“Hey coach! What are we doing today?” “Running.”
And now it’s not just me with that reply.
Cross country season has wrapped up. It was glorious and fun. It was 60 kids running around, 5 coaches, and a sense of humor.
We finished the season with 2 individual first places in our championship meet, and 3 out of 4 teams ran their little hearts out to first place as well. We had 1 school record obliterated. And all the kids just *love* stretching their hip flexors now.
Statistics note: our 5/6 girls have won the championship four consecutive years. Every year since I started coaching.
This 3 month pause after cross country will be all about getting caught up and getting ahead before Track season starts in February. And a few more things listed below.
Of course, “more free time” is mostly an illusion. The hours once spent at meets, workouts, and driving to/from Austin have a funny way of filling themselves with planned & unplanned things.
The weather is (slowly) cooperating. Windows open. Better sleep with the cooler nights. Actually enjoying being outside for my triathlon training. And races. Mine. My athletes.
Ya know how you see shapes in clouds? With the darker mornings, I’ve been seeing shapes in trees out my living room windows. Chris Rock’s Marty from Madagascar in particular. Complete with afro. The first time I saw it, the wind was creating “Afro Circus” vibes. This morning, Marty was chewing on his hoof, waiting for the wind to blow.
Evidently my nervous system is calming and creativity is coming back.
🏃 Catch-Up Season: now through January
I’m entering the season of catching up.
Continuing education. Recertifications. Business projects. Accounting. Paperwork. More accounting. House projects.
I’ve learned – this is my 4th XC season – that getting big things done in-season just doesn’t work for me at this time. So I bank these thing for this block of time.
Aside from the schedule shift with the drop of this one obligation (cross country), my whole CNS calms down. I can slow down a bit. Spend a little more time under a cat in the mornings.
If I’m lucky, I eventually make it to planning for track season. But first comes the work that accumulates while spending fall afternoons on trails, courses, and driving in & out of Austin.
🏢 Studio Updates
The Austin studio is entering a season of transition.
I’ve decided not to renew my lease when it’s up, and one of other ladies in my office actually wants to move to my room when her lease ends in March. I’ve also found someone to share my space as a business partner and then assume the lease when the room switch happens.
Fear not! I’ve promised my Wednesday regulars that I’d honor their Austin appointments through May, so that too is arranged – I’ll sublet from the new person until that time.
If you go to book a new session, you’ll notice my Austin offerings have been reduced. I’m maximizing the quality of my time there.
Why? The studio was never intended to be long term. I worked from home before I moved out here, and the studio filled a transition gap while I was building clientele out here, and/or clientele now willing to come to Taylor. I bought this house with the intent of working from here. It’s time.
If you are willing to come to Taylor, there are better chances at getting a 75 or even 90 min massage. Just saying…
Updates to the scheduler
I’ve spent some downtime simplifying and updating my scheduler. I’ve still got work to do, but if you log on, you’ll see the changes: new descriptions and renamed services to start.
- CST is now combined with visceral manipulation and reflexology, and renamed Nervous System Reset (NSR). This allows me to utilize all the advanced bodywork techniques as I see fit in your session.
- You won’t see a combo session now. Instead, NSR can be added in 15-minute blocks as an add-on option. The rate listed now becomes the base rate.
- Personal Training & Personal Pilates are now merged into Personal Movement sessions.
More updates are coming. This was a big one that had been waiting to be done for a while.
Studio hours thru this block
- Tuesdays: 1045a-4p in Taylor
- Wednesdays: 11a-4p in Austin
- Thursdays: 1045a-4p in Taylor
- Fridays: 10a-130p in Taylor
Holiday hours
- Thanksgiving
- Wednesday, Nov 25th: open 11a-4p in Austin
- Thursday & Friday, Nov 26th & 27th: closed
- Christmas
- Closed Friday, Dec 25th
- New Years’ Day
- No Pilates class
- Open 10-2p in Taylor
Taylor Studio openings, November
- Tuesday, Nov 3, 1045a
- Thursday, Nov 12, 330p (30 min)
- Tuesday, Nov 24, 1215-4p
Austin Studio openings, November
- Nov 25, 1215, 130p
Coaching Corner
Between Stephanie at World’s and another client doing her first marathon with me, I’ve heard and noted 2 different things.
I coach the whole client. Not just the training plan, but life. These things I’ve been learning more about this year: CNS load. Sleep. Balance. Life influences. Dietary needs. It all has to come into play.
And sometimes, many times, the “traditional” plan just doesn’t cut it. Training for a marathon in the Texas summer heat? That might limit your long run. How can this be worked around? Good news: my athlete, on a “differently prepared” program, finished her marathon in 4:57 under harsh conditions. Strong hill at Mile 22? That’s impressive. And she dropped the hammer at the end of the race – she averaged 11:16/mi, but the last 2.4 miles at a 10:09 pace. Unheard of. Super proud of her.
Success isn’t about perfect preparation. It’s about effective preparation.
Life, work, weather, recovery, injuries, strengths, limitations, and goals all matter.
Sometimes the best plan isn’t the textbook plan.
It’s the one you can execute consistently.
Training designed for the life you have, not the life you wish you had.
Continuing the Learning Process
One thing I’m looking forward to this office season is beginning my Level 2 Triathlon Coaching certification. It’s a 6-month program, so I’m hoping by the time track season starts, I’ve figured out how this is going to work. Wish me luck!
I’ve always enjoyed learning. Whether it’s exercise physiology, coaching, movement, business operations, or whatever rabbit hole happens to capture my attention next, there is always another layer to explore.
This certification is simply the next opportunity to deepen my understanding and add another tool to the toolbox.
After all, a good coach/bodyworker/human never stops being a student.
🐾 Life With Three Cats
There are fewer paws supervising office work. Fewer opinions about when dinner should be served. Fewer 2am purr sessions that I am required to fully participate in. Slightly fewer interruptions during Zoom calls. Only slightly. More demands for treats. More demands for attention. More bedtime snuggles.
