A Letter To My Coach

I'd like to take this moment to talk about our journey together preparing myself for this 5K I'm running tomorrow morning. I'm excited and nervous, but feel as ready as I can be. The reason I feel ready is a great deal thanks to you.

First of all, let me say that during my life I have not been an athletic type. I never ran, biked much, or took part in fitness extracurricular activities like Zumba classes or martial arts, etc. Additionally, over the past ten years, I've had a few surgeries and have dealt with extreme anxiety issues. Add to that I smoked and drank heavily for years, but no longer do either.

In February, I was out dancing one night and realized how out of shape I was. I ran out of breath easily after one or two songs. My calves hurt for about a week after that night. A week or two later I went dancing again, and while I did a little better, I still felt that I was out of shape. I also could feel my chest during during and after.

I decided to see a cardiologist to get my heart checked. I had a few EKGs done recently at the time, but they all came back fine. Still, I wanted to make sure. The cardiologist took one listen to my heart and said it sounded good and strong and she didn't feel there were any problems.

I immediately joined a gym near my then apt., a Workout Anytime. I started hitting the treadmill. At first, I'd run a half mile, then a mile, and eventually worked my up to an occasional 3-mile run. After each run, I'd also work out on the machines. One day I ran the three miles in 39:48 an was very happy to have done it in under 40 minutes.

In July I bought a house and relocated to a new area where I joined a new gym because I wanted to keep up with my exercise. Again I did what I was used to, hitting the treadmill and then the machines. But I kept noticing folks over on the free weights and wanted to know more. I decided to look around for a trainer and program that could teach me more about free weights. I reached out to a friend and they referred me to their trainer and set me up an appointment.

When I logged on for my consultation I didn’t know what to expect, but I was excited and I met this young man with a drive that was contagious. You could see it in his eyes. He had long braids of hair and was super nice. His name was Myles. I didn't know then how he would change my life.

So I used that consultation to go over free weights. He showed me the basics and set me up for a follow-up workout where we had a good session. Afterward, he asked me why I was working out. He said usually people work out because they have a certain goal in mind like losing weight, running a marathon, etc. I mentioned that I could be interested in running a 5K, but I would want someone to run it with, and being in a new area I knew no one, and he said something to me that solidified the deal. He said that if I was committed to running the 5k and sticking to the training program, he'd come into town and run with me. That impressed me and I was sold, so I signed him on as my trainer.

I don't even know where to begin on how to explain our sessions together. We decided to run the Spooktacular Chase 5K. That left us about two months to train. Eight weeks, no big deal, right? Well... sort of.

These past eight weeks Myles has pushed me to become a different person today than I was when we met, but he doesn't do it in a military-style way, he's very kind and friendly but makes sure you stay the course. That makes working with him so much better and more enjoyable than say a coach or something. I believe in him and respect his knowledge so I'm willing to do the work. I also admire him for being such a go-getter, something I can relate to.

Things didn't go well at first, and truthfully, I had plenty of bumps and obstacles throughout the entire eight weeks. After one workout during my first week, I did more than I was prescribed trying to push myself and I overworked myself to the point that I ended up hyperventilating on the gym floor and wound up in the ER. Turns out I just didn't eat enough before my workout and dried up my inner resources. So, one of the first things I learned was how to eat properly, how much, when, etc. Important to know when embarking on a long-term workout regimen.

During our training sessions, I learned a lot. It was like going to work out university. A few weeks ago we had reached our stride. I was impressed by how much thought Myles put into tailor-making my workouts for me specifically and for our run specifically as well. Then we started incorporating running into our workouts. I'd run several laps around the strip mall, etc. My breathing immediately became a red flag that needed to be worked on.

Another challenge we ran into was that during one run with a friend who came to visit, I did a 2-mile run in under 20 minutes and was ecstatic! A week later during the same run, I experienced the awful pain known as shin splints! Ouch! About a week after that, I decided to run a full three miles. During the run, I experienced terrible chest pain, maybe linked to heartburn or my hiatal hernia above my stomach. I almost stopped the run, but slowly pushed through. I walked a lot, running when I felt like it. The pain started to subside after a while. Then I had a knee hurt on me, thankfully briefly. Still, I pushed on. In the end, when I had given up on a good run time, my watch told me I finished in just over 37 minutes! I couldn't believe it! I had officially beaten my treadmill record! But not inside an air-conditioned gym, but outside, in the elements, on a road! I knew then I had made a lot of progress.

Last week I went to the mountain where I did stretches and then hiked up and down the mountain. I found it quite exhausting, but good for me. A few days later in my driveway, I did a hard cardio workout and I noticed something. While I was still out of breath a few times during the workout, I wasn't nearly as out of breath as I was when my training had first started. I had made progress! That made me very happy!

Now, the night before the race. I'm hydrated, ate carbs for dinner, and am ready to tackle this 5K. I could NOT have done this without Myles. I hope I run well and finish well tomorrow and feel sure that I will. Thank you, Myles.

As for my future. I plan to continue training and working towards bettering my health, and I may do another run or something early next year. I recommend anyone who needs a trainer, to consider Myles or the New Image Coaching Program. Since we've worked together, Myles isn't just my trainer. He's my friend!