Tomorrow morning I’m going back to it.

Can’t wait.

After reading this article, Las Vegas marathon runners say they were sickened, from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, I will most likely give it more thought next time.  It doesn’t sound pleasant.  Give the article a read for more of the gory details, there seemed to be lots of issues with bodily fluids after consuming water at the water stations.

I guess I’ve been lucky, I’ve never had any issues with water quality in the races I’ve run.  Still, it begs the question – who supervises the conditions the beverages (water or other) are portioned out?  Is there any kind of sanitation monitor to ensure that hands are washed, containers cleaned, and utensils sanitized?  Do runners need to start bringing their own water to organized races?

…I went for a run.

I don’t know if anyone else has found this true, but getting in a workout can change your whole perspective on the day.  It’s amazing how exercise –  whether its running, lifting weights, or doing something else physical – can totally shift your mindset from negative to positive. From depressed to exuberant. Flips the switch from autopilot to jet pilot. Today was a prime example of that for me.  As I noted above, I kind of slogged through the work day, not feeling bad – just not feeling, well, alive or engaged. Once I got home, things were more challenging – the kids were a little insane and I was moderately grumpy, never a good combination.  There was yelling. I do that sometimes, I don’t like it – but it happens.  At any rate, thanks to my loving and patient wife we all got through dinner and the kids eventually went to bed.

And then I ran.

And I felt better.

Reflections on the day seemed brighter and the future seems more exciting.  All of this because I hauled myself to the gym, hopped on the treadmill and ran 2 miles.  Yep, that was all it took to flip the switch – 2 miles, less than 20 minutes. I feel like a different, new, better, me. Call it ‘runners high’, blame it on the endorphin’s, I don’t really care – I’m just glad to end the day happy, healthy, and looking forward to doing it all again tomorrow.

As for content, I’m going back to writing about what I wrote when people actually read this blog (at one point I did have a fairly good base of readers, not anymore) – running, health, fitness, family, and life in general.  Some may be interested, some may not.  Bottom-line, I just want to write again and enjoy sharing with everyone what I am doing. I may occasionally post some video or re-post something interesting I find out on the internet.

Thanks!

My current company is looking at Hadoop for data storage, looks very promising.

This is a great video that highlights the importance of not only data collection, but data visualization and data context as well. Too often, the context within which data is found is missed and incorrect or invalid assumptions are made. This shows clearly how this can happen and how important it is to carefully consider the data points being used in analysis.

DavidMcCandless_2010G.mp4
Watch on Posterous

Not On My Watch!

29 Dec

Over the past few years I’ve noticed a disturbing trend where in our desire to keep clients interested we have been introducing an ever increasing array of new and cool exercises to keep them engaged in their training.  Many of these exercises are harder and more complex versions of the basics.  Most folks have not taken to the time to master the basics so I seriously question the intelligence of giving them more especially when the harder and more complex version is more likely to jack your client up.

I realize there is inherent risk is participating in any type of physical activity. People can and will get hurt doing pretty much anything. This does not however mean that it is okay to be put clients in positions during training that have a high (or even a low) likelihood of injury. It is NEVER okay to get hurt during training.  It is your job to improve your client’s fitness while protecting them from themselves.  Most clients don’t know what they don’t know. If they don’t have the body awareness to do a certain exercise or haven’t met the prerequisites then they shouldn’t be doing it! Yes I realize most clients show up at your door with a laundry list of injuries they sustained during their lifetime and that can make things a bit more challenging.  Tough cookies! If you don’t know how to improve those issues then at a minimum you should be able to improve other areas of their fitness while not making those issues worse.

I’ve had the opportunity to be trained by some really great coaches over the years. I also sustained some injuries while working with some of these folks.  Looking back at my injuries I’ve realized that some of them could have been avoided because I was doing things that I probably wasn’t ready to do yet.  Did I want to do them? Hell yes! Are these injuries those trainers fault? I’m not sure, but I know now when I’m working with my clients I always ask what is the best and worst outcome that could occur from including an exercise in their program. Just because a client can do something doesn’t mean they should or that the risk is worth the potential reward.

Some coaches will complain that I’m being overly conservative, but most clients are not elite athletes and are only training improve their lives.  It is my opinion that part of our duties as professionals is to help protect clients from themselves. Our clients trust us, but sometimes I wonder if maybe some of them shouldn’t.

• Comments 20 Comments
• Categories Fitness
• Author Andy Deas

I really need to think back to this post when I’m getting impatient with my training or looking to make faster gains than I should. Everything in due time…

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