Monday, February 18, 2013

This Week in Photos (Birthday Week)


Another pretty busy week! It was my birthday, hooray for 25! More school (loving every minute of it!) And of course, Valentine's Day! Instead of writing a post I thought I could express my wonderful week in pictures: 



Jim Ryun inspires by visiting 2nd Recess! It was his first time back to Balboa Stadium since breaking 4 minutes for the mile as a high schooler!

2nd Recess: Close to 30 kids and going strong! Learning a few hip drills, fire hydrants are always a hit!

Best girl a guy could have - Tash always gives the best cards! (Notice the alligator with a party hat :)
Birthday Part 2: Solid session at UCSD track, a couple 300s paired with a short LT run on the grass. Perfect way to start the day!

Pic of the Week: A sneak peek of our engagement photos. Weathering a quick SD storm was well worth the cool shots we got!
Lastly, I ran in the Coronado Valentine's 10k this morning as a rust buster after 3 monthsof solid training (results here). Came in 4th overall and ran 31:27. Not bad in my book. Better than in late fall and a whole universe away from last year! Thank goodness I kept practicing my Ps: Patience, Perseverance, and Positivity! 

Thanks for reading! 

Who can you inspire? 


Monday, February 11, 2013

Inspiration Comes in All Sizes

I would not be the person I am today if it weren't for the passion I developed early for running. The wonderful friends and experiences that came along the way as a result of the sport have left an indelible mark on me. However, perhaps the two greatest effects running has had on my life are this, 1) I met my fiance Natasha in Flagstaff, and 2) I discovered how to use my passion to inspire others. 

Now, these two things also happen to be related because it has been through Natasha that I've been able to see my passion positively affect others. In the summer of 2011, right after we had moved from Flagstaff to San Diego, we decided that we wanted to be able to make a difference in our community using our talents as professional runners. After a series of electric brainstorming sessions, an idea was born: 2nd Recess. 


2nd Recess began in earnest that fall of 2011 with Natasha and myself at the helm. We dove in head first knowing that somehow, through running and our passion for it, we could make a difference in someone's life. That first season, which lasted from October through December, we had five dedicated young athletes who came once a week to learn more about fun, fitness, and healthy living. We expected to be teaching them about what we knew but instead found that we too were learning a lot from what they had to say. 

Our motto, from the beginning, has always been, Inspiration through Action! We deeply believe that by providing kids with a positive environment and good role models we can make a difference. We do this through running, but know that the same principle can extend to all things. On the surface we also wanted to provide opportunities for kids to explore running in a fun way while also teaching them about staying healthy and eating right, but behind that message was always impetus that through our actions we could inspire others. 

Fast forward now to February, 10, 2013. We are two days away from our second session of what is our fifth season of 2nd Recess. Last week was our first practice of the new year and we had many familiar faces but also a large handful of newcomers. In all, we had 36 participants that night. 36! There we so many that the four of us (Marie and Kyle joined our 2nd Recess clan in 2011) had our hands full! Each season we have grown in size and our program has flourished. 

2nd Recess: Long Jump practice! 
The kids, we have realized, know so much and are willing to work so hard. They soak up everything we tell them and always carry a positive attitude. I look forward to every Tuesday night, when I get to put on my 2nd Recess t-shirt and meet with the kids. I take pride in the curriculum we have created and feel myself fill with joy when the kids we teach leave us with "thank you"s and big smiles. 

As our little organization continues to grow so too will its ability to inspire others. From our community to yours we want to be able to make a difference. Through running we have found our vehicle for change and with it will continue to reach as many families as we can. 

Our final challenge to you is this, ask yourself this question: Who can I inspire? We hope that you too can find a way to inspire others. It will always start out small but with patience, perseverance, and a lot of positivity you will begin to see what you can do! 

To learn more about 2nd Recess and what we are all about please visit our website, and don't hesitate to contact us with any questions you might have! 

2nd Recess: Spring 2011 - Awesome group! 




Monday, February 04, 2013

Let the Mastery Begin

On Monday of this week I started my one year journey towards earning a Master's in Exercise Science. The official program title is Exercise Science and Health Promotion with a specialty in Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention.

It was a big decision to continue my education but one that I feel is necessary if I want to become a well-rounded athlete and eventually, a collegiate coach. There are so many facets to athletics and designing and implementing a successful training program/philosophy is tantamount. This week has been a blur - but a very enjoyable blur! So much of the information I'm coming across is brand new to me. I graduated from UCLA with a degree in History - more suited to studying the culture and habits of south east Asian island societies of the early 20th century than the components of a well-rounded integrated training program or principles of arthrokinematics.

However, I've been able to shake the dust off my notebooks and break out my study skills and hit the books running! This semester includes three courses (all taken online): Human Movement Sciences (Kinesiology), Sports Performance Training, and Exercise Science. Most of the courses follow a similar format because they are done online, so there are readings, lectures, discussions, and quizzes to be turned in each week.

It's exciting learning new things and my mind spins out of control with ideas when I come across a topic I know I can utilize in the future. I'm happy that I discovered a passion within the sport I enjoy so much. Coaching offers such a different perspective to endurance training than competing as an athlete does, although there are still many ways the two overlap.

As the year progresses I'll be able to get certified as a Sports Performance Specialist and work with athletes, clients, and individuals with a more solid knowledge base. I will continue to apply to coaching positions at the collegiate level (and hopefully land an interview!) and still compete individually, applying what I learn on myself (and maybe Tash too :).

I'll wrap it up with a few topics I found most interesting this week:

1) Arthrokinematics (study of joint movement) - So many components to joints it's just mind boggling!

2) Principle of Integrated Training - In summary, learning to systematically train the whole athlete from the ground up. Think, turning a runner into an athlete thereby making them a better, faster, stronger runner.

3) Stress Proteins - When cellular proteins are damaged a signal is sent to release stress proteins that go to repair them. This is part of the process of adaptation that occurs when we train.

As I learn more and more I will continue to share! If you have questions let me know! It will test what I have learned and help me study!

Until then remember to ask yourself: Who can you inspire?