My life as an athlete has been a small amount of luck, a hell of a lot of hard work and an indefinite amount of sacrifice. I wish I could say that an Olympic athlete’s life is as glamorous as society would assume, but our jobs are a bit unorthodox and often times leave us with no … [Read more...]
Byline to Finish Line: Preparation for better things
As the cold water filled my bathtub, I slunk down, trying to submerge my body. My running clothes were stuck to my body, sweat acting as an adhesive between my skin and the wicking fabric. That did not go well. My workout was a tempo run and while I did four miles at a hard pace, I had trouble … [Read more...]
Calling all Athletes!
Elite athletes are constantly under a media microscope and are considered role models in the eyes of society regardless if it is something they desire. In a world where the tragic stories of Aaron Hernandez and Oscar Pistorious are what’s spread over the television or news of the performance … [Read more...]
Balancing the sociologist with the personal trainer: An autoethnographical reflection
I recently attained my CanFitPro personal trainer certification and completed a boot camp instructor course. These decisions were based on (not necessarily in the following order) (1) the fact that I have spent so much time and money in the gym that I it would be nice to earn some of it back, … [Read more...]
Making my blood boil via Currently Running while Pregnant (@le_diable)
I have seen a NY Time fitness blog posted many, many times on Facebook over the last couple days and it’s making my blood boil. It’s essentially about how a woman’s stride changes after pregnancy. it studied “a handful” of women. The example it uses was a woman that … [Read more...]
Get Your Mental Game In Gear
As hockey players and coaches, we often focus the majority of our time and energy on the physical side of the game. From on-ice practices to off-ice training, most of our resources go directly towards the “hockey” side of things. But as baseball great Yogi Berra once said, “90% of … [Read more...]
Are you mentally tough?
What is mental toughness? This concept is bandied about in the sports world, often used recklessly. Is it mentally tough to forge through a race injured, bleeding or puking? Or, is it mentally tough to train while sick or when the weather is shitty? Perhaps this is merely bad decision making, … [Read more...]
What have you seen today?
“What have you seen today?” “Nothing good.” It’s one of the classic exchanges in one of my favorite movies. Remember the premise in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” was for Ferris to help bring his best friend, Cameron, out of his depressive teenage funk. … [Read more...]
4 Ways to Improve Your Boxing Starting Today
Sometimes you get in a rut at the gym. You work your way through the same tired-ass routine and come out feeling like you’re not making any major moves forward in your game. Sometimes it just takes a simple suggestion or a new idea to get you moving again. Check out the four tactics below for … [Read more...]
A training journal full of evidence
It was the night before the half marathon in Louisville when I had an email exchange with a college running coach. I was nervous and uncertain of what the race would bring. She urged me to look back over my training journal. As I glanced over the pages, I realized what I had accomplished in my … [Read more...]