Day 9.183 I Don't Drink Coke

Again today I find news that is both shocking and appalling. It seems to be a trend.

The first is the amount of sugar in a 12 oz bottle of coke. NO WONDER THEY CALL IT THAT! 65 grams of sugar is a serious jolt to one's metabolism. Bad stuff happens when this tuna boatload of simple carbohydrate hits the bloodstream. People get addicted to the buzz. Then they will sacrifice almost anything to keep the buzz going, including their health. I suppose I should give them a break because they, as I, are human and prone to irrational behavior. People do similar things with cigarettes, single malt scotch and quarter pounders with cheese.

But I will not extend any breaks today. This is important. I cannot make you listen (that story will come next) but I will try. And continue to try until there are no more breaths, heart beats or brain waves left.

So hear this: Stop. Don't cut back, go diet, or switch brands. Quit this devastating behavior altogether immediately.

This morning, in a failed attempt to illustrate one group's commitment to excellence and their methods of doing so, I used a metaphor that sailed over the heads of the class faster than a F-16. Yes, once again I used Navy SEALS as role models, something that probably isn't fair, but something I find useful. Because it is my job to eek more from people that aren't used to being asked for it. Yes I was asking for highly successful professionals to work harder, focus longer and give more, a request that they are used to giving, not getting. One guy took exception.

And that is fine. What we do isn't for everyone just as every sailor isn't cut out to be a SEAL. Very, VERY few are. But that is our standard. That is what we aspire towards and that is our motivation. To do the work that most won't. To find our potential. To get better.

I may be wrong. There could exist a mode of motivation with which I am not familiar and yields similar results with less caustic and corybantic challenge . This is my way because I find it significantly more beneficial to kick in the pants than to pat on the back. Kids get the pat and you are an adult.

Further, if that isn't your cup of tea, I have no problem. Everybody responds differently. Not everyone likes football. That is why we have ballet. Not everyone likes rock 'n roll, that is why God gave us Mozart. Not everybody likes Jack Bauer and that is why we have Harry Potter. Dig?

Wrapping up this paradox of complexities, I will finish with this: It is all subject to change. Sure I could morph to a softer, gentler, less ferocious and obnoxious SOB. But I think if I did I would be sacrificing the one thing that creates separation from the norm and unique value.

I don't drink coke.

Day 9.182 Here We Are

I fill my decades old aluminum coffee cup called the traveler. I found it in 1999 while cleaning up after a small local triathlon. I have kept it in whatever vehicle I happen to be owner/operator of since that time.

You might say that it has served me well. I would like to thank whomever left it all those years ago. If you are missing it please let me know and I will return it. Might be fun to share stories of what has transpired since it was lost, left or discarded at Buck Lake in Hansville, Washington.

I take the traveler to the counter where Walt asks me pleasantly for $1.26 for the refill. I ask if he got the news about Eddie, to which he slowly shakes his head in confirmation. We talk about the service (that just happens to be on Kona race day) and how old we are in comparison to Eddie. He is two years younger to my one. We both agree that it is way to young. But quick we both say, almost in harmony. Yes. Young and quick.

He says that day is week after his son is getting married. A start of another variety.

Terrific, I respond trying to keep the positive thread alive, I love beginnings.

Yeah, Walt says.

We have a beginning and an end.

And here we are, you with the pacemaker deal and me needing another hip replacement. Time is against us.

But we're still here I emphasize.

We are.

I open my palm to accept the change and wish him a good day. I am walking out of his convenience store as the autumn sun temporarily blinds me, and I think to myself that we all have a start and our end is as certain as can be. No-one gets out alive.

What makes it interesting is what we do in the middle, between the go as start and the go as gone. From point A to point B.

The middle makes it. I take a sip from the traveler.

Here we are.

Day 9.181 Let's Dance

Today is the start of another week.

As is our way, we hit the ground running with an 0530 jump-start.

I really like this. Being a 'morning person' with over 20 years of practice in the pre-dawn spin ritual, it seems as if this is the way it is supposed to be. You might say, as we drew it up in the huddle.

I use the football metaphor again in spite of my local collegiate squad losing on Saturday in a spectacularly inept fashion. They were woeful, ineffective and embarrassed on their home turf.

They did not, however, give up. They played hard and actually had one last chance  to pull a magic rabbit out of their helmet on the final possession. That they failed is not my point.

My point is the effort. The wisdom in an acute understanding that this is all part of the larger game, the hula dance we call life. Win, lose, draw or power outage, we play hard, play with emotion and seek continual growth on three levels, the physical, the mental and the spiritual. We learned loads on Saturday!

You place on the physical fitness timeline is the game, the dance, where you find yourself, the hole you have dug or the mountain you stand atop, right now. It might be fist and goal or it might be one of those days where you feel as if the stuffing is getting pulled from your very core. Still you have a choice.

You know the one.

Keep on keeping on or quit and go home.

That is the hula hula.

That is the game.

That is why we jump start it at 0530 every Monday.

Let's dance.

Day 9.180 Not 100

Is there ever time when there aren't a thousand things to do? Is there ever a place where that ton of stuff funnels down to a few pounds?

Seems like the busier I get the more there is to do.

As a result, natch, the important items on the list get compromised, rushed and lack focus, attention and quality. All as a follow-on response from the scramble to get to the next item on the list.

Always the quick turn rounding first to steam roll into second. Endless small gains lost from incessantly looking for the quick score. You can only climb one switchback at a time my friend so enjoy the ride.

This is so basic that I am ashamed to have to bring it up again.

Do one thing, do it well, and move on to the next.

Our multi-tasking society makes this very difficult while Zen, once again, makes it easy.

You can only do one thing with full focus at a time. Our fragile bodies can only be in one place at a time. Develop the discipline to combine these facts, and you have something. Something BIG.

Whatever that something might be, business, athletics, art, work.

Break it down to individual parts and refine your ability to execute what needs doing in the present moment. Even if that means 120 RPMs or 8 hours.

Quality micro will almost guarantee quality macro.

As long as you maintain focus, attention, attitude and gratitude.

Relaxed focus, technological competence, and your ability to manage them will get you through almost any event. Even if you aren't first up you are still a KoM or QoM.

That is why we practice. Every day.

You only have one thing to do right now.

Not one hundred.

Day 9.179 Quality of Their Now

Back to 'Business as Usual' today. An early 90 minute spin headlining the morning.

I felt compelled to share my experiences with the group by including a few of the many moments of potential growth surrounding yesterday's events.

Taking the safety off of the RCVman automatic blogging weapon, I will present them in bullet point, non-lethal, form:

    ◦    Life is short.
    ◦    The better our shape/condition going in -
    ◦    -the better our chances of walking out.
    ◦    We need to manage our addictions better.
    ◦    We need to find joy and comfort in physical activity.
    ◦    So we don't seek it elsewhere (Oreos & Cream Pies)
    ◦    Trade your time for love not for money.
    ◦    Be present and strong for the weak, young or alienated.
    ◦    Be grateful.
    ◦    Don't give in and never quit.
    ◦    Explore stress management options.
    ◦    Appreciate the now-ness of here.
    ◦    And the here-ness of now.
    ◦    There is work to be done. Let us do what must be done.
    ◦    Ride without fear as if this might be your last.

It was an emotional session. A roller-coaster unlike our usual high intensity intervals. There were moments when my voice broke and I had to collect what composure remained in order to carry on.

But we made it.

We made it through the 90, and God willing we will make it through the rest of the day. There is no guarantee. Making this the most important decision in our personal eternities. The choice.

I like to call it the quality of the now. Our ability to dial the intensity past maximum and thrive in the light and glory of our wherever and whatever. Where ever you are and whatever you do.

Do it like there is no tomorrow.

For one day there won't.

OK, alright, I am on a 2 for 3 game roll and as I receive huge amounts of personal satisfaction from the spectacle of college football (that means the Huskies) here is today's pick as we begin conference play:

Today we put it together (a universal trend perhaps?) Coach Pete takes the gloves off the much beleaguered offense, and gives the keys to Jake. The young Dawgs rally around their freshman field general and, how can I put this tactfully? Kick the living shit out of the California Bears. The O puts up 34 and the D adds 7 of their own while throttling the vaulted Bear Raid offense, limiting them to a couple of scores and three field goals.

When the astro-turf dust settles and the sun rises tomorrow morning (even though that is not guaranteed either - but highly likely) the UW will sit atop the North Division of the Pacific 12.

As a result of the quality of their now.

Woof!

Day 9.178 Eddie

I just lost a close friend.

Eddie and I went WAAAAY back. We saw Jim Zorn toss to Steve Largent, we watched Gaylord Perry notch his 300th win in the Kingdome. We played golf and softball together. His dear Mother dang near adopted me. His sister and I were, and remain, very close.

Since our initial meeting in 1980 we hung in many of the same circles for 30 years. We shared the women and we shared the wine.

We had more good times than I suspect we had a right to.

I didn't know that Eddie had been battling diabetes for a few years and that his ulcers bled and that he continued to smoke, drink and enjoy the fatty foods that these days we all try to avoid. His business went through wild swings of instability, depending on the economy and local building volume.

His wife, almost overnight, moved out.

Eddie was insightful, spiritual without over zealousness and was one of the funniest guys I have ever had the pleasure to meet.

In 1982 we turned down the TV volume of the World Series and did our own two-mic play-by-play commentary. By the second inning I was laughing so hard tears were falling like infield flies. I have the cassette somewhere and will dig it out and post a highlight or two.

An hour before he died today, I stood bedside hugging his niece alongside a half-dozen others lucky enough to be able to drop everything and get to Swedish Hospital to say good-bye.

When I got home his sister Linda posted that he was gone.

I had two appointments upon my hasty return, one of them with a classmate of his who is designing our new site. He is also a screenwriter and when I told him of Eddie's passing he looked skyward and told me of a line of dialogue he had written this morning. Went like this:

Don't trade your time for money,
trade your time for passion.

Words to live by.

Words with which I am sure Eddie would agree.

There are no good-byes among friends so please rest in peace until we meet again my friend.

Day 9.177 V for Victory

Welcome to fall.

I can't think of  better time, or a better place, to embark on a new trip. Call it the North Fork.

I really want to dial up my biking strength, my running endurance and my swim.

And then there is the flexibility issue and weight training.

If that sounds like triathlon all over again, you are correct.

A very talented friend sent a link yesterday about he cancellation of Ironman Tahoe. You will recall that we did some pre-event video of the bike course and I have always thought it to be a terrific, but fragile, location. I also filmed one of the X-Terra events there in 2010. Truly it is a stunning location and an absolute paradise for athletes.

Now it is too late.

Usually around this time of year I am making preparations for the big dance in Kona. CompuTrainer is no longer a sponsor and hence I am forced to either ante up out of pocket or stay home. I am staying home.

The new and adjusted plan is to prepare for an Ironman in 2017, the year I age up. Better odds being the youngest in the group, especially this one where the field drops significantly and some have to bust their tails just to make the cutoffs. I never thought it would come to this, but it has. I am now one of them.

One of us, I should say.

I have been off running for three weeks now because of an inflamed hip flexor. I thought I was ready for a return until last night when I felt another tweak as we hammered sets of 350 watts. It has been sore all day. Here is what I know:

I am not worried about the 112 on the bike.
I can get back to swim shape with a suitable time commitment.
The run now has me concerned.

So welcome fall. Time to get to work. Time to make every minute count. Time to head indoors and commit.

Here is another thing I have learned: Race day 2017 will be here faster than expected.

Here is a V for Victory.

Day 9.176 Our Response-Ability

Not bad, I think in a sarcastic tone, ironically to myself. It's not even seven and I have already fucked up twice. Not bad at all.

In both circumstances I have made restitution in a repentant voice, sincerely and urgently trying to move forward. The learn from mistakes thing. The definition of insanity being doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results thing. The how could I be so stupid thing. Know them?

Here is what I learned:

Silence is golden.

I am getting better at it. I sense it more often and provide some buffer space but every so often (Wednesdays) I get trapped, and captured, by my apparent inner need to interpret data and respond in less than a heartbeat. Some people are good at it. Bill Buchanan was. I am not. I suppose the good news is that I recognize this character flaw and feel absolutely horrible almost immediately afterwards, every-single-time.

On the other hand, I have always been a risk taker. I accept the possibility, inevitability?, of the potential for disaster, and press onward nonetheless. Sometimes I am rewarded. If growth and the learning process count as rewards, I am one rich son of a gun.

This morning in our seventh session of Super 8s, under the duress of maximum effort for thirty seconds on set two, coupled with the endorphin flow from set one, I had an interesting thought. Oxygenated bold flow to Mr Gray Brain is wonderful alchemy.

We talk a lot about the response. Exercise physiology suggests, demands, that a worthwhile protocol is one that creates challenge. Ups the resistance, cadence, wattage and duration ante until there remains but two options;

1 - Back off, slow down or otherwise adjust, or,
2 - Quit and go home.

Meaning that our margin of progress through this process is one's ability to manage the response. How do we respond to challenge in its myriad forms? We know that we improve as a result of successful management. In some circles it is called grace under fire. Suffering in others. Champions know this and leverage the skill in both battle and business. She who slows last, wins (all other variables being equal).

Our ability in response.

Is our responsibility.

It is our responsibility to manage the protocol. To get the job done. To adapt, to grow and to lead.

And when, for reasons that span from the misdemeanors of the past to the realities of the present to our aspirations for the future, we mess up along that path, our responsibility is to make it right.

Regardless of the time of day.

Caption: Spike says he takes full responsibility for the dead rat.

Day 9.175 I Won't Quit

Aging puts wrinkles on the body,
quitting puts them on the soul.

I like that one. Sometimes looking in the mirror I am astounded by the changes taking place, seemingly at the speed of light. My muscle mass, flexibility and time for warm-up and recovery have all dramatically changed. There are wrinkles where once were none. I am not alarmed by this. I respect what Hollywood calls the passage of time. Shit happens. It is our nature to get sick, wither, decay and eventually die. There are no exceptions. I will refrain from making any pithy references to taxes as being the other absolute.

Bogie once famously instructed his make-up artist to tell the director that he wanted his wrinkles and furrows left alone, not masked, as he had earned them and saw them as a thespian badge of honor. It is a sad commentary that this only applies to men in Tinsel Town, although that bigoted, biased, sexist reality is slowly changing as well.

I think Bogie might have understood that the best we can do is the best we can do, regardless of circumstances, chances of success or the degree of difficulty involved. One must, the audience a well as cast, press onward, savor every moment and move vigilantly forward. With gusto, bravado and hope.

Hope that with enough focus and effort, with enough joy and commitment, with enough humanity and empathy, we will both survive and thrive. We will live to fight another day. We will gracefully merge our remaining skills with our expanding base of experience and create more….meaning.

That is not a perfect answer to your question I realize, but viewed from a different perspective, it makes sense. And yes, once again, fear plays a part.

Because once you make a commitment - you get answers. 

Big, bold, personal, universal and powerful kind of answers.

So let's check our levels of commitment today. Anything less than all-in might leave you down and out.

I am currently enjoying another audio book. Another reading from a book previously read. It is a terrific medium. I was rudely reminded of how obnoxious radio and TV commercials vie for our attention as I returned to am radio and broadcast tv over the last few Saturdays. OMG insulting. And I used to be in that business (the start of the wrinkles). Audio books are a refreshing diversion.

Art in America by Ron McLarty is into its 7th CD. The protagonist, Steven Kearney was talking to his new gal about his body of literary work and summed it by saying that his plays, poems, scripts, novels and short stories are for the sake of art, while his essays are ways to explain things to himself.

I will not quit.

Day 9.174 Before the After

This is going to be a two-part post. I have some time in the middle of this day, so I am off to enjoy a trail walk with the hounds. It is a beautiful day in the Northwest, but I have yet to come up with a topic, something I am hoping the walk will stimulate. See you in an hour when I have increased my appreciation of the outdoors and understanding of the creative process. Hi ho.

Part two: I came away with little more than some exercise but took a few steps closer to solving the daily dilemma. That being my unnerving inability to completely accept the present situation as fleeting. I am one of those boomers raised on the commandment that one must own property and pay taxes on the white picket fence in order to call oneself successful. It has been over a year now since the distress sale of my cabin in the woods (now even Thoreau is grave rolling) and I love being out of debt and without a daily stream of associated bills finding their way into my mailbox as a direct result of that ownership. The flip to that flop is now I need to rent as the welcome sign has been removed from my current habituation situation. On good terms, make no mistake, but I now fully realize the importance that managing my own space holds over me. I am responsible for my own feng shui again. Space, like freedom, isn't free.

In pondering this challenge I came across a juicy quote from a site I frequent called AONC, the Art Of Non-Conformity. Prior to this I hadn't realized that it was an art form, so this was yet another unexpected compliment from the universe at large. Many know, few do. The quote is in the form of a question:

"Will I face the fear of today, or the regret of forever?"

I have a note to author. A note I have been putting off for many months.

Face it.

Day 9.173 Bet on it

I said yesterday that I was a failure at money.

As a result of that confession, I have done a lot of thinking about it over the course of the last 24 hours. Which, incidentally, included a 31-17 Husky victory over the visiting Aggies from Logan, UT, aka Utah State. You will recall that I ended yesterday's lament with my prognostication of a 31-13 final score.

Maxwell Smart might have said, 'Missed it by THAT much'. Had I have had the courage of my convictions and put some cash on it, the Dawgs would have rewarded my loyalty handsomely. Sadly, the last time I bet on a football game was the 1980 Super Bowl (XIV) where the Steelers beat the Rams. One inch cost me $500 and I disenchantally vowed to earn it the old fashioned way from that point forward.

A vow I have kept for all these years. That is the good news. The bad is that the old fashioned way, today, just don't cut it. Everybody but that 1% group knows it and they don't care. We are commodities, market share, data. Let me ask you this: Would you like to make a go of it earning minimum wage?

You would not. I doesn't add up to anything but hardship, headaches and handouts. All Conservatives know this, and THEY don't care either.

I actually have some friends that are thinking that Trump is the guy. Because he is good at infrastructure and setting machines in motion. They say that we need bridges rebuilt, roads paved and walls erected around the perimeters. Jeb thanks his brother for keeping us safe despite the largest act of terrorism ever inflicted to Americans on their own soil. Are these 'candidates' visiting recreational marijuana stores a bit too often?

With my last two cents on the line, I would appeal that what we really need is to rebuild our morals, our integrity our humanity, our respect for women, minorities and the poor, and stop pandering to big business. Eat the 1% is what I say.

For these few reasons alone, there are a boatload of others, but this is not the place and I am not the guy, I take great pride in this blog's endorsement of that graying socialist hippie from Vermont who incredulously thinks that people are more important than profits.

Here is the score I'd like to see: People 80, Profits 3.

I'd even bet on it.

Day 9.172 Fall Saturdays

Fall Saturdays.

That nip in the air signifying a change in ambient outdoor temps. Rain. Wind. Falling leaves the colors of which no one can name. The olfactory response to a dry cedar fire. Coffee. The bittersweet search for your favorite hoodie laying dormant in deep hibernation for a year. Wool socks. Antifreeze in the truck. A supply of candles, drinking water and batteries. The segue from hops to grapes.

And college football.

I was thinking last night about it. My tendencies to obsess with things that strike me as important. Or interesting. Or challenging. Or simply fun. Missing from that list is money. I am a failure at money. I accept this with the lame excuse that it has never been as important to me as, say, love, music, art, food, good health, fitness and a robust curiosity for metaphysics. With the exception of food, all those things are free. But real world economies make it incredibly difficult to get by on love alone, as The Beatles once suggested. Good, local and organic apples are $3.50 a pound. They even sell us water these days. I sometimes laugh about having to buy air, clean oxygen, one of these days. Shelter is off the charts. Thanks Obama (smiley face).

So we need dough. As the saying goes -  I will take my chances at happiness as long as my shiny red sport car is runnin. Or - money can't buy love but it sure can eliminate boredom.

I am rarely bored. There is simply too much going on. A walk in the park is sometimes the most stimulating part of my day. Up on Mt St Helens last week the majesty of nature was so overwhelming that I sat at camp and almost wept.

I am part of this. This mysterious and magical movement of time and space. I watched the tape of the mountain goat on the sheer cliff face find his way out. The metaphor of which was not lost upon me. I watched the clouds of steam swirl in the valley that was once labeled as a dead zone. I listened to the geese and felt the sun on my shoulders, watched in awe as bats dined on a thousand skeeters.

Fall Saturdays.

Oh yeah, 31-13 DAWGS

Day 9.171 PayPal was right

I just got a notice from PayPal, it read, in part;

You have 99 problems, your PayPal balance ain't one of them.

A very clever way to say that your account needs attention, but stay focused and don't sweat the small stuff.

And I appreciate that. More because I need all the focus I can muster and it IS small stuff. Like a bloody nose on a hot day - you are still going to climb that hill!

I rented the bravo side of a duplex today. Signed a year lease. The landlord looked at me funny when I said to please cancel the garbage collection. I would do the same with sewage but…. I recycle almost everything and what I don't gets hauled to a dumpster to which I have access. I have no idea what my electric bill will be but there seems to be a wi-fi hotspot somewhere so we'll see how long I can operate under those terms and conditions.

Paying rent is almost as bad as signing up for a race. Escape from Alcatraz is now $750. When was the last time you committed to an Ironman? If you aren't one of Bezos or Gate's minions, it will hurt.

Now it seems there are four disciplines, swimming, biking, running and paying for the privilege of participation. A Catch-22 paradoxical irony if ever there was.

But all this is temporary, right? I stealthily introduced the new brand today, adding some textual overlay to the Mt St Helens video. I gives me a spinal tap charge of adrenaline to know that the fledgling project has meaning - on both sides of the coin.

Heads is value to the consumer, client, user.
Tails is its importance to me.

I will tip you to a secret.

If Bestindoorcycling@Gmail.com earns enough net-net to provide me with travel expenses to continue to shoot, I will be a happy guy -  and stop complaining about the cost of living, inflation, or the other 99 things I have to worry about today.

PayPal is right.

Day 9.170 Happy Birthday to Us

Birth of a Brand.

You saw it here first!

We have officially taken the creative and monetary steps towards the goal. I will use the allegory of putting the target in the cross-hairs. And while this is far from a high powered sniper rifle, we nevertheless plan on using all available automatic arms loaded with armor piercing large caliber rounds.

This new baby, born on September 17, 2015, will feature the usual array of health, fitness, cycling, testing, training, riding and racing video, data and information that seems to have unlimited growth potential. It appears that there are new sites popping up on a daily basis. Some of them are very good. Some of them specialize in software, others in graphics and a few even claim to do everything.

We stop screechingly short of claiming to do everything. We don't. We want to do a few specific things very well. We want to do one or two, the best.

Any hence the genealogy of the brand, Best Indoor Cycling. My intrepid developer suggested using 'best' in the moniker for SEO reasons, I took it a step further by adding the acronym.

Bold
Effective
Smart
Training

If you haven't solved the mystery yet let me exercise my woefully inadequate skills at using the broad strokes to paint the picture.

Leveraging my seventeen years of archived media, including the CompuTrainer Real Course Videos, we create stand-alone workout videos to accompany your indoor cycle training. That is as succinct as I can get.

Other elements, components and ancillary features will include:

Workouts
Guest coach interviews
Packaged training plans
Instruction
Trips and tours
Garments
Live sessions

All delivered by download, DVD or on branded USB thumb drives.

Entertainment. Information. Structure.

Best Indoor Cycling.

Happy Birthday to us!

Day 9.169 Semper Fi

The only easy day was yesterday.

Heard that one before?

It strikes me as both relevant and applicable, usable and appropriate.

Last night I finally watched Lone Survivor. It has been out a while and by now you have considered the many debates it initiated.


The rules of engagement debate.
The special forces debate.
The Gulf War(s) debate.
The Marcus Luttrell debate
The chain of command debate.
The Hell Week of BUDS debate.
The Mark Wahlberg debate.

All these worthy topics aside, the debate I am most interested in is the:

How can we train like SEALS debate.

It happens to be one of my favorites. I have always been a fan of the Boot Camp format. Specifically the strategy of taking raw recruits into new and uncomfortable situations in order to build better animals. And make no mistake, by that I mean Bad Asses.

Or badder than before.

Not everyone aspires to this ideal. There is a good reason why. BECAUSE IT IS FUCKING HARD. You get worked. You get the business end of everything we know to be necessary for mental and physical adaption, e.g. improvement. It is absolutely crucial that your mind is in for the long haul. Focused, ready, committed. The nanosecond your doubts assume control of the situation, the end is near, very near. And I do not mean the finish. I mean the end. You are done, washed out and sent packing.

Why do I bring all this hoo-rah stuff up today?

Because today we put several of those tactics into play. We call them Super Eights, and, like any self respecting team player, which the SEALS embody, they are called eights - but we do ten. Because we recognize the value, the reward and the accomplishments they represent. We have a mission and will do (for each other) everything (anything) it takes to get it done.

This is the age old we aren't Navy SEALS, so why even try to make the comparison debate. And that is valid. We aren't. I wouldn't last a day under those impossible conditions. Maybe not even to lunch. But….

We can train like them. We can focus, commit, bond and work together towards a united, worthwhile objective. We have team support to climb that hill.

I salute my teammates on a successful sortie this morning. I also caution them to accept the reality that today was the easy day.

Semper Fi.

Day 9.168 Harmonic Balance

This zinger caught my eye like a road sign:

Pounds are lost in the kitchen;
Fitness is found in the gym.

We all know this to be true. The challenge has been, to this point, of finding harmony and balance in their synergy.

If I had a dime for every time I have heard someone say that the reason they work out so much is so they can eat whatever they like, I could buy a waterfront island mansion (with a great kitchen and a pain cave.)

In another timely article, the authors suggest that if we find joy in one important area of life (exercise) then the likelihood of needing it elsewhere (food) is substantially reduced.

For the sake of experimentation, let's mix and match a little.

We know that diet, specifically what and how much we costume plays a vital role in overall health and fitness. The minutia is identifying sugar, processed carbohydrates and saturated fat as the usual suspects.

We know that exercise, movement and strength training are key components of a functionally sound body with corresponding evidence that consistent increases in heart rate augment cerebral capabilities as well. A strong body and a strong mind. Pump that oxygenated blood to the brain good sir!

We know that these two work best together.

We highly suspect that with focused awareness this process plays out to impact our overall appreciation of the magical miraculousness it creates. In other words, when we are present and processing the complex componentry of a living system, such as ourselves, a natural by product of this awareness is happiness and joy. We appreciate the labor we are orchestrating as preventative maintenance for our frail and weak bodies. Put yet another way, we like to work, we like to feel ourselves working and we like to work the work.

The sum of these parts, the net takeaway bottom line becomes:

Eat the best as you can afford.
Move your body consistently.
Learn to enjoy the training process.

I have long preached that stress management is a big part of optimum health and fitness. So I will leave you with this new and improved abstract:

If you eat well, avoid sugar and hydrate properly, if you train, play, race, recreate every day and if you have fun doing it - you will take a giant step towards managing the stresses we all face in this day and age.


Find a joyful and harmonic balance.

Day 9.167 Wish Us Luck

I am rendering video from the Mt St Helens shoot. It looks OK. A little washed out because of the capture time of day, 4p-6p, but decent. I found out yesterday that this is fairly common around the devastated area surrounding the volcano. Mornings are spectacular but as the day progresses a thin cloud layer covers the vividly stark panorama with a translucent veil that acts like a UV filter on a camera.

A touch of saturation boost should get the blues bluer and the greens greener. There are precious few reds.

As much as I liked the somewhat barren terrain, the shoot was fun and productive, but paled in comparison to riding the course (route) after the video work was canned. Despite my late start, 1044 to be precise, traffic was light (I wonder if the hunters in full cammy think we - in full Lycra - look as comical as we think they do), the plentiful shoulders and the 52 miles up and 52 back, were never boring, always relentless. Toss in a semi-severe side wind for most of the return, my gross underestimate of fuel and water, and a rapidly approaching cover of ominously dark clouds, it made a challenging return. I was surprised at my second-wind ability racing the clouds, into the wind.

We are meeting in an hour to discuss terms and site design. I have the support of CompuTrainer on this endeavor, which helps a lot. As of right now the RCV software is proprietary and the brand way under promoted. Two things I hope to change in short order. Opportunity is rapping at my chamber door.

Two sessions today and I start a five week house sit as OZ and Co head to Italy and France to get in some end of season International miles, or kilometers as the locals count them.

Looks like I am going to miss the UCI Worlds in Richmond and Ironman Hawaii.

In their place we will set this new puppy in motion and she how she rolls.

Wish us luck.

Day 9.166 Boom

You want my day?

0400 Wake up call from campsite
0500 Drive 52 miles to Johnson's Ridge, stopping 3 times for time-lapse video
1030 Return to Toule HS (Home of the Fighting Ducks)
1035 Assemble bike, change front tube, fill water bottle
1044 Ride 52 miles to Johnson's
1544 Return to car wishing I had packed more food & water for the ride
1600 Begin drive home
1729 I just walked in the door

I have neither the time nor energy to begin the downlaod, clean the car or fix diner. I am going to enjoy an IPA, watch one episode to debrief (Friday night Air Force One was just shot down by a jacked Stealth bomber and that scumbag Charles Logan is the POTUS), and go to bed.
My hip is on fire but my heart is warm. I think we nabbed some good stuff. If you haven't been - please seriously consider.

I am especially happy that the mountain goat I filmed trying to four-wheel repel his way off a sheer cliff face made it to the top OK.

Sleep well.

Day 9.165 A Blast

I was 33,000 feet above Mt. St. Helens when she blew on May 18, 1980. Every passenger crammed to the right side of the aircraft to catch an eyeful of the inorganic carnage, so much so that the pilot came on to ask everyone to return to their seats because we were creating an imbalance and should we not do as directed IMMEDIATELY, coffee service would be curtailed.

We sat.

It was incredible. My flight from LA to Seattle was an escape of sorts. Volcanic and eruptive.

Today I will drive down and shoot the route of the infamous Tour de Blast, hopefully reaching the rim at sunset. Dinner and a down bag and then the second summit by bike tomorrow at first light.

I probably will not have wi-fi there so this is today's modest post.

I am off.

Day 9.164 A New Project

As a direct result of yesterday's post…..

WE HAVE A NEW PROJECT.

All it took was a little serendipity, some head scratching (while on the trainer) and a comment from one of our, shall I say, more loyal, members of the vast RCVman blogging audience.

Thank you Justin.

Justin suggested that I do what I have long been considering to do. All it took was that seemingly small bit of encouragement. Small my ass, freaking huge. And that, as they say, is all it took. To go from chalkboard, alright whiteboard, to virtual reality.

Yes, it is more of the same…..only different.

How different is (see yesterdays post) up to me. Maybe just better is enough, or newer, or, or...

Another member of the VBA owes me some dough. Guess what he does? If you answered media and web site design, you are getting warm.

That is two of the big creative three. We now have the model, the mission and the money (some anyway), enough to get started. Lord knows I have the content.

As I sat this afternoon on the WSF Tacoma heading home from my check-up at UW Med, I sat and furiously scribbled notes on the scratch pad the receptionist gave me (after a long sales pitch).

I will always remember Steve Rudman telling the story of how the National Sports Review was conceived. Old yarn: On a cocktail napkin in a sports bar - frequented by, but not limited to, columnists, beat writers and assorted members of the local print and broadcast media. Once fully developed it was my job to sell it. Editors note: In 1988 the NSR carried a hefty, for the time, $4.99 cover price. As you can see, the copy on eBay is significantly higher at $19.95. It has aged well.

Looks like we might have come full circle here. With cocktail napkin firmly in hand, an idea comparatively clear and do-able, plus the luxury of a small start-up budget, all that is left is to build and start selling. Are you listening WP Kinsella?

I am excited about all this. It could be fun. It could be a winner.

Either way, it will get all the focus, attention, gumption and enthusiasm I can pour into it.

You will be the first to know. Stay tuned.

Day 9.163 Whaddya Got?

I should thank the collective all of you (ya'll) for allowing me the non-distraction of dealing with offers of employment, affordable housing, dinners on the lake and quiet, contemplative walks on the beach at sunset.

Really, I just don't have the time. I am busy.

Busy trying to figure out how the hell I am gonna get out of this mess.

The mess I have created by choice.

The two schools of thought being,

1) It is all my fault.
2) Some of it is my fault.

Regardless of the paradoxical metaphysics surrounding the karmatic reality of my situation, I have a another card to play, choice, options. You might say I have an ace up my sleeve but that intones cheating and we do not cheat round here!

It is up to me. I can fold the cards, pass, take two or try to draw to an inside straight.

I would like to stay in the game a while longer, meaning that I need to up the ante, raise the stakes, maybe bluff. Pull off a 007.

I am going to say this again, because please remember (should you have glossed over it the several times I have fessed-up to the concept in past posts) that this entire blog is nothing more than me journaling my thoughts. Thoughts becoming actions and actions becoming results. Therefore I write to validate the process of my thinking and actions. Profoundly courageous, IMHO, because I MIGHT BE WRONG, or, worse, I might be boring. OK, OK, the latter is probably closer to the truth than the former, hence the courage reference in keeping on with the good fight. Matter of factly, I could be both. Wrong AND boring. But not this time. I got one thing right.This:

IT IS UP TO ME.

And no one else. Especially you.

There is no need to think you have any responsibility whatsoever to pull a chair at this felt table and push red chips towards the pot. This is not your big top and these are not your chimpanzees. I am the banana, coo-co-ca-choo.

However (you knew there was going to be a however) this game is tons more fun when played with others. I need a game. A mission. An assignment. A chance at the win. And something with meaning. It would be great fun and a noble experiment to dial the epic meter to eleven with a group of adventurous and intrepid gamers. So then...

...Whaddya got?

Day 9.162 Number 12,300

You have to commit.

To it.

Can be the exchange of vows, a terse aggressive (and necessary) confrontation, or an exercise regimen. Why are you climbing that hill? You must know the meaning of why.

Why you, why we, do this.

Maybe you were lucky in the gene pool lottery. Perhaps you were gifted a birth with more athletic DNA than hundreds of others, possibly thousands. This happens.

Those of you in this demo (you know who you are - and we do too) have an even greater responsibility than those of us without the running, jumping, powerful chromosomes that propel, fuel and allow superior athletic performance.

You must live up to it. You must use the gift. You have to be better than the rest. You are destined to over-achieve.

Interestingly, this doesn't always happen. The biggest, strongest, fastest don't always win the race.

The question has always been, why not?

Why does an athlete handicapped by lessor raw physical tools sometimes win? How can his be? Mathematics, evolution, logic and science all indicate that it shouldn't.

But it does. All the time. 50% of the time? I don't know, and there are no stats or data available to validate my assertions, but we all know it to be true. It is why we have underdogs.

I will take a flying stab at it this fine morning and suggest that two elements are crucial in analyzing this scenario.

1) Attitude, and,
2) Level of commitment.

Confidence is one of those conditions that cannot be fully measured. But, much like quality, we know it when we see or feel it. Someone even went so far as to suggest that it is ALL ABOUT attitude. Confidence being the progeny of attitude. This is crucial if we are to succeed. At whatever we chose to put in the cross hairs as our dreams and goals. More colloquially stated, we need to kick some ass. That is the spirit all champions embody and embrace.

Your level of commitment. Seriously, when things get rough, as they are sure to do, without the fundamental strength of core, character and commitment, you will use one of the 14,298* excuses currently known to man, and slow down, back off or flat-out quit and go home. We need to employ a 'whatever it takes' attitude. If progress is our goal.

If you don't want to improve you shouldn't be here. Go ahead and use number 14,299 which I am now adding to this ignoble list:

I just don't have the right attitude, self confidence and level of commitment necessary for progress.. Therefore I give up (pass the Mountain Dew and fire up the X-Box).

I had a guy, a nice guy,  tell me in the locker room this morning after another spectacular round of Super Eights that he doesn't do cardio because he is fearful of getting an enlarged heart. Another fear inducing myth. An excuse.

 Number 12,300.

Commit folks.

* I counted them, and have used most.

Day 9.161 All of the Above

The Dunning-Kruger Effect, rendered down to its most fundamental, says this:

You have no idea what you are talking about.

I am the fist to admit that this is true. We put it on the table for discussion last week with the 'illusion of explanational depth' thread, considering the cerebral levels to which we profess to possess.

Under this scrutiny, we, perhaps suddenly, realize that we don't know Jack. We used to say that the more you know, the more you know that you don't know anything at all. The DK Effect validates this assumption quite nicely.

The most relevant topic in exploring this agenda (for me) is the obvious one:

Diet and exercise.

I know a little about each. I know a little about their combined value. I know a little about what works, what doesn't, how to and how not to. Am I an expert?

NO WAY. NOT EVEN CLOSE.

My knowledge and understanding of the diet & exercise conundrum, and how it (they) are leveraged for success in training and racing, health & fitness, success & victory, goal achievement and  peace of mind, is limited. And flawed.

Armed with this reality, should I:

A) Go back to school and get a degree? Delay application until I know 100% of everything?
B) Continue with the experiment? Be it an experiment  of one - or one hundred?
C) Share whatever wisdom I have, to date, accumulated or stumbled upon?
D) All of the above?

I think I will tackle D, all of the above. By the following methods:

A) Google the shit out of it. Keep talking with coaches, athletes, scientists that continue the search for depth and detail.
B At the very least, my body (mind and spirit) is my laboratory. This is an experiment of one. If others want to join our team, they may. We only have a few rules and they are easy to follow.
C) Yes, everything and all the time.

This might be the Catch-22 of Ocams Razor.

The DK Effect tells me I know very little.

Knowing that, I can advance.

Day 9.160 Pond Scum

So bad that calling it stagnant would be an insult to pond water.

Again, the odd and eerie ways in which apparent unrelated events imitate training. Specifically indoor cycling, although the proxy can be used for many.

Take the above quote. I forced a turnover and took it away from ESPN this morning. And while they really don't need my help promoting their work, the juicy imagery (and absolute metaphoric pleasure) of this phrase actually made me laugh. Something I don't do nearly often enough these days.

Especially when the phraseology is addressing my college football team of choice, the Washington Huskies. More particularly, their offense.

Friday night in Boise against the 23rd ranked team in the nation. They almost pulled off a major upset - without a run game and using a true freshman QB.

Still, they were the proverbial motor running on but one of its available eleven cylinders.

Which takes us (at the half) to the relationship with indoor training.

What is the takeaway here? Other than that I like college football about as much as I like indoor cycle training.

My post game analysis indicates there are several cogent comparisons to consider. Such as:

Being prepared. THIS is why we practice folks. To be ready to play, ready to race, prepped to perform.

Being fearless. Does anyone want the forum floor  to debate what type of warrior is most successful, a timid frightened kitten or a fearless roaring lion?

Making corrections as tactics. The strategy is to win the game. The tactics are how. Training 16-0 at the start of the third quarter, the Huskies could have easily tucked their tails between their collective legs and limped home. They chose (or were inspired) to compete, and they began to play with a purpose, with gumption, with a joy for the game and with focus.

Finding the flow. It took a single play to reverse the negativity and bitter taste of humiliation, then turn the sinking ship to a sleek, efficient sailing machine. I speak of the D here. To find that flow is what we all seek, on the field, in the studio, classroom or on the track.  Flow like a waterfall. Run downhill. Make a splash.

Building momentum. Once the flow has been discovered, sustain it. It will use energy from myriad sources to fuel the charge. Let 'er rip!

Never give up. We talk about this one all the time around here for good reason. It may be the single most important cliche of all time. The Babe Ruth of cliches. Because it is true. You want to win? Or, as we have discussed the last few days, improve, learn and grow? Memorize the acronym NGU. Bambino.

Live to fight another day. It is a long season. We saw several important flashes of brilliance. It is a work in progress. Same with you. Commit to the process of change. Change for the better. One step at a time. Four yards and a cloud of dust. Move towards your goal and keep going.

Or risk being compared to pond scum.

Day 9.159 Mastery requires Endurance

"Mastery requires endurance. Mastery, a word we don’t use often, is not the equivalent of what we might consider its cognate — perfectionism — an inhuman aim motivated by a concern with how others view us. Mastery is also not the same as success — an event-based victory based on a peak point, a punctuated moment in time. Mastery is not merely a commitment to a goal, but to a curved-line, constant pursuit." Sarah Lewis.

"We thrive, in part, when we have purpose, when we still have more to do. The deliberate incomplete has long been a central part of creation myths themselves. In Navajo culture, some craftsmen and women sought imperfection, giving their textiles and ceramics an intended flaw called a “spirit line” so that there is a forward thrust, a reason to continue making work. Nearly a quarter of twentieth century Navajo rugs have these contrasting-color threads that run out from the inner pattern to just beyond the border that contains it; Navajo baskets and often pottery have an equivalent line called a “heart line” or a “spirit break.” The undone pattern is meant to give the weaver’s spirit a way out, to prevent it from getting trapped and reaching what we sense is an unnatural end.
There is an inevitable incompletion that comes with mastery. It occurs because the greater our proficiency, the more smooth our current path, the more clearly we may spot the mountain that hovers in our gaze. “What would you say increases with knowledge?” Jordan Elgrably once asked James Baldwin. “You learn how little you know,” Baldwin said. Brain Pickings.

Running off the heels of yesterdays topic, dashes this gem of serendipity.  One could easily stop at the first three words of the topmost quote and call it a day (for contemplation).

Mastery requires endurance.

I will consider the wisdom in that during our two hour ride this morning.

Day 9.158 Pride in Defeat

Can there be pride in defeat?

Can a team, an army, an individual actually receive more value from losing than from its vaulted counterpart?

Our experiences suggest that they can. With a caveat.

The caveat being, naturally, that the effort in defeat must be 100%. That the army (of one) is required to give its best, most focused and spirited display of courage and will. You must be willing to fight to the finish.

IF YOU CAN DO THAT - as only a few good men can - THE OUTCOME IS TRIVIAL.

Can you bring maximal effort into competition?
Can you train with discipline and dedication?
Can you totally commit to the 'fight'.
Are you willing to sacrifice?
Will you do whatever it takes?

If you, your team captain, general, admiral, coach or teammate can find the ways and means to accomplish, or empower you to do all of the above, if you can, with brutal honesty, answer in the affirmative to EVERY ONE of those critical questions….

Then you have already won. Further, should you end up with the lesser points, fewer runs or second best time, you can walk away (or be carried away) with a sense of accomplishment and pride that far outweighs a simple victory.

If you take the lessons from that contest, war, game, match or scrimmage, and use them to better yourself and your team (or in the case of war, for the betterment of the oppressed) that is the very definition of winning.

Think of that process and how it plays out. Countless stories, telling tales of the heroic and brave, from Davy Crockett to Rudy, contain this element of the dramatic.

It is the struggle that counts! The effort and determination to rise above. It is the epitome of courage and valor. It is Rocky running at dawn, Louis Zamperini winning gold and a hockey team believing in miracles. Sometimes Goliath goes down at the weak hand of the nothing-to-lose hungry, poor and impoverished

The saga resonates deeply in our soul, vibrates with the glow of the sacred myth.

Everybody loves the tale of the underdog who somehow manages to steal victory from the arrogant overlord.

Do the work and be that someone. Take great pride in your defeats.

Day 9.157 Now for Instance

There are so many ways, so many paths, unlimited options.

All we need to do is pick one. Or several. The load is up to you.

But we need to have a goal. There must be motivation and dedication to a dream. You have to move in the direction of your highest definition of self.

It can be intellectual, physical or spiritual. You can spend your life chasing wisdom, pumping iron or seeking enlightenment, or maybe find something that contains all three.

I will make the case today that a synergy of this sacred triad is available to us all today. Here. And of course, right now.

Take an activity, any activity. For the sake of this exercise I will select indoor cycling.

1) Know thy goal.
2) Commit to that goal.
3) Begin the quest.
4) Understand the parameters, potential and protocols. This is the intellect.
5) Move with grace and awareness in the present moment.
6) Be aware of sensations, changes, challenges, demands, your response.
7) Find the flow. This is the physical.
8) Combine your commitment with the reality of the process. Adaptation takes time.
9) Listen to your body and silence your mind.
10) Hear your spirit ask for permission to join the passion play.

I have made this guarantee in the past and I will no doubt make it again in the future, but for RIGHT NOW…

Allow me to suggest that if you are successful with your blending of mind and body, the natural sum of those parts is enlightenment, the total involvement of soul with the corporal and the cerebral. You become aware of your power, your place on the path and your mission. This is where the guaranteed fun begins.

Eventually we will see that once this lofty level of understanding is reached, it is about teaching others, walking with them down their path, assisting, leading, mentoring, demonstrating, encouraging. Perhaps providing structure or discipline, sometimes with a pat on the back, other times with a kick to the rear.

We are all on this course together. I may ride my bike faster than you but at the finish line we all earn the same result. THERE IS NO REASON TO GET THERE FASTER.

I think it is our duty to make that course as accessible and joyful as we can.

For everyone.

One way is to practice. Another is to share. A third is to love.

We can practice sharing love at anytime.

Now for instance.

Day 9.156 All for Today

I was planning on heading back to Virginia for the World Cycling Championships in a couple of weeks. Got a decent quote on air by cashing in a credit from a cancelled flight, a cheap rental car and a $35/night Airbnb room in downtown Richmond.

I decided not to go. I am house/dog sitting at the same time and don't feel like asking someone to do that work for me. Just wouldn't be right.

So then I looked at Yellowstone. Costs the same to fly to Bozeman as it does to Richmond. Plus moving the window forward means that I would have to lean on my tireless cache of spin-substitutes, something I only do when absolutely necessary.

All of that means that my filming for the season is probably over. Unless a sponsor comes forward and likes the idea of having their logo watermarked in every frame of the 60 per second. 2015:

North Cascades Highway
Hurricane Ridge
Santa Fe Century (in production)
Skyline Dr., VA
Crater Lake

Four pretty fair rides. If we could get them - them meaning Real Course Videos - to market a touch faster I could reinvest the royalties back into more work. But my colleagues in the home office have been slow. Painfully so.

The possibility remains intact for an October Moab trip. We shall see. Virginia, Montana, Wyoming and Utah notwithstanding, I googled around yesterday to see what a spring trip to the Dolomites might ding me.

YIKES.

$1,300 just for air. Add a week of hosteling, a couple plates of rigatoni, a bottle or two of local wine, a Fiat 500 and petrol, and we are over two large.

Double yikes. Mama Mia yikes.

That is the latest on the RCV front. Wish I had better news.

Elsewhere Jack cried at the end of Season Three. When he did I did too. Season Three is a masterpiece. It is my favorite. We start Season Four tonight after our SOLD OUT PB session. Even Jack would smile about that!

The Huskies open the 15-16 CF campaign tomorrow night in Boise against BSU. They are a good team, we are young, inexperienced and may even start a true freshman as OB for the first time in UW history. Vegas has us as 10-12 point road dawgs. We have them right where we want them. Coach Pete returns to the program he built into national prominence and leads a rabid Husky pack of snarling pups to a signature 29-21 win. You woofed it here first!

My left hip flexor is on fire.

It feels like fall. My nose froze this morning riding the Honda to spin class.

I was overwhelmed by the FB Happy Birthday wishes. Thank you all sincerely.

I am sleeping better.

We, Junior and I, did 47 consecutive push-ups yesterday. We are meeting for a workout every afternoon after school at 4:30 for some PT.

All for today.

Buona notte amici.

Day 9.155 Your Choice

I am the first to admit that yesterday's post was a little weak. Because I was. We have come to review these weakloglings as 'streak keepers', meaning, of course, that by their mere posting the streak of consecutive days remains intact, uninterrupted, alive and well.

That is one thing. The quality of post is another.

The quality level of me telling you that it has been a long day and I need some shut-eye to restore and prepare for today, is like me posting that ominous clouds are playing peek-a-boo with the Big Dipper. Not exactly cogent prose inspiring likes and shares.

I should have scheduled the effort when I still had gas in the tank, after all today is just as hectic on a different level, with three classes and a workout with Jr. Reality doesn't slow down just because I need a nap.

What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, it has been said.

I have been talking all day (in two of the three classes) about something called the P2S ratio. The pain to suffering ratio. In his book, The Art of Happiness, the Dalai Llama tells us that pain is exterior and suffering interior. We burn our hand and pain suggests that we might want to avoid open flames in the future. Because that is our hard wiring, AVOID PAIN AT ALL COST. Yet the paradox is that life is suffering. That is so central to happiness that it carries the moniker of The First Nobel Truth. What an honor. Because once we understand and accept this fact, it changes completely, and is no longer painful. It simply is.

Like going all out. Like being all in. There is no middle ground. You are either flying with eagles or grounded with earthworms.

Pain is the separator. We all know that maximum effort is anything but easy. It hurts. It stings like a bee. It then laughs at our pathetic response to it. It is an exterior force producing an interior response. Unless we diligently work within this concept, experience it, embrace it, own it, we will always run for safety and protection from the very thing that will empower us most.

Pain is pain. We can learn to endure. We can tweak our definition and transcend. We can stand up to it, unblinkingly, and intrepidly. We can call its bluff.

WITH OR WITHOUT SUFFERING.

It can feel so good to hurt so bad. It is all perspective.

Once again spinning imitates spirit much as art imitates life. 

Suffer or no? Your choice.

Day 9.154 Nothng

Other than a 0400 start and a 2000 finish. Been a long day. We helped a lot of kids get a good start on the new scholastic year. Go get 'em!