Wholistic Fitness

the “Veit Springs” headwall at mile 4 on the climb up to the Ski Basin; this section requires the yogi to bring his or her “A Game” at this section where the road gradient goes steep and undisciplined egos weep

“Know the mind and see its essence,
and you may speak at will
and go wherever your feet take you –
nothing is not the Path.”
– Liao-an

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***
The Devil Made Me Do It;
Devils are go(o)d.
Devils force us to look within and rely upon our Faith.
The Daily Discipline of Training is what develops Faith.
Become a Disciple;
Not of me…
Not of WF…
Of yourself!

(Photo; Peter Traylor, a training partner of mine who finished 58th Overall in the 2003 Ironman Triathlon Championships, is admittedly not a pure hill climber on the bike. So, he came out and along with WF Temple Manager Ananda stood on the steepest section of the SnowBowl Hill Climb at mile 4 and cheered each and every one of the competitors to do their best during this brutal section. photo by Ananda)

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The Devoted DL Reader will recall that last year, i raced my first race weekend here in Flagstaff since relocating from Los Angeles. One year later, and i once again toed the Start Line of the Two Day Event. Day One is the SnowBowl Hill Climb; a 6.5 mile hammerfest up 2,000 vertical feet ending at dizzying altitude of 9,500′.

Day Two is the notorious “Wupatki Road Race” at the soaringly beautiful Wupatki/Sunset Crater National Monument. This ‘Yoga Studio’ for studying thyself features a 45 mile course with 4,800′ of climbing; all of it in the final 22 miles!

This is the story of my “Yoga Practice” within these beautiful races this weekend.

It is a true Blessing to sweat and apply thy spirit within such natural beauty and among such talented Two-Wheeled Warriors…

may the sweat i spilled out on the roads this weekend
and the Inner Spirit i gained from doing so
be of Benefit to YOUR Practice this week…
thank you for reading DL…turn a friend on to it! we offer DL Gift Certificates!

in sweat and spirit from the “Coach Who Still Does,”

coach ilg

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“The very body that we have, that’s sitting here right now…
with its aches and its pleasures…
is exactly what we need to be fully human,
full awake,
fully alive.”

– Pema Chodron

in the moments before a race, Pratyhara (Sense Withdrawl) is crucial. If there is an Appropriate time to listen to inspiring music through headphones, doing so on the ‘trainer’ before the Start Gun goes off would be it. The Warrior must look deep within during these precious moments. Do not talk to friends…focus on your Warm Up. Limit Distraction, Increase Attraction to your Visualization. Break a go(o)d sweat and be on time for your Start. You will be nervous because you are going to suffer. In the best case of preparation; the WF Warrior Athlete transforms suffering into pure, beautiful effort.

(while on my trainer, i engage Pratyhara; i draw my senses inward, run my Race Visualizations and temper my body, mind, and spirit into a unified Self Guiding Missile. though this weekend was a Priority B level for me, i use “B Level” races to refine tactics, preparations, and skills. i also use them to enhance my yogic fitness to become a better Teacher for my Students. photo by Ananda).

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If you are going to race up a mountain like this,

(The Sacred Peak, site of the SnowBowl Hill Climb. photo by coach the morning before the race).

you must do the same thing as say,

a Dart Thrower does before releasing a Dart…
you must first establish an astral relationship with your Target,
then,
visualize everything you wish to occur.
all trophies, all podiums, all summits must first be gained within.
just as the body follows the mind,

just as the dart follows the focus of the thrower,
so too do our actions follow our Intent.

(above two photos; coach practicing his unique self-created game of “Zen Darts” a time-trial version of Darts. note the “stacked darts” in the second photo!

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in bike racing, i have designed WF Pre-Event Meditations to accurately focus the body/mind beam
toward whatever the goal of the event may be.

Race Day morning disappear faster than mist in the Atacama Desert. Wake up earlier than you think you have to. The Priorities never change: immediate bowel elimination (thus the importance of using SUNRIDER herbal whole foods) directly into Early Morning Ritual including your assigned Toilet Yoga® pranayama and meditation routines is a must for the competitive WF Warrior on race day.

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“We learn something by doing it.
There is no other way.”
– John Holt

on the “Veit Springs Headwall,” mile 4. using the WF Sacred Mantra while alternating standing and seating climbing techniques in order to keep my average speed around 9 mph through this crux section…the lower mind (manas) will tend toward distraction, the eyes will want to wander, and the ego (ahamkara) will want to do anything to stop the abuse on the body.

the yogi dives deeper INTO him or herself during such intensity.

that is why every yogin must toe a Start Line; to test – against their peers – their development of their inner mental fields; there is no better way to know Thyself than through racing.

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RACE SUMMARY:
The peleton began the climb a bit lethargic, no one wanting to set the initial pace. Approaching the one mile mark, i assumed the role of Pace Leader since my physiology is better equipped to handle high, steady tempo rather than short ongoing accelerations. i ramped up the pace yet stayed within myself.

Mile 2.3: my effort has caused a group of 8 of us to form a lead group, including a hill climbing specialist from California and two pro mountain bikers.

Mile 3.5: approaching the Veit Springs headwall, i and two others have fallen off the pace of the leading group of 5. i want to shed my two companions before the headwall and solidify my break from them on the steepest part of the course.

Miles 4-5: a significant crowd – including the Devil (see photo above) and Ananda – has gathered on the headwall to cheer us onward and upward. reaching deep and tapping out a sit-and-stand rhythm to my Mala Beads i am not feeling “special” today however, i still maintain a solid pace up the headwall and drop my two companions.

Mile 6 to the finish: pedaling furiously to stay ahead of my chasers, i shift into my Big Chainring on the 7% gradient and pass through the 9,000′ level allowing the WF Sacred Mantra to permeate my suffering with clean effort…i feel Divinity snaking through through my breathing body and begin – a bit late – to feel like i am dancing on the pedals. i begin catching and passing other category racers, yet the leading group of 5 are too far to catch. i cross the line slower than in my training efforts at just over 35 minutes and anchor a 6th place finish. Number of racers in front of me older than me: zero. Number of other Yoga Teachers in front of me: zero. Number of other Coaches Who Still Do in front of me: zero. i am pleased as Gatorade Punch that on this day, even my “not so great efforts” can get me nearly into the top five. As they say in the Entertainment and LA Yoga Teaching Business; ‘You’re only as good as you are on your bad days.”

COMING TOMORROW IN DL: PART TWO…the BIG HURT: The Wupatki Road Race!