Introduction to Amateur Endurance

Hello Friends!

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, sharing wonderful food and many smiles with family and friends!

Speaking of friends, we want to introduce you to a good friend of ours: Amateur Endurance.


AmateurEndurance.com, a magazine-style, endurance sports blog aimed at amateur athletes. The articles you find on AmateurEndurance.com are generously donated by folks who love the sports they participate in, have a passion for helping others, and value maintaining a friendly, positive endurance athletics community.

Dave & Rich, the founders and owners of Fluid, are also authors & contributors to sports nutrition and injury prevention articles there.

Check out their site, subscribe to their feeds and see what they have to offer!

Have a great rest of your holiday weekend!

Cheers,

Team Fluid

Where was Fluid this weekend?

Saturday, November 23rd 2008
Grand Opening of PV Bicycle Center

A spectacular Saturday Morning started at 8am in Palos Verdes. Team Fluid was out supporting the grand opening of a spectacular new Specialized Bikes Concept Store in Souther California. The morning started with a 2 hour MTB ride with legend Ned "The Captain" Overend. It was a wonderful experience to be out on the trail with one of the most accomplished men to ever ride a bike!


One of our good friends, TJ Tollakson, was there working with the Specialized crew, and gave a short talk on how to be the most sexy triathlete ever. It was a good talk, and always a pleasure to see him out of Iowa! We will see him again in Tucson AZ in a few months at Trifest!

Day 2: Socal Cross Prestige Series in Irvine!

Another beautiful day in Orange County as racers were ready for a hard day of cross racing! The race was the SCNCA points championship, and it was a great one indeed! It was the second straight day finding Ned Overend at an event. He had a great race getting 5th in the pro field! The race came down to a spring finish with Brent Prenzlow from Celo Pacific edging out Chance Noble from California Giant Strawberry by a nose! It was a dramatic finish between the two southern california powerhouses! As always, Fluid was on tap! See you next week in Glendale for the Turkey Cross race!

With love,

Rich, Dave, and all of Team Fluid

Nutrition Tip of the Week: The Reality of Protein Shakes.

Protein shakes are not the devil. The companies that sell them are. They would have you believe that drinking their shakes after a workout would somehow magically turn you into a lean, mean, muscle bound machine. It’s all about mass right? Wrong. They’re time for honoring themselves, with their fake science, and empty promises, will soon be at an end. Truth be told, the shakes do have a place in a healthy diet. Just not immediately after a workout. The key to proper muscle growth starts with proper recovery. Science has clearly shown that carbohydrates with a little protein following a workout is key. It also must take place within 30 minutes, or your window of opportunity slams shut faster then you can say “Recovery!”

The fact remains that a protein rich meal approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours post training is essential. This is the first case where a protein shake can benefit the modern athlete. Depending on your weight, 25-50 grams of protein is ideal in this situation. Remember: More is not better. I would say that 1/2 grams of protein per kg of body weight is ideal. (Example: 220 lb male = 100 kg = 50 grams of protein)

The other ideal placement for protein shakes is before bedtime. This is a double edged sword for getting the most out of your recovery. First, eating a protein shake at bedtime theoretically increases the thermal affect of eating at night. This results in a more efficient metabolism. Second, bringing additional amino acids into your body before bed (sleep is where most anabolism takes place) is a fine idea. Last, most people enjoy sweets at night. A little chocolate milk with protein powder (around 200 kcals) is better then that Ice cream you have been inhaling while watching Sportscenter.

The bottom line: Don’t use protein shakes after a training session for at least 90 minutes. They are healthy, but only when consumed at the right time. If you want more details, just contact the sports nutrition experts at FLUID. We will always be ready to help you reach your goals.

Cheers!

Rich, Dave, and all of Team Fluid

Team Spotlight: Celo Pacific Racing Team

Celo Pacific is now a proud part of Team Fluid! Everyone here at Fluid is honored to be working with this wonderful group of bike racers! Celo Pacific is centered out of Northern San Diego, and includes roughly 100 dedicated bike racing men and women! Fluid welcomes Celo Pacific into their expanding plethora of bike racing teams across the United States!

Celo Pacific can be seen racing across the western United States in all disciplines of road and cyclocross racing! They can be seen frequently riding along the beautiful coast of San Diego and Camp Pendleton, hanging at B and L Bikes in Solana Beach, or having a sandwich at the Grand Deli in Carlsbad! next time you see them at the races give them a cheer!


The team brings some serious star power to the cyclocross course in the form of Brent prenzlow! He is an icon in southern California Cross!

From all of us at Fluid, We say Welcome to the Family!

Cheers!

Rich, Dave, and all of Team Fluid!

Fluid Needs Your Vote!!

Competitor Magazine - Best of 2008 Voting

Hello Friends! We need your help. The hour of Voting for Competitor Magazine's "Best of 2008" is upon us.

Now you have the opportunity to cast your vote for many of your favorite products, services, events, and of course, your favorite sports recovery drink! FLUID.

Many of you have been with us since the very beginning, back when we were mixing powder and you were taste-testing different flavors in our kitchen. Now we need your help to spread the word that Fluid stands out above everything else!

http://www.competitorsocal.com/best-of-2008.html

With your vote, we could be featured NATIONWIDE as the Best Recovery Sports Drink of 2008. This feature will go to print January 2009, but the polls close much sooner. Now is the time to show your support! We don't ask for much, only about 12 seconds to click on the link below, scroll to the bottom, and type in "FLUID Recovery Drink" in the Sports/Recovery Drink category. THAT'S IT!

http://www.competitorsocal.com/best-of-2008.html

Thank you for all your support, we hope you find this news as exciting as we do!

Video # 1 - How to Avoid Running Cramps

Welcome to Fluid School through video. Every two weeks, we will release a video focused on tips to keep you healthy and active. This is part of our dedicated mission to bring education to those who need it most - YOU! The person aspiring to live a healthier and better lifestyle. As always we love your feedback as well. But for now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the movie!

How to Avoid Running Cramps -- powered by ExpertVillage.com

Summary: Running cramps can be avoided through hydration and not being overexerted. Prevent running cramps with tips from a level-one certified triathlon coach in this free video on running.

About the Author: David Brown is a USAT level 1 certified US Triathlon coach and a certified personal trainer. He is also the head coach for the Cal Poly Triathlon team. David has both a Bachelors and Masters degree in nutritional biochemistry. He is also a founder and owner of Fluid Sports Nutrition and http://www.livefluid.com/, a sports recovery specific nutrition company. David has competed for Team USA triathlon team in Israel, and completed 108 triathlons to date, including Ironman New Zealand.

Weekend Race Recap, UCI CROSS!

Southern California Cross prestige Series #6 and #7
Hansen Damn, California
November 8th-9th, 2008

Another killer weekend of Cross Racing in sunny Southern California. Back to back races at Hansen Damn proved to be enough for most of our bottoms! The extremely bumpy course was awesome! Fast sections, hard turns, killer run-ups, and a band singing about Iguanas and Zebras. Can you ask for anything more? The race on Saturday featured some amazing Talent with Brent Prenzlow squeeking out a win over Jitter Joes racer Chris Jones! It was also Fluid founder, Richard Smith's first race in the cat 4s. Richard took a very impressive 7th place!

Day 2 was the UCI sanctioned Dam Cross! It was another beautiful day! The Fluid boys were out racing for the second straight day! The pro race was amazing with a dominant performance by California Giant Strawberry's Rachel Lloyd taking the women's win! Chris Jones had his revenge with an impressive "come-from-behind" victory! The Noble duo of Chance, and his father Mark rounded out the podium as well!



As always, Fluid loves cross, and loves the Prestige series. When you come to race cross in Socal, you will always have a cold glass of Fluid at the finish!

With love,

Rich, Dave, and all of team Fluid

Fluid Review by GrannyGear!

Several weeks ago, Team Fluid made contact with Michael Troy, a southern California MTB enthusiastic who's also a contributor to several online magazines and blogs. Mike has been putting Fluid to the test, here's the post on his personal blog from today:

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Enter Fluid.

I have been reviewing this for The Bike Lab and so far it has been perfect. I will let you do your own research at the Fluid site and you can read about it for yourself, but so far I am amazed at how I feel the next day after I follow up a hard ride with a bottle of Fluid. I want to finish the jar of Fluid before I pronounce it truly blessed, and I plan on doing some very long rides this year and next. As of right now, you could not pry the jar of seemingly magic powder out of my cycling gloved fingers.

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There you have it friends! Make sure to check out Michael Troy's personal blog site as well as his first product review on The Bike Lab!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Team Fluid

Athlete Spotlight: Paul Crout

At Fluid, we are proud of our athletes and proud to support them in their athletic challenges and endeavors as much as possible. Here is a shout out to Team Fluid athlete Paul Crout on his recent accomplishments! Paul's email to us this weekend:

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Hey, Just got back from the Xterra World Championships in Maui where I competed in a seriously brutal trail run. Conditions were HOT, Humid, and Steep. I did manage to finish 8th in my age group and I had a bottle of FLUID waiting for me at the finish line. Good thing too because I woke up the next morning and felt as if I hadn't run at all. Love the FLUID.

Attached is a picture of me at the finish.

Sincerely,

Paul Crout

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Great job Paul! Thank you for all your support of Fluid!

Cheers,

Rich, Dave, & all of Team Fluid