listen for owls and deer, and stargaze. McKinney Falls State Park is named after one of Stephen F. Austin’s first 300 colonists, Thomas McKinney, and sits on more than 700 acres of cypress-tree covered land in South Austin. tpwd.state.tx.us/calendar/full-moon-hike-12 October 18 Austin Challenge 2014: The Ultimate Urban Scavenger Race Run around the city Amazing Race-style, solving tricky clues, strategizing best routes, and exploring undiscovered areas. Now in its fifth year, this urban adventure race is as much a challenge for the legs as it is for the brain. Crazy costumes are encouraged.

Tickets start at $55; challengenation.com/ austin October 25 Pulling for Pink Come help turn Lady Bird Lake pink! Austin Rowing Club and cancer survivor, athlete, and AFM contributor Angie Houtz have partnered to encourage folks to learn more about local breast cancer services. The goal is to raise awareness through support 108 • austinfI tm aga z in e.co m • 10.2014

and raise funds for Breast Cancer Resource Centers, an area nonprofit. Wear pink, stop

by Pulling for Pink tents at Festival beach, support the Regatta, and make a donation. pullingforpink.org October 31–November 2 2014 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix Last year 250,325 guests filled the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) racetrack in Austin, making it one of the highest attended Formula One Grand Prix races of the 2013 season. With 19 races in 19 countries, COTA is the only F1 stop in the United States. So get revved up for the most watched, most innovative, most expensive star-studded motorsport in the world. Weekend passes start at $169; circuitoftheamericas.com Arts October 3–5, 10–12 Austin City Limits Music Festival October is a big-ticket month, with two weekends of ACL packed into the schedule.

Musical lineups vary by weekend; sign up for the festival’s E-list to receive up-to-date announcements and information. Note that three-day pass holders can enter and exit the Zilker Park venue up to five times per day. Visit website to see if tickets are still available; aclfestival.com photography by Weston Carls

October 16 Reel Rock 9 Get inspired to spend more time outdoors when the Reel Rock Film Tour arrives in town. This year, the tour features a special presentation of the feature-length film Valley Uprising, a story about the American counterculture embodied by Yosemite Valley rock climbers in the 1960s and 70s. For half a century, these death-defying sportsmen have survived rivalries, tragedies, and triumphs.

Climbing Yosemite was as much an art then as it is now. It’s a struggle against the laws of gravity and the laws of the land. Tickets start at $20; austintheatre.org October 17–19 POP Austin International Art Show This three-day contemporary art fair celebrates 35 globally recognized artists. Fair Market, located in Austin’s bustling E. 5th Street district, plays host; buy tickets for the Oct. 17 VIP party and to attend the weekend’s shows (limited tickets are available).

Popaustin.com October 24 B.o.B. at Stubb’s Also known as Bobby Ray, B.o.B. is a hip hop/R&B artist who made radio waves with chart-topping songs like “Nothin’ on You,” “Magic,” “Strange Clouds,” “Both of Us,” and “Headband.” Join the artist as he makes an outdoor concert stop at Stubb’s Waller Creek on his No Genre Tour. Tickets start at $27; stubbsaustin.com/bob

test their grilling skills and compete for prize money and the Grand Champion crown.

All proceeds directly benefit the Texas Firewalkers, which aids families displaced by residential fires. Live music entertainment and plenty of barbecue and beverages to go around. $5 admission at gate; tfwbbq.org October 18 Vegetarian Indian Cooking 101 Whether a serial vegetarian or someone simply looking to add some new flavor to the diet, this hands-on cooking class shows how easy creating Indian-inspired vegetarian dishes can be. Vasavi Kumar, a graduate of The Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts, covers the basics of a North Indian meal, including traditional Indian spices and health benefits; students receive step-by-step instructions on how to make popular dishes. $35; wheatsville.coop Lifestyle October 4 Lost Pines Art and Music Festival Visit the square in Bastrop for an afternoon of live music and original artwork. Grab a bite to eat downtown, check out regional artists, and treat the kids to some fun hands-on projects.

Free for all ages; bastropfineartsguild.com

TEXAS

CENTER

October 17–19 #Besomebody Weekend A group of speakers and experts hits Austin for a weekend of motivational experiences.

For a $250 fee, registrants sign up as Artist, Athlete, or Adventurer to share activities and inspiration.

A pre-party, seminars, and wrap party round out the weekend.

Submit your event Besomebodyblog.com online at

October 25 Texas Book Festival The Texas Book Festival returns to Austin for its 18th year. The event, taking place in and around the austinfitmagazine.com State Capital, has evolved October 18-19 into one of the country’s Austin Celtic Festival premier literary events. Some The largest gathering of Celts 250 authors and more than in Central Texas convenes at 40,000 literary lovers will come Fiesta Gardens for its 18th Annual from across the state for readings Celtic Festival. Internationally acclaimed and presentations, panel discussions, book as one of the few remaining festivals that signings, cooking demonstrations, live celebrate the authentic music, dance, and music, local food, and children’s activities. sports of Irish and Scottish Celtic people, the texasbookfestival.org weekend is a lively mix entertainment, history, and hands-on workshop fun. Tickets start at Food and Drink $12; austincelticfestival.com October 10–12 Texas Firewalkers BBQ Cup Chase BBQ teams from all over Texas gather to 10.2 0 14 • au stinfI tm aga z in e.co m • 109

ROWING

Fall Special 7 Months for $299 or 13 Months for $399 • • • • •

Intro-to-Rowing Program (6 classes) Unlimited Rowing, Kayaking, Canoeing Unlimited Stand Up Paddling Gift Certificates Available Experienced Coxswains row FREE!

North Shore of Town Lake on Hike & Bike Trail behind Austin High School

512.467.7799 www.texasrowingcenter.com info@texasrowingcenter.com

Rides&Races Featured Austin Heart Walk

OCTOBER October 4 Dare to Ascend Marathon/Half Marathon/5K Lake Georgetown, Georgetown, TX ascendoutdoor.com/dare-to-ascend-trailrun Austin Wicked Wine Run Spicewood, TX • wickedwinerun.com ASA Open Water Swimming Collegiate Champs Mansfield Dam-Austin, TX • americanswimmingassociation.com 110 • austi nfItmagazi ne .com • 10.2 014

October 5 Tiara 5K Pflugerville, TX • tiara5k.com

Lake Travis Relay (First Responder’s Division) Lake Travis, Austin, TX • laketravisrelay.com

Meet Your Maker Off-Road Challenge Marble Falls, TX • camppeniel.org/adv.-race

Florence Friendship 5K Florence, TX • active.com/florence-tx/running/ distance-running-races/florence-friendship5k-2014

October 11 Plum Creek Challenge: 10K, 5K, 3K, and 1K Kyle, TX • hootenannyonthehill.com/id21.html Outlaw Trail Cycling Tour Round Rock, TX • roundrocktexas.gov/home/ index.asp?page=635

October 12 Lake Travis Cycling Classic Lakeway, TX • behealthylaketravis.com Tour de Ted 10, 30, 42, 62 Mile Ride Austin, TX • tourdeted.com photo by Christina Harding

Cash. Keys. Phone. ID.

October 14 FIVE55 Series: 500m & 5K Run/1500m Swim & 5K Run Pflugerville, TX • five55series.com October 17 5th Annual Capital to Coast Relay Austin, TX • capitaltocoastrelay.com

Head of the Colorado (PumpkinHead Regatta), 5K rowing race Festival Beach Park, Austin, TX austinrowing.org

October 18 Austin Heart Walk The Long Center, Austin, TX austinheartwalk.org

Toad Trot 5K Bastrop, TX • active.com/bastrop-tx/running/ distance-running-races/toad-trot-5k-2014

Thin Mint Sprint 10K/5K Cedar Park, TX thinmintsprint.monarchsu.com

Tour De Pecan Bike Race Seguin, TX • facebook.com/tourdepecan

Frankenthon Monster Marathon Cedar Park, TX • frankenthon.com Ragnar Trail Hill Country Flat Rock Ranch, Comfort, TX ragnartrail.com/locations/hill-country-tx

October 26 Run for the Water 10K, 5K, Kids Run Austin, TX • gazellefoundation.org/ runforthewater/ Race #2 in the ADC presented by Austin Fit Magazine

™

October 28 24 Hours of Rocky Hill Bike Race Smithville, TX • terrafirmaracing.com/view. asp?id=45

ZERO Prostate Cancer Run/Walk Camp Mabry, Austin, TX zeroprostatecancerrun.org/austin October 18–19 24 Hours of Rocky Hill Mountain Bike Race Smithville, TX rockyhillranch.com

Cactus Rose (100 mile, 50 mile, 4x25-mile relay) Hill Country State Natural Area, Bandera, TX tejastrails.com

Carry all of your running essentials!

NOVEMBER

Submit your ride or race online at austinfitmagazine.com

October 19 Hill Country Marathon Marble Falls, TX runthehillcountry.com Livestrong Austin Bike Challenge Austin, TX • livestrong.org/events/1700/ Hill Country Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K Marble Falls, TX • runthehillcountry.com October 22–26 Tex Robertson Highland Lakes Challenge The Highland Lakes, Spicewood, TX highlandlakeschallenge.com October 25 Marathon2Marathon Marathon, TX marathon2marathon.net

November 1 Jack O Lantern Marathon/ Half Marathon/10K/5K San Antonio, TX iranmarathons.com/October

Jameson 5K Run and 1 Mile Mosey Georgetown, TX • jameson5k.com Latino Leaders of America 2nd Annual 5K Walk-Run-Lead 5K Cedar Park, TX • latinoleadersofamerica.org November 2 Run by the Creek 5/10K Dripping Springs, TX • runbythecreek.com Zombie Marathon/Half Marathon/10K/5K San Antonio, TX • iranmarathons.com/October ABR5K9 5K/3K Benefitting Austin Boxer Rescue Round Rock, TX • runsignup.com/Race/TX/ Austin/AustinBoxerBOOgie5K3K?

CHOSEN Full and Half Marathon New Braunfels, TX chosemarathon.com

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www.spibelt.com 866.966.4440

Made in Austin

Rides&Races Featured Hill Country Marathon

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photo provided by Hill Country Marathon

November 8 2014 Step Out Walk/Run Austin, TX • stepout.diabetes.org Wurst 5 Mile Run New Braunfels, TX • athleteguild.com/running/ new-braunfels-tx/2014-wurst-5-mile-run Dirt Trails & Pony Tails 5K & 10K Austin, TX • trailheadrunning.com/dirttrails Tour de Gruene Bike Race Gruene, TX • tourdegruene.com November 9 YogaRUNga 10K & Half Marathon Austin, TX • bluehoneyyoga.com/yogarunga November 15 The Pump Run 5K and Kid’s K Round Rock, TX • thepumprun.org 4th Annual Stud Run 5K/10K and Half Marathon New Braunfels, TX • runsignup.com/Race/TX/ NewBraunfels/StudRun5Kand10K

DECEMBER December 5 Lights of Love 5K Mueller Park and Hangar, Austin, TX rmhc-austin.kintera.org/faf/home/default. asp?ievent=1115264 December 6 Trail of Lights 2-Mile Fun Run Austin, TX • austintrailoflights.org/2014-trail-oflights-fun-run unBEARable Fun! Run 5K Burnet, TX • unbearablefunrun.weebly.com Run Like the Wind 5K Austin, TX schrodifund.org/RunLiketheWind.htm

November 22 Blacklight Run Travis County Expo Center, Austin, TX blacklightrun.com

December 13 Polar Bear Mud Run 5K Spicewood, TX • hlccc.org/events/polarbear/

Reveille Peak 100K Mountain Bike Race Burnet, TX • terrafirmaracing.com/view. asp?id=81 November 27 ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot Austin, TX • thundercloud.com/index.php/trot

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December 7 Austin Jingle Bell 5K Austin, TX • austinjinglebell.com Decker Challenge Half Marathon Austin, TX austinrunners.org/events/decker-challenge/

Wild Hare Trail Run 50mi/50K/25K/10K Warda, TX • tejastrails.com/WildHare

Now's the time to make your move!!

Spicewood Vineyards Half-Marathon/10K Spicewood, TX • runintexas.com

November 16 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K Austin, TX • komenaustin.org/komen-race-forthe-cure

Texas Trail Runner’s Endurance Run Huntsville, TX • solerssports.com/events/texastrails-endurance-runs/

The World is Moving to austin!

Race #3 in the ADC presented by Austin Fit Magazine

December 14 HITS Endurance Circuit of The Americas, Austin, TX hitsrunning.com/austin-tx/

Medicine in Motion Martha Pyron, MD

Family and Sports Medicine ~ Concussion Management ~ Rehabilitation ~ Nutrition ~ Personal Training

December 20 Vern’s No Frills 5K Georgetown, TX • noexcusesrunning.com December 22 Madeleine Memorial 5K Christmas Stroll New Braunfels, TX madeleinehindmanmemorialfund.com

Cedar Park Turkey Day 5K Cedar Park, TX • cedarparkturkeyday5k.com

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Central Location at

711 W. 38th Street, Ste G4

DISCOVER!

Tell us about it!

Give us a shout at @AustinFit. We'd love to hear about your experience!

Wheels in the Dirt

A

Where mountain bikers go to climb in Lakeway

ccessed through the Lakeway Canyonlands park, Mount Lakeway is a 4-mile, out-and-back trail that follows the border of a property near the Rough Hollow development. This single-track trail is typical Central Texas dirt with lots of limestone rock and extreme elevation gain, achieved via many switchbacks and steep climbs.

Many area riders have said that Mount Lakeway offers the longest consistent climbs found anywhere in Central Texas. The trails were hand-built by the Friends of the Parks (FOP) of Lakeway, and myriad mountain bikers, hikers, and trail enthusiasts fill in their ranks.

Throughout the ride, the trail provides incredible views of Hill Country landscape. Though the scenery is spectacular, please stay on the trail; land beyond 150 feet of the fence line is private property.

The Canyonlands trailhead, the access point for the Mount Lakeway trail, is also where the Lakeway Area Mountain Bike Enthusiasts (LAME) group meets on Wednesday nights. This no-drop ride has been going on four years strong; riders gather—no matter the season—at 6 p.m., on Trophy Drive, with wheels down at 6:15 p.m. Cyclists are welcome to stay for the post-ride hang-out, which often includes pizza and adult beverages.

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LAME riders socialize after tackling Mt. Lakeway climbs.

photography by Lauren Pape

Get your personal soundcheck .

Austin City Limits

2014 Beetle Fender Edition