MEMBERS NEWS

Welcome to the following new members:

• Wendy Botes
• Sarah Galvin
• Benjamin Matshazi
• Julian McKenzie
• Busisiwe Virginia Ngubo
• Jeanene Timmermans
• Serestina Viriri

The following email received from Ant:

"Eugene Johannes (Beano) from Sydenham Athletics Club - a good walker and walker judge - had a heart attack at the Sparkport race on Sunday. He had been a marshal and had gone back to the finish where he was helping with results when he got a pain in his chest. The ambulance took him to hospital - he was in ICU but don't know what they did or how he is now."

We wish Eugene a speedy recovery. If anyone has any further news on Eugene, please email me.

Also from Ant:

"The 5th Mini League KZN hosted at Kings Park - Youth, Juniors, Seniors and Masters - this Saturday 11th February has been CANCELLED as KZN 'double booked' the venue."

REMINDERS

1. Highway Ladies TT - 29 February 2012

An appeal to everyone to please, please assist! We know this request is hot on the heels of our last TT in November 2011, but Highway has been allocated the first TT event for 2012 - make a note of the new date: 29 February.

Prizes - an URGENT appeal to everyone to please donate gifts to be used as prizes on the night. These gifts can be handed to Lynn or Dee (or any Committee member) on a Saturday morning.

Volunteers - we need anyone who can assist on the evening, particularly those that did so last year and know the ropes. In addition, "MAN-power" is required to help as marshals along the route.

Please contact Linda or one of the other members listed below if you are able to assist.

CONTACT	EMAIL	CELL NO
Dave Bennett	dave.bennett50@gmail.com	0825655675
Monika Piefel	piefel7@hotmail.com	0837638288
Linda Mead	lmead@berzacks.co.za	0833359663

Electromax Sponsor - thanks to the endeavours of Pam von Aulock, we have 250 bottles of Electromax, kindly sponsored by CIPLA MEDPRO, for our Ladies Time Trial on 29 February. Many thanks to Liza Naude, Product Manager at CIPLA, for agreeing to the sponsorship, and the efficiency with which she arranged the delivery to Pam's house.

Highway Club Kit

A reminder for the "oldies" and for information for the "newbies" at Highway:

Our club has a uniform that is formally registered with KZN Athletics, and which must be worn at ALL official races. Our uniform is:

• Navy blue and turquoise running vest, string vest or cropped top with the word HIGHWAY across the top
• Plain navy blue leggings, shorts or skorts - no branding, no coloured stripes, etc.
• Highway peak.

Leggings for walkers must end above the knee, and WALKER identification tags need to be worn on the front and back of vests. Age category tags for runners and walkers should also be worn on the front and back of vests.

Highway running vest, Highway string vest, Highway peak and the correct placement of Age and Walker tags, with the name of the club clearly visible.

In summary - the only colours that you should be wearing on race day are navy blue and turquoise!

The running vests are available from Shirley Neethling (031 705 1008), while the leggings, etc. are available at any sports store and most clothing stores. Remember, wearing other colours or forms of clothing may result in your disqualification from a race, and also gives the club a bad name.  So please be a sport and wear our uniform with pride!!

Ageing and Exercise

February Heart and Sole

I am busy putting together the February issue of our quarterly Heart and Sole newsletter. If you have any interesting news or photos that you'd like to share with the rest of Highway AC, please email your input to me as soon as possible. (I have found some brilliant pictures from the Kearsney Challenge that I will be sharing with you then!)

USEFUL LINKS

• Highway facebook page -  https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Highway-Athletics-Club/156509981056919
• Runner's World magazine - www.runnersworld.co.za
• Modern Athlete magazine - www.modernathlete.co.za
• Upcoming events, including flyers where available - www.eventtiming.co.za/events.php
• Results from recent races - www.eventtiming.co.za/resultssummary.php
• Runners' World Races and Places - http://www.runnersworld.co.za/static/races_places/index.php?section_id=3
• Modern Athlete Race Calendar - http://www.modernathlete.co.za/race_calendar.asp

What is your eating personality? - www.runnersworld.co.za

(Eds note. A rather long article, but interesting reading. What type of eater are you?!)

Most runners love eating almost as much as running, even if they don't go about it the same way. Some diligent souls keep track of every gram of carbohydrate and protein that passes their lips. Others are so consumed with work, kids, and training that they grab whatever seems healthy enough. Of course, there's no single right way to eat well. Each approach has its own merits and drawbacks. The key to fuelling your body and running your best, says nutritionist Tara Coleman, is to understand your tendencies, so you can build on healthy choices and adjust not-so-good-for-you habits. Whether you graze every few hours or eat the same three meals every day, here's how to tweak your diet so it better meets your nutritional and running needs.

There are six types of eaters:

• The Reactive Eater - I eat when I'm hungry, and only when I'm hungry
• The Restrictive Eater - I limit what I eat, no matter what my tummy says
• The Habitual Eater - I eat a set number of meals per day, and never miss a meal
• The Grazing Eater - I don't eat three set meals a day; I snack throughout the day
• The Well Planned Eater - I stick to an eating plan
• The Indulgent Eater - I treat myself after a training session.

The Reactive Eater

Reactive eaters listen to their bodies," says nutritionist Tara Coleman, "eating when hungry and what they crave." That's good because it means you stop eating when you're full, reducing your risk of consuming too many kilojoules and gaining weight. But when overwhelmed by work, family, or training, reactive eaters choose whatever foods are close when hunger hits.

Eat Smarter

Your diet will benefit from some planning, says Coleman.

1. Cook extras of a dish you can eat cold so it's ready when you need it (try whole-grain pasta with vegetables).
2. Stock your gym bag, desk, and car with carb-and-protein snacks (sturdy fruit, like apples, and peanut-butter and trail-mix packs).
3. On the road, skip the chicken burger at the drive through and get the grilled chicken with roasted veggies in the prepared foods section at the supermarket.

The Restrictive Eater

You want to stay lean to run your best, so you look for ways to trim kilojoules. The problem is that restrictive eaters often don't eat enough, or they cut out too much fat out of fear of gaining weight, says dietician Alison Ozgur. Big mistake, as fats help reduce injury risk. Another drawback? A recent study in Psychosomatic Medicine found that closely monitoring calories raises stress levels.

Eat Smarter

Once a week, forgo restrictions, says nutritionist Tara Coleman.

1. Eat when you're hungry and what you crave; then take note of how you feel running. You may realize foods you avoided actually energize you during workouts. This can help you start to think of eating in a positive light - as a way to fuel your running - and reduce feelings of stress.
2. Make healthy fats part of most meal since they improve vitamin absorption.
3. Try mixing walnuts in oats and adding avocado to wraps.

The Habitual Eater

As a creature of habit, you never miss a meal. That's good, because a study conducted by researchers in Sweden in 2008 found that eating meals regularly lowers your risk of developing insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome (a condition that can lead to the onset of diabetes and heart disease). But if you don't change up the foods you eat, says nutritionist Tara Coleman, you could develop a nutrient deficiency.

Eat Smarter

A few times a week, substitute similar but different-for-you foods, says Monique Ryan, author of Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes.

1. If you normally eat corn flakes and a banana for breakfast, try a hot multigrain cereal (for a fiber boost) topped with antioxidant-rich berries.
2. In a grilled-chicken rut? Make a lean fillet steak, which contains more iron.
3. Try a new recipe every other week to liven up your taste buds.

The Grazing Eater

Rather than sit down to three squares a day, grazers snack every few hours. They're fueled before a run, says nutritionist Tara Coleman, and they refuel quickly post-run, helping speed recovery. Grazers can eat too many or too few calories if they don't watch portion sizes. They also rely on convenient options (energy bars, pretzels) but these foods often lack protein.

Eat Smarter

"Look at the day as a whole and then work backward," says Coleman.

1. She suggests calculating your daily calorie needs (on Web sites such as nutritiondata.com). Evenly divide those calories through the day. If you need 7 500 kilojoules and like to eat six times, make six 1 250 kilojoules with a mix of carbs and protein.
2. Have whole-grain toast with almond butter, an apple and two pieces of string cheese, or half a chicken and salad sandwich.

The Well Planned Eater

Detail-oriented, you keep a food log and stick to a meal plan. But adhering too closely to that regimen can detach you from eating based on how your body feels. Planners eat something because their schedule says they have to, says nutritionist Tara Coleman, not necessarily because they want to.

Eat Smarter

Keep that food log - but write down what you eat and how you feel before and after meals and workouts, says Coleman.

1. You may discover you need that post-run protein shake only after your tough runs - not every run. On days you work out in the evening, you may find your usual dinner doesn't fill you up and you need more kilojoules.
2. Being in tune to those feelings will help you create a more flexible eating plan that better meets your needs.

The Indulgent Eater

"Running is an accomplishment," says nutritionist Tara Coleman, "but some think it means they can eat everything they want." It is okay to indulge in high-kilojoule or high-fat fare, but regularly overdoing it will hurt your health and running by adding (or preventing you from losing) extra kgs.

Eat Smarter

If you like a sweet treat every day, you don't have to give that up, says Coleman.

1. However, you do have to keep the portion size in check - a single square of fine dark chocolate rather than a whole box of cookies.
2. If you find that's just not satisfying, you can still have the three-scoop sundae - just make it a once-a-week or so indulgence, rather than daily.

See you on the road this weekend
Margie