1. January 2008
New Year, New
Look
Welcome to Tri Fusion’s
second year of newsletter
editions! We hope you
love it, the new year and
the new look!
Core
Training for
Bicyclists, Freestyle BoD,
page 2 Swim Tips, Calendar,
Short pages 4 & 5 Cool Stuff,
We want ‘em! Your Bikes=Tall
kids from ages 4-12 are Order, Custom page 7
invited to join the Tri Clothing
page 3
Fusion Kids Club! Guide,
page 6
LOOKING AHEAD - LOOKING AT OUR FUTURE
As we enter a new year together, growing and stretching as a club, a great big family and a
collective, competitive soul we also look into our future by inviting some very special people to join
our team.
By Natalie Gallagher & Susan Wood-Gaines
nutritional and fun-filled activity components, and won’t leave the
meeting without singing our Kids Club Fight Song!
Children will be organized into three age groups to provide age-
appropriate activities. The initiation fee is $25, which includes a SWAG
bag, and $5 per meeting. You may sign up your child or children by
For the past few months, a group of dedicated club members have contacting Tiffany Byrd @ Tbyrd@mead.k12.wa.us or at the Tri
been working together to create a place for our Tri Fusion members’ Fusion member meetings in January - March.
children in the multi sport scene. We are so thrilled to announce the Our mission? Tri Fusion Kids is a multi sport club for children
upcoming launch of our Tri Fusion Kids Club! The official launch will dedicated to encouraging an active lifestyle, sportsmanship and healthy
take place on Wednesday, April 9, 2008. choices in order to foster development of lifelong habits that are both
The Kids Club plans to meet four times per calendar year healthy and rewarding. Tri Fusion Kids is committed to
beginning on the launch date in April, followed by meetings in July and providing friendship, fun, training opportunities, teaching, camaraderie,
October 2008 and January 2009. At each club meeting children will be encouragement and guidance to its members.
able to experience an introduction to the meeting’s theme, educational,
[1]

2. Core Training for Cyclists 3) Cable Torso Twists
by Ben Greenfield This exercise requires core force
NSCA-CPT, CSCS, MS PE production against a cable resistance. It
is important in your core conditioning
A recent study in the National
program to include an exercise that
Journal of Strength and Conditioning
introduces external resistance. What is
Research
the external resistance that a
outlined the importance of core training
triathlete's core experiences while cycling?
for cyclists. The title of this
The bike! You have to steer and
study was "Relationship Between Cycling
navigate your bike against the friction of
Mechanics and Core Stability". The
1) Brick Walls the road, and for an Ironman
purpose of the study was to determine
whether cycling mechanics are affected This is a strategy I will use
during a long hilly ride or a hill interval triathlete especially, this can lead to
by core stability. The foundation behind
workout, and can be performed on your fatigue over the course of 112
core training for cyclists is that
indoor trainer or during an outdoor miles. Force transmission from the pelvis
pelvic stabilization maintains a natural
ride. Climb an entire 3-6 minute hill in the to the lower extremities is
curvature of the spine. The core is
standing position. As you important, but functional strength and
defined as the collection of primary
climb, try to breathe from deep in your endurance is also required for the
stabilizing muscles for both the front
core, just behind the bellybutton. upper body force transmission from the
and the back of the pelvis and lower back.
At the same time, visualize your abdomen core. The cable torso twists is also
A weak core could potentially
as a "brick wall", and maintain a a great exercise for swimmers who need to
inhibit power production, since the pelvis
tight core, especially as you drive your focus on hip rotation. Here is a
is the "lever" for the psoas and
knees up to your chest. If you do link to the exercise video:
gluteal muscles, both of which are your
this properly, then every the leg comes http://www.pacificfit.net/members/
cycling power muscles. If your lower
past the top tube you'll feel your Workouts/exercises/
extremities are not aligned properly and
abdominal muscles contract. For added CableTorsoTwists.html
the lever is in an incorrect
position, then power is compromised. effect, avoid bouncing on the
handlebars. Add these moves into your
weekly program and you'll begin to feel
During a long distance cycling
2) Mountain Climbers the results within about 4-6 weeks. A
event such as Ironman, the pelvis is fixed
Your focus during this exercise is stronger core will enhance a cyclist's
in a constant position, and subjected to
very similar to the aforementioned Brick force transmission from the hips and
tens of thousands of muscle
Wall, except now you should be off the pelvis to the lower extremities. In
contraction repetitions. If the core breaks
bike, in a push-up position, driving addition, a triathlete riding in the time
down during this time due to
your right knee up towards the left elbow trial position will likely have
fatigue, then the pelvis will shift and
and vice versa. Again maintain more support from the trunk, and thus
wattage will suffer. So even if the
focus on a tight abdomen and deep place less pressure on the shoulder,
legs are ideally prepared and adequately
stomach breathing. You will also need to upper back, and neck muscles when
tapered, a cyclist could still have
focus on maintaining a straight line from resting on the aero-bars. An effective core
sub-par results. For the triathlete, this
the shoulders to the wrist, and conditioning program needs to be
problem is compounded by the fact
hips that are close to the ground. Below is consistent, and should be performed at
that the core is already pre-fatigued by the
a link to a video of me least twice per week during the entire
swim.
performing the exercise. These can be training year. A word of caution:
So, how can a cyclist prepare the performed slowly, as in the video at avoid any core training up to 48 hours
core properly for the rigors of the link below, or quickly, mimicking a prior to competition, as muscular
triathlon? Crunches alone will not do the rate closer to a cycling cadence: fatigue and soreness peaks at about the
trick, because the low back is http://www.pacificfit.net/members/ two day mark.
supported by the ground, which is not the Workouts/exercises/
case while cycling. Here are 3 MountainClimbers.html Until next time, train smart!
effective functional core training moves
for enhancing pelvic stability and
core endurance.
[2]

3. SHORT BIKES ARE A TALL ORDER made with 650c wheels in sizes below 50cm if
(A tri bike guide for those under 5'6" tall)
contributed by Kerry Fisher the bike is to be taken seriously.
What the appropriate cut-off point is
I WANT TO RIDE MY
Ardent triathletes keep themselves becomes a matter of fruitful discussion. BICYCLE, I WANT
boned up on the prominent tri bike companies
and the models they offer. Less well known is
Perhaps 50cm bikes and up should be made
with 700c wheels. Maybe it's 52cm, maybe TO RIDE MY BIKE...
how the industry solves the problems of 55cm. Reasonable people can disagree, but the
women in particular, and of shorter riders in newest generation of tri bikes bring with them
general. We'll look at how each company an extra issue that must be solved, and that
approaches this problem. concerns the rear wheel cutout sculpted into
First, we'll lay out what the problems the back of the frame's seat tube. If you want
are. Then we'll describe how to solve these to maintain a longish chain stay for the
problems. Then, we'll list how each bike purpose of smooth shifting and low friction
company treats its under-50cm bike size(s). between the chain and the cogs, that dimension
When we finish our look at each brand we'll is probably in the area of 38cm. But if you
categorize these offerings by price category as build the chain stay to that distance and place a
well. 650c wheel on your bike, how deep will the seat
tube need to be in order to still grant you your
http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/ cutout? That's a design element tackled by a
product2007/tribikes/tribikesmall.html few companies, but not by many.
Most would concede that if you can't
There are two overwhelming achieve your optimized position on your bike,
problems smaller riders face. First, it's hard to the cutout isn't going to overcome that. So,
get the aero bars low enough relative to the obvious editorial preference is granted by us to
height of the saddle. This problem becomes the bikes which resist the temptation to be
greater as the rider's position becomes more conservative, and boldly forge ahead with the
aggressive, that is, as the rider chooses a 650s on their small-sized bikes.
steeper seat angle and a lower amount of The above having been noted, the
armrest drop. steeper the seat angle the lesser the shoe
This problem is considerably worse for overlap problem. Also, internal headsets help
triathletes than for road racers, because the get aero bars a bit lower than otherwise.
bars must be lower for time trial positions, and Spec'ing aerobars with low-profile armrests
the aero bars and their armrests sit on top of also helps to solve any problem getting the
road or pursuit bars, raising the elevation of front of the bike low enough. So, a company
the handlebar yet further. spec'ing lower profile armrests on their steep
The second problem is the length of seat angled, internally headsetted bike could
make that bike with 700c wheels one or two
these bikes. It's typical for smaller riders to
need short "cockpits," only to have a hard time sizes smaller than would a company not
finding them, because shortening these bikes employing such design techniques. All that
causes shoe overlap (the back of the front established, you're still paddling upstream if
wheel intersects with the rider's shoe when the
crank is in its forward-most position; while a you're a manufacturer making a 700c tri bike
little overlap might be okay, the problem can in a 47cm or 48cm size.
become quite severe).
The culprit in both these cases is the
size of the front wheel. The easiest solution to
both problems is to replace the standard 700c
Because
wheel with a smaller 650c wheel. This issue of Size
700c versus 650c has reached religious
proportions in triathlon, but when you take the Matters
religion out of it and simply consider it as a
practical matter, tri bikes almost have to be
[3]

4. Freestyle Swimming Tips from UNDERWATER ARM PULL
www.swimclub.com.au The catch is made with the front hand as the other hand releases
the water. The wrist is flexed outward, downward and backward
The freestyle stroke is the fastest, most efficient stroke, because to expose the palm to the water. The elbow begins to flex, as the
it maintains the body in a streamlined position with the limbs hand is swept downward and slightly outward.
able to apply constant propulsive forces due to the arms
alternating action and the continuous flutter action of the legs. It is important for swimmers to get a strong catch on the water
and maintain a high elbow position as the hand moves under the
BODY POSITION head and shoulders. The hand continues to sweep down and in
A streamlined body position is required with arms extended toward the midline and then upward and in toward the lower
above the head. One hand is placed over the other and the arms chest. The hand will accelerate slightly throughout the
cover the ears. The back and legs are kept straight, until a flutter underwater pull to gain maximum speed. The final propulsive
kick is used. phase is made by sweeping the hand backward, upward and
outward.
HEAD POSITION
The head should be kept well down with the water line at the top Common errors in underwater pull
of the head. This position will keep the body in a horizontal 1. Turning palm inward at catch phase – Reduces forward
streamlined position and reduce frontal resistance. If the head is velocity during the
held too high, the torso and legs will drop, resulting in increased downsweep and leaves the hand in a poor position for the
frontal resistance. following insweep.
2. Pushing down on the water – the body moves in the direction
BODY ROLL of the back of your
The body roll in freestyle is initiated by the arm action. The hand
entire body turns on its long axis as the swimmer’s hand enters 3. Dropped elbow – reduces power on the water
the water in front. The rolling action of the body enables the 4. Losing the hold on the water during the sculling phase.
swimmer to develop more power by bringing the large trunk 5. Pushing water upward on exit – pushes body down
muscles into play, particularly in the acceleration at the end of 6. Exiting at full extension
the underwater pull. Body roll will also assist the body to
maintain a streamlined position by keeping the hips and ARM RECOVERY
shoulders in line. Freestyle swimmers will spend Arm recovery is initiated by lifting the elbow upward and
more time on their sides than they do on their fronts. forward. A high elbow recovery is
preferred by most because it reduces the effort required and
HAND ENTRY maintains body alignment.
The hand enters the water forward of the head, between the The hand and forearm are carried forward in a slight arc
midline of the body and a parallel line from the shoulders. The (boomerang) around the body with the back of hand pointing
fingertips enter the water first, with the elbow above the hand forward.
and the hand pitched at around 30 degrees. The arm should be
approximately 2/3 extended when hand enters the water and Common errors in arm recovery
then stretches forward. The front arm should be near complete 1. Rushing the recovery – the arm should not start the catch
extension as the other arm finishes the underwater pull. phase until the other arm
has finished the stroke. The underwater hand has less distance
Common errors on entry to travel than the hand recovering.
1. Hand in a prone position on entry – increases resistance as the 2. Low lateral recovery – will throw the body out of alignment.
back of the hand
pushes against the water. ARM TIMING
2. Hand at 90 degrees on entry – increase the possibility of Enter the water with the recovery hand anywhere between the
shoulder injury beginning of the upsweep to the beginning of the push back. As
3. Overreaching – increase drag force on body from lateral one arm pushes back, the recovery arm will have entered and
movement stretched forward in preparation for the catch (outsweep). The
4. Entering too early – increases drag, as your hand must travel a outsweep will occur simultaneously with the propelling arm’s
further distance recovery.
under water against the body’s momentum.
[4]

5. LEG ACTION • Catch up freestyle
The leg kick originates from the hip and the muscles in the upper • 4L, 4R, 3L, 3R, 2L, 2R, 1L, 1R...
leg. The legs move primarily in a vertical plane with the ankles • Single arm stroke, 10 kicks on side, one stroke, 10 kicks on
flexed but relaxed so that the big toes turn toward each other. side...
The key to easy and efficient kicking is to keep ankles and feet • Single arm stroke, 10 kicks on side, 3 strokes, 10 kicks on side...
loose and flexible. Each kick has an upward and downward • Unco drill, single arm freestyle, breathe on opposite side
component called the upbeat and downbeat. There is also some • Hypoxic drills - F/s breathing every 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 strokes
lateral movement of the legs during the kicking action. This • Freestyle polo using kayaking principle
assists with stabilizing and streamlining the body during the • Fast freestyle
stroke.
Freestyle
• A six-beat kick requires the swimmer to execute three FREESTYLE TURN PROGRESSIONS
downward beats during each armstroke.
• A two-beat kick requires the swimmer to execute one Forward rolls on land
downward beat during each armstroke. Forward roll and stand up on land
• Both have their advantages, with the speed provided by a six Somersaults in the water, standing up after each one.
beat kick worthwhile, while the energy saved by doing a two- Three strokes then somersault
beat kick. Swim freestyle into wall somersault, stop
Swim freestyle into wall, turn and push off on back
Freestyle Swim freestyle into wall, turn and push off on front
BREATHING Swim freestyle into wall, turn and push off on front with flutter
Breathing should be incorporated into the body roll. The face kick
should turn to breathe as the opposite hand L enters the water. Swim freestyle into wall, turn and push off on front with
Inhalation occurs as the hand R pushes back and the recovery dolphin, then flutter kick
takes place. The face is turned back into the water as the Swim freestyle into wall, turn and push off on front with
recovery arm swings past the face. Bi-lateral breathing important dolphin, then flutter kick, then
from an early age. Train swimmers to limit breathing in 25’s and freestyle, no breathing on first stroke
50’s from a young age.
Common errors in breathing. Gary Barclay
1. Turning the head too early – not able to use natural body roll Aquatic Management Group
2. Dropping the underwater arm through the pull while www.aquaticmg.com.au
breathing – creates over roll of body
3. Turning the head out of alignment when breathing – creates
too much lateral movement
4. Lifting the head when breathing – hips drop
FREESTYLE DRILLS
All drills can be done in multiples of 25’s, 50’s or 100’s
• Freestyle kick with board – chin on the surface
• Freestyle kick with board – head in water, breathe on side
• Freestyle kick with board – one arm on board, breathing on
side
• Freestyle kick without board – one arm in front, breathe on
side
• Single arm stroke with board, enter under the board,
continuous kick
• Single arm freestyle
• Single arm freestyle, 4 strokes on each arm
• Single arm freestyle, 3 strokes on each arm
• Single arm freestyle, 2 strokes on each arm
[5]

6. Sugoi Clothing Order quantity price break for these first
payments to be safe. You will be charged
SUGOI STYLE Hey Tri Fusion family!
Just wanted to give you a heads up about
the true remainder when the clothing
arrives). We will go over exactly how to
do this at the meeting. You will then be
the Sugoi custom clothing that we will be billed for the remainder of the balance
talking about at the meeting . The after our order has been shipped. It will
pictures on this page are just some of the take 8-10 weeks for the clothing to arrive
items we are currently considering for after the order has been placed.
ordering. We have requested samples
from Sugoi (that should be here before the *We will not be placing another order
meeting). After seeing the samples, it is until May (at the earliest) which means
possible a couple of the items will be clothes wouldn't arrive until end of July -
eliminated (i.e. we requested 2 different beginning of August. Again, this is the
jackets, 2 different vests, etc. to be able to earliest that we would do a a re-order, not
compare quality vs. price). a for sure.
The pricing for the items is on a *Please note that there are mens and
spreadsheet on the original e-mail that womens sizing for some of the items, and
Jessi sent out to all members. There are 2 some items have unisex sizing.
different prices for each item. The price
will depend on the quantity ordered. We
*The sponsors that are going on the
must order 24 of an item to make it a "go"
custom clothing have committed to multi-
and the price break comes at 50
year contracts with Tri Fusion. We will
items. Because some of the items use the
not be changing uniforms next year, and
same layouts, some of them can be
hopefully the year after as well.
combined to make minimums - these
combinations are specified by Sugoi. The
*The custom clothing is in no way
items that can be combined are color
mandatory or required for membership.
coded (ex. all the yellow items can be
combined to make minimums).
*If you're unable to make the meeting,
you will miss out on seeing the
At the meeting, we will be showing the
clothing, but we'll be emailing out the
clothing items we received from Sugoi
order form, so you'll still be able to fill
(they won't be our custom design, but the
it out and send it in.
same item) and handing out custom
clothing order forms. Your orders must
All the best,
be submitted with half of your payment
Tri Fusion Board of Directors
by January 31st (we will use the 24
[6]

7. The Board of Directors, A Recipe, A Recommendation
and The Calendar of Upcoming Events...
Board of Directors The Green Drink
from Kerry Fisher
• Kathi Best - Social Director
Ingredients:
• Kevin Best - Vice President
2 C fresh spinach
• Kim Ellis - Treasurer
Greg Gallagher - Asst. Director 2 C cucumber
•
• Natalie Gallagher - Newsletter 1 head of celery
• Ben Greenfield - Website Director 1/2 inch or tspn ginger root
• Mark Hodgson - Team Event Director 1 bunch parsley
• Sam Picicci - Uniform Director 2 apples Marathon Moguls Unite:
Jim Powers - Membership Director Thursday, January 24, 2008 @ 7:30 pm @
• juice of one lime
Jessi Thompson - Secretary Northtown and Valley Cinemas only...
• juice of 1/2 lemon
This is a highly advertised one night only
• Roger Thompson - President After everything is combined in a
opportunity to watch the video,“Spirit of the
• Scott Ward - Marketing Director blender, this recipe makes 28 to 30
ounces, equally about 3-4 servings. Marathon.” A “behind the scenes” featurette
• Kirk Wood-Gaines - Mentor Director Or - you can put everything into a that includes interviews with marathon
Our Sponsors Corner will resume in the next juicer, including the lime and lemon veterans reminiscing about their first marathon
edition of the Tri Fusion Newsletter. We are with peels. experiences and also highlights deleted scenes,
currently beginning a new year of sponsors
and supporters of Tri Fusion and want to be Be creative with ingredients as long as dramatic race footage and previews of the
sure to dedicate proper time & space to you keep the apple and lemon in the upcoming 2008 Olympics with a Q & A session
include and thank you all. recipe. with Olympians Deena Kastor and Ryan Hall.
• Pears add a delicious taste!
Races/Runs:
January/February Calendar Lake: Jan 26, 6-8pm, Feb 23, 6-8pm,
and March 22, 6-8pm. See forum for
- Jan. 19 @ 9 am: Deer Park Frostbite
5k Run at Deer Park, WA more details.
Training Opportunities:
- January 21, 2008: Martin Luther King • Dry land strength training for
North Spokane --
Gala Sports Event triathletes at Champions Sports
Mondays & Wednesdays @ 5-7 am: Medicine: Jan 27, 5-6:30pm, Feb 24,
Open Swim @ OZ North. - Feb. 3 @ 10 am: Souper Bowl Snowday
5-6:30pm and Mar 23rd, 5-6:30pm.
Cross Country Skiing & Snow Shoeing
Thursday evenings @ 6:30 pm: See forum for more details.
@ Mt. Spokane
Headlamp run from the Gallagher’s • Spirit of the Marathon movie on
- February 10, 2008: Partners in Pain
home in north Spokane. Watch the Tri January 24, 2008 @ 7:30 pm at
5K Run at West Central Community
Forum for details! Northtown Mall and Valley Cinemas.
Center at Spokane, WA
Saturdays @ 8’ish am: Probable BATs,
meeting location & time posted weekly Next Membership Meeting:
Upcoming Events:
on the Tri-Forum. February 20th, 2008 @ TBA: Board
Clinics - meeting followed byGeneral
Sundays @ 8 am: Mornings with
Martin, Planned group swim workout • Swim overwater/underwater membership meeting at location TBA
@ Oz North. Starbucks afterwards! videotape stroke analysis in Liberty
[7]