2013 Calgary 10k

Last weekend I had the pleasure of going down to Calgary with Chantell Widney to race their 10k. Going in I felt great, as my training has been spot on.

 I had opportunity to sit in on a session with Susan Cockle of C4 success on the Saturday before the 10k. She’s been a wonderful resource for us at the Academy, as she helps facilitate our psychological preparation going into training and competitions. One key concept I walked away with after our talk is mindfulness. As athletes we must have confidence in the training we've done, the coaching we receive and the support from our family, friends and community. Now without being mindful of your preparation leading into a race, I`d say it'd be extremely difficult to step on the start line and say confidently ``I’m going to win this! `` Of course if you're mindful of being under prepared that’s a whole other story.

 It was amazing to find myself in such a relax state on start line, usually I`m okay prior to starting, with a little pre-race anxiety and self doubt to be completely honest. But the ability to come to terms with the reality that I've put in the training, and from a physiological standpoint, ready to race at 100% was a huge confidence boost for me.

 As for the race, it was great effort and I found myself crossing the finish line 2nd overall. Another great result for the year!

A stems eye view through Hawrelak

Hawrelak Bike (Enhanced) (Enhanced) from Jason Jama on Vimeo.

"Jama conquers 10-mile course"

 It sure is nice when a sports journalist perfectly summaries a race, makes my life a little easier;) I'd like to thank Jeff Hansen from the St.Albert Gazette for the exceptional write-up.

Here's the link

http://www.stalbertgazette.com/article/20130417/SAG1101/304179977/-1/sag/jama-conquers-10-mile-course

Specialized Body Geometry Fit

One of the most difficult challenges athletes face is staying injury-free. Any time spent away from training due to injury sure doesn't have a positive impact on anyone's fitness. One of the major contributes to overuse injuries is having improper technique. Be it poor swim mechanics, heel striking while running or an improper bike fit. These all will eventually lead to injury at some point down the road

I had the pleasure of spending some time with Cory from United Cycle, a certified Specialized BG fit technician. In order to prevent any future cycling related injuries we started from scratch. The process begins with a brief interview; allowing the athlete a chance to express any areas of concern. My main issue was the deteriorating state of my left knee, and to be more specific, my MCL. Within a few pedal strokes we quickly identified the fact that my left leg had to extend further than my right, which caused a little discomfort in my knee. After a few diagnostic exercises on the physio table, Cory determined my left femur is slightly shorter than my right. With a few quick adjustments all the discomfort was eliminated and I found myself in the most comfortable position I've ever been a bike. 

 What good is a Carbon road bike anyways if you can't ride it due to injury.

Well worth the time and money.

2013 ETA Provincial Aquathlon Championships

Our winter Aquathlon season ended this weekend at the Kinsmen sport centre, with a Provincial championship up for grabs. The series was developed to give Albertans access to competition throughout the winter months, providing us an opportunity to measure improvement throughout the off-season, and the ability to practice open-water race skills in a low key environment. Summer race results come from winter miles, and there is no better way to prepare yourself for the upcoming season than utilizing the ETA aquathlon series.  

Great turn out

Thomas Brown - Myself - Matt Dean

I am Specialized

It is with great pleasure to announce that I have signed with Specialized for the upcoming race season. Being the most innovative bike company in Triathlon, Specialized has created products that push the limits of performance, allowing professionals and amateurs alike to get the most out of their equipment. From the Triathlon Shiv TT bike to S- Works TriVent shoe, Specialized has demonstrated its commitment to the sport by pioneering new technology to make us, the athletes go faster.

This partnership has been made possible by Stephen Bourdeau of United Cycle, which truly shows United`s passion for Triathlon and the Academy. I am absolutely thrilled to be working with both companies.

Good times ahead

“A winning environment - opportunity to succeed”

As a member of the regional training centre here in Edmonton, I have the privilege of working with Dr. Michael Kennedy (@wasprofessor), a professor at the University of Alberta. Michael's been my physiologist for the past two years, and the relationship started out with monitoring my lactate threshold while running. The test itself is fairly simple, but provides vital information that helps determine what paces I run at to maximize the effectiveness of my training. 

Fast forward two years and we are still working together trying to fine tune my training. In January, we started taking a look at my nervous system, and to be more specific, the autonomic. The procedure is heart rate variability, which requires daily monitoring and weekly check-ups that allow us to determine the effects of my training, positive or negative. Throughout my training cycles, we can determine whether the level of stress applied to my body is adequate, insufficient or damaging, and in turn adjust my training accordingly to take full advantage of the physiological state of my body. It has been a steep learning curve and I still have so much to learn.

At the roots of all the tests and programs performed in sport science, is the desire to change an athlete’s behaviour. From my experience, this is far more successful when I fully understand the reasoning behind why we do what we do. This is the fundamental reason why I am in Physical Education. The faculty provides me the resources to further my understanding of the physiological adaptations going on in my body and in turn, I am becoming more and more conscious of what is happening and why. With this knowledge I am gaining the ability to self diagnosis training stress with Michael’s aid.

 Sporting results aren’t up to chance as some might think. "Oh he’s just so talented", "wasn’t my day", "he got lucky" and so on. Every move at the elite level is calculated with absolute precision, and for every result, whether it good or bad, there is a scientific method to analyze every parameter to determine why such a result was achieved and on the flip side, how to achieve such desired results.

This is the proactive approach I have adopted to not only my training but to my life. At the core of sport is the development of youth into better human beings and through these lessons, the Academy has truly given me “A winning environment - opportunity to succeed”