My Story

If you would of told me 5 years ago that I'd be an owner of a fitness company I would of said you were crazy.  Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I'd be were I am today.  Thus begins the story, 5 years ago.....

A good friend of mine lost his sister to cancer and asked me to go to a Team in Training meeting and I told him I would be happy, but made no promises to commit.  After listening to the pitch I was sold!  It was a great opportunity to help people with blood cancer disease and get an expenses paid trip for a race.  After pondering my options of doing a marathon, half-marathon, or triathlon, I decided on doing a triathlon.  I think my decision was based on what would be most challenging,  get me out of my comfort zone, and get my competitive juices flowing - triathlon took the cake.  That year I trained on my own and finished the race in 3:25 at 190 pounds.  Not a great time, but I was hooked.

Fast forward to 2007 - this was the year I had my eyes set on doing an Ironman.  My schedule called for a Oly, Half IM, and Ironman.  This was the year I really engulfed myself in learning everything I could about triathlon and fitness in general by reading blogs, forums, etc.  My training was going pretty good for my limited experience and overall knowledge.  This was a point I allowed bad habits to take priority over my training which had negative implications on my training.  In hindsight, if I had to do it over again there would be many things I would of changed.  At the same time, I've learned from those mistakes and became a better person because of it.  I managed to make it through my 70.3 in August, and finished my Ironman.  Finishing an Ironman is truly one of the best feelings in the world - can't explain the range of emotion I went through crossing that finish line.  I can't wait to do it again.

In 2008 I continued my journey in triathlons as well as ramping up my knowledge.  I became a Certified Level 1 Triathlon Coach in late August and that was the first step in chasing my dream.  I completed a few more triathlons that year and met some great people that enriched my learning experience.

In 2009 I began my first year as a triathlon coach and personal trainer at a local health club.  I absolutely loved it and knew that I found what I was meant to do.  What a great opportunity; to help people get healthy, improve their lives, and to share my knowledge and passion for endurance sports and overall health.  During the day I continued my 8-5 in cubeland dreaming about the day when I'd break loose and began training full-time - I made that break in May 2009 and worked at a local club full time for 6 months.  Though I liked working at the local fitness club I have always dreamed of being more of an entrepreneur, so I officially ended my career at the health club in late 2009 and began GettingFitness.

The point that I am driving home is that I went from an overweight, unhappy, lazy person with a lot of negative life issues to a very fit, happy, and healthy person with high aspirations and an abundance of energy.  I attribute my changes to exercise and living a healthy life. My goal is to be able to share my experiences, knowledge, and skills with people.  I want to share my success with others, and a facilitate that opportunity with them.  Nothing makes me happier than seeing my clients succeed and see their excitement when their fitness has a positive impact on their lives.

Getting Started

Getting started in any new endeavor is a challenge because we just don't know how to start, where to start, and what we need to do to get going, whether you're writing a novel, starting a business, or beginning a new workout program.

We often dive into something with a lot of vigor and excitement but that fire burns out within 3-4 weeks once the 'honeymoom' is over.  We come across hurdles, challenges, and the realization of the amount of work it's going to take and begin to have doubts on the likelihood of our success.  Below are some things that will increase your chances of reaching success.

Set Goals - Goals are the pathway to your success.  Set the 'big picture' goals and then milestone goals, and then smaller goals to reach the milestones.   Keep your goals realistic, but set the bar high enough where it's a challenge.  Post these goals on your bathroom mirror and read them every day to keep your focus.

Find a Mentor/Coach - It is so helpful to have someone who has been down the road you want to go to give insight on the path of least resistance and tips and tricks of the trade.  You may have to pay for services, but realize that it is an investment, not an expense.

Enlist Support from Family/Friends - If your support system is behind you and gives you that needed encouragement it will give you that needed boost to make your dream a reality.  Make sure you keep them in the loop of your progress and get them involved.  Someone who has vested interest in your goal is more likley to hold you accountable.

Have a Plan - the reason only 10% succeed is because they have a plan.  A plan helps clear up the unknown and sets you on a path with outlined expectations.  The plan will hold you accountable and is aligned with your goals to keep you in sync with your pre-determined timeline.

Prioritize - the reality of life is there are many things to juggle.  How important is your goal in comparison to other things in your life?  Family takes priority, but what about a night out with the guys vs working on your dream?  These are not easy choices to make, but getting past the instant gratification of a night out and staying in and working on your dream will pay dividends in the future.

If you want your fitness dream to come to fruition and become a reality, contact me.  I will give you the what, where, and the how to reach your goal.

Similarities between Life and Fitness

I've been doing a lot of brainstorming about my new business, GettingFitness, and have come to realize the many similarities between fitness and business. I've listed a few below:

- People that get results are the ones that push themselves beyond what they think they're capable of achieving

- People that show up to win and push through the pain will outlast and outperform those that procrastinate and whine

- Setting S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) goals will outline the the path for getting things accomplished

- Working with others will allow yourself to push others and others to push you

- A coach/mentor will help filter out the clutter and give guidance to what you want to achieve

- Knowledge is a key asset; use it to your advantage

- If you put in the time/dedication you will reap the benefits when it counts

- You perform how you practice

I see and experience a lot of imbalance between the two - I see people who work hard at work, but fizzle when exercising. I also see people who push the limits and rock in fitness/athletics but coast through work. Pushing ourselves in both arenas will make us better in both worlds.

2010 Race Season

Late last year I laid out a skeleton plan of races I wanted to do that aligned with my goals of improving my Half IM time, and setting a PR by 30-45 minutes. These races include Wildflower, Kansas Half, and Pigman Half. So, with the 'cornerstone' races set, I've added the rest to complete the season. Below is the list with the date, race name, distance, and category(A, B, or C)

2/13 - Red Flannel Run - 5 miles - C
early April - Loop the Lake - 8K - C
late April - Drake 1/2 or 8K - C
5/2 - Wildflower - 70.3 - A
5/16 - Jordan Creek Duathlon - 2K, 20K, 2K - B
6/4 - Kansas Half - 70.3 - A
6/13 - Hy-Vee - Oly - B
8/3 - Big Creek - Oly - A
8/22 - Pigman Half - 70.3 - A

This is what I have mapped out for this year. This year is a little different in that the season will be almost over by the middle of June, wheras in the past that is when the season really gets started. I can tell you that my training thus far this year has surpassed my recent past training as far as quality, volume, and intrinsic motivation.

Improve Your Run

One thing I've always struggled with has been my run, and one of the most common questions I get is, how do I improve my run. There are a number of things we can address, but here I'll look at a few of the most common things we can implement right away.

- Improve your stride - let's say runner X has a stride length of 3.5 feet, and runner Y has a stride length of 3.0 feet, assuming all other things equal, guess who will get to the finish line 1st - Runner X.

- Run more - the more you run, the better and more efficient you will be. There is no magic in this formula, but you should proceed with caution, too much too fast will leave you very susceptible to injury. A rule of thumb is to increase distance 10% from the previous week and limit the speed work to little to none initially.

- Find your weakness - on a typical run focus on your legs and lungs. Which gets fatigue the fastest? If it is your legs, you'll need to focus on developing nueromuscular strength, if it is your lungs, you need to focus on developing your endurance.

For more information on the above, and training plans, contact me at mgetting@efitnessperformance.com

Off Season Goals

I've put a few weeks of thought into what my off season goals should be - I've been very inconsistent in my training and I know that setting some goals will get me back on track. These are all qualitative, for the most part, but will help me get back on track so I can set some quantitative goals in the near future.

- Eat better - pretty straight forward here - too many trips to Chipolte and tailgating weekends have warranted this goal. To train right you need to eat right.

- develop mental toughness - this is a goal that always needs improvement and what a great time to do so is in the off-season - I need to fight through adversity, cold mornings, and get it done

- develop physical toughness - I believe I can tolerate a higher intensity of training when training calls for it - suck it up and reap the rewards during the season

- physical strength - I am lacking in strength, specifically sport specific strength - time for lunges, squats, pull ups, shoulder press, etc and core strength

- lose 8-10 pounds - lighter is faster, improved strength to weight ratio. I'll need to quantify this a little.

- track training data - I've always considered myself a pretty analytical person, and as a certified coach this should be a 'duh'. Never tracked data due to laziness. I've got the tools to do so, so I will track, analyze, and re-adjust accordingly.

- early morning workouts - I'm not a big fan of early morning workouts before they start, but love it when I get started and finished. No more procrastination - with the family growing and time constraints on the horizon, this is a no-brainer.

I feel good about my off-season goals, and will stick to them. Doing so will help prepare me for my best season yet and I'll have a solid base built come Jan 1.

Interval Training Seminar

Here is the link to the Interval Training Seminar I gave tonight. Let me know if you have questions.

www.efitnessperformance.com/seminars/IntervalTrainingSeminar.mht