Getting Educated

Wow, I do not even know where to begin this post. I am in the middle of USAT's Level 1 coaching certification weekend. First of all, I have to say that Luke is the Best Boyfriend in the world. He made it possible to attend this clinic on such a short notice. I have been wanting to attend this clinic for many years but I have always had poor planning with it selling out or not having the cash to attend. This year's clinic in Boston sold out before I even knew that it was happening. Luckily, a second clinic opened (which I discovered through a random email) and I was able to get in (b/c of my wonderful boyfriend lending me the moola).
This weekend has been above and beyond anything that I could have imagined it to be. First off, Bobby McGee (http://www.bobbymcgee.com/) was the presenter for Running Skills and Mental Training. Unbelievable! He had coached some of the most amazing athletes and is one of the most engaging speakers I have heard. He also passed on the critical knowledge, which I had most of down, but helped reinforce. Yesterday, Bob Seebohar (http://fuel4manceblog.blogspot.com/) lectured on Sports Nutrition. Again, one of the best out there and also gave me lots of new info! This workshop has really lit a fire in me to get out and find a way to get involved with coaching again. It has also helped me know where I need to improve and where I am successful.
Of course, the training has been limited. Before leaving, I had a great TT (i think, results have not been posted yet). The breathing felt better and I felt like I could push hard. Nice long run with a 20-min race effort in the middle on Thursday. I got out on the bike today and all I have to say is "I love VT"! Very funny considering that I am always telling Luke that I want to move around. I have completely lost any skill that I had for riding in traffic. Tomorrow is only a 1/2 day of lecture so I should be able to get back to VT for my long run and then off to Tupper Lake to ride the race course on Monday! Having fun and feeling good :)