Wholistic Fitness

The Real Trophy is LOVE:
after a tough day in the saddle, i came home to a beautiful, though a slightly misspelled, sign from Ananda and the Temple Cat Beings congratulating me on my first racing season way up here beneath the Sacred Peak.

Top Ten Reasons (Excuses) Why Coach Did Not Finish On The Podium
At The State Championships Today:

#10) i’ve been climbing so high on so many podiums this season that i’ve come down with a case of altitude sickness.

#9) A State Championship Jersey? whippety doo…been there, done that…who cares?

#8) lats were still so pumped from flashing a 5.11 sport climb (true) the day before they screwed up my aerodynamics.

#7) didn’t want the local bros to think i was showing off after only one season of racing here…

#6) had a mechanical failure (true…front wheel)

#5) had a spiritual failure (true…Dharma Wheel)

#4) too many of those damned “Secret Herbs”, not enough EPO. note to self; make phone call to Floyd Landis and finally get some damn steroids into my system!

#3) need updated Mantra. those Ancient Guys never raced bikes.

#2) the little hottie at the Feed Station distracted me right when i was going to launch the winning attack…

and the Number One Reason why i did not finish on the Podium at Today’s State Road Racing Championships…

I need to find myself a good personal trainer, that’s why!

***

well, all’s well that ends well!

this morning, i brought my summer bike racing season to a close at the Arizona State Road Racing Championships.

i finished 6th. it hurt. i did my best. today was not my day. five guys, three on the same team, attack hard into a killer headwind after 23 miles. i went with them. almost. actually, i came to less then 20 damn meters from bridging to them. then my legs and lungs could carry me solo into that driving wind no longer. within a minute, the first chase group of 4 caught up to me. we huddled like ducks with us each, taking only brief pulls into the monster wind as the Lead Group of 5 dangled tantalizingly a mere 10 seconds in front of us. i did my best to organize our chase. i tried really, really hard. we all did. one of the five fell of the pace and came back to our flying duck formation. after two brutal hours bucking into that wind, we never bridged to that leading group of 4. that’s road racing.

i wanted to at least finish as best i could out of our group up the knee-cracking steep Finish Hill of 15%, i got a late jump and was last in our group at the start of the one-minute-of-lung-and-leg-busting effort. by halfway up it, i had reeled in all but two guys. with 80 meters only one guy was in front of me. he held on to finish ten seconds in front of me.

that’s road racing, baby.

i got to reflecting today, that after racing this course for two consecutive years at these State Championships, i am beginning to think that the only way your mountain yogi coach is going to get on the podium here is if they hold a Pull Up Competition after the Race!

all right, so i didn’t get on the podium today.

yet, i tried really, really, really hard. that is all i can do. today i just did not have that extra 10% PIZZAZ. today , i got beat by better Warriors on the bike today. i’m cool with that. hey, after breaking my spine 25 years ago, let me tell you…at least i am still out there, through chronic pain, trying my best. i got beat fair and square by others in my same age range (i’m 44, and i raced today in the 40-44 group). i’m cool with that.

hard days come. hard efforts often go unrewarded on the Outer Level.

on the Inner Level? we are allWays rewarded when we apply our spiritual tenacity during times of intensity, pain, suffering, and seeming “bad luck”…like the way i had a front wheel mechanical today.

hard times pass.

besides, there is always next year.

it’s time to go rock climbing in the changing Aspens.

after today’s race, i took Ananda up to Veit Springs for a Recovery Hike among dacite boulders, hidden springs, native petroglyphs, and splashes of wildflowers sprinkled in God-measured dosages across cascading alpine meadows.

right now,
it’s time to rest after a long season and climb some rocks, explore some ruins, find new canyons, and help keep the deer and elk away from the hunters. it’s time to chop some wood, lace on the ski training skates, hit the Iron Temple, and deepen my asana practice. it’s time to hang with my parents while they are still alive and go camping with Ananda before the frost gets too heavy. it’s time to ride my mountain bike among the slickrock of Sedona and feel the crunch of cold, starlit skies wander into an elegy of an amazingly beautiful and miraculous summer.

Namaste, my noble warriors. i can only trust that you approve of my efforts this season to, “walk my talk.”

head bowed and humbled once again,

your loving coach

***
Coach’s 2006 Race Results Thus Far
From…”The Coach That Still Does, To Serve You From Sweat and Spirit”

2006:
1/22 Snow or No Snowshoe Race 1st Place Snowshoe Division
2/18 Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon 1st Place Overall Team/2nd Consecutive Team Title
6/4 Sandia Crest Hill Climb 4th Place/1st in 40+
7/29 SnowBowl Hill Climb 6th Place/2nd in 40+
7/30 Wupatki Road Race 8th place/1st in 40+
8/19 Old Fashioned MTB Race 3rd Place/1st in 40+
8/26 AZ State RR Championships 6th place