Outside the Box - Canuck Style (la deuxième partie)
Our third day in Calgary started off with a beautiful morning, crisp and cool and perfect for a run. It was three and half miles to CrossFit Calgary so Lisa and I decided to go for a run with a workout at the end of it. Steve took advantage of the rest day as Audrey and Allison started their second day of the certification. At the facility, we met with Gord, the trainer for the 7am workout and chatted a few minutes while the Sunday morning regulars wandered in. Gord led us through a great warm-up which gave me some new ideas to bring home and although we were already quite warm from the run, it limbered us up for the workout. Lisa stuck with the recommended OHS/ring dip couplet while I opted to trade out some other moves that didn't aggravate my already aggravating injuries! After the workout, we spent a few more minutes chatting with Gord and some other athletes, grabbed a t-shirt and headed back to the condo. Although, not without first re-fueling with coffee and carb drinks and a donut. OK, so I was the only one who had carb drinks and a donut. OK, so I didn't have just one donut. Three, in fact. Then a nice sun-shiny walk back to the condo.
Lisa didn't get to experience as much of the CrossFit Kid's program as she had hoped, since the certification threw a wrench into the CrossFit Calgary schedule. I don't believe, however, this has dampened her enthusiasm for training young people here in Choteau. Look for great things from her and Audrey as they continue to grow their fitness program for kids.
In talking with Gord at CrossFit Calgary, he invited me up to visit OPT's facility on the north side of Calgary, so Steve and I took a drive up there after dropping Lisa off at a kid's workout. OPT has a nice little studio workout facility with all the appropriate equipment...and then some. We had a chat with Gord and one of the other trainers, and spent a few minutes observing the training. It was nice to experience CrossFit Calgary (one of CrossFit's centers of excellence) and OPT's facility (which works with and produces numerous world-class athletes).
The clock was ticking on the impending test that I needed to show up for at 2:00pm, so we grabbed a bite to eat and then headed back to CrossFit Calgary one more time to drop me off for the test check-in.
I gotta say, I hadn't been nervous in a long time. I suppose on a daily basis, I get nervous to some degree about something, but arriving for the test got me really twisted up! Thoughts that were running through my head: I didn't even open the book! Should I have studied? What if I am not as ready as I thought? Lots of crazy things ran through my head, but I resigned myself to the fact that the time had come and I needed to get my head straight. Everyone taking the test got to sit through the certification's last lecture of the day, which was on programming, and it gave me a chance to settle down and relax. Then we were given the parameters for the test, our test booklets and answer sheets and 3-2-1-GO! Test Time! Forty-five minutes to answer fifty questions correctly. A serious mental workout!
Ever since high school, I have always taken every available second to verify my answers when taking a test. And, true to fashion, I was the last one done! When I looked up, there was no one else in the room and the instructor was walking towards me with his hand out, ready to snatch my answer sheet away from me. I walked outside and had a smoke to calm my nerves. Just kidding. I enjoyed the sunshine and reflected on the past four months since the first person came forward and expressed an interest in becoming a trainer. Everyone who committed to the certification showed a very intense dedication to learning the material and passing the exam, which benefited me greatly since I was included in a number of the study groups and trainer's meetings where the material was discussed. I've read the trainer's manual, watched countless hours of video, read hundreds of articles, visited with many other trainers and did the workouts, but the time spent with Allison, Audrey, Lisa, Megan and Tracy was the most beneficial to my preparation for the test. I owe them greatly for being so thorough in their studies, because it prepared me as well.
We left Calgary with the TomTom (kinda) leading the way, and enjoyed sunshine all the way to the border, where we had a gem of a border agent welcome us home! But no worries, we crossed without incident and drove in the rain the rest of the way to Choteau. With the day off for Memorial Day, I am rested and ready to hit the week running...and I hope you are too. Look forward to some changes coming to the gym...more faces leading the groups, more times to workout, more options for training, more summer adventures, and more of life ONDEG.
Lisa didn't get to experience as much of the CrossFit Kid's program as she had hoped, since the certification threw a wrench into the CrossFit Calgary schedule. I don't believe, however, this has dampened her enthusiasm for training young people here in Choteau. Look for great things from her and Audrey as they continue to grow their fitness program for kids.
In talking with Gord at CrossFit Calgary, he invited me up to visit OPT's facility on the north side of Calgary, so Steve and I took a drive up there after dropping Lisa off at a kid's workout. OPT has a nice little studio workout facility with all the appropriate equipment...and then some. We had a chat with Gord and one of the other trainers, and spent a few minutes observing the training. It was nice to experience CrossFit Calgary (one of CrossFit's centers of excellence) and OPT's facility (which works with and produces numerous world-class athletes).
The clock was ticking on the impending test that I needed to show up for at 2:00pm, so we grabbed a bite to eat and then headed back to CrossFit Calgary one more time to drop me off for the test check-in.
I gotta say, I hadn't been nervous in a long time. I suppose on a daily basis, I get nervous to some degree about something, but arriving for the test got me really twisted up! Thoughts that were running through my head: I didn't even open the book! Should I have studied? What if I am not as ready as I thought? Lots of crazy things ran through my head, but I resigned myself to the fact that the time had come and I needed to get my head straight. Everyone taking the test got to sit through the certification's last lecture of the day, which was on programming, and it gave me a chance to settle down and relax. Then we were given the parameters for the test, our test booklets and answer sheets and 3-2-1-GO! Test Time! Forty-five minutes to answer fifty questions correctly. A serious mental workout!
Ever since high school, I have always taken every available second to verify my answers when taking a test. And, true to fashion, I was the last one done! When I looked up, there was no one else in the room and the instructor was walking towards me with his hand out, ready to snatch my answer sheet away from me. I walked outside and had a smoke to calm my nerves. Just kidding. I enjoyed the sunshine and reflected on the past four months since the first person came forward and expressed an interest in becoming a trainer. Everyone who committed to the certification showed a very intense dedication to learning the material and passing the exam, which benefited me greatly since I was included in a number of the study groups and trainer's meetings where the material was discussed. I've read the trainer's manual, watched countless hours of video, read hundreds of articles, visited with many other trainers and did the workouts, but the time spent with Allison, Audrey, Lisa, Megan and Tracy was the most beneficial to my preparation for the test. I owe them greatly for being so thorough in their studies, because it prepared me as well.
We left Calgary with the TomTom (kinda) leading the way, and enjoyed sunshine all the way to the border, where we had a gem of a border agent welcome us home! But no worries, we crossed without incident and drove in the rain the rest of the way to Choteau. With the day off for Memorial Day, I am rested and ready to hit the week running...and I hope you are too. Look forward to some changes coming to the gym...more faces leading the groups, more times to workout, more options for training, more summer adventures, and more of life ONDEG.
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