South Mountain Trailers

Check back tomorrow to hear all about the first hike/trail run for our group!

Running Season!

Every year around this time I always get the urge to start running. This time of year makes for perfect running weather and with how close we are to so many awesome trails on South Mountain it would be a shame to waste such a great opportunity. I really enjoy going out on the mountain and just running with no plan except to enjoy being out there with no worries in sight and so many beautiful views. The best part is when you get back pretty deep onto the trails and on the ridge line. Many days there is nobody else around and you can see for miles, it is a very peaceful experience.
Once I start running I don't want to stop. Many people do not enjoy running and I as one of them. Once I got into college much of our conditioning program was long distance running. As soon as I started doing it I feel in love with it. It became a part of my routine and I couldn't get enough of it. I hope to share this with as many people I can. So I am starting a running club based in Ahwatukee with the hopes of tackling every trail the mountain has to offer. We are going to meet every Saturday at 9am at one of the main trail heads in the area and go from there. The days will always be something different; from a tough hike to a long flat run. If you are training for a running event or just want to get out and enjoy the trails I would love for you to join me! Shoot me an email to get on the weekly e-mail blast list.

On another note...November 21st is the Mad Mud Run in Scottsdale. It is a 4 mile course filled with many obstacles and what else, lots of mud! I am already signed up and have a few people committed to doing it with me. It would be great to see many of you out there having a great time challenging yourselves and playing in the mud. Check it out at madmudrun.com

Thank you...

It has obviously been quite some time since I have written in my blog. As many of you already know I have been through a very tough time in my life. At this time last year I was enjoying life with my new wife, moving into a new house, and bringing home a wonderful great dane puppy. It was all I had ever hoped and dreamt for. I was married to my high school sweetheart and we were well on our way to beginning a a great new life together. To say that I was in love was an understatement. A few weeks after my last post I found out that the life I was living was partially a lie. To find out that the person you expect to spend the rest of your life with didn't want to be with you and had these feelings for quite sometime was heart wrenching to say the least. At that point in my life I was totally and completely lost. Everything I had been building on for the past seven years came crashing down in a instant without much warning. I felt like I had nothing for awhile. My house, my dog, and of course my wife were all gone. I immediately turned to the things left in life that I knew would be there: family, friends, and work. Of course doing anything was very difficult but because I am surrounded by so many loving people I was able to get through the toughest times with that strong support group. Coming to work everyday was not always what I wanted but it was almost always what I needed. When I came to work I was able to see my family (Mom and Dad) and my friends (Brad, Tracie, Ryan, Gabe and every one of our awesome clients). This not only gave me a chance to get my mind off of everything that I was going through but it made me realize how lucky I am to be in the position I am. Sure, I lost a lot of things but it showed me how much I actually had right in front of me. I would never want to go through what I am going through again in my lifetime but I know that I am now a better person for it. I owe so much of that to all of you for helping me through this tough time whether you realize you helped me or not. I can only hope to help you as much as you all have helped me. I appreciate you all sticking with me when I didn't seem all there mentally. It means so much to me that you are all a part of my life! Thank you to everyone for helping me see that everything will turn out alright, for showing your support, for being there when I needed someone, and for being a part of the next stage in my life.
Thank you so much!
-Kevin

Mental Training...

After several weeks of taking over the helm as the Athletic Performance Coordinator things have been going great. We are seeing new athletes come in and the place is rocking! The best part about this is that the Athletic Performance side is filled with athletes that truly want to become better athletes and are doing all that they can to get to where they want to be. I have had to work with a couple athletes specifically on what it takes to get to the next level, where ever that may be. One thing that many young athletes don't realize is that it takes much more than just showing up to the gym and going through the workout. Each sport has a huge aspect about it that many people seem to ignore training for, the mental side. How do we teach the mental side? In the gym we start by trying to teach each athlete accountability. Every athlete must report to me when they are coming in and they must stick to that schedule. If they cannot come in it is their responsibility to let me know why they will not be able to make a scheduled workout. During the workout they are grouped up with other athletes and they hold each other accountable to stick to the workout and push each other through the workout. Not only does this make them take ownership of their workout but it also makes them work harder and help the other athletes work harder. During this time, leadership is also developed. When we have new athletes come in they are teamed up with a "veteran" athlete to take them through the workout. The veteran athlete learns how to become a leader by showing and demonstrating what it takes to work hard by our standards. One thing each athlete must know is just completing the exercises is not enough. Each exercise, each repetition must be done to the fullest extent possible. My motto for these athletes is to get the most they can out of each and every rep they complete. If we are not doing that there is no use in doing the exercise in the first place. Why do anything if you are not going to do it as well as you can every time? That is what builds mental strength in the gym. The kicker is that idea must be able to convey to every aspect of not only training, but to life as well. When I played ball in college our motto was to be relentless, not only on the field but in everything that we did. If we can get to a point where that becomes second nature we are then more mentally strong. My goal is to get each and every athlete to realize this. Until I achieve that with every athlete I am only a guy who gives them a workout to do.
So besides hammering into each athlete while they are here they need to get the most out of themselves how else can we teach mental training? It takes a concerted effort everyday for each and every individual athlete to remind themselves of what they need to do to achieve success. They need to visualize success but before that, they need to believe they can be successful and see results to have that confidence. Each and every success needs to be seen as a little confidence builder and each and every mistake needs to be seen as a chance to become better. If we make no mistakes we have already realized our full potential. Mistakes are a part of the learning process no matter who we are. What separates the mentally strong from the mentally weak is how mistakes are handled.
So remember, get the most out of every single thing you do and be relentless in all of your pursuits!

School of Athletic Performance

Well, it's been awhile. I haven't posted in quite sometime and much has been going on. The biggest thing is my new promotion to Athletic performance Coordinator. This is a role that I am very proud to take on. Working with young athletes in the area has long been my passion. I have been giving back to the local athletes since I was a Mountain Pointe High School student and with the new role I will have the ability to impact many more lives of Ahwatukee's youth on a daily basis.
The state of the current program has been influenced by many different minds that have come and gone. Each person who has worked with our School of Athletic Performance has shaped the way the program is currently being run. I have had the opportunity to learn from many other talented trainers and athletic minds. It is a privilege for me to take over a program that has help produce more than thirty college and college bound athletes as well as a few professional athletes. The accolades of these athletes are too many to list and I plan on building upon the success of the program.
The biggest change that will be made is that there will be a much more personal approach to each athlete and involving their parents in the program as well. For these athletes to take the next step and achieve their goals everyone involved must be on the same page and within the same mindset. It is my hope that each athlete and parent will echo these ideals. We are introducing a code of conduct to hold these young citizens to a higher standard so that we can not only teach them ho to become a better athlete but also a better person. Our goal is to produce successful athletes on and off the field.
I encourage anyone with questions regarding the program to come in and sit down with me so we can talk about what we can help each athlete achieve and how we will go about doing that. Continue to look for BAR athletes in the news because we have a great group of young men and women involved in our program right now that will help us build the School of Athletic Performance into a powerhouse!