More from OB JEN

Take Control of Your Cycle Timing

What is the one thing your dread most going into a race? For most women, it is the thought of starting their cycle right before race day! This “bad timing” can bring about anxiety and uncertainty, not to mention the usual symptoms of PMS such as heavy flow, cramping and irritability. Does it seem like your cycle always inevitably arrives right before race day? Is there anything that you can do about this?

Great news! It is actually medically safe to skip those cycles altogether and there are several ways to achieve this. Many of my patients enjoy a period-free lifestyle by staying on a continuous birth control pill. Not only is it safe to skip your periods when you are taking a balanced hormone regimen, but there is less chance of an unplanned pregnancy if you are sexually active. There are many different pill formulations and doses to achieve this, so if one doesn’t quite work for you, we can try several different options.

Another choice is to use the birth control ring continuously. The FDA has not yet approved the ring in this manner. However, for years women with endometriosis took birth control continuously before FDA regimens were approved.

Some of my patients find that a progesterone coated IUD is perfect for freedom from periods and the hassles of a daily pill. Many patients have been mistakenly told that the IUD is an abortifacient, but this is not true. The IUD is actually a continuous spermicide, and it is over 99% effective in preventing unplanned pregnancy for up to five years. If you are uncomfortable with an IUD in the uterus, then you may be interested in Implanon. This is a single rod that is hidden underneath the skin. The rod is only millimeters thick so it does not interfere with working out and it is not noticeable. It lasts for up to three years, but these options are immediately reversed after removal.

Other patients are back on the athletic circuit after completing their families. They don’t want to be bothered with periods or the hassles of a pill or ring. For these patients, an endometrial ablation is a great choice. An endometrial ablation is a minimally invasive procedure done in the office that permanently alters the lining of the uterus so that it does not build up. No build up, means no shedding and no period. There is no cutting involved and you still have all your own natural hormones.

All in all, you have many safe options to choose from, so we are sure to find just the treatment for you to keep you free for race day.

Schedule a visit with Dr. Jen Mushtaler at Austin Area OBGYN to learn more! OB JEN is a sponsor for the upcoming Sweet & Twisted Women’s Triathlon and will be hosting a related seminar at REI Round Rock during S&T Packet Pickup on Saturday, August 21.

www.whosyourobjen.com

www.aaobgyn.com

Ring of Fire UPDATE!

Just a quick update on the Ring of Fire!

Red Licorice Events Brand Ambassador team rode the 40 mile course on Sunday July 18th. It was a beautiful day, not too hot and not too windy!

The 40 mile course is just fantastic with some challenging hill climbs for everyone! The view from the Rest Stop at the Old Tunnel Management park is fantastic! But you have to climb a bit to get the view... well worth it.

*CONSTRUCTION WARNING* there is an approximate 2 mile section of 473 past Sisterdale that is under construction. There is loose gravel here and some packed dirt. Please take it easy here, don't attack if you are racing and mind your p's & q's while riding this short stretch of road.

Luckenbach was hopin when we got back from the ride with about 50 motorcycles and 100 cowboys checking out the human powered bikes and lycra... I do think they were a bit jealous!

Register now for the Ring of Fire! Bring your team... race or just ride. It's going to be a fantastic event!

http://www.redlicoriceevents.com/events/Ring_of_Fire.html

Ride On!

Red Licorice Events Team

The Cougars are coming!

RAWR!

This year's Cougar Country Classic 5k is lining up to be the best yet!

There is so much going on starting with the "Iron Cougar" pre-party at the Iron Cactus in the Hill Country Galleria on July 22nd from 4:30 to 9:00 pm. With Happy Hour pricing, Appetizers, Registration, Packet Pick Up, and our fabled "Queen of the Cougars" contest.

Red Bull (Skinny) and Deep Eddy Vodka are teaming up with the master bartendars at the Iron Cactus and bringing you the "Deep Eddy Beautox" just one drink and you'll be looking younger!

On race evening we are letting the Cougars loose with an 8 PM start time on Saturday July 24th.

Some people think the start time is a little "weird" but we prefer "Sweet & Twisted". You can win gift certificates from our partners Hill Country Running Company and Slightly Inappropriate Mantra Tees at the finish line, and to top things off A&E Beauty Laser will help you take care of looking fresh the next morning!

Join us for all of the fun and festivities for the Cougar Country Classic 5k and register now at www.redlicoriceevents.com

ME-WOW!

OB JEN Talks Abut Suffering from PMS

Chocolate covered potato chips extra salty and a grande double valium espresso mocha sounding good? You may be suffering from PMS. Symptoms of PMS affect women physically and emotionally, including bloating, headaches, cramping, back aches, irritability, sore breasts, depression and food cravings. PMS food cravings are thought to be a compensatory response to low levels of serotonin, but ingesting large quantities of simple carbs and sugar actually has a poor effect on these symptoms.

Although medications are available, simple dietary changes may significantly reduce and even alleviate the symptoms associated with PMS. Decrease consumption of simple carbs and opt for high fiber foods like beans, brans and whole grains.

Reduce caffeine intake. Caffeine can aggravate symptoms of anxiety, depression and irritability. Don’t forget about energy drinks and bars that contain caffeine, too.

Increase theamounts of green leafy vegetables in your diet. A research study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology demonstrated that a low-fat, vegetarian diet provides significant relief.

Increase foods with calcium and vitamin D such as skim milk, yogurt, broccoli, okra, red kidney beans, apricots and figs.

Several nutrition authorities advise daily omega-3’s found in fish and flax to help with inflammation and cramping.

Remember to nourish your body with 4-6 small meals throughout the day and keep your regular exercise routine to release those natural endorphins. The more consistent you are with your nutrition, the better your results will be. If symptoms persist or become severe, schedule a consultation to discuss further treatment options.

This information was brought to you by Dr. Jen Mushtaler (a.k.a. O.B. Jen) from Austin Area OBGYN. Dr. Mushtaler is a Red Licorice sponsor for the Cougar Country Classic 5k and the Sweet & Twisted Women's Triathlon. Visit www.whosyourobjen.com to learn more about O.B. Jen!

Austin Area OBGYN

Be sure to check out Calendar for OB Jen Free Clinics in July & August!

Buffy's Race Report!

Buffy’s Race Report – Jr Varsity/Varsity Triathlon - June 20^th, 2010

Have you ever seen a kids’ triathlon? If not, you should find one – it is one of the most fun things I’ve ever witnessed! Watching all the kids race really made this event one of my favorite races ever. It was awesome!

On Saturday, I got up, went for a swim, ran some errands, and started packing up my gear for the race on Sunday. I then headed down to Jack & Adams to do some light shopping (I was out of Hammer Perpetuem which I am now in love with AND I was dangerously low on Banananuun and Orange Ginger Nuun), pick up my race packet, and get in some good volunteer time. I was signed up to volunteer the second shift of packet pickup. I had great timing because I got the best packet pickup job – handing out swim caps and writing participants’ numbers on them. Not a very stressful job and I got to chat with everyone. We had a great crew during packet pickup, including a lovely girl I met named Sally. She pretty much kept us all laughing the entire afternoon. We did encounter one angry person at packet pickup, but I’m going to choose to pretend that none of that actually happened since the rest of the weekend was so much fun. After we tore down packet pickup, I headed home to finish packing my gear, have a nice dinner, and try to get to bed early.

Sunday started REALLY early. My alarm went off at 3:30am and I was out the door around 4:00 or 4:10am. I live very far south and the race was at Granger Lake which is very far north. I did find the race location with no problems though – always a good sign since I’m directionally challenged. I arrived a bit before 5:30am and headed out to see what needed to be done. I did a bit of roaming around to see if anyone needed any assistance and then Carol (another RLE Brand Ambassador) and I headed off to transition to set up my gear and then help the kiddos get their transition areas set up.

There was a rule that parents weren’t allowed into transition, which I think was fun for the kids. A few of the RLE Brand Ambassadors were in the transition area to kick parents out and to help the kids set up their areas. All the parents that I encountered were really great sports about getting kicked out, too! I was most impressed with one little girl that I tried to help. I started to ask her about setting up her transition area and she said, “oh, I know how to do this – my Dad showed me already.” She proceeded to set out her towel, turn her helmet upside-down with the chin strap unclipped and straps out, loosen her running shoe laces and stretch the tongue forward, etc. So, “kudos!” to you Dad of that cool little girl for prepping her so well! My other favorite thing in transition was that we noticed that one of the bikes had a pouch on the front of the handlebars. Inside the pouch was a water bottle and a stuffed animal dog. Definitely my favorite bike in transition!

I didn’t get to watch the kids swim as I was waiting in their transition area to assist anyone that needed it. I ended up spending most of the time after the kids started coming out of the swim directing them to the bike exit. Once most of the kids were out on the bike course I moved over to the water stop at the beginning of the run course. This was a great “job” as I got to see the kids coming in from the bike and going out on their run. These kids were all such troopers and they all really seemed to be having a great time. I think sometimes as adults we take ourselves too seriously in races. These kids were just out there having a great time and doing the best they could. I think us older “kids” need to remember to be more like that sometimes. Anyway, my two favorite comments at the water station were from one little girl who said (with a giant smile on her face), “I can’t believe I’m here already!” and one boy who asked (as I handed him a water cup), “Are we allowed to litter here?”

So, a giant “thank you” to all the Jr Varsity participants – you kids really made race day a million times more fun for me!

Once all the kids were finished with their race, the Varsity race began. The swim was funny because the water was so shallow you could stand up and run in spots. I was determined to swim the whole thing though – I’m not a strong swimmer and I’m trying to work on that. The water was a bit choppy, but the swim was pretty short, so it wasn’t really an issue. I jumped out of the water and headed up to transition. I still think I can take some time off my transition times, but I’m getting much better. I headed out on the bike and realized I was close behind Laurie V (another RLE Brand Ambassador). I thought, “I wonder if I can stay on her tail?” The answer – “no.” As I was trying to keep up, a co-worker of mine’s wife went flying past me on my bike. And I mean flying – I don’t even know how she is that fast. Then I looked up to see Laurie V and saw her pulling away from me. Oh, well! I was still determined to put in a good effort and I did and I had a great time. As we rode out over the dam, I glanced down at my bike computer and I was going 22-23 miles per hour on flat ground! That may not sound that fancy to some of you, but that is major hauling-butt for me. I was totally pumped that I was riding so fast. Also, this course was an out-and-back course so at that time I saw all the super fast people heading back already. I always like out-and-back courses so I can see all the really fast racers – for some reason, that gives me extra pep. So, I was feeling awesome and fast and was having such a great day and then I hit the turnaround spot. After turning around I realized why I had been going so fast. There had been a massive tailwind and I had just turned around so it was then a massive headwind. Brutal. But I was having such a fun day that it really just made me laugh and I plowed on. I still worked on riding hard and keeping a really high cadence (high cadence is hard for me, but I’m working on it). I headed back in to transition, hopped off my bike, switched into running shoes, grabbed my new favorite red, white, and black skull headband and was off on the run!

I could tell as the run started that I had beaten my legs up a bit more than I usually do. It seemed to take me longer to find my running legs. They felt a bit more like jell-o than they usually do at the start of the run. After a few minutes, my legs felt like normal again and I settled in for my very favorite part of the triathlon. One of my friends from PAC swim practices, Jennie, was volunteering. She was helping direct people on both the bike and the run so I got to see her four times over the course of the race – thanks for the encouraging cheers, Jennie! I also saw my buddy, Sally from packet pickup. She was out racing, too, and looked super strong. I saw Lori L (another RLE Brand Ambassador) in front of me on the run. At one point I thought, “Hmmm…maybe I’ll try to catch her?” It was hot, and my legs were a bit tired, so I thought, “mmm…nah!” The funny thing is that during the last little bit of the run we were running up a hill and she kept glancing over her shoulder. After the race I asked if she was looking at me. She said she was and that she was determined to not let me pass her. I find this a very flattering remark. I grew up as a very un-athletic kid and I was sort of chunky. To have someone think that I was a “threat” in a race really pleases me! And then there was the finish line with the wonderful Ron Perry announcing and it was over. I headed straight for the food tent and found my very favorite post-race treat: plain Lay's potato chips. Nothing beats it.

I hung around chatting with all my buddies that were out at the race either volunteering or racing. I had a great time cheering during the awards ceremony as many of the winners were people I know! Always fun and exciting! After a bit, I decided to go clean up my transition area, pack up my car, and head home. I was one of the last people to leave the transition area and I looked around at all the wonderful RLE people I know starting to tear down the race. I knew I’d feel guilty if I just drove off in my nice, air-conditioned car (stupid guilt complex). I decided to stay and help out – I was a sweaty beast already, so I figured a bit more manual labor wouldn’t kill me.

And I’m so glad I stayed. When we were just about finished packing everything up, Leilani called a temporary halt to the working for a real test of skill. Everyone was handed an Oreo cookie. We had to balance it on our forehead and try to get the cookie into our mouth without the use of our hands. Somehow Alice managed this in seconds – great job, Alice! My forehead is rather large, so at my first attempt to wrinkle my forehead and shift my cookie it promptly fell on the ground. My second attempt was going nowhere fast, so I decided just to grab the cookie and eat it (Alice had already won at this point). Lindsay H was a real trooper and kept at it (somewhat contortionist-style, too) until she was successful! It was a hilarious finish to an awesome race. I wouldn’t change a thing about the whole day – it was perfect.

Once I got home and got all cleaned up, my husband and I went to the Alamo Drafthouse to watch The A-Team and drink beer. Really, could this day have been any cooler?!

Adrians Buffalo Springs Race Report

Buffalo Springs ½ Ironman

Lubbock, TX

4:57

This race is going to be my most successful to date, for so many reasons. There are no “feel good” numbers as far as any Overall placing or even any Age group placing (far from it), nor was their any pr’s or stellar fast splits or avg.’s. It was an accumulation of small things that made this race so good for me.

First and fore most it was a perfectly executed race, in that a race plan was laid out (days prior and day of) and performed to perfection. Absolutely nothing went wrong for this race….at all. Thank you race Gods!

I am no stranger to multi-hour racing (mountain biking) but the half iron distance has always scared me and I have stayed away. This was only my 2^nd one. Galveston last year was my first and was less than eventful.

I have learned to stay clear of the pack in the swim to the first buoy and this time was no exception. I staged myself well off to the side and don’t feel as though I lost any time for it. By the time the first buoy arrived I was well w/in 3ft. of it and avoided some 80 other fellows getting to it. The rest of the swim was very pleasant with mostly calm waters and very little contact. I just missed my mark by less than :30 sec. for the swim and finished just over 30 min.’s. I really want to see a 29:59 this year.

T1 was smooth and flowing. I appreciate the bib # signs at the end of the racks and designated racking spots.

Those that know this course know of the hills. Now I’m not saying that I am a “climber” or anything, but if given the choice of a course I would prefer a few climbs over a pancake for 56 miles. That being said the course was to my likening very much. I managed to get the bike leg done in just over 2:45. Again here I was blessed in that the wind was manageable on the flats and the sun was far from breaking through the clouds. I rode very conservatively (very uncommon for me given the bike is my strength) this race with hope of having a good run. I paid no attention to those that past me and stayed focused on my power numbers and my race. This was not so easy for me as I’ll say again that I like this type of course. I fueled a bit more off perception and desire this time around and not so much from a pre-determined script. Even though I felt conservative on the bike I still pushed a bit harder on the 2^nd half of the bike and felt very good going into T2.

T2, again here the blessings don’t stop. My rack was very close to T2 entrance so I had only a few steps on the chip seal with bare feet.

I am now a “run walker” and better for it. Sure nobody wants to walk during a race at any point. However I am certain for me right now that walking 11 aid stations for no more than :15 sec.’s was all the difference in the world. So much in fact that I ran the 2^nd half of the run just a bit faster than the 1^st half. That’s what were supposed to do right? The sun was just coming out my last 3 miles and heating things up. Here again the perfect day. I really wanted to get this run leg done in under 1:35 but was just over 1:40. Something to shoot for next year.

I feel very good about this race and how I prepared for it in the days leading up to it with nutrition and rest and my workouts. In addition I feel like for the first time I have the multi-hour race day nutrition down pat. Most importantly having had such a good experience my 2^nd time around at this distance on a more difficult course than my last ½ iron man my “fear factor” is gone. I truly that I was going to die last year at Galveston, I was so uncomfortable on the run. This race…..complete opposite. I was in total control from the get go. This was a good day and I truly hope this was not my one for the year, but if it was then it was well worth it.

Though Xterra and Mtb racing is were my heart is you can rest assured that you will be seeing me more and more at these 70.3’s. that’s for sure.

As always thanks go out to Coaches Brandon and Amy Marsh, Red Licorice Events and Performance Bikes for all of their never ending support of my endeavors.

Bi-polar & Charming Race uh Ride Report...

Buffy’s Race Report – Real Ale Ride (May 22, 2010)

Okay, this wasn’t an actual race – it was an organized, supported bike ride. It definitely deserves a “race report” though! Actually, I’m glad that it wasn’t a race. It took me quite a long time to finish and I hung out at every rest stop. I’m not sure that I would want to know how I finished compared to all the other awesome cyclists out there!

I did the 65 mile ride for this one. It was the longest that I’ve ridden to date. I did a 55 mile ride the weekend before, which was a good lead up both for distance and for learning a bit about my nutrition on the bike. That 55 mile ride definitely helped me improve my fuel intake practices and helped me not bonk on the Real Ale 65 mile ride.

So, I got up at 4:30am (ugh, too early) and got all my gear and my bike in the car. Then I headed out for the hour long drive to Blanco. I got to Yett Memorial Park a bit before 6:30am and I started to get ready. I ran into Carol and Natasha, two of the Red Licorice Brand Ambassadors, and chatted with them a bit. I walked around checking things out and then headed back to my car to get ready. Here I started to get nervous. I’m not very good on the bike. It just isn’t a strong event for me, but that is part of the challenge, right? I got my fuel all loaded up, got my shoes and my favorite Injinji rainbow striped socks on, and then sunscreen-ed up. I am very, very pale and suffered a brutal sunburn at the Champions Triathlon back in March, so I’m trying to be very good about using the sunscreen (and I did not burn at all during this ride). I went out and found Carol and we hit up the Nuun tent for some pre-race hydration. I was instructed to mix together the Orange Ginger Nuun and the Banananuun (my two favorites anyway). If you haven’t done this – do it. It is awesome.

We hung around in the Ronald McDonald House VIP area for a bit. The breakfast items looked great, but I was too nervous to eat “real” food. I managed to get down half a Clif Mojo bar (a pre-race staple for me), and then it was time to line up. Carol and I got started on the ride together. I was super nervous since it was pretty crowded at the start. I don’t ever want to crash, but that is usually not my biggest fear. I worry most about crashing and taking someone else out with me, so large crowds of cyclists freak me out a bit. Eventually, though, we started to all spread out. Carol and I got separated during this first part of the ride. I got totally smoked by a guy riding in cut-off denim shorts – skinny jeans looking cut-off denim shorts. Not great for the ego to get blown past by a hipster in cutoffs, but I did enjoy thinking “I totally have to remember this for my race report!” And, if you are comfy riding in denim, and that works for you, good on you! I got up to the first rest stop, and it was packed with people. I momentarily panicked because as I was trying to come to a stop a group of people were heading out and I did almost hit a girl’s front tire. But, we avoided catastrophe and I was off my bike. I noticed during this first leg of the ride that the winds were pretty strong. I love a nice tail wind, and I can power through a head wind, but those cross-winds downright scare me (especially while going downhill). So, it was nice to have my two feet on the ground for a moment. I ran into one of my favorite yoga instructors (Kim S from Yoga Yoga – she is great!) , and chatted with her and her riding buddies for a bit. I saw Jennie (one of the girls that I see at Pure Austin Coaching classes often) cruise through the stop, too. I was getting worried about Carol, but then I heard her yell my name from the SAG wagon. She had gotten a flat and needed a new tube and a new tire – poor thing! She encouraged me to go on without her while she got her bike tended to (and she made the awesome comment that maybe it was more a day for beer than a day for riding for her). So, I headed out again.

The middle of the ride is more of a blur for me. The winds decreased so I was much happier overall. I saw Jake North ride by on the back of a motorcycle taking ride photos (although I do always think my cycling photos turn out goofy looking – that is me though, not Jake!). I saw a couple very large snakes squished in the road, which I hate to see. I don’t like to see snakes – dead or alive. I did have a very scary moment where I saw a sign coming down a hill that said “Caution – water over road”. In normal circumstances, this might just worry me a bit, but last weekend I rode through water on the road and crashed hard enough that I cracked my helmet (note: I crashed hard enough to crack my helmet – I will never ride without a helmet…and neither should anyone else). I was super nervous, but there was an awesome volunteer standing there telling everyone to slow way down, and there wasn’t too much water to go through. I went through it at a snail’s pace, and I managed to stay upright.

I really enjoyed the next rest stop where Corina, another Red Licorice Brand Ambassador, was volunteering. I chatted with her and her son for a bit. He laughed at my name a ton (they have a dog named Buffy) which I thought was hilarious. At this stop I also talked with the gentleman who was riding with his dog. Did anyone else see him? It was a crazy set-up! He has a poodle (I think, I’m not good with knowing dog breeds) that rides with him. I think he was on the 65 mile course, too – I saw him at almost every rest stop. Anyway, he wears a harness that connects around his chest and then around the dog’s body. He has foam taped to the frame of his bike that forms a platform wide enough for the dog to stand on during the ride. It was crazy! But that dog did look like he was enjoying himself.

I headed out from that rest stop and got going again. I took a wrong turn, but luckily, I was flagged down as I was turning so I was able to get back on track swiftly. In the middle of the ride there was this awesome long, but not too steep, hill. Going up hill wears me out, but I can do it. I am slow on flats and down hills. If there is any place I can pass others it is going up hill though. I got through this hill and felt tired, but good. The next rest stop was at the top of that hill. I felt even better when I heard a bunch of other cyclists talking about how that hill was difficult – made me feel better that I wasn’t the only one that felt it was hard! I got some food and drink in me and headed out again.

Immediately, I could tell something was wrong as I headed downhill. I looked down and could see that my front tire was completely flat. I hopped off my bike and headed back to the rest stop. On my walk back, a sweet little couple drove past and stopped to ask if I needed any help. I encountered a few jerk-y car and motorcycle drivers during the Real Ale Ride, so it was really nice to have these people concerned that I was okay. I let them know I was fine and then headed up to the rest stop. The awesome folks from Bicycle Sports Shop were there and changed my tube out in seconds and had me back on my way. I’ve only had one other flat before that day, so I’m glad I had them to help (and by “help” I mean “do all work”…I just stood there and watched). It would have taken me an hour to get that done by myself!

I was back on my bike, and thinking about how much fun I was having. Then I realized that the wind had drastically picked back up and I was back to being super freaked out going downhill with the cross winds. I very clearly remember on one downhill thinking “I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die.” I also frequently thought “Don’t crash, Don’t crash, Don’t crash.” Happily I neither crashed nor died.

I had a great time at the last rest stop talking to a guy about how his 12 year old son was thinking of doing the Jr Varsity Triathlon next month (he noticed my Red Licorice gear I had on and was asking me about it). I still think this is awesome. I didn’t even know what a triathlon was when I was 12. Too cool.

I finished out the ride next to a girl named Erin. Turns out she was parked right next to my car and we both were going to try to get in a short run after the ride (we both also left our running shoes in our cars instead of staging them by the bike racks in case we ended up changing our minds about running). We headed out and got in around a 3.5 mile run and then it was over.

Carol found me shortly thereafter – she was waiting to make sure I finished okay (how sweet are you, Carol, really?). I assured her that I was fine, just slow! I headed off to find the rest of my Red Licorice buddies to help teardown the event. After a super quick teardown I hopped in the car and head home.

Once home, I felt guilty because my training plan had me scheduled to do a 6 mile run that day and I had only gotten in 3.5 miles before time to teardown. I put my running shoes back on and headed out for another few miles, and then finally I unpacked my car and all my gear. After that I discovered that my refrigerator is magical. You see, I didn’t end up having a beer at the event. Once home, I remembered that we only had a random variety of unappealing (to me) beer in our refrigerator left over from a party. I opened it up to choose from one of the not great varieties of beers and there sitting on top of all the other beer (we keep our beer in the vegetable crispers) was one of my favorite bottles of beer. I will swear to you that that beer magically appeared just for me in that ‘fridge. Magic.

Author’s Note: I asked my husband to read over my race report before I posted it. This was his response, “Well done! You sound a little bipolar at times, going from ‘awesome’ to ‘I'm going to die’ and back, but I think it's kind of charming.” I thought about re-writing it to avoid sounding bipolar, but I think I’m going to leave it as is – bipolar and charming!