DNS – DID NOT START
My 2008 tri
training and racing season started and progressed well. In
spite of the long Lake Placid winter, my passion for training
was healthy, even for the long stationary rides. The permanent
closure of the Lake Placid Health Club pool in mid-February
limited swim training severely. (I spent hours in a 10-yard
motel pool last winter.) With our long winter, I was just
getting outside to ride in the snow in late April, and saw a few
weeks above 50 degrees, and just a few days with highs above 65
through May. Yet, even with the sudden 95-degree heat on
race-day, I still managed a 4th in AG at Mooseman
Half in early June. This race always draws a great field of
talent, and I’ve gotten to know all the top contenders in my age
group. This is our annual reunion.
Next on the
calendar: Musselman in mid-July. By then, Lake Placid was
showing some signs of summer and tri-training was in full
swing. I was thrilled with a 1st in AG, by over 12
minutes. Three days later, I left for Singapore. Upon my
return, I immediately began training for ITU Long Course World
Championship (4K S, 120K B, 30K R) in Almere, Netherlands, 31
August. Another rewarding experience, I placed 8th
in AG, then enjoyed 3 days exploring Amsterdam. Without a
doubt, this is the most beautiful city I’ve experienced. I
really enjoyed racing in Europe for the first time as well.
Beyond the
races, the entire training season was equally rewarding. I
carefully crafted an effective program that balanced well with
my schedule, enhanced my health and addressed the specific
characteristics of each race. Crafting such a program is for me
a most fascinating and engaging aspect in the pursuit of
excellence. It challenges my creativity and intuition, as well
as my analytical and kinesthetic capacities. It is especially
rewarding when I perform well in the races.
I returned
from ITU Worlds and hopped back into this rewarding training
track. My next goal race was Pumpkinman, serving as USAT Long
Course Nationals, in Boulder City, Nevada. My training program
changed radically: Both the bike and run at ITU Worlds had been
absolutely table-top flat. However, Pumpkinman would include
6500’ of climbing on the 56-mile bike, and 1800’ on the run. I
crafted a training program that would best prepare me for this
course. In addition, I changed my bike setup (seat and bar
positions) to better accommodate the riding positions I would be
using.
I had
scheduled the Finger Lakes Olympic Tri as a tempo “tune-up” 3
weeks after Worlds, 2 weeks before Nationals. However, for the
past few years, my mom has talked about visiting Lake Placid in
the fall. Even before I left for Netherlands, I began to
encourage her to plan a trip. She and Charlie, my step-dad,
chose to visit at the perfect time for fall colors – the same
weekend as Finger Lakes (a 5-hour drive). I really enjoyed
having them stay with me in my apartment. We visited some
regional museums and restaurants and took the time to enjoy the
intense beauty. Choosing not to race Finger Lakes was a great
decision. Our visit together was a rich experience.
I continued
to meticulously prepare for Nationals, although the lake swims
were getting quite cold (even in my 2XU V:1 wetsuit). My focus
was really on training for the hilly bike course and the ability
to run well after all those hills – and I saw clear progress in
my training. Then, out of the clear blue, just 5 days before
the race, I awoke with a raging sore throat – the beginnings of
a lovely respiratory infection. I made the clear choice not to
race. A lackluster performance that might prolong my ragged
health? No way.
I was
certainly disappointed to miss the race. The camaraderie is so
inspiring and empowering. And, I was unable to put my carefully
crafted training to the test. I felt so confident in this
mindful process. Was it worth all that time and energy in
rehearsal only to forego the actual performance?
Well, there
was still one race left on my calendar – the JFK 50-mile run.
With 1,100 athletes, this is the largest ultra in the US. I’ve
finished this race twice before, and it’s a great end-of-season
finale. Once again, the craft of training shape-shifted to a
new process; once again, I enjoyed the challenge of mindful and
creative crafting. In two short weeks, I was easily absorbing
and enjoying 60+ miles a week of running. However, the
respiratory infection lingered on, and eventually I conceded
with 3 weeks to go.
Speaking
candidly, the issue is more than just my physical health. For
years, I’ve kept up a healthy race schedule and racked up lots
of finishes and (for me) and some respectable results. I have
savored the inspiring and empowering companionship of
competition, and I am a much greater and more humbled being from
it. During that time, I’ve worked ~30 hours per week and
devoted 10 or more hours a week to writing and to crafting the
Zendurance Cycling curriculum. I have contributed many magazine
articles and blogs to further our collective pursuit of athletic
excellence. And during that time, I’ve covered many of my
racing expenses with the almighty credit card.
My “DNS
Autumn” is really a result of the need to establish “fiscal
sobriety”, inspired by this time of credit crunch, recession,
etc. I make this choice not in fear, but with the clarity that,
like most consumers, I am living beyond my current financial
limits for the sake of immediate gratification and recognition.
I am “overtraining” my financial fitness, so to speak. Too many
intervals and not enough base foundation perhaps.
I recognize
money as a healing and empowering currency on our path of
spiritual fitness. However, I have not given this empowering
currency its due reverence. Nor have I fully honored the value
of abundance with respect to money.
Is it worth
the time and energy to creatively and mindfully craft an
athletic training program, even if it results in a DNS? It
certainly is when I experience growth and excellence as a whole,
healthy being.
I’m excited
with the prospects of recognizing my ignorance and dysfunction
financially. I am transforming the athletic DNS into a fiscal
DS –Did Start! I am enjoying the mindful crafting of a new form
of training. I welcome your suggestions!
Copyright
2008, Shane A. Eversfield
CELEBRATE!
Once every four years, our global pace of life softens and slows
as folks the world over pause in awe to witness the Olympic
Games. Athletic or not, everyone is moved by the grace, speed
and precision of human kinetics.
The Summer Games include events as diverse as table tennis,
modern pentathlon (which includes shooting, fencing, swimming,
equestrian and running), decathlon (including 4 running events,
3 jumping events and 3 throwing events), gymnastics (with
another long list of events that individual athletes master),
rowing, synchronized diving, and of course triathlon – just to
name a few.
The thread of continuity that empowers this incredible array of
Olympic human feats is our kinetic intelligence. Every
four years, we suspend (or at least soften) the intense
engagement of logical intelligence that ensures our monetary
sustenance and survival. For two weeks, our lives are
synchronized to a different time clock, several time zones
away. Vicariously, we become super humans. Able to hurtle our
bodies, tumbling and twisting through space, we lightly land on
two feet, extend our arms like wings overhead, our eyes
sparkling and energy dazzling. We celebrate modern wizardry at
its finest.
The diverse Summer Games include many elements of our human
kinetic intelligence – acceleration, speed, grace,
synchronicity, precision in alignment, balance and orientation,
endurance, aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, strength, and power, as
well as the proprioception that makes so many of these elements
possible and appear so effortless.
Never have I seen a more fitting appreciation, a more masterful
demonstration of our kinetic intelligence than the Beijing
Opening Ceremonies. 2008 drummers in absolute synchronicity,
2008 T’ai Chi practitioners flowing in perfect symmetry, the
dancing calligraphers, the human-animated mosaic, the planetary
runners (running upright, horizontally and inverted, and the
torch lighting. For millennia China, the oldest existing culture
on our planet, has valued and prized human kinetic
intelligence, our fundamental form of wizardry, more than any
other culture. The sheer scale and mass precision of both the
Opening and Closing Pageants is probably unmatched in human
history. We witnessed a collective human kinetic intelligence
as never before.
For millennia, Chinese have cultivated and articulated “chi”,
our universal life energy. Ironically, the popular acceptance
of modern science still cannot measure or detect this chi
energy. (I suppose this is a blessing – it hasn’t been shaped
into a bullet, locked into a chamber, aimed and launched at high
speed toward “the enemy”.) If modern science, in all it’s
technological glory, cannot unmask the mystery of chi energy,
how could this be such a prominent and tangible element of
Chinese culture for so long? I believe it is China’s enduring
and passionate pursuit of proprioception that has
informed and guided them on their path of chi mastery. Through
this comprehensive mastery of chi, China has not only produced
modern athletic stars like Guo Jingjing (Women’s Springboard
Diving Champion) and legendary martial artists like Chen Man
Ching, but continues to refine powerful ancient medical “arts”
like acupuncture and qi gong – medical arts that are finally
gaining international credence and benefiting people the world
over.
The IOC President, in his closing speech, emphasized the purest
and highest intention of the Olympic Games - to unite the
nations of the world together through our pursuit of athletic
excellence. In our logical intelligence we erect barriers to
distinguish us as autonomous cultures, suspicious and untrusting
of one another. However, our kinetic intelligence knows that we
function best as a whole, as a planetary culture.
As a cosmic force of unification, gravity is the
fundamental and essential force that provides every human being
with her/his most primary orientation in life. Our
proprioceptive relationship with gravity enables our feats of
kinetic wizardry, from simply “standing on your own two feet“,
to the astounding balance beam performances of US Olympic
gymnast Shawn Johnson. Gravity is constant and uniform the
world over. All are treated equally by the pull of gravity -
paupers and billionaires, high-rise executives and jungle
tribesman alike. As Buckminster Fuller said, “Gravity is the
physical manifestation of love.” It is non-judgmental,
omnipresent, permeating.
While China may excel in cultural appreciation and support of
kinetic intelligent, it is not without its share of problems -
human rights and environmental to be sure. Until recently,
their relative isolation from and fear of the rest of the world
has been a profound limiter. Yet without that isolation,
perhaps the Chinese never would have advanced so far in their
comprehensive understanding of chi. While they may struggle to
enter the modern economically-based global culture, they offer
the rest of the world a wealth of wisdom and insight concerning
our vital chi essence. It is in our best interest to welcome
them with all their faults and their attributes.
Watching the Closing Ceremonies, I felt a hope and promise I
have not felt since the global peace movement of the 1960’s.
The joyous celebration, the camaraderie of athletes, the
brilliant visionary performance, offered all of us a powerful
transcendence from our day-to-day logical disempowerment. The
Chinese invested 43 billion dollars in the Olympic Spirit. This
investment did more for international relations than an entire
annual US Defense budget - all in honor of our kinetic
intelligence.
There is no denying - within each of us, there is a wizard or
wizardress. We really are capable of healing magic… when our
intentions are pure and from the heart . This is the true
essence of athletic excellence as heralded by the Olympic
Games. Let’s not wait another 4 years to celebrate our Olympic
Spirit and our wizardry of kinetic intelligence. Let’s make it
a part of our everyday lives, our global culture and our
planetary health. Celebrate!
Copyright 2008, Shane Eversfield
Athletic Excellence:
Perception and Attitude
As a
multi-sport geek, I am fascinated with how training and racing
enhances the quality of our lives. It’s almost like magic.
Sure, it’s obvious that as we patiently and consistently improve
our physical fitness, we enjoy strength, good health, and an
improved energetic state. But, seasoned veterans will tell you
they enjoy enhanced qualities in their lives that seem to have
no connection to swimming, biking or running.
Some of
these more “remote” areas include improved emotional
composition, more harmonious relationships, and mental acuity
that extends to just about anything we place our focus on.
There is one key element of multi-sport training and racing that
really seems to be the root of this under current of well-being.
The primary
goal for most of us when we begin training and racing is to
experience athletic growth and improvement. There are two basic
components in our training that actualize this progress. First,
we structure and design workouts that will improve our fitness
by focusing on endurance, strength and speed. When we sequence
these workouts effectively, and combine them with the right
amounts of recovery and adaptation, we get faster, stronger and
longer.
As “newbies”,
the first area of improvement is usually in the area of
endurance. To increase our endurance capacity, we must improve
the body’s metabolic system. In this process, the body actually
goes through a physiological metamorphosis. Endurance
training increases the capillary density of the circulation
system. Think of this process as a plumbing improvement, or a
supply distribution improvement. As you “grow” more capillaries
in your muscles, your blood can deliver oxygen and fuel, and
remove carbon dioxide and waste, more effectively.
As you
patiently build your aerobic base, you also create more
mitochondria in your muscle cells. These mitochondria are the
cell’s processors that turn the oxygen and fuel delivered by
your improved plumbing system into energy, and hence into
forward motion. In simplest terms, this metabolic morphing
process enables us to conserve the body’s glycogen stores and to
burn fat as the primary fuel source at higher and higher levels
of intensity.
Experiencing
this body-morphing process is an incredible revelation. Each of
us discovers that the body is not an object that we must lug
around with us as it rusts and wears out. We discover that it
is actually a constantly evolving energetic entity.
After years
and decades, this morphing process plateaus and metabolic
improvements are subtle at best: The capillaries and
mitochondria can only reach a certain density, and then the
development process is virtually complete. After that, it’s
just a matter of maintenance. However, we can continue to enjoy
improved athletic performance and enhanced quality of life long
after we reach that morphing plateau.
At this
level our focus in the pursuit of athletic excellence shifts.
As we maintain aerobic capacity, our focus narrows to strength
and speed. How can we enjoy the greatest gains with the least
training? How can we make the most effective use of our time
and energy as we endeavor to improve both strength and speed?
First, we must shift our perceptions and attitude about
training. We must realize and acknowledge that increased
strength and speed don’t occur by simply working the muscles
harder. As I’ve written several times, when we train the bodies
three primary physiological systems – muscular, metabolic and
neurologic – the muscles respond and improve the least to
training. Our greatest gains in strength and speed come from
training the neuro system.
In strength
training, we improve the neuro system’s ability to recruit and
orchestrate more muscle fibers to execute a specific movement.
Therefore if we design a strength program that is sport- and
movement-specific, we can enjoy increased endurance and speed.
The same is
true for speed training. Certainly there are metabolic and
muscular gains to be had through speed work. However, the
greatest speed gains will come as you learn to execute faster
movements more efficiently. This happens as you improve your
technique. The bottom line: Once you have reached the
metabolic plateau, your greatest gains will come through a
relentless pursuit of perfect technique.
We now come
back to identify the component of training and racing that
reaches out to enhance all areas of our lives: We cannot
improve our technique if we can’t perceive what it is
that is inefficient, if we can’t perceive what it is that
doesn’t work. The first perceptive step towards recognizing our
“disfunctions” is a shift in our attitude: “Am I willing to
acknowledge that there are indeed areas where I can improve?
Can I accept that I am not perfect?” We must be willing to
open our minds, to let go of our pride, to be humble, patient
and curious. We must be willing to experience naivety and
confusion. We must be willing to say, “Huh, I don’t know, I
am uncertain.”
Ah, the joys
of uncertainty! Once you can break the link between uncertainty
and fear, once you can embrace uncertainty as opportunity and
not as a death sentence, then you can really begin to learn and
grow. At that instant, your perceptive capacity sharpens like a
razor. Think of it as shifting your awareness into
hyper-drive.
When you
jump off that cliff of self-composure into the abyss of
uncertainty, you engage your perceptive capacities like never
before. These heightened perceptive capacities act as your
wings, allowing you to fly.
When we
really hunger as athletes to get faster, stronger and longer, we
are willing to jump off that cliff of self-composure. We psych
our selves into that state of hyper-awareness. This is when we
realize our greatest improvements in technique. We discover
more efficiency, economy, grace and speed than ever before.
This is what we live for. It is our moment to feel like the
comic book super hero.
As we
relentlessly pursue athletic excellence through this state of
perceptive hyper-drive, we get more familiar and comfortable
with jumping off the cliff of self-composure. We permanently
sever the bond between uncertainty and fear. By breaking this
bond repeatedly through racing and training, we discover the
capacity to embrace uncertainty and to befriend our fears in
many areas of our lives. We are willing to calmly jump off that
cliff of self-composure more frequently and to abide in that
hyper-perceptive state.
Most
importantly, we must realize that hyper-perception does not
require hyper-stimulation, such as large doses of caffeine or
adrenalin production. I can tell you from experience this is
not a sustainable way to live in the hyper-perceptive state.
Rather, our greatest sustainable perceptive capacity occurs when
the body and brain are relaxed and serene – paradoxical as that
may seem.
I’m not
saying that we should never chemically induce this state. But
each of us has a physical and mental limit. Once we exceed that
limit, we have to crash and recover. The farther we go beyond
that limit, the harder we crash, and the longer it takes to
recover. If we wish to consistently enjoy a hyper perceptive
capacity throughout our daily lives, we must cultivate
serenity. The path to serenity is different for each of us, and
is one of the greatest challenges of life. Each of us must be
able to distinguish self-composure and security from inner peace
and serenity. Lucky for us, we are endurance athletes. Our
training and racing already provide us with the perfect
opportunity to step beyond the comfort of security and to
develop serenity.
And that
just happens to be one of the subjects layered into a book –
Zendurance.
Namaste,
Zenman
STRENGTH AND
SPEED ON THE BIKE: A ZEN APPROACH
Introduction:
With a conventional approach, we associate both strength and
speed with effort and exertion: If you want to push a big gear,
you have to grit your teeth, tense up and bear the pain. If you
want to go fast, you have to force your legs faster through the
pedal stroke. However, a patient study of Zendurance Cycling
Technique offers you the opportunity to explore strength and
speed intelligently, through a mastery of technique. In
cycling, strength is your capacity to turn the pedals under
resistance loads. Speed, is your capacity to turn the pedals at
high cadence. Stationary training offers a great opportunity to
focus on applying technique to increase strength and speed, as
it allows you to accurately control both the resistance and the
cadence, and therefore the intensity of your workout. (For this
reason, some pro and elite athletes conduct their all-important
interval workouts on a stationary trainer, even though they may
live in a cyclist’s paradise.)
As you train, it
is important to challenge yourself, to patiently develop your
capacity to execute great technique at higher levels of
intensity, by increasing resistance and/or cadence. Use these
guidelines to govern appropriate limits:
Strength is
your capacity to recruit more muscle fibers to execute a
movement – say a pedal stroke. As you train your neuromuscular
system to recruit more fibers, you are able to increase your
power output at the same rate of perceived exertion, or maintain
the same power output at a lower rate of perceived exertion for
a longer duration. There are two components of strength
you must train as you challenge yourself with resistance: The
first is your capacity to recruit more fibers to execute each
pedal stroke, both in your legs and your core. The second is
your capacity to stabilize and precisely align your joints for
maximum biomechanical efficiency and economy under high loads.
Consider these two
aspects of strength every time you crank up the resistance and
start to hammer. You cannot mentally “will” yourself to recruit
more muscle fibers for every pedal stroke. Patient and
consistent training will take care of that. However, you can
monitor your joint stability and precise alignment at every
moment, through your proprioception. (On the stationary,
use a mirror placed in front to verify the accuracy of your
proprioception, specifically knee alignment and tracking.) As
you perform high-resistance intervals on the stationary, when
you observe even the slightest faltering in your alignment, it’s
time to back off. And remember, your proprioception excels when
you are relaxed. Therefore, even under the great duress of
heavy resistance and intensity, the connective tissues of your
joints must be able to relax to align precisely. Pursue
cycling strength with patience and consistency, and you will
learn to maintain enough relaxation for the proprioception
necessary to maintain precise joint alignment, even under high
resistance loads.
Strength and
endurance: As you develop cycling strength you are
recruiting more fibers to pedal your bike and to
stabilize that leg power on your bike through core strength.
Strength figures prominently into endurance as well.
Since you recruit more fibers for every pedal stroke (at every
level of intensity) you are able to prolong the activity for
longer duration. This makes sense, since your body is relying
on a greater “base” or “foundation” of trained neuromuscular
connections. By training neuromuscular strength, you will
endure longer.
Speed is
your capacity to turn the cranks faster. Like strength,
pedaling at a higher cadence requires efficient, economical
biomechanics. Another term you might consider is “fluid”.
To efficiently spin at high cadence, you must be fluid in your
movement. Your foot must move in harmony with the circular
orbit of the pedal itself, since that orbit is fixed and
unyielding. Applying force to the pedal that deviates from its
circular orbit is inefficient, causes discomfort and increases
the risk of injury.
Relaxation is
absolutely crucial for a fluid pedal stroke. In a single
rotation of the pedal stroke, many muscles and connective
tissues in the legs and torso are stimulated to contract and
then to release. If specific muscles and connective tissues
do not release and relax in order to lengthen at the appropriate
instant, they create resistance for the opposing contracting
tissues. More energy must be exerted to overcome this
resistance, resulting in inefficiency and diminished endurance.
This resistance to relaxation also diminishes the fluidity
of the pedal stroke. The result is a degradation of
proprioception, biomechanics and technique, a slower maximum
sustained cadence and an increased potential for injury.
Focus on relaxing
your muscles, connective tissues and joints to increase your
cadence. This will develop fluidity in your pedal stroke
and help you to maintain “saddle silence” as you spin. Since
there is an actual fluid that lubricates your joints –
synovial fluid – the description of a fluid pedal
stroke is literal. As you learn to float your joints around the
pedal stroke at high cadence, you allow this fluid to perform
its function.
Summary:
It’s possible to increase both strength and cadence on your bike
by focusing on your technique. As paradoxical as it seems,
relaxation is key for both. Relaxation promotes the
proprioceptive capacity to accurately align and stabilize the
joints under high resistance. This is essential to building
strength safely. Relaxation is also essential in coordinating
the timing of release and contraction of the many muscular
movements that constitute a fluid and fast pedal stroke.
If you work to
develop your individual capacities to relax at greater
resistance loads and at faster rates of cadence independently of
one another, you will naturally be able to combine them for
greater performance. Work on each independently and then begin
to draw them together as you approach your goal races. Even
under the greatest duress, we can find the inner peace that will
allow us to stay calm and relaxed, as long as we include that in
our training. This inner peace is a great asset for athletic
performance. It is even more valuable as we embrace and respond
to stressful situations of our everyday lives. This is a great
example of transforming aerobic fitness into spiritual fitness.
Rejoice! We are
training for life! Zenman
Note: This
material is excerpted from the Zendurance Cycling Stationary
Clinic material. Clinics are now being offered
internationally. Contact Shane if you want to host one in your
region.
CONSIDERING ATHLETIC POTENTIAL AND ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE
With all the
scientific research now available for our sport of triathlon, it
is possible to execute every single swim stroke, pedal stroke
and run stride under stringent numerical values: cadence, power,
velocity, heart rate, duration, specific hill grades, altitude,
etc. Feed the specific training data of each workout into a
computer-based coaching program and receive ever more refined
and specific guidance in planning the next workouts. Striving
to reach the highest athletic potential by adhering to precise
numerical parameters can offer substantial guidance in building
to a peak performance for a goal race many months in the future.
When the
pioneers of our sport first set out to explore the uncharted
wilderness of triathlon, they did not have such sophisticated
navigational guidance. There was no extensive scientific data
base, no accurate “GPS” unit for navigating the triathlon
training and racing wilderness. If they had any guidance at
all, it was a crude sketch of some vaguely defined terrain. The
pioneers had to rely heavily on their
perceptions and
intuition. Athletes
like Paula Newby-Fraser, Mark Allen and Scott Tinley produced
legendary performances that still stand up to current standards,
regardless of the substantial advances in equipment (i.e., nano-tube
technology, knife-edge-thin, feather-weight aero bikes) and
training technology (i.e., computer designed object-oriented
training programs). The most sophisticated technology they had
was high-resolution perception and the gut feeling of intuition.
I have the
utmost respect for our sport’s brilliant science and the
remarkable performances it elicits from dedicated athletes
committed to reaching their highest potential. But, I must
confess, I do not train and race at my scientifically-based
maximum athletic potential. Yes, I occasionally use a heart
rate monitor (the last time, about 10 months ago) and I am aware
of my pedal stroke and running stride cadences. I understand
and work with the metabolic science behind Zone Training
(usually measured through heart rate.) I have learned to
increment my rate of perceived exertion to those specific
zones. Ultimately rate of perceived exertion is
more accurate than
using specific heart rate values, because the heart rate values
associated with specific training zones will slide up and down
on a daily (even hourly) basis. Working
without a heart rate
monitor places the onus for effective training and racing on the
athlete’s accuracy of perception – just like the pioneers of
triathlon did it. (See my article ‘By the Numbers” in the Nov
2007 issue of Triathlete Magazine, or check the Essays section
of this website in the next week.)
I experience
a distinction between scientifically-based athletic potential
and athletic excellence. As an illustration, imagine
structuring every single parameter of every single workout over
the course of, say, 8 months for a peak performance at an
Ironman. Imagine that this structured training program was
based on the very latest scientific research. From a “lab rat”
perspective, this is the ultimate approach – no guess work, no
mystery, no grey zone. But what about the human being? I
learned early on (the hard way) that I have to be a healthy,
whole, balanced human being before I can be an athlete. (See
the beginning of my book, “Zendurance” for more on this
realization.)
The pursuit
of athletic excellence may be defined as using athletic training
and racing not only as a means to realizing one’s highest
athletic potential through remarkable athletic performances, but
also as a training ground for excellence as a human being.
Endurance training can develop discipline, patience,
mindfulness, balance, consistency, perseverance and the capacity
to stay calm and present even during challenging and painful
experiences. We can develop these noble qualities even if we
choose not to adhere to strict, scientific numerical parameters
for each stride and stroke of our training. Surely these
qualities make us better human beings as well as athletes;
better family and community members, and more capable in our
occupations. We also enjoy elevated physical, mental and
emotional health – not just during our training and racing, but
in every moment of our lives.
The pursuit
of athletic excellence can certainly lead to remarkable athletic
performances without sacrificing the quality of our human
lives. I’m not saying that following a cutting-edge training
program to the letter will diminish our potential as happy human
beings. However, I do feel that faithfully following the latest
training program of precise numerical parameters with complete
disregard for perception and intuition leaves out a significant
aspect of our training and development as unique human beings.
While I
understand and work with training zones and periodization
principles, I do not use a numerically-based, specific-parameter
training program and schedule in my pursuit of athletic
excellence. I “shoot from the hip”, relying on perception and
intuition for guidance in designing and scheduling my workouts.
Eschewing a strict training schedule and protocol grants me the
flexibility that is necessary to gracefully integrate my passion
for athletic glory with my humility as an ordinary human being.
Choosing a flexible, intuitive approach to scheduling my
workouts requires honest and accurate perception of my body’s
(and my mind’s) energy state and the capacity to set the
appropriate parameters for my workout using my rate of perceived
exertion.
It also
requires creativity and an open heart and mind. Some athletes
(especially “Type A’s”) are terrified of employing even the
slightest hint of creativity into their meticulous training
program. There seems to be a deep mistrust of the creative mind
by the logical mind. For me, part of the pursuit of athletic
excellence is honoring the inherent creativity of the human
being. (Einstein, as much an artist as a scientist, was famous
for asserting “Imagination is more important than knowledge”.)
While I may
never perform to my absolute highest scientifically-based
potential, I derive a tremendous satisfaction and happiness from
the activities of training and racing. I sincerely love
watching how the training season unfolds, how I navigate the
wilderness of endurance training and racing with intuition and
high-resolution perception. I may get a little disoriented at
times in that landscape, but the experiences, the vistas and the
discoveries are remarkable.
There is one
constant in my training, one thing that motivates and guides me
each and every day. I approach each session, from the most
crucial breakthrough interval session to the most mundane
recovery session, with a genuine sense of curiosity and a
passion for technique mastery. There is always, always
something new to discover, as I strive to execute each and every
stride and stroke gracefully, efficiently, economically and
joyfully. I strive to go farther and faster with less effort,
less struggle. This relentless pursuit for excellence through
perception, curiosity, creativity and an open heart and mind
carries over strongly into every activity of my mundane life as
an ordinary human being.
If you are
relatively new to the landscape of triathlon, I encourage you to
work with a coach, or a training program for orientation.
However, just remember that your most valuable navigational
tools are your high-resolution perceptive ability and your
intuition. Do not forsake them simply because your almighty
training schedule dictates something counter to what you feel is
appropriate.
If an
ordinary swim stroke can transcend the associated heart-rate and
stroke velocity, it can be an act of balance, grace and joy. By
consistently practicing such a diligent approach towards
athletic excellence, we discover the same grace and joy in our
everyday lives: in a simple greeting with a stranger, a menial
task, or the sharing of deepest truths with loved one.
I have not
yet seen a cutting-edge training program that reminds the
athlete: “Before you start
today, take a moment to appreciate how fortunate you are. And,
at some point during your workout, smile and enjoy your mastery
and grace!”
Namaste,
Zenman
###
PURE
SPIRIT OF COMPETITION
I’ve just
finished reading an extraordinary book, “Flow, The Psychology
of Optimal Experience”, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. The
subtitle is “Steps Toward Enhancing the Quality of Life”.
This book provides the inspiration for the following discussion.
One way that
we all identify quality in our lives is through optimal
experiences – those times when we are completely engaged in a
task, where time suspends, where we lose all self-consciousness,
where our actions seem effortless – even if we are under
duress. Every nuance of our activity – every movement, thought
and breath – is in perfect harmony. We experience grace,
brilliance, happiness and a genuine sense of well-being. “Life
is Good”.
Pursuit of
athletic excellence, in its purest essence, is to diligently
seek optimal experience through training and racing.
Ultimately, we seek optimal experience in all areas of our lives
as what we call “quality of life. Throughout human history,
athletics has provided fertile ground for enhancing quality of
life. Currently, triathlon seems to be at the pinnacle of this
pursuit; globally we are seeing record numbers of participants
in record numbers of races.
The question
I’d like to address here is: What function does competition
serve in this pursuit of optimal experience and quality of life?
Competition
is sometimes viewed as “Me against you”. (There is at
least a little bit of this in each of us. It’s a natural,
tendency of the ol’ ego.) In this scenario, the first one to
the finish line wins, everyone else loses. If each of us held
closely to this view, very few of us would continue to race,
since there is only one winner in this form of competition, (be
it overall elite, or gender/age-group category.) Experiencing
only loss at (for most of us) the vast majority of our races
will do little to enhance quality of life.
A more
beneficial pursuit in competition is optimal experience. The
word “competition” can be interpreted as a petition for
companionship. The true magic of racing is in the synergy of
our congregation. As Mihaly points out, “The roots of the
word ‘compete’ are the Latin con petire, which meant ‘to
seek together.’” He goes on, “What each person seeks is
to actualize her potential, and this task is made easier when
others force us to do our best. Of course, competition improves
experience only as long as attention is focused primarily on the
activity itself. If extrinsic goals – such as beating the
opponent, wanting to impress an audience, or obtaining a big
professional contact – are what one is concerned about, then
competition is likely to become a distraction, rather than an
incentive to focus consciousness on what is happening.”
This is the
empowering spirit of competition. We realize our greatest
potential in the presence of one another. The strength of our
synergy in competition takes on different characteristics at
different races. The grand scale of an Ironman is quite
powerful, with an extensive field of athletes – some highly
experienced and accomplished at the distance, others embarking
on the 140.6 distance for the first time. Inseparable from this
vast and diverse field of athletes is the high energy level
provided by the volunteers, spectators and race announcers. The
scale and power of the Ironman synergy is enough to bring tears
to the eyes of almost anyone – athletic or not.
Yet, there
is an equally empowering synergy at the eclectic ultra distance
races – double, triple and deca irons, and 24-hour races. The
synergy of these races comes from the deep intimacy of sharing
such an enduring experience with a small tribe on a small
course, repeating countless laps back forth. The most
paradoxical aspect of multi-day ultra events is the gentle
approach the athletes must employ to endure the event. It’s
refreshing to discover that gentleness can be an asset in
competition.
There
is also the competition of low-key local events. Some of my
most cherished competitive experiences come from the Sunday
morning Peaman
Biathlons
in Kona, Hawaii. With no sign-up and no entry fee, these short
swim-run events have shared the very same start-finish line as
the legendary Hawaii Ironman, the Kailua Pier, for over two
decades. The motto is, “if we don’t have a category for you,
we’ll make one.” If you want to do the swim with your dog
balanced on a paddle-board, then place him in a stroller and
roller blade the run course, that’s just fine. (Yes, I’ve seen
this done.) At the conclusion, prizes donated by local
businesses and the athletes are raffled off. Most of the
regulars have nicknames like “Peaman”, “Road Runner”, Harry “The
Hammer”, “Carbo Man” and “Jah Peaple”. (That last one is my
nickname, from my dreadlock days. I did Hawaii Ironman under
that name in 2002.) While these races are full of humor and
genuine “o’hana” love and camaraderie, the competition can be
pretty intense. Many a world-class pro athlete has raced a
Peaman and thrown down a world-class performance. Until I
discovered these races, I shied away from competition, though I
ran and swam frequently. The Peaman races showed me a very
healthy and nurturing side of competition. I’ve been hooked
ever since!
“Competition
is enjoyable only when it is a means to perfect one’s skills;
when it becomes an end in itself, it ceases to be fun.”
“However unimportant an athletic goal may appear to the
outsider, it becomes a serious affair when performed with the
intent of demonstrating a perfection of skill.”
“Flow
experiences based on the use of physical skills do not occur
only in the context of outstanding athletic feats. Olympians do
not have an exclusive gift in finding enjoyment in pushing
performance beyond existing boundaries. Every person, no matter
how unfit he or she is, can rise a little higher, go a little
faster, and grow to be a little stronger. The joy of surpassing
the limits of the body is open to all.”
I’m
certainly grateful for all of you, for your inspiring presence
in my life. I’d be slower, less graceful and unable to go the
distance without you. What makes me competitive is that I
petition and appreciate your companionship. I know that’s true
for you too, so I’ll see you at the races. - Zenman
February 20, 2007
March, 2007
June, 2007
July, 2007
August, 2007
September,
2007
Alignment
Virginia Double Iron
