Training

Once Again, I Have Failed

Once Again, I Have Failed

Sunday, September 29, 2019
On yesterday’s Valley Vertikiller 25K Clinic training run, I failed.

Right around the 15K mark of a planned 20K distance (with 1,100m of climbing!), my legs fought back against my will with a vengeance. Excruciating cramps in my hip flexors, quads and adductors literally brought me to a standstill, and I had to will my muscles to relax enough to keep moving forward. Every step from that point forward was an exercise in suffering and anger.

It's official - Coach JP is now Spartan SGX Level 2 certified!

It's official - Coach JP is now Spartan SGX Level 2 certified!

Thank you to Dr. Jeff Godin, Head of Fitness Education for Spartan Race, for another great learning experience, and for his kind words in the email sending me my certificate!

Dear Coach J.P.,

Attached you will find your Level 2 Spartan SGX Coach certificate. Your work was exemplary and demonstrates the level of knowledge Spartan expects from our Level 2 coaches.

Congratulations and thank you for your continued support of Spartan and Spartan SGX.

We are honored to have you as part of this elite team of coaches. AROO!

Dr. J

The level 2 certification focused more on endurance training and nutrition, and preparing for racing in extreme environments (altitude, hot / cold environments). I sure learned a lot, and look forward to sharing that knowledge with The BTG Spartan Team and all of The BTG crew. :)

Why We Train - Part 1: My Journey

Why We Train - Part 1:  My Journey

At The BTG, the majority of our members are not competitive athletes, nor do they have jobs that require them to maintain a high level of fitness year-round (E.G. front-line first responders, active duty military, etc.). As a result, we’ve often had folks ask “what the heck do you guys train so hard for?”

The short version is pretty simple - to just kick ass at life, able to meet any challenges that come our way with a balanced spectrum of physical abilities, and to maintain those abilities for as long as possible. To borrow a phrase from Dr. Peter Attia, our aim is “to be the most kick-ass 100-year olds possible.”

Where that gets a bit more complicated is in the details. What constitutes a “balanced spectrum of physical abilities”? If we have no specific demands from a sport or our work, how do we determine where we need to focus our energies?

To understand that, I need to tell a different story…

Starting All Over Again - My Fitness Journey

Starting All Over Again - My Fitness Journey

Coming from a guy whose business is training others and coaching them on their nutrition and lifestyle habits, what I'm about to tell you may be a bit of a shock. I am unhealthy and out of shape, and it's exactly because I haven't been eating right or exercising enough in the last year or so. I have not been "walking the talk" as the saying goes.

Today, I bought some new pants, and in my mind, all hell broke loose.

I put on a pair of 34" waist cargo pants - barely - and thought, "WTF has happened to me?" I mean, I had to full-on suck in my gut and worry the button was going to break off squeeze those suckers on.