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Hi all!,

 

There is something quite liberating about finding a way to go on an adventure every day.  Tyler and I ran 18-20 miles of new trails (to us) yesterday.  Each time I do that I feel like a kid soaking up every bit of the scenery I can, smelling every new smell of each section of trail, and anticipate all the things I will discover around the next bend.  Along with that, you don't have a clue how long the next climb will be.  Challenge, exploration, gorgeous summits, waterfalls.... It doesn't get much better than that.  After the run, I had a great idea to simply close my eyes, point to a spot on the map, and tackle the trail closest to where my finger lands.  Someone once pointed out to me.... "What if you get lost?"  My response:  That would be awesome!  I will have a better opportunity to explore, get more in tune with my primal instincts, and a good chance I may get to be out there a little longer with a bigger adventure than I had planned.

 

Tyler made the observation of his dog, Deere, that no matter how "dog tired" she gets or how much her tongue drags the ground, she can go into an all out sprint to chase a squirrel that ventures onto the trail.  I commented that we all have that instinct.  We all have more in us than our brain tells us at times.  Its amazing how you can be absolutely spent, lost, hungry, thirsty, just wanting to lie down on the next rock you come to and then go another 10 miles you didn't expect to go just because you know a Gatorade is waiting in the truck.  We've all seen the end of races where 200 yards before the finish line, the person sprints across the line with the energy of the crowd.  A mile back, their minds were telling them they were done and had nothing left to give.  Its days like this that you break through mental barriers, raise the bar, and prove to yourself you have so much more you can accomplish.  Doing this enough, and you prove to your mind/body that you can do anything.

 

Today is the day for you to just get out and go.  Even if you have no direction.  One of my favorite bumper stickers is:  "Not all who wander are lost"

Yay Spring!

Hi All!

Its that time of year again....... VERY exciting.  The weather is perfect, people are getting outside, all sorts of races/activities are in full swing, and the "excuses" to get out and DO something are close to non existent. 

My Dad hasn't been on his road bike in about a year.  I convinced him to bike up to the parkway with me yesterday.  It was a reminder to look at things with fresh, exciting, and new "child-like" eyes.  There is something about the bond that is created with a person and their bike.  It was like watching two old friends reunited.  Just like the reuniting of two friends, I'm sure the thought of "I've missed you.  We need to hang out more often." was an unspoken conversation my Dad had with his bike on that ride.  I would bet his bike will make its way to his local bike shop for a tune up this week and it will not be neglected this summer.

A lot of us have similar thoughts this time of year.  Whether its a pair of trail shoes in the corner of your garage, the first triathlon of the year, or the first set of pushups to get ready for that bathing suit.  One thing I have learned over the years is that when you are "feeling it" take full advantage of the motivation.  It may not last long before "life" produces a few obstacles that allow excuses to creep back in and the motivation is gone again.  So, how can we keep the "fresh" eyes, excitement , and motivation?  Here are my personal "go to" ingredients:

• Proactively motivate yourself EVERY day.  (Whatever motivates YOU..... DO it, and DO it daily)
• Set a goal or several of them and schedule them on your calendar along with a daily plan to achieve them.  This leads to the next bullet.....
• Make a "To Do" list each morning and check it off
• Share your goals with every body you know
• Get involved with a group/club that shares similar goals and surround yourself with their energy as often as you can
• Stay away from negative people, lazy people, energy suckers, and all negative influences!
• Find a mentor.  This person will share experience, motivate, and hold you accountable
• Recruit new people into your journey.   (Their excitement and your role as their mentor is priceless)
• Display your goals in as many places as you can so you can be visually reminded of them throughout your entire day
• Use visualization often.  Picture yourself doing all that needs to be done daily in detail.  Picture yourself accomplishing your goal along with all of the emotions of the finish line you are reaching for.
• Come up with some mantras and use them often.  That positive self talk can do wonders to get you through the tough parts or days that you just don't "feel" like it
• Relax and enjoy the journey knowing you are becoming a better person with each step

Take advantage of the "newness" that every Spring naturally brings to us.  Its the beginning of AMAZING growth!

Think differently

jais@citcom.net

Whitney

chajoe@citcom.net

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Hi all!

 

Its been another great training week.  22 trail miles run up and over two mountain ranges on Tuesday and a 3 hour bike ride on the parkway yesterday.  One observation I've had since living here is how few "local" people, comparatively, take advantage of the amazing "natural" gym we have at our door steps.  The people I see out on the trails are not from here.  The people I see on the parkway all have out of state tags.  I don't get it... I may never get it.  This next statement will not be a surprise to the people that know me, but may seem a bit strange coming from someone that has spent their career in a health club.  You may need to get OUT of the gym to get IN shape.  Get off of the treadmill and run some actual miles.  Get off of the spin bike and get on an actual road or mountain bike.  Get up off of the bench and onto more "functional" movements that fit with how your body is made to move in real life.  More and more fitness professionals in the industry are spreading this message to the masses.  "Body building" style workouts are dead.  There are quite a few people out there that "look" like they are in great shape.  The "body builders" in clubs seem to always get asked questions about how to do something.  These are the same guys people call when they need help moving.  Haha.... Then its discovered.  They couldn't run up a flight of steps without killing over.  More and more clubs out there are getting rid of their weight machines to make more room to actually move.  Think about it.....  The average working person sits all day at work and then comes to the gym to "sit" on a piece of equipment.  That makes very little to no sense.  I could go on and on with this, but the end result for this routine is an individual that is unbalanced with no sense of how to get their bodies to work together in movements it was intended to perform.  The mind/body connection is gone.  They have to look in the mirror to see what their right arm is doing.  Its ridiculous.  Don't get me wrong here.  I'm not anti-health clubs. Well...... for the most part.  I am anti time wasting.  Life is short.  Its time to experience it.  Its time to try something new.  Its time to step OUT from time to time and ride or run in a way that actually gets you somewhere.  I am posting a great article below that was shared with me a few weeks ago that may, if anything, force you to look at what you may currently be doing, a little bit differently.  I know that most of you get this, and we certainly spend our training time together outside A LOT.  So, feel free to pass this along to a few friends that don't "get it" in an attempt to recruit the masses to a healthier/happier/fitter community.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/fashion/gyms-move-from-machines-to-fitness-playgrounds.html?pagewanted=1&ref=style

No Excuses

No excuses

Hi everyone!

 

I've had a couple of clients cancel this week, so I've really taken advantage of the time to get in some training. ( I've got to focus for the next three months!)  I've had a hard time "focusing" for the last two years..... I explored the reasons why on a 4 hour run on Tuesday.  The meditation/running time did nothing but yield a bunch of "excuses" that I've done a good job selling myself as legitimate reasons.  I've blamed everything and everyone but myself.  The truth is that I've been in 'la la' land trying to figure out life, balance, career choices, family, and future.  I came to Brevard 2 1/2 years ago still in a fast paced, energetic, passionate whirlwind of a mode.  That has always been my pace.  Wide open, flat out, and a bit on the extreme side.  I believe in stretching limits to achieve the greatest you that you can be.  I want the same for the people I meet and train.  Its no secret that Brevard has a little bit of a different and laid back pace of life (That's not a bad thing!  That is a part of the balance).  People with the personality traits like myself are a rare thing here.  I felt very much alone and like a duck without its water.  I gave off energy and an intensity as I've always been known for, but I really didn't have much to feed off of.  Energy was going out, but little from any outside source was coming in.  Endurance sports are a lot like that.  You often train alone for long periods of time.  Without support, training partners, running clubs, or at least a few people that are as intense as you, etc., it can be easy.........to......kinda just fade away....... UNLESS its in your blood and you have the tenacity of a weed!  More than anything, YOU have to take the steps to prevent the pull of the herd.  I, personally, have to stop rebelling and closing myself off to the people I simply can't find a way to respect or relate to.  (I'm working on that...)

 

Its the black sheep that get things done.  They are the ones that make their own path.  They are the ones that make the changes in the towns and world they want to see.  We have to go relentlessly in the direction our passions are driving us.  Its time to stop blaming our jobs, kids, spouses, injuries, lack of time, lack of know how, money, or other people.  Its time to boldly be who we were meant to be and stop giving a crap about what other people think.  Its time to confidently BE the light of the world.  Set some goals you care enough about to MAKE them happen no matter what obstacles stand in your way.  (You will most certainly face some obstacles.)  If transforming your life in more positive ways than you can imagine with the "journey" of the goal isn't important enough, you will get out of the car the first ditch you hit, and start hitchhiking.  You will end up in a car with some hippies forever giving up your God given direction for a ride towards someone else's destination.  Most people fall into the hitchhiking category.  They give up on their dreams for someone else's definition of reality.  (Thought about this the other day when someone asked me why I wouldn't get a dent fixed in my truck.  WHY would I?  Who am I trying to impress?  Its a TRUCK, and it does just fine getting me from A to B.  I really don't give a crap about your "status quo".  I've long matured from the ridiculous "keep up with Jones' mentality)  I also remember as a teenager leaving layers of rubber on the pavement at a particular intersection to hear someone yell in a sarcastic tone "That was soooo impressive"  If only that ignorant soul would have stopped to think that I was not doing anything in an attempt to "impress" anyone.  I was enjoying driving my freaking car and merely entertaining myself as usual.  Surely, we have better things to do than concern ourselves with "impressing" others. If you think God is impressed with the car you drive or the clothes you wear, think again...The way you think and act are uniquely yours.  Stop living to impress others and start embracing who/what you were created to be.  Follow YOUR dreams and stop jumping in a stranger's car to go along for the ride towards theirs.

 

As clients, you get this.  You can relate.  You have accepted the challenge, ignored the stares, doubts, and dinosaur aged thought related to "fitness" we are surrounded by.  I've heard and seen your testimonies in action and applaud your tenacity.  You inspire ME.  I have come to the realization that we are the black sheep of this town TOGETHER.  And we, together, can turn the heads of the herd.  Its time to be rebels with a cause and time for me to stop being a rebel without a clue.  What one thing can you do today to make the world around you a little brighter?