I just received the latest issue of IDEA Fitness Journal and see that they have awarded Dan McDonogh with the highest honor achieveable by any Instructor; the 2012 IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year!
Congratulations Dan!
RPM Instructors will recognize Dan as a long-time Master Trainer with Les Mills because Dan was frequently featured on their Instructor training videos.
Over the past couple of years Dan has transitioned away from RPM to his role as Group Training and Development Manager at TRX. I've seen Dan present to a group of what looked to be 100+ Instructors on TRX at the same time – fantastic! He is what I consider the ultimate instructor; he looks, speaks and acts the part to perfection. If you ever have the opportunity to take his class you're in for a treat.
I've tried unsuccessfully to have Dan on the Podcast a number of times and we were close to having him at the first ICI/PRO conference. Now I'll have to redouble my efforts at having him on the show… soon I hope.
Thankfully I was able to get everything moved and upgraded without any noticeable issues.
And just in time to go watch the Chanhassen 4th of July parade. During which Amy and I will be cooking in the oppressive heat and humidity, that is a typical Summer here in Minnesota.
Note to self; some cold beer in a “nondescript” Clean-Bottle water bottle may be just the ticket 🙂
An engineer-friend of mine frequently says; “there's something wrong with everything!” If I've learned anything after 4 years running this website, (still having a hard time believing it's been that long) it's that not every problem shows it's self right away.
So please let me know if you experience any issues logging in, updating your Super Secret ICI/PRO iTunes feed or anything weird.
Spinning Instructor Amy Pillitteri – Beth Anne Gordley Photography
Meet Spinning Instructor Amy Pillitteri!
Amy is the runner-up in our Ultimate Instructor Class Profile contest!
About Waldo’s Revenge
I wrote this profile for a group of students I was working with during a winter and spring periodization program at a nearby YMCA this year. This particular class was full of enthusiastic triathletes and cyclists training for the Waldo County YMCA Triathlon Festival. We worked through all the various phases of the program leading up to the outdoor season. When it came time to re-test for lactate threshold, nobody really wanted to break away from his or her training regimen. So, in lieu of a field test, I put together a mock time trial, which mimicked the actual race. I encouraged the athletes to take their average heart rate, to see if they were race ready. This is how I came up with Waldo’s Revenge!
Having ridden and raced the course myself dozens of times, it was easy to coach it in class. Writing it in a profile, well that’s another story. I can tell you first hand, though, that it’s a really fun and challenging ride. The terrain in Maine is absolutely splendid. We have beautiful tree-lined roads, which run along the rocky coastline, and twist around the picturesque mountains, hills, lakes, and ponds. The wind, as in many time trials, is the big limiting factor on this course. Some of my really strong students wrote race reports after the triathlon this year, and I have included some of their remarks for fun. These comments will, hopefully, provide more insight, as to what’s going on inside an athlete’s mind during the race.
Am I alone in feeling there's some real magic in a well constructed Mashup? Next week I'll be publishing Waldo's Revenge – an Audio PROfile from Amy Pillitteri. Amy's profile was runner up in the Ultimate Instructor Class Profile contest. I really enjoyed her music playlist and it includes this Mashup Stayin' Hot (Nelly vs. Bee Gees) that isn't available on Spotify.
The magical part about a Mashup like this; I wouldn't ever consider using either song, in the original form, in my class… but blend them together and I joyfully hit the “Play” button. OK, it maybe that it's because it's a little naughty 🙂 But the connection to the Bee Gees makes it alright, doesn't it?
