Please join Seattle Athletic Club in congratulating Kendra Kainz for her 1st place finishes at the 2015 NPC Washington Ironman Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure, Men’s & Women’s Physique and Bikini Championships! This competition is one of the top competitions in the northwest and is well attended with competitors both regionally and nationally. Kendra competed in Figure and took 1st place in the Masters 35 years and older, 1st place in the overall for Masters and 1st place in the open 5’6 height and above. Her 1st place finishes qualified her to compete at the national level for up to one year. Kendra trained hard for over six months dieting, lifting weights and posing. This is her first Figure Competition and she did an outstanding job! Congratulations, Kendra!
SAC Team, Sports Conditioning, Strength Training
bodybuilding, Championships, Figure, fitness, ironman
Please congratulate Natalie Swistak for being nominated employee of the month. Natalie has been an instructor for Seattle Athletic Club since 1999 when we first launched Cycle at the club. She has taught many different formats including Kickboxing and Step, but her passion remains with Cycle.
Natalie consistently goes above and beyond when it comes to teaching Cycle classes. Her positive energy and enthusiasm for teaching are reflected in the outstanding classes she teaches and her passion shines through every time.
As a strong leader in the Cycle Department, she is a huge asset to our team. Natalie is a true professional in every aspect of the word. She is dedicated to teaching, having fun, and most importantly, listening to the members every time they step into the room.
This is what Natalie said about her Cycle classes at SAC, “My 6am Cycle classes bring me tremendous happiness because we have amazing, positive, and dedicated members who like to work hard but have fun! We motivate each other every week and it’s something special I have not seen at many clubs. I owe my inspiration to the members who make this happen!”
In addition to leading Cycle classes, Natalie is an inspiration outside of the studio as well. She has been competing in triathlons since 1998. She has completed 3 ironman distance triathlons and placed top 10 in her age group at Ironman Whistler in 2013! She is scheduled to do Ironman Arizona in November with her fellow TN Multisport Athletes. When she is not on the bike, running or swimming, she loves to snowboard and travel up to Whistler to mountain bike.
We are delighted Natalie is a part of our team here at SAC! Thank you Natalie for all you do!
Cycling, Employee of The Month, Motivation, SAC Team, Triathlon & Multisport
Cycle, ironman, kickboxing, Step
Gary Trabolsi is our inspirational member of the month. He joined the club in 1984 and has never looked back. He strives to achieve more while balancing life with work and family. At the club he participates in swimming, spin classes and the strength training. He displays determination and a willingness to succeed regularly. While doing a half ironman triathlon, he couldn’t find his “running” shoes so ran the entire 13.1 mile in his cycling shoes. Most have trouble walking from the cycle room to the locker room. He participated in triathlons up until hip surgery in 2008. Since then, he continues to do epic ride adventures around the state. He had a set-back last year when he fractured his knee cap late-August during a training ride. Although there was healing and recovery time, he still never missed a bit with his training. He was smart in building his training back up and displayed patience with grace and is back doing what he loves! His lineup for 2015 included STP, Ramrod and the High Pass Challenge. With all this training you are bound to see him at the café grabbing his favorite post workout snack of yogurt and fresh fruit.
Over the years Gary has fallen in love with the SAC, primarily for its friendly members and supportive and knowledgeable staff. He suggest that anyone wanted to start building up fitness to seek guidance from a professional trainer and make sure it is “do-able and fun”. By sticking with a plan you will see changes in the mind and body. Once settled into a routine, he suggests, then to try new things and step outside your comfort zone, to keep things interesting and fun.
Gary participates in all he does because he loves challenging his body and heart, and it shows. And ultimately, that is why he has been chosen as SAC inspirational member of the month.
Inspirational Member of The Month
ironman, running, triathlon
Himanshu Kale joined Seattle Athletic Club at the end of July 2012. His goal: to complete a half Iron Man triathlon; his obstacle: he could barely swim! When we met that week for an initial complementary swim assessment, I found he had a lot of anxiety around the water. Like many with water anxieties, Himanshu did not trust that he could put is face and head in the water. However, I soon found that Himanshu had a lot more willingness to work through his fears and anxieties in order to achieve his goals. He was ready and willing to learn the fundamentals first: to start from the most elementary and foundational place: putting his face in the water practicing blowing air out of his body. Beginning with learning to breathe properly and gradually adding one technique on at a time, Himanshu has developed a technically strong freestyle stroke.
Many people who never learned to swim develop a fear and anxieties around the water simply because they’ve never been in it, making learning more challenging. Others have experienced traumatic events, leaving them with emotional scares of swimming. For all these people, learning to swim is such an act of courage. When they commit to this skill, however, the reward is a life changing shift in their entire perspective of their place in the world. Himanshu took on this challenge.
In November he ran his first half marathon. In December he started working out in my Swim Conditioning class and soon joined TN Multi Sports! There he is able to work on his conditioning and prepare for his first triathlons.
Now, when Himanshu and I meet, we focus on continuing to improve his technique, learn the other strokes and turns, and continue to work through any lingering fears that come up as we introduce new dimensions to his swimming repertoire.
Himanshu’s success is remarkable especially in such a relatively short period of time. I am honored to work with him and look forward to watching him reach his ultimate goal of completing a half Iron Man in June 2012.
Working with Himanshu has been an honor, making me especially proud.
Swimming, Triathlon & Multisport
Athlete, Athletic, club, coaching, gym, health, ironman, Marathon, Seattle, swimming, Teresa Nelson, TN Multisports, Training
- Research! Know the distances and the course. As a newbie short distance are best to start with. The more prepared you are the less worry and anxiety you will have on race day. If you can practice on the course ahead of time then do it. Or drive the course so you know what to expect. If you are unable to do either then at the very least study the course maps, elevations, and go to your pre-race meeting with any questions.
- Practice swimming in the open water. Many athletes are very comfortable in the pool but the open water throws many new elements at you. Buddy up and practice ahead of time. If you are wearing a wetsuit make sure to practice in it at least 2-3 times before race day.
- Determine your race gear early and practice in it! This includes shoes, race kit, hat, etc. Get comfortable with your attire!
- Bring “extras”. Extra clothing on race day to stay warm and to change into post race, extra food to munch, and extra fluids to sip before race.
- Seek advice from experienced coaches/athletes. Pick 1-3 trusted sources and learn from them. Use their advice to help guide your training and racing strategies.
- Practice running off the bike often. This is a big shocker if you don’t practice it. Even just running for 10-15’ after each bike ride will make a difference come race day.
- Don’t try anything new on race day. No need to change your sports-nutrition, your breakfast, or attire, etc on game day. It is easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing. When race day comes, everything should have been tested and dialed in. Follow your game plan.
- Pick a location to meet your friends/family post race. It can get busy and the worst is not being able to find your loved ones after a phenomenal race!
- Get your bike tuned. Make sure your bike gears, chain ring, tires, etc are cleaned and up to date. Make sure to book your tune-up appointment early to ensure the shop can get you in!
- Have fun!!! Race day is about celebrating!
Triathlon & Multisport
club, coaching, group workout, health, ironman, multisport, open water swim, Seattle, TN Multisports, Training, triathlon
Sports massage combines techniques including deep tissue, Swedish and therapeutic massage. It reduces muscle and joint tension in the legs, hips feet as well as shoulders and neck- the entire body. Sports massage is a way to flush out the lactic acid that’s produced when we run or repeatedly use our muscles. This waste can build up and cause soreness as time goes by. Removing it speeds up recovery and increases flexibility, and that can improve our performance and just make us move relaxed and happy. Sports massage can be a very effective treatment, along with strength training, stretching and nutrition, for runners with aches and pains.
A runner’s world article on sports massage from August 2004 gives examples of athletes who benefit from this treatment. A 49 year old was training for her 49th marathon, which would put her on target to reach 50 marathons by the age 50. “If it weren’t for massage, I wouldn’t be able to do this.” Says Loretta Ulibarri, a runner form Denver. “I’ve had a lot of inflammation problems and ongoing soreness that interfered with my training. Ten years ago, I started getting a sports massage every 3 weeks, and since then, I’ve been injury-free and able to train year round.”
Dave Deigan is a runner from Sonoma, California who puts in 25 miles a week, and gets massage every other Thursday. “Since I Started getting massages 5 years ago, the chronic tightness in my calves has disappeared, and I’m not getting injured.” This has support in the medical community, as well. Lewis G. says “as far as injuries go, massage is the icing on the cake. Massage can supplement physical therapy as an effective injury treatment.”
When should on get massage? Therapists often recommend a weekly or bi weekly session, but every athlete is different. For some, once a month or six weeks is sufficient. When the legs feel tired or heavy or if there is inflammation, it is time to see a massage therapist. After a hard work out or a race, schedule an appointment 24-36 hours later. An ice bath soon after resting for a day or two, your body will be more then ready for a sports massage.
If you have any questions about massage for runners, ask any of the therapists at the Seattle Athletic Club, And weather you need a maintenance session, a post-race massage or injury treatment, we are available to help.
Health News, Running, Sports Conditioning, Triathlon & Multisport
10k, 5k, Duathlon, Half Marathon, Healthy choices, ING New York Marathon, ironman, massage, massage therapy, mindful, recovery, sports massage, therapy, Training, Xterra
Goggles are goggles right? Not necessarily. Just like choosing which layers to put on when going outside, choosing your goggles for open water swimming is a must.
Some things to consider:
- Light reflects off water. The brighter the sun the harder it is too see. Opt for reflective and darker gogglers at this time. The TYR metalized tracer or nest pro-nano are perfect in these conditions.
- Even during “overcast” there is still some light reflection from the water. Opt for tinted lighted goggles in this case. The TYR tinted Tracer or Nest Pro Nano in pink and blue or clear are great for these conditions.
- If it is dark and gloomy and the visibility is limited in the water (think lakes that look red, murky, etc) then opt for lighter colored goggles. The clear, pink, and blues.
- If the water is super clear then still err on the side of caution and opt for the light reflective goggles. As for goggles fogging up, well, it happens, and as an athlete we must deal with what is thrown at as. There are different temperatures in the lakes, the air and such causing the “foggy-ness”.
Tips:
- Anti-fog liquid works for some lucky folks, try it and see if you like it.
- Buy new goggles for race day that are the exact same pair you currently train with, try them once before hand to make sure they fit and there are no “leaks”. New goggles tend to fog less.
- Avoid putting your fingers or other products on your goggle lenses pre-race. Imagine sunscreen lathered fingers in lens creating a mess and limits visibility. The fit is super important, especially for the longer the races. Find goggles that fit comfortable, yet snug. It is nearly impossible to find goggles that don’t leave the “I just swam” lines on your face hours post training, so forget about trying to fix this look.
Fit:
Make sure it is snug but not overly tight.
Make sure the goggle straps are straight behind your head, not sitting down super low and super high.
To tighten goggles, tighten the strap, but also pull the strap a tad more snug by the eyes. No need to push on the front of the goggle to jam the eye holes on your face.
Happy Swimming!
Lifestyle, Swimming, Triathlon & Multisport
choices, goals, goggles, ironman, mindful, open water swim, Seafair, swim for life, swimmer, Triathlete
