Run 'n Gun

Travel Day. LAX to Sea-Tac. Wanted to get this up and out because of the possibility of another travel day tomorrow. If that happens there will be a dearth of download, calibrate and recovery time. Transfer media, re-charge, check in and go. The old run 'n gun. Good thing we decided to postpone the the Koi farm. But, ya know what folks? That is the way we like it.

Here are a couple pix from the weekend. Saturday in Oceanside for the Cal 70.3 and yesterday for the 17th LA Criterium, about a 3 iron from my sisters house which has now been officially been dubbed RCV South after this the third stray of the young 2010 campaign.

Saturdays shoot went off OK. We had some minor camera mount issues after taking a Camp Pendleton speed bump at 30 mph, a repair that was impossible to fix with one hand and on the fly, so an unscheduled stop was necessary. I am quite sure that the base security had their big eyes on me during the two minute emergency gaffers tape job. These unscheduled stops create another challenge to synch the GPS with video as we enter what Roger calls the time-space continuum. Meaning that although I have paused the Garmin to fix the video issue, time keeps moving (satellites can't pause) causing GPS triangulation synch problems in post. We have yet to come up with a software work around. So they ask me, sometimes nicely, sometimes not, to make the capture as seamless as possible, a request to which I always aspire yet rarely achieve. The Go Pro test is specifically addressing this issue but will have to wait until tonight's download to measure any degree of success, I can say this: Without any way to monitor capture it is a gamble every time out. Vegas had us at 20-1 on Saturday. Such is life in the RCV saddle at 25 mph in the middle of 2,700 riders on a highly restricted and challenging 56 mile course. At least we held those laughing bones for almost three hours before crapping out back at T2.

I will try to get some video of the event(s) up by week's end, but if I am out for New Orleans tomorrow, all bets are off.

RCVman heading home, gun is done, out and on the run.

Update: I am out for NOLA at 0-dark-thirty in the morning. Video on hold.

All Systems Go

Back in SoCal for the 2010 Rohto (Cooling Eye Drops) California Oceanside 70.3. Intel has it that the weather will be a little nicer than it was two weeks ago some 60 miles south for the San Diego Gran Fondo. BUT, we get an early start to it will be chilly. The Pros go off at 0640 followed by the last wave of AGers at 0750. That'll break 'em up! Just back from a final set up test spin on D's Honda Nighthawk 250 that will act as host for the 56 mile bike leg. A couple of firsts, one I will be solo on a moto (the scooter is not considered a moto because of its automatic tranny) along with the dual cam set up between the brakes (and above the gages) using the Canon as A cam and the Go-Pro mounted atop via external mic shoe. I will grab some stills for historical purposes and post tomorrow because I know you are dying to see this hi-tech-over-the-top, dual-cam-mounting-rig!) We will be testing a smaller resolution with the Go-Pro to try to up the image for mobile devices as well as manage the media more fluidly and seamlessly. That is the plan. All I have to do is navigate the triathlete mine field without any collateral damage. There ARE some tight sections if memory serves from my last race here in 2002 and last shoot in 2007. So we're hours away from the start of the 2010 edition. All systems are go.

View from the pier looking North towards San Clemente and of the serpentine tri-geeks queuing up (early) for registration. R minus 13 and counting.

Move the Rock

Sometimes silly can be fun, and fun can be productive, and productive means 'of value'. Sometimes. Here is the vid we (RCVman studios) shot over the weekend. It was an idea that came to me during a run. Many of them come from runs. This is one (of many) ways to make your run faster and more powerful. Move the Rock.

Bill Edwards Part Two

Here is Part Two of the Bill Edwards sessions. It runs touch longer than usual, so please stay with us. For those of you who are interested in the science of building faster and stronger cycling motors, the 17:25 total running time will pass quickly. These things take time. As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day and you don't develop 1,200 watts of explosive power with a limited attention span or the focus control set to random. As Bill suggests in the sub-title of his book, it takes eight weekly sessions to put the hurt on your riding buddies. Coach Rob T closes the piece by saying that his personal use of Bill's Drills upped his wattage from 600 to 900 watts in ten weeks. Patience pays!



Bill's book is available at RacerMateinc.com in pdf format. As John mentions, if you have a half million miles as base, go right ahead and download to a kindle and read it on the stationary bike at the gym, you'll soon be motivated to activate and engage these secrets! The diamond lies within.

Take Action

Take Action

If you take anything from this post remember these two action items:

1. The ideal human diet should consist of only whole, unprocessed foods – meat, fish, fowl, plants, fruits, and nuts. Whatever you can kill, pick, or dig up and eat on the spot. This is what your ancestors ate and what your body is meant to consume.

2. By the same token, the best exercise consists of natural, full-body movements – lifting heavy things, sprinting, walking, swimming, hiking, climbing, crawling. This is how your ancestors moved and how your body is meant to function.

RCVman is a busy guy today. That is ONE of the many reasons why we, as a group, meet three times a week at 0530 for our HIT spin sessions. To get it done and then to get it on. There are things that need doing. Today. Now. My metabolic rate is humming along right now on cruise control in overdrive. Could also be Steph's marvelous peanut butter chocolate balls we enjoyed after class as a reward, dunno.

Submitted for your review are three links from sites that I like a lot. On a subject that I am somewhat passionate about. The vibration from these articles resonates deep. I agree at the cellular level. My DNA is standing in group ovation. Nerve endings tingle and endorphins dance. The planets are properly aligned and God's children are at play. Except of course conservative Republicans who are angry again today because we have chosen to share. (Oops. Sorry). Also, as footnote, I'll allow (this time and in this context) the above about killing and eating animals, with the caveat that you must use a spear and not a high powered rifle. Things change, we evolve.

We are busy. Staying fit. Eating well. Doing what we love to do. Taking Health Care into our own hands. Asking for that responsibility. Sadly, many of us have lost the way, forgotten or been flat out beat to a pulp for tryin' or perhaps distracted by 72 inches of plasma, tweets and big gulps. Don't give up folks. Don't contribute to the problem, be a pert of the solution. Move your body. Eat a peach. Inspire someone. It is about character America.

Today I salute you. Now go run.

From SD last week. Put some sun on those things, please.

Mirrors

I think we build confidence in the same manner that we build strong muscles. We start slow using a combination of repetition and resistance increases. We allow the body to rest and recover. We are consistent and enthusiastic. We enjoy the process of advancing molecular evolution and making wholesome, healthy lifestyle choices. As our physical fitness increases, we continue, adding the other crucial components to the mix; Good diet and stress management. As we get stronger, faster and fitter, our confidence builds. We have more energy with which to use to help others. We have changed the whole and very much for the better.

"I can do this" is a mantra. A useful one. I can do this workout, at this intensity level and for the required duration. I can do this today. I will do something else tomorrow (cross training 101) and then I will do it all week. Additionally, I will not sabotage my efforts by smoking, gorging on fast food or alcohol abuse. I will also not be mean to animals. I can do this today.

And all month.

And all year.

And always.

Confidence. The reality of your perceptions and the power of your choice lies therein. Look in the mirror. Are you a kitten or King of the Freaking Jungle?

Do the work. Go hard. Rest, recover. Repeat. I can do this.

Motivation comes in many forms. Here, in an excellent article from the LA Times on the motivation behind running a marathon, we get (yet another) sample of the power of choice: You can perceive yourself to be timid as a tabby, or the have the power of the lioness. Which one is reality?

Doesn't matter. Just do the work. Be patient and honest. Smile as you go. The universe loves the kitten as much as the big cat. There is a time to purrrrr and a time to roar, a time to nap in Grandma's lap in the rocking chair and unleash explosive power in hunting for dinner. A time for rest and a time for work. I can do this.

Maybe confidence is the mirror. What do I want to look like today? What will motivate me to do more, feel more, see more?

Let's clean those mirrors, folks.

Number Five Rock

It only makes matters worse when the sun shines. Hard for me to stay in the studio when I can clearly see the blue skies thru the dust on my windows. I have a strategy however, and it looks something like this, (picture a quarterback designing the play in the dirt with first digit):

Get up early and get video work done. (Bill Edwards Two is coming along nicely and thanks to a couple of consumer re-posts and links the first piece is on virtual fire). Make Blog post. Download video from yesterdays Move the Rock session. Download the two hours of video from the BAC studio cycling sessions. Make another pot of coffee. Wash clothes and put dry dishes away.

Then ride over to meet up with Steph for our 10 mile run. Ride home. Eat, CSA salad and cereal with protein powder and strawberries. More editing. Paint media cabinets and instal LEDs. Recovery ride around four (when sun is still shinin'). Mix 90 minute set for tomorrow's spin. Pack projector and cameras for web-site shoot. Pick up mail. Make dinner of rice and beans. Watch Netflix The Boys are Back. Read another chapter of Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories. Have a glass of Campo de Borja red. Review video renders. Rack.

The almost famous Number 5 Rock from yesterdays 60 second power session in the park. Video coming soon. It moved-but not very far.