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The title of the post is lending itself to a race report but I am going to step back a bit. Wednesday morning around 6 am my phone started to vibrate. Unfortunately, I missed it because I was in the pool, but after I finished my hygiene regimen, I grabbed my phone out of the locker and noticed it. I knew whom it was from and what it said before I even looked at.
Pete and the Goof
Recently, Pete’s Mom, Noemi, has been dealing with a lot of complications from the brain tumor they operated on 23 years ago. Over the last few months she has been in-between hospitals and rehab centers with pneumonia and other lung related issues, and finally last week she was taken to hospice in Dade City. I made it a point to check-in on Pete, as often as possible and make a couple of trips to hang with him at the hospital or wherever just to give him and his family a sense of normalcy and support. Wednesday morning, around 5:12 am her suffering finally ended.
Pete is a red-blooded American male in every sense of the word. His does not show his emotions to just anyone, and even in his toughest times, he continues to care about other people. The interesting thing is his family is pretty much the same way. His Dad made it a point of finding me when I visited the Hospice Tuesday night to thank me. Even though I knew this man was in a lot of torment, he smiled and kissed me on the cheek. Pete’s Sisters are the same way. Not a tear, not a drop of contentment, just gratitude. This is what made this decision so hard.
The Best Damn Race was scheduled for Saturday, but the funeral for Noemi was on Friday and the viewing on Thursday. I promised to help set up for the race, but something like this was not in the cards when that promise was accepted. I really wanted to be there for my friend and his family, but I had no intention of disappointing Nick either. Thursday morning, I made the phone call everyone I know dreads; disappointing a friend. I called Pete and asked him how much of an ass he thought I would be if I missed the funeral. I would be at the viewing, but I thought I would be of more use at the setup. Without missing a breath, Pete told me to go set up the race and that if he had a choice, he would switch with me. The advantage of being in this lifestyle allows for all of us to understand what it means to both train and staff a race. The truth is; I would have said the exact same thing.
Nick and his Dad
Friday morning I drove up to the Safety Harbor Marina and saw an open field with a few tents being set up, a huge Budweiser Truck and a few guys marking the areas for different structures. The day was filled with moving boxes, putting up tents and tables, running errands and just making sure Nick and the teams were supported.
Very quickly, the expo ramped up and was in full swing by noon. It was amazing, to watch. Not that I hadn’t seen it before, but I was never as close to it. This was an idea hatched a little less than a year ago and here it was. The finish chute went up, and the “Best Damn Race” Logo was everywhere and that is when it finally hit me. This was real. Nick had really made this happen. Toward the end of the day, there were over 3000 runners registered, which is completely unheard of for an inaugural race. Nick, the vendors, the interns, the volunteers, and race staff were all in fast forward mode trying to get everything accomplished on time which to watch was nothing short of amazing. It was like a well-oiled machine. When Lisa, Ben, Ray and I finally decided to end the day and get some dinner, I was completely exhausted but exhilarated at what the next day was going to bring us.
Nick and Beth holding the tape for the first finisher
I was so excited I ended with very little sleep that night, but I still had no problem getting up, showering, throwing on my running gear and getting out the door. I had a few tasks Nick gave me to take care of before I headed over to the registration tent thinking that I would check with the volunteer coordinator to see if there was anything else before I started warming up for the half-marathon. It turned out we were a few volunteers short, so I ended up going to finish line to help out after receiving a distress call from Beth. This is why I was there. Sure, I signed up for the Half-Marathon, but my first priority was to Nick and the race. I ended up spending the whole day, handing out medals, and supporting the runners, so as much as I wanted to run, I had an amazing day.
I watched and hung medals over the necks of a ton of my friends as they cross the finish line, I had the opportunity to hold the tape for a few of the elites, I handed out and hung over a thousand medals, and just felt privileged and honored to be a part of it.
Were there a few hiccups in the operation of the race? Of course, but Nick, and the race director Phil LeHaye resolved all of the issues seamlessly. A year ago, I have to admit, I had my doubts. I knew it could be done, but taking on this huge of a challenge and making it look as professional as it did, exceeded my expectations. I am so proud of my friend Nick Zivolich. What he was able to accomplish and all of the obstacles he overcame is nothing but inspiring.
Nick and his Best Damn Girlfriend and Best Damn Friends
Nick’s Best Damn Crew
Nick and the Best Damn Goof
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| PB&J before our ride this weekend |
Have you ever heard that saying “Today is first day of the rest of your life”? Today started my Ironman Journey #2 and I was excited last night to get started. No more excuses, no more waiting, today was the day the plan actually started. Of course I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep last night, but I got up anyway and got on my trainer for an hour of high intensity cycling in order to document my Lactate Threshold Heart Rate and Power Zone.
Today, I had to take two Lactate Threshold tests. The LT test determines at what heart rate and power wattage that you blood delivers oxygen to your muscles most efficiently. The scientific definition is the maximum steady state effort that can be maintained without lactate continually increasing. Lactate builds up not allowing oxygen to be utilized. Stay within the LT and the body will be able to keep working efficiently which turns into long amounts of time at that heart rate.
The greatest thing about knowing your Lactate Threshold is that you can train to make it even more efficient. A higher threshold means the body can keep going at higher intensity which turns into speed in the case of triathlon. The caveat is that in order to increase the LT, it has to be done slowly. More workouts above the LT will increase it, but the more the body and muscles are working above it, the shorter the duration until the muscles learn to work with less oxygen making them work a lot more efficiently. This is why the trends have been hit the gym hard, and the endurance will come.
I have a buddy Blayne, whom decided to make the move to CrossFit which is the epitome of high intensity training. I have done a couple of these workouts in the off-season and the actual work in class may only be 20 minutes, but the participants are wrecked afterwards. Let me get back to Blayne. He started taking part in CrossFit religiously, and trained very little for the Rev3 70.3 and completed it with no problem and did really well. The story doesn’t stop there. He entered a 50 mile road race a few weeks later without running more than 9 miles and he completed it and I saw him two days later as he was entering the coffee shop from another CrossFit class and he looked fine. (Maybe I should put the disclaimer that says “results not typical”?) Did I mention the guy is in his 40s?
More and more I have read about triathletes either taking up CrossFit, High Intensity Training(HIT), or supplementing their training with either. It makes sense. A couple of times a week, a short circuit sets of heavy weight(with good form) and the body works higher than it’s LT training the muscles to work with less oxygen. If the body continues to train this way, it makes sense the muscles adapt to utilizing a lower amount of oxygen. When the intensity is lowered, the heart rate reduces allowing more oxygenated blood to the muscles which actually increases the aerobic capacity or VO2. Increased VO2 allows the body to work harder at a longer rate.
Whew! Enough science. My first week looks like this:
Many different names can be given to a bandanna; dew rag, handkerchief, pocket square, hair band and I think the list can go on. Well, one company made a spin on the bandanna and they call it the Hoo-rag and I have to say I kind of enjoy it.
The HooRag is made out of a soft tech like material that can take on many different uses and for athletes, especially endurance athletes, it has a lot of potential. Not to mention it comes in a number of different colors and designs which you can also customize.
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 |
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.
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
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
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