Congratulations to Tim Uuksulainen, our North Bay Rock, who ran in the January 25th Robbie Burns 8k. Tim states the weather was cold but at least the roads were clear. His next outing will be Burlington's 'Chilly 1/2 Marathon'. He will be joined there by a few more Rocks!!

PL Bib       Name              Time      Age Gr     Pl/Age    Pace   Chip       City

96  276  Tim Uuksulainen    36:18    SM55-59    5/45       4:33    36:08     North Bay

Eating chocolate for your heart? Here's what you need to know

POSTED BY: Monica Reinagel | February 02, 2009 (from Nutrition Data .com)

February might originally have been chosen as Chocolate Lovers' Month because of Valentine's Day, a holiday traditionally linked with chocolate. But the fact that February is also Heart Health Month couldn't be more appropriate.

Consumption of dark chocolate has been consistently linked with a host of heart-health benefits, including lowering blood pressure and inflammation, and improving cholesterol profiles and insulin resistance. As the research has stacked up, sales of dark chocolate have increased 50%!

Most people assume that the higher the cacao percentage of the chocolate, the better it is for you. Not necessarily! Here's an updated guide to selecting the most beneficial chocolates:

Region  As with gourmet coffee, you can now buy gourmet dark chocolate with a pedigree that specifies where the beans were grown. On average, cocoa beans grown in Ecuador, Columbia, and on the Ivory Coast have almost twice the flavanol content of beans from the Dominican Republic or Peru.

Variety  Upscale dark chocolates may also identify the specific variety of cocoa bean used. The Amazon and Forestaro varieties are higher in flavanols than the Criollo variety.

Processing  Flavanols are lost to a greater or lesser degree depending on how the beans are fermented, dried, and roasted. Unfortunately, you can't tell much about the processing method from the product label. But some manufacturers, such as Callebaut and Mars, have developed special processing methods that minimize these losses. Although milk chocolate products are generally lower in flavanols, these flavanol-preserving methods can produce milk chocolate that is just as high in flavanols as dark chocolate! Acticoa (made by Callebaut) and CocoaVia (made by Mars) are two brands to look for.

Alkalization  Cocoa powder is naturally high in flavanols but these compounds can impart a bitter, astringent taste along with all the health benefits. Cooks often prefer the smoother taste of alkalized (or "Dutched") cocoa powder, but the dutching process dramatically decreases the flavanol content. For maximum flavanol content, choose un-dutched cocoa powder.

Good news for chocolate milk lovers  Preliminary research suggested that mixing milk and cocoa might diminish the bioavailability of the beneficial flavanols in cocoa but several recent studies have shown no significant difference in flavanol absorption from cocoa drinks made with or without milk.

A palatable prescription

All the research on cocoa has led to a very palatable prescription: Eat 1 ounce of dark chocolate (or 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder) daily for a healthier heart. The guidelines above can help steer you toward the chocolate products that are most beneficial. But don't forget that a daily square or cup of chocolate adds a couple hundred calories to your diet--be sure to adjust your calorie intake accordingly.

Following the success of the first 2009 Big Training Day, I am pleased to announce that Discomfort Zone Performance Coaching is offering a second Big Training Day this season. Taking place on Sunday March 8th, this one-day indoor triathlon clinic is a fun, social way to kickstart your training for the year, meet new people, and learn a ton of great skills you can bring to the race course this summer. Additionally, David Bialkowski will be on hand to share his skills and knowledge as a community coach, 20+ year veteran triathlete, and master bike mechanic.

I am also thrilled to announce that this training day is open to both adults and young athletes (aged 10 and up and capable of swimming 100m continuously in a pool). Throughout the day, groups will be separated based on age and ability for skill development, training and games where appropriate.

Details and a tentative itinerary are below. Athletes and parents with questions regarding this training day can contact coach Mike directly at mike@discomfortzone.com.




2009 Discomfort Zone Big Training Day 2

Date: Sunday, March 8th
Time: 7am-3:30pm
Location: Laurentian University Athletic Centre (Ben Avery Building)
Cost: $50 per person, with a $6 discount for OAT members

Tentative Itinerary:

7:00am - Registration
7:30-9:00am - Dryland warmup and Swim Technique Session
9:30-11:30am - Indoor Cycling Session, transition skills and games
11:30am - Lunch and Bike Maintenance Clinic (bring your own tools and tire changing equipment if you have them)
1:45pm - Run Technique Session on the new indoor track, including strength/flexibility exercises and more games
3:30pm - Training Day ends