page two Coach Mike before his first snowshoe race Born to Suffer by Coach Erik Cagnina
Well, well, well.  I’m sitting here, watching “Average Joe” (and
where were these shows when I was a swinging single?), trying to
dream up something to write about.  Fact is, winter is a pretty darn
mellow time for me.  I don’t really have any recent, super silly
training or racing stories.  Sure, I’m hopefully (pending injury) doing
Las Vegas Marathon in a week, so it hasn’t been like I’ve been
hibernating, but just enough running to survive the race and very
little swimming or biking.  To me winter is time to make up for
some of those occasionally strained family relations when the
training gets tough in the summer, catch up on those “honey-do”
projects that “honey-didn’t” and generally let the body and mind
heal in preparation for the upcoming season. So Coach Mike thought I might write about my feelings on having
my training log (more like a training twig these days) posted for the
world to see.  But you know, it doesn’t bother me too much.
Maybe sometimes the volume isn’t where I’d like it, or the workouts
aren’t the traditional way to do things, but I do the best I can and
in the long run, I’m the only one I have to answer to.  So what I
thought I’d rather do is open the book a little more.  I’m going to
take an honest look at my strengths and, more importantly, my
weaknesses, and present my thoughts as how to maintain the
strengths and improve on the weaknesses for the upcoming season. More… “Born to Suffer” is a monthly affair in which to share my tales of suffering.  Feel free to
contact me at Erik@D3Multisport.com and share your tales of suffering.  I might even
use your story if I’ve been unlucky enough to have not suffered recently.  The purpose
is nothing more than to generate a smile.  It’s good to train hard, but it’s better to
smile while training hard.   Bi-Lateral Breathing Bi-lateral breathing (BLB) is
a great tool to have in
your bag of tricks. While
thinking through the list
of ‘2004 Athlete
Requirements’ – I decided
to not only challenge my
athletes but challenge
myself too. You see, I
have been swimming to
one side my whole life
and I figure it’s time to
change that. And I want
all of my athletes to learn to swim bi-laterally too. More… The D3 Multisport Spring
Training Camp Tucson, AZ - March 10-14, 2004 We are excited to announce our first 'Spring Training' Camp - we
will be in the warm weather of Tucson, AZ - March 10th-14th.  We'll
have roll call at 3pm on the 10th and hit the trails for a short run
and into the pool for a quick dip before dinner. Camp officially starts on the morning of the 11th at 6:00 am with a
true reveille by Coach Mike - Marine Corps style. Be ready to jump
out of bed and hit the road running - no army boots needed - just
be ready. More… Quote of the month "Each warrior wants to leave the mark of his will, his signature, on the important acts he touches. This is not the voice of ego but of the human spirit, rising up and declaring that it has something to contribute. In every contest, there comes a moment that separates winning from losing. The true warrior understands and seizes that moment by giving an effort so intense and so intuitive that it could only be called one from the heart." --- Pat Riley