Nugget August 26, 2008
I am reliving my Providence 70.3 prerace details panic…only worse! It seems like I need everything AND the kitchen sink to hold my body and my bike together for 13 hours…too bad I can’t have one of those SAG cars like Lance 
Out Sprinting the Rain August 25, 2008
Life is sometimes like a rain forecast. You do your best to avoid it and hope for the best - but sometimes you just get soaking wet.
I’m on the flip side of an epic racing weekend and survived. As mentioned, it kicked off Thursday with a solid motor pace session (thanks PAT!!) where I could barely summon up enough energy to climb up the stairs to our house.
Do This Now
I’ve begun teaching short yoga sessions to the UNC football team. It’s a fascinating experience and a refreshing difference from working with my usual, familiar endurance athletes. The players aren’t shy about reacting to the poses—they groan as they ease into pigeon, they crack up as they roll to balance on their sitting bones or fall out of crow. Stoic distance runners aren’t nearly so eager to admit to discomfort or difficulty.
Yesterday, as some of the players were cutting up, one of their coaches warned, “This doesn’t require much talking. You can do this now or you can be out running.” It was a threat, of course (though to me it sounded like a toss-up: yoga or running?), and it worked. I love how the coach’s command epitomized yoga’s exhortation to be here now. Do this now.
In the moment…
Here’s a good pic of Theo “in the moment”… I’ll explain where I’m going with this below.
Theo’s life is about extremes: sheer ecstasy and sheer boredom. He handles the latter by sleeping (the dog literally sleeps 19 hours per day) and handles the former with total immersion in the moment.
Down to the Big Show August 24, 2008
Cranberry Olympic completed…
Huge props to my bud Robbie who did his first Olympic distance tri today, sticking it out for a great time despite some prerace complications (why does everything always seem to wait for the last minute to go wrong?).
Places I promise to visit… August 23, 2008
I have never been to France or Italy… here are some amazing photos of key places I vow to visit one day. When my life is more stable I hope to travel the world, explore new lands and cultures… preferably by bike.
working it August 22, 2008
Bring on the Keirin cut jeans - I could barely walk up the stairs to my house last night.
The first 30 minutes in tempo was agonizing. My head started playing tricks on me, “back off! You can just pull over and do this in two sets instead of one. Who’s going to know? You’re already half way there - only one more half to go. Every revolution is getting you closer to your goal - both immediate and long term. 99 bottles of beer on the wall…. oh crap! I lost count of which lap I’m on. If I can just make it to 60 laps - I’ll be solid. What? I’m only at 37? Sheebus.”
There Is Enough
Yoga teaches us that there is enough—enough strength to hold a pose, enough room to breathe in a twist, enough time to relax into the present. Following the principle of nongrasping (aparigraha), we are assured that there is enough. Learning to accept this avoids a lot of unnecessary clutching, making us more efficient (and that’s the goal in endurance sports).
I woke up in Tahoe City last week and thought spontaneously, aparigraha, that’s my intention today. Very quickly, I had to put that idea into action as I ran at altitude. My lungs weren’t sure, but I knew there was enough oxygen in the air if I could relax and not grasp for a quick pace.
This morning I had a fabulous run up to the UNC track, where I ran with a coaching client as she did a thirty-minute time trial. I took her heart rate monitor from her and held it as she ran, looking at the numbers and assuring her that she could hold her pace and effort. There is enough. Great job, Claire.
My Hero Mariana
So when I convinced my friends to join in the Team TriROK challenge, I figured the attrition rate would be pretty high after they completed their goal. How wrong I was! My friends Melanie, Mariana, and Nicole have all signed up for the Title 9 tri September 7th. This will be their first open water tri and that takes a lot of bravery.
Pedal power! August 21, 2008
Lord help me.
On tap for today - 30 minutes in tempo. Immediately followed by 2 sets of Breaker intervals in my mass start bars, any gear of my choosing.
Then 1 effort in my pursuit bars. First 10 laps at 25 mph, then every two laps increase the pace by 3 mph for two laps and go until failure.
If you hear on the evening news, “Woman in Redmond passes out from exercise exhaustion…” you’ll know who it is.
