keeping busy

The November December time frame usually allows me a bit more free time as athletes go on a break or maintenance schedule and there are fewer races to travel to and worry about.  This year we have managed to keep these months filled with various other endeavors.

Last weekend I dragged my wife to the USATF level 1 clinic in Charlotte.   The certification and education will prove useful to me as I am coaching high school track and field in the spring.  On top of that, it counts as 10 of the 15 continuing education units (CEUs) we need as USA Triathlon coaches.  Onto my favorite subject for a second: me.

1) This was the first weekend in a couple years where I did zero training.  Not even a sit up.  

2) I am amazed I was able to pay attention for the entire clinic.  I absorbed a lot of information and was able to make connections via existing mental schema.  Good stuff.

Equally amazing to me, however, is that of the 50 or so other people in attendance, 45 of them stayed for every session, were respectful of the instructors, and paid attention as well.  If this was representative of the world at large, we would have no problems.  I have to surmise that our group consisted of motivated and dedicated individuals.  If our class had been representative of the world at large, we would have had:

• 5 no show no work
• 15 shows no work
• 10 combative and disruptive
• 5 paid attention & learned
• 5 paid attention but not equipped to learn
• 5 paid attention for less than half the clinic (their particular sport) then leave
• 3 work on personal projects while in class (like the guy in your building who builds websites at work)
• 2 arrested for stealing copper pipe from the facility

The clinic was very well done and the presenters knew their subjects.  Two of the three work locally in the Triangle area with Human Performance Consulting.

I will actually be presenting (swim training for triathlon) at the Triangle Winter Clinic for the Multi Sport Coach and Athlete clinic at their Athletic Lab facility in mid-February.

Onto the next subject - media blackout.  Starting in January I am not going to watch or read the news for at least one month.  This will be difficult but it is also the beginning of my busy season and I need to improve my time management skills.  Watching or reading about the talking heads pontificate about things that have very little direct effect on my life and well-being is a fruitless and mostly frustrating endeavor.  I'll make time for my wife, Tosh.O, 30 Rock, and the occasional Jon Stewart show.  Everything else is work, reading for work, or reading for pleasure.  And some training.

The next Powerstroke clinic is on January 8.

I will run 15 miles this weekend on the build up to the Tobacco Road Marathon and hope to hit 40 for the week.  If you are curious, my general schedule right now is:

• Monday: distance swim, easy run
• Tuesday: easy run and threshold interval run
• Wednesday: easy swim, easy bike, core strength
• Thursday: easy run and tempo run
• Friday: short fast swim, core strength
• Saturday: long run
• Sunday: easy bike

I am looking forward to the FS Series Holiday party on Wednesday night.  Last year I let someone who's name rhymes with Bike Meaman buy me one too many shots.

Das ist alles.