December

The last few weeks have been a bit crazy with Thanksgiving and Family in town. During this time of year it is easy to get throw out of our routines with "other" obligations. Even the most dedicated athletes stray a little during this period of time. I always try and focus on "doing the right thing" during this season and that may mean missing a workout or two to spend time with family or friends that I don't see often enough during the year.

My training has been coming better than expected. I missed a few days this week with a few ribs that were out of place. Not sure how this happened but it could have come from a big pull set on Monday. Once the issue was identified (by one of my athletes who is a PT) she was able to get me fixed.

I went to my first yoga class in a few years yesterday. I was invited by my good friend Scott who has been encouraging me to go for months now. Kathy and I joined 24 hour fitness with the sole purpose of doing more yoga. As athletes we should all focus on improving flexibility while improving balance and mental clarity. I was amazed at the workout I received while doing this. I had swam in the morning and I was sweating chlorine 20 minutes into the class. Right before we began Scott told me not to embarrass him. I'm assuming this meant not falling over in the middle of a pose. A couple times I almost went down.

Kathy is out of town running the Tucson marathon. I didn't do much running with her as she prepared this year and subsequently don't feel as tied to her results as I have with other races. We have always worked together when we have race and this is pretty much a solo effort. Not exactly sure how to describe my feelings. Of course I want her to do well, but I'll be happy when she is finished and we can spend some quality time together. We ares scheduled to spend a lot of time in Steamboat Springs over the holidays and for the first time in years I'm hoping for some much needed snow. We will take the snow shoes and I look forward to getting in some outdoor winter activities then sitting around a fire place, reading and sipping on a cocktail.

The Hawaii Ironman is on tv today and I will be spinning with a few athletes while we watch the broadcast. I've watched the Ironman broadcast for years and typically end up shedding a tear or two when they show the amateurs crossing the finish line. Some of the personal stories have really grabbed at my heart and I hope each year they spend less time focusing on the pros and provide a show which is balanced. A lot of people make sacrifices each year to get to this magical island and some small things could go a long way in enhancing the show. Simple things like giving credit at the end of the show to all competitors who placed in their age group (30 seconds of scrolling names), 5 minutes of the show dedicated to nothing more than people crossing the finish line and some time spent on the days leading up to the race (show the under wear run, dig me beach, lava java as this is were the days before the event take place).

My business has been going well and I'm grateful to have clients who have placed their trust in my services. I've been working extremely hard this season to enhance the image of mile high. Our next step is to bring some more coaches on board. It is my goal to provide a well rounded coaching staff which includes experts in the different fields that touch our clients. I've also been looking at race gear and am close to finalizing a design and company. Selecting race uniforms and design is proving to be a very time consuming and stressful process. I'll be happy when we land on something concrete and begin the order process.