---March 1, 2007---
Winter: Going Inside
Aloha once again from the great
white north! Many of you are gearing up for outdoor cycling,
with spring approaching. Here in Lake Placid, we face at the
very least another 4-6 weeks of stationary training. Yes, I
still ride my salt encrusted “townie” for errands and to the
Lake Placid Health and Fitness Center. However, we are still
feeling sub-zero temps (Fahrenheit) and the roads are still
covered in sand, salt and slush. My beloved Serotta CXII tri
bike will remain warm and dry for quite a while yet.
Riding stationary actually has
some advantages over outdoor riding. Many serious riders
conduct interval training on the stationary even when the
weather turns seductive. They can control duration and
intensity and keep many variables at a constant.
Beyond breakthrough sessions,
stationary training provides an incomparable opportunity for
zen training. Without the distractions of navigation,
topography, traffic, tire flats, intersections, etc., indoor
riding is a rich opportunity to really tune-in to your
relationship with your bike. While many people choose the
distraction of music or videos while training indoors, I prefer
to close my eyes and really feel every pedal stroke for the
duration of the stationary ride. (Does this sound like
meditation? Keep in mind the word zen means
meditation.)
During this inner
training, I concentrate on extending my sense of feeling through
my contacts with the bike (saddle, pedals and bars) and strive
to join with my bike, the way a virtuoso violinist joins with
the violin. I am making graceful music with my bike.
In this moving meditation, I
strive for perfect alignment of my hips, knees and feet, so that
my power delivery is efficient and economical. As I pedal, I
focus on connecting my pelvic center of movement with my bike’s
center of movement, the bottom bracket. My pedal strokes become
circular and even – especially with the Power Cranks. (I ride 2
different bikes inside – an old Softride with the Power Cranks,
and my Serotta, with conventional cranks.)
Use your stationary training as
an opportunity to familiarize yourself with zendurance –
the process of transforming your endurance training into moving
meditation. The outward monotony of undistracted stationary
training is a wonderful condition for this inner
training. The mindfulness you will cultivate through this
meditation and the “inner wilderness” you discover from this
inward focus will be invaluable in all of your endurance
pursuits.
If you are new to this approach,
start out gradually: Try an easy recovery ride of, say, 20
minutes, in the dark! Stay mentally present and
attentive throughout, making each pedal stroke perfect. This
kind of inner journey will require a deliberate and conscious
approach. You can create a meditative mood with candles,
incense and serene music. Quite a bit different than the usual
“pedal mash”, huh? This is not about output. Not at
first. It is about the inner journey.
We have an aversion to new
things, its human nature. But as we gain familiarity with this
new inner territory, our minds open up. Be curious and
investigative as you approach new this process and it will pay
off. For more zendurance guidance, check out my book, “Zendurance,
A Spiritual Fitness Guide for Endurance Athletes”.
Finally, if you are faced with
long rides on the stationary, take the time to structure your
ride beforehand. Remember, approach is everything. Determine
durations and intensity levels, cadence variations that simulate
hills and flat sections. Consider inserting a short run half
way through your ride to break it up and improve your bike to
run transition.
In the Effortless Power
Triathlete Workshops I offer, the bike seminar incorporates
stationary work to support athletes in developing mindfulness
and good cycling form.
The “inside time” of winter is an
excellent opportunity to develop a most powerful weapon as an
endurance athlete – mindfulness. Don’t miss out on it!
Explore the inner wilderness of your experience!
Aloha for now!
---March
8, 2007---
FOR THE LOVE OF TRAINING
It’s still a
wee bit cold here in Lake Placid. We are expecting a low
tonight of minus 30-35. I still plan on riding to Lake
Placid Health and Fitness to swim tomorrow morning, both in
preparation for the upcoming racing season, and to get my
“attitude adjustment” before work. Sure it will be cold, but as
the saying goes: “No such thing as bad weather, just bad
clothing choices.” I’m storing my townie bike inside tonight.
Yesterday morning, at 28 below zero, my cable housings were
frozen, so I could not shift the rear derailleur out of high
gear, and the rear brake rubbed hard all the way to the health
club. I did manage to kick the front derailleur into the
easiest ring, but I split the rear derailleur cable housing
trying to force the shifter. (I defrosted the bike inside the
club while swimming, so the rear brake released, making the ride
home a bit easier.)
Many people
feel that these cold morning rides must be a hardship.
Actually, it lends a sense of adventure to my day-to-day
existence, something I’m very grateful for. I am gifted with
great physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health to be
able to live this lifestyle at age 50. A glitch in any one of
these areas of health could change all that. I enjoy these
gifts here and now and use them relentlessly as tools for growth
and insight.
We must ask
ourselves: Do I train for the love of exercise and the high I
get from it? Do I enjoy the sense of aliveness and gratitude I
feel from training? Do I immerse myself in the exploration and
investigation of kinetic intelligence that training offers, and
do I apply the grace I develop through this kinetic intelligence
to the experiences of my ordinary daily life? Athletic training
can teach us to live gracefully and harmoniously, but
only if that is our intention.
If we train
only because we have an upcoming race and fell obligated, if we
train only towards a specific goal sometime in the future with
no regard for how our training integrates with our everyday
lives here and now, then there is very little reward or
satisfaction in it. None of us is guaranteed to make it to the
starting line of that future race. We may die today. Here in
the good ol’ US of A, we live with the illusion of security, but
it is only an illusion. Change is inevitable and so is death.
Absorb
everything you can from your training experiences each day, each
moment. Take a moment before each workout to tune-in and clear
your mind so that you can absorb all of it. The beneficial
effects of endurance training are not limited to athletic
performance. If your intention is clear, each athletic
experience serves as a life experience. We can develop many
valuable traits that carry over into everyday life: grace,
perseverance, mindfulness, patience, tolerance,
compassion,gratitude, humility, foresight, balance, efficiency,
concentration, clarity of choice, curiosity and enthusiasm, just
to cite a few.
The essence
of any spiritual practice is just that: To
develop such noble traits, and to embody them and share them
with others in each moment of our ordinary lives. If we are
investing 5, 10, 20, 30 or more hours into athletic training
every week, we have the golden opportunity to transform that
training into spiritual practice – regardless of our religious
beliefs or lack thereof. This is the process of transforming
aerobic fitness into spiritual fitness.
I’m looking
forward to that arctic ride tomorrow morning to and from LPHF,
as well as the swim. It will be humbling. If and when I return
home, I’ll be grateful for the safe passage, for the adventure
and for the physical and mental exercise. That
humility and gratitude will provide the “attitude adjustment” I
strive to embody as I gracefully go through my day as an
ordinary human being.
Be well.
Namaste, Shane
---March 20, 2007---
Vernal Equinox!
In lieu of a
blog this week, I have posted the essay “Can Racing Save the
World?” And, on this first day of Spring, I want to thank my
very good friend Jaime Collins for managing this website.
Without him, you would be staring at an empty site. <aw
shucks>
We seem to
be a long way from spring here in Lake Placid, with an 18” snow
pack and lows tonight forecast below zero. Yet, we are so very
grateful for the privilege to live in such a sacred and
beautiful location. Aloha!
---March
27, 2007---
EMBRACING
LIMITATIONS
I’m just
getting over a 10-day respiratory infection (with 7 days of
fever) that obviously limited my training, not to mention
hampered my usual alacrity, optimism and passion for life. It
is these challenging limitations that inspire our creativity and
renew our commitment to and gratitude for the people and things
we love.
Since I am
aging up to 50 this year, I’d like to climb a podium or two, so
my training motivation is high. My training program was really
gaining momentum before that day when my lungs started feeling a
little raw and “sandpapered”. Not to be discouraged, I
alternated days between my core-strength/yoga workout and 60-90
minutes of indoor stationary biking throughout the process. My
body copes with illness much better if I stay appropriately
active. It seems to flush the toxins and accelerate the
healing; it keeps my joints from stiffening during the fever,
and maintains my sense of gratitude for life in this body.
Generally I
find that Zone 1-2 aerobic training and balanced
strength-stretching sessions work well during periods of
illness. It’s most crucial to listen well to the body and
respond to its signals. Each morning I arose feeling terrible,
after little sleep from intense coughing fits and an incendiary
throat. Each morning I had a choice: give in, call in sick to
work and lie there in misery, or patiently and gracefully make
the transition to activity. It took longer than usual to get
the body moving, but every morning I was grateful I had
exercised, once I finished. I made to work every day, and kept
in touch with my gratitude for this life throughout the day.
Now that I am at 85%, I am back in the pool, and outside running
and skiing again. Every workout is a privilege, a gift. Every
effortless breath of air without gasping and coughing is a
gift. The old saying, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder”
applies to our daily activities (including breathing) as much to
our loved ones.
Six weeks
ago, my buddy Jeff cut the tendon in his thumb, requiring
surgery and a cast. A genetically gifted athlete, Jeff has
never found inspiration or motivation to face the tedium of
stationary biking or even pool swimming. (Keep in mind, this is
Lake Placid – there’s still snow on the ground and the lakes
won’t thaw for at least 3 weeks. If we hibernate like bears
through this long winter, we face spring with the worst
hangover.) With this serious injury Jeff’s activities are
restricted. His winter passions for ice climbing and Nordic
skiing are out of the question. As a medical technician, he has
been unable to work.
Lo and
behold, Jeff bought a stationary trainer! He has his bike set
up in the living room. It’s become a kind of shrine for him.
He’s diving deep inside the zen of aerobic training. I
asked him if he would have discovered and appreciated the vast
inner realm, the meditative expanse of stationary training if
not for his thumb. He is clear that this severe limitation has
opened new territory.
Yup,
gratitude is some of the very best medicine for illness and
injury. We don’t know what we got until its lost. When
limitation shows up in your life, embrace it as an honorable
friend and teacher. Everything is temporary. This too shall
pass. Get to know this friend and teacher well. When
liberation returns, the celebration will be easy, the triumph
will be sweet. Be well.
February 20, 2007
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