March 26, 2013

RRCA weekend

My weekend started way earlier than anyone should have to wake up--I set my alarm for 3:00 AM! I had a three hour commute to Dayton ahead of me, so I got up and showered and all that before heading out the door at 4:00. It was a straight shot down I-75, a super boring drive.

I'm glad I left early, because I passed the exit and had to make my way back to where I was supposed to go. Then I was looking everywhere for a McDonald's or someplace I could go to the bathroom. Anyway, I finally arrived at the Metropark (where my RRCA coach certification class was being held) with about 15 minutes to spare.

The only person in the class that I recognized while waiting for class to start was Matt from Runner Academy. I met him for lunch in Detroit in October with Rik, the day before the marathon; he had interviewed Rik and Ada about our Ragnar Relay team for his podcast. I said hello to him, before class started.

We were sitting at long tables in a U-shape.
We were given our course manuals, and the instructor got started. The first day, we talked mostly about the different types of runners and their needs, the physiology of running, and different running workouts and how they are important to a training program. I was surprised at how quickly the time passed.

They supplied breakfast, snacks, and lunch for us--I was amazed at the spread they had! Tons of freshly baked goods--ginormous muffins, bagels, scones, cookies, breads; fresh fruit--bananas, apples, and oranges; lunch was three types of homemade soup, salad, fresh bread with sandwich fillings; juice and soda, and even candy. My first thought was, "Ohmygoodness, I have to eat ALL OF THIS!" Hahaha, but I had brought some food with me to stay on track.

I did eat their lunch, because it was pretty healthy (and definitely very yummy):
Homemade chicken noodle soup, fresh bread, salad, and an apple. I was tempted to make a whole sandwich, because the bread was really good, but I didn't want to go overboard.

Class ran overtime on the Saturday, and we didn't finish up until 5:15. I drove to Carly's house, and I was really excited to see her. We didn't get to spend much time together in Florida, since she was in Van 2 and I was in Van 1 for the race; also, she left the morning after the race.

I met Carly's five-year old son, and he was absolutely adorable. Then the three of us went to Chipotle for dinner. Afterward, I may have suggested that we got to McDonald's for an ice cream cone ;)  Carly and I got to chat for a while before it was time for bed. I was super tired because of my early start to the day.
Sunday morning, I got up at 6:00 and got ready to head out the door at 7:15. Carly was still sleeping, so I snuck out quietly. The news kept talking of a huge snow storm that was supposed to hit Dayton that afternoon, and I was worried about my drive home.

I stopped for a decaf coffee before class, and picked up a Kashi bar for breakfast while I was at the gas station. The bar was actually really good.
Not really a breakfast of champions, but certainly healthier than the scone I'd been thinking about!

Day two's topics included the business side of coaching (marketing ourselves), sports psychology, injuries, and how to build running programs for individual needs. Normally, I'm super quiet and don't participate by raising my hand to volunteer info, but we did an interesting exercise in the morning when talking about marketing. First we had to list positive things about ourselves that would help us generate clientele; then we had to list positive things that others would say about us; and finally, we had this question:
That one was actually kind of fun to answer! Everyone else in the class seemed to have a hard time coming up with anything, but I just thought of some negative comments I'd gotten before, and wrote those down ;)

I am self-admittedly bossy and boring. I chose egotistical because of my being on national TV a couple of times, one might draw that conclusion about me; I chose snobby because a few of my friends told me that was the first impression they got of me--I'm super shy, and don't talk much, so they assumed I was snobby; and then "sell-out" because I kind of felt like a sell-out when I monetized my blog by putting advertisements on it. So anyway, I actually raised my hand and read my list out loud.

About halfway through the second day of class, one woman was talking about her experience of running while pregnant, when she stood up abruptly and started to walk out of the room, mid-sentence. Everyone was a little confused, and the instructor asked her if she was okay. She didn't respond, and she collapsed outside of the room. Randy (the instructor) yelled for someone to call 911, and about a dozen people were on the phones instantaneously.

I'm not sure exactly what happened to her, but I think she had some sort of anxiety attack. She said that it happened last week, and the first responders said she was okay. She went to the hospital, and I later learned that she was doing fine. But it was still scary to see that happen!

I had been craving a scone like crazy, so I decided to have one for lunch. I had a bowl of soup and instead of bread and/or salad with it, I just had half a chocolate chip scone and half a cranberry scone. GOOD CHOICE--both were amazing!

We spent quite a bit of time working on a detailed running plan for a fictional character who wanted to qualify for Boston. I think that was actually really helpful--we did this in groups of 5-6, and I liked hearing the ideas from the others in my group. After that exercise, I felt very confident in writing training plans, and I'm excited to write my own Chicago Marathon training plan.

The snow wasn't coming down at all when we got out of class, but I didn't waste any time getting on the road. I was excited to get home! I only stopped once, to get Subway for dinner. I was tempted to get ice cream or something too (being in the car by myself makes me crave junk food), but I wanted to save my PointsPlus for Noah's special day on Monday.

I'm very happy with how class went, and I will take my exam soon--so I'm not certified just yet. But it was a fun experience, I learned a LOT of great info, and met some really cool people. My instructor was hilarious, which kept class interesting. I'm glad I did it!

27 comments:

  1. 3:00 a.m. ouch!

    Thanks for sharing your experience in class! I'm a total nerd and bet it would be a super interesting course!

    Good luck on your exam!

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    1. It was definitely interesting--and fun to be in a room with lots of people who love to talk about running! :)

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  2. I'm going to school part time right now and your photo of your class set-up reminded me a lot of my classes. It's so interesting to be able to learn with other people who have a passion for what you do. When I read your list of characteristics that you shared with the class, it surprised me because I would never use those words to describe you. Of course, I love your blog and you inspire me so much but you think of yourself as boring? Really? For the record, your blog is SO interesting and I think you're a great person! Glad your training went well!!

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    1. Well, I guess it depends on how you define "boring" ;) I do pretty much the same thing every day--eat, run, clean, take care of family, sleep. Nothing very exciting!

      The exercise wasn't meant to be degrading, and I don't think poorly of myself. Some of my personality traits may just come off the wrong way!

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  3. I have a feeling my list of 5 things would include 1). loud, 2). obnoxious, 3). loud, 4). obnoxious and finally, 5). loud.

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    1. Linda, I was surprised at how NOT loud you were--maybe it would be different if we'd been in the same van? But I don't think you're loud or obnoxious!

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  4. This is so cool! I wonder if I can take the class?

    Did you learn anything about running injuries? I'm struggling with knee pain (and now what I *think* is tendonitis in my right foot) since my 10k over the weekend. Three days of rest from running hasn't helped yet. I know, I know, i should go to the doctor but then they are going to prescribe PT. I'd rather just do PT on my own. Any strength training or stretching suggestions?

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    1. Anyone can take the class, it's just really hard to get into! I waited for about a year to get in.

      We did learn about injuries, but the first thing we were taught about them is that we are NOT allowed to diagnose or treat injuries ;)

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  5. It does sound like a very interesting class. But it almost seems to easy. Everyone is calling themselves a "coach" these days. Or a personal trainer.

    The Kidless Kronicles

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  6. Sounds like a great experience. Looking forward to seeing what you do with it in the future :)

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    1. Probably won't do much with it--but it's nice to have the option! I just wanted to have some credibility to what I write about on my blog ;)

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  7. How flippin' exciting! I've been wanting to get some fitness certifications, too, I just do not have the time now, but one day soon! I love it when trainings actually have healthy options for food, it makes things SO much easier and less tempting!

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  8. It's so cool you're getting certified. I actually find yourself one of the most interesting blogs and I read it everyday, contrary to other blogs that do a lot of "exciting" stuff. I have no idea why, but I think you have charisma ;)

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    Replies
    1. Well thank you :) I guess I just have a talent for making the ordinary seem a little more exciting? ;)

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  9. I'm shy too, and am afraid people have mistaken it for snobbishness a time or two, I know I've been guilty of misjudging other shy people myself. Sounds like you had a great weekend! Good luck on the exam. Can't wait to read about your "special day" with Noah.

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    1. I never looked at it that way until a friend pointed it out to me. She told me that she thought I was a snob when she first met me, and I was shocked--because I'm not snobby in the SLIGHTEST. But now I try really hard to step out of the shyness around people I don't know.

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  10. Nice summary, was great to see you over the weekend!

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  11. I'm also shy and I don't talk much until I get to know someone better. I've also been mistaken for snobby and I am the farthest there is from snobby! I've always worked in health care jobs and am very compassionate for people, especially the underserved so it's always been such a shock to think that I could be mistaken for snobby! It's funny, though, when I'm in my work uniform, I'm totally different and will talk anyone's ear off!!

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    1. That's so interesting that you come out of your shell when you're in your work uniform!

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  12. Sounds like a fun experience :) Poor lady with the anxiety attack!

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    1. I know! I felt bad for her, but I'm glad she's okay.

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  13. I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the class. I really want to take it! I hope that poor lady turned out to be ok.

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    1. It was really interesting, and I'm glad I took it!

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  14. Sounds very informative and fun! Scary with that girl passing out though!

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