Hydration In The Arizona Heat

I read the Welcome article by Brian Frank from Hammer Nutrition, one of our National sponsors, in the Endurance News (July 2009 : Issue 64). Among many things he talks about hydration and in our Arizona heat this is especially important. Not only is physical hydration with water important, but also spiritual hydration. The following scriptures from the Gospel of John came to mind:

Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." John 4:13

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37

Hammer Nutrition allowed me to pass along what Brian Frank wrote. So here it is:

"Hydration is yet another area where we tend to be swimming upstream, pun intended. While most advocate drinking freely while exercising, they make no mention of adequate hydration levels in your daily life. We, on the other hand, advocate just the opposite, not to be contrary, but because it only make sense - living in a state of constant dehydration and then trying to super hydrate in the few days leading up to an event, or just during the event, is illogical. ... For your daily life, you want to consume around 1/2 ounce of water per pound of body weight everyday (e.g. 160lb athlete - 80oz of water per day). Coffee and other beverages do not count. What you consume during training does also not count. ... When exercising, no matter how hot and/or humid it gets, 24-28 oz per hour is the upper limit, and in case of smaller athletes and cooler temps, the level of intake can and should be reduced from there. A strong word of caution : If you have been consuming far less than 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of water, you should not suddenly and dramatically increase your water intake. This will result in premature elimination of critical minerals."

It's simple, isn't it? I think it goes very well along with an active Christian life style. Are you thirsty? Drink a glass of water. Simple.

Not only should we have adequate hydration levels in the physical. When was the last time you drank the water Jesus promised, the living one that can become like a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life? Come on brother and sister, be of good cheer, Jesus is near !!! Read His word and drink His water !!!

To get more helpful information about hydration, fueling, when and what to eat check out the Guide to Success which can be found at the Hammer Nutrition Web site.

Tour De Revs

This last weekend I happened to be in Flagstaff visiting with my parents when three Lutheran Pastors came through town on a triplet bamboo road bike! They are on a 100-day bike tour titled, "Tour de Revs," and they had a stop at my parents church up here so of course I had to go check it out. As it turns out the "Three Revs" had felt lead to organize this tour for the last 7 years by the weight of scripture that talks about poverty, injustice and hunger. Throughout the Bible we are called to eradicate poverty and hunger (e.g. Old Testament Law in Deut 15 and in New Testament Church in Acts 2:37-47). The Rev's talked about how today our society produces enough food for the entire population, but due to unbalanced distribution of that food and wealth, over 80% of it goes to the ~20% of the population in developed countries. Obviously us here in the U.S. are part of the 20% that has much more than we need. I know that even through we all hear about world hunger all the time, sometimes I disconnect from how I can be a part of the solution.

The amazing thing is, through Christian churches, some of the most efficient poverty fighting charities exist. In chatting with Pastor David, one of the Tour De Revs, we were talking about the Lutheran ELCA World Hunger charity they are raising money for, and the point was raised that on charity rating sights, Christian-based charities of all denominations are always rated very well with generally >90% of donated funds going directly to those in need. We should all be encouraged and inspired by this as it is our role as the church to eliminate poverty, and what churches already do is some of the best charity work out there. However, their is still much more need to be met, much more seed to be sown, and ultimately many more to be added to the kingdom through the demonstration of God's love and character through our inspired generosity in each of our individual church communities and in IC3.

Check out the Tour De Revs if you get a chance: http://www.tourderevs.org

The Good Samaritan

"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:19

Hello All,

My name is Yolanda and I signed up with IC3 (Arizona) for mailings at the bike expo last year (2008) before El Tour de Tucson. I have been reading the correspondence and like a lot

Picture: Another flat repair, Todd helping Patsy

the group's dynamic, enthusiasm, faithfulness, and camaraderie, but have not felt confident enough to join your group to ride. I thought that my level of riding was too low to be with a group like yours. So I was riding (and praying!) all by my self this morning and unfortunately got a flat and was totally not prepared for that. I decided to walk as much as I could before I would call my husband to come and pick me up. As I was walking a very nice biker stopped to see if I needed help! I mentioned my problem and he said he had an extra tube and volunteered to change it for me! As we were talking he told me He is part of the IC3 (Arizona) group and that I should join the group some time to ride. I told him I was already on the mailing list, but did not think I could keep up with the group bike riding but he said that there were a lot of new people and that I should just come and be a part of it. I recognized his name from this and other emails and realized that this was not a coincidence and know exactly who sent Fernando! He was really a blessing to me this morning.

Thank you Fernando!

God willing, I will be joining the SE group next Saturday @ Harrison and Old Spanish Trail.

See you then! :)

Many Blessings,

Yolanda

--- IC3 Arizona Spoke Note ---

Indeed what a blessing. Praise Jesus !!!

Updated Post: 4th of July Celebration Ride

Happy Independence Day !!!

"Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thes 1:2

(left to right: Jimmy, Patsy, Michael, Ron, Todd and Ray)

We had a great ride this morning. We missed all of you Tucson IC3'ers that could not make it. Starting at 6:00am we were blessed with a nice overcast which kept the temperatures down to the 70's. Afterward as promised we went to AJ's for a well deserved breakfast and some wonderful time of fellowship.

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Come join us celebrating the early morning of the 4th of July with an early morning road ride. We are planning to meet at 6am with the anticipation to be done by 8am so that we can enjoy some time of fellowship by having breakfast at AJ's at the La Encantada Mall. Yes, AJ's is open and has a delicious selection of breakfast items.


Let's celebrate our freedom in this country and remember what sacrifice was need for us to enjoy this time of fellowship. And let us also remember that all this was inspired by the grace our Heavenly Father shows us and the sacrifice our LORD Jesus Christ gave to us so that we can be reconciled to our Heavenly Father.


Celebrate the Freedom He gave us.


When: Sat. July 4th
Where: AJ's at 6am
What are we doing? Ride for about 2 hours (or 20-36 miles) and have breakfast afterwards at AJ's