Season Recap

So as this ‘season’ of blogging is coming to an end, let’s recap the highs and lows of the semester.

My favorite part of blogging was the excuse to read more fitness blogs, try new athletic adventures and generally spend more time interacting with things I already love. I spent time following more fitness-focused people and organizations on Twitter and have found myself spending a lot more time there now that there is less news on my feed and more content specifically about the things I enjoy.

I also tried hot yoga as a result of this blog (I never wrote the post) but that turned out to be a great opportunity. I now go twice a week because it’s a great workout and incredibly mentally relaxing. I always leave the studio drenched in sweat and in the best mood ever!

The biggest challenge to blogging was having great ideas to write about and not having the time to try out the activity. Anyone ever tried a spinning yoga class? It’s a 2.5 hour combo class with a spinning segment and a yoga segment but the closest gym that hosts these classes was an hour away from me. Finding the time to do activities that provide you with the material to write about was definitely the biggest challenge for the blog over the course of the semester.

At this point, I don’t think I am going to continue blogging because as in all sports and fitness, sometimes you just need a little time off. While I do enjoy writing these posts, my time is quite limited at the moment and I would rather invest my time working out and trying new things rather than sitting behind my computer writing about them.

So this retired athlete is retiring from blogging for now… but keep an eye out for a comeback 🙂

NIKE Women: Leading the Way

Women have become the focus of a lot of fitness conversation so who better to turn to than the brand that kicked off this female-focused converastion: Nike. Nike’s Nike Women blog shares content ranging from product reviews to interviews with fitness professionals. The blog rarely features workout specific information but frequently references the Nike Training Club program, referenced in a previous post.

Nike Women has a significantly higher readership and prominence than my blog and has access to high level power players in the sports and fitness space. Nike Women is also a very visual blog and uses far more photos than I do. The blog, and its related properties on Facebook and Twitter, are very transparent and obviously related to Nike, the driving force behind the content. Nike Field Reporters are often the ones driving the conversation and the Nike name is everywhere.

The blog engages readers through the Nike Eomen Facebook page and through its Twitter account, which frequently tweets over ten times a day. But the best part of the blog is that I feel it reaches out to women like me who are serious about working out. Very often fitness blogs aimed at women are wimpy and include articles about how to keep your makeup looking good at the gym (I’m not kidding!).

Nike’s efforts to get women involved in the fitness conversation and the transparency of the brand behind the blog both make Nike Women a successful endeavor. The one major improvement I would suggest to the blog is to include more specific fitness related  information, such as workouts and nutrition snippets. I would not naturally check this blog on a daily basis but due to high frequency of content delivery across its social media properties, I am often driven to the workouts offered on the site and end up checking out what is new on the blog.

Workout Tip: Team up with your furry friend

This is the first cold season that I have had to set my own workout regime and I have found it super difficult to motivate myself with the uninviting weather and shorter days. I was trying to think of creative ways to get myself outside to workout when I read DC Doggie‘s post, Getting Fit with Fido at the DC “Woof Walk”. The review of the “Woof Walk” and statistics about using your furry friend as a workout pal inspired me to reevaluate my snugly Corgi Caesar as a workout buddy.

I went to the “Woof Walk” in Washington, D.C. last month and joined a session of “Doggie Yoga” with Caesar and I’ll admit the theory of doing yoga with a rambunctious dog is interesting to me. But Caesar was amazingly calm and I thought he was enjoying our little yoga session but my boyfriend later informed me that he thought the pup looked nearly suicidal as we stretched and tried different positions together. (I guess yoga just isn’t his thing.)

But according to DC Doggie‘s post, a significant portion of dog owners are motivated to workout by their furry friends:

A recent Mars Petcare survey found that nearly two-thirds of dog owners engage in exercise on a weekly basis because of their dog and that dogs are the driving force behind two-thirds of the walks their owners take each week.

So I tried taking Caesar on my weekend morning run. But the other thing about my lovable little Corgi is that his legs are short and he struggles to keep up with me on runs. He can run a 7 min mile for about one mile and then he is toast. And by toast, I mean he literally lays down in the nearest yard and refuses to move.

I love this face…

…and he definitely motivates me to get outside and get going but I think for now we will stick to soccer because goalie is much more his forte than yoga or distance running.

For DC Doggie‘s full post on the “Woof Walk” and working out with your pet, please visit Getting Fit with Fido at the DC “Woof Walk”.

Another Season Comes To An End

The best part of any sport is tournament time. There is a unique competitive atmosphere that inspires athletes and differentiates the teams that have the ‘X’ factor, from those that don’t. It’s do or die!

There is a flip side to the excitement of it all and that is the fact that only one team gets to savor success until the very end; the majority of teams end their season in a loss. I was lucky enough to see Syracuse play Maryland on Sunday in a battle for a bid to the Field Hockey Final Four. Syracuse dominated regulation play but they could not seal the deal in 70 minutes and were forced into overtime where Maryland dominated and eventually snaked a goal past junior goal keeper Leann Stiver.

I was extremely disappointed for the Syracuse team but the day was a good opportunity for reflection because I stood in their shoes exactly one year ago. Many of those girls are still good friends and I physically felt the disappoint of falling short of the goals they had set for the season. But I also stand a little wiser a year later and although extremely disappointing, a loss like that is a relatively small mark on a great career. It’s hard to realize but every team except one ends their season with a loss and there are plenty of other milestones to celebrate if you make it even to the elite eight of the tournament.

But the tournament continues on without Syracuse… So who do you think will win the Field Hockey Final Four?

With such a strong Final Four field it is difficult to predict a winner. Old Dominion has struggled in recent year but has come back with a fire storm this year. University of Maryland and UNC are both perennial powerhouses but neither has had their strongest showing this year. It’s tough for me to see UConn in the Final Four over Syracuse but at least the Big East is represented.

Three of the four team will end the year with a loss but I think celebrating success along the way is essential. Even Syracuse, which is constantly unhappy with an elite eight bow out, must take time to look back at the goals scored, the games won and the records set. Losing the last game of your season, and your career, is a tough pill to swallow but respectively Syracuse must appreciated that they are still top 8  in the country with an RPI in the top 3. Few teams in the country, in any sport, can boast that level of success.

For more information on the Syracuse University Field Hockey team and their achievements this season, please follow this QR code.

REVIEW: Nike Training Club App

There are a multitude of fitness apps on the market right now but my favorite by far is the Nike Training Club app. This app stands out from the crowd  because it is easy to navigate, has great visuals and comes with the Nike pedigree that guarantees exercise expertise.

Well organized. The app is clearly bucketed out with suggested workouts from Nike that you can personalize to the exact type of workout you are looking for that day. For example, you can chose between beginner, intermediate and advanced and then select what type of workout you want, such as cardio, weight training or weight loss. It is also easy to create custom workouts and save your favorite creations for future outings.

Explanations are clear and accompanied by visuals. Learning new exercises and workout routines is often challenging without a trainer showing you how to do it but the NTC app makes learning new moves easy and fun. Each proposed exercise is accompanied with a set of photos and/or video that show you exactly how to properly complete the set.

Track progress. Another great feature of the app is that you can set goals and track progress as you go along. This helps you celebrate the success you have along the way and helps you move forward with more challenging iterations of the workout.

Incentives and badges. In addition to tracking your progress and celebrating personal success, you can earn badges and bonus features by completing goals preset within the app. Bonus features include workouts from celebrity trainers and nutrition advice from those who know it best.

I really love the app because it is easily customizable and compared to taking paper and a pencil to the gym, it is very portable and easy to use at the gym. You can either plan your workouts before you head to the gym or you can pick and chose exercises as you go and the app encourages you every step of the way. The workouts are challenging and the overall program is goal-driven, an asset that any athlete can appreciate.

And best of all, it’s free!

Searching for Fitness

In the world of fitness, bloggers are constantly searching for and sharing the latest workout trends or the newest healthy food craze. New studies, statistics and information arise so frequently that bloggers are never at a loss for something to write about.

Google’s mission is to “organize the world‘s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” So what does it take to stay relevant in the constantly changing landscape of fitness?

Fresh content

Posting regularly and updating content on your blog frequently will increase your Google ranking and attract more readers to your page. For example, both Women’s Health Magazine blog and New York Time’s Well blog post multiple times a day and feature regular posts on niche topics on a weekly basis. I post regularly, on a weekly basis, which is reasonable for a blog with only one author.

Linking

Building relationships with other blogs and sharing links is another way to improve your Google ranking.  Link sharing demonstrates trust in the eyes of Google and helps build your credibility. Additionally, these relationships help to widen your sphere of influence in the community and commenting on these blogs makes our presence publicly known to Google and other readers.

Keywords

Finding out what people are searching for and effectively tapping into these terms in your posts drives more traffic to your page and increases your search relevance.  In analyzing my own search volume, I noticed multiple people coming to my blog from Google, which peaked my interested. It turns out that one of my blog posts ranks #1 in Google for the search  ‘heart of a champion mia hamm.’ This ranking is most likely a combination of keywords in both the text and headline and the effort was entirely random on my part. This does represents the tail of a larger search group but is an interesting finding nonetheless.

Google is constantly rewriting the search algorithm (up to twice a day) but these are just a few of the more easily implementable themes that Google uses to identify search rank. Some blogs have tried black hat tricks that increase their ranking illegally, such as spamming links on other sites and creating a headline with irrelevant content, but the suggestions here are all white hat options to help you edge past your competitors.

-kc

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable

There is an addictive factor to being good at something and feeling successful. I love sports because there is always the potential to improve. There is an obvious physical limitation for everyone but I bet 95% of athletes will never each their full potential. For some, the problem is an injury, an all too familiar hurdle I can relate to; but for many, the problem is mental toughness and the ability to tweak and push oneself past your perceived limits.

I recently went through the debate of whether or not to hire a personal trainer for boxing. Throughout college and high school, my personal training sessions were paid for by either my parents or my university and I was not-so-gently reminded of how much individual training sessions cost when I looked back into the endeavor earlier this month. Boxing is something I dabbled in randomly with a trainer when I  lived in London and I loved it. When I got back to the U.S. I bought a pair of boxing gloves and never touched them again because I didn’t really know that much about the sport.

In the past, I always justified personal training by rationalizing that I was training for a national championship and that my education was being paid for by the fact that I was good at what I did. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for boxing and my motivations now are primarily to feel the thrill again of getting my ass kicked and enjoying the high that comes with getting better at something.

So when I stumble across this post on New York Times‘ health and fitness blog, Well, earlier today, I instantly related to the discussion. Author Gina Kolata was approached about being a coach and she questioned the motivations behind coaching and seeking coaching:

How does someone qualify to be a coach? And why do so many athletes want a coach in the first place?

To me, being good at something and having fun with it, means constantly getting better. It is easy to work hard when you have an audience at the gym or the track but what’s difficult, is pushing when you are by yourself and even the best athletes struggle with this problem. In her post, Kolata notes:

It certainly is possible to train without a coach. The principles of training are well known, and widely available online, in podcasts and in the many books that have been written on training for various sports. Some who have used self-training programs say they are remarkably effective.

And I agree with her entirely. The internet provides an endless stream of resources for athletes and fitness junkies but I think it takes one step further to be really good and to push yourself to get better. How hard are you really willing to push yourself when no one else is looking? For me, a personal coach is worth the financial investment because they push you one step further and can provide the advice and technique adjustments to reach small milestones on the way to the bigger goal. I feel satisfied weekly when I leave my boxing sessions knowing that I have improved a little bit and while there is no bigger goal in mind for me here, it feels good to just be working hard and constantly getting better.

But there is a reason why more athletes do not seek out coaching:

Yet some athletes avoid coaching.

One problem, some say, is finding a coach whose personal style suits them.

And this is a problem I can relate to. Different trainers and sport-specific coaches have different expectations and levels of training themselves and when their skills and motivations aren’t up to par with yours, it can be extremely frustrating. Some trainers and coaches aren’t prepared to push you and they give you too much time to rest, or are afraid to tweak your style or push you to be better. What do you think I am paying you for?! I can have a chill workout on my own! I need a coach who isn’t afraid to drive me til I fall over or hit me across the face when I forget to keep my gloves up.

This level of intensity is obviously not for everyone, but it’s the type of pain I thrive on. Getting better at something is fun and rewarding for me because  even though you suffer along the way, the outcome is 100% worth it.

The author ends by saying:

As for me, I am staying with my coach.

And so will I… I love the saying, “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” For me, a coach is that teacher that helps me get better and stay uncomfortable week after week… Because there is nothing better than getting better.

To learn more, read the full article from New York Times, “I’m Keeping My Coach, but You May Not Need One,’‘ and the relating post from its Well Blog, “Do You Need a Fitness Coach?”.

SPOTLIGHT: Steve Prefontaine

Many athletes come and go from the public eye with very little lasting recognition. Most college athletes fall off the radar after they graduate and even a significant number of professional athletes will not be remembered by the next generation of fans and athletes.

Then there are the game changers and the record setters. These are the athletes that come on to the scene, share their passion through hard work and change the sport they love forever.

Steve Prefontaine is one of those few.

Pre, as he is affectionately referred to by admirers, grew up in rural Oregon and found his niche for running at a very early age. He had a slow start to running in high school but by his junior year, he had offer letters from over 30 of the top running schools in the country. Pre chose Oregon for its legacy of hard work and he flourished in that ever-competitive atmosphere.

During his collegiate career, Pre won three NCAA Men’s Cross Country Championship, set the American record for the 5000 meters race and earn himself a ticket to the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Pre, however, did not win a medal at the Olympics in Munich and was killed tragically in a car accident before he ever got another shot at the gold.

But what Prefontaine is best known for is not the titles he won or the records he set. What most people remember Prefontaine for is his winning attitude and unfaltering self confidence that allowed him to push himself to his limits and beyond. He had an innate talent for running but he maximized that talent by constantly raising the standards for himself and those around him. Being great in sports requires realizing that you have to always be working harder than the day before and Prefontaine exemplified this idea because he was never satisfied with success.  He set a standard of excellence in work ethic that many athletes still push for today.

Prefontaine was confident and outspoken but he backed up his mantras with a work ethic that far surpassed his peers. No matter where you are from or what sport you play, this picture and this message will resonate for generations of athletes to come.

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” — Steve Prefontaine

The Year I was Born, the Redskins Won the Super Bowl!

Fitness and sports have evolved dramatically over the past 100 years. In 1947, Jackie Robinson was the first African-American major league baseball player of the modern era. Then in the 1976, Bruce Jenner won a gold medal (look where he is now).  And the year I was born, the Redskins won the Super Bowl… oh my how the times have changed!

Social networking has evolved in a similar way over the past 10 years, to the point where the average American now spends one out of every six minutes online participating in social networking activities. In 2003, MySpace and Hi5 took the stage and kicked off an era of heighten connectivity online. Facebook launched not long after that in 2004 and quickly became the dominant force in the social space. Social networking began as a way for people to connect and share information and many argue that we have now reached a point of content overload.

At the AMP Summit last week in Washington, D.C., social media mogul Eric Kuhn suggested that the future of social networking will entail more listening and more reflection. Do you agree?

Just like any perennial powerhouse sports team (read: not the Redskins), winning year after year in the social media space requires adaptation. A company or organization must adapt while still maintaining its core values – not an easy task! Hi5, for example, was the #3 social media site in 2008 but a change in management took the site in a different direction and reclassified the site as a social gaming platform. The move changed the demographic of users and dropped the site to #6 in its respective category.

Facebook has changed quite a bit over the years as well and has managed to maintain and grow its position at the top of the totem pole. Facebook recently added features that allow users to reflect on past events and conversation and to interact with content we thought was buried deeper than the Redskin’s Super Bowl aspirations. So if Eric Kuhn is correct in his vision, Facebook got it right. But is he right? Will Facebook continue to grow because of its new features? Or will be it begin to feel push back from consumers that are overwhelmed? Will the Redskins ever win another Super Bowl? I guess only time will tell…

To continue the conversation, follow me on Twitter: @iamkimcoyle !

A World of Sports

Field hockey is the second most popular team sport in the world, with an estimated two million players worldwide. And respectively, the United States sucks at the sport. We start too late, stop too early, train too hard and have very few boys to compete against. So what is the solution to this problem? Simple: build a culture that emulates the countries with a rich tradition of success. But that in itself is easier said than done.

I’m a very competitive person, a risk taker and passionate about whatever I do. In the spirit of that passion, I traded my senior year in college for the opportunity to train and play for one of the top British clubs just north of London. I learned how to play smarter, not harder, and I learned valuable training lessons that apply not only to my playing career, but to my coaching career as well.

We live in a world of sports. My relationship with athletics is dynamic and has changed tremendously over the years but I’m still in love with field hockey and still in love with being the best. Unfortunately, except for Olympics, there are no elite-level opportunities for field hockey in the U.S. past the collegiate level. Since graduating, I have invested my love for the sport in coaching and sharing that passion with younger players.

Writing about sports and fitness comes easily to me because it is just another way of sharing that passion. With sports, there is always something to write about because it is never the same. You can pit the same two teams against each other a thousand times and never get the same result. You can run the same race a thousand times and push yourself to finish faster than you ever believed possible. Sports are about learning, growing and being the best you can be. And that never gets old…