A Dear Client:
John Baehrend (featured in a previous post a few years ago) was a great person to train. I met John circa 2009 when we used to live in the same building in Cambridge. John spotted a flyer I had posted in the building, inviting residents to come to a free lecture/workshop on "Fall in to Fitness". John was the only attendee. But, his presence transformed in to a 5-year training relationship. Even when John and his wife, Sandy, moved out of the building and across the river, we still had our morning exercise session.
Five years...it is the longest period of time that I have trained someone in my career without a break in training. To this day, I try not to take for granted the number of people that show up to a workshop or other activity because a strong relationship can be developed through one person.
John was not only a client; he was a friend. He and Sandy got the chance to know my family (Chandace and Derek Jr). In our many conversations, I had the pleasure of learning about his lovely family as well as his strong faith. John, in his 80's, passed away in late June (it was a difficult day to feel like training). But, he never stopped exercising until he simply...could not. We tried many exercises from squats to push-ups to functional get-ups off the ground. We worked on his weaknesses, strengths, and even added in some fun in the functional training with backwards walking.
I will not take for granted the time that I spent training John. He welcomed me in to his home for five years. We laughed, shared stories, asked about each other's family. It is always a pleasure to have the opportunity to train someone like John Baehrend. May God bless his soul!
With heart,
Derek
Derek Arledge, MS, CSCS www.teempt.com TEEM Performance Training
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