My Ironman Journey

I grew up playing many team sports and was lucky enough to carry that through college. Through those years I had many amazing coaches along the way.  After college I had children and although my competitive spirit never waned, my fitness level decreased and I gained a lot of weight.  I never liked running when I was fit but running was exactly what I needed to help get myself back on the road to fitness.  So I began to run and dabble in sprint and Olympic distance triathlons.  An injury soon put an end to this and I became sedentary again.  I recovered and again took up running.  Then a family friend of mine talked me into joining a running group.  So we joined the running group at the Training Studio and this proved to be a turning point in my life.

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After nine months of dedication, hard work and consistent training, the Ironman dream became reality for two more Training Studio members.  Melanie and JoAnn persevered 140.6 miles of swimming, biking and running this past Sunday to become a member of the Ironman family.  What an outstanding acomplishment.  Words cannot express how proud I am to have been involved in their incredible journey.

This journey was made possible by one very integral person that used his knowledge, experience and expertise to mentor these girls every step of the way.  Coach Todd deserves some long, overdue recognition for a job well-done.  I am sure that Melanie, JoAnn & Diane (as well as many others) will agree with me when I say we are very fortunate to have Todd working with The Training Studio.

On a lighter note, we also had one very special athlete (Diane) that experienced a little bad luck getting a stomach bug during the event.  I can speak from experience when I say that sometimes you cannot control what happens to your body and decisions must be made for your own safety.  Days like this add to your mental toughness and desire to get back out there for redemption.  I have no doubt Diane will surface once again stronger and tougher than ever to compete again.

Congrats to all athletes out there that completed this outstanding event.  Special thanks to everyone that showed their support of TS by either wearing their shirts at the race, hanging banners, reserving spots for us out on the bike course and even advertising during the local morning show Monday morning. It is awesome to see such a great support network.

A quick shout out to a close friend and “transient” Training Studio member Susie Walsh from Chicage that also finished her 3rd Ironman Louisville.  Susie you are a “rockstar”.

Barefoot-style and minimalist shoes are one of the hottest trends to sweep the footwear category since Nike Waffle Trainer running shoes and Crocs. In fact, according to OIA Vantage Point and Leisure Trends, these types of shoes have continued to enjoy double-digit sales growth since the start of 2010 and have outsold nearly every other type of shoe during that time.

One of the shoes that has led the surge in popularity is the Vibram FiveFingers, a quirky-looking sock-style shoe with separate compartments for each toe. These shoes are designed to combine the feel of being barefoot with the abrasion protection of wearing a shoe. Many adherents also believe these shoes improve proprioception, balance and foot strength. You’ve no doubt seen people wearing these types of shoes to work out in the gym, for fitness walking, yoga, water sports and, one of the most controversial uses, running

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Check out this great video from Competitor.com explaining the concept of utilizing ice baths for recovery.  I have been preaching this for years and continue to get those looks like I have completely lost my mind.  See, I really don’t make this stuff up.  It really is good for you.

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Check out some new photos that were just added to the website from our last event called the Tough Mudder.

The numbers are in.  Clients participating in Todd’s 6-week nutrition program have lost an average of 10 pounds and over 2% body fat. No fancy diets, no pills, no starvation, just good old fashion knowledge and accountability.

Contact Todd today to get started on your program to see for yourself! The Training Studio offers this exciting program online or in person at one of our two locations (River road and St. Matthews) in Louisville, KY.

Here’s a tip for kids and adults alike. When you are eating, pay attention.

Sounds simple, but how often do you snack in front of the T.V. or eat your dinner while in rush hour traffic?

Paying attention means eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full. It means never eating just to eat, but rather because your body needs it.

Do this and you will quickly reach your ideal weight.

This is a great article published by ACE with some important facts about these three programs.

P90X™, Insanity™ and Rushfit™—turn on your TV or computer, and you’ll be hard pressed to miss an infomercial from one of these products claiming that it will transform your body into the “best shape of your life.” Given their extreme popularity (and subsequent profitability), it’s no surprise that these programs have spawned sequels and imitators. Interestingly, each product includes some slick marketing educational piece demonstrating the program’s revolutionary training method for shaping your physique, whether it be through “Muscle Confusion,” “Max Interval Training” or “High Intensity Interval Training.” Hardly revolutionary, these are training modalities that are generally categorized under Metabolic Conditioning (MC). After all, years before these programs existed, renowned researcher Dr. William Kraemer, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, demonstrated the merits of muscle confusion (non-linear or undulating periodization), including the ability to induce greater levels of metabolic stress and adaptation upon the body. And Tabata, LaForgia and colleagues demonstrated the benefits of high-intensity interval training (H.I.I.T.) approximately 15 years ago. BeachbodyTM (which produces both Insanity and P90X) and others have successfully turned these concepts into revenue-generating goldmines. Of course, popularity is no guarantee of effectiveness, so ACE decided to put P90X, Insanity and Rushfit to the test in a head-to-head match-up to evaluate each on the basis on efficacy, science and safety.

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