PT Diaries

My personal trainer deWolf has been preparing physically and mentally for the Subaru Ironman for the last twelve months. I was at the race last year to support my friend Mike who finished his third IronMan. This test of endurance has to be one of the most challenging events know to man, so I wasn’t about to miss seeing deWolf compete.

Once again, Alicia and I packed up my truck and drove out to Penticton. As we cruised down the highway, traffic suddenly came to a dead stop. There we were, in the middle of nowhere, sitting without music (my cd player’s been jammed forever) waiting for a wave from the traffic attendant. “I’d really like some tunes!” I whined pressing the button in frustration. Then just like that, my wish was my command: Chris Martin’s voice came out of the speakers. “Oh my god! I can’t believe its working! That’s crazy!?” Alicia squealed with excitement.

Every year all the hotels in Penticton sell out for this epic athletic event so I was forced to make unconventional arrangements. I’d found an ad online for a rental accommodation and I’d been corresponding with a lady by the name of Shannon. When we arrived at the address she’d provided me, Alicia I sat in the truck for a moment and stared blankly at the house. The front yard looked unmaintained and we both sensed something eerie. We stood at the front door with much apprehension; I rang the doorbell. The door swung open and an unusual looking blond man stood in front of us barefoot.  “Hi PT Girl! Come on in. I’m Charles.” He motioned to us to follow him down a hallway and opened the second door to the left. “Here’s your room girls.” he leered. “I’m making spaghetti! As well I have another guest staying in the basement, he’s doing IronMan. Make yourselves at home” he mumbled as he walked away.

Alicia and I sat on the bed, backs against the headboard gazing at the dreadful sheep painting on the wall in front of us. “Where’s the TV?” Alicia asked. I shrugged, opening a bottled of wine attempting to stay positive. “Is Charles actually Shannon? I’m confused!” I said looking at Alicia as concerns started to brew. “Where in the heck did I have us staying” I thought to myself.

The house, although clean was an empty shell; no pictures, no ornaments, nothing at all to show signs of people living here. “Are we in Charles’s (aka Shannon’s) bedroom?” Alicia asked with a look of horror on her face.  We gulped our wine in silence when all of sudden we heard a dreadful sounds coming from outside our window. I peered out and saw two kids ripping around the backyard. “IronMan brought his family!” I said throwing down the local tourist magazine I’d been flipping through. As fate may have it, the magazine fell open on page 7 and there staring back at me was an ad for the Summerland Lakeside Resort and Spa. “I’m calling!! Someone’s cancelled, I know it! We’ll get in!” Alicia looked at me with hope in her eyes. “Oh, ok… so no lake view… but you have a room? Great! We’ll take it! See you tomorrow!” I hung up.

“O.M.G.  We check in  tomorrow? Sweet!! This bedroom is probably rigged with spy cams.” Alicia laughed. “Let get something to eat, this place is giving me the creeps!” I said grabbing my purse. We ended up over eating and indulging in good wine at Theo’s Greek restaurant. Afterwards we ventured down towards Lakeshore drive to check out the IM festivities. Near the stage where a band was playing we saw Charles; he was eating poutine and dancing by himself a good ten feet away from the rest of the crowd. Alicia went straight up to him “Hey Charles, can we get a key to get back in?” “Nah! You don’t need a key, I leave the place open all the time!” he laughed sinisterly. Stunned, we forced a smile and walked away. “We’re going to end up on Dateline!” Alicia said seriously as we walked into the first pub in sight. We cozied up at the bar and ordered two more glasses of wine. All the bartenders were wearing IronMan 2010 t-shirts “I’m want one of those shirts and somehow before the night is over one of these bartenders will give me their shirt! I said believing myself.  “Ahah! You’re funny!!!! … and we aren’t going to have pay for any drinks either!!” Alicia said attempting to manifest more good luck.

A glass of wine turned into a bottle. The place was hopping and then the bartenders’ decided to mix us some flame shooters. As the liquid courage started to run through my veins I began spouting off to whoever would listen “I’m going to sign up for IronMan!!!” No one seemed to really take me seriously as I sipped from the trough. (The Bartenders specialty; a bucket of all mixed alcohols)

We sat at the bar for hours chatting and laughing with many great, interesting people and as predicted we stumbled out at three a.m. with no bar tab and an IronMan t-shirt on my back! “Oh what a night!”

At 7:30 a.m. we were rudely awaken by the nonstop buzzing sound of a blender and kids yelling at the top of their lungs in the kitchen. I turned over and looked at Alicia. “IronMan is mixing the world larges protein shake!! I’m getting out of here!” Completely sleep deprived we showered, packed up and got the hell out of dodge.

We checked in at the Summerland Resort & Spa and were ecstatic with our new pad! “This is how we roll!” Alicia smiled. Our gorgeous one bedroom suite was equipped with a full kitchen, soaker tub, oversized fluffy bed, 2 TV’s and a huge balcony overlooking the lake. I sighed as we sat on the deck enjoy the sun “Some things are worth paying for… Minimzing the odds of being killed in our sleep; priceless!”

Lakefront view even though they told us there weren’t any available

We took a quick ride back into Penticton to wish deWolf good luck in person. The wind was blowing hard and the lake was extremely choppy “The wind will die down by the morning, I swear it will be calm for your swim” I told him. deWolf was oddly relaxed; not showing any signs of anxiety what’s so ever. “It’s just another day of exercise” he smiled.

The morning of the IronMan race came fast, even though I had another one of my typical sleepless nights. We rushed back into town to see the start of the swim.

deWolf is in there somewhere

As promised the lake was calm

As returning IronMan supporters we were pretty familiar with the bike route and managed to meet up with my trainer about 6 or 7 times along the 180 kilometers stretch. Each time we saw him, he seemed upbeat and looked strong.

deWolf looking good at the top of Richter’s pass

“Could I do this Alicia?” I asked hesitantly. “For sure you could!” she said. “What should I do? Should I sign up or not?” I fretted back and forth all day long, I needed a sign!

We veered off at Keremos to grab a bite to eat. Once we returned to the highway we weren’t able to find him again so we thought best to try and catch him near the start of his marathon.  Standing at the seven kilometers mark the wind picked up and it started to rain. Alicia spotted him up the road and I waved my big homemade sign YOU ROCK!! He ran by us “Shoot me!” he said smiling. I laughed. “You’re doing great!! We yelled and cheered.

“Ok, can we go now??  I’m freezing!!!” Alicia shivered, jumping up and down; so off we went to warm up, clean up and rest up. We returned to the same spot a few hours later. Dusk made it hard to see the runners clearly but I know deWolf’s stride and saw him from afar “Here he comes!” I pointed and dashed to the side of the street. “Run with me.” he said.  As I ran beside him I couldn’t help but feel extremely proud of him! He said his foot hurt but he didn’t even look that tired to me. “You’re doing so great! You’re almost done! You’re a rock star! I said as I handed back his water bottle. “See you at the finish line” I yelled as he took off.

As we waited for him across the finish line I watched the many other Ironman finishers rejoice with friends and family. I couldn’t wait to congratulate him; after all IronMan was the very FIRST triathlon he’d even signed up for and completed amazingly! Crazy, impressive and extremely inspiring!

That night I lay in bed with a slight wine buzz and stared at the ceiling replaying the day in my head. “Are you telling me I shouldn’t sign up?” I asked deWolf as we ran. “This was a great experience!  You should definitely sign up!” he said after swimming 3.8 km, cycling 180 km and at that point being a mere 6 km away from finishing his marathon. My mind was spinning “I’ll regret if I do…but… worse, I’ll regret if I don’t!” That was my answer; I jumped out of bed, pick up my blackberry and texted my friend Mike “I’m signing up!” I typed. “Ok, I’m in!” he replied.

I slid back in bed. “Alicia, Alicia… Are you awake?” I whispered. “I’m going to register in the morning; will you line up with me?” I asked timidly “Yeah, I’ve already set the alarm for 5:30 A.M.” she replied. I pulled the blanket up to my chin and felt incredibly blessed to have such great friends.  Thinking about the journey and challenges that lay ahead, a surreal calm suddenly came over me. “Tomorrow is the start of a brand new year!” I thought drifting sound asleep.

PT Girl xo

I started training for my first marathon this week. I have 18 weeks until I run the Rock & Roll in Las Vegas; where everything is excessive, sinful and neon lit. “Fitting…right?”

Monday Hill Training: I felt good after this first run/interval session. I didn’t stop my Garmin and I managed to do the entire 6 km (including the 5 hills drills) at 6min/km. This hill is my secret weapon.  “Watch out…” Every Monday I will run 5 to 10 – 200 meters hills drills. The route there and back is about 5 km and the goal is to run this short distance as quickly as humanly possible.

Tuesday Cross Training/PT Session: I woke at the crack of dawn to meet my trainer at 6:30 a.m. Sleep deprivation left me feeling weak and unmotivated

Wednesday Medium Run: This was a tough day. I woke up grumpy and wasn’t able to shake it. After work all I wanted to do was go home, eat junk food and curl up on the sofa with my fur baby Gucci; I refused to mess up on my first week of training though. So I pushed away all thought of comfort food and laziness, I put my sneakers on and set out for the long loop around False Creek. The first few kilometers were horrible; negative thoughts swarmed my mind. “WTF was I thinking signing up for a marathon… have I gone mad?” The sea wall was packed and the wind was blowing against me. These factors were making me crabbier and when I got to the third kilometer I had the urge to stop and go home. “Suck it up! Seriously big baby! *&%$ You will train and you will kick ass!” I told myself. All of a sudden my pace picked up and I started feeling better.  As I rounded the bend to home I notice that I’d finished 9 km in 48:34 (5:30 per km).  I was pretty pleased with that considering my slow start.

Thursday Cross Training /PT session: This session was fun; probably because I spent so much time chatting and laughing. “I wanna beat Oprah’s marathon time…” I blabbed as I did my sit ups. “What was her time?” de Wolf asked “In 94’ she finished in 4:29:15” I responded smirking in anticipation of his disapproval. He stop in his track and looked at me in disbelief “Jessh!! PT Girl!! Darn right you’re going to beat Oprah!” I burst out laughing! He seems to have a crazy notion that I am way more capable (aka faster) than I actual am. I don’t quite know what to do with that sometimes….To be honest my true goal is run the marathon at 6min/km. de Wolf thinks I should aim for under 6min/km. Only time will tell but right now, today, as I sit at my desk after gorging on a pecan tart… this seems unrealistic.

Friday Rest Day: Mental preparation for 25 km tomorrow morning.

Saturday 24 km: Longest run ever. My calves were killing me from the ball thrusts from Thursday’s PT session but I was well rested; which is unusual.  I felt strong and kept under 6 min/km. Half way around Stanley Park I saw my friend Alicia playing with her dog Jetsom at the beach “Hey!! How you doing??… Can’t stop… ping you later” I waved.  My legs started to slow around 17.5 km and I struggled to keep my pace, falling behind.  I didn’t bring gels or Cliff bloks and ran out of vitamin water at the ninetieth kilometer. I had the intention of running 25 km but when I approached my place and saw that my Garmin said 24 km the thought of water made me salivate and I decided to call it a day!

I must admit I struggled at certain point during this run and started to question why I’ve set this new goal.  But I know myself; there is no turning back now. Pushing forward on bad days or when it gets tough is what fitness journeys are all about. If it was always  fun & easy then everyone would do it! If it didn’t take determination, persistence and pain the awesome feeling of achievement wouldn’t exist!

PT Girl xo

It all a distant dream… my girlfriends and I went to Scottsdale AZ for a spa getaway a few weeks ago. Our flight left Vancouver, BC at 7:30 a.m. We landed in Phoenix, got the car rental, stocked up on snacks and bevies and were at the Princess Fairmont pool by 1 p.m. After a few hours in the blazing sun I headed to my first spa appointments; a sixty minute massage is just want I needed to shift into relaxation mode.

“Beep beep beep…” I pushed the snooze button on my blackberry alarm two mornings in a row. CC and I hiked Camelback Mountain and Pinnacle Peak. We figured it would be best to start before it got to hot. Jules was perplexed by the sound of alarm clocks on vacation. “Have fun girls, I’ll be by the pool when you get back.” she yawned waving from her cloud like bed.  By 9 a.m. it was well over 100 degrees but we persisted and kept going even though I was sweating profusely and CC was showing symptoms of dehydration.

The first hike was followed by coffee, a shower and breakfast. I had about two hours of R&R  then changed in my workout wear and headed out to the hotel gym to meet Charles the Personal Trainer for a session. I was strangely energized and ready to give er’. I was also curious to see what I’d get for a $89 +18% gratuity PT session. Twenty five minutes in Charles asked “How you feeling?” “Greeeeat!” I grinned. “Huh?” He seemed surprised then kept insisting I maneuver the most difficult variation of each exercise he presented me. Charles was really nice and was able to quickly determine how hard he could  push me. “You’ve been taught great form” he complimented. We talked about the hike I’d just done and I explained that overcoming the heat was the most challenging part for me. “Camelback is a small hill compared to the Grouse Grind” I told to him. “I’ll have to come to Vancouver and hike this Grouse Grind you speak about.” Charles said. The Fairmont charges $64 for a 30 minute stretch session so it was nice of Charles to include a 20 minutes stretch at the end of my session. He observed the same as every other trainer and massage therapist does “You need to stretch more!” he said. My review of my Personal Training session at the Princess Fairmont was A+. Charles was friendly, personable, knowledgeable and adaptable. If you live in the Scottsdale area or plan on traveling there and would like a good ass kicking I would recommend calling him for a workout.

The week we got back I was swamped at work and only managed to squeeze in one PT session with de Wolf and one climb up the Grouse Grind. Our first attempt of the year was executed at 6:30 a.m.  The only good thing about going that early is the lack of other ‘crazy people’ in our way.  de Wolf  suggested we go up twice but by the time I got my sorry butt to the top there was no way! “I’m not going again, not happening!!” I shouted.  How quickly I forget how hard this hike is. “How did we do this three times in a row?” I asked de Wolf reminiscing of the day last summer we hiked up the Grouse Grind three times in a row before 11 a.m. where I’d actually I finish each climb under an hour and he’d finished his well under 50 minutes each. To me that seemed impossible right now.

This week was way more productive.  I had two PT sessions where abs seemed to be the “core” focus; fitting as bikini season is upon us I also laced up for the first time in seven weeks and did two short seven kilometer runs. Yesterday morning after the best uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep in a very long time, I decided to attempt a real run. Out before 8 a.m. the sun was shining, Stanley Park was all mine as I enjoyed my new tunes and the great West Coast scenery. Nowhere near a record time I was still pleased to complete 17 km with ease after such a long running hiatus. So even though I haven’t been training and will probably not run a personal best I’m thinking of signing up for the Scotia half marathon next weekend. “JUST DO IT!” Right?

PT Girl xo

With only 32 days before my race I decided to up my training for the next few weeks. On Monday I followed-up my spin class with a five kilometer run on the treadmill. On Tuesday I was pumped and ready to add a five kilometer run after my personal training session with deWolf. I thought this was pretty ambitious. But I was quickly told differently.  Seemingly I should be putting in a ten kilometer run rather than a measly five. I quote, straight from the “Fitness Lord’s” mouth “Lazy! God forbid if you actually put real effort into your training, imagine what you could accomplish.” I laughed because I knew he was somewhat teasing. This is our rapport, this is how we communicate; we banter back and forth, we mock each other and we argue about everything! Amused I said “Oh pleeeze… stop poking the bear already?!” to which he replied “Haha a bear? You’re no bear! You’re as threatening as a kitten!” Alight, I was ready to rumble; in five minutes he’d called me lazy and unintimidating.

As the training session went on he continued the abuse me, poor PT Girl, calling me untrustworthy with no substantial reasoning. Is the “Personal Training Domain” not a place where the client can share stories, concerns and woes?  This is definitely the case on the Biggest Loser. Where is my compassionate Bob? I know Personal Trainers don’t actual take a PT-Client oath but I assumed it went without saying.  What am I supposed to talk about? The character development of the TV series Lost? Movies reviews? Or the weather perhaps? BORING!!

The session wrapped up and during a stretch deWolf started to snicker. “What?” I asked. “Nothing.” he said. I looked up at him unconvinced and he followed with “PT Girl, it’s not all about you, you know!”Absolutely perplexed I said “WHAT?? …It’s not?” Can someone please tell me what this man is talking about?

I changed into my outdoor running shoes and got ready for my run. Listening to Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance my mind drifted and I started replaying the events of today’s session in my head “lazy…kitten… can’t keep a secret… lazy, kitten …it’s not all about you…” As the words ran through my mind I started to laugh and my legs went faster and faster. “Ahhaha, another great workout!” I giggled. I’m looking forward to getting ribbed some more at my next session… Meow!

PT Girl xo

Two sleepless nights and too many GG martinis made it difficult to wake up this morning. I pried myself out of bed and shoehorned a cup of Cheerios and skim milk down my throat. It was another gorgeous West Coast morning, the sun was shining but the city was still sound a sleeping. I ignored my dehydration and set out slowly trying to stay focused on my breathing.  As I neared the second kilometer my mind drifted and for some reason I started to think about the Personal Trainers in my life…

I signed up with my first Personal Trainer in search of a quick fix to shed few pounds. I didn’t enjoy working out, I was closed minded, stubborn and above I refused to set foot in a gym.  My first trainer Steve had the biggest challenge; not only did he have to train me in the rain; he would have to change my mind set on fitness.  In the end, he definitely played a role in my new found love of exercise. I gained confidence during our time together by running my first 10 km race and overcoming my fear of gyms. (For more on Steve refer to blog entries February 1 & 3)

I meet my second Personal Trainer Greg at the Steve Nash Sports Facility where he taught a spin class. Fourty-five minutes of nonstop spinning combined with cranked tunes and his vibrant energy made for an awesome workout.  By the end I was soaked and instantly infected by his positivity. I was determined to hire him as my personal trainer.

Yup! It was that easy; I cheated on Steve and coming clean was the only thing that would ease my guilty conscious. I dreaded having to call Steve and tell him I wouldn’t be seeing him anymore. I remember a moment of sadness while saying goodbye and said “This isn’t personal.  I’ve had great time training with you. Keep in touch.”

Since my cardio was decent now Greg thought it was time to focus on developing my overall strength. Weights and fitness equipment were foreign to me which made the training sessions with him challenging.  Lunges and burpees were his favorite torture devices. I wanted to curse him so many times… but he was so nice, I just couldn’t. This past summer, trying to schedule my sessions with him proved difficult due to an increase in my workload, so I decided to take a few months off from Personal Training. The weather was fantastic and I took advantage of it as much as possible, clocking 30-40 kilometers of running a week.

Now they say “the third ones a charm”…

My current and third Personal Trainer is deWolf.  We meet a few years ago when Steve sent him as a substitute to one of my sessions.  Back then any kind of stand-in or unfamiliar person training me would have normally sent me into a tizzy but deWolf had a calming aura and his “leave your drama for your momma” * straight forward attitude was refreshing; we quickly develop an amusing banter. I wanted him as my trainer from that day on but we don’t always get what we want…not even me!

Circumstances changed and we’ve been training together for the last six months. I’ve never felt stronger and I’ve never been faster.  deWolf knows how to push my buttons and get’s me to work hard. “My pain is his happiness!” I smirked.

“HONK!! HONK!!” the sound jolted me back to reality. Startled, I looked up and quickly dodged a three thousand pound metal weapon “Sweet Jesus! My bad, my bad” I sighed, waving apologetically at the annoyed driver. My heart was pounding so hard I could see it rise through my lululemon shirt. Once I crossed the street I stopped and took a couple deep breaths to try and calm my palpitations. I realized I couldn’t hear anything around me and turned down volume on my iPod then checked my Garmin watch. I couldn’t believe it; slightly hung-over and totally sleep deprived I had just ran thirteen kilometers in one hour and fourteen minutes. (My race pace last year) Ecstatic with my progress, I dashed for home quickly forgetting my about near death experience.

PT Girl xo

*deWolf

As mentioned in my previous blog, once upon a time I had a serious gym phobia and as a result the first year and a half I worked out outside with my Personal Trainer Steve. Under no circumstance did we set foot indoors. For 18 months, come rain, snow, sleet or shine we were out there twice a week. Steve’s fitness knowledge was apparent from the start but his subtle approach at breaking down the physical and mental limitations I’d place on myself was crucial to my development.

My only reference point to “sports “or “fitness” was equestrian jumping and a few seasons on the basketball team as a teenager. So when Steve asked me what my fitness goal was I offhandedly said “I wanna run a 10 km race under an hour.” Where that thought came from I had no idea but I believed this to be unattainable and had no intention of following through.

Each session Steve would make me do a variety of resistance exercises but always incorporated some running; and every couple of weeks I would notice I was capable of going a bit further before I had to stop to gasp for air. Before I knew it I was jogging for over 30 minutes without stopping. It took me a long time to admit it, but I was enjoying the workouts and even though Steve was a tad self-lovin’ he really grew on me.

Then one day, out of nowhere Steve reminded me of my goal and told me it was time to sign up for a race.  I tried to back pedal and make excuses but he would have no part of it.

I ran the Sun Run as my first 10 km race in 58min 24sec. When I crossed the finishing line I felt completely exhilarated and at that very moment I knew there was no turning back…I was absolutely hooked!!

PT Girl xo

The Personal Training Phenomenon

In 2008 approximately 261,100 people were employed in the fitness industry.  A growth of 29% is predicted between now and 2018.*  This is an above average growth for any sector and is due to the increasing number of people who are choosing to spend their time and money on fitness as well as the  recognition from corporations’ of the long term benefits health & fitness programs have on their employees.

A Personal Trainer should provide you with the proper guidance for reaching your fitness or weight loss goal. They should hold you accountable for your successes as well as your failures.  Finding the right Personal Trainer can have many benefits such as: quicker results, speeding up your learning curve and providing a great source of knowledge and motivation.

What to look for in a Personal Trainer:

1. Proper Certifications &  Insurance
2. Listens to your wants and needs
3. Records your progress by taking regular measurements or conducting fitness test
4. Able to provide a solid network (chiropractors, physiotherapist, massage therapist and contacts to sport specific training)
5. Enjoys his job and gets excited about your session – a good attitude
6. Professional  and accountable
7. Ends the session with a stretch

My Personal Trainer’s Warning Flags:

1. Doesn’t look more physically fit than you
2. Plays doctor and diagnoses your injuries
3. Takes calls or text messages during your session
4. Ignores your questions or needs
5. Arrives late for your session or doesn’t return your calls
6. Recommends trend diets and questionable supplements/herbs

*Statistics taken from United States Department of Labor http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos296.htm

My fitness journey started about three and half years ago… let me rewind.
I wouldn’t say I was fat  but soft and definitely out of shape. At 27, standing 5’6” I weighed in at 140 lbs. Ok…ok… I lie… 145 lbs. I loved smoking, especially when I consumed excessive amounts of alcohol. (I’ve managed to give up the smoking a few years ago.)

On the weekend I’d eat out with friends, consume thousands of calories in wine, GG martinis and shooters. When the dj went home and the lights were turned on I would head to the nearest drive-thru for my night cap.

My exercise routine involved online shopping for Billy Blank Tae Bo tapes. I attempted the workouts a few times telling myself that Billy’s 30 minute routine would melt away the cheese curds and gravy from the last poutine I ingested.

So how did I end up in a park discussing my fictional fitness goals with Steve the Personal Trainer of Pulse Personal Training I asked myself as I sat in the spring grass trying my damnedest to look interested in his pitch. I was completely out of my element; I hated everything about gyms (hence the outdoor meeting), my cardio was horrible. I wasn’t able to jog for more than 5 minutes and my attempt at doing a push up was comical.

Over priced Lululemon wear, skinny bitches & meatheads made me nauseous… and yet there I was nodding my head in agreement to Steve’s every word as he kept nattering seemingly unaware of my discomfort. As my uneasiness transformed to irritation I couldn’t help but to think about the two people who were to blame for me handing over my first of many cheques to Steve, not to mention that my ass was now wet!

Who are the culprits responsible for me dishing out tens of thousands of dollars on Personal Training? Mike a coworker and overzealous fitness freak who was training for his second Iron Man and Julie a good friend who always shared in my over indulgence of food & booze. Mike’s daily tales of swimming, running and cycling and Julie’s admission she’d been seeing a personal trainer was just the right formula to summon guilt about my own complacency. I cursed them both as Steve said “12 more squats, come on!”

PT Girl xo