Message from the President, Rick Albright

Happy New Year to all our Club Northwest members and your loved ones! The start of the year is the perfect time to look back at the past year, at the many challenges and highlights, and to express our gratitude to those who have brought us to this point. Highlights in 2016 included another successful Resolution Run, one of our best All-Comers Track & Field Series, the large number of Club athletes who qualified to participate in the US Olympic Trials, another successful cross country season, and an amazing fund raising campaign last summer. Challenges included having to stop publication of Northwest Runner, overcoming financial difficulties, and cancelling the 2016 Firecracker 5000. However, with your support, we were able to overcome these challenges and head into 2017 on much better financial footing than we've seen in a couple of years. Much of this stems from the generosity of those who donated money and volunteer time to the Club, and to our corporate partners and sponsors. Thank you all so very much!

It has now become clear that CNW will no longer be able to publish Northwest Runner magazine. And, while many of you suggested we switch NWR to a digital-only magazine, this would take a level of resources and expertise we just don't have at this time. This leaves a significant gap for the local running scene, and we're taking two steps we hope will help address this. The first is we've entered into a media partnership with RaceCenter, based out of Bend, OR, which publishes both a hard copy quarterly magazine and more frequent digital eNewsletters. We chose RaceCenter as a partner because we both share a commitment to supporting and helping grow running and track & field in the Pacific Northwest. As RaceCenter continues to grow their presence in the Seattle/W. Washington area, CNW will be able to promote our club and events through their magazine and eNewsletters. RaceCenter eNewsletters are free; you can sign up to receive them online at www.racecenter.com.  The quarterly print magazine costs $12/year, but CNW members can receive the magazine at a 50% discount ($6/year). Details on how to receive the discounted rate will be forthcoming.

The second step we plan to take is to redesign and upgrade our CNW website (www.clubnorthwest.org), and to focus on improving the content. The goal is to keep the content more up-to-date, add features as time and resources allow, improve communication with our members, and draw more viewers to the site. More to come on this as we are just getting started.

Go Orange!

Our Team

The holidays have come and gone and we have entered into a new year. 2016 was a great one for all the CNW athletes. CNW sent a women's and men's open team and masters teams to Tallahassee, Florida to compete for Cross Country club Nationals on December 10th. The team showed up to represent us all and show their orange and blue spirit. Women's open team finished 7th, led by Emma Polley, Lana Lacey, and Jane Ricardi, finishing 28th, 38th and 40th out of 188 runners. CNW open men's team finished 15th as a team and were led by Nathaniel Richards, Matthew Crichlow and Mark Mandi.

Master's womens team 40+ made the podium and took the gold! Janet McDevitt has had quite the year. She walked away with a 2nd place finish in the 40-49 division followed by Camille Shiflett and Deborah Fletcher. Their team of three dominated the 6k cross country course. Master's women's 50+ took 4th out of 10 teams. Master's men 50+ also made the podium and took home bronze. The team was led by Carl Combs, Michael Smith and Sean Messiter. We look forward to seeing what the team can do next year!

Volunteer!

Club Northwest is always in need of volunteers. If you are interested in helping out, please visit here.

Nutrition Advice from dietician, Heidi Strickler:

Pills, Potions & Powders: Smart Supplementation for Endurance Athletes

As a Sports Dietitian, I constantly get asked about supplements. Supplements for weight loss, muscle gain, recovery, daily health, increased energy, better sleep. Every time, I respond with the question:

Why do you want or feel like you need this supplement?

I encourage clients to go through the following list of questions:

Can I reach this goal through food alone?

Would it interfere with medications or a medical issue?

What is the cost? (financial as well as situational) The benefit?

Am I at risk for low levels of a certain nutrients (based on gender, race, geography, labs)

I am not one to prescribe supplements; oftentimes they act as a Band-Aid rather than dealing with the root of the problem. However, there are various situations & populations for whom supplements can be beneficial, or even necessary. The high mileage put in by distance runners comes with increased risk for:

muscle & tissue damage
high levels of inflammation
a dampened immune system
potential electrolyte imbalance
possible iron deficiency
cardiovascular & kidney strain

Based on these factors, I recommend the following:

I. MOST ENDURANCE ATHLETES, MOST TIMES OF THE YEAR:

Vitamin D: Beneficial for bone health, immune function, cognition, and improved athletic performance by increasing muscle strength & endurance and decreasing inflammation. It is also cardio-protective. Recommended dose is 1,000-5,000IU daily, depending on diet, geography, and labs.

*I encourage anyone in the Northern hemisphere to take it year round, but adjust dosing.

Food Sources: 15-30 minutes of sun exposure without sunscreen 3-5 days weekly is your best source. Unfortunately, in the Pacific Northwest, this is not feasible. Foods such as fortified dairy, mushrooms that have been exposed to the sun, wild fatty fish and egg yolks are also high in vitamin D.

Vitamin C: Critical for immune support, vitamin C is best taken immediately pre- and post-run/workout. It is hard to overdose on vitamin C, as your body will pee out whatever it does not need. Find vitamin C tablets or powders at the store.

Food sources: Citrus & tropical fruits, strawberries, bell peppers, dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, chard).

Omega-3 fats & Cod Liver Oil: Associated with decreasing inflammation, tissue health, enhanced brain function, and heart protection. Even those individuals who consume plentiful seafood, it is difficult to get adequate high-quality fish to meet your omega recommendations.

Food sources: Sustainable fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, anchovies) and sea vegetables are best. Not a fan of fish? Walnuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and ground flax are also rich sources.

Probiotics & Prebiotics: Research shows that a healthy gut promotes healthy immune, nervous, cardiovascular, and metabolic function. I recommend a supplement as well as at least one food source of each daily. When looking for a probiotic supplement, look for one that must be refrigerated, has at least 20 billion CFUs, and has at least 5 different strains of bacteria.

Food Sources: Probiotics: plain Greek yogurt, kefir, fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, and miso. Prebiotics: onions, bananas, berries, ground flax, garlic, leek, artichokes, jicama, beans, sweet potatoes, raw honey, oats, and quinoa.

II. MASTERS (over 40) ATHLETES & those with MINIMAL RECOVERY TIME between trainings:

BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids): BCAAs are critical for muscle recovery, tissue rejuvenation, delaying fatigue, and boosting immunity. Take one dose before exercise and one dose immediately following. Ideal intake is 3g leucine.

Food Sources: Your best option for full BCAA spectrum in the highest amount is whey protein (dairy).

Turmeric/garlic/ginger/curcumin: The most potent natural anti-inflammatories. I recommend capsules for those who do not like these flavors in food. But if you’re a fan – eat up!

Food Sources: Make curry with a protein of choice, mixed vegetables, curry paste or curry powder, coconut milk, and turmeric, ginger, and garlic. Serve with brown rice or quinoa, cilantro and lime.

MSM/Tissue Rejuvenator®/chondroitin: Provide additional tissue and joint support through a combination of anti-inflammatory properties and structural nutrients for mobility and recovery.

III. SITUATIONAL:

Plant-Based Athletes: Vitamin B12 and B6; omega-3 fats or cod liver oil; iron depending on lab values

For Recovery: Focus on nutrients that improve blood circulation, such as dietary nitrites (beets, tart cherry, dark leafy greens), caffeine, cinnamon, cocoa & capsaicin (hot peppers); as well as 20-30g of a complete protein source (whey or dairy) for muscle recovery and 30-60g simple carbohydrate (fruit) for insulin production.

Food Sources: Try a recovery shake with ~25g whey protein (milk, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, protein powder), 1 banana, 2-3 dates, unsweetened cocoa powder or dark chocolate (or dark chocolate-covered espresso beans), cinnamon, and coffee. Feeling daring? Add a dash of cayenne and a handful of greens.

*Can’t do whey? Your next best bet is organic soy protein, or Hammer’s® Vegan Recovery Protein

Those suffering injury: anti-Inflammatories, tissue/joint support and omega-3 fats/cod liver oil

Want to know more? Email Heidi Strickler, RDN CD, at heidi@experiencemomentum.com