Ahwatukee StrengthLab Personal Training 480-612-7726

As a life-long personal trainer and fitness coach my training paradigm is much like a steel structure; rigid and solid in actual form but flexible in essence.  I approach the largest concepts and the smallest of details with an open mind because I consider fitness to be an art form.  I’m constantly considering, pondering and refining the techniques, methods and approach.

To wake up slow, with just your thoughts and a good cup of coffee – it’s quite a treat. 

To be calm, centered, with no immediate objectives.  To appreciate, ponder and show humility.

To be here – where you are and wanting to be no where else. 

To experience slowness and deliberate thought for a just a few moments – right before jumping back into your life. 

Balance is a beautiful tool… exercise both ends frequently.

A Fighter’s Heart: One Man’s Journey Through the World of Fighting by Sam Sheridan

http://www.amazon.com/Fighters-Heart-Journey-Through-Fighting/dp/0802143431/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276644059&sr=8-1

Scientific evidence for the majority of popular health supplements today are negative in results… or even nonexistent! 

For example: antioxidants (molecules capable of slowing or preventing the aging process) are complex molecules that are not very well understood in their original form nor in their relationship to other antioxidant molecules.  Yet, that hasn’t kept myriad capitalists from making and marketing powders, pills and liquids exulting their human engineered benefits. 

The difference between snake oil and antioxidant supplements?  Generally nothing… 

Save your money and purchase inexpensive and widely available antioxidant sources such as fruits and vegetables instead.

The biggest nutrition mistake that many make is eating out too much.  

You can be careful… and you can try with diligence to make artful choices when dining out but the full disclosure of what you’re eating is rarely revealed – except to maybe your metabolism after the fact.  The majority of restaurants don’t care about your health… they care about your money!  And your money is easier to get the more caloric the food. 

To take control of your calories – you need to know the ingredients of the food that eat.

Several times each year, I’ll get a phone call from a perspective client, that’s best described as an interrogation.

I certainly don’t mind answering questions concerning my services… but to reject a perspective client after only one short conversation is common enough, that I thought I might share my thoughts on it here. 

Before you inquire… know that I have nothing to prove – yet I have much I can give. 

Be prepared to convince me, why we should train together.  While I share with you… why I think you should train with me. 

This is a mutual interview and we both have something to gain here – so put your best foot forward.

The Best Stories From Runner’s World Magazine Compiled in a Book!

http://www.amazon.com/Going-Long-Oddballs-Comebacks-Adventures/dp/1605295337/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275427900&sr=8-1

Mental and physical toughness is an acquired skill won through rough experiences, a bit of suffering and constructive observations.  And although some people can be naturally tougher (mentally as well as physically)  it’s generally a direct result of personal choice and thoughtful initiative.  With sustained effort and motivation anyone can improve upon their mental and physical toughness.  Anyone!

The single most important quality for improvement in your personal fitness is consistency!  In fact, the single most important quality for improvement in any area of your life is consistency.  In your dedication to consistency… mistakes will be made, changes will be needed, but the goal grows closer.  Plan daily, execute daily and repeat!

Our bodies are extremely resilient… but in order to keep them this way for a life-time of vitality it’s important to minimize the accumulation of damage.  Damage brought on from the over exposure of chemicals, self-inflicted damage through excess and overuse, as well as damage wrought by our everyday stresses.  Thoughtful and balanced nutrition, adequate sleep and relaxation, varied and planned physical acivity all contribute to our well being… while exposure to anything beyond moderation for extended periods of time can open the dark door of disease by weakening our bodies defenses.  It’s an acummulation of good decisions and intelligent behavior while minimizing excess and over exposure that can bear us fruit in the long run.

A high level of fitness is something special indeed.  And when you don’t have it – you know it.  You wish for it – but that doesn’t make it so.  The steps to achieving fitness are quite simple – although many find a way to blur them.  And when reached… fitness becomes a multifaceted tool.  A tool that can be used anywhere and in all situations that you encounter in life.  But where to find the motivation to continue once the glory of fitness has been found?  That’s quite simple as well.  There’s motivation everywhere around you.  Fighting the aging process!  Staying strong for those who need you!  Doing the things you’ve always wanted to do!  And going to the places you’ve always wanted to go!  Renew your motivation everyday through focused thought and practice your fitness with the discipline of a child at play!

The slimmed down Garmin 110 is now available ($200-$250). 

It’s greatest feature is its small size! 

While it’s biggest detraction (to some) may be its inability to track your current pace in real time.  Instead, it tracks your average pace which I believe to be more important in a “slimmed down” version of a GPS watch anyway. 

If you want more features you should go with the bulkier Forerunner 205, 305 or 405 – but you’ll pay for the added features in added weight.

StrengthLab gives it two “Biceps” up!  Favorite Garmin GPS watch available.

Check it out at Sole Sports below:

http://www.solesportsrunning.com/Garmin-Forerunner-110-with-Heart-Rate-p816.html

Our mental health requires digging persistently into the sweaty trenches of exercise – we enjoy it and we look forward to it!  The daily anticipation of the very moment when we can break free and exercise that deep will-power required to move with such conviction brings us hope, enthusiasm and strength renewed.  There’s something about the physical challenge, the immediate high and the post exhaustion that makes the daily effort of fitness necessary and welcoming.

“The Fighter’s Mind – Inside the Mental Game”

In his acclaimed national best seller, A Fighter’s Heart, Sam Sheridan took readers with him as he stepped through the ropes into the dangerous world of professional fighting. From a muay Thai bout in Bangkok to Rio, where he trained with jiu-jitsu royalty, to Iowa, where he matched up against the toughest in MMA, Sheridan threw himself into a quest to understand how and why we fight. In The Fighter’s Mind, Sheridan does for the brain what his first book did for the body. To uncover the secrets of mental strength and success, Sheridan interviewed dozens of the world’s most fascinating and dangerous men, including celebrated trainers Freddie Roach and Greg Jackson; champion fighters Randy Couture, Frank Shamrock, and Marcelo Garcia; ultrarunner David Horton; legendary wrestler Dan Gable, and many more. What are their secrets? How do they stay committed through years of training, craft a game plan, and adjust to the realities of the ring? How do they project strength when weak, and remain mentally tough despite incredible physical pain? A fascinating book, bursting at the seams with incredible stories and insight, The Fighter’s Mind answers these questions and many more.

Fitness and exercise get more important, rather than less important, as we get older.

Therefore, we should take a long-term approach to exercise, an approach that’s designed to keep us training for a life-time.  Weight training is the first priority here, not only to increase personal fitness through enhanced muscular strength and muscular endurance but to maintain a dynamic balance between opposing muscle groups; which equates to a healthy range of motion throughout the body and its joints when practiced consistently.  This is how range of motion is maintained or re-acquired as we age – stretching is NOT the answer to maintaining or increasing flexibility!  

Consequently, consistent and intelligent weight training builds a robust foundation that aerobic exercise can be built upon.  Aerobic exercise persued habitually, without a strategic resistance training program, is a recipe for imbalance, future injury and burn-out.  Furthermore, as we age, imbalances occur naturally (as well as unnaturally) throughout our bodies due to work related repetitive motions, trauma from accidents and muscle tissue loss due to inactivity (which can occur as early as 25 years of age).  As we age time spent resistance training should increase! 

To summarize… no health and fitness program is complete without both elements – weight training and cardiovascular training.  Unfortunately, both are typically not practiced consistently (or at all) and often when they’re executed they’re performed incorrectly by the majority of end users; the selected exercises, technique, frequency, intensity and duration are all keys to long-term progression and success.

Muscular strength, muscular endurance and cardiorespiratory endurance decline mostly because of a lack of exercise, not because of factors associated with biological aging.  Comprehensive research clearly shows that physical disuse accelerates the aging process and physical atrophy can begin at any age due to inactivity.

The New Balance 100 is a minimalist trail racing shoe.  Built low to the ground, the 100 transmits a great feel for the terrain and allows for nimble foot placement.  A Rockstop plate protects against stone bruising and also acts a propulsion device.  The upper is thin to help keep weight down (only 7.3 oz) so you can keep the pace up. A great option for minimalist runners.  I think it’s perfect for the road – even more so than the trail!   Check out Sole Sports in Tempe to see if it’s right for you!

If you live a sedentary lifestyle… by the age of 50 you will have lost approximately 25% of your physical capacity (that’s your independence we are talking about here).  That’s exactly 1% of lost physical capacity per year from the age of 25 to 50 years of age.  That’s pretty disturbing for independent minded people! 

Now contrast that lost 25% physical capacity with only 3.9% lost physical capacity of those who remained vigorously active until the age of 50.  Now that’s impressive!

To reiterate, sedentary individuals lose 25% of their abilities by the age of 50… while active individuals lose less than 4% of their abilities by the age of 50! 

That’s plenty of reason to push on…

The Wit, Wisdom and Insights of a Road Racing Icon Bart Yasso…

http://www.amazon.com/My-Life-Run-Wisdom-Insights/dp/B003D7JWTM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273599330&sr=8-1

The current average time for male and female marathon participants is approximately 4:15 minutes and 4:45 minutes respectively.  If you’re considering running a full marathon for the first time it’s advised that you run consistently for at least a full year before tackling the classic distance and if you’re considering participation in a half-marathon it’s best to have been running consistently for at least 6 months before engaging the distance.  Furthermore, first participating in 5K’s and 10k’s in your lead up to either distance is greatly advised for the experience they provide.  Breaking 3:30 minutes in a marathon is a great long-term goal for males and breaking 4 hours in a marathon is a great long-term goal for females.

Personally, I prefer to run on asphalt… it’s smooth, predictable, stable and fast!  But choosing to run on trails several times per week for specific workouts is a great way to increase your fitness while shaking up your fitness program.  Moreover, trail running is typically more difficult… requiring a higher level of fitness, a deeper overall exertion rate and a greater amount of mental stimulation in order to navigate the obstacles that confront you.  The path to running shouldn’t be just about covering the miles, but the journey itself… and the trail holds plenty of journey within it naturally.  In addition, changing things up by trail running decreases the likelihood of repetitive motion injuries due to trails requiring higher knee lifts, less consistent strides and a varied running gait throughout its duration.  If you love to run and you run often without incorporating trails into your program… shame on you for neglecting the trails.

For for more information concerning this book follow the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/Second-Wind-Rise-Ageless-Athlete/dp/0736074910

Your physiological health consists of three macro elements: Sleep, Nutrition and Fitness. 

Sleep is 40% of the equation… if you aren’t getting enough sleep don’t bother exercising.  Rest is considerably more important than exercise.  For instance, go a week without sleep and then go a week without exercise and see which one proves to be more integral to you and your health. 

Nutrition is another 40% of the good health equation.  If you eat high fat and/or highly processed foods, it won’t really matter how often or intense you exercise, you’re not going to see the results or gain the benefits that you’re after.  Moreover… fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and grains with quality fiber should make up the bulk of your diet.  When it comes to solid nutrition, it comes down to good choices being more numerous than bad choices to win over the day! 

Fitness is the remaining 20% of the equation!  If you have your sleep under control and you’re working to improve your nutrition, it’s time for fitness to play its integral role in your health and well-being.  Fitness consists of two vital elements… Cardiovascular Training (10%) and Resistance Training (10%)!  Make no mistake about it – they’re both equally vital to your fitness!

Exercise, which ever mode you choose and when approached with a positive mindset – is the ultimate in healing.  Restoring belief in oneself when things haven’t gone right… and unlocking doors to all of the possibilites that still remain locked-up inside you – one workout at a time.  Exercise, when approached with an open mind is restorative, preventative and magical… it’s the ultimate healer!

Most personal trainers don’t know enough… don’t care enough… and aren’t fit enough to call themselves professional personal trainers!  Fitness professionals have an obligation to be role models of upmost standards and to know a great deal of information about health and fitness.   It’s also a requirement for fitness professionals to impart all of these assets to their clients in a professional manner… not just once, but every single time they have an appointment.  It’s really a shame… to all the fitness experts out there (who fit all of these requirements) to have their clients diluted by unprofessionals who call themselves something they indeed are not.  Furthermore, it’s a shame to have all those misguided clients waste their time and financial resources on people who call themselves personal trainers when they indeed are not.

The importance of putting intellectual assets before financial assets has always been priority number one for me.  Wisdom, informal education, relationships, ideas, values, character, spirituality, health and well-being, morals, as well as ethics are more important to me than building a financial portfolio.  Make no mistake about it… putting intellectual assets first doesn’t mean that financial assets need to suffer.  Indeed, financial assets can be highly valued, pursued and thoughtfully sought after and remain quite important in one’s life.  But, rather, the sequence of priority in which intellectual and financial assets are pursued will determine the quality of your life and the quality of those who are important to you as well.  What are your priorities?

The short answer… asphalt is 6x softer than concrete which is why runners tend to favor running on the road.  However…

I don’t recommend that the casual jogger or walker take to the road in this way – it’s certainly safer and less irritating for all involved to just use the sidewalks as they were intended while exercising.  But if you log a lot of miles and you take your jogging pretty seriously there’s a tipping point where jogging on the asphalt (running toward traffic for maximum safety of course) becomes the viable option to improve comfort and avoid any future mechanical injuries.  

Because serious runners tend to favor running on the road toward traffic it tends to rub a lot of bicyclists and drivers the wrong way.  I’ve been on both sides of the issue many times!  Here’s the easiest way to approach this particular situation… take to the sidewalks and avoid any future conflict and stay safe!  I mentioned that already?  Oh, not for you?  Prefer the asphalt… as I do?  Well, upon approach, if a driver or bicyclist doesn’t show that they’re willing to yield for you at a respectable distance… then you should give up the right-of-way immediately and return to the sidewalk until after the on-coming traffic has safely passed by.  The asphalt will still be there – waiting patiently for you – when you safely return.

Look at this way… if we ask for something and we don’t get it – so what?  It wasn’t ours before asking and it’s still not ours now.  In fact, if we didn’t try asking for it, we weren’t going to get it anyway.  Therefore, rejection merely leaves us right where we started… no loss and no gain!  No better and no worse than before – no big deal.  Now, going a step further, if we ask for something and we DO get it, we’ve gained something that we didn’t have before asking and that’s a 100% gain with no loss.  The truth is we never have anything to lose by asking, but we’ll certainly gain nothing if we don’t.

Without a game plan, without knowing where it may lead, without worrying about the final result, without having all the proverbial ducks in a row… we start something big we’ve been meaning to do without having the entire blueprint before us – that’s “leaning into it”.  Most of us wait until the moment is right, the cards are stacked in our favor… or we know exactly how something is going to turn out before we start it.  Alas, those perfect scenarios never happen.  By “leaning into it” without knowing full well where it may lead us, we take the first steps necessary toward something big and important to us.  Easy enough?  Try leaning into it.

Stated simply… fitness is the capacity to do something and it’s generally physical in nature.  In essence, if you desire to increase your fitness level you desire to increase your ability to do a particular physical activity.  So, if your 5k PR (personal record) is 22 minutes on a particular course and you run the same course a year later 2 minutes faster then previously performed, there’s a good chance you’ve increased your running fitness.  Notice I mentioned “running” fitness only!  Fitness comes in many shapes and sizes… and it’s difficult to have a high level of fitness in all activities, but it’s a great goal to have!

StrengthLab was built with one very important point in mind – Freedom!  Freedom to train the right way – not the latest way.  Freedom to pursue my own personal fitness outside of the large burden a traditional facility would bring to the equation.  Freedom to build authentic relationships based on quality not quantity.  Freedom to enjoy the latest generation of fitness equipment without the burden of relying on less knowledgable staff.  In essence… freedom to enjoy my life with a proper balance and appreciation that it deserves while helping others reach their goals in a fresh and positive atmosphere.

I rarely push any make or model of running shoe because they’re just too personal in nature to the end user, so most runners should do their own research and buy what they like after some careful consideration.  However, keep in mind, that what works in the store, may not work well in actual application – it takes time and interest to get it right.  But the Brooks Cascadia (current model is Cascadia 5) are so good at what they’re intended to do that I can’t help but give them two thumbs up here.  They’re comfortable in all trail situations… stable on the jagged rocks, great in the off-road dirt, coupled with traction and a good fit – they’re simply hard to beat!  They’re even enjoyable when there’s no trail in sight.  http://www.brooksrunning.com/category/123195/Men%27s%20Shoes

Successful training is about finding the balance in your stress and recovery cycle.  Exercise is the stress and sleep is the recovery of course… but there are other stressors in life as well (such as work and family) so an individual needs to take the entire picture into consideration when buidling and following a consistent training program.  The key here is to find the correct amount of physical training, where your stress and rest cycle are in balance – week in and week out.  It’s a delicate craft for any athlete at any level of experience and it doesn’t come easily.

I absolutely don’t believe that everything happens for a reason.  Where does one get this impression?  Is it merely a coping mechanism?  For instance, if a child is hit by a car and is thus killed, one could say to the parents everything happens for a reason, but where’s the reason in it for the child himself?  Things simply happen outside of our control – in which we don’t understand – and we must deal with it.  A quick remark that “everything happens for a reason” doesn’t cut it.  Simply put, we can make the most of the situation that we’re facing or we can make it worse with negative thoughts and actions.  If something happens and it appears to be bad it’s simply an opportunity to dig deeper, grow stronger, test ourselves and learn from it.  Therefore, adversity is an opportunity that should be dealt with constructively; the alternative is destructive thinking/behavior and that is pointless to those who depend on you.  On the other hand, good fortune is an opportunity as well (but of a different stripe of course) and it holds just as many valuable lessons if we’re wise enough to see them.  In other words, good fortune is just as hard to handle in many cases as is misfortune.  There’s plenty of lottery winners who can attest to that (80% of lottery winners file bankruptcy within 5 years) and perhaps ultra-successful Tiger Woods (as well as many other athletes) may have something to share on that as well.  Wherever you find yourself and whatever the situation, there are lessons to be learned and challenges to be negotiated – so make the most of them.

I’m nearing 40 years of age now… and in nearly 20 years of training others and competing in various activites mixed with all types of talent (from highschool kids to professional athletes) I’ve learned some very important lessons along the way.  One of those lessons is this… the contest is always within you!  You vs You!  You cannot simply measure yourself by what you accomplished on a particular day or in a given year of your life, but rather, by what you should have accomplished with the talent and conditions you found yourself in.  Measuring yourself by how close you got to realizing your own best you, in any given situation, is one of the best methods to self-improvement.

Once we find a direction in life and we start to pursue it, we tend to stay focused on that goal until it’s met (i.e. finding a significant other, climbing the corporate ladder, buying a new home, etc.). In fact, most of us are setup to work harder on the way up toward our goals then to know what to do once we arrive at them.  Staying focused on a long-term goal can keep us motivated and out of trouble, but the day will arrive when the goal is met – then what?  This is where success met can become a problem.  A lack of humility and wisdom for the position in which we now find ourselves in, may land us looking failure straight in the eyes again.

Why waste your time trying to control what can’t be controlled?  When you get caught up in things over which you have no control, it merely affects those things over which you do have control.  Where’s your time better spent here?  Concentrate on what you can improve and change for the better and then be wise enough to know what’s out of your control and leave it be.  Time is so very limited – don’t waste it.

I never second guess myself when things don’t work out.  Decisions have to be made using the information you had available to you at that moment.  Information that has already been shown to you… and the assumptions of what that information may lead to in the future… coupled with your life experiences and sound judgment is all you have to rely on and time is of the essence for all decisions.  So you pick a direction and you go!  Mistakes will be made, an experience will be earned and you move forward with better decision making skills in the future regardless of the outcome.

Genuine smiles and authentic praise are so powerful and inspiring, yet most of us rarely provide any to others without desiring something in return.  I find it disconcerning how often I hear people say how awful other people are when the person providing the critique never has much of anything positive to say and never smiles at anyone else unless smiled at first.  Most people are good and most people are friendly and they could use your support.  I make it a practice to operate with less suspicion, more openess and let the other person prove me wrong.

UCLA’s John Wooden said it best… “it is better to trust and be disappointed occasionally, than mistrust and be miserable all the time.”

All of us have fears… but the brave put down those fears, set aside those fears or push through those fears.  What greater challenge can be offered a human being than the opportunity to overcome their personal fears one by one as the challenges present themselves?

Frankly, we human beings have been dealt a less than steller hand here; we’re physically and mentally fragile and if we’re lucky enough to live a long life (by human standards of course) we get to experience the loss of many dear things along the way.  Personally, I don’t train with such conviction for fitness alone… I train to show my deep disapproval of this experience.  I don’t want to lose everything… in fact, I don’t want to lose anything I’ve worked so hard for nor the things that matter so much to me… but I realize in the end, this isn’t my choice to make.  So, instead of feeling weak, hopeless and helpless – I push hard against my physical and mental limitations to show my disapproval and lack of acceptance of the weakness inherent in all of this.  It’s me against me… it’s the weak or the strong me, the productive or the indolent me, the needed or the needy me.  I’ve made a conscious choice to pound the weaker me into submission and go out showing my disapproval by being strong, ready and game.

Dependent people need others to get what they need because they have not found the skills to get the things they need on their own accord.  Independent people get what they need through their own efforts and initiative but don’t realize how much of their success comes by way of other people.  However, inter-dependent people… combine their own personal efforts with the efforts of those past and present to obtain their greatest achievements.

I see it often, as do you, someone stating one thing but doing another.

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re going and where you’ve been… you do not get credit for good things past.

Remember, if you want respect and influence, than leading by example is not the main thing – it’s the only thing… and it’s done all of the time.

You are in many ways a direct product of your personal environment… so choosing the right environment for personal growth can assist you greatly in your pursuit of personal development and satisfaction.  Environment includes all types of things… from the company you keep, the neighborhood you reside, the job you spend so much time doing and the thoughts you find yourself thinking.  Choose the environment(s) that will best develop you toward your life’s objectives, otherwise… your environment will do nothing more than hold you back.

We act as if being comfortable, having nice things and possessing lots of money were the primary requirements in life.  When all we really require to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about!  Take some interest!  If you’re dull and bored you have no one to blame but yourself.

Far from being a disadvantage… struggles are a decided advantage in life; developing qualities that would forever lie dormant without them.  In fact, many people have found their strength in life due to having rough experiences at an early age and personal weaknesses that needed addressing throughout their lifetime.  Moreover, goals that we have held for years that have seemed to allude capture are often our biggest gifts in life because they keep us striving in pursuit of them; we would certainly atrophy without these personal struggles.  So perhaps we should respect our struggles… for they force us to be our best.

Without a “definite chief aim” (as Napoleon Hill suggested in his book Law of Success) how can we expect to get where we want or need to go in our lives?  The majority of people working their way through their daily, monthly and yearly tasks allow the fickled wind to direct their sails in whichever direction the wind is blowing in that very moment.  Until we’ve considered and chosen a definite purpose and path in our lives we waste entirely too much time… and dissipate entirely too much energy… going absolutely no where or just as frequently, in too many directions at once to be of any use to us.  So, I ask… what is your definite chief aim?

The law of attraction can go a long way in revealing who and where you are in your life.  In other words, people of the same ilk tend to associate with one another and share the same views and thoughts on life.  It’s no accident that those who find success in life, tend to seek the company of others who are themselves successful.  Those who are on the ragged edge of life seem to seek company of those who are in similar circumstances.  Surrounding yourself with positive, strong and motivated people takes work, it does not happen by accident.  If necessary, take the time and effort to change your company for the better.

We all need time to ourselves – some need more and some need less – but we all require it to some degree.  Consequently, spending time alone, without distractions, increases our self-awareness through lowered stress and clearer thinking… helping us take full responsibility for our thoughts, feelings and behavior without the hinderance of someone else’s influence or personal agenda upon us.  What better way to center and balance ourselves than through solitude.

I’ve been an athlete for over 20 years and marathons have never stacked up to the 5K distance when it comes to overall health and fitness.

For a one-off challenge (or maybe a year or two of your training life) the marathon rules!  But from a longevity perspective there’s really no competition, the 5K event distance breaks the marathons back head to head!    

Here’s Why:

First of all, training for a 5K race distance has a much higher rate of adherence among its participants than a marathon event simply because it’s a shorter distance… which is not a weakness, but rather an advantage.  By that same token, participating in a second or third 5K event is much higher for the very same reason.   Less distance is often more – if you know what I mean. 

Secondly, the injury risk is much lower in regards to 5K involvement, because the distance covered in training and racing is considerably less than that involved with a marathon… and you’re less likely to over-train for the shorter event as well.

Thirdly, you can still find the time to cross-train effectively with other activities such as weight-lifting, bicycling and swimming when training for the next big 5K event.  This leads to a better health and fitness balance which further reduces your risk of injury and burnout. 

Fourthly, your necessary training time is considerably less leading up to your chosen 5K as mentioned, allowing more time for family, career, hobbies, friends and/or relaxation.  A better life balance…

Another benefit of the 5K distance is the availability of a race… nearly every weekend you can find at least one to participate in somewhere in the valley and many, if not most, are for charity… therefore, they’re tax deductible and you’re helping to further a cause.

Lastly, the marathon training distance and the race distance itself has repeatedly been shown to reduce your immune system and detract from your daily energy as the miles and/or intensity goes up!  I personally don’t care for the drained feeling as the miles go up… and being sick is a big fat waste of time.

Put plainly… the 5K distance is the smart distance for those who want to train intelligently, long-term and for a life-time. 

See you at the next 5K!