We had the good fortune of connecting with Jack Nunn and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Jack, what was your thought process behind starting your own business? Over the past 30 years I’ve been extremely lucky and grateful to have known and been coached some of the best rowing coaches in the world. I’ve taken that knowledge and applied it to my business model of teaching indoor rowing classes with an incredible view overlooking Marine Stadium in Long Beach, the rowing venue of the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The idea is simple: teach the general public how to use the indoor rowing machine correctly and effectively to get the most amount of calories burned per hour (all while looking out over the water and sunsets that we have in Long Beach.) Rowing is probably one of the best total body workouts possible because it engages nearly 80-percent of all the muscles in the body during each and every stroke. It’s the most effective cardiovascular workout without the impact.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more? Roworx offers indoor rowing classes taught by experienced US National Team coaches and rowers. We use the Concept 2 rowing machine (used by Olympians and elite rowers) giving our clients a full hour of heart-pumping workouts while taking in amazing views overlooking the water. We are located at a registered California historical landmark (where the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games rowing events took place.) The LA Coliseum and Marine Stadium are the only two venues left from the LA 1932 Olympic Summer Games.
The Roworx indoor rowing program offers a group exercise that’s low-impact, high efficiency, and great for building strength and endurance. Roworx also utilizes interval training with plyometrics, various mat work, stretching, and light dumbbell weights. Our clients span all experience levels, ages and abilities. Anyone can row, but it’s about controlling individual pace and resistance. The ability to control your own resistance allows you to maintain rhythm with the group, while selecting your own difficulty level. I’m most proud of how I’ve been able to stay in business since 2008 while offering our clients new and create ways to train on the indoor rowing machine. Indoor rowing has becoming more popular over the past 10 years as it is a low impact exercise. It can be used as the perfect cross training tool for any recreation or competition sport. My goal is to teach people the best technique possible on the rowing machine while burning the most calories during each one-hour class. I’ve had many challenges over the years as a fitness business owner, but I would say the best thing I did was take things one day and one task at a time. Over the past 10 years I’ve completed 16 full Ironman competitions and one Ultraman triathlon. Doing these events is a constant reminder of how you can accomplish and finish long events and struggles in your everyday life by focusing on priorities, being patient, having a plan, and being very consistent. I would like the world to know that we offer the best indoor rowing class workout experience.
I’ve also had the best coach possible: my father, who won a bronze medal in Rowing in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. He was also the 1976 Olympic Men’s Rowing coach in Montreal. I was also coached by Mike Teti on the USA National rowing team from 2001-2004. Mike coached the USA rowing team to a gold medal finish at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. When you take a Roworx indoor rowing class, you are in a sense getting Olympic caliber coaching from all the experience I’ve had over the past 30 years in the sport.
Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout? Los Angeles is a massive as many people know, but it doesn’t have to feel that way. As a native, I like to take visiting friends to some of my personal favorites and city highlights. Here’s a sample itinerary:
Monday Tour of Hollywood; Hike Runyon Canyon, or hike to the Hollywood sign; venture to the Hollywood Walk Of Fame; drive through Beverly Hills and Sunset Boulevard; take a drive up the coast and have lunch at Paradise Cove just north of Malibu; and end the day with desert at Duke’s in Malibu.
Tuesday Take a drive to Palos Verdes and head to Albalone Cove and hike down to the beach to explore nature and tide pools. Don’t miss Wayfarers Chapel (also known as “The “Glass Church.”) It was designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s son, Lloyd Wright, and is one of the most beautiful spots on the Peninsula. Next, have a leisurely lunch at Catalina Kitchen or Nelson’s at Terranea Resort.
Wednesday Grab a beach cruiser and ride along The Strand from Redondo Beach through Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach. Stop for lunch along the way and finish in Venice for people-watching. Make your way to the Santa Monica Pier for a carousel ride, arcade games, and dinner.
Thursday Explore Long Beach Take a Roworx indoor rowing class followed by lunch at The Boathouse along the bay in Long Beach. Next, rent a duffy, an electric boat, and explore the canals in Naples. After, take a tour of the Queen Mary or Aquarium of the Pacific.
Friday Explore Laguna Beach Have lunch at The Deck in Laguna. After, rent a stand-up paddleboard or walk around the town and peruse local art galleries.
Saturday Drive to San Diego and explore La Jolla cove to see the sea lions up-close or devote the day to Sea World. At night, check out Fiesta Island. (You might be lucky enough to catch a fireworks display from nearby Sea World.)
Sunday Downtown Los Angeles. Grab a coffee and explore Row DTLA. For sweeping views of the city and amazing art exhibits, head to the Getty Museum. Make sure to plan ahead and get tickets to a local sporting event at The Staples Center or Dodgers Stadium.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to? I would like to dedicate this shout out to my both my parents. They parents are the people I look up to most in life. Throughout my life they have embodied the perfect balance between studies, hard work, ethics, and sports and instilled these values in me. I’m so proud of my father, an Olympian and Olympic rowing coach, and my mother, a former high school teacher, philanthropist, and drug and alcohol counselor. Between raising five children (I’m the youngest), they had their hands full. Throughout my life my parents have inspired me with messages and encouraging stories of what it takes to accomplish goals, and that hard work and persistence pays off every time.
Jack, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today? My whole life revolves around fitness. My father, John Nunn, won an Olympic Bronze Medal in rowing in 1968 at the Mexico City Olympic Games, and he was the Olympic Men’s rowing coach in 1976 at the Montreal Summer Olympic Games. I always grew up playing sports and ended up rowing in 1996 for Long Beach Juniors and the next year where I qualified for the 1997 Junior National Team Selection Rowing Camp.
From there, I went on to star for four years at UC Berkeley with a full scholarship, winning four Pac ten championships and three IRA National Championships. I was a member of the US National Rowing Team from 2001-2006 winning a silver medal at the World Championships Eight Rowing event in Linz, Austria in 2001. When I’m not rowing or teaching on average 15 hours of classes per week, I love to compete in triathlons, marathons, cycling, and Ironman events. So far, I’ve completed fourteen full Ironman competitions and seven half Ironman’s. My motto is: “fight to the finish and do the best you can. What’s possible is what you think is possible.”
In 2017, I completed the most grueling Ironman in the World in Norway called the Norseman Extreme Ironman distance triathlon. The Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon is probably one of the craziest things an individual can put themselves through. This race bills itself as, ‘simply the ultimate triathlon on planet Earth’ and they are right. It’s a total of 226km spread over a freezing cold swim, a brutal ride and a seemingly impossible marathon footrace up a mountain. This is not your everyday ocean swim. You’ll find yourself taken by boat to the middle of a Glacier near the town of Eidfjord, Norway. You are then required to jump into chilly waters off the back of a car ferry and then swim against the current over 2 miles back to shore. The bike ride consists of 10-percent grades uphill with five different mountain peaks and a total of 15,000 feet of climbing over 112 miles. The 26.2-mile marathon at the end of the competition consists of the ascent of Mount Gaustatoppen which is 6,000 feet high. This is where the make or break really happens. By now you’re exhausted, cold, and probably wondering why on earth you thought this was a good idea. This is undoubtedly one of the world’s toughest races. The combination of extreme conditions and unenviable ascents make sure to deter only the most severe or craziest of competitors. This year, I’m taking my challenge to a whole new level and currently training for the Ultraman Extreme endurance race Feb. 15-17, 2019 in Orlando, Florida. I’m doing this race to honor my father’s Olympic Bronze medal that he won at the Mexico City Summer Olympic Games just over 50 years ago. Ultraman Florida in Orlando is a three-day athletic endeavor guaranteed to test an athlete’s physical and mental limits. The race covers a total distance of 322 miles, around central Florida and it is more than a double ironman. It requires that each participant completes a 6.2-mile swim plus a 92-mile bike ride the first day, a 171-mile bike ride the second, and a 52-mile run on the final day. This will be my most difficult challenge yet, and I’m now training 25 plus hours a week for the past several months in order to prepare for this strenuous competition.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you? Not a smooth road. Since I started rowing, I immediately stepped into my father’s shadow and was constantly measured by his success in rowing throughout college and on the national team. My father graduated from Cornell University where he won two national championships and went on to be an Olympic legend in rowing here in the United States. He has been inducted into the Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame and the Long Beach Aquatic Capital of America Hall of Fame. All my coaches knew my father, and there would be added pressure on me to do more every single day. The pressure was intense especially when my father would come to rowing competitions and/or practice sessions. One day I told my father I didn’t want to see him at all and wanted him to hide behind a wall so I could not see he was there. It wasn’t until 2008 when I started doing triathlons and training for them, that I started to create my own path away from rowing. It was something that I loved doing in the world of endurance competition. I always deep down loved when my dad came to see my row, and he’s come to many of my Ironman races (including Mallorca and Norway) to cheer me on. He’s my biggest inspiration and I wouldn’t be the athlete and the person I am without him. My family was worried about me in the beginning, and they were concerned about injuries. There were concerns that I wasn’t a strong enough swimmer for high-level Ironman distance competition. Another major obstacle was learning how to swim long distances and in open oceans with mass wave starts off the beach as 3,000 people would start all at the same time in Ironman triathlons. In junior high, I was on a water polo team whose policy “were no cuts to the roster.” I was an exceptionally bad swimmer and was ultimately cut from the team and had to overcome that adversity by learning how to overcome my fears and insecurities while swimming. Once I finished my first Ironman, I immediately gained confidence and never looked back.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Roworx Fitness – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others? Ten years ago, I created a one-of-a-kind fitness studio called Roworx Fitness, www.roworx.com, that specializes in endurance training on indoor rowing machines. I incorporate nearly 80-percent of all his fitness training using this method and teaches others in the technique. I attribute my swimming, cycling, and running strength and stamina to my hours of training on the Concept 2 rowing machines. I’m most proud and grateful for having the opportunity to work in an industry that I absolutely love and have so much passion in the sport of rowing. I really want to see people succeed, learn to love the sport of rowing (with proper technique and form) and have fun. My classes are for all ages and fitness levels and are taught at the Long Beach Rowing Center. My students enjoy some of my unique motivational stories served with physically challenging workouts all delivered with my “no regrets” philosophy.
So, what’s next? Any big plans? My plans are to always make the Roworx Fitness center a better training experience for everyone that takes a class. I’m looking forward to integrating more technology into the rowing classes along with enhancing the view that we have overlooking the water in Marine Stadium in Long Beach.Marine stadium in Long Beach was the site of the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games rowing venue. UC Berkeley (my alma mater) won the Olympic gold medal in the main rowing event. The LA memorial coliseum and marine stadium in Long Beach are the only 2 venues left from the 1932 Los Angels Olympic Games.
My personal athletic plans are to compete in the 2020 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii in which I have already qualified and earned a spot through the Legacy program last year by completing 12 full Ironman’s.
I also plan on completing the Ultraman Florida next month and inspire and motivate others to achieve their fitness goals through public speaking, fitness class, and more.
Pricing:
Unlimited Rowing Classes Month To Month $130 (With One Time $99 Initiation Fee)
21 – Class Punchcard $370
10 – Class Punchcard $200
5 – Class Punchcard $110
Single Class – $25
Triathlon Training Monthly Training Month To Month $150
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
Jack Nunn is the son of John Nunn, who won the bronze Olympic medal in 1968 with his partner Bill Maher in the double sculls rowing event. I sat down with Jack this week to ask him if he felt like he grew up in his dad’s shadow.
Jack, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today? My whole life revolves around fitness. My father, John Nunn, won an Olympic Bronze Medal in rowing in 1968 at the Mexico City Olympic Games, and he was the Olympic Men’s rowing coach in 1976 at the Montreal Summer Olympic Games. I always grew up playing sports and ended up rowing in 1996 for Long Beach Juniors and the next year where I qualified for the 1997 Junior National Team Selection Rowing Camp.
From there, I went on to star for four years at UC Berkeley with a full scholarship, winning four Pac ten championships and three IRA National Championships. I was a member of the US National Rowing Team from 2001-2006 winning a silver medal at the World Championships Eight Rowing event in Linz, Austria in 2001. When I’m not rowing or teaching on average 15 hours of classes per week, I love to compete in triathlons, marathons, cycling, and Ironman events. So far, I’ve completed fourteen full Ironman competitions and seven half Ironman’s. My motto is: “fight to the finish and do the best you can. What’s possible is what you think is possible.”
In 2017, I completed the most grueling Ironman in the World in Norway called the Norseman Extreme Ironman distance triathlon. The Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon is probably one of the craziest things an individual can put themselves through. This race bills itself as, ‘simply the ultimate triathlon on planet Earth’ and they are right. It’s a total of 226km spread over a freezing cold swim, a brutal ride and a seemingly impossible marathon footrace up a mountain. This is not your everyday ocean swim. You’ll find yourself taken by boat to the middle of a Glacier near the town of Eidfjord, Norway. You are then required to jump into chilly waters off the back of a car ferry and then swim against the current over 2 miles back to shore. The bike ride consists of 10-percent grades uphill with five different mountain peaks and a total of 15,000 feet of climbing over 112 miles. The 26.2-mile marathon at the end of the competition consists of the ascent of Mount Gaustatoppen which is 6,000 feet high. This is where the make or break really happens. By now you’re exhausted, cold, and probably wondering why on earth you thought this was a good idea. This is undoubtedly one of the world’s toughest races. The combination of extreme conditions and unenviable ascents make sure to deter only the most severe or craziest of competitors. This year, I’m taking my challenge to a whole new level and currently training for the Ultraman Extreme endurance race Feb. 15-17, 2019 in Orlando, Florida. I’m doing this race to honor my father’s Olympic Bronze medal that he won at the Mexico City Summer Olympic Games just over 50 years ago. Ultraman Florida in Orlando is a three-day athletic endeavor guaranteed to test an athlete’s physical and mental limits. The race covers a total distance of 322 miles, around central Florida and it is more than a double ironman. It requires that each participant completes a 6.2-mile swim plus a 92-mile bike ride the first day, a 171-mile bike ride the second, and a 52-mile run on the final day. This will be my most difficult challenge yet, and I’m now training 25 plus hours a week for the past several months in order to prepare for this strenuous competition.
Doing a single Ironman competition is tough. Doing several in a single year is tougher. But what if you did 3 in 28 days? Find out what it takes.
The Ironman circuit has offered Jack Nunn many opportunities to travel over the last eight years. Since 2008, Jack has competed and completed 8 international Full Ironman races and the Inaugural Ironman Vineman race this year in Sonoma, California. In 2013, he began racing shorter sprint triathlons, winning his age group in almost every single event racking up his total race count to over 100 events around the world.
He has also moved up in the ranks from a Bronze AWA medalist in 2014 this past year to a Silver AWA medalist in 2015 earning a little more respect along the way. Jack is also the 2015 Clydesdale 220lb+ National Champion and still holds the fastest time in the Olympic Distance Triathlon event in Grand Rapids Michigan.
The reason why Jack decided to attempt 3 Ironman’s in one calendar month was so that he could try and get to his goal of becoming an Ironman Legacy qualifier.
Jack is training for that elusive legacy spot in Kona, Hawaii as the Ironman Lottery was banned last year and the only way to get into the race is to either qualify with time or become an Ironman Legacy. You must complete 12 Full Ironman branded distance events and then you have a chance to be selected for a spot.
Jack also wants to educate people about the benefits of cross training, especially using the indoor rowing machines he utilizes at his business Roworx in Long Beach, California. Jack educates athletes during the year and encourages people to train during recovery blocks throughout the season.
His goal is to help swimmers, cyclists, and runners stay injury free and mentally fresh.
The key benefits of rowing for triathletes consists of maintaining a low impact and total body workout while enduring the pain and high caloric burn of rowing.
Ironman #1- Vineman, Sonoma
The original creator of the Vineman had always dreamed of having the full Ironman distance event with over 2,000 participants. There were 2,100 at this event, turning his dream into a reality after 28 years. Jack completed in 12:02:07, placing 60th in the M35-39 division and 397th overall.
Ironman #2- Kalmar, Sweden
Ironman Sweden, now in its fifth year, is a role model of how every major Ironman race should be modeled. Jack described it as a fun, historical, flat, and beautiful course.
The fan base consisted of thousands of spectators and a supporting community that offered incredibly positive energy towards all of the participating athletes along the course. Jack completed in 11:51:53, placing 196th in the AK M35-39 division and 1,132nd overall.
Ironman #3- Vichy, France
Ironman Vichy, France is now in its 2nd year of operation and offers a unique blend of history and beauty with a very professional and technical course. The Vichy Ironman and 70.3 are held on the same weekend but alternate days as they sold this race to the absolute max with more than 5,000 competitors.
Jack chose to participate in the Vichy Ironman mainly because of his very aggressive plan to complete 2 full Ironman’s in Europe that were only 8 days apart.
Coming off the Kalmar, Sweden Ironman he decided he would try and get his 9th overall Ironman checked off the list as he was very determined to get qualified for the elusive Ironman Legacy spot requiring 12 Full Ironman finishes.
This decision turned out to be the hardest series of race events that he had ever done in his life. Jack felt good mentally after the Kalmar Ironman but his body was broken and he found myself with barely a week to recover between races. Jack completed in 13:18:20 with an overall rank of 1,261.
Jack completed all three full Ironman’s in one month and had an average finish time of 12 hours flat. It was the hardest athletic challenge he had ever done in his entire life and does not recommend anyone try it unless they are in tremendous physical and mental health. It pushed Jack to the edge of injury and nearly broke him but he survived to tell the story to inspire others to use cross training with rowing and other unconventional training methods.
Jack created Roworx after winning numerous medals in various events on the international rowing stage. Jack started rowing in 1996 for Long Beach Juniors and made the 1997 Junior National Team Selection Camp. He went on to star for four years at UC Berkeley, winning four Pac-10 championships and three IRA National Championships. Jack was a member of the first ever undefeated Pac-10 and IRA National Champion Freshman 8 in 1998 and repeated the feat by going unbeaten in 1999. Jack helped his varsity 8 place second at the Henley Royal Regatta in 1999 in the Ladies Plate Challenge Cup in London, England. As a member of the US Rowing National Team from 2001-2004 he placed second at the 2003 Pan American Trials in double sculls and had an outstanding 2002 that saw him claim a gold medal in Senior 8 and a silver medal in the Elite Double at the US Nationals. LEARN MORE: WEBSITE
An Ironman and Triathlon champion—and U.S. National Rowing Team Medalist—shares tips on how to stay motivated
Rowing classes are on fire at exercise studios around the country. A full-body workout, rowing burns up to 800 calories per hour, it’s low-impact and it’s fun. We asked Jack Nunn, an international rowing, triathlon and Ironman champion, and founder of Roworx (roworx.com) to share workout tips and ways to stay motivated.
OSM: What does it take to train for an Ironman? How do you stay motivated?
JN: Consistency, time, patience and determination. Hiring a coach to hold yourself accountable is very important. It really is all about the hours of endurance and strength training that you are consistently putting in every week. To finish an Ironman takes an average of 10 hours a week of training; combining running, swimming and biking into your weekly routine for at least six months before racing. The pros are putting in upwards of 30 hours a week of fitness training every week, which comes out to nearly five hours a day of running, biking and swimming.
Your top diet tips and advice for first-time Ironman/triathlon athletes?
1. Drink more water and less alcohol. Cut out processed foods, especially fast food.
2. Cut back on dairy and red meat. Almond milk, raw fruits and vegetables, fish, turkey, brown rice, grains and egg whites are a great alternative.
3. Try and eat the same foods every day and eat smaller meals more often throughout the day to speed up your metabolism.
4. Consume more protein and fiber to help curb your appetite so you stay away from taking in too many empty calories.
5. I have been using Juice Plus for over six years and it has proven to be an essential part of my daily nutrition routine. I have hardly been sick, have sustained energy throughout the day and notice better endurance and strength gains when I’m taking the product.
6. Have patience. Try not to use the weight scale to measure success. Remember that muscle weighs more than fat so you need to use pant or dress size and energy levels in order to really be inspired to live a healthier lifestyle. I weigh 220 pounds and some people don’t believe it, but again, muscle weighs more than fat.
What are the most important things to consider when training for a triathlon or Ironman?
1. Time Make time for training and plan ahead. Make a schedule of your training and nutrition plan and stick to it. Talk to friends, family and employers to make sure everyone is on board and supporting what you will be doing for the next six months.
2.Safety Obviously when you cycle you will need to get on the road to practice while getting in those hours on the bike, but know that nearly 70 percent of all Ironman training injuries come from the bike. Cars and pedestrians are not always aware of what is around them and cyclists are a target for accidents and injuries while training on the road. Map out your ride to take the path least traveled by cars and people. Use indoor classes and workouts like rowing and/or cycling, and be inspired while working out with group classes.
3. Location Pick Ironman races closer to home and evaluate various courses in order to decide which race you would like. Don’t make the same mistake I did and sign up for your first Ironman in Nice where you have to climb and descend mountains that are included in one of the stages of le Tour de France. Take into account flat vs. hilly courses, the weather (heat and cold) for Ironman races, and location for vacation (after the race!) to enjoy a bit. Ironman Arizona, Lake Placid and Florida are some of the “easiest” Ironman courses in the world and can provide for a good vacation for sightseeing after the event takes place.
How did you get into sports and fitness, and why did you decide to make it a career?
My father, John Nunn, is an Olympian who won the bronze medal in Rowing in 1968, at the Mexico City Olympic Games, and he was the U.S. Olympic Men’s team rowing coach in 1976, Montreal Olympic Games. He got us all interested in sports growing up. I have four older sisters, and he coached all of our teams: soccer, baseball, softball and ice hockey. Both of my grandfathers played professional football and my great-grandfather was a rower at Columbia University in the early 1900s. I guess you could say it’s in my genetic makeup to be destined to be an athlete and or rower.
Since I can remember I have always wanted to either make the Olympic team and or compete and finish a full Ironman. In 2008, one of my best friends suggested that we train for our first Ironman together. I immediately said yes and signed up for my first Ironman in Nice, France. I would later find out that it was– and still is–one of the most grueling Ironman courses in the world. The bike portion of that particular Ironman travels 112 miles through the Pyrenees Mountains, which was insanely hard, especially since it was 95 degrees on race day. Upon completing Ironman France, I was hungry for more and knew that it was just the start of another chapter of fitness in my life. Since 2008 I have gone on to finish six full Ironmans around the world. This year I plan on doing three more full Ironman competitions in Napa Valley, Vineman CA, Kalmar, Sweden, and Vichy, France.
What do you love most about competing and/or your job as a professional athlete?
I love the challenge and the thrill of competition, seeing how far you can push the body and the human spirit to its limits. There something about the thought of racing with thousands of other people and watching them race beside you that really is addictive and keeps you moving and pushing through to the finish line.
What is your proudest athletic achievement and why?
My proudest achievement would have to be winning the silver medal at the world championship with the US National Team in 2001. I worked incredibly hard for six straight years of rowing and won my first international medal continuing down the road to one step closer to making it to the Olympics. The feeling of being one of the best athletes in the world in my sport was amazing while having my father watching the race.
Another proud achievement is unexpected but it has gotten me to where I am today. I entered to what would have been my 3rd and at the time I thought my last Full Ironman in Houston, Texas back in 2010 but before the race I had food poisoning and decided to race anyway coming within 8 miles from the finish line I had to drop out due to severe dehydration and shock to the body. That race broke me and broke my soul but it’s also because of that race that I came back with a vengeance into the triathlon world by finishing 4 more Full Ironmans and more to come.
What is a typical day like for you? How many hours a day do you train?
I took up a University coaching position as the Head coach for the Men’s Rowing team at Loyola Marymount University in LA so I’m currently working 4 jobs at the moment. Rowing coach at LMU, Roworx Fitness Owner where I teach most of the fitness classes and run all operations for the business, Spin instructor, and I am an Ironman/triathlon coach.
5 a.m Wake up
6-8 a.m Coach the Men’s Rowing Team at LMU in Marina Del Rey
9:15 a.m-10:15 a.m Teach Roworx Rowing Class In Long Beach
Noon-1 p.m Teach Roworx Rowing Class In Long Beach
3-5 p.m Run 6 miles and or swim laps in the pool
7 p.m Teach a Spin/Cycling Class
9 p.m in bed trying to get at least 8 hours sleep a night
I average about 3-4 hours of endurance training with rowing, biking, running, and swimming everyday with Sunday being a rest day. Lately I have been racing every Sunday so I try to get in more rest during the week.
In times like these we can all use a little stress relief. In this article we will go over the top 5 stress relievers that can help restore calm and serenity to your chaotic life. You don’t have to invest a lot of time or thought into stress relievers. If your stress is getting out of control and you need quick relief, try one of these following 5 tips.
Meditate
If you are looking for a more standard mediation practice then you want to start by sitting straight with both feet on floor. Close your eyes and focus your attention on saying silently or out loud something positive such as: “I feel at peace” or “I am happy.” Place one hand on your stomach and breathe by repeating the positive things. Let any distracting thoughts float by like clouds. You can tell yourself: “Delete” or “Next” to any negative thoughts and or worries.
Get Moving
Exercise is actually a type of mediation that can be very effective to relieve stress. You don’t have to be an Olympian to understand how to get a good workout. All forms of exercise, including yoga, walking, swimming, cycling, and or dancing along with stretching can ease depression and anxiety by helping the brain release feel-good chemicals (endorphins) and by giving your body a chance to practice dealing with stress. You can go for a walk around the block, take the stairs up and down a few flights, and do some stretching exercises with you head, neck, back, and hamstrings.
Be Grateful
Start the day by being grateful and have a positive outlook in any situation that comes your way. Being grateful cancels out negative thoughts and worries. Write down what you are grateful for and have an “Attitude of gratitude” mindset while also thanking other for helping you along the way. Remember: “Treat others the way you would like to be treated.” It works! When you start feeling stressed, think about the positive things that really matter in life.
Crank Up The Music
Research shows that listening to soothing music can lower blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety. If you have access to apple playlist, sound cloud, Pandora, and or even the radio you can create a playlist of your favorite music genres and or soothing sounds of nature (the ocean, rain, waterfalls, and or birds chirping in the wild). Let your mind focus on the different melodies, instruments, or singers in the song. Working out with music can really help rhythm and performance when you run, cycle, dance, and or row to the beats.
Laugh Out Loud
Laughing is perhaps one of the best ways to naturally relieve stress. A good “Laugh out loud” lowers cortisol (your bodies stress hormone) and boosts positive brain chemicals. Lighten up by tuning into your favorite sitcom, video, and or visiting your local comedy club. You can also read plenty of memes on the internet and or talk to someone who is naturally funny. Surround yourself around positive and funny people so that you might learn how to be positive on a daily basis.
Want some more motivation? Check out this 30 minute video … some great motivation and inspiring words in this following video created by Jordan Peterson
The 11th Annual Aquatic Capital of America (ACOA) Awards Banquet will be from from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, at the Keesal, Young & Logan law offices, 400 Oceangate #1400. Awards will be presented in seven categories.
Olympic reminders surround Jack Nunn, all the way down to his weekly workload. “Every day when I teach a indoor rowing class at Roworx Fitness I’m looking out on the water in Long Beach Marine Stadium,” Nunn says. “That’s where my Alma mater won the gold.” But Nunn isn’t talking about swimming. He jokes that he was cut from the junior high water polo team, a team that didn’t have mandatory roster trimming. Instead, Nunn comes to the multi-sport world from crew, and the waves of Alamitos Bay, near Los Angeles, reflect his family’s past and present.
John Nunn, Jack’s father, moved to southern California in the mid 1960’s to train for the Olympics at a world-class facility, the famed Long Beach Marine Stadium, which was built for the 1932 Games. John earned an Olympic Bronze medal in 1968 in Mexico City, and he subsequently raised his family in the Los Angeles area. Jack picked up the oars in the same bay where his father practiced.
“That changed my whole life,” he says.”That’s my identity. I started rowing in 1996 for the junior national team right there in Marine Stadium. I would go to Long Beach every day in high school and throughout my college career to train.” He won multiple Pac-10 Conference championships at the University of California Berkeley. The Bears represented Team USA on their home water in 1932 and edged Italy by .2 of a second to secure Olympic gold. Nunn, 40, teaches classes at Roworx, the indoor rowing center he owns situated next to the rectangular block of water that constitutes Marine Stadium.
“If you’re a strong rower, you can turn it into being a strong cyclist with the legs and lungs,” he says. Nunn estimates that 70 percent of the multi-sport training comes from his rowing workouts at Roworx Fitness in Long Beach. Part of that philosophy originates from the practical realities of operating a gym. His job, like most age-groupers, requires a significant portion of his time. In his case, the longer hours of a small business owner mean more opportunities for fitness.
“My dad told me growing up, ‘if you want to get better at something, you have to do that thing,’ Nunn said. “The argument is yes, you will improve if you do the actual sport, but with rowing you can get close.” Nunn has raced more than 100 triathlons since diving into his first race, a 2008 Ironman event in Nice, France known for it’s difficult cycling course that features a segment of the Tour de France route. Even as he progressed down the distance ladder to shorter events in recent years, Nunn focuses on rowing as the main component of his training. “I’m a bigger guy. The longer [a race] goes, the worse I get,” he says with a laugh. “My favorite distance is the sprint.” He registered for the inaugural Legacy Triathlon as part of the 2019 schedule. USA Triathlon launched the new event in Long Beach and will continue it each year leading into the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in LA. Nunn earned the bronze medal for his age group in the sprint distance. “It’s cool to race in your hometown at a big USA Triathlon event,” Nunn says. “There was no doubt I was going to do it. I like to compete on that formal level, but it’s an individual sport, which I love. It’s you against you.”
Nunn says he understands skeptics who push for more discipline-specific swim, bike, run workouts, but he also sees plenty of people who dismiss rowing too easily or only use a rowing machine as a warm-up for something else. Five minutes here. Ten minutes there. Nunn points to those early exists as missed opportunities. “Try rowing for an hour,” he says. “Try to get some intervals going for 30 minutes. Everyone
wants the greatest full body low impact workout – rowing will give it to you.”
Jack Nunn has competed in extreme events all over the world including 14 Full Ironman events which include a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and full marathon run.
When Jack Nunn returned home from Orlando, Fla. in February of this year, the Manhattan Beach resident was exhausted.
And understandably so.
He had just competed in the Ultraman Florida triathlon, a grueling, long-distance race where he had to swim, bike and run 321.6 miles. He was looking forward to recuperating.
That was until he got an email inviting him to embark on yet another physical challenge: the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
“I was very excited but I was like this is going to be really tough,” Nunn explained, adding the turnaround time between the races was particularly challenging. “Doing this on top of Ultraman…this has been a big year. The biggest.”
The race, set for Oct. 12, will combine three of the toughest endurance races in Hawaii, bringing together more than 2,000 of the world’s best athletes to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles.
But, Nunn—son of Olympic bronze medalist sculler John Nunn who was raised in Palos Verdes—isn’t nervous. He said he’s been training for this his whole life.
“I’m trying to hold it, like control it before race day,” Nunn mused. “It’s been a lifelong dream to go and compete…if you ask anybody that’s doing marathons or triathlons, the ultimate is to go to Kona.”
The 6 foot 3 inch tall bronzed adonis, who just turned 40 earlier this summer, has traveled the world, venturing to four continents to compete in 14 Ironman triathlons.
He also raced in the Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon in Norway.
“I’ve swam with sharks in Australia, jellyfish in Mexico like actually stinging you during the race, big jellyfish in Sweden that come like a wall…dealt with alligators in Florida to crocodiles in Australia swimming in the ocean with you. In Norway, I swam in a fjord that was 40 degrees, 17,000 feet of mountain climbs, ridiculously hard train,” Nunn recollected. “You just think hey if I can do that, I can get through this.”
His preparation for all of these extreme endurance races, including his upcoming journey around Kailua-Kona?
A sport Nunn credits with allowing him to create his own path in life: rowing.
“It’s a whole-body workout so it’s really efficient and low-impact,” Nunn explained, adding he attended his alma mater Cal Berkeley on a full-scholarship for the sport. Nunn owns an indoor rowing gym in Long Beach, Roworx. “I feel like I owe it back something.”
But, more importantly than physical preparation, he clarified, is mental strength.
“You have to have the mental to turn on the physical,” Nunn said. “I always say if your body quits before your mind, that’s a good problem to have.”
To prepare for the hours-long endurance challenges, Nunn draws from past experiences, as well as the support of friends and family to help him push through.
He also gets into what he calls ‘the zone,’ where Nunn says he squashes self doubt and tries to enjoy the experience.
“I think just being present and focusing on sort of a meditation almost,” he added. “You’re almost at peace sort of.”
To track Nunn during the Ironman World Championship, download the IRONMAN Tracker app and follow No. 364.
I competed in over 30 events in 2018 including 1 Full Ironman competition in Chattanooga, Tennessee and one half Ironman 70.3 in La Quinta, Ca. Continue Reading
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Beach as well as winning numerous rowing races on the water during the Long Beach Southwest Regionals and Christmas Regatta competitions. He placed 3rd in his age group at the 
USA Triathlon Magazine Winter Issue January 2020
“That changed my whole life,” he says.”That’s my identity. I started rowing in 1996 for the junior national team right there in Marine Stadium. I would go to Long Beach every day in high school and throughout my college career to train.” He won multiple Pac-10 Conference championships at the University of California Berkeley. The Bears represented Team USA on their home water in 1932 and edged Italy by .2 of a second to secure Olympic gold. Nunn, 40, teaches classes at 
age group in the sprint distance. “It’s cool to race in your hometown at a big USA Triathlon event,” Nunn says. “There was no doubt I was going to do it. I like to compete on that formal level, but it’s an individual sport, which I love. It’s you against you.”
