Wholistic Fitness

One of four Sacred Peaks that define the Navajo Nation, Tsidool – The Turquoise Mountain – is known to the white man as Mt. Taylor. She stands upright at over 11,300+ and is the Sacred Site of the Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon…a four-discipline, 42-mile endurance event with which i have had long history with as both a top soloist and defending Team Champion. In this Winter That Has Yet To Be, Tsidool does not have enough snow to hold the snowshoe and ski segments, which are my segments. Instead, the two snow events will be turned into an extreme run through ice, muck, snow, and summit talus and wind. perfect…i can’t wait. when in doubt? Go Higher, Baby! Bring it friggin’ ON!!!!!!!!!

i would like to introduce to you, Oh Noble DL Readers, my assembled Team for Mt. Taylor this year. I will be meeting them later tonight at our Team Meeting at the glorious Travelodge in Grants, NM…a historic mining town huddled close to the canyon arms of Tsidool.

i know that in years past, you have all written very kindly about my attempts to take my Practice and apply it upon this Sacred Peak…if possible…i will attempt, with Ananda’s amazing help, to provide Mt. Taylor Updates as the event occurs. All free, all for your inspiration to get out this Saturday, and send some sweat soaked Tribal Chi into the UniVerse whereupon i, and my Team Mountain Yogi teammates will feel you as we hammer our heartrates into the stratsophere and push our Practice where few yogis are brave enough to go…Multi-Disciplined Yoga, baby…gotta Dance ALL the realms to be a highly skilled yogi. that is why i do things like Mt. Taylor. your faith in yourself is only as vital as your most recent Test of it…

for a description of this brutally beautiful event please visit:
http://mttaylorquad.org/

with honor of their long years of Practice within their Sweat and Spirit, i give you my teammates for Mt.Taylor 2006; Team Mountain Yogi

CYCLIST: Team Mountain Yogi
Richard “Gram Man” Verderame

Bio:
Richard Verderame
Age: 47
5 time New Mexico Race Series Champion
2 time State Road Race Champion
2 time SVA Circuit Road Race Series Champion
Competed in “The Tour of the Gila” several times and finished second twice while domestiqueing for my teammates
New Mexico Criterium series Champion
Completed biking portion of “2000 Mount Taylor” ascending with a time of 51:07 and descending with a
time of 29:13

I do not feel comfortable talking about me!

Looking forward to the competition with my new and fast team!!!
I am a little out of shape today but have dedicated myself to the effort.

Godspeed;
Grammage”

Gram Man’s Team Mountain Yogi 2006 Mission: to keep in contact with the Bike Up lead group; needs to equal or better his 48:48 ascent of last year to keep us competitive going into the Run Up. The Bike Up course is a 13-mile, 1,800 hill climb with headwalls of 17% gradient. His other mission is NOT TO FALL ASLEEP while waiting for his Bike Down transition! Needs to nail a national class Time Trial descent as our Anchor Man back to the finish.

Gram Man’s Team Mountain Yogi History: former training partner of mine when i lived in Rio Rancho, NM. “Grammage” and i raced together on the regional Team Motorola out of Albuquerque for several seasons. Without ‘Gram Man’s’ help i doubt if i could have become the New Mexico State Road Race Series Champion. I call him ‘Gram Man’ because he is horribly anal about shaving off micrograms of weight from his bicycle. i love him dearly and cannot wait to see him again and his beautiful wife, Angela.

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CYCLIST: Team Mountain Yogi
Lisa Goldsmith

bio:
Lisa M. Goldsmith
Age: 40

{Coach’s Note: uh, if you don’t know who Lisa G is…i reckon you’ve not ever picked up a running magazine for the past two DECADES!!! i had to edit her Resume for lack of GigaByte Space…;-)

2005:
**Member “La Sportiva/Go-Lite Mountain Running Team”
USATF Master Mountain Runner of the Year
1st overall, age-group course record, “Run To The Sun,” 36.2 mi road, Maui, HI (Haleakala volcano w/ 10,032ft elev. gain)
1st overall, “Pikes Peak Ascent,” 13.32 mi trail, Manitou Springs, CO (6,200 > 14,000ft)
1st overall, “Mt. Evans Ascent,” 14.5 mi road, Idaho Springs, CO (14,000ft at summit)

2004:
1st overall, ” Imogene Pass Run,”
2nd place, “North American Snowshoe Championship,” Beaver Creek, CO
7th US MOuntain Championships, “Mt. Washington Hill Climb,” 7.6 mi, Gorham, NH
**Member “La Sportiva Mountain Running Team”

2003:
1st overall, “Rim Rock Run”
1st overall, “Mt. Sanitas,” 1.2 mi trail, Boulder, CO
1st overall, “Color Run,” 1/2 marathon, trail/road, Buena VIsta, CO
1st overall “Bergen Peak,” 11.5 mi trail, Evergreen, CO
1st overall, “Continental Divide Run,” 17 mi, trail, Steamboat Springs, CO
1st overall, “Golden Gate Run,” 10 mi, trail, Golden Gate Canyon State Park, CO
**Member “La Sportiva Mountain Running Team”

Other
2001 North American Snowshoe Champion
2001 1st overall, Mt. Baldy, 8 mi trail, CA
3 time Winner Mt Evans, 14.5 mi hill climb, road, CO
2 time Winner, Collegiate Peaks 25 mi trail, Buena Vista, Co
1999, 20th place, Boston Marathon, MA
1998 1st overall, Catalina Island Marathon, trail, CA
1997 US Mountain Running Team, 1st American @ World Mountain Trophy, Czech Republic

Lisa’s 2006 Team Mountain Yogi Mission: i have only 3 Team Leader Directives for Lisa:
1) drive down from Nederland, Colorado SAFELY!!!!! and,
2) tear the fucking legs off of any and all other runners – gender does not matter.

Lisa’s Team Mountain Yogi History. rookie with this Team and on this mountain. is replacing WF Teacher Joseph “Haku” Sheader who is busy at some World Martial Art Championship or something feeble like that. A DEEEEP bow to Haku for
soliciting Most Noble Running Warrioress Lisa to come down and help us retain our Podium. Lisa has an outstanding chance at setting a Course Record for the Run Up and Run Down…this woman can HAMMER!!!!

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SKIER/SNOWSHOER : Team Mountain Yogi
Steve “Coach” Ilg

age 43
bio:
mountain yogi

Steve’s 2006 Team Mountain Yogi Mission:
Lead the Team capably. Adapt to the crazy cold, mixed conditions on the upper reaches and summit of the mountain. Keep our ace Runner, Lisa, at the high, cold Run/Ski transition for as LITTLE TIME as possible…i must summit and plummet with Manjurshree like speed to get the electronic baton back to Lisa.

Steve’s Team Mountain Yogi History:
i have been in the top twenty in this Race three times as a soloist and 3rd overall as a age grouper.
last year, i was the Skier and Snowshoer as well, as Team Mountain Yogi went on to win the Men’s Team podium.
This year, with Lisa replacing Haku, i will do my Warrior Best to help my Team stand on top of the Mixed Team podium
in Grants tomorrow night.

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SUPPORT CREW: Team Mountain Yogi
Joy “Ananda” Kilpatrick

age 38
bio:
movie star turned mountain yogini and WF Temple Manager extraordinaire. my Beloved Partner, my Pranic Princess.

Joy’s 2006 Team Mountain Yogi Mission:
get and keep all our shit together. race up and down the Sacred Mountain like a madwoman keeping track of logistics, supporting racers, and in the split seconds in between managing all the details of Team Prep and Race try to send the Sangha some DL Updates. piece of cake.

Joy’s Team Mountain Yogi History:
served as an absolutely essential Support for our Victory here last year.