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Coach Brad’s Goals for the New Year!
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Early ChristmaRamaKwanzaKah for the Goof
My Thursday turned out to be an extremely awesome day. At work things seem to take a positive step and coaching at Fit2Run last night was enlightening and productive, but the best part was all the cool stuff I received without notice.
I went to Fit2Run last night just to mainly help out with the Half Marathon groups. There are runners that are training for all the races coming up; the Clearwater Holiday Halfathon, the Clearwater Marathon, Disney Distance Weekend and the Princess Half, Gasparilla, Best Damn Race and the Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon. Thursday’s are speedwork days for these runners and Eric planned numerous one minute sprints with one minute rest in between. I have no idea how many we did, but I was tuckered afterward. Of course I can’t help but put in my own two cents as a coach with runners when I notice issues in their form. One runner I spent about fifteen minutes on his form and things changed immediately for him and he was so grateful. That is the best gift I was given, but they just kept coming.
I was leaving for the night when Eric caught me and told me the Brooks representative sent gifts for us. I got a brand new pair of Brooks Green Silence which are incredibly light. I haven’t run in them yet but I am totally looking forward to it. They sure look cool, am I right? I did try them on and they are so comfortable, that I am aching to get a run in them tomorrow. With the Brandon Half Marathon on Sunday I probably won’t do too much but I it is going to be fun.
The gifts didn’t stop there. Eric handed me two more packages from Brooks. This really awesome running jacket and a pair of shorts. James said that he is getting all sorts of compliments on the jackets and the models are not even out yet so he can’t put them in the store yet. What an awesome night. Speed work and then early holiday gifts….what could be better than that?
I will tell you, a package arriving with the new Nikon Coolpix S10 that’s what!
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| Taken with my 3 mp camera phone |
I will tell you, a package arriving with the new
Nikon Coolpix S10
that’s what!
Pretty sweet right? The camera fits perfectly in that little change pocket in your jeans and can be taken anywhere. I was thinking it would be perfect for this blog. It takes pics from 2-10 megapixels, has a flash, a 5x optical zoom, virtual stabilization, HD video the works. I was so excited as I was playing around with it, unfortunately, I am sad to say, as a Nikon it does not live up to my expectations. I am going to write a full review as a posting later on, but the gist is that the pics are grainy when the light is not optimal.
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| Taken with the Nikon Coolpix S10 |
As you can see, this was in decent light with a flash and my beautiful little Mikali looks grainy. I took a bunch of pics with different settings and this was the best one. *sniff* *sigh*
I have repackaged it up and I am returning it to Amazon. It sucks because the camera is just perfectly convenient. This is the first version of this camera, so it’s obvious I have not learned my lesson on buying the first generation of electronics as of yet.
I have signed up with the ladies to do a picture a day holiday challenge, where I post one photo a day that coincides with a word for that day. If you see anything in the area that makes you think of the daily word let me know, or take the challenge yourself. Just take the pic and post it on Twitter with the hashtag #Holidayaday.
Carpe Viam!
Catching back up with the Goof
My intention for re-starting this blog was to write more often, but the more I want to write, the more I find I have less to write about. I have been reading a lot of blogs lately. I enjoy reading them when I have the time, the only problem I am having is I am having way too many “A-HA” moments. I read a great post and think to myself, “I should have written about that”, or “that was a great idea”, or the famous “I was going to write about that too.” The issue I am having is being original and unique. What does this mean exactly (as you may be scratching your head going, ok Goof, get on with it already)? It means I have two choices. As I peruse the new group I have been welcomed into, The Tampa Bay Bloggers, I notice two distinct kinds of blogs, the knowledge based, and the journal. While both can provide very interesting information, I find that the latter can become a little monotonous. Now for me, it doesn’t matter because I know, or am getting to know, most of the journal type bloggers and I enjoy reading those, but if I wasn’t associated with them, would I really want to read them? I am not quite sure.
My struggle is that I want my posts to be creatively amusing while being interesting in a way where one of three things comes out of each post for each reader. 1) You laugh (or at least smile), 2) learn something, or at least remember that you learned it, or 3) you are emotional moved to some sort of action. I don’t care if you end up being incredibly angry or even angry at me, if you are moved in some way I think I may have accomplished my goal. Now is this too much to ask?
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| Susan & friend at WHM 2012 |
Regressing back to the title of this blog “Catching back up with the Goof”, let me give you the latest chronological items.
I was ecstatic to see my friends run the Women’s Half Marathon the weekend before Thanksgiving. I had the opportunity to go out and cheer once again for a certain group of running and tri peeps and then being surprised to find even more women I knew that were running. Kudos go out to Kat from Sneakers n’ Fingerpaints, Beka from Rebecca Roams, Anderson, Sarah, Jessica from Jet City Espresso, Elisa, Caitlin from Live, Sweat, Sleep, Repeat, Susan, and all the others out there I am probably missing. It was a race that was a pleasure to watch and not just because there were a lot of fit and hot looking women in spandex(get your mind out of the gutter), but because the energy was higher than really a ton of races I have been a part of. Maybe there is something to this “Girl Power” thing. Can we harness it as a natural resource? Can we use it in our cars? (Hey – get your mind out of the gutter I said.)
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| At least my sister, Millie was happy to see me. I think. |
Thanksgiving was very uneventful. Thursday I worked out and hung out by myself for a while and then had dinner at Amy & Erik Eck’s home (my friend and coach). I had the honor of hanging with a lot of great people to include the little new Godsend, Bennett Erik Eck whom is now just a couple of weeks old. He is getting to be pretty adorable, if I do say so myself, and I am not being biased because I happened to (almost) be there at his birth. That may be a whole other post I may need to write. (Note to self – see paragraph 1.) There was plenty of delicious Paleo based food and a few dishes that were not so much, but everything was amazing. After a long walk to help the digestion process I headed home and to bed due to my departure from Tampa Bay International Airport on the 6am flight to Chicago and my family’s belated Thanksgiving. Needless to say Friday, family came over, there was conversation, there was food, there was more conversation, everyone went home, and I went to sleep. The End.
Sunday, I was privileged to hang out at Moretti’s Pizza & Italian Restaurant with a very good friend from my high school years whom my influence had/has steadily increased his appetite for triathlon(patting myself on the back). We have been continuing to keep in touch through email, phone and text, sharing information on races, plans and techniques. He started swimming last year at this time right after the Chicago Marathon and last March/April timeframe competed in his first indoor sprint triathlon, followed by a couple more and finishing with his first Olympic in September. Needless to say I was pretty proud of Big Guy last year. Yes, his nick name was, and still is “Big Guy”. Mine was “Bagelman”…go figure. (Pause for laughter) Anyway, it was great to hang out eat a little pizza, watch the Bears kick some royal Viking butt and talk triathlon.
That left getting up at 3:30am on Monday for a 6am flight home to be able to put in a full days work. I really didn’t think we had to leave as early as we did, but I was totally 100% wrong. I made to the gate with barely 5 minutes to grab some McDonald’s coffee and ascend the jetway before taking off. Security on Monday was brutal, but the flight was uneventful. Thank you Southwest Airlines.
That is all I have for today. I do have ideas vetted out for future posts and maybe some new developments in my coaching career that are starting to take shape. All that and more to come.
Carpe Viam!
The Saturday/Sunday Supporter
What does it feel like to come across the finish line of any race with the support of the race volunteers and spectators? Personally it is a pretty good feeling. What does it feel like with the support of fellow racers, family, and/or friends? My emotions tend to be more positively charged, and to a much higher level. Endurance sports tend to be a little lonely during races anyway, so the support level on the course may even be a determining factor on the outcome of an athlete’s personal race. How do you feel when you have friends and family at a race versus when you don’t?
I had the honor of being support crew for two races this weekend. The first was the culmination run for the last session of my Fit2Run 5k group. The race was Saturday Morning, in Dunedin, at the Our Lady of Lourdes 5k. I really enjoy having my students at these smaller racers. Not only does it give them the experience of the race, but it also allows them the opportunity to stand on the podium. This race, we had an age group winner within my circle. To no surprise Linda Shutt again took 1st place in her age group even after being out for a small injury.
The course was a little tougher than I expected, but a good experience for my runners. It was a trail run, that included soft soil, grass, and even sand, so for some of my runners these posed a couple of new challenges. If you want to know the truth, the marking of the race was a challenge for me as I actually wound up lost on the course and ended up completing a 10k instead. (Pause for laughter) Luckily my girls, and Carl, all came across the finish line smiling and a couple with Personal Records. If you enjoy small races with a couple of small challenges, check out Our Lady of Lourdes Annual 5k Run.
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| Tanner, Jessica and Cheryl before the Swim start |
On Sunday the first TriRock series triathlon was in Clearwater with the start and finish lines at Pier 60. Overall, I thought the race was run very well, and seemed well organized for an inaugural race. The weather was perfect in my opinion. A little chilly in the morning, with it rising to just under 80 degrees by the finish of the race. I had three Tri-Peeps running, Tanner Stevens, Cheryl Henderson and Jessica Glover. This was to be Jessica’s first Olympic, so all of our eyes were on her, not to mention her positive attitude is completely intoxicating and endearing. You may remember Jessica from my Jet City posting as she is the owner and operator of my favorite coffee hang-out.
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| Jessica Rocking out on the Run |
The race has two distances an Olympic, or as they call it, Intermediate (1500m swim, 25 mile bike, and 10k run) and a Sprint (600m swim, 13 mile bike, 5k run). All of my friends competed in the intermediate distance, because all of three of them are pretty experienced in all three events. The race started with music from live bands which only enhanced the energy radiating from the voices of the announcers. It was the typical mad rush for the athletes to setup their transition equipment, dawn their wet suits and head over to the swim start. One of the announcers sung the National Anthem, and I was very impressed as it was sung acapella. As a performer I understand how difficult a piece the Star Spangled Banner is and I was incredibly impressed with his version. He sang with a bluesy undertone but with a rock attitude. By the audience reaction I would say it was a success. In my opinion it was at least better than Steven Tyler version during the AFC Championships earlier this year.
There were a few waves for each distance with the Sprint starting 15 minutes after the last Intermediate wave with the swim being an outer and inner loop. The finishers did cross in some instances, but the finish line was wide enough to accommodate both. I didn’t see any issues with transition as it was large enough to handle all of the equipment and runners of turf were actually put down for the athletes bare feet. (Note to any Triathlon Race Directors reading: This small detail adds a huge comfort to athletes. Just sayin’.) The entrances and exits were clearly marked and even with the two distances using the same course, there was not a lot of crowding. As a spectator I did enjoy the run being an out-and-back south and then north as well. I was able to see my friends twice on the run before the finish.
I didn’t explore too much, but the expo looked small, but loaded with great vendors, the beer tent was sponsored by Red Hook which is pretty decent, and the headlining band was an AC/DC cover band, which for me was perfect. Being a child of the 80’s has it’s perks, obviously.
Overall , I was impressed with the event. I actually wished I would have been able to compete in it, but I enjoyed being there to support. Out of our little group we did end up with Tanner on the podium for third place in the 25-29 age group at a time of 2:24:16. With a possibility of two IMs next year I do not believe I am going to be able to compete next year either, but if I have friends that decide to compete I will make sure to be here again.
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| Athletes, Support and the Goof |
Carpe Viam!
Thinking about Ironman, and help for a great cause.
The political season is over! Finally, the earful of negative spouting and cursing from each candidate is finished and our communities can get back to the business of living and of course, working out.
I have an affinity for doing my best thinking in the shower. I know, kind of weird right. It must be because there is nothing in there except the overwhelming peace of the hot water being sprayed all over….uh…..well, you know what I mean. (At least I hope.) Anyway, I was trying to figure out how can I possibly complete all of my workouts for Ironman without it obsessively impacting my life as it did last year. I am still having an issue with it, but I think I figured it out to a point. I know I have three workouts in each event, plus 3 strength workouts, and hopefully 1 yoga class per week. Here is what I have so far:
Monday – Interval Swim, Strength
Tuesday – Tempo Swim, Interval Bike (2-a-day)
Wednesday – Interval Run, Strength
Thursday – Tempo Run, Tempo Bike (2-a-day)
Friday – Long Swim (as recovery)
Saturday – Long Bike ( Subst. Bricks), Yoga
Sunday – Long Run, Strength (Subst. Swim Bricks)
As you can see if I can pull this off then I only have two nights a week where I have 2-a-days and they are bike workouts and can be completed in front of the TV using commercials for intervals. Saturday will still be long workouts, but Sundays should be done by late morning. It works out within my groups as well, since Wednesday morning is track with Coach Dror, my interval workout, Thursday, I have been running with Jackie and crew since they do their easy runs which is tempo for me, and the weekends will continue to be long bike workouts and bricks with the A-Train. I am also contemplating swim workouts on Monday and Tuesday possibly being at the University of Tampa and their masters program which may provide some instruction, but mainly accountability.
I really do not have to start all of this until January if I decide to do Ironman Louisville, or March if I decide to compete only in Ironman Florida, but it has been rattling around inside my brain because I really want to perform much better this time. I am planning on pushing my body to its limits at IMFL and to find out what I really can do, and that is going to take planning, commitment, desire, passion, but most of intelligence. It is going to take smarts to know when and how to recover which is not something I have been all to familiar with.
I am not sure whom is all reading my blog but for those of you whom are not followers of Sneakers & Fingerpaints, or Crazy Running Girl, there is a virtual run campaign for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. I donated my 7.5 mile PR this morning, and I hope you will help as well.
The American Red Cross is still taking donations to help the Hurricane Sandy victims from this past weekend. Also, now not only are they recovering from that storm and rebuilding, but they are awaiting a snow storm on their door step. To Donate, click here. Any amount, big or small, can make a big difference!
Crazy Running Girl did a post on a Virtual Run to help the victims of Sandy.
With a minimum donation of $10, you can go to the link above to register to run in the month of November – there are also prizes to be won as well & all proceeds would go to the American Red Cross too! Nothing like a great, virtual run, for a great cause!
Carpe Viam!!
Tribute Tuesday #3 – Lisa Jamison
There are people that come into our lives that defy all expectation. Have you ever met someone whom you previously had heard about, or may even have spoken to, only to find out they not only lived up to their values and skill but by far exceeded them? It doesn’t happen often right? I can truthfully state this about my massage therapist, confidant, and friend; Lisa Jamison.
I was given a brief introduction to Lisa by my good friend Scott Bragan. He mentioned that he made massage a big part of his training, and in his opinion how much of an expert Lisa was, and how she worked with him on some injuries and ailments. I finally decided to talk to her and see if she could help me. (I will give you my story about my injury in another posting, but I currently have a L5/S1 herniated disc in my back) I had been going to a chiropractor for my injury and they were keeping me running, but I felt like I had to make frequent visits, but that all changed when I met Lisa. The first thing she did was look at my posture and how I hold myself, and immediately gave me analogies to think about, and exercises to do during the day to help. She assessed my injuries and then……and then, she went to work on me.
All I can say is O-M-G! That first massage was an experience. She loosened up muscles I didn’t even know I had, all the while telling me what she was doing and why she was doing it. Lisa and I are both talkers so we also were getting to know each other. It turns out, she is not only an LMT, but a USAT Level 1 coach, a Yogi, a Certified Personal Trainer and an IRONMAN. At this time I was still seeing my orthopedist and my neuro-surgeon. Lisa educated me more on bio-mechanics than either of my doctors, and when I questioned them about the aspects of my anatomy Lisa educated me on, they both looked like a deer in headlights. Lisa’s knowledge and experience was far superior. First impression; this woman knows her stuff.
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| Lisa at Fight for Air Climb 2012 |
As we continued our professional relationship we started to become friends, and I learned that she was not only passionate about helping athletes, but also para-athletes. She was close personal friends with Scott Rigsby, the first double amputee to finish the Kona Ironman! She was also contracted by tri-clubs all over the nation, to meet them at races and work on their athletes and their para-athletes. Whenever I had a question about about form, posture, or training Lisa always either knew or found a way to help me out. Second Impression; she cares about her clients and will go to great extents for them. Amazing!
Then she told me the story about her brother-in-law that passed a day before she was to compete in Ironman Florida. This immediately brought tears to my eyes, and continues to whenever I recall her words about him. She did end up competing in the race, but returned home immediately afterward. She said that her brother-in-law, Mike Dalton, wouldn’t have it any other way. Currently, she has dedicated herself to American Lung Association and the Fight for Air stair climbs across the country dedicating herself for another friend taken from her, John Foley. Lisa started Team Foley and she recruits athletes every year to do the Tampa Stair Climb at the Bank of America building. Last year I participated, wouldn’t you know it, WE WON! Yep, I stepped up the 42 flight climb with Team Foley and I would do it again in a heartbeat. As a matter of fact I am already signed up for 2013. Lisa also completes stair climbs all over to include the Sears (not Willis) Tower in Chicago. Can you imagine 103 flights? She does it and often.
Third impression – I am in love with this woman. I defy anyone to meet her and not feel the same way.
Lisa Jamison
DOB: March 27, Aries
POB: Massachusetts
Grew Up: Vernon, CT
High School: Rockville HS
High School Sports: Drill team/Dance squad, figure skated(outside of school)
College: University of Connecticut
Sports: Inline Speed Skate (as an adult), Triathlon, Running
I describe you as the best LMT in the Tampa Bay area. How and why did you start with massage and sports training?
I studied Sports Med/Athletic Training in college. Through college I worked in the fitness industry (I was one of the early ones…”aerobic instructor”). After college I spent time working as an athletic trainer and teacher while still doing some fitness work on the side. At some point I could see that I wanted to spend more time working in the fitness industry, but liked the sports training model. It seemed to me that if people could take their workouts and view them as something as they “got to do” vs what they “had to do”, our health and fitness might be more enjoyable. I started personal training in the late 1980’s. I moved here in 1991 and have just kept plugging along. I read a lot, take a lot of classes, and just keep trying to throw something new into my “bag of tricks”. I went to massage school about 8 years ago.
I studied Sports Med/Athletic Training in college. Through college I worked in the fitness industry (I was one of the early ones…”aerobic instructor”). After college I spent time working as an athletic trainer and teacher while still doing some fitness work on the side. At some point I could see that I wanted to spend more time working in the fitness industry, but liked the sports training model. It seemed to me that if people could take their workouts and view them as something as they “got to do” vs what they “had to do”, our health and fitness might be more enjoyable. I started personal training in the late 1980’s. I moved here in 1991 and have just kept plugging along. I read a lot, take a lot of classes, and just keep trying to throw something new into my “bag of tricks”. I went to massage school about 8 years ago.
If you could give me one adjective to describe the feeling you get when you are working what would it be?
I like the aspect of the day that keeps me looking for a different way to get the job done. Maybe that’s because I need to shake things up for my own sanity, and maybe that’s because healthy clients are in their for the long haul and may get bored doing the same thing over and over again. I can’t think of an adjective…but I do get lost in my own head while I’m working in a the quiet of massage. While training and watching people in their setting, it’s almost like I can get in their body and feel it.
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| Lisa at IMFL |
When and why did you start competing in triathlon?
It was the late 90’s. I was working with a lot of triathletes, finishing up with a stint in speed skating and looking for the next sport. I knew I’d get involved in triathlon, but was afraid of the swim. I didn’t rush into it. I participated without training for a couple of years, then changed my workouts to focus on triathlon a little bit. After a few years I started legitimately training for it. Now it’s been a couple of years since I’ve raced. Not sure what will happen next.
What is one thing you love most about triathlon?
The people, the training partners, the group of people. I really like the balance of the group training for an individual sport. I like having to get lost in your own head in the midst of a crowd.
After being in the business as long as you have, what possesses you to still take the classes for continuing Ed that you do?
I have to for many reasons. I am self employed and live alone; if I don’t work, there isn’t money coming in. I learned very early on that people’s incomes can change, and you will be the first person they give up in difficult economic times. If I weren’t “multi-talented”, I wouldn’t work. I always have to be looking ahead to see what else I can do. Personally, I like a day that’s filled with different things. I enjoy being able to train a few fitness clients, work on re-patterning a skill with an athlete, do a relaxation massage, help with injury rehab, do some yoga, and meditate. I like group work as well as private work. I’m a teacher at heart, so as long as somebody is learning something, I go home feeling like I made a difference
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| Lisa & the Goof at the Fight for Air Climb |
What was the turning point for you to decide make this a career?
All through high school I volunteered in hospitals and physical therapy clinics. I always said I wanted to work with a “well” community, or one that was injured but was motivated to come back strong. I started working in fitness in 1981 and it’s just all evolved from there. I’ve just had to set the path for what I’ve wanted to do.
What would you say is your greatest obstacle you ever overcame?
There wasn’t a career in “personal training” or “corrective exercise” or even massage during my early days. I’ve always referred to myself as a bit of a hybrid. Now the hybrid careers are becoming more popular. I wish I knew that…I would have saved a lot of time looking for the career that was right for me spent more time “just doing it”.
What is your greatest victory?
When I can help someone get that “a-ha” moment and their day/life/sport makes more sense
Final Impression: I want to be just like Lisa when I grow up.
Carpe Viam!!
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