Informative and Inspirational

This past weekend was one of the most informative and inspirational weekends that I have had in triathlon and it did not involve any swimming, biking or running by myself. I spent this past weekend at the Provincial Triathlon Centre, located at the University of Guelph. I was there to complete my Intro to Competition Part 2 Coaching Certification and was not anticipating such an amazing weekend.

When I first arrived I was surprised that our group of coaches in training, dropped down to 7 from 13. We were all pretty eager and spent most of the weekend equally participating in discussions and activities put forth from our instructor. We were very fortunate to have the head coach of the Centre, Craig Taylor, fill in at the last minute. He was awesome because he let us talk things out and then added his thoughts when we asked or when it was required. His knowledge, expertise and energy about coaching triathletes is superior to anyone I have ever known in the sport. He lives and breathes triathlon everyday as he works with the elite and developmental junior triathletes of Ontario.

We were fortunate to be on course the same weekend as one of the PTC Training Days, which had approximately 30 young athletes participating. We were able to visit swim and bike workouts and see what some of the athletes and coaches were doing in their various groups. But what was really cool is how we were able to be part of the day as well. We created and delivered a run workout to 11 athletes ranging from 12-15 years of age. It was awesome to see how engaged and motivated the athletes were. We made a few mistakes in our workout but overall it went quite well. The beauty of coaching is reflecting on what just happened and then figuring out what you would change for the next time. Considering there were seven of us and our instructor we had some lively discussions surrounding the workouts that we saw and delivered.

So what did I learn? Many things but also I was reminded of few things I already knew I just had not pull them out for a while. For example kids love games and challenges. Motivated kids are sponges and will soak up everything you throw at them. Also triathlon is a sport where many coaches take a different approach to training and that's acceptable as long as you can support your beliefs and say "in my opinion...". The foundation of any physical activity or outing with children, whether they are athletes or students, is that safety comes first. After that, in athletic endeavors, everything is based around the core of the body and what is does while the actions are taking place. Many times our focus as coaches is to look at the components or appendages (arms and legs) to identify and correct error but most likely the core is the problem and something there has led to the problem. It is these final points about core that I have taken away from the weekend. Now I'll have to apply this new knowledge to my programming and see if my outcomes change.

Next step is to transfer my excitement, from this past weekend, into case study number 2, which I need to start on immediately, to make sure I am ready for part 3 in July. Where I will deliver 3 workouts to the provincial athletes at their summer camp in Collingwood.

The weekend went equally well for my wife, who completed her first 10 Mile running race, the Spring 10 Miler , on a tough course at Angus Glen Golf Club, which saw here place 4th in her age group. Woot Woot!

Happy Training!

Good Intentions and Observations at Mickey's House

Just returned from one of the greatest places in North America, Walt Disney World in Florida. Our kids, 5 & 2, were totally amazing and so much fun. As parents we lived through them and their excitement as they discovered the magical world of Disney. Grammy and Poppa tagged along for the ride and were a big help in managing the kiddies and stress levels. They had a blast and I am so grateful that they were willing and able to join us.

It was a bit of a catch 22 as no training occurred during the trip. With our kids being early risers, the early morning run was not an option and by the time the end of the day hit, there was nothing left in my legs to go for a run. My original intention was to get quick little 30 minute runs maybe not everyday but 4 out of 6 was doable, so I thought. After walking around from 8:30 am-7:30 pm, carrying the family backpack, occasionally pushing the stroller and frequently carrying/picking up one of the two 40lb kiddies, there was nothing but lead in my legs at the end of the day. It did not take long to figure out my plan was a bust. After Day 1, I concluded that running was out of the question during the trip. I had a great training week leading into the trip so I was content with making the best of the trip for the kiddies and that there would be plenty of days to train ahead. Instead I focused on eating as best I could and ensured that I stayed hydrated.

I had a few interesting observations about the trip that I would like to share. Americans love soda pop, everywhere we went pop pop and more pop. Flavors I had never even heard or seen before. Also, free refills and the wait staff do not hesitate to bring you another full glass when your cup gets close to being empty. With soda pop being everywhere it was very difficult to find a good cup of coffee. The coffee we did find was weak and tasteless. You would think Disney would have sold out and had a deal with Starbucks to serve coffee but I guess the Coca Cola company won out. Two very disappointing points coming up. I was amazed, shocked, and embarrassed at how some (too many) parents talk to their children. The yelling, demands, and vocabulary directed towards kids under 10 was completely unacceptable. I was close to stepping in once but decided to remember the moment and focus on having fun and enjoying my kids during this wonderful time. The other negative that was very apparent was the number of grossly overweight adults and kids. But to go back to my first pint I guess if you are drinking that much soda pop, you are bound to gain weight. The health care system will definitely go into overdrive with the next few generations. The funny thing is that there were many many healthy options at all the meals, especially for kiddies. One dinner Hannah had a plate of green beans and baby carrots, strawberry yogurt with real berries and a piece of salmon over a bed of wild rice, it looked so good we all wanted to order it too. A final point about Disney, it is an amazing enterprise. The marketing of the movies and characters is very obvious to many on a daily basis however after spending 6 days on the property it is amazing how ALL the little things are taken care of. My only explanation for this is that it is such an attractive place to work that they attract the best people and when they have an idea, the money is in the bank so they can do it.

All in all I would highly recommend a trip to visit Mickey's house, with or without kids. It is one of the happiest places on earth and a place where you can forget about the real world. As for now back to reality.

Happy training.

PS Leave your cell phone in the hotel safety deposit box, you'll have a much better experience and you won't miss it.

PSS Thanks to Jerry Seinfeld who made wearing running shoes popular because without them, my feet and legs would have been toast.

Good Advice

Well 3 times a year things go a little crazy for about 10 days. With my wife and I both being teachers, you can guess that time of year, if not, it is report cards. It is a funny deadline that sneaks up on me, not my wife though, who is ultra organized. In the past I have trained super hard leading into the madness and then tried to take a recovery week during the week of the deadline to work things out. I have tried a recovery week before hand, of course to get an early start. Nothing has really worked out favorably as I usually get sick or miss a few days of training. I am really trying this year to be very consistent and patient with my training so I finally followed some of my own advice that I have given to other during stressful times. Short workouts completed before the stress and fatigue come later in the day.

So the past 10 days have been unbelievable, I, of course had my report cards and IEP's due to the office. I had my Triathlon Canada, Intro to Comp, case study due. My wife had an early season race. I took a job on the side, hardwood flooring, and we put some stuff up on craigslist to help cover some upcoming expenses. All these together with what is an already full week of teaching, coaching, training, kiddie programs, and the weekly chores that all families have. So the questions lingered. Am I going to get run down and sick? Am I going to miss a few days of training? Well, I think I can answer them right now as the madness is now over. First I have to thank my wife who is wonderful and organizes our house and kids with great love and detail. Did I get sick? No. Did I miss any days of training? No.

I gotta say I feel really good right now. In the past 10 days I swam 4 times and ran 10 times. I did let the dust settle on my bike for the week but there will be plenty of time for riding in the near future, as most of the snow has melted. I maintained my early morning swim workouts, but took a little off the gas pedal in each practice. On the other days I hit the road or treadmill for early morning runs. The goal of these runs was to feel good and energized for the day that was ahead. Most of my runs were between 30-40 minutes, which was perfect. A few days I ran in the evening to clear my head. I gotta say I give people good advice. This plan worked perfectly. Knowing that I was limited in time was good and I was happy with 30-40 minute runs because I was running! Working out early was key as it allowed a sense of calm to fall over me knowing that I had a workout in the bank for that day and I wasn't dreading what lay ahead or feeling guilty for skipping a workout.

With the weight lifted off my shoulders, for now. I have planned a productive week of workouts and am looking forward to pushing a little bit on the gas pedal again. So,with the next set of reports not due until June, I think I can say I know my workout plan now and probably should write it in now and set up a reminder to review this blog in late May.

Happy training.

Here we go

Here we go. I'm going to try and have fun with this. I plan on sharing my experiences as a dad, triathlete, teacher, friend, coach and husband. I'm trying new things in 2009 to mix things up a bit. Stay tuned.

I am basically doing one of my classic work avoidance tactics, starting something new when I have report cards to write and a case study to finish.

So I taught my first triathlon spinning class this morning. I was way more nervous than I had anticipated. Not a very good night sleep as I had many thoughts roaming through my head. However I knew I was prepared and my workout was solid - Big Ring power based. I arrived early and got things set up, damn stereo turned out to be the biggest challenge. I just plugged in my Ipod and put it on shuffle, however in the future I would like to try and sync the music with the sets. I had only about 9 other people show up for the class which didn't bother me however a few buddies would have been nice to get feedback from. I'm sure word will travel through the grape vine about my workout. I wasn't sure if I talked too much or if the info I gave was very good but everyone was working really hard. I had a moment of panic about 20 minutes in when my front derailler was suck in the big ring. I took it in stride and the next time the set went to the small ring so did my derailler, go figure. I did notice my HR was a little higher than normal, I think it was because I was talking so much instead of just burying my head. I also realized that 1 minute rest goes by real fast when you are trying to explain what set comes next. As we finished up I thanked everyone for waking up with me and more than a few of them started clapping their hands. So I guess it was a good workout. I got a good workout in too and then followed it up with a solid progressive 1 hour run of 12km tonight. I am tired tonight and will take it easy for the rest of the evening. Back to the pool for a swim workout in the morning.