so, this morning, Durango’s entire scholastic and business systems were put on Pause as my friend, Jake Turner’s vision of a 7-mile long Human Chain running the length of the precious Animas River Trail attempted to manifest…i laced on my inline skates, picked up a cowbell and a camera and met my girls along with 8,000 other Durangatangs who gathered along the sinewy riparian paradise known as the Animas River Trail to honor all of the Trail’s amazing volunteers who helped make it happen…
Here it is, Noble Sangha…
one of my most treasured, hallowed halls of Wholistic Fitness™ Sacred Sweat: Missionary Ridge to Burnt Timber Turn-Around; 16 miles and nearly 4,000′ of vert to almost 10,300′ in altitude ALL uphill…then, turn around and soar down like Raven Sister slicing through these sexy southwest skies…this morning i averaged 7 mph to the summit; took me 2 hours and 17 minutes to get to the high point turn around…you wanna think ilg wore an iPod? Guess again…it was all Mantra, Blessings, Gratitude Prayers through my heaving breath to the Higher Ones for just allowing this most feeble, most injured of all mountain yogis to just be Present with each deliciously high heart rate beat and every morsel of foot-pounds upon each pedal stroke…c’mon…i’ll take you with me! you’ll enjoy the beautiful colors along this sacred ribbon of dirt which slants like underwater sunlight upward, upward, oh, so upward!
9:42 am: when ilg runs? the simplest, most fragile of things open my heart, filet it wide open, and my spirit just soars into Father Sky…what IS IT about running feet massaging Mother Earth that shakes our Chakra’s so?! who CARES about health, longevity, fitness? to be able to run along the treasured forested paths is ENOUGH by itself! ilg hasn’t been running through decades because i reckon it might tack on a few more years to my incarnation…ilg runs because running is Pilgrimage, it’s more than the Seat of my Soul, it’s the Karmic SWEAT OF MY SOUL!
pic by ilg this morning before heading off to my 50-mile Road Race Championship where i had the bulls-eye on my jersey…
and…WAY more importantly?
what a 5th Birthday Party Day it proved for ALL of the humble ilg clan today..
my full race report ONLY for Members…
i TAF’d i was going fast tonight…
i pretty much did go fast…for an old yoga guy on a not fancy bike…
covered a hilly 15-mile course with wind in 36 minutes…
that’s nearly 25 mph average…solo…no drafting…just you and the clock; that’s why Time Trials are called, “The Race of Truth”
evidently, however, in this tiny town at the foot of the San Juan rocky heights?
it wasn’t THAT fast…
Ilg only has one Direct Experience with Lance Armstrong. It wasn’t much of a moment…yet it was profound. If my personal encounter with Lance was like the one I’m about to describe below? Then, love him, tolerate him, or otherwise, you gotta admit; this King of the TDF (Tour de France) has certainly entertained a heccuva Karmic incarnation affecting millions – perhaps billions – of people, many of them Cancer warriors and warrioress’s. And that is enough to make this feeble yogi bow at the (maybe not so) Lotus Feet of Lance.
This morning in typical New Daddy mode, i felt deeply underprepared for the hammerfest known as the Saturday Club Ride here in Durango. the route today was Citron de Duex, a favorite 48-mile test piece involving over 5,000′ of climbing. i only brought one water bottle and the only water i had…
Dewa crankin’ over the ‘see-saw’ obstacle on the DEVO Kids Course during the recent US PRO CHALLENGE festival…spotted by ilg, though she didn’t need it…my only coaching counsel to my 4 year-old is the same as what i was telling myself a hundred times today during my own mountain bike workout: “Focus on where you want your bike to go!”
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Photo of Coach and daughter Dewachen, living the Path (upside down!) by www.jamesqmartin.com
