Swimming and Triathlon Coaching

I am an American Red Cross Certified Swimming Instructor. I have been teaching for 14 years and swimming for 22 years in High School, USS (United States Swimming), and College. I have raced at the local, regional, and national level.

I love to teach swimming lessons to all ages, levels, and abilities! I have a gift for working with children with disabilities and people who have a fear of the water. When I was 2 years old, I had an experience in the water that took me 14 years to overcome. That experience taught me how to assist others overcome their fear of the water.

I am also an avid Triathlete and love training triathletes. I work with triathletes and elite swimmers for stroke improvement, increased speed, increased endurance, increased power in the water and on the bike and run, and for less anxiety and fear in the water.

I have a BS in Exercise Science with an emphasis in Fitness and Wellness Management. This supports my ability to train athletes as well as help people lose weight, which is another skill I use on the side to help some of my clients. I would love to help you achieve your goals and dreams!

Racing at the Echo Tri (back on July 10th)

I wanted to switch to sprint. But in order to do that I would have had to disqualify myself. So I took a deep breath and decided to race Olympic with the goal of finishing. The longest bike I've been on isn't even close to the 24 mile roller coaster that I was about to do. But I knew I could do it. I have a powerful mind and that is what gets me across the finish line so fast sometime.

The race was amazing and now I know the value and importance of a good training base for a race like the Olympic distance. Well, I've always known the value, but now I've experienced the value of having an aerobic base. It was the bike that created the biggest challenge. It was a hilly and long, but a beautiful course around Echo Reservoir and up a canyon decorated with red rock and green trees, grasses, and bushes. I was able to hold a decent pace, but not the pace that I would expect from myself with another 500 miles under my belt. The turnaround came all too soon and I found myself flying down the canyon. I was back much faster than expected.

The run was awesome! My pace wasn't far from what I normally would hold. I felt good on my run and was able to maintain my pace the whole time. My focus was positive and with each positive thought I maintained my energy and fueled my legs. The finish line came with a well deserved massage from Lisa who really worked my tight hips. It was a beautiful day at the races!

Healing

Lessons-April 27, 2009

In February and March of 2009 I was involved in three different fluke accidents that led to and 11 weeks and counting “vacation”.

From this I have learned some very important lessons that I wish to share with my fellow athletes so they don’t have to go through what I have. Two of the many lessons I have learned are number one: the importance of taking time to rest and recover. Number two: the importance of stretching. Some of the other lessons I’m learning include: the total stresses of life must be taken into consideration, the powerful connection between mind and body, the relationship between spirit and body, and the virtue of patience.

Taking Time to Get Some Good Ol’ R & R

As a Division one collegiate swimmer I trained four hours a day and always felt like I was on the brink of being over trained and the edge of exhaustion. However, in the four years of swimming at BYU, I was only over trained once or twice. I had an amazing coach who could tell when it was time to back off. And when it was time, back off we did. He allowed our bodies time to recover by periodization. The following link describes what periodization involves: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_periodization

Now that I am on my own, I push my physical limits don’t allow myself enough time to recover from each workout. This is one thing that contributed to my injuries. I’m learning the importance of R&R now as I have spent 11 weeks healing. I am learning how to better periodize my season so I don’t burn out and so my body heals and recovers from workouts instead of breaking down. I’m learning that quality is better than quantity. And I’m learning that it’s OKAY to take a day off!

I am continuing to heal. I’m also learning to take an injury seriously from the moment it happens instead of learning to take it seriously the second or third time, re-injuring it and causing it to take even longer to heal. As an athlete I just want to be able to train. I want to swim. I want to run. I want to bike. And not being able to do that has been difficult. After feeling good for four days after my tricep injury, I started to push the limits. I started swimming too early and re-injured my arm. Again I reiterate the importance of healing, resting, recovering!

The Benefits of Stretching

I’m learning to stretch. If I would have stretched more often, I probably wouldn’t have the injury that I do in my hamstring. I would’ve been flexible and wouldn’t have strained the muscle by forcing it through a ROM (range of motion) that I don’t have. I’m learning the importance of taking care of myself that way. That is one big lesson that is coming up for me in these moments as I can’t exercise as I wish. Instead, I focus daily on rehab and stretching my body.

I knew I had the opportunity to learn this lesson back in February, two weeks after my injuries started. I approached my boss and petitioned to start a flexibility class at the gym where I train clients (Sorenson Unity Fitness Center, 1383 South 900 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84104). We found an open hour: Tuesday nights from 8:00 to 9:00 pm. The class started March 3rd and so far only one student has come, but I still stretch for that hour weather someone is there or not. Lance Armstrong improved his athletic career by incorporating daily stretching into his busy training schedule. I, too, will follow suit.

I am so thankful for a healthy body that can heal! I am an athlete who heals her body!


The Road to Recovery-May 4

On Friday May 1st, I went to Dr. Jacques out in Sandy just off of Redwood and 100th South. Zurvival owner, Jeremy Butler recommended him to me. He popped a few joints back in (my upper and lower back, neck, rib, hip, and elbow) and did some acupuncture on my right iliopsoas, left hammie, and left tricep. He then instructed me to rest the remainder of the day and the following day start running!! What!??? My mind was going crazy at the thought that I would be able to do more than just rehab. It was also screaming, “Noooooooo!!!!!” at the thought of running and re-injuring it. To be honest, I was scared. I was scared to run. I swallowed my fear and decided to trust this amazing man who knows so much more about the human body than I.

The instructions were very clear: Stretch lightly. Run for 20 seconds then walk for one minute. Do this for 20 minutes until our next appointment on Wednesday. I followed his prescibed routine with exactness, amazed that I was not in incredible pain during or after. I could feel, however, certain muscles tightening up and can’t wait for another round of acupuncture!