Charlie, how can I run faster? I get this question from many of the fighting squirrels. The VWIL ladies want to increase their times for their military fitness tests and the athletes want more sprint speed so they can compete at a higher level. We can talk about a lot of different ways to increase speed. In this article I will discuss one important step to take. Are you ready? RUN FASTER.
The next question I get is, "I know that, but how?" Most of us like to stay in our comfort zones. I have talked about this in previous blogs. To run faster you must, well, run faster. If you want to increase your time for the 1.5 or 2 mile military run you should not just keep adding miles to your runs. Too many VWIL ladies keep adding miles to their runs, but they plod along at the same slow pace. One way to decrease your run times is to increase your run tempo. To do this is to get a stop watch and time your runs. I often tell the VWIL ladies. Get on our track and jog .5 miles to warm up. Take a few minutes to stretch and then get ready to work. Run a 1/4 mile as hard as you can, time the run. Walk the straight away. Jog around the corner and the next straight away. Walk the next corner. When you get to your start point, run another 1/4 and try to beat your last time. Run 4 quarters in this way. Jog another .5 miles to cool down and then stretch. Do this speed work 2 or 3 times a week with easy longer runs in between. Please remember to get a day of rest also.
The same type of training applies to sprint work. Run your sprint with a stop watch. Take a break walk back to your start point, take some time to recover and try to beat your last time on your next sprint. Another way to improve your sprint speed is to downhill run. Find a moderate hill, this should not be a problem in Staunton. Run down the hill at a sprint. This will force you to over-run; that is run at a faster pace than you are used to running. Jog or walk back up the hill and get ready for your next sprint.
There a many other things that can improve your run time. Increasing your strength through weight training and perfecting your form are ways to increase speed. In this blog I wanted you to get the easiest way to increase your speed without getting too scientific or specific. This type of training is hard work. You will probably hate it at first, but you will get results. I think the best and easiest way for you to increase your speed is; RUN FASTER.
Sprint on Squirrels.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Choices
As many of you already know, Whitney Houston died this weekend. How can it be that a beautiful, talented, intelligent women winds up dead in her bathtub of an overdose of drugs and alcohol? The answer is: Choices.
We all make choices everyday. Some of those choices are good and some are bad. Some bad choices don't matter much. If you don't brush your teeth today, you probably will not suffer any long term damage. Your friends may not want to get very close to you, but once you brush your teeth they will be back. If you never brush your teeth you may have some bigger issues to deal with.
Some bad choices can be devastating. Getting behind the wheel of your car after drinking can get you or someone else killed. This bad choice changes many lives and will never go away. If you're lucky as a drunk driver, you may live, but that bad choice will be with you forever.
We often think about the big choices we make, but what about the little choices. Why do so many young, talented, intelligent women at Mary Baldwin College, "Home of the Fighting Squirrels", overeat, smoke cigarettes, binge drink and do drugs? Again, the answer is: Choices.
You make most of the choices in your life. Please think about your health. Many young ladies are setting themselves up for long term health issues because of the choices they are making today. Some of these choices will affect you right now; some of these choices will not affect you for many years. Please evaluate your life. If you are making poor choices, start by making a change. If you need help making the right choices, there are many people on campus willing to help you.
Some of you may think, "It's my life, I'll do what I want." You are correct, it is your life. Please make it a happy and hopeful life. Be honest with yourself. If you need help, seek that help. If one person can't help, seek out someone else. You know the difference between right and wrong. Wrong can sometimes be easy. Do what is right, not what is easy.
Whitney Houston made some terrible choices. She was in a bad relationship. She partied too much. She threw away great talent and an ability to help many other people. I remember her rendition of the National Anthem many years ago. It is still one of the greatest ever. She was a great talent. I hope you don't feel I am speaking ill of the dead. I am not; but the truth is the truth. I hope she will find the peace she could not find on earth, but she is no hero. She is a fallen star. Please look at her tragic end as lesson. Make good choices. Take care of yourself. Reach your full potential.
Make good choices as you march on squirrels.
We all make choices everyday. Some of those choices are good and some are bad. Some bad choices don't matter much. If you don't brush your teeth today, you probably will not suffer any long term damage. Your friends may not want to get very close to you, but once you brush your teeth they will be back. If you never brush your teeth you may have some bigger issues to deal with.
Some bad choices can be devastating. Getting behind the wheel of your car after drinking can get you or someone else killed. This bad choice changes many lives and will never go away. If you're lucky as a drunk driver, you may live, but that bad choice will be with you forever.
We often think about the big choices we make, but what about the little choices. Why do so many young, talented, intelligent women at Mary Baldwin College, "Home of the Fighting Squirrels", overeat, smoke cigarettes, binge drink and do drugs? Again, the answer is: Choices.
You make most of the choices in your life. Please think about your health. Many young ladies are setting themselves up for long term health issues because of the choices they are making today. Some of these choices will affect you right now; some of these choices will not affect you for many years. Please evaluate your life. If you are making poor choices, start by making a change. If you need help making the right choices, there are many people on campus willing to help you.
Some of you may think, "It's my life, I'll do what I want." You are correct, it is your life. Please make it a happy and hopeful life. Be honest with yourself. If you need help, seek that help. If one person can't help, seek out someone else. You know the difference between right and wrong. Wrong can sometimes be easy. Do what is right, not what is easy.
Whitney Houston made some terrible choices. She was in a bad relationship. She partied too much. She threw away great talent and an ability to help many other people. I remember her rendition of the National Anthem many years ago. It is still one of the greatest ever. She was a great talent. I hope you don't feel I am speaking ill of the dead. I am not; but the truth is the truth. I hope she will find the peace she could not find on earth, but she is no hero. She is a fallen star. Please look at her tragic end as lesson. Make good choices. Take care of yourself. Reach your full potential.
Make good choices as you march on squirrels.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Can we build a dugout?
If you wander by the softball field today you will see the framing for the new dugouts. A group of people got together and put these frames up on Saturday. The frames were engineered and cut at VMI. They were delivered here over the last week and constructed this weekend. A lot of planning and work went into this operation. Those dugouts did not magically appear. An idea was formulated, people made a plan, rough cuts were made and the frames were erected. The members of the softball team that helped with this project on Saturday did not question the engineers about the best way to put these plans together. They listened to instructions. Followed the instructions. Worked hard. The first dugout took a little time, but as the team learned and practiced the techniques the engineers gave them, their skills developed, and the second dugout went up more quickly.
I started to think about this process Sunday night. It is a lot like building a winning team. It takes a lot of people working together. The coach devices a plan for the season, gathers the equipment required to play the game, and instructs the players on the proper way to put the plan into action. This is where I some times see a disconnect at Mary Baldwin College, "Home of the fighting Squirrels."
The softball players on Saturday never questioned the engineers about how to put the plan into action. If they had questions they asked, but they did not presume to know more than the engineers. They realized that the best way to have a good dugout was to listen and do what they were told. This in no way made them lesser people, only people with less knowledge who were smart enough to follow the instruction of the professionals.
Sometimes our athletes think they have a better way to win than the coach; they have their own plan. If everyone on a team has their own plan, dugouts don't go up and teams don't win. Please understand this does not pertain to the softball team or any other team here at Mary Baldwin College, "Home of the Fighting Squirrels." This pertains to individuals on all of our fighting squirrel teams.
If you are on a team, the team comes first. The coach runs the team. The coach is the engineer; she or he has the plan. You may not agree with the plan. Maybe other people on your team don't like the plan. However, I assure you that a team with many different plans will not succeed. A team with one plan might. There are no guarantees. Can you put yourself second and fully devote yourself to the team and the coach?
I heard an interesting comment by a high school football coach a few months ago. He won several state titles at his previous school, but decided to go to another bigger school as their new head coach. At his first meeting with his players he told his players he could not guarantee a state championship even if they worked hard everyday, hit the weight room and listened to what he said. Then he said that there was a guarantee he could give them. If they don't work hard, don't hit the weight room and don't listen to him they would never win a state championship.
Ladies it is time to get on board. Join the team, not on paper, but in your heart. Place the team above your self. Listen to the coach and commit to the plan. Does doing this guarantee a winning season? No. But without it we will continue to struggle. I guarantee it. Winning does not magically appear. It takes work.
Thanks to everyone who helped to make the dugouts a reality. It's nice to have a home for the squirrels.
I started to think about this process Sunday night. It is a lot like building a winning team. It takes a lot of people working together. The coach devices a plan for the season, gathers the equipment required to play the game, and instructs the players on the proper way to put the plan into action. This is where I some times see a disconnect at Mary Baldwin College, "Home of the fighting Squirrels."
The softball players on Saturday never questioned the engineers about how to put the plan into action. If they had questions they asked, but they did not presume to know more than the engineers. They realized that the best way to have a good dugout was to listen and do what they were told. This in no way made them lesser people, only people with less knowledge who were smart enough to follow the instruction of the professionals.
Sometimes our athletes think they have a better way to win than the coach; they have their own plan. If everyone on a team has their own plan, dugouts don't go up and teams don't win. Please understand this does not pertain to the softball team or any other team here at Mary Baldwin College, "Home of the Fighting Squirrels." This pertains to individuals on all of our fighting squirrel teams.
If you are on a team, the team comes first. The coach runs the team. The coach is the engineer; she or he has the plan. You may not agree with the plan. Maybe other people on your team don't like the plan. However, I assure you that a team with many different plans will not succeed. A team with one plan might. There are no guarantees. Can you put yourself second and fully devote yourself to the team and the coach?
I heard an interesting comment by a high school football coach a few months ago. He won several state titles at his previous school, but decided to go to another bigger school as their new head coach. At his first meeting with his players he told his players he could not guarantee a state championship even if they worked hard everyday, hit the weight room and listened to what he said. Then he said that there was a guarantee he could give them. If they don't work hard, don't hit the weight room and don't listen to him they would never win a state championship.
Ladies it is time to get on board. Join the team, not on paper, but in your heart. Place the team above your self. Listen to the coach and commit to the plan. Does doing this guarantee a winning season? No. But without it we will continue to struggle. I guarantee it. Winning does not magically appear. It takes work.
Thanks to everyone who helped to make the dugouts a reality. It's nice to have a home for the squirrels.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Initiative
Webster's Dictionary defines initiative in the following ways: 1. an introductory step; 2. the energy or aptitude displayed in initiation of action: enterprise. Do you have initiative? I tried an interesting experiment last week. I knew the weight room needed to be cleaned. I gathered the rags, cleaner and vacuum so that I could get the job done. Sometimes, you may notice, we have student workers in the weight room. Part of their assigned duties are to clean the weight room; however, we can't have 100% coverage and I take care of this duty if they are not available.
On this particular day there was a student worker at the desk. I was going to give her instructions and then let her clean the room, but I decided to run my experiment. I went to the back room and began cleaning. She turned on the TV. I wiped down the equipment and then started to vacuum. She turned up the volume on the TV. I continued to clean, checking her activity as I went along. She was not doing much. I vacuumed right up to her desk. When I finished, I asked her if she ever thought about asking if she could help. She replied, "I thought about it."
Why didn't she take the initiative? She knew cleaning was part of her duties. I went on to explain that I wasn't trying to be a jerk, I was trying to get her to think about her future. If you work for someone and they are performing a task and you are not very busy, don't you think it would be a good idea to at least offer to help? When your boss writes your evaluation or if it is time for a raise or if your boss needs to lay off some employees to keep the business going, do you believe the way you reacted when she was working and you were not might leave an impression? This impression can be positive or negative, depending on your initiative.
If you were the boss, who would you want on your payroll, someone who watched you work and someone who helped you work?
Don't wait for things to happen to you. Take the introductory step. Do you want to get fit? Take the introductory step. Do you want lose weight? Take the introductory step. Do you want to have a winning season? Take the introductory step.
Please squirrels, take the introductory step and then keep on marching.
On this particular day there was a student worker at the desk. I was going to give her instructions and then let her clean the room, but I decided to run my experiment. I went to the back room and began cleaning. She turned on the TV. I wiped down the equipment and then started to vacuum. She turned up the volume on the TV. I continued to clean, checking her activity as I went along. She was not doing much. I vacuumed right up to her desk. When I finished, I asked her if she ever thought about asking if she could help. She replied, "I thought about it."
Why didn't she take the initiative? She knew cleaning was part of her duties. I went on to explain that I wasn't trying to be a jerk, I was trying to get her to think about her future. If you work for someone and they are performing a task and you are not very busy, don't you think it would be a good idea to at least offer to help? When your boss writes your evaluation or if it is time for a raise or if your boss needs to lay off some employees to keep the business going, do you believe the way you reacted when she was working and you were not might leave an impression? This impression can be positive or negative, depending on your initiative.
If you were the boss, who would you want on your payroll, someone who watched you work and someone who helped you work?
Don't wait for things to happen to you. Take the introductory step. Do you want to get fit? Take the introductory step. Do you want lose weight? Take the introductory step. Do you want to have a winning season? Take the introductory step.
Please squirrels, take the introductory step and then keep on marching.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Take a Challenge
Jules Verne wrote a fictional story called Around the World in Eighty Days. At the time such a trip seemed impossible. A young woman named Nellie Bly saw the story, not as a fictional account of a trip, she saw it as a challenge. So she took off from the east coast of America on a journey around the world. On January 25th 1890, she returned to her starting point in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes. She overcame bad weather, poor transportation and troubling layovers. She saw a challenge and met that challenge.
Have you met your challenges? Do you need to lose weight? Do you need to increase your fitness? You are here at Mary Baldwin College, Home of the Fighting Squirrels. You are young, hopefully you have dreams. What are you doing to meet those dreams? Nellie Bly had a goal. She devised a travel plan to meet that goal. She overcame numerous obstacles and succeeded.
I have had many young ladies on our athletic teams tell me they want to win. I have had many young ladies tell me they want to be doctors. Those are great goals. However, just saying you want the reach a certain outcome is not good enough. What are you doing now to work toward that goal? Do you have a travel plan? There is a old saying that, if you want something bad enough, you can get it. That is squirrel poop. You can't just want something, you have to plan, work hard and accept the difficulties(and overcome them).
What are you doing today to win tomorrow? Nellie saw a challenge. Find your challenge. Overcome the obstacles. Achieve your goals. There are no guarantees. If you work hard, will you always reach your goal? No. But, if you don't try you will never know what you are capable of.
March on squirrels. Take the challenge.
Have you met your challenges? Do you need to lose weight? Do you need to increase your fitness? You are here at Mary Baldwin College, Home of the Fighting Squirrels. You are young, hopefully you have dreams. What are you doing to meet those dreams? Nellie Bly had a goal. She devised a travel plan to meet that goal. She overcame numerous obstacles and succeeded.
I have had many young ladies on our athletic teams tell me they want to win. I have had many young ladies tell me they want to be doctors. Those are great goals. However, just saying you want the reach a certain outcome is not good enough. What are you doing now to work toward that goal? Do you have a travel plan? There is a old saying that, if you want something bad enough, you can get it. That is squirrel poop. You can't just want something, you have to plan, work hard and accept the difficulties(and overcome them).
What are you doing today to win tomorrow? Nellie saw a challenge. Find your challenge. Overcome the obstacles. Achieve your goals. There are no guarantees. If you work hard, will you always reach your goal? No. But, if you don't try you will never know what you are capable of.
March on squirrels. Take the challenge.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Stubby
Just a little thought for the weekend. As you can see from the title above this blog is about Stubby. Stubby is the nickname I have given to a squirrel I often see as I walk across campus. Stubby, unlike most squirrels, has a tail which is only about 2 inches long. A very un-squirrel like tail. I wonder if Stubby knows if her tail is unusual? I use the female pronoun here because we are at Mary Baldwin College, home of the fighting squirrels. Stubby seems fine. I have seen her eating nuts, running up trees and dashing across telephone wires. Stubby seems to get along well with other squirrels.
I don't think the other squirrels notice that Stubby's tail is not in keeping with normal squirrel standards. There are no laws protecting Stubby. No sympathy or special treatment. Stubby is going to make it on her own. I think we should take a lesson from Stubby. Many of us know what we must do to get better grades, improve our athletic ability, or just be a better person, but we want it without work. We make excuses, we have reasons we can't do certain things or excel in certain ways. We want teachers, coaches, or parents to help us, push us and dare I say "baby" us.
Take a lesson from Stubby. Don't expect life to be easy. Don't expect people to do things for you. I don't know if Stubby was born with a stunted tail or lost it in an accident. Stubby probably does not know or care either. Neither do the other squirrels. If a cat or a hawk see Stubby as a meal, there will be no remorse on their part if Stubby becomes lunch. Stubby has made it. No excuses, no special treatment. Just pure determination to overcome a problem and live life. Can you say the same?
March on squirrels. Long live Stubby; thanks for the motivation!!
I don't think the other squirrels notice that Stubby's tail is not in keeping with normal squirrel standards. There are no laws protecting Stubby. No sympathy or special treatment. Stubby is going to make it on her own. I think we should take a lesson from Stubby. Many of us know what we must do to get better grades, improve our athletic ability, or just be a better person, but we want it without work. We make excuses, we have reasons we can't do certain things or excel in certain ways. We want teachers, coaches, or parents to help us, push us and dare I say "baby" us.
Take a lesson from Stubby. Don't expect life to be easy. Don't expect people to do things for you. I don't know if Stubby was born with a stunted tail or lost it in an accident. Stubby probably does not know or care either. Neither do the other squirrels. If a cat or a hawk see Stubby as a meal, there will be no remorse on their part if Stubby becomes lunch. Stubby has made it. No excuses, no special treatment. Just pure determination to overcome a problem and live life. Can you say the same?
March on squirrels. Long live Stubby; thanks for the motivation!!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Happy New Year
Welcome back fighting squirrels. I hope you enjoyed the Christmas Break and you ready to get back to work. If you have decided to lose weight for the new year, let me help. I have baseball cap from the show The Biggest Loser and it can be yours at the end of the semester. If you have made the decision to get fit this year, but you have made the same decision for the last 5 years, make 2012 the year that it happens. Come see me. I will start a file on you. I will keep it locked in my secret squirrel safe so that only you and I will have access. I will weigh you and get you started on a workout program. This is for women with a Body Mass Index of 25% or greater. This is not for those of you who want to lose 5 or 10 lbs. This is for those of you who are needing to lose a significant amount of weight. At the end of the semester the woman that loses the most weight gets the hat and a healthier, happier lifestyle. Final weigh-in will be April 17.
We will be looking at losing 1 or 2 lbs per week. Mary Vannortwick, the director of Food Services, is happy to help you with a diet plan. There are also several on-line programs that will help you monitor your food intake. One of the biggest problems with a weight lose program is that individuals over estimate the calories they burn, and under estimate the calories they consume. Try myfitnesspal.com, there's an ap for that. Contact me at 887-7357 or e-mail me at cangersb@mbc.edu if you are interested.
Volleyball and soccer athletes -- There are weight training plans in the weight room for your off-season conditioning. Champions are made in the off-season. Many of you say you want to win, but few of you are willing to commit to win. Stop the excuses. Be sure to see me if you are not sure of proper form on any exercise. Stop telling me how much you want to win and start showing me you are serious.
Sweat on squirrels.
We will be looking at losing 1 or 2 lbs per week. Mary Vannortwick, the director of Food Services, is happy to help you with a diet plan. There are also several on-line programs that will help you monitor your food intake. One of the biggest problems with a weight lose program is that individuals over estimate the calories they burn, and under estimate the calories they consume. Try myfitnesspal.com, there's an ap for that. Contact me at 887-7357 or e-mail me at cangersb@mbc.edu if you are interested.
Volleyball and soccer athletes -- There are weight training plans in the weight room for your off-season conditioning. Champions are made in the off-season. Many of you say you want to win, but few of you are willing to commit to win. Stop the excuses. Be sure to see me if you are not sure of proper form on any exercise. Stop telling me how much you want to win and start showing me you are serious.
Sweat on squirrels.
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