Today I am going to help you have some tools to explore YOUR life. I want you to be have these tools so that if you choose to, you can make some positive changes.
If we are truly to connect mind with body, then like when we train our physical state by "working out" to improve our health, then we need to sometimes make "program changes" with our mental state to improve our health too.
I will share with you some personal experiences that may resonate with you and if they do then don't hesitate to ask me questions about how it's going because "creating personal change" like the hair commercial on TV says "doesn't happen overnight but it will happen".
I have met some really interesting people in my last six months. A lot of them had similar "success" aspects to their lives which others envied or emulated in the desire to be like them.
Some were successful in business, some were successful in entertainment, some were successful in health, some were successful in sport and some were successful in relationships but all however shared the lack of connection in their own lives.
Often these "successful" people had a desire "to slow down and be present" in their lives but didn't know how to be.
I spoke with many of them personally and while they always were in a hurry it appeared as though they were on a "treadmill". They were often busy being busy.
Now I have in the past been accused or observed doing this and when it was pointed out to me I would say "no I'm not, I am just totally focussed on achieving my goals". And then I would continue to do what I had always done. You don't need me to finish that little statement to know the next part.
So, what was the deciding factor in me changing that path or course of those actions. Well in all honesty it was realizing that I was doing it, and to not, want to try to slow down but to actually stop.
Think of it this way.
Try standing in front of a runaway train and holding up your hands to stop it and expecting a positive result and most likely the outcome will be the opposite. That is how some of "us" busy people exist in our everyday lives. As long as we have the "next" phase of plan outlined in front of us then we just keep rolling along the track, moving from one station to the next.
One year ago I decided to make a commitment to myself to find balance in my life instead of just "work, work, work". In essence I needed to change a pattern, break a habit or recognize a trigger point and act upon that.
I have always been healthy. My desire is to show others how to achieve that same goal for themselves but someone much smarter than me once said "you can't help all of the people, all of the time". They need to be part of the process of change. They must want to be part of that change cycle. YOU get to choose when that time is right for you.
For me, it came when I looked at my diary and saw that I was "very busy all of the time" and that I could always find something to add in there to fill the gaps of spare time productively. I even had a little mantra to stop me getting bored whcih went "if in doubt, then workout". Was I worried that if I slowed down I might stop ? Who knows the answer to that but I had to change.
One of my LIFE goals I wanted was that I desired someone in my life to share the "successes" with. When I was honest it would have been hard to let them in. Now was that because I hadn't found the right person ? Possibly, but even so when I do find her, how would I make space for her to share ?
Looking inwards at ourselves is difficult (and can be painful). In life you often see the successes but when look inwards you also see the failures. Those elements of yourself that haven't gone the way you wanted. Is this bad, I don't think so. It is part of who you are now and the past definitely plays a role in that.
All too often we introduce ourselves to others almost like we are a blank slate so that they don't see our past failures. This really is in fact a false perception we are giving. Who hasn't been in a relationship, friendship, business arrangement or similar and felt like the other person was changing or had an alter ego. If we see that in others then surely it makes sense that others see that in us too. No one is perfect, so why do we try to present that way.
It will most likely lead to some form of disappointment when "the real you" surfaces and that often results in pain for both parties. Imagine your life is like walking along a sandy beach and leaving a trail of foot prints (think of that famous series of pictures). Is our goal to show people that our beach is perfect ? Or is reality that you have some deeper prints here and there where your life has had meaning. Don't try to wash away or wipe off the past but celebrate it by living in the present and learning from good and bad experiences you have encountered.
Life is for living !
My personal strategy seeemed simple on paper.
I gave myself eight (8) weeks of doing Yoga as my workout regime and to be open to all that it offered both physically and mentally (spiritually it seemed to be a positive). Now I have been involved in the fitness industry for 20 years and had tried Yoga in the past and hadn't found it able to give me that energy charged, blood pumping, sweat filled workout I believed I sought.
Guess that my own self diagnosis of "being A.D.D. before it was trendy could have been correct" :-)
However, this time it did.
Was it that I was open to the experience ?
Was it that I was committing to making changes in my life ?
Whatever the final answers are I am not sure of all those answers - YET. However, it is still happening, because LIFE changing sequences are best repeated often to form a life changing habit. I have been doing Yoga for a year now and feel good. Is it my only form of exercise, no, but it helps to clean the cobwebs out of the attic.
My clarity for getting a better sense of who I am is stronger. Do I always like myself, no, but if I don't like what I see I get to act positively to change it.
Have I found my girlfriend yet, no, but at least when I do there will be room to share that space with. So am I looking for my other half, no, why would I only want half a person. I am out there living my life and hope to meet the other "whole person" to compliment my life.
I hope you all find out that the person we often seek is probably the person you are inside right now. Give yourself some positive credit and allow your open heart to shine and like a moth to a flame hopefully you will attract that other "whole person".
Namaste'
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Saturday 26th January 2008 - Australia Day downunder
The prospect of a three day weekend is appealing to most people at any time but this weekend downunder is the celebration of our national heritage.
For those in the northern hemisphere it has all the fanfare of the 4th of July style of party that ensures that everyone gets outdoors; the harbour is full of boats; people taking part in the celebrations; crowded beaches (with mostly sunny skies), and as evening falls the usual breathtaking elements of fireworks bring the patrons out of the bars to the sounds of "oohs" and "aaahhs".
Families get together for BBQ's and picnics, friends meet up with friends and all in the name of our patronage to the past. I however, am sitting here in my hotel room in Los Angeles and following the festivities through the internet and also text messages from friends and family.
I will be heading back to Sydney on Monday evening after a very FULL two week trip. From the excitement of preparing over the last six weeks for the fundraising event and completing the full 24 hours of Spinathon action which raised $250,000 and was held in the beautiful Grand Central Station in New York, to then enjoying a weekend at my favorite restaurants with friends in the Big Apple. I really like that city and also the people who were so very warm and generous with their support during that "long day" of riding.
That is me on stage at the final hour - and feeling like I could go another ....... well maybe not.
Then the trip to Los Angeles was challenging as it is only a six hour flight but my knee was still a little tender and so I was cautious in the first day of the conference. I arrived here to find that they have had as much rain in the last three weeks as they had in all of last year which makes for hazardous conditions and made for a wet visit. The Yoga Conference was superb and I connected with some amazing instructors from all over the United States who also are passionate about changing the unhealthy lives of others.
So as I miss the excitement of the long weekend spent in the warmer conditions in Sydney I am also aware that "globally" we are getting smaller and far better at reaching out for others who are like minded in the "community of better health".
It's lunchtime here in L.A. and I have noticed that the sun is peeking through the clouds which means that I may be able to get down to try a new organic food restaurant in Santa Monica that one of the instructors told me about.
So I am sending positive celebratory love back to my family and friends and hoping they had a sensational time this weekend - see you all soon.
For those in the northern hemisphere it has all the fanfare of the 4th of July style of party that ensures that everyone gets outdoors; the harbour is full of boats; people taking part in the celebrations; crowded beaches (with mostly sunny skies), and as evening falls the usual breathtaking elements of fireworks bring the patrons out of the bars to the sounds of "oohs" and "aaahhs".
Families get together for BBQ's and picnics, friends meet up with friends and all in the name of our patronage to the past. I however, am sitting here in my hotel room in Los Angeles and following the festivities through the internet and also text messages from friends and family.
I will be heading back to Sydney on Monday evening after a very FULL two week trip. From the excitement of preparing over the last six weeks for the fundraising event and completing the full 24 hours of Spinathon action which raised $250,000 and was held in the beautiful Grand Central Station in New York, to then enjoying a weekend at my favorite restaurants with friends in the Big Apple. I really like that city and also the people who were so very warm and generous with their support during that "long day" of riding.
That is me on stage at the final hour - and feeling like I could go another ....... well maybe not.
Then the trip to Los Angeles was challenging as it is only a six hour flight but my knee was still a little tender and so I was cautious in the first day of the conference. I arrived here to find that they have had as much rain in the last three weeks as they had in all of last year which makes for hazardous conditions and made for a wet visit. The Yoga Conference was superb and I connected with some amazing instructors from all over the United States who also are passionate about changing the unhealthy lives of others.
So as I miss the excitement of the long weekend spent in the warmer conditions in Sydney I am also aware that "globally" we are getting smaller and far better at reaching out for others who are like minded in the "community of better health".
It's lunchtime here in L.A. and I have noticed that the sun is peeking through the clouds which means that I may be able to get down to try a new organic food restaurant in Santa Monica that one of the instructors told me about.
So I am sending positive celebratory love back to my family and friends and hoping they had a sensational time this weekend - see you all soon.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Friday 25th January 2008 - Update from the FitYoga Conference
Well I am in the third and final day of the FitYoga and FitPilates Conference here in Los Angeles and let me tell you that it has been fantastic.
The standard of presenters and the variety of styles of Yoga has been quite eye-opening. After the 24 hours of riding the Spin Cycle last Friday in New York and being part of the incredible charity fundraising for teen obesity (they raised $250,000 for the HealthCorps initiative), my body was a little tentative of more exercise but let me tell you it was the best medicine.
Day one was loaded with excitement like a lot of conventions.
I had an opening session with Kristin McGee who took us through a session that introduced us to a better understanding of the Pelvic Floor. I have been to many conventions, courses, teacher training sessions and this topped them all. Her ability to convey verbally what was necessary inspired me to try to use this more often and without stealing her thunder she used the picture reference of a "baseball diamond" to better acquaint us with our pelvic floor. She is a great teacher and based in New York so if you visit there or live there, then I highly recommend you to find where she teaches (visit www.kristinmcgee.com for more info).
My next session was with Sara Ivanhoe and called Detox Yoga. I had not heard of Sara before the session started although she has a very strong reputation in the Yoga world. The session was slightly different from many Yoga sessions that I have personally attended. Most cncourage you to "look upwards and seek and give positive intent to the gods" whereas in this session, Sara explained we were trying to get the body to "give up any residual ill feelings" so looking downward was encouraged on most postures. It was a great session and I felt "lighter". Sara also has a voice that needs to be heard to be believed as it has a resonance that is very calming (visit www.saraivanhoe.com for more info).
I was really needing lunch by now and my body was starting to be totally relaxed. All the calm stretching we had done was really letting any stiff muscles be woken up and little did I know that it would be needed for the next session.
After lunch (I ate sparingly as I didnt want to have a full stomach for later sessions) my next workshop as Acro-Yoga.
The session description sounded like FUN by describing it as a combination of acrobatics and yoga. Now as a former member of the Military Gymnastic Display team this had my name written all over it. Wow is all I can say. Two and half hours later we all sat down to finish off the session and there were nothing but smiles and joy on everyone's faces.
The two instructors Jason Nemer and Jenny Sauer-Klein were brilliant. There very confident ability to make everyone feel that they could "invert or go upside down" allowed us all to be part of the experience and I for one am hooked. The pleasure of "play" is often taken out of lives by forced perceptions either of our own ability or the expectation that we think others have of us. The enviroment they created took the group to attempt (and complete) postures that at first seemed too far beyond our own limitations - and at times I could my inner voice telling me - YOU are upside down and loving this .... do you think I enjoyed this session ????? (visit www.acroyoga.org - please note the "org" not .com). They are not in Australia - yet although I did try to persuade them to visit but recommend it anyone in the US. They also do international retreats and this would be a blast I am sure.
Let me tell you how well I slept that night. Day Two I woke up recharged and ready to go and it was a day of High's and ..... just more high's.
The combination of acrobatics and yoga had been awesome and it had definitely appealed to the playful side of myself so when I read there was a session which had a combination of martial arts and yoga I was intrigued - and had to give that a go.
Bottom line Cameron Shayne is an exceptional instructor and very nice human being. When you watch him do what he does it becomes more like a dance flow than yoga with a martial arts twist - and of course YOU want to be able to do the same way. I however was not ..... quite as fluid as Cameron but nonetheless he showed me some ways to do the actions and while he praised me for my efforts there is a long way to go ..... and it is a journey that is pulling my interest. I now believe that I am thinking about movement as more than just a way to move (visit www.budokon.com for more info).
Breakfast was devoured and then it was more Acro-Yoga with what was a combination of "being a flyer" and "being a base". With one position you are guiding the other person through a range of movements while you lie on your back and they are suspended on top of your feet. This places both parties in a trust position and once you learn that it simple yet important principle - it allows both people to work together. Another buzzing session !
After lunch I had my next session with Kristin McGee. She is a great Yoga teacher who took us through the importance of having a strong core which followed on perfectly from her session the day before. Again the ability for an instructor to increase your range of motion through stretching is achieved by your own belief that if I try this I can do it - Hello .... isn't that what we all need to have in our lives, a better sense of self belief. She is also a very creative lady apart from her DVD's for adults on PowerYoga and Pilates with MTV she has also produced a children's workout called BendiGirl Yoga! (NOTE - its now the third day and my abs are aware that she worked us).
The day finished with a session with Jill Miller. Now I have personally known Jill for over a year now and done sessions with her in New York and also in Santa Monica. She is one of my favorite Yoga instructors because of so many reasons. Her ability to communicate intelligently with total understanding makes her what I call a "translator". There are many incredibly talented instructors in all forms of health awareness that can show you what to do perfectly. However, there are few who can verbalize to "the lay person" what is happening so they get it - she is one of these rare instructors.
Her session involved her taking us through the implications of shoulder issues and ways to deal with that. I have been a fitness and health professional for many years, trained and consulted to many, many thousands of clients and there are few who DON'T have shoulder issues. We all spend so much time doing things "forward" of our body centre-line that this exacerbates conditions for the shoulder.
She had us learning how to apply her knowledge and ability to adjust or manipulate the tender areas with two balls. I would highly recommend that you go to her website as she is passing on this knowledge with a DVD that will break it down brilliantly. Did it hurt - heck yeah. One day later does it feel better - ABSOLUTELY.
Trust me do yourself a favor and learn from one of the greats (visit www.jillmilleryoga.com for more info). Today was so big that after a shower I went down for dinner and was back in bed by 9.30 and for those that know me - that is incredible.
So what lies ahead for today - More Cameron Shayne and more Jill Miller then then the conference is over.
I will keep you updated after today - LIVE from LA Yoga Central - Namaste'
Tony
The standard of presenters and the variety of styles of Yoga has been quite eye-opening. After the 24 hours of riding the Spin Cycle last Friday in New York and being part of the incredible charity fundraising for teen obesity (they raised $250,000 for the HealthCorps initiative), my body was a little tentative of more exercise but let me tell you it was the best medicine.
Day one was loaded with excitement like a lot of conventions.
I had an opening session with Kristin McGee who took us through a session that introduced us to a better understanding of the Pelvic Floor. I have been to many conventions, courses, teacher training sessions and this topped them all. Her ability to convey verbally what was necessary inspired me to try to use this more often and without stealing her thunder she used the picture reference of a "baseball diamond" to better acquaint us with our pelvic floor. She is a great teacher and based in New York so if you visit there or live there, then I highly recommend you to find where she teaches (visit www.kristinmcgee.com for more info).
My next session was with Sara Ivanhoe and called Detox Yoga. I had not heard of Sara before the session started although she has a very strong reputation in the Yoga world. The session was slightly different from many Yoga sessions that I have personally attended. Most cncourage you to "look upwards and seek and give positive intent to the gods" whereas in this session, Sara explained we were trying to get the body to "give up any residual ill feelings" so looking downward was encouraged on most postures. It was a great session and I felt "lighter". Sara also has a voice that needs to be heard to be believed as it has a resonance that is very calming (visit www.saraivanhoe.com for more info).
I was really needing lunch by now and my body was starting to be totally relaxed. All the calm stretching we had done was really letting any stiff muscles be woken up and little did I know that it would be needed for the next session.
After lunch (I ate sparingly as I didnt want to have a full stomach for later sessions) my next workshop as Acro-Yoga.
The session description sounded like FUN by describing it as a combination of acrobatics and yoga. Now as a former member of the Military Gymnastic Display team this had my name written all over it. Wow is all I can say. Two and half hours later we all sat down to finish off the session and there were nothing but smiles and joy on everyone's faces.
The two instructors Jason Nemer and Jenny Sauer-Klein were brilliant. There very confident ability to make everyone feel that they could "invert or go upside down" allowed us all to be part of the experience and I for one am hooked. The pleasure of "play" is often taken out of lives by forced perceptions either of our own ability or the expectation that we think others have of us. The enviroment they created took the group to attempt (and complete) postures that at first seemed too far beyond our own limitations - and at times I could my inner voice telling me - YOU are upside down and loving this .... do you think I enjoyed this session ????? (visit www.acroyoga.org - please note the "org" not .com). They are not in Australia - yet although I did try to persuade them to visit but recommend it anyone in the US. They also do international retreats and this would be a blast I am sure.
Let me tell you how well I slept that night. Day Two I woke up recharged and ready to go and it was a day of High's and ..... just more high's.
The combination of acrobatics and yoga had been awesome and it had definitely appealed to the playful side of myself so when I read there was a session which had a combination of martial arts and yoga I was intrigued - and had to give that a go.
Bottom line Cameron Shayne is an exceptional instructor and very nice human being. When you watch him do what he does it becomes more like a dance flow than yoga with a martial arts twist - and of course YOU want to be able to do the same way. I however was not ..... quite as fluid as Cameron but nonetheless he showed me some ways to do the actions and while he praised me for my efforts there is a long way to go ..... and it is a journey that is pulling my interest. I now believe that I am thinking about movement as more than just a way to move (visit www.budokon.com for more info).
Breakfast was devoured and then it was more Acro-Yoga with what was a combination of "being a flyer" and "being a base". With one position you are guiding the other person through a range of movements while you lie on your back and they are suspended on top of your feet. This places both parties in a trust position and once you learn that it simple yet important principle - it allows both people to work together. Another buzzing session !
After lunch I had my next session with Kristin McGee. She is a great Yoga teacher who took us through the importance of having a strong core which followed on perfectly from her session the day before. Again the ability for an instructor to increase your range of motion through stretching is achieved by your own belief that if I try this I can do it - Hello .... isn't that what we all need to have in our lives, a better sense of self belief. She is also a very creative lady apart from her DVD's for adults on PowerYoga and Pilates with MTV she has also produced a children's workout called BendiGirl Yoga! (NOTE - its now the third day and my abs are aware that she worked us).
The day finished with a session with Jill Miller. Now I have personally known Jill for over a year now and done sessions with her in New York and also in Santa Monica. She is one of my favorite Yoga instructors because of so many reasons. Her ability to communicate intelligently with total understanding makes her what I call a "translator". There are many incredibly talented instructors in all forms of health awareness that can show you what to do perfectly. However, there are few who can verbalize to "the lay person" what is happening so they get it - she is one of these rare instructors.
Her session involved her taking us through the implications of shoulder issues and ways to deal with that. I have been a fitness and health professional for many years, trained and consulted to many, many thousands of clients and there are few who DON'T have shoulder issues. We all spend so much time doing things "forward" of our body centre-line that this exacerbates conditions for the shoulder.
She had us learning how to apply her knowledge and ability to adjust or manipulate the tender areas with two balls. I would highly recommend that you go to her website as she is passing on this knowledge with a DVD that will break it down brilliantly. Did it hurt - heck yeah. One day later does it feel better - ABSOLUTELY.
Trust me do yourself a favor and learn from one of the greats (visit www.jillmilleryoga.com for more info). Today was so big that after a shower I went down for dinner and was back in bed by 9.30 and for those that know me - that is incredible.
So what lies ahead for today - More Cameron Shayne and more Jill Miller then then the conference is over.
I will keep you updated after today - LIVE from LA Yoga Central - Namaste'
Tony
Monday, January 21, 2008
Monday 21st January 2008 - I Did It 24 Hours Charity Spinathon
Well it is now two days after the event and I feel pretty good.
I will give you an overview of what happened.
I left Sydney on Thursday morning arrived 22 hours later on Thursday evening into JFK Airport to much colder climate of New York at 7pm (it was snowing). Then I got a cab into the city to my hotel and checked in. I had arranged with the event organizer to take a walk through the venue (Grand Central Station in New York) to get an idea of how it would be.
Rob Lunde from HealthCorps who had been my contact for this event (and was great) took me on the tour and explained the general outline for the day and evening event. He had arranged for me to have the bike which was just off the main stage (which held a new instructor each hour) and gave me a lot more freedom to do what I needed. This also placed me right near the steps up to the stage and meant that I would be close for media interviews. It was only 12 hours to go and the excitement was building.
Some friends (Steve and Lindy) had arranged to be in town from San Francisco and they were also staying at the same hotel as I was, so we had decided to go out for some food. As the hotel was very close to Times Square I knew a nice restaurant at the W Hotel called BlueFin (great food) and we enjoyed a superb meal and then it was getting late.
My plan was to attempt to reduce the onset of "jetlag" by adopting the local time zone habits and so I got about 5 hours sleep when I was finally tired and got up at 4.30am. Previous experience at long distance events (Hawaii Ironman in 2000) had educated me that it would the potential problem of "chaffing" could be reduced by shaving my legs on the morning and then applying special cycling cream which all played a part, I'm sure in why I feel pretty good now.
Getting to the event an hour before it was quite busy in one of the busiest transport Terminals in any city and the crowd of both the first 100 riders and spectators with event personnel and sponsors was starting to build.
When registering and getting my number (0012) I found out that I was the only rider attempting to complete the entire 24 hours. There was one other rider that had planned to do the ride but he had withdrawn after completing a long day on the bike and found it quite hard. There is no doubt that going into this event physically prepared and mentally focussed was a major plus for me. I had mixed up my training as I knew that it was going to be hard so I wanted other elements in the forms of training I had prepared with to sustain me during those hours of discomfort. Those were tough hours I won't lie.
As part of the Charity Fundraising Event there was an attempt on the Guinness Book of Records for the most distance traveled in 24 hours. Here is their result.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
FROM THE FORBES.COM WEBSITE TODAY.
The New York Sports Clubs today announced that the New York Sports Clubs/Cadence Cycling Team established a new Guinness World Record(TM) for most miles traveled on a single stationary bike in 24 hours. The team cycled a total of 829.84 miles, at an average pace of 34.58 miles per hour.
"Our members set personal records every day, but today's achievement is truly historic," says Merrill Richmond, Vice President of Marketing for New York Sports Clubs. The previous record was held by a UK team of riders who rode for 595.17 miles at approximately 25 miles per hour in 2006. Holden Comeau, one of the New York Sports Clubs/Cadence Cycling Team riders also established a new world record for greatest distance traveled by an individual rider in one hour - 40.668 miles. "Many teams were eyeing this challenge and we are really thrilled we were able to set a new record," says Comeau.
The record was broken during New York Sports Clubs' Saints and Spinners event, a 24-hour Spin(R)-a-Thon benefit in New York's iconic Grand Central Terminal. The event, which took place from 7 a.m. Friday, January 18, through 7 a.m. Saturday, January 19, raised over $250,000 for HealthCorps, a non-profit organization founded by "Oprah Winfrey Show" Health Expert Dr. Mehmet Oz devoted to fighting teen obesity.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
It was incredible to see how well these guys went and when not riding their sessions the guys would come down and encourage me to keep going. Due to the fact that I had about 5-10 minutes each hour to recover, hydrate, refuel, toilet breaks and stretch. Now in planning it seemed to be plenty of time but in actuality there were conversations with other riders who had just completed their hour who had questions or the media asking me a few questions on why I was here and why I would do this event which was totally cool and expected.
After the first four hours I had set myself a regime of eating my chosen food, (it is called PHI and has different flavors all are fantastic which had been generously supplied by the WholeFood Farmacy team. I am not sure that I could have survived the total time without a quality nutrient source and this is what I knew I would be getting from this product. Check them out at www.wholefoodfarmacy.com
Again from past experience with IRONMAN, I knew that there were only so many sweet banana's, water or sugary drinks, cookies, and foods that I could eat before you get nautious and want something else. This came to play a key role later in the evening.
At the 10th and 11th hour my left knee was in a lot of pain, I have had a history of patella tracking issues (kneecap alignment causing pain) which was my initial reason in getting into Spin classes as it reduced the impact and strengthened my body. From the hours already completed I was really in some major discomfort. Bill Germanakos - Winner from the fourth season of the Biggest Loser was one of the celebrity riders and he looked awesome - great job Bill !!!
He was able to lend me a knee brace which totally reduced (not removed) the pain and so I was able to push on for more hours, which was a blessing as I had been wondering whether I would be able to complete the event. So with the discomfort of the knee pain being dealt with, and a regular schedule of toilet stops each second hour, I was feeling ok as the 16th hour rolled around. The guys from Cadence stopped by and asked how I was doing. I replied that I would kill for some pizza and they smiled with encouragement as they left with the music increasing and the instructor telling us all that it was a "monster hill" - just what I needed I thought to myself.
Later as we were "recovering between hills" during the next hour spin class, I noticed one of the Cadence riders again appear off to my right, climb the stairs onto the stage and sit down in front of me. Before it even appeared I could smell the cheese topping from the Pizza and realized that he had got me a slice. The instructor again got us back up to "ride the hills", so I decided to really earn this slice and work my butt off and began to imagine that like Lance Armstrong would do to decimate his rivals in the Tour de France I would "attack the hill" as he held out the pizza in front of me.
By now the entire riding group of 100 riders takng part and many spectators could not only see what was going and smell the pizza they were voicing loudly their encouragement in support of my efforts. Some six minutes later as I finally "crested the hill" he handed me the slice of pizza to a loud round of applause from my fellow hill climbers and believe me, not many things have tasted that good in ages !!!
It was now the early hours of the morning and I was down to the last 5 hours. I had figured that once I got the hours down onto one hand that I was in the home stretch and believe me it seemed close now. The event organizers asked me did I want to do the remaining hours on stage and I was excited for this opportunity as the music was really motivating. It also meant that I could see the guys from Cadence on their effort to smash the old Guinness record at the back of the room and we gave each other signals of encouragement. They obliterated it.
The Grand Central Terminal closes from 2am to the public (a regular happening I think since 9/11) and then re-opens at 5am, so we were the first event allowed to take part all the way through the evening in Vanderbilt Hall which again was another great moment. At 5am the morning crowds started to filter and the final hours of the event were underway with again full 100 riders and those event organizers who had grabbed a few hous sleep again showing up for the final hour.
The final instructor from NYSC was Tim Keightley who is the Vice President of Fitness and Personal Training who had also started the event. Great guy who is a "transplant" from Ireland - another colonial like myself :-) who really had the crowd both excited and riding hard. My body while wanting to rest knew that it had little choice as the music pumped us up the final 60 minutes.
I would like to thank Tim for making me feel a large part of the event and also the other instructors and NYSC management team; the HEALTHCORPS event organizers with special mention to Rob Lunde and Michelle Bouchard, Dr Mehmet Oz, the celebrities who all stopped by the encourage me PLUS the many, many volunteers who were always there to assist me with whatever I needed.
Finally it was 7.05am on Saturday morning and I dismounted for the final time that day and as we concluded pictures and some interviews I started to come down off the 24 hour high that I had been on. My thoughts turned to getting back to the hotel and some much needed sleep. I packed up all my things, changes of clothes, shoes, leftover food and placed it all in my bag. I then said my goodbyes and grabbed a cab outside in the very brisk morning air of NYC and then my body started to shake.
I knew that I needed to get back to the hotel quickly. It was only three blocks and arriving in my room I quickly jumped into a warm shower for about 20 minutes trying to assist the recovery process. I then put on warm socks, light sweat suit and jumped into bed. I wanted to go to sleep and thought that it would be difficult so I turned on the TV and rolled over to adjust the pillows and woke up 10 hours later feeling surprizingly good. My knee was tender and chaffing was not too bad but otherwise my only issue was hunger.
Luckily my friends had arranged for me to get a wake up call and so we all went out to celebrate and had a great time. Gotta love this City as in my head all I kept hearing was the catch cry of :
"LIVE from New York City - Its SATURDAY NIGHT !!!!"
Would I do this event again - probably not.
BUT then again I said I wouldnt do IRONMAN again but lately I have been wondering maybe .........
I will give you an overview of what happened.
I left Sydney on Thursday morning arrived 22 hours later on Thursday evening into JFK Airport to much colder climate of New York at 7pm (it was snowing). Then I got a cab into the city to my hotel and checked in. I had arranged with the event organizer to take a walk through the venue (Grand Central Station in New York) to get an idea of how it would be.
Rob Lunde from HealthCorps who had been my contact for this event (and was great) took me on the tour and explained the general outline for the day and evening event. He had arranged for me to have the bike which was just off the main stage (which held a new instructor each hour) and gave me a lot more freedom to do what I needed. This also placed me right near the steps up to the stage and meant that I would be close for media interviews. It was only 12 hours to go and the excitement was building.
Some friends (Steve and Lindy) had arranged to be in town from San Francisco and they were also staying at the same hotel as I was, so we had decided to go out for some food. As the hotel was very close to Times Square I knew a nice restaurant at the W Hotel called BlueFin (great food) and we enjoyed a superb meal and then it was getting late.
My plan was to attempt to reduce the onset of "jetlag" by adopting the local time zone habits and so I got about 5 hours sleep when I was finally tired and got up at 4.30am. Previous experience at long distance events (Hawaii Ironman in 2000) had educated me that it would the potential problem of "chaffing" could be reduced by shaving my legs on the morning and then applying special cycling cream which all played a part, I'm sure in why I feel pretty good now.
Getting to the event an hour before it was quite busy in one of the busiest transport Terminals in any city and the crowd of both the first 100 riders and spectators with event personnel and sponsors was starting to build.
When registering and getting my number (0012) I found out that I was the only rider attempting to complete the entire 24 hours. There was one other rider that had planned to do the ride but he had withdrawn after completing a long day on the bike and found it quite hard. There is no doubt that going into this event physically prepared and mentally focussed was a major plus for me. I had mixed up my training as I knew that it was going to be hard so I wanted other elements in the forms of training I had prepared with to sustain me during those hours of discomfort. Those were tough hours I won't lie.
As part of the Charity Fundraising Event there was an attempt on the Guinness Book of Records for the most distance traveled in 24 hours. Here is their result.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
FROM THE FORBES.COM WEBSITE TODAY.
The New York Sports Clubs today announced that the New York Sports Clubs/Cadence Cycling Team established a new Guinness World Record(TM) for most miles traveled on a single stationary bike in 24 hours. The team cycled a total of 829.84 miles, at an average pace of 34.58 miles per hour.
"Our members set personal records every day, but today's achievement is truly historic," says Merrill Richmond, Vice President of Marketing for New York Sports Clubs. The previous record was held by a UK team of riders who rode for 595.17 miles at approximately 25 miles per hour in 2006. Holden Comeau, one of the New York Sports Clubs/Cadence Cycling Team riders also established a new world record for greatest distance traveled by an individual rider in one hour - 40.668 miles. "Many teams were eyeing this challenge and we are really thrilled we were able to set a new record," says Comeau.
The record was broken during New York Sports Clubs' Saints and Spinners event, a 24-hour Spin(R)-a-Thon benefit in New York's iconic Grand Central Terminal. The event, which took place from 7 a.m. Friday, January 18, through 7 a.m. Saturday, January 19, raised over $250,000 for HealthCorps, a non-profit organization founded by "Oprah Winfrey Show" Health Expert Dr. Mehmet Oz devoted to fighting teen obesity.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
It was incredible to see how well these guys went and when not riding their sessions the guys would come down and encourage me to keep going. Due to the fact that I had about 5-10 minutes each hour to recover, hydrate, refuel, toilet breaks and stretch. Now in planning it seemed to be plenty of time but in actuality there were conversations with other riders who had just completed their hour who had questions or the media asking me a few questions on why I was here and why I would do this event which was totally cool and expected.
After the first four hours I had set myself a regime of eating my chosen food, (it is called PHI and has different flavors all are fantastic which had been generously supplied by the WholeFood Farmacy team. I am not sure that I could have survived the total time without a quality nutrient source and this is what I knew I would be getting from this product. Check them out at www.wholefoodfarmacy.com
Again from past experience with IRONMAN, I knew that there were only so many sweet banana's, water or sugary drinks, cookies, and foods that I could eat before you get nautious and want something else. This came to play a key role later in the evening.
At the 10th and 11th hour my left knee was in a lot of pain, I have had a history of patella tracking issues (kneecap alignment causing pain) which was my initial reason in getting into Spin classes as it reduced the impact and strengthened my body. From the hours already completed I was really in some major discomfort. Bill Germanakos - Winner from the fourth season of the Biggest Loser was one of the celebrity riders and he looked awesome - great job Bill !!!
He was able to lend me a knee brace which totally reduced (not removed) the pain and so I was able to push on for more hours, which was a blessing as I had been wondering whether I would be able to complete the event. So with the discomfort of the knee pain being dealt with, and a regular schedule of toilet stops each second hour, I was feeling ok as the 16th hour rolled around. The guys from Cadence stopped by and asked how I was doing. I replied that I would kill for some pizza and they smiled with encouragement as they left with the music increasing and the instructor telling us all that it was a "monster hill" - just what I needed I thought to myself.
Later as we were "recovering between hills" during the next hour spin class, I noticed one of the Cadence riders again appear off to my right, climb the stairs onto the stage and sit down in front of me. Before it even appeared I could smell the cheese topping from the Pizza and realized that he had got me a slice. The instructor again got us back up to "ride the hills", so I decided to really earn this slice and work my butt off and began to imagine that like Lance Armstrong would do to decimate his rivals in the Tour de France I would "attack the hill" as he held out the pizza in front of me.
By now the entire riding group of 100 riders takng part and many spectators could not only see what was going and smell the pizza they were voicing loudly their encouragement in support of my efforts. Some six minutes later as I finally "crested the hill" he handed me the slice of pizza to a loud round of applause from my fellow hill climbers and believe me, not many things have tasted that good in ages !!!
It was now the early hours of the morning and I was down to the last 5 hours. I had figured that once I got the hours down onto one hand that I was in the home stretch and believe me it seemed close now. The event organizers asked me did I want to do the remaining hours on stage and I was excited for this opportunity as the music was really motivating. It also meant that I could see the guys from Cadence on their effort to smash the old Guinness record at the back of the room and we gave each other signals of encouragement. They obliterated it.
The Grand Central Terminal closes from 2am to the public (a regular happening I think since 9/11) and then re-opens at 5am, so we were the first event allowed to take part all the way through the evening in Vanderbilt Hall which again was another great moment. At 5am the morning crowds started to filter and the final hours of the event were underway with again full 100 riders and those event organizers who had grabbed a few hous sleep again showing up for the final hour.
The final instructor from NYSC was Tim Keightley who is the Vice President of Fitness and Personal Training who had also started the event. Great guy who is a "transplant" from Ireland - another colonial like myself :-) who really had the crowd both excited and riding hard. My body while wanting to rest knew that it had little choice as the music pumped us up the final 60 minutes.
I would like to thank Tim for making me feel a large part of the event and also the other instructors and NYSC management team; the HEALTHCORPS event organizers with special mention to Rob Lunde and Michelle Bouchard, Dr Mehmet Oz, the celebrities who all stopped by the encourage me PLUS the many, many volunteers who were always there to assist me with whatever I needed.
Finally it was 7.05am on Saturday morning and I dismounted for the final time that day and as we concluded pictures and some interviews I started to come down off the 24 hour high that I had been on. My thoughts turned to getting back to the hotel and some much needed sleep. I packed up all my things, changes of clothes, shoes, leftover food and placed it all in my bag. I then said my goodbyes and grabbed a cab outside in the very brisk morning air of NYC and then my body started to shake.
I knew that I needed to get back to the hotel quickly. It was only three blocks and arriving in my room I quickly jumped into a warm shower for about 20 minutes trying to assist the recovery process. I then put on warm socks, light sweat suit and jumped into bed. I wanted to go to sleep and thought that it would be difficult so I turned on the TV and rolled over to adjust the pillows and woke up 10 hours later feeling surprizingly good. My knee was tender and chaffing was not too bad but otherwise my only issue was hunger.
Luckily my friends had arranged for me to get a wake up call and so we all went out to celebrate and had a great time. Gotta love this City as in my head all I kept hearing was the catch cry of :
"LIVE from New York City - Its SATURDAY NIGHT !!!!"
Would I do this event again - probably not.
BUT then again I said I wouldnt do IRONMAN again but lately I have been wondering maybe .........
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Wednesday 16th Janurary 2008 - Have I Done All That I Can ?
Well it's the evening here in Sydney before I leave tomorrow (Thursday) for the 22 hours series of flights to New York in the United States and after completing my final training session today I felt like I was cooked (I mean I am as good as I can be).
For the last few days I have been fielding questions such as "How are you feeling ?", "Do you think you are ready ?", "How does the body feel ?" "Why would you subject yourself to this ?" and to all these questions I have replied pretty much the same. "I feel pretty good" and instead of why do it I answered "why not !".
My body has some aches but generally for all the training that I have been doing I'm very happy with how I feel physically. I have done all that I can to get ready to ride for 24 hours with the preparation time I have had.
I recall in 2000 competing for the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon on only 13 weeks of preparation (which I have been told is foolish to attempt) but I did what I could and completed the event. It took over 15 hours and I remember thinking that the body will go on and on, so it is the battle of the mind or the mental challenge that must be conquered in order to face any daunting obstacle.
So I am doing what I did back then. I am breaking the ride into smaller sections and taking each part and then adding my own personal twist. I will try to use different moments during my training apart from the bike-riding to break the mental barriers.
Time will tell but I am pretty sure that I will do my best and then let you know how it all goes.
Committing to this event on a personal level for me was a no-brainer. Sure it involved getting all the way across the world to ride on a stationary bike with a goal to complete the full 24 hours with only five and a half weeks of training but life is about taking on challenges.
The event is trying to raise funds for HealthCorps which is a U.S. "not for profit organization" that is designed to combat teen obesity.
The founder Dr Mehmet Oz is not only a friend but he is an amazing man. Cardiovascular Surgeon, Media Celebrity and TV Show Host (Discovery Channel, Oprah TV Show and Oprah and Friends Radio Show on XM Radio), Best Selling Author (of the YOU Series of books), Medical Researcher, Speaker, Husband and Father, the list goes on so you can see why I was very flattered when he accepted a position on my Advisory Board for my Childhood Obesity Project (www.bodymechanics.tv).
So I will try to post a day or two after the event ... there might be some serious sleeping with jet lag and the event kicking into full swing by then.
Tomorrow try your own mental battle and commit to overcoming any doubts you have and make a personal goal happen.
For the last few days I have been fielding questions such as "How are you feeling ?", "Do you think you are ready ?", "How does the body feel ?" "Why would you subject yourself to this ?" and to all these questions I have replied pretty much the same. "I feel pretty good" and instead of why do it I answered "why not !".
My body has some aches but generally for all the training that I have been doing I'm very happy with how I feel physically. I have done all that I can to get ready to ride for 24 hours with the preparation time I have had.
I recall in 2000 competing for the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon on only 13 weeks of preparation (which I have been told is foolish to attempt) but I did what I could and completed the event. It took over 15 hours and I remember thinking that the body will go on and on, so it is the battle of the mind or the mental challenge that must be conquered in order to face any daunting obstacle.
So I am doing what I did back then. I am breaking the ride into smaller sections and taking each part and then adding my own personal twist. I will try to use different moments during my training apart from the bike-riding to break the mental barriers.
Time will tell but I am pretty sure that I will do my best and then let you know how it all goes.
Committing to this event on a personal level for me was a no-brainer. Sure it involved getting all the way across the world to ride on a stationary bike with a goal to complete the full 24 hours with only five and a half weeks of training but life is about taking on challenges.
The event is trying to raise funds for HealthCorps which is a U.S. "not for profit organization" that is designed to combat teen obesity.
The founder Dr Mehmet Oz is not only a friend but he is an amazing man. Cardiovascular Surgeon, Media Celebrity and TV Show Host (Discovery Channel, Oprah TV Show and Oprah and Friends Radio Show on XM Radio), Best Selling Author (of the YOU Series of books), Medical Researcher, Speaker, Husband and Father, the list goes on so you can see why I was very flattered when he accepted a position on my Advisory Board for my Childhood Obesity Project (www.bodymechanics.tv).
So I will try to post a day or two after the event ... there might be some serious sleeping with jet lag and the event kicking into full swing by then.
Tomorrow try your own mental battle and commit to overcoming any doubts you have and make a personal goal happen.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Saturday 12th January 08 - Not long to go till NYC trip
It seems like only yesterday I was thinking I needed to add another article on to this Blog site but lo and behold it has been over a week since my last post. Now that sounds like a confession but it isn't.
Let me say in my defence that I haven't been sitting around watching the cricket n TV or reruns of Seinfield (although they still make me laugh). I have been doing every little thing I can to prepare for the upcoming event in New York. It is a series of 24 x 1 hour Spin classes back to back. Due to my constant desire to be tested on a personal level I have undertaken to complete the total 24 - if I make it :-)
Now to answer some of the questions that I have been getting from friends and people curious to find out what it is about I will answer them here :
- I don't have to work at 100% for the whole time - hey even I am not that brave or stupid
- I get 5-10 minutes each hour to hydrate and refuel the body / change clothes and footwear as appropriate / toilet break etc / stretch the muscles
NOTE - I would personally like to thank the wonderful people at WholeFood Farmacy (www.wholefoodfarmacy.com) who have agreed to sponsor me and supply me with their awesome foods. My favorites are the Phi Plus and TrophiPhi plus so many others. I urge you to take a look at their range if you live in the U.S. as it is second to none for quality AND taste as well as being made up of WHOLE FOODS !!!
After discussing with some friends who have themselves been involved in many different long distance disciplines it seems that while the body will continue to work, it is the boredom of the mind that is the biggest hurdle.
And for those that do a lot of bike riding (apart from the numb butt cheeks) they say that this boredom is the challenge I will face.
Now as this is a Charity event and I'm not trying to set any land speed records so I get to apply logic with my riding. I have only been preparing for this event for the last 5 weeks so it is a plan that has evolved based upon each previous days efforts.
That has led me to decide to undertake as many different modes of training as possible leading up to this event.
I have been of course doing Spin classes (teaching and participating), Running (both indoors and at the beach), PowerYoga (to increase both flexibility and improve posture), Weights (to maintain upper and lower body muscle balance), Paddling on the Harbour (for cardio and also to add to my memory for those boring hours when I can imagine that I am not sitting on the bike).
This approach served me well when I did the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon with only 13 weeks of training and finished that in 15 and 1/2 hours. That was a "long day in the office" and I'm hoping that the excitement and other 99 riders each hour will keep me company and increase the fun this time.
I went and got a massage yesterday afternoon as the body needed it and it felt amazing. I slept like a baby - awesome. Then got up this morning and did a Beach run then 1.5 hours of Yoga - and now for lunch !!
I will keep you posted. 5 days to go !!!
Let me say in my defence that I haven't been sitting around watching the cricket n TV or reruns of Seinfield (although they still make me laugh). I have been doing every little thing I can to prepare for the upcoming event in New York. It is a series of 24 x 1 hour Spin classes back to back. Due to my constant desire to be tested on a personal level I have undertaken to complete the total 24 - if I make it :-)
Now to answer some of the questions that I have been getting from friends and people curious to find out what it is about I will answer them here :
- I don't have to work at 100% for the whole time - hey even I am not that brave or stupid
- I get 5-10 minutes each hour to hydrate and refuel the body / change clothes and footwear as appropriate / toilet break etc / stretch the muscles
NOTE - I would personally like to thank the wonderful people at WholeFood Farmacy (www.wholefoodfarmacy.com) who have agreed to sponsor me and supply me with their awesome foods. My favorites are the Phi Plus and TrophiPhi plus so many others. I urge you to take a look at their range if you live in the U.S. as it is second to none for quality AND taste as well as being made up of WHOLE FOODS !!!
After discussing with some friends who have themselves been involved in many different long distance disciplines it seems that while the body will continue to work, it is the boredom of the mind that is the biggest hurdle.
And for those that do a lot of bike riding (apart from the numb butt cheeks) they say that this boredom is the challenge I will face.
Now as this is a Charity event and I'm not trying to set any land speed records so I get to apply logic with my riding. I have only been preparing for this event for the last 5 weeks so it is a plan that has evolved based upon each previous days efforts.
That has led me to decide to undertake as many different modes of training as possible leading up to this event.
I have been of course doing Spin classes (teaching and participating), Running (both indoors and at the beach), PowerYoga (to increase both flexibility and improve posture), Weights (to maintain upper and lower body muscle balance), Paddling on the Harbour (for cardio and also to add to my memory for those boring hours when I can imagine that I am not sitting on the bike).
This approach served me well when I did the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon with only 13 weeks of training and finished that in 15 and 1/2 hours. That was a "long day in the office" and I'm hoping that the excitement and other 99 riders each hour will keep me company and increase the fun this time.
I went and got a massage yesterday afternoon as the body needed it and it felt amazing. I slept like a baby - awesome. Then got up this morning and did a Beach run then 1.5 hours of Yoga - and now for lunch !!
I will keep you posted. 5 days to go !!!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Thursday 3rd January 08 - Happy New Year
Happy New Year - may 2008 be the best year ever and your wishes and dreams be realized.
I just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone for their feedback, comments and emails that I have received over the last six months. Taking time out of your day to comment and ask questions is always appreciated.
I am now back on deck full on as it has been pretty intense setting up a training base of fitness for this ride so expect this to be updated every other day from now on. I will be travelling back to the U.S. on 17th to take part in the 24 Spin Class in New York City at a venue that will be incredible.
It has been organized for the event of 100 bikes to be held in Grand Central Station as a fundraising event for Dr Mehmet Oz and HealthCorps to combat teen obesity. So obviously I am going to do my best to ride the whole 24 hours. Training has been going well and I will keep the legs rolling along until they fall off hahaha.
Following that I will be heading to Los Angeles for other meetings with the new business venture (Warrior Media) that has developed multiple media concepts for TV and Movies.
The first movie script is complete and has nothing to do with health but is an animated family entertainment movie. I am really excited having had some amazingly positive feedback from those that have had previews.
I will post a fitness blog later today to start off the New Year.
I just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone for their feedback, comments and emails that I have received over the last six months. Taking time out of your day to comment and ask questions is always appreciated.
I am now back on deck full on as it has been pretty intense setting up a training base of fitness for this ride so expect this to be updated every other day from now on. I will be travelling back to the U.S. on 17th to take part in the 24 Spin Class in New York City at a venue that will be incredible.
It has been organized for the event of 100 bikes to be held in Grand Central Station as a fundraising event for Dr Mehmet Oz and HealthCorps to combat teen obesity. So obviously I am going to do my best to ride the whole 24 hours. Training has been going well and I will keep the legs rolling along until they fall off hahaha.
Following that I will be heading to Los Angeles for other meetings with the new business venture (Warrior Media) that has developed multiple media concepts for TV and Movies.
The first movie script is complete and has nothing to do with health but is an animated family entertainment movie. I am really excited having had some amazingly positive feedback from those that have had previews.
I will post a fitness blog later today to start off the New Year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
