Sunday, August 28, 2011

Ironman and some learning

Today the Louisville Ironman was held.  Ever since I was a little kid I have always looked marvelously at the participants of the Ironman.  I would watch the people on TV do it in Kona and just watch in awe.  I have always considered myself a fairly decent athlete but these people are ridiculous.  This, along with those that qualify for the CrossFit Games, are easily the fittest people on the planet.  Sorry CrossFit, you have to share that title.

Yesterday I was riding my bike downtown with my son and I was able to see the athletes setting up their bikes getting ready for today's race.  I looked at these great athletes with great envy because they are doing something I can't.  Sure, if I committed myself to it, I MIGHT be able to complete one.  The thing is, I'm a horrible swimmer.  Absolutely terrible.  Plus, seeing the bikes these athletes were bringing into this thing, I don't have that kind of money to throw down just on a bike.  These were $5000 - 10,000 easily.  For now, I will just stick to my running races and mud runs.  Hopefully they will provide the thrill I'm constantly seeking in sports but I still want to do an Ironman someday.  If anybody wants to teach me how to swim 2.5 miles, give me a holler.  By the way, Monica Murphy, I was cheering you on in spirit today.  I'm sure you did great and I'm very proud of you.

On an completely different note, today I had the extreme pleasure of going to Indianapolis and attended the Midwest Strength Enhancement Seminar.  To say I obtained some knowledge is quite the understatement.  I was able to meet some of the finest minds in the strength and conditioning world.   The topics discussed were:

  • Trying to Define the Core by Charlie Weingroff
  • The ACL Athlete from Rehab to Performance Training by Robert Panariello
  • Fundamental Movement Patterns to Challenge the Core by Phil Plisky
  • Movement Based Rehab: The Hips are Everything by Perry Nickelston
While all of the speakers were absolutely amazing and mindblowing and thought provoking, the one who made the biggest impression on me was Charlie Weingroff.  Granted he was hopped up on a little too much Redline, after listening to him I felt like running through a wall.  He was extremely energetic, knowledgeable, and practical.  I hope to see him talk again soon.  I know I will be purchasing his video Training = Rehab -- Rehab = Training very soon.  

I originally wanted to recap all of the lectures today but I need to soak in some of it before I do that.  I also recorded the lectures so I am going to listen to them again so I can soak even more in.  Very good stuff and I feel much smarter today than yesterday.  

One final note, if you are in the Louisville area, make sure you sign up for the Rugged Maniac coming up in a few weeks and the Tap N Run coming up in October.  

No comments:

Post a Comment