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Lori's Story
"For the past few years my Daughter and I have participated in the Sturgis Falls 5k Run/Walk. I am not very athletic so we always do the walk part of this event. There is always a moment my daughter and I turn to each other and both then agree that maybe we should have prepared a little better to participate in this event than just showing up for it. This usually happens as our legs are beginning to rebel and the breathing is coming a little hard.
The first couple of years all I wanted to do was just finish the 5k Run/Walk without being the very last person across the finish line and having a time not to exceed an hour. This year my goal was a little different I wanted to be prepared and not feel like I was killing myself. I also wanted to have a time of 45 minutes or less. I started by myself just getting out and trying to walk a little each day. But I felt I still wasn't doing what I needed to truly prepare for the event. This is where Coach Jeff Smith stepped in and made all the difference.
I mention to Coach Smith my new goal for the Sturgis Falls 5K Run/Walk. He sat down with me and asked what my specific goals were for this event and what activities I was doing to prepare me for it. Coach even asked about athletic abilities and activities I participated in as a factor to develop a training program that was right for me. Coach Smith even inquired about what type of athletic shoe I was wearing while I trained. I was even surprised when he asked about a current physical and nutrition to make sure I was doing everything that would in the long run benefit me. Coach Smith then designed a specific work out program for me to use as a training tool. He gave me specific work out routines for each day with a day off during the week.
There are a number of things I greatly appreciated about the training program he designed for me. The routines varied on a daily basis, which was nice that I wasn't doing the same activity each day. The routine for each day while pushing me more each day was still realistic enough that I could actually accomplish the task before me. This helped immensely with my confidence that I could actually attain my goal.
I began to notice that physically I was feeling better and mentally I was more upbeat. I actually started looking forward to taking time each day for my training. When I had sat down with Coach Smith to go over my goals for the next 6 to 8 weeks it was decided that my goal would be 45 minutes for the 5K Walk/Run and a weight loss of 16 pounds. The last part I just knew I wasn't going to make. I had told him I did not want to change anything about my eating habits. I figured I would already be kind of grumpy from the exercising that I really didn't want my food intake to be changed. He didn't push me on that issue but said just wait and see what happens. The further I got into my training and I began to lose weight because I was physically active on a daily basis the more I began to be aware of the foods I was eating.
In the end when it came down to the last day of my training before the race I had lost 15 pounds without making that a main focal point of this whole work out routine. That was a very nice surprise that I hadn't expected to meet. I came across the finish line with a time of 41:33, which was better than my goal of 45 minutes.
The personal satisfaction I had after the whole experience was truly gratifying. I know I could not have done as well as I had without the guidance of Coach Smith. The training schedule he put together for me plus almost daily checks on my progress made a difference. By race day besides not wanting to let myself down I didn't want to let Coach Smith down either. He spurred me on for this event to go outside my traditional comfort zone and strive for more. His encouragement meant a lot to me, especially on a couple of training days that I had struggled with. I would highly recommend Coach Smith to anyone who was training for an event. I know I might have only been working towards walking for an event but his overall balance of a work out routine, proper athletic footwear, nutrition and health made all the difference to achieving my goals. I think his great positive attitude in helping make my goals a reality is beyond words. I can't thank him enough."
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