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Are You Too Old For Golf Fitness Workouts
Many a senior golfer would not resist the temptation to skip golf fitness workouts, using their age as an excuse. And at first glance age would seem to be a genuine excuse to avoid golf fitness workouts. After all golf fitness workouts, as most...
Be Prepared For Your Kayaking Adventure With the Corrrect Paddles
The paddle is probably the most important part of kayaking.
Harmony paddles are the best for both new and experienced
kayakers.
Professional and sporting kayakers know how important paddles
are to their kayaking abilities. Harmony kayak...
Online shopping for bike accessories
At one time you could only buy bike components at your local bike shop, if they had what you wanted or you had to hope they could order it and then you would have to wait for it to come and hope it was the right size, colour or price. Then bicycle...
Soccerbetting Techniques And Skills
Why becomes a soccer bettor one may ask? Where it is considered a negative occupation where it is often regarded as non productive, immoral behaviour. well as for every other thing everything there is the pros n cons.if you able to use it to your...
The Origins of Baseball.
No one knows for sure where baseball exacted originated. However, most baseball buffs will concur that the sport is based on the English game of rounders. In the United States, baseball became popular in the early 1800's, originally known as...
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Beginners Luck?
For most athletes, finishing an Iroman triathlon is beyond their physical and mental capabilities. To be an actual competitor is unfathomable. Maintaining the speeds these elite individuals do, over the courses and distances, is a truly amazing feet of human perseverance and endurance. That is why I was astounded by the incredible finish of Alex Morton, a 35 year old first time Ironman rookie.
Alex raced the Great Floridian Ironman in October. Not only was this his first Ironman, but it was his first marathon. Alex was 26th out of the water, moved up to 7th at mile 116 on the bike, and reached 5th at mile 11 on the run. It was at this point his inexperience took its' toll. Alex did not eat or drink enough on the run and hit the wall. He got sick, recovered, and still managed to limp in to finish first in his age; 12th overall. I have no doubt in my mind that if Alex had stuck to a more regimented plan for staying fueled and especially hydrated, he could have maintained or exceeded the 5th placed he attained.
There is no denying Alex is a gifted natural athlete. But he only began his training with CTS in spring of 2002, just 6 months before his Ironman race. Alex competed in cycling from 1986-89. He had to stop riding for some time to allow a back injury to heal up. He did a few sprint tris in 1994 and took up cycling again in 1995-97, but hung the bike back up. He did not get back in the saddle again until July of 2001 when he weighed a stout 195 lbs. His exercise at that point consisted mainly of golfing.
Alex told his wife Sandy that he wanted to race an Ironman. She gave him an account with CTS, and the time
to train as a gift. Alex started training with me in April. Pretty much from the beginning I realized he had enormous potential. His numbers were superb and he had great determination. Alex also has tremendous ability to recover from even the toughest work outs. His weight dropped to a pre-competition 165 lbs. His speed continued to improve through the summer as his heart rate dropped. Alex came down with a bad case of bronchitis, but decided to compete in a large sprint race in Cleveland against my better judgment. He did not realize until someone called him the next day he was first in his age and second overall! This is when I began to consider I was working with someone truly exceptional.
Moving forward, Alex would like to qualify and compete for the Kona Ironman. He would also like to finish an Ironman in less than 9 hours. He could not train like he does without the full support of his wife Sandy. He has two children, Gabriel 3 and Alex 1, and is General Manager of Preferred Industries. Obviously this requires some serious time management skills and understanding from his family. Alex is motivated by the need to demonstrate to his children they can achieve great things if they work hard for them. Competing is his way of proving anything is possible. I am very optimistic about his future.
About the Author
Matt Russ has coached and trained athletes around the country and internationally. He currently holds licenses by USAT, USATF, and is an Expert level USAC coach. Matt has coached athletes for CTS (Carmichael Training Systems), is an Ultrafit Associate. Visit www.thesportfactory.com for more information.
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