Are You Living It?

I’d be lying to you if I said this wasn’t on my mind at all as I rode up into Horse Gulch three hours ago.  The police have confirmed a gunshot was the cause of the man’s death and they’ve also arrested a suspect.  I wasn’t thinking about this case of a deceased homeless man, ostensibly murdered, in any sense of looking over my shoulder or startling at every rustling leaf, but really as a matter of reflection:  it’s amazing how much is going on around us, and how much of it we can miss.

And so the journey begins…

Here’s a pic of Michael Engleman the Director of the US Women’s Cycling Development Program with my bike all pimped out and ready to roll… Huge THANKS goes to Blue and JetCycling for helping me get back to riding!

I am lazy. My running partners laugh when I say that, but my husband wouldn’t. I like to get by with the minimum effort, to avoid big work. So when I woke up yesterday, I thought I’d defer doing the 1000-yard swim test I’d planned.

But there I was at the pool later that morning, telling myself, “I’ll just warm up and see how I feel.” My longtime client Julee was in the lane with me. I thought, “Carpe diem, Rountree. Don’t wuss out in front of Jules,” and launched into my set.

“No man is invincible, and therefore no man can fully understand that which would make him invincible. Even with complete and thorough study there is always the possibility of being defeated and although one may be expert in a particular form, mastery is something a man never stops seeking to attain.”

(Taken from the “Book of Five Rings” by Stephen F. Kaufman, Hanshi 10th Dan.

Hello everyone,

This is my first post for Are you living it? Got an email from James a few weeks back asking if I wanted to post some stuff on the website and my answer was of course “YES”! This is a cool website for outdoor freaks and active people which is what I am all about. Anyway, to start with something cool, I wanted to dedicate this first post to Jesse Hall. Jesse is a freak of nature. He won the US Extreme Freeskiing Championships in Crested Butte in 2005, was national champion in 2005 as well and placed in tons of big mountain skiing events. But, Jesse is also a sick BASE jumper. In fact, Jesse is my BASE mentor.

June was an interesting month for me. I had two half ironman races planned for this month. Back in December, when I planned out my season, I’d hoped to do well at both of these races. Life has a funny way of changing our best laid plans. Sometimes you’ve gotta roll with the punches.

I found a great yoga studio, Jiva Yoga Center, here on Hilton Head, where I enjoyed two very different classes, both expertly taught.

While I hadn’t previously participated in a yoga mala—a practice of 108 sun salutations, in this case to celebrate the solstice—I found it was a very familiar endurance experience. I felt great once we got up to speed, rhythmically repeating the pattern of asana (inhale, up; exhale, down . . . ); I rationed my energy, particularly in the third set; I repeatedly returned to form and breath; I kept up my electrolytes; I joyfully opened the throttle in the fourth and final set, abandoning the modifications I’d implemented in the first three rounds of 27, moving deeply into the poses, closing my eyes to see how it felt on the inside. (OK, I don’t do that last bit in a race!) I happily sunk into savasana at the end, briefly noticing that it felt like lying on the grass in the sunshine after a well-run race.

Starting today, posts from my blog will syndicate not only to the Amazon page for my book, but also to Are You Living It, a beautifully designed site partnered with the Live Your Passion gear. Live Your Passion offers ecofriendly t-shirts with cool designs; it’s a green, up-and-coming company based in Northern California. Check them out!

We received the following report from Dean Karnazes yesterday, an amazing summary of his race across the Gobi Desert.  It’s incredible to even finish this odyssey, but out of 190 entries, Dean finished fourth.  Check it out:

NOTES FROM MY TNF CHINA VISIT

JUNE 4-17, 2008

I would venture to say that most of you reading this column are like me, you’re drawn to extremes.  Moderation bores you.  You seek challenges and adventures that dwell on the outer edges.  The path of least resistance is not a route much traveled.