Wholistic Fitness

Joy gives a much needed hug to Dewachen moment’s after crossing the Finish Line during yesterday’s “Tri The Rim” triathlon…it was Joy’s first tri ever and her first competition as a mother…and she podium’d!   Joy prepared mentally using my Pre-Event Meditation for the week leading up to the race.  During the race, she used the the HP Yoga™ PROP WORKOUT mantra; “hum SAH!” to get her through her weakest event; the run.  Whenever we apply our minds to confront and transform our weaker  areas, therein lies the hidden, sacred kingdom of Wholeness!   I grabbed that ever-involved with her baby girl new triathlete and coaxed a few words from her today…enjoy and be inspired by our First Lady of WF once again!!! Congratulations, baby!  All the ilgs have now podium’d already in 2011!

Hey, the Path Works When YOU Live The Path!

Assistant Chief of Support Staff; Dewachen Ilg revisiting Newtonian physics as she waits with her pom-poms for her mommy to exit the Swim on race morning…this and all photos by mr. m(om), ec.

WF: so, as Chief of Support Staff, i first have to say, you looked incredible out there!  i have to ask you – my Amazing Ammaji who ALWAYS surprises me – what’s it feel like to have done what it took to Toe The Start Line of your first Triathlon and finish it being the first competitive event since becoming a m(om) 3.5 years ago?

Ananda: It feels Appropriate. Aside from the physical aspect of training for a Triathlon, i was not emotionally ready for one before.

“Coach Randy” on a typical March/April stroller training run with Ananda and Dewa.

WF:  can you describe how Toeing The Start Line changed your Practice and/or Motivation?

Ananda: More Chi with Joy.

WF:  how hard is it to create the time to tri-train while being a Conscious Mother of a 3.5 year-young chi-ball?

Ananda: For me, it’s very challenging because i do not like to be separated from Dewa. It took a support team and a supportive family. First and foremost my deepest gratitude to you, my beloved partner. Without you i would not have been able to “toe the start line.”  You were instrumental in the emotional aspect of my experience. Also, having a flexible Coach, such as Coach Randy, who understood that my training included Dewa joining us on training runs and swimming excursions. And to my darling, inspiring Dewa, who kept reminding me that “it’s okay to be a little scared momma” and chanting “Sah!” as i jogged you up the hills in your chariot…we did it!

Ananda had two World Class Athlete/Coach’s with her on the night before her first triathlon…Note the Asea pouches!

WF:  you hired a top IronMan Triathlete/Coach to help you train for your first event…what, like having ONE world-class athlete/coach to help you ain’t enough, or what?  😉

Ananda: Nothing personal EC. You know WF runs through my blood and vibrates in my cells. There are just some things that need to be experienced alone. Besides, i didn’t want to have to save you in the pool!  😉

WF:  that’s great…most First Timers/Beginners don’t think ‘they are worth it’ or something to hire a world-class athlete/coach…it’s just the opposite isn’t?

Ananda: i may be slow, but i’m not silly. As a trained performer in various arts and a teacher of Union,  i understand the importance of having a Guide. Someone who has been there and does it. That’s why i respect you so much, EC. You teach, inspire and coach from a space of direct experience.

Ananda in the pool for the 500-yard swim, awaiting the Start Gun…

WF:  so, take us through the disciplines…you looked TOTALLY CALM, like a zen monk in a two-piece before your Swim!  tell us about your swim history, what you learned about swimming for a tri, and how you felt in the pool on Race Day…

Ananda: i grew up in Florida, so my swim history is recreational swimming. i lived in the water. Learning to swim for a tri is another experience. The drills were great. They gave me technique. And like all technique, you Practice and then release. On race day, my swim felt sacred. i was suspended in the Mother’s womb.

Dewachen (aka; The Conductor), checking out  the wind direction for mommy at T1

WF:  at T1 (Transition One/Swim to Bike), go?   personally, i often get a very lucid, Taoist sensation during transitions…they are such a cool, suspended type of bardo during an endurance event…what did you feel and learn at your first transition?

Ananda: All i TAF’d in my first transition was “joy, you’re doing it!”

Ammaji displaying that beautiful flat spine of hers as she hammers up one of the several hills on the 11-mile bike segment.  The course was so hilly that only a few racers chose aero bars…remember, all this effort is taking place at over 7,000′! Her Trek is named, Ajna, and i had it personalized decal ready for her on Race Day, “Ananda Ilg”

WF:  Then you got on “Ajna” and soared, stomped, and spun like a ‘madwoman possessed’…you looked GREAT on the bike…did it feel that way?   Pretty windy, too, wasn’t it?

Ananda: i felt strong on the bike. Ajna was my wind horse. And i thank the Wind God, Hanuman, who protected me and escorted me in the downhill corners. The wind aided me, it did not hinder me.

then, came the run…in PowerLifting we say, “The event doesn’t really start until the bar is on the floor,”  meaning that in a PowerLifting competition, the Full Deadlift – the toughest of all the three events – is saved for last after the Bench Press and  Back Squats have knocked the snot outta your spirit, muscles, and mind.   same deal in Triathlon…where truly, the swim and bike are mere pre-fatigue disciplines before the run.

WF:  …and then came the run…ooooph.  Tell us about your running history and how the 5-mile Run went down…

Ananda: Well, i say this modestly… when i was a child my cousins would always win money on me. They would have me race their friends and then collect because i was fast. Then i ran cross country in middle school and continued to run on my own through my dance history. After having two knee surgeries (first one at the age of 15) my running slowed down both literally and figurately. So going into this aspect of my training was going to be a challenge. i knew it in my bones. And yet, my bones did great. My knee is a miracle of love. Thank you sweet knee of mine. And thank you MAP Aminos! However, race day… after hammering on the bike i transitioned into my running shoes and thought, “okay let’s go.” My legs thought, “really?” My legs were actually behind the rest of my body, not under. i had to Will myself to keep moving. The WF mantra, SO HUM and “it ain’t so bad” were my anchors to keep moving. 6 athletes passed me and i can say, i passed 4. So that makes me smile. As a teacher, i reflect on the word ‘performance,’ because the only performance i was releasing and emptying into was my own, despite who passed me.

WF: so you finished 33rd out of how many women?

Ananda: i think 74.

WF: and 3rd place in your AG!  how close were you to 2nd place?

Ananda: i know…rad! Coach Randy says i was 23 seconds behind 2nd place, or half of a swim lap.

“Go Mommy-o!” Dewachen would shout and use pom-poms or a nordic bell.   We cheered not only her Mommy, but all the competitors,  we only missed a few when we had to go exploring among the pine cones, junipers, and sage…

WF: …and how was your chakra-field responding to seeing your family cheer for you in between the long and lonely bouts of inner and outer work?    How important is it for new parents to dig down deep and get out there and toe Start Lines?   i just read an article with sad statistics on how many new parents lose their fitness after having children…

Ananda: My chakra-field is processing more today… the spin-off, as you say. As for yesterday, it was all about love! As you Coach, Things Take Time. Parents need teachers. We all do.

after the Sacred Effort…Amma, Dewa, and a trifecta score of pink balloons (‘Thank you, good job, Daddio!” said Dewa as i handed them to her)

WF:  …so, Mrs. Podium In Her First Tri Ever…what’s next?   You obviously have unearthed another talent of yours!   Will we see you on another Start Line sometime soon?

Ananda: Yes! Date to be announced.

WF:  …thank you for sharing with our Tribe…and…for all you do for our humble, powerful Path tucked away up here in this Pranic Mountain Hamlet…anything else you’d like to say?

Ananda: For all the love and support from the Sangha. Though i did not respond personally to your Metta, i felt it and am feeling it. Namaste!