Julie Kirkpatrick – Zoom Performance

Zoom Performance Partners with Iowa Mountain Bike Championship Series

Julie Kirkpatrick — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 19:41:53 +0000

Zoom Performance is excited to announce a new partnership with the Iowa Mountain Bike Championship Series (IMBCS) for 2016! We’re joining forces with the organizers of the mountain bike racing scene in Iowa to help open the door to those who want to try the sport for the first time, as well as support racers who already know the joy of speeding through the woods on race day.

We’ll be offering free beginner training programs for mountain bikers and trail runners, a mountain bike clinic for women of all abilities, race course pre-rides at selected venues, a monthly blog full of training tips, some valuable awards for race and series winners, and more.

With the first race of the season less than a month away, we invite you to check out the IMBCS website at imbcs.org for a full listing of race dates and locations. Click “Like” on the Facebook pages of Zoom Performance and the IMBCS for updates on all of our exciting events and offerings. We can’t wait to see you out on the trails!

Goal Setting, Part One: Why is Setting Goals So Important?

Julie Kirkpatrick — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 21:23:34 +0000

Too many of us wake up each morning, go through the motions day after day, waiting for the day when suddenly our dreams will come true:

“Someday I’m going to get in shape.”

“I’d love to be able to do a pull-up.”

“I’m going to be paying on this student loan until I die.”

While we can come up with any number of excuses as to why we aren’t in shape, can’t do a pull-up, or still owe on a college loan from 20 years ago, so many of our ideas on how we could improve our lives have one thing in common – follow-through. We don’t follow through on our goals.

Think of your goal as a destination you want to visit. You’re hungry, and you want to check out a new restaurant you just read about. With no plan in place and no idea where this new hot spot is located, you could just jump in your car and drive for hours looking for the location, never find it, and eventually give up and grab drive thru from the Taco Bell. You’d head home disappointed from not finding what you set out to discover and feeling crappy for settling for something less than what you truly wanted.

On the other hand, if you know exactly where your this new place is located, you can locate it on the map, and head out with a plan on how to get there. Once you arrive, you can savor your dinner and head home fulfilled having accomplished what you set out to achieve!

In this three-part series, we will examine the following questions:

Why should I set goals?
What does a successful goal look like?
How exactly should I go about creating goals?

While many readers will apply these questions to athletic or performance goals, we will also look into how these apply to all areas of your life: health, financial, family, community, career, etc.

Why should I set goals?

If we are honest with ourselves, most of us get up and go about our days (and weeks/months/years?) in survival mode – we do what we need to in order to get survive the day and survive until tomorrow. But what if we awoke each morning with a plan of how to tackle each day so we not only survive until bedtime, but we make progress towards what matters most to us?

The idea is that with concrete goals and objectives in place, we can live a life of intention. An intentional life is in line with your values, and you never have to question if what you are doing is important to you.

As we prepare to discuss the “what” and “how” of goal-setting in future articles, let’s take a closer look at the “why.” Ask yourself the following questions:

What motivates you?

Don’t think about things like “a drill instructor yelling in my ear” or some music that makes you run faster. Rather, think about what makes you want to live a better life?

If money and time were no object, how would you live your life?

Think about what you’d like to accomplish personally, for your family, in your career, for your health, financially. Look beyond just athletic goals. All of these factors will work together (or against one another, if you’re not careful) as you work to create the best you possible.

What would you like your life to look like in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years?

Be serious and realistic – being a movie star with a billion dollars in the bank isn’t going to likely happen. And, is pursuing that really what will motivate you to get out of bed every day for the next 10 years?

Which goals are the most important to you?

Focus on the goals that mean the most to you – the other less-important goals may need to be modified or eliminated to reach the ones that matter most. If spending time with your kids is the most important thing in your life, a job that has you working 80-100 hours a week is incongruent with family time.

Homework:

Start by spending some time thinking about what is important in your life. Get a notebook and write the name of each sector of your life at the top of each page: Family, Career, Money, Community/Faith, Personal, Health/Athletic, etc. Then, just start brainstorming ideas of things that you’d like to accomplish in each. Don’t be afraid to list things that seem really far out there. If you’ve secretly wished that you could learn to tap dance or play the cello or ride your bike around the Australian continent, list everything you can think of. As you move through this process, you can alter or change anything.

In the next two articles, we’ll look at what types of goals are the best for you and how to write goals that work.

By Coach Julie Kirkpatrick

Ready to Try a Tri?

Julie Kirkpatrick — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Ready to Try a Tri?

Last year you were a spectator along the course, cheering your friend, brother, co-worker to the finish. Your emotions waffled between awe and envy, and even thoughts of, “Oh, I could never do that!” The racers were of every weight, age, and size imaginable. And yet, watching them, one idea wouldn’t leave your head: “If that guy can do it, so can I!

Fast forward through the winter and spring. Now you’re faced with the decision: To race or not to race. The reasons why you should sign up are as numerous as the thousands who will toe the line on race day: the opportunity to be part of a world-class event, the pure satisfaction of completing a challenging goal, toeing the line with some of the best athletes in the world, improved health, and a strong sense of accomplishment.

It is also important to go into this endeavor with a good understanding of what will be required of you. Follow the steps below to determine if you are ready to sign up:

1. Are you healthy? Have you talked with your doctor about the training needed to have a good race experience? If you are overweight, have high blood pressure or cholesterol (or don’t know your blood pressure or cholesterol numbers), or haven’t been active recently, you’ll want the okay from your physician before you jump in.

2. Do you have the desire to finish? Training for a triathlon will be tough. There will be days that you won’t want to get up early for a swim. A run in the afternoon heat won’t sound as tempting as dinner with your friends after work. You need a strong mental picture of yourself crossing the finish line on race day and the desire to succeed to get you out the door to train when your body is tired.

3. Can you make time for the training? Triathlon training takes time. To be properly prepared for an Olympic-distance triathlon, you should plan to spend 12-16 weeks, depending on your current fitness level and goals. Some days will involve doing two workouts each day. During the peak of your training you may spend 10-12 hours per week swimming, biking, and running.

4. Are you surrounded by a good support system? Having family and friends in your corner will make training a joy rather than a hardship. Talk to those closest to you about your goal and what you’ll need to be successful. You’ll be surprised about the lengths others will go to see you achieve your objective.

5. Do you have a plan? How will you go about your training? Having a good road map to get you to the finish line will provide the consistency, accountability, and training needed for you to be successful. Talk to friends who have completed a triathlon. Ask about resources in your area – perhaps there is a local triathlon club or training group at your gym. Most triathletes remember being a beginner themselves and are happy to help steer you in the right direction.

The time and energy spent training for triathlon can be very rewarding. Go into the experience with your eyes wide open and soon you’ll be calling yourself a triathlete!