My long time, talented Physical Therapist, Kevin Dintino at Tidewater Physical Therapy was the coordinator behind putting together this amazing event last weekend in Richmond Virginia: The ‘
A few weeks ago at my follow up appointment with Dr. McMahon at Adult and Child Foot and Ankle http://www.acfac.com/ , Dr. McMahon also suggested I attend this symposium because of the injury prevention topics that would be beneficial to me. I love learning as much as I can about this sport so off I went and it was a fantastic day. I found it to be inspiring, informative and an all around good opportunity to learn while having fun and connecting with other athletes and the experts in our sport.
 |
| My Physical Therapist, Kevin |
The presenters were incredible with Aussie triathlete, Michellie Jones opening the day. She achieved World Champion status as a triathlete in Ironman, ITU, XTerra, as well as earning a silver medal in the Olympics in Sydney, Austrialia. She holds a degree in teaching, raced professionally for 25 years, continues to coach other athletes and will be retiring but racing as an amateur in 2014. She does not want to stop racing despite retirement from the pro circuit because she sees triathlon as her passion, the greater community of triathlon as her community and even as her family. I absolutely respect her spirit and passion for the sport. Michellie had the audience moved from laughter over her tales from her 68 year old mother riding her Felt DA in Australia countryside to tears as we watched her race video from the Syndey olympics and she described the emotion behind that event. Michellie’s fiercely competitive perfectionist triathlon mindset was apparent but that was swirled in with stories we can all understand of overcoming challenges, facing fears, learning from setbacks and loving the sport. Michellie also has a bit of a “girlie” perfectionist side which I appreciated. She had me in hysterics talking about her wheel cracking the day before a race and her first thought was “Oh, my goodness my decals are not going to match” and began obsessively scraping the stickers. For such an accomplished athlete she has a very relatable nature and an admirable attitude. She reminds us that triathlon is like life. “Some days are good and some are bad but you want to have as many good days as you can. Triathlon teaches us life lessons.”
I had to opportunity to ask a question at the end of her presentation and I asked her how she has found success in overcoming her fears along the way as she had mentioned feeling scared of trying a new distance long ago or swimming in the middle of shark infested waters. She joked during the presentation, “If there’s another guy out there, I figure my shot is 50/50!” Yet, she took my question seriously and said that that she remembers if she is nervous so is everyone else. She pictures a monkey on her back talking negatively and she instructed us to just “throw the monkey off your shoulder” making a sweeping motion with her arms over her shoulder and behind her hair. She says, “Never be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone.” From newbie to pro, everyone has fears. It is how we overcome them.
The agenda also featured Pro Cyclist Frankie Andreu and coach/author Chris Carmichael as well as some local experts in the community. Here is the agenda:
I learned a lot about injury prevention and how it is tied to form and bio-mechanics, equipment choices, lab testing, physiology, form, and even life stress. We had many local doctors talk to us from prevention through injury rehabilitation and I found it very informative. I was one of the few who raised my hand when the podiatrist asked who does “toe yoga”. We all know I have the strongest digite minime in town- haha. I’m very “experienced” at being injured and the rehab process but it is always good to learn more, particularly on the prevention end. For those who need someone experienced with triathletes and runners right here in Richmond, I find my podiatrist, Dr McMahon has shared a lot of that knowledge with me over the years and has the knowledge, patience and the on site technology runners need with gait analysis capability etc. My very own ortho who treated my shoulder post wreck in 2011, Dr. Marion (Moose) Herring was one of the key speakers.
|
|
|
Dr Moose Herring answering accomplished triathlete Dorothy’s questions
|
Of course it was also fun just catching up with my training partners, teammates and friends as well as connecting with the local experts who had tables at the symposium.
 |
| The AWESOME Endorphin Fitness Coaches Nick & Kyle posing with us Endorphin Fitness Athletes. This is the group that makes me fast. |
 |
| One of my 1st ever running buddies, Dale who is off race in Boston this Spring! |
 |
| Dale and Jack |
 |
| Symposium Swag |
 |
| The new Cervelo P2 with Andy @ 3sports |
 |
 Playing 6 Degrees of Marv at the Symposium. Everyone seemed to be connected to Marv by 6 degrees! Who needs Kevin Bacon when you have Marv. This sticker experiment was fun. |
 |
| Bike Fit Expert and DL Multisport Coach Dave Luscan telling us about Michellie Jones pictured on his bike fit machine! |
 |
| Dave Luscan sharing knowledge |
 |
| Massage Therapist Trish Powell socializing at the Symposium |
 |
| A Chris Carmichael presentation |
 |
| Frankie on mental training techniques |
 |
| Nutritionist and fellow athlete, Tina Shiver with Lighten Up, Inc |
Tidewater PT was the Title Sponsor and the event benefited the Brain Injury Association of Virginia and Richmond 2015, the organization bringing UCI World Road Cycling to RVA.
I loved this event! It was a great day.
