Injuries, 70.3 World Championships, and The Life of a Trainer

It has been a long time since my last post so be prepared for some random thoughts that have been on my mind!  I am happy to report my training is going good.  I am preparing for the Miami 70.3 at the end of October.  After that a little break then the Arizona Rock and Roll Marathon in January (which I hope to PR at). Then 2012 will start off strong just like 2011 with the Rage Half Ironman in Las Vegas followed by Ironman Texas once again. 

My hope for all that training is to stay injury free.  The goal of most triathletes is to be able to continue their training without any injuries.  I have been really lucky through the years and not had any major set backs.  Not to say I don't have little bothersome problems here and there but nothing that has kept me from training completely.  The great thing about being a triathlete is that you have 3 sports.  If you are unable to run for a short time then it is likely you can bike or swim.  So you can still maintain some fitness while you recover.  I have worked with athletes that have had injuries that prevented them from running and I always suggest deep water running.  If you can't run then don't feel like it is over for you.  You can get many of the same benefits from deep water running as you can from regular running.  I know people that have trained for triathlons doing only deep water running as their run training.  The only thing you need is a pool with a deep end and a water belt that will help keep you floating. 

Here are some tips (things that I do) to keep injury free:

• Listen to your body and your coach.  If you feel anything slightly out of the norm for you then talk to your coach.  Maybe they will suggest a few days of an alternate workout depending on your problem.  Don't just modify things yourself without getting  advice.
• Swimming, biking, and running are great but don't forget about 3 other things that are equally important
• Stretching   ( I stretch by myself about 3 times a week and have someone who stretches me once a week for an hour)  Nancy Dickenson is the best at stretching and you can find her contact information at www.corehore.com. 
• Foam roll
• Strength training
• One or two times a month get ART! Active Release Therapy has really helped me in my training. Make sure you find someone qualified in ART Therapy -  www.activerelease.com.  I personally use Dr. Satterlee at BioMechanics of Las Vegas - www.biomechlv.com.
• Massage is another way to keep your body healthy.  Find a great sports massage therapist and try and get it done at least once a month.  In Las Vegas Ashley Godfrey and Jessica Wheeler are the best.  Contact me if you live in Vegas and need a good sports massage therapist.
• If you are experiencing continued problems with injuries then you might need someone to evaluate you when you are running, swimming, or biking.  Running with improper form can lead to injuries.  Biking on a bike that is improperly fit can cause injuries (and you may feel these injuries when running only not even when you bike).  Biking on a bike that is not fit right can absolutely cause you problems on your run! If have bad form swimming it could lead to shoulder problems. Get help if you have ongoing injuries.  The Chi Running Clinics are very beneficial for beginning and advanced runners.  Chi Running is all about running injury free - www.chirunning.com. 

This coming weekend we are lucky to have the 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas!  It will be amazing to see most of the top triathletes in the world compete here in Vegas.  I will be helping my good friend Mike Lenhart the founder of Getting 2 Tri - www.getting2tri.org.  G2Tri provides service and support for any challenged athlete that is looking to get into the sport of triathlons.  Mike is helping to coordinate the volunteers for the physically challenged athletes that will be competing at the 70.3 World Championships on September 11th.  I will be one of those volunteers along with many of my clients. 

It is my life and I wouldn't have it any other way.......that is how I feel about what I do.  I am one of the lucky people that get to go ride bikes with clients, swim with clients and get paid to do it!  Many people are working at jobs that they really don't LOVE or even like and they are not sure how to make the change.  For me it was not something that happened over night.  When working in retail as a district manager I made the decision to get my personal training certification.  I didn't plan on using it, I just wanted to do it.  So I did and I maintained the certification for many years before making the leap to do it full time as a job.  I did it for a year in Atlanta.  I didn't make much money but I was doing something I really enjoyed.  After a year I decided to return to  the retail world and earn significantly more money.  I was 2 years back into the retail career and I knew this was not what I wanted anymore.  The extra money was not worth the stress.  This time I was going to start my own personal training business.  I moved back to Las Vegas and started networking my butt off!  I contacted people I knew when I lived there three years ago.  I struggled for about 6 months.  Then things started to fall into place.  At that point I knew I could do this and make a pretty good living.  I am able to be successful as a personal trainer and triathlon coach and I am so thankful for that.  To be successful as a trainer you have to be successful in business.  A trainer needs to know about the body and have the skills to train people but having people skills and business skills are just as important.  You can be the smartest trainer and know more about the human body than anyone but if you can't get clients what good does that do for you.  You can know how to get clients but if you don't have people skills to keep those clients then what good does that do for you.  Many people tell me they want to be a trainer or a coach and I always tell them its not just about being a trainer.  You have to be a smart business person and you have to have good communication skills.  Many great trainers lack both of those skills. 

That is a few things that have been on my mind lately.  I will try not to be such a slacker in updating my blog.  Check back next week and I will recap my adventure volunteering at the 70.3 World Championships and Interbike!