Race Across America in June 2014 will challenge Team PHenomenal Hope members both mentally and physically. But by studying the mechanics of their muscles, the team will be better positioned to excel during the race. That is where Jim Bruskewitz comes in! Jim joins Team PHenomenal Hope as a coach and will take on the primary role of preparing the team for the race through different training activities.
Jim earned an M.S. from the University of Wisconsin –
Madison, and for the past 15 years, he has taught at the University in the
Department of Kinesiology. Kinesiology is the study of the mechanics and
anatomy of human muscle – and Team PHenomenal Hope will surely be using a lot of
muscles in the race! Jim also boasts an impressive coaching background, having
worked with endurance athletes for more than 25 years. Personally, he is a two-time
World Champion and eight-time National Age Group Champion in triathlons.
Working with Team PHenomenal Hope, Jim plans to create a
master training plan for all the riders to follow. “This will promote the team
approach to reaching their goals collectively and individually,” says Jim. He
also adds that each team member will be working on her own level, which is
gauged based on results from physiologic testing. This will allow the members
to make progress in their training as efficiently as possible.
Over the next few months, Jim will be working with the team
to understand their strengths and weaknesses to prepare them for RAAM. He
mentions, “The physiologic preparation is the easy part, as long as the athletes
are committed to spending the time to prepare.” He says that for a long competition like RAAM, simple things such as eating, sleeping and keeping track of
personal items in the support vehicles can be the biggest challenge for
the athletes. Jim adds, “I hope to help them identify what their challenges will
be so they can best adapt to the ever-changing conditions they'll find
themselves in.”
Jim is excited to be on board as part of Team PHenomenal
Hope, and we are just as excited to cheer him, and the rest of the team, on! You can read about Team PHenomenal Hope’s plan for training throughout the winter season in the Winter issue of Pathlight, PHA’s quarterly newsletter, coming in January. Pathlight is one of the benefits you'll receive as an official PHA member, so join or renew your membership by December 10, to ensure you receive the next issue!
To learn more about Team PHenomenal Hope and how you can get involved in the Race of Our Lives campaign, visit www.PHAssociation.org/RaceOfOurLives.
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