A Reflection on Kevin McMahon

****Less Is More****
In discussing training Kevin spoke of how he learned that he got more out of doing less training. He spoke of training smart and that it is not about doing more but about the quality of what you do. Recently I read an article by David Beckham who mentioned that when he was younger he would practice 30 free kicks but many times he did not focus on all 30. He found that if instead he practiced 10 and focused each one, he got more out of it. Less is truly more, as quality is emphasized over quantity.

****Recovery is a key ingredient of life and at the same time the most overlooked.****
When you train hard, your body breaks down. It is important that you allow your body the proper recovery in between workouts and this includes eating well, sleeping 7+ hours a night (and if your an athlete maybe even adding a nap in the day after a hard training session). Adequate recovery will lead to enhanced performance and the proof is in the pudding. This ties in with the concept that less is more and quality over quantity.

****We have more in common with people of the world we do than differences.****
How true this is. We often hear or read about our differences but when you travel or in Kevin's case gather with 200 countries in one stadium with 100,000 fans you begin to realize all the wonderful things you have in common. Instead of highlighting the differences which do indeed exist and if you look around they exist with the people closest to you, your neighbors, between states, between congressional districts, they exist EVERYWHERE.

So, we must accept that we are all unique and have our own genetic make-up and our beliefs, but we have so much more in common than we truly do in differences. Are the Iraqi's, Russians, Afghanies, Africans, Australians, English, Chinese, Muslim, Christian, Catholic, Buddhist, Whites, Blacks, Jews, etc bad or horrible people? In my opinion by no means, they are like me made up of DNA and other molecules, they have bones, muscles, water, blood, hearts, brains, lungs, thoughts, feelings, etc. that makes they who they are. Who am I too judge another human being for knowing, doing, being, believing in what they know best and have been 'trained' in. Respect and Compassion for all.

****Having someone special to share with brings more meaning to what you do****
It is the relationships we have and build that matter most. As Kevin mentioned having his good friend, competitor and training partner walk with him at the opening of the Olympics in Atlanta, representing their country, hearing the crowd cheer, flash bulbs pop made his experience far more special and something they will share forever. It is this and the other relationships that he developed in his years of competing that he treasures, not the medals, first place finishes but the people and experiences he shared in. Open your doors and allow others into your life, into your heart and share in theirs experiences.

****Supplements are not the answer****
Touchy subject for certain but I too am of the believe that supplements are not the answer. Instead eating well, resting and preparing/training smart will make you what your are or will become. The supplement industry is questionable and as Kevin mentioned not all are created equal and often times fail to provide what you pay for. There is far more to this subject but I am not a fan of this and I appreciate an athlete who competed at the highest level mention that supplements played no role.

****There is no magic pill****
What else needs to be said! Get out move your body, eat well, and allow your body/mind/cells to recovery! Plus, actually working for it and doing it naturally is extremely rewarding on levels behind the minds eye.

****It is not a matter of strength but technique and skill****
The results do not come in the gym and with big numbers on lifts but come through practice and development of your technique and skill. And after the show Kevin took it a step further and mentioned the importance of mental training. Being strong and having muscle is not necessarily a 'bad' thing but it is not the answer. The Central Nervous System and how it interacts with your ability to use physics, geometry, trigonometry, and intuition will get you further than just being big and strong. Sport is a skill and according to the Law of Specificity, practice your specific skill to improve your skill.

****Respect your competitors****
What could be surprising to some was the amount of respect that competitors have for each other. Often we hear athletes talk negatively about their opponents in an effort to distract, etc. However, sport and competition is far more than about winning, which is the American way, it is about bringing your best, competing at your highest level and in the process challenging others to do the same all in an effort to bring the best out in yourself and each other. We athletes should respect each other. (I know many do indeed but it is important to use this opportunity as a reminder)

****The Olympics is far more than about Medals, it is about the Overall Experience****
Although Kevin did not win any medals in the Olympics, he was very successful in other world and competitive events, winning and placing in a number of other major events. But like he said, he has no mementos or such things on his walls at home. He does have things stored in the garage and the thing that he relished most was the experience and relationships...the jumpsuits he received from fellow competitors and the Hammer he has from the Atlanta Games stamped with the Logo. Few will win, many will train, many, will make the team, compete for the team but most will 'fail' in their attempt to win a medal. However, all will have to opportunity and experience to represent their country, work hard and prepare learning major life skills in the process and developing long lasting relationships and memories that will last a lifetime. Life is more than winning, it is living and experiencing all the moments we have.

****Eat Well, Feel Well, Perform Well****
We barely touched on this as time ran out but Kevin did mention the importance of eating well to live and perform well. Few points on what this means are many, and I have mine as Kevin does his. The key is to do it, and live it!

****Give Back****
As a result of Kevins experience from the moment he saw Ed Burke in the 1984 Olympics walking with the American flag to the time they spent together training and preparing Kevin for his efforts, Kevin has never forgot what this meant to him. And now, he wants to give back and say thanks by sharing his knowledge and experience with young athletes who wish to better themselves. Kevin and I both believe in the value of Altruism and giving back. It is in giving we receive. So take time and show those who have shown and spent so much of their time helping you that you appreciate it by passing on your wisdom to people and if you can do so freely every so often, it sure does feel good.

I hope today's show, this reflection, Kevin's depth of wisdom and experience that he expressed our some gifts we can share with you and yours.

Show #1 with Kevin McMahon

Wow! A true first, hosting a radio show, which in reality is just a normal conversation with a old friend. Yes, I certainly had pre-show jitters as I have never done this, had no practice nor preparation...just call in and start the show.

Having Kevin McMahon on the show, hitting lead off was an absolute honor. He made my job easy with his level of wisdom and ability to communicate effectively. He hit on a number of things, so much so that I felt I could have talked with him for another 2 hours.

I am really stoked to have the first show under the belt and I know have much to learn and much room to grow as a radio show host. I will be looking forward to the continued progression of the show, myself and the amazing folks who will be joining in.

It is surreal to be living this experience and this opportunity. There are so many doors that have I have yet to discover and yet to open that only time will tell where this whole experience will lead and I am certain that it will be just 'what the doctor ordered' and that my friends will be perfect!

I can say this, I want to use this show to help with different causes and help raise awareness and support for things that exist in this world. I know so of my guests are involved in many different such things and I will be honored to be a conduit.

I have to say it is really cool to spend your a portion of your day talking to fascinating folks who have such amazing stories and wisdom that is worthy of sharing. Being a curious kind of person and one who loves to learn and experience new things this avenue will certainly wet my appetite and expose myself and I hope you all to a world of wonders.

Thank you for your support and time!

My your life be filled with inner peace and pure love and joy for living!

The Practice of Inner Peace

This is my daily practice, the practice of inner peace. This is my way of being, this is what my actions, thoughts, emotions, feelings, expressions, movements, you name all move and flow with and toward. Too me and for me this is the key to things such as happiness, contentment, respect for yourself and others, and the list goes on.

This is not a practice based on achievement, nor is there a way to measure the success. Instead this is a practice of being, being present, of being conscious and aware and of being still. The practice is perfect, always perfect even in its daily imperfections and 'mishaps', 'mistakes', 'imperfections' happen daily some more than others. However, there is no alarm, no cause for concern, no need to get jumpy, edgy, angry, frustrated, disappointed, etc.

This is all part of my process, of my movement toward higher levels of awareness, of consciousness, of truly being an example of a way to live life without limits, to life live to the fullest, enjoying the fruits of the situations, experiences, opportunities, relationships, and 'successes & failures', whatever they are or whatever that truly means.

I believe world peace begins at home, in the hearts, minds, bodies and souls of the individual. From there we can have the compassion and presence necessary to show through daily action what it means to act with peace, with compassion, with forgiveness, with kindness, with appreciation, with gratitude, with love, with respect for all and all living things.

Possibilities are limitless, and open to all! I wish upon everyone Inner Peace!

Trail Run and Yoga

Wow, trail running is one heck of a way to train the body and mind. As I start to get back on the trails I cannot help but reflect back to my adventure racing days. The first thing that comes to mind is 'if I only knew then what I know now'. And, all in all we were pretty successful, winning a race, placing second in a year series and having some respectable times against some good competition and in some harsh conditions.

When we were competing I have to say that I did not know how to maximize my potential. My training was suspect to say the least and it certainly is not how I would train today. As I prepare for my new running re-transformation I am becoming a student all over again and I am excited about.

On my run today which took me through the hills of Rancho San Antonio on the Wildcat Loop and up a portion of the PG&E trail I began to have flashbacks. I could not help but remember just how effective trail runs are and just how darn hard they can be, especially on those long climbs, that mix in short steep sections, much like Rancho and especially the PG&E trail.

Yes, I did indeed hike up a few of the many, many hills and this strategy helped me conserve my energy so I could run the 'less steep' hills and power through the flats. Taking the hike the hills approach, run the flats and downs is what many of the 'experts' who run ultra trail runs do and this has been a proven and effective strategy. I believe that for me, this strategy will help me when I get to the longer distances.

See, I really do not enjoy running the roads/streets but truly do love trail running, always have. Being out in nature, pushing my limits, the quiet ambiance and the clean air really add to the experience, which is exactly what trail running is for me. Therefore as I continue to build a base, gain strength, help my body adjust and find balance in my training I will start to transition to more trail and less road.

However, this leads to one of my key reflections about my prior experience. I will be well served running flats, maintaining a good strong pace, and being able to do so over longer distances. Plus, hills/trails do place more stress and the recovery flat runs will really help me acclimate once I focus more on trail stuff.

Great run today, covering around 4 miles and 40 minutes which is a great pace and one I could have sustained for a longer duration....but slow and steady right now as I adapt.

Kevin McMahon, This Weeks Radio Show Guest

Join me and my guest Kevin McMahon this Wednesday August 13th at 1pm PST.

Kevin's Long List of Accomplishments
Athletic Info
􀂄 2 Time Olympian – Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000
􀂄 Pan American Games Silver Medalist
􀂄 2 Time US National Champion – 1997 and 2001
􀂄 4 Time World Championship Team Member – 1995,1997, 1999, 2001
􀂄 One of the only athletes ever to medal (top 3) in 10 consecutive US NationTrack and Field Championships.
􀂄 6 time NCAA Division I All-American: (3 indoor, 3 outdoor)
􀂄 Set Big East Conference Records – in both the hammer and the 35lb weightthrows
􀂄 Georgetown Scholar Athlete of the Year - 1994
􀂄 Big East Scholar Athlete of the Year (track and field)- 1994
􀂄 Personal best – hammer throw - 260ft (79.26m)
􀂄 Only US thrower to ever throw 40ft beyond body weight (260ft at 220lbs)

Coaching Info
􀂄 Coached the throws at Georgetown University 1997 and Stanford 2008.
􀂄 Coaching highlights include:
Conference Individual Champions
Conference Team Championships
NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championship qualifiers
World Class athletes – Sarah Veress (3rd in US) and Daniel Schaerer (1st in Switzerland) Personal Interest Info

􀂄 Grew up in San Jose, CA and attended Bellarmine College Preparatory.
􀂄 Started throwing at age 15 under the guidance of American Record holderBurke and World Record Holder Mac Wilkins.
􀂄 Coach in college by Harold Connolly – the last American to win Olympic Gold and hold the World Record in the hammer throw.
􀂄 Earned a BA in English, BA in Fine Arts and an MA in Liberal Studies from Georgetown.
􀂄 Lived at the San Diego Olympic Training center from 1997-1998.
􀂄 Teaches Video Production for Bellarmine, Adobe Systems, and StanfoDigital Media Academy.
􀂄 Wife, Annalora, is a Campus Minister and Acting Teacher at Presentation High School.

Here is a link!

http://www.modavox.com/voiceamericacms/ECardLinkFiles/_872008103206AM.html

Kevin and I look forward to having you join us for a rare glimpse into the life of an Olympic Athlete. Imagine training for 4 years for one moment, one chance and further imagine doing it for 2 Olympics. I wonder what that feeling is like, what it means to be an Olympian and represent your country, to have the opportunity to hear your National Anthem standing on the podium. Join us as these and other questions will be answered, including yours.

With gratitude,
Joe

MAX VO2

And the beat goes on. This is by no means a 'fun' workout however it is very effective! First, I do truly love the KB Snatch and it is as proclaimed, the Czar of Kettlebell exercises. A real great full body, full system training practice. When done with the 15/15 for 25 minutes it does truly make it even more special. A proven methodology for improving your Max volume of oxygen uptake, sounds important and it is. Thank you Kenneth Jay for your research efforts.

Todays Workout
16/5x50

250 reps in 25 minutes. A comfortable pace, my body feels great and my low back, which has been a challenge in the past does not feel a thing. I am treating like an endurance race, the key is to endure and cross the finish line healthy. Today I did just that and next week I will do it again.

My plan is for 5/5 for 30 minutes. Gradually increasing time and distance but at the same pace. If the goal is 40 minutes then this is the first finish line. from there I can adjust my pace, less my time and distance and build again. After all, I am not competing in anything related to KBs but instead using this as a wonderful compliment and important part of my life training at this point.

I hope that through my experiences I can help others with their challenges and goals and be an inspiration.

YOGA
40 minutes of home practice

Training Race and Hike

Adding up the miles, that seems to be the theme. I have a few things in my piggy bank and my training is prepping me to pull them out and cash them....

Today I did the Los Gatos Dammit Run, the first time ever. Why do I say this, well I have done this run a number of times since 1999 but never did the race. So, a few friends were out today and I need to do some hill training and this race has 2 big hills and 2 moderate hills with some decent incline.

The race started slow as we placed ourselves in the back of the pack just allowing the runners to separate and spread out. It took 12:51 for the first mile, 9:40 for the second (24:30 at this point) and the first of the short, steep moderate hills which I walked after waiting for my friends who were moving a bit slower than I at which point I came upon the first long steep hill and ran up again walking and waiting for my friends but also since this was a training run allowing my body to recover. Plus, I knew I had the short hill climb followed by a short recovery and then the longest and steepest hill, the back of St. Josephs hill, a real bear.

by the end of the final hill and 3rd mile + I had come to the downhill, 37:30 at mile 3 and ready to run as I knew I was on my own after that first hill. So I kicked it into high gear taking advantage of the downhill portions and carrying my speed. By the time I was coming to the finish line from mile 3 to the end I passed a boat load of folks, never getting passed which felt great because I truly opened it and my lungs.

I finished in 52 minutes after a long slow start and some big hills, all followed by walks, I average 7:30 over the final 2 miles and just about barfed my last nights dinner as I pushed to the end with the women whom I passed on the last .25 of the last .25 miles trying to overcome me...no chance, lol.

Great training run: A slow warm-up, 4 hills runs, walking recovery and a strong finish all on a beautiful Summer morning in one of my favorite old time training/playgrounds and with a few friends to boot! Not a bad way to spend/start a Satruday.

AFTER ALL that, Mia, Jaz and I went for a 6 mile+ hike (90 minutes), albeit a few hours after out in the hot sun. Felt good to continue to build fitness and be on my feet with my favorite crew!

Oh yeah, I did 20 minutes of yoga stretching, hot tub, ice down....have to take care of this body!

Snatches tomorrow and a good yoga restoration practice

SSST, Yoga, and of course Running

Running:

Tuesday: 34 minute run covering 4 miles

PACE: 6 minute run/1 minute walk x 5

This was a good run, I pushed myself working to improve my speed and endurance.

Thursday: 46 minutes covering 5.5 to 6 miles

PACE: 6 minute run/1 minute walk x 7 (finished with an additional 10 minute cool down walk)

This was a hard pace run through beautiful Stanford University. Cool night so I felt like opening things up a bit and felt a strong tempo. By far my fastest pace or at least so I felt. Light on my feet.

Yoga Practice:

Tuesday: 30 minute home practice
Wednesday: 75 minutes or so of Home Practice
Thursday: 90 minutes of kick ass Yoga at Willow Glen Yoga with Kent Bond, an amazing teacher!

Each time I go to a yoga class I come out with some real take aways, today was one of those days where the wisdom was coming in droves. There is something to really tuning into your body, staying calm and present with each stretch, never allowing the breathe to lose its rhythm all while being in a comfortable asana at the same time reaching new heights.


Kettlebells (Wednesday)
Snatch SSST
24/5/5x2 for warm-up
24/10x10

1st round I did left hand for 10 reps, 2nd round right hand for 10 reps and alternated for the 10 minutes

Total of 100 reps (50/side)

The idea was to build a specific level of grip endurance and strength on each side doing higher reps. Next week I will go back to doing each side/minute and I hope to get 5/5 and maybe some 6/6 for some sets.

Press Release for Radio Show

Joe Sarti presents “Your Life Without Limits” Your answer to holistic health and well-being.

Fitness and health guru Joe Sarti hosts a new live internet talk radio show about moving beyond your boundaries and discovering the limitless life on VoiceAmerica’s Health & Wellness Channel. .
Phoenix, AZ (PR Web) August 4, 2008– Health and Wellness expert, Joe Sarti of Palo Alto, California, launches a new live internet talk radio show called “Your Life Without Limits” on the VoiceAmerica’s Health & Wellness Channel.

Beginning August 13th, 2008, “Your Life Without Limits” will air every Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. PST or 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. EST on VoiceAmerica’s Health & Wellness Channel. The weekly show will re-broadcast 12 hours later and is available online for on-demand listening as well as through web enabled cell phones.

Join Joe on the journey to “Your Life Without Limits.” Joe will be featuring leading experts in the field of health and wellness who through their work teach, demonstrate and incorporate philosophies of a life without limits. Guests will include authors, athletes, and health & wellness professionals, such as Jack LaLanne, who will be making a special appearance on the show in September.

Just in time for the 2008 Olympic Games, “Your Life Without Limits” launches on August 13th with an extraordinary guest, two-time Olympian Kevin McMahon. Listen and share in his inspirational story. The show is created to be a fantastic and fascinating opportunity to experience and participate in the message of hope, inspiration, and possibility.

About Joe Sarti:
Joe is a Coach and Student of the mind, body and spirit. He has studied everything fitness, kinesiology, physiology, yoga, meditation, nutrition, massage, coaching and athletics. Joe has had the honor of representing Dragondoor as an Assistant Instructor for the Kettlebell Certification, speak at corporations such as Cisco Systems, Own a successful coaching/training business, graduate with a Masters Degree in Kinesiology and hold numerous certifications including, Yoga Teacher, Life Coach, Strength & Conditioning Specialist, Nutrition, Massage Therapist and Kettlebells. For more information about Joe Sarti, please visit www.fitnessjoe.com.
About VoiceAmerica / Modavox:
(OTC.BB MDVX), Modavox is the leading producer and distributor of online talk radio content, streaming approximately 250 hours of live programs and scheduled replays weekly on its Modavox VoiceAmerica™ Network (http://www.voiceamerica.com). Modavox, Inc. (http://www.modavox.com) is a pioneer in internet broadcasting, producing and syndicating online audio and video, and offering innovative, effective and comprehensive online tools for reaching targeted niche communities worldwide. Through its patented Modavox Central™ technology, Modavox "takes the search out of search," delivering content straight to desktops and internet-enabled devices. Through its proprietary StreamSafe™, WebcastWizard™ and Stream Syndicate™ tools, Modavox provides managed access for live and on-demand internet broadcasting and syndication, content management, online meetings, event management, enterprise communications and distance learning.

Forward-Looking Statements:
This release contains "forward-looking statements" for purposes of the Securities and Exchange Commission's "safe harbor" provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause Modavox's actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated, including the risk factors identified in Modavox's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Opinion Piece

Fat, overweight, obese people are everywhere. Walk into a grocery store, go to a gym, head to the movies, anywhere and everywhere you go you are likely to see a higher proportion of people who are out of shape, overweight and just plain and simple fat. This is more than a problem, this is truly an epidemic that has far reaching effects, many of which we are aware of and many which we have yet to experience.

Think about this: there are more than under these book searches on Amazon there is
Health = 847,000+
Diet: 290,000
Fitness: 232,000
Weight Loss: 62,000

WOW! The choices, options, and endless supply of just books on these topics is AMAZING. Add to that all the different types of exercise regimens, the number of gyms, yoga studios, aerobic centers, Curves, in-home fitness products, you tube videos, online training aids, podcasts, and on and on we go.

Yet the obesity numbers (which vary according to sources from 30.6% of Americans to 25% (Wall Street Journal), compared to 15.3% in 1995 and they are continuing to rise despite all the available options and information available.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/51585.php (list comparisons between countries throughout the world)

According to http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/1031002183.html the number of overweight is 34%. And according to former US Surgeon General David Satcher, obesity counts for 300,000 premature deaths per year. Obesity raises our risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer and other chronic diseases. “Obesity is the most common nutritional disorder in the developed world,” emphasizes Dr. Zebrack, “and the second most preventable cause of death after smoking.”

What does the article and what do most of us in the business (I believe) understand, we must modify behavior. Duh! My question is why, with all the information about how to, the affects, and the supposed wisdom of all this are we growing in the wrong way and worse off than every before.

Is there a correlation between the growth and development of the world? Is there something to GMO foods and just how food is produced, not just consumed? Is the marketing and advertising as well as media coverage contributing negatively to the rise in obesity? Is our cultural approach to life, the desire for more of everything, money, cars, homes, goods, etc. a contributing factor? Are us health and wellness professionals failing our people, our clients, family and friends whom we impact? Do we have a greater obligation to our clients, and society at large to change the tide?

For me I believe a yes applies in all areas on some if not most levels. Do you have thoughts on this? Or are you just too busy to think and/or worry about this stuff? This may be the case, and I believe in many cases we are just so strapped in our lives with our time and commitments that we have little energy to take a deeper look or more to the point do something about it. Afterall, this is a big bit to chew and takes an immense amount of energy, changing the behavior and psychology behind our deepest desires, our actions that lead to our choices, our way of being. And, it is not easy when you are putting forth the effort but feel you have little support or follow through from others.

This road of behavior modification both on a personal and larger scale is not without challenges but I have to say it feels good to be doing and being my part and I am sure those of you who are or feel that you are doing your part can understand where I am coming from.

It is a 'fight' I believe worth fighting for

One aspect of this that is of particular interest is why are people, all over the world growing in size?

Run , KBs and Yoga

Easy run today. Since I am without my car I ran to the gym which took 16 minutes, trained a client did some KBs and ran back, 16 minutes.

Run time
16 minutes out rest 16 minutes back

no run/walk since I had the big break between runs

KETTLEBELLS
2kb Press
28/5x5

superset with Chin-ups
8x5


YOGA:
30 minutes home practice: Restorative Yoga

Power to the Peaceful Yoga Benefit

Today I had the great pleasure of participating in the Power to The Peaceful Yoga Benefit with Michael Franti and Les Leventhal and held at Yoga Tree in San Francisco.

Michael Franti, known for his music is far more than your typical 'musician' Mr Franti is an author, movie producer, yogi, charitable organizer and an educated peace activist amongst many things. Michael organizes a peace concert for about 50,000 to 60,000 people every September at Golden Gate Park. This FREE, yes free concert and following day Yoga Jam has been going strong for 10 years and has spread to Brazil and Tanzania.

Prior to the concert, Michael along with Yoga Tree Castro in San Francisco and resident teacher Les Leventhal put on a 3 hour yoga and music session.

Throughout the yoga class today Michael played his music, which was a perfect blend of yoga and music. Myself along with the 100 other participants (limited) had the opportunity to move, sweat, and practice to the enjoyment of Michaels vocals and acoustic guitar.

The Concert is September 6 and followed by the Yoga Jam on Sept 7th. For more information and/or to contribute to the cause please visit

www.powertothepeacful.org

Michael's music

www.spearheadvibrations.com


A CAUSE WORTH MOVING FOR!

Snatch Max VO2 and Yoga

NOTE: The official training length in 26 weeks till the race not 29. The additional 3 weeks are the suggested recovery routine. Therefore my official training begins on Labor Day. However, I am using the first 4 weeks of the program as my pre-race training and will start with these same 4 weeks on Labor Day.


KETTLEBELLS:
Max VO2 Training #1
16/5/5 x 20 minutes

heart rate at 138

Overall just perfect. Will add time next week, not reps and work my way to the 40 minute mark with the 5's and go forward from there, this is my initial plan, time will tell.

Yoga:
90 minutes of Iynegar at Darshana in Palo Alto

Long Run #1 of pre-training routine & yoga

Today was the first long run of the pre-training routine. The distance covered 6 miles including 3 hill runs of no more than .25 miles. I employeed the run/walk strategy throughout which was a bit off including the hills but I adjusted as necessary.

The breakdown
6 minutes run x 8.5
1 minute walk x 8

total time 59:30
total distance: 6 miles (give or take a couple tenths)
total hills: 3
Location of HIlls: Lower half of Stanford Dish Trail and in the middle of the run mileage.

Feeling: I went out a bit stronger than I probably should. At this point this would be tough to do over 26.2 miles but considering I am at the end of week 1 of 3 during the pre training, I should be very happy.

GOALS:
With the change in date I have to adjust my attitude and ego :-) toward a time goal. The real goal is to finish, strong and health. With the ultimate goal of doing The San Diego Rock N' Roll May 31 st where I can make an more accurate judgement of a time goal based marathon.

I am a competitor, especially with myself but I have a longer term perspective on this and I want to stay clear of ego getting in the way. I hope to demonstrate and learn how to implement this type of program with my cross-training regimen. In the process I will be better able to educate and share with others as the goal of running and marathons is something that is quite popular.


YOGA
hour home based iyengar

Run, Yoga, KB SSST

Today is a full day on the dock for my training. I am thinking I am going to change the schedule around a bit once my first official week hits but at this point all systems go and I feel good into week 1 of the pre-training, training.

Morning Yoga
20 minutes of Sun Salutations, series A & B

Run
6 minutes run/1 minute walk x 6 sets

total of 42 minutes and today I could tell my speed increased and to a comfortable pace. I felt the strongest yet and came in with a strong finish on my last set (sprinted to catch up with Mia & Jaz who ran a different route). I could feel the push and strength. I have a rest day tomorrow with the 'long' run on Friday.

Kettlebells
Snatch
24kg/3/3x1
24/4/4x8
24/5/5/5/5x1

90 total in 10 minutes with a few weeks off feels really good. Today, the goal was to see what I could do, so I did my first round with 3/3 and decided to go for 4/4 till the end up to the last minute where I wanted to have a strong finish both for mental and physiological reasons and that indeed happened.

Next week I hope to do 5/5 for at least 5 sets, if not the complete 10 minutes. Slow and steady is the idea as this is just a secondary aspect of my main training at this point. I plan to train the SSST one day a week through the marathon and until I can do 200 reps in 10 minutes. Ultimately I feel it would be awesome to do 250 in 10 minutes however I would be pleased with the physical and mental ability to do 200 in 10 minutes and build up to this.

I have no timetable set since my goal is the marathon but I do have a plan in which I am going to use to accomplish this with the wave progressions. There are unknowns as always but I am doing my best within my power to minimize potential issues that could arise (i.e. hand tears, and overtraining specifically).

Cross Training Day

In the program, workout 3 of calls for a cross training day. Cycling is mentioned as one of the options and here I am going to use my own best judgement and experience, so I decided to do a Mountain Bike Ride

Mountain Bike (35 minutes)
St Joseph's Hill (2 up and 2 down, miles)

Oh yes, yet again a big layoff of over a month and here I am pushing my bike up the hill in what should have been an easy ride instead was a good workout ride and more challenging than usual. We will see how it affects my Wed run of 40 to 50 minutes and then I will be able to better determine what distance, etc. I should do next Tuesday.

Yoga
30 minutes of self practice at home.

A Travelers Journey

There is just something special about traveling. What it is exactly I am not sure, I find 'it' to be a number of things. I do know that the more time I spend away and in the places I visit the more I learn and grow. Also, the more I appreciate life, my life, and all that goes with being and living in the beautiful Bay Area and the U.S.

I will be the first to say that the U.S. is by no means the perfect place or maybe even the best place to live. I have spent ample time in Europe and could find a number of great and attractive aspects of the European Lifestyle. I have yet to visit Australia or New Zealand but I am certain I will find a number of reasons to move and spend my life in these countries.

I will not eliminate the possibility of living abroad for a time in my life. In fact I am working on obtaining my Italian Passport and citizenship for that reason alone. With the passport I will have full access to the E.U. and be able to work and live freely in these countries. Options sure in the heck do not hurt when we live in this small place we called planet earth.

When you travel you realize just how close all the borders of the world are indeed and how dependent the world is upon all the world. I cannot deny that the U.S. is indeed dependent on other countries and vice versa throughout the world. Just take a peek at the tags in your clothes, the items in your grocery store, parts of your car, etc. and this is true everywhere.

Therefore when I travel I get an even deeper understanding how important it is that other countries and peoples of these lands have the opportunity to live the best live possible. As always there are many reasons why parts of the world 'suffer' but even in their suffering the do find a sense of refuge or at least many do.

However, while spending time in Central America it was hard not to notice how their 'modern' day societies and truly in fact 3rd world in the truest since. The amount of pollution, the bars on all the windows, the time roofs, pot marked walls of houses and in some cases garbage bags for walls, the pure dirt and trash covering the ground and just imagine, well this is hard to do because not even some of the worst neighbors I have witnessed in the U.S. compare to anything these people live in.

What we may fail to recognize is that the pollution and lack of sewage system and the fact that many have no toilet but instead piss and sh*t in the fields of crops, yes the same crops we in turn import and sell here is the effects it has on us. Just think, the water in beautiful Lake Nicaragua, which is contaminated by the sewage system of all the cities and towns that line its coast (and believe me this lake is bigger that Tahoe by a long shot) is then feed to the crops that feed the people of Nicaragua and other countries including ours. In fact, the US has expressed their concern and is in the process of working with the people of Nicaragua on developing a sewage system and a way to clean/protect the lake.

See, it is these type of experiences that truly ring home for me and make me realize that I am indeed a citizen of the world and I have to do my part to help keep this place, planet earth alive and healthy. I have to share my story, my eye witness accounts of these lands and hope in doing so it inspires people to act in some way, whether for themselves, their community or the community at large.

If you do not think or believe that you are a citizen of the world, open your mind, open your eyes and take a look around you. Think of the people that fill the borders of the US, where are they from originally, where do their families come from? I would be hard pressed to say I know one person who is truly a native to this land. Most people I know are 1st, 2nd or 3rd generation which means their origins are elsewhere. In fact, we all come for this place planet earth.

So, I thank all of you whom participate in my life, I appreciate your contributions for helping me to be the best I can be and put the best foot forward. Like all those I have meet, seen, etc. abroad it is a collection of all you people and these experiences that make this such a beautiful life, full of life.

Traveling abroad & spending time in places that you would otherwise may never do so; interacting with Mayans who still live a traditional life; saying hi to a stranger in a foreign land who is curious to who you are and what you are doing in their land (in many places they do not see travelers); talking to a young kid who is peddling things for money, food, etc.; Speaking 'their' language (or at least trying) all makes the experience and truly has the ability to transform.

Life for me is not about personal bests, being wealthy, having a job title, driving a BMW, owning a mansion, having a white picket fence, instead life is about living, smiling, loving, sharing, being, and enjoying each moment.

Day 2 of Pre Training Camp

Run (program called for 20 to 30 minutes)

6 minutes of running/1 minute of walking x 3 sets
4 minutes of running/1 minute of walking x 1 (similar to yesterday I was short of home and ran a few extra minutes)

22 minutes of running and 4 minutes of walking


Kettlebells
Military Press
24/5/5
24/6/6
24/7/7
24/8/8
24/9/9

Superset

Pull-ups
5, 6, 7, 8, 9

I must admit 8 and 9 were quite touch after 25+ days with no pull-ups. Military Press was light by all standards but good considering I have not lifted a bell in about the same period of time. Other than my Saturday Snatch fest with the 16kg.

Yoga (home practice)
30 minutes

Marathon Training

Jeff Galloway Marathon Training Program (time for a 3 hour, 45 minute marathon)

I have made a small change. Realizing that the program was 29 weeks and my current schedule would leave me 2 weeks short of one of the best and most beautiful marathons I have decided that I would move my official first day to August 11th. So my first marathon will in fact be Napa Valley on March 1st, 2009.

Marathon Pre-Training Program Prep:
6 minute run/1 minute walk x 6 intervals
3 minute run/1 minute walk x 1 interval (thru this in because I was short of my house)

39 minutes of running and 7 minutes of walking for a total of

46 minutes

(goal between 40 and 55 minutes)

Report: Feel excellent and felt as if I could have kept going at this pace for quite some time.

EXTRA Workout:
40 minutes of Yoga

Workout Schedule

With my plan to do a Marathon in 2009 (the goal date is San Diego, May 31st) I am altering my workouts to the following
The optional activities like Yoga, KBs and Mountain Bike may change according to business schedule and how the body adapts, but this is a rough overview of my plan to incorporate these into the running plan. The one option that I may remove is the mountain bike, as it is the least important with the goal of the Marathon. Whereas the KB and Yoga are an integral part of my daily practice in life.

Monday:
Light run (20 to 40 minutes. This times increase with the weeks but this is the basic approach)
Yoga Class
Kettlebell??? (may do Tuesday)

Tuesday:
Cross Training
Mountain Bike Ride
Kettlebell Training??? (may do Monday)
Self Yoga Practice

Wednesday:
Mid Distance runs (40 to 55 minutes.This times increase with the weeks but this is the basic approach )
Kettlebell
Self Yoga Practice

Thursday:
Rest

Friday:
Long Run
Self Yoga

Saturday:
Cross Training
Kettlebell (Max VO2)
Yoga Class

Sunday:
Mid Distance runs (40 to 55 minutes.This times increase with the weeks but this is the basic approach )
Self Yoga Practice


NOTE: Kettlebell practice will focus on the following movements (all designed to be 30 minutes or less):
*Secret Service Snatch Test training with the 24kg
*Max VO2 with the 16kg
*Military Press or Clean and Press
*Also will continue with pull-ups

What is Yoga

Yoga is said to have come into existence about 5000 years ago. By definition it stands for Union

From

http://www.iyengar-yoga.com/yoga

comes this description of the Roots of Yoga

"The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word "Yuj" meaning to yoke, join or unite. This implies joining or integrating all aspects of the individual - body with mind and mind with soul - to achieve a happy, balanced and useful life, and spiritually, uniting the individual with the supreme.

In India, Yoga is considered one of the six branches of classical philosophy and is referred to throughout the Vedas - ancient Indian scriptures and amongst the oldest texts in existence.The Upanishads are also broadly philosophical treatises which postdate the Vedas and deal with the nature of the "soul" and universe.

However, the origins of yoga are believed to be much older than that, stemming from the oral traditions of Yogis, where knowledge of Yoga was handed down from Guru (spiritual teacher) to Sisya (spiritual student) all the way back to the originators of Yoga, "the Rishis," who first began investigation into the nature of reality and man's inner world.

Legend has it that knowledge of Yoga was first passed by Lord Shiva to his wife Parvati and from there into the lives of men."

It goes on further to say that the Aim of Yoga is

"According to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the ultimate aim of Yoga is to reach "Kaivalya" (emancipation or ultimate freedom). This is the experience of one's innermost being or "soul" (the Purusa). Then one becomes free of chains of cause and effect (Karma) which tie us to continual reincarnation. In Kaivalya one is said to exist in peace and tranquillity, having attained absolute knowledge of the difference between the spiritual which is timeless, unchanging and free of sorrows, and the material which is not.

This is considered desirable as life is analysed as ultimately full of sorrows and pain- even pleasure and joy leave pain and loss when they have gone as nothing in the material world is permanent.

Yoga is therefore a spiritual quest. However, along the path of yoga, the aspirant also gains health, happiness, tranquillity and knowledge which are indicators of progress and an encouragement to continue their practice. Buddhism and other Eastern spiritual traditions use many techniques derived from Yoga."

As a yoga student and beginning practitioner I believe that it is important to understand these concepts. The history of Yoga is an integral part in the study and understanding of Yoga and for its use. How important it is for students to understand I believe lies in the hands of the student to make that choice. No matter we all practice for our own personal reasons as it is we all do what we do in general, no significant difference.

Often people ask me what type of yoga I do, what I like, what I think of styles and why I choose to practice the forms I do and here I believe is a great explanation of the forms of yoga

"Particular styles or methods may be considered more effective than others or may suit an individual's temperament better. That said, it must always be remembered that all these are merely different methods of reaching for the same ultimate goal. They are all aspects of the overall philosophy of Yoga."

Yoga is a beautiful art, a form of movement and a way to gain a health body and mind. It is what it is, now just take your time try a few different styles and classes and see what appeals to you. If it is none, then do the meditation (which is the most important aspect in my philosophy) and if anything stretch your body to keep yourself flexible, loose and less likely to incur pain or injury due to a tight, imbalanced body.

PS: Here is a link to a recent article about the various benefits of Yoga

http://www.nursingdegree.net/blog/24/77-surprising-health-benefits-of-yoga

2 Important Books

If you want to further educate and inform yourself as well as raise some interesting questions and points of discussion on nutrition and food then here are 2 important books worth time and money.

Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollen

This book will discuss the politics, economics and process of Food in the US. You will learn that it is not as important as to what you eat but where it came, a question a routinely ask before purchase.

Nutritious Traditions by Sally Fallon (Weston A Price)

This will further the discussion of where foods come from and help you make choices behind what you pruchase as well as offer recipes and great education on food.

My food eating habits and purchasing habits have changed and I am not worried about calorie counts or how much fat, protein carbs and the ratios but I am focus on purchasing the highest quality foods from the best sources possible.

Some Changes I have made
*Only grass fed beef products that have been on a pasture (not pasturized or homogenized)
*Raw milk
*No pasturized or homogenized dairy what so ever including yogurt, cheese, creams)
*Soaking all grains (I primarily eat oatmeal and quinoa)
*Ensuring all veggies and fruits come from lands used with natural fertilizer and no pesticides or sprays
*Eat deep sea fish at least 2 times a week
*Incorporate wild game once a week (Buffalo, duck, goose, etc.)

This is all done at home, when we are out and about it is much more difficult to incorporate but we are conscious and we also know how to lay back, relax and just enjoy because that is another part of eating.

Side note:
Part of the reason for this is due to the fact that our bodies are not made to digest and enjoy all the nutrients that we are supposed to receive when we eat these wholesome foods. This means the value of the food is lessened and that we are starved of the key nutrients in their most natural and rare form thus our body will seek out the nutrients and we will continue to consume until we feel the satisfication, this can lead to over consumption of food and thus weight gain.

Renewed and Refocused

What a 3 week trip! Amazing what being on the road, living in other parts of the world and opening your being to new experiences can do for a person. Traveling has a way of evolving me on some many, many levels it is hard to put into words. Of course, I am not talking about a week vacation in Mexico but the big trips to foreign lands where you integrate into the society and work to live like a local. I am still digesting and on sensory overload from my experience but I will be sure to do my best in the next few days to describe, sum it all up.

Today I am getting back into the swing of home life, settling back down with some new directions, big changes occuring so just wrapping my being around all this and bringing the whole of everything together. I am going to do some exercise because it has been a while since I have truly been through a workout. I know yoga is on the ticket and either some kbs or a light run we will see how I feel this afternoon, once I finish some of the projects I have to work through.

So, the blog is back up and running and look for some changes here as well. I plan to use this form of communication to share more than just my thoughts and workouts and in the process contribute to the great good of life.

San Marcos La Laguna

We have parked ourselves in the beautiful San Marcos La Laguna of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. We have had the great pleasure of spending 5 days here chilling out on this gorgeous lake in all its tranquility. Imagine Lake Tahoe or Lake Como, Italy with magnificent mountains, sheer rock walls, green plant life everywhere, coffee trees up steep hillsides, native Maya people in traditional dress specific to each village/town, local ´Ladinos´and expats/extranos blending in with the cultures and people of this area.

Our town has a couple roads which typically on have Tok Tok´s running through and a care here or there. where we are situated is connected by many small dirt and cobblestone pathways with enough room for up to 2 people side by side.

Our room at Hotel Aaculaax overlooks the lake with 2 massive volcanos in the background and a couple of big villages tucked nicely into the green mountains.

Attached to our hotel is a wonderful and delicious restaurant called Lily´s. Each morning we sit in this terraced jungle restaurant having fresh coffee, tea and foods for about 2 hours, reading, talking, relaxing and then for the last 2 nights we have enjoyed fabulous cuisine made with spices, veggies, etc. straight from the garden by Lily herself. These tapa style foods are some of the best foods I have eaten, small but filling and full of life and taste that tempt the palate.

Safe to say this place has been a gem of all gems and a highlight in my 25 countries I have travelled, in the top 5 all time. We feel blessed to sit on the rocks along the lakshore staring at the massive volcanos, listening to the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks beginning energized by the glorious sun and sounds of nature.

La Vida Bella

A quick run down of our adventure

So here is how it has gone thus far, short and sweet

After a 12:30 am flight from San Fran which came by way of a 6 hour drive from Mt. Shasta we landed in houston where we slept on the floor waiting our next flight. We landed in Panama City and headed to another airport or we thought as the driver took us to the bus and we were hoping to make another plane flight to Bocas Del Toro. We successfully purchased tickets and arrived in Bocas, got a quick tour of Isla Colon and were lead by Antonio to Isla Carenero via a ferry....final check in 5:30 pm

After a day and half we went to Isla Colon planning to hang on a beach and make our next plans. At the airport we found that our plane we wanted to Costa Rica left in 45 minutes and it would be 2 more days till the next plane our about 15 hours by the next day. So off to the hotel we just checked in (a dump) and a refund and on to the plane to San Jose, Costa Rica. Next we took a taxi to the international airport hoping to catch a flight but 350 US $ per person detered us so off to another bus station to Liberia for a quick overnight stay before heading to Granada, Nicaragua. Again we found ourselves in a sh%t hole of a place but for a quick nights sleep it worked (sleep was not on the menu, the rooster crowed all night long, yes Rooster).

Morning and off to the bus station for a quick juant to Nicaragua, but this seemed to be an issue with conflicting schedules, times, etc. so we jumped a local bus to the border which was an old bluebird school bus, not bad. Then a 2 hour wait to get our exit papers and then to the nicaragua border to get our stamp and another bus to Granada. We got a local hookup via our Spanglish and be friending the local guy from the centro of tourismo and off we went. The only problem, I had to stand for the whole 90 minute ride, not bad but when you have been traveling for 26 hours you know it.

Ah, Granada is magnificent and a joy. We treated ourselves to a nice hotel, cheap in nicaragua which is why but would have easily been over $250 us dollars in the states. We ate some great food, walked the beautiful old colonial streets admiring the architecture and the kind people and all the hustle and bustle. Reminded me of an old European Town.

Off to the races, another trip to a bus station which lead to another station and a ride to Managua where we had 5 minutes to transfer buses for the long ride to Honduras captial Tecuichigalpa and an over night stay in the crime ridden capital city where I was advised to not walk 3 minutes to get some food because "malo attencion" and muy peligriso. So starving we slept 5 hours took a taxi to the airport for a 530 am flight across Honduras all to jump on another bus for a 3 and a half hour ride to our stop tonight, La Ceiba, a caribbean coastal town where we have a nice hot shower, good food, and an ocean view in another nice place.

And who knows about tomorrow....

Trip update

In Nicaragua today and headed to honduras and the Bay Islands. It has certainly been a trip filled with adventure and true on the fly with no plans, just having faith and letting things happen. It is quite interesting to act without a plan in a part of the world where so much of it is 3rd world, 98% and you do not truly speak the language. However, you seem to make your way and learn as you go. Off to a big journey today with a bus ride or 2, a border crossing and a place to sleep (once we get there, we will find a place) before boarding a plane in the morning, which we hope in fact does stick to the schedule.

If you want adventure in a fun foreign land where travel is difficult but so much is untouched and unexplored this is a great place, filled with beautiful landscape and much more......

more to come, 13 days and living it up

Living By Bending...Being Flexible, Being Like Water

A man is born gentle and weak;
at his death he is hard and stiff
All things, including the grass and trees,
are soft and pliable in life;
dry and brittle in death.

Stiffness is thus a companion of death;
flexibility a companion of life.
An army that cannot yield
will be defeated.
A tree that cannot bend
will crack in the wind.

The hard and stiff will be broken;
the soft and supple will prevail

Yet another paradox of the Tao Te Ching as presented in Verse 76 and translated by Dr. Wayne Dyer. As Lao-tzu suggests, Be Strong by bending. As an analogy..be willing to be like palm trees in the midst of hurricane-force winds-their so called weakness somehow gives them the strength to survive devastating storms.

To apply to life think in terms of your thoughts and opinions, the more you relate to others and listen more, thus allowing your viewpoints to be challenged and bending when necessary, your in fact choosing strength and supple. This flexible nature will create more harmonious exchange between you and others. You will be in harmony with life and the nature of being.

Dr. Dyer in a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey speaks of EGO and says

EGO = Edge God Out

Ego is the a collection of ideas that we carry around and include :
I am what I have (what happens if you lose everything)
I am what I do (what happens when you no longer can do)
I am what others think of me (think reputation)
I am separate from everyone else
I am separate from what is missing in my life
I am separate from God

My QUESTION (spurred by Dr. Dyer)
Is the EGO worth defending? Is it worth being right rather than being open, respectful, compassionate & benevolent towards others and remembering that we all come from the same place?

Personal Reflection:
This is a follow up to Ego and I am learning to see strength and flexibility from another way, another angle. I know I have often overlooked being flexible in life, in all ways for the purpose of being strong and firm. Now I am learning that I choose to be strong and flexible in all ways, creating a more harmonious flow between myself and all the encompasses life. As Bruce Lee says, Be Like Water! See yourself in everyone.

"No tree has branches so foolish as to fight among themselves", Native American Saying

"Go through your life in a state of bewilderment", Rumi

Last workouts before big Adventure travel Trip

Wednesday is the first part of a 3 week trip. it all begins in Mt Shasta with a 4 day jaunt to spend time with the family and enjoy the outdoors, hiking, kayaking, running, golfing, etc. Then it is off to Central America for a 17 day adventure trip starting in Panama and heading north through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and finishing in Guatemala or at least that starting in Panama and finishing in Guatemala. Super excited to go light and backpack to these beautiful and in many ways untouched areas.

So, with only a couple days before the trip begins I had to get in a couple workouts

Sunday:
45 minute run in which my I paced out at about 9:30 or so. This was more just a mental note as all I am doing is getting my legs and body used to the movement. Again, my first real training run will begin in August.

Followed by specific stretching, foam roller, and hot tub to care for the body.

Monday:
Kettlebells & Body Weight:

Press:
40/3/3x5

superset with

weighted pull-ups
25lbs/3x6

Yoga:
1 hour home practice

Tuesday:
Run: 45 minutes

Yoga: 45 minutes

The Ego

Guilty as charged, I have an ego and it has been a thorn in my side for 33 years +. As my level of consciousness has risen and I have awaken in life I have began to fully understand what ego is, what it means, what it does, how it thrives and how to overcome the ego. This has been a long and quite difficult process but it is a journey I am taking with humility, compassion, gratitude, love, peace, and humble sense of being.

Through conversations, books, and reflection I have began to understand my relationship to my ego. For much of my life I realized how I identify and speak from my ego. Also, I realize how this conflicts with my intuition and heart which are always leading me down a different path. Furthermore, I realize how often my ego was the path I chose, my thoughts, my minds route rather than my 'truth'.

Today, as I consciously awaken and gain wisdom I am better than ever at identify which part of my being is speaking and which path I chose to follow. I am perfect in my selection, based on what most people understand (through my experience/lens) no, I still chose ego here and there. However, through awareness and quieting of the mind, creating stillness I have begun to live a life without ego.

There are some many things to credit and give notice to for their help along this journey I am taking that they are too many to name. From family, to friends, to clients, to experiences of all kinds, and to books they all have an continue to impact me and my live in many ways. After all, I am the sum of all these experiences and I am far from independent, in fact I believe we are all interdependent upon one another. So, this is where gratitude comes in, compassion plays a role, humility sets in, and love overcomes me.

I will say that as the past number of months and couple of years have come and gone I truly have gained some of the greatest insights, biggest shifts in consciousness and I attribute that in large part due to ALL that led up to that point.

You may notice I have used the word "I" quite a bit which would signify an egoic mind, however in reading a book by Eckhart Tolle called a New Earth we realize it is how the I is used, its intent, not the letter or word itself that signify ego.

Some may argue that ego is a good thing, some may argue the opposite for me this is not the key, for me the key is that shifting out of my ego and into my heart and soul has enriched my life more than ever and is leading me on new roads I only wished to travel and bringing me a wealth beyond wealth. For this I am grateful and I take this role as an honor in which I will humble represent with the intention of serving the community of our world, putting out love, gratitude, compassion, humility, peace and respect for all, everyone, everything that makes up this wonderful planet called Earth that we are so fortunate to walk upon and enjoy its fruits.

Respectfully grateful,

Joe

Running Shoes

Part of my preparation for the marathon and one of the most critical factors is shoes. Just think, for 26.2 miles and all the training miles in between I will be on my feet the whole time. So, it is critical I find the 'right' shoe for my running style and my foot.

For that reason I choose Mizuno Wave Rider 11. They are for a neutral style runner, one who does not have an excess pronation and has an normal to higher arch. NOTE: The stability and motion control shoes are for pronators and excess pronators respectively.

Yesterday I took my new shoes out for a test drive and my first run before my running program begins. Now, I have chose to use Jeff Galloway's running program which is a 3 day a week program. Because of the nature of the program and the fact that my marathon is not until next May 31st I have chose to start with a base prep and evaluative running program prior to starting the training.

Up till yesterday I have been doing a bit of riding, about 6 rides over a 2 week period and it seems to have put me in the right mental state for endurance oriented movements and to have built a bit of stamina in the lungs and legs. My 30 minute run felt effortless and my new shoes felt up to the task. I ran around a soccer field at Stanford University and the grass was quite nice for minimizing the impact and helping me to transition into running.

Also, I have decided to see if I can implement the Chi running philosophy. which call for alignment, and a slight forward lean in effect making it feel as if the body is falling forward and thus results in a more effortless effort (great for my flow mentality and approach to movement). I am not certain I had it right or was even doing the Chi running style but it sure did feel effortless and much like what I read.

Day 1 of running shoes and pre-training prep complete and I must give it a thumbs up! I enjoyed every step of the way.

Weeks Workouts

Mountain Bike Monday
First day back after a good 2 day rest. Definitely a bit rusty today but still was able to get a good 45 minute ride with a serious climb that burned up the lungs and had me seeing a lot of moving objects or at least that is how they appeared too me :-)

First ride of the year at Fremont Older and brings back great memories. I used to run these same trails, but faster. We never rode much unless it was a brick training day otherwise this was mainl a serious trail run, but it sufficed yesterday for a good ride.

Tuesday
90 minute Iyengar at Willow Glen Yoga with Yogi Kent.

What a great yoga class, I feel so much stronger after the class and equipped with more wisdom thanks to kents help.

Kettlebells
Clean, Squat Press
32/5/5x5

Pull-ups
6x5

Thursday
90 minute Iyengar at Willow Glen Yoga with Yogi Kent.

Weights:
Bench Press
225/3x3

Chin-ups
8x5

Friday:
Kettlebells:
Snatch
24/10/10x8

1 minute intervals: 10 left rest, 10 right rest for 16 minutes

Run
30 minutes

Saturday:
Yoga: 45 minutes of self practice

Marathon

Yep, that is the goal, to train and compete in a marathon. The Specific race I have in mind in the 2009 Rock n' Roll Marathon in SAn Diego on May 31st. I have always had the interest in doing a race of this length so what better time than the present. By giving myself 11+ months of training time I am sure to have ample time to prep my body and mind to perform at a healthy and respectable level.

I am excited to have a plan and program in place. I have enjoyed playing around and will continue to do so but with a goal of completing and competing in this marathon.

The plan
*Run 3 days a week, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Following Jeff Galloways marathon program.

*Kettlebell: 3 days a week focusing on Clean, Squat, Press, Snatch and Swings. This will be interesting because I have to recover properly and plan accordingly. I want to use the bell purely for strength and conditioning.

*Yoga: 6 days a week, at least 30 minutes and more likely an hour including meditation.

*Run other races for training and practice (i.e San Jose Half in October)

The Goals:
*Learn and share my process. The plan may change depending on how I am recovering and performing but I my believe is that I can comfortably handle this approach and methodology.

*Run and finish in 3 hours and 44 minutes (this would qualify me for Boston under current rules). I have yet to determine some factors that will contribute to this but if I can run 8:30 over 26.2 miles I will do it. Having a plan and program such as this one combined with the prep time I feel this is reasonable.

*Have a great level of fitness so next summer (2009) I can possible get back on the adventure racing circuit, solo or possibly with a team. This was such a wonderful experience that I would like to continue to have fun and compete in these races...

The Shift

At some point in life you will experience a shift. These shifts can come in a number of areas or ways such as a shift in relation to yourself, your partner, you work, you life's passion, etc. Often times we create the shift and sometimes they happen without us even knowing, an unconsciousness.

For me I have been experience many minor shifts as I like to say. All of these are for the better of my being and all of which either way I have embraced and continue do so with great gratitude. The truly amazing part is seeing them all come together on a much deeper and transformative level/experience. It seems since about April of 2005, when I attended the RKC I have truly taken one if not many steps on my level of conscious awareness. One by one amazing things have and continue to come my way and they seem to center around my awareness, my being AWAKE and finding peace, gratitude and love for myself and all that surrounds and makes up this world.

So, here I am feeling my role out, what I am here to do, what legacy I am to stamp this world with. I can say this, that picture is not yet complete because any masterpiece (I would imagine or at least in my experience) takes a great deal of time, patience, effort, and feeling. It seems as time goes by it becomes clearer but I feel that I am taking more time with each stroke and truly finding enjoyment, finding freedom and finding that I am more awake than ever. However, I still love my coffee, caffeinated that is and I have my 2 cups a day :-).

As I embark on each day and I reflect as well as embrace the past, present and future I am truly enthused about this new radio show. In the past weeks I have begun to reach out to prospective people, experts in the fields of holistic health and wellness and to my surprise I have found that all have been more than willing to come and share their philosophies with the audience and me. I cannot even begin to express my gratitude and appreciation towards all these folks, many of whom are well known and quite in demand. I am so excited for the audience to have the opportunity to listen, and contribute via questions to these people.

I am aware that this show is truly a forum for people to learn, become informed, share and express wonderful and expert knowledge and wisdom. This show is such a great opportunity for myself to bring together people and strengthen the community of the world.

Who knew, who knows where exactly we will be, or what we will be or be doing at any given moment in the future? We have ideas, thoughts, feelings, opinions, desires, etc. but sometimes the path shifts when you least expect and all the sudden you are on another amazing road. For this reason I am training daily my mental, spiritual, emotion and physical being to be open to whatever comes my direction.

I hope you join me on this ride. If you do keep your eyes open, mind free, heart full of love, soul filled with peace and have a great time, because it sure is fun and exciting

Shanti

Workouts

Thursday and Friday
KB's/Weights
Snatch
32/5/5x5

Press
97lb/2/2x3

Deadlift
340/1x8 (45 sec intervals)

Chin-ups
8x3


YOGA:
40 minute home practice

Workouts

Monday:
Yoga 30 minutes morning + 30 evening and Foam Roller for 15 minutes

KBs
2 hand swing
48kg/10x5...all about the Hip SNAP, linking and syncing

Jerks
48kg/2/2x4...a first with this bell and whoo, what a difference. I like it! ;-)

Mountain Bike
Monte Bello Trail in Palo Alto
3.6 miles and 33 minutes of hard riding with some good pitch and decent interval climbs. Riding my bike I could feel every bump, rut, rock, etc. I sure miss the big downhill bike and that Cadillac suspension.

Tuesday:
Bench PRess
205/3x5

Pull-ups (superset with Bench, always with my tactical grip on traditional pull-ups)
5x8

YOGA:
45 minutes of home practice and with a good meditation session (as always I include meditation in my daily routine).

Wednesday:
Mountain Bike Ride: Almaden Quicksilver
31 minutes of straight climbing right at the start which was great. I felt a really physical breakthrough today. The initial climb was a pretty consistent gradient which allowed for a nice cadence. Found an awesome single track downhill, with some fast, whippy turns and a some hairy sections (almost went down :-)). Finished real strong with a bit more climbing and a fast decent for a total of 62 minutes of some beautiful riding and complete freedom..awesome!

NOTES:
*Yoga is a part of my essence.
**The mountain biking is just pure freedom and enjoyment and I love riding.
***The bells are in my blood and I love my basics, press, snatch, swing and jerks.
****The lifting (such as bench) are enjoyable as a part of my routine every once in a while, when I have no specific goal like the TSC or any other event.

***I have something up my sleeve though and I will releasing specifics soon, it will be a first and should be a great lesson learned or two ;-)

One

Yes, the magic number means so much and in so many different ways. One is especially important in sport and each time I do any kind of sport I am reminded of the number one. For me it is less about finishing number where in sport often we think of being number 'One'. However, in this particular sense I am referring to the concept of taking it one step at a time or as Lao Tzu so perfectly states ' every journey of a 1000 miles begins with 1 step.'

I have been reflecting on the meaning of taking things one step at a time in each of my movement activities. This really has been apparent the last few weeks, especially with my mountain biking. See, when you are out of 'shape' for a particular movement you tend to notice all the effects it has on you. For me in regards to mountain biking I really feel the lungs and the leg burn. What I notice is how much more work it is compared to 'how it use to be'. I smile because it is what it is and when you stop doing something you are likely to lose some of the capabilities you 'use' to have.

So, to take it a step further I begun to think how important it is not to jump ahead of myself. By looking ahead or thinking 'this only gets tougher up ahead' your mind really starts to play tricks on yourself and what was already a challenge becomes even more difficult. Therefore, one step at a time or in this case one pedal stroke at a time. By tuning into each stroke and turning my focus into a push/pull on the pedals I move with greater ease, at least mentally and that is a majority of the battle, at least in my case.

The reality of this concept is that it applies across the board in everything we do. I know for a fact when lifting heavy it is one rep at a time and if I think ahead I forget what is current and thus expose myself to greater risks and forget to fully appreciate the moment.

The focus turns to One, One step, one day, one move, one action, one love, one planet, one world, one plain and simple is where it all starts and it all....well the rest is up to you

I am ALIVE & Living in Peace

Today was an affirmation as to why I love to Mountain Bike. I spent the night in Morro Bay for my cousins daughters graduation. Prior to heading down to the area I hinted that a mountain bike ride would be great. My cousin is an avid cyclist, has 4 amazing bikes and a true passion for 2 wheels. Couple that with the fact we have never rode together and I have yet to tackle any of terrain in his neck of the woods and the stars were aligning.

So after a nice breakfast, which I rarely do being a Warrior Diet guy, we hit the mountains. Now, I only had my pants so I had to borrow everything, bike, gloves, helmet, jersey, water bottle. Keep in mind my cousin is about 6'0 tall which means his bike is a bit big for me and add to that the fact that it has 7 inch travel, is a total awesome downhill bike and weighs 40 lbs and I do not have my riding shoes, so no clipping in and the adventure begins. See, my bike is about 28 lbs, is a cross country bike with 3 inch travel, no rear shock and sits A LOT different. Note that I am not in the kinda mountain biking shape of my cousin either.

All things being equal I relished the epic terrain, flowing turns, interval style climbs, the ease at which the bike road the bumps, ruts, rocks, turns and my cousins great personality and stories and it brings the whole experience full circle. For me riding is about nothing more than the peace and meditative feel I get from being in the mountains pushing myself through the mental and physical challenges all the while enjoying the sounds, sights, scenery and in this case the company in a new area further exploring myself, the world around me, and everything in between.

What an experience and this is the real reason behind my motivation to move my body, it is another worldly experience. It is not about being the best, holding records, having a six pack (although that is a bonus :-)), it is about the whole process from the inside, out. Today was no exception and more of a reminder of the joy behind movement, all movement whether mountain bikes, squats, kettlebells, yoga, you name it. I love to move because it is a part of my soul, my spirit.

I may not have a specific schedule or program and I am not training for an event, but I am training for my EVERYDAY health and well-being because I love it, I enjoy it and I have a darn good time doing it. What can I say, I love being a kid, constantly exploring, discovering, adventuring and enjoying the abiliity to be me at all times. This is my story, no one else's and I am not certain it is for anyone else but it is for me. I train for Life and I am ALIVE and LIVING!

YEAH WHOOOOOO! Hope you enjoy!

Live in Peace

Workouts

Kettlebells & weight training:
Squats
225/5x3

Bench Press
185/5x5

Ring Pull-ups
8, 6x3

Press
40kg/3/3x5

2 hand swing
40/15x5

Deadlift
315/1x10

Chin-ups
12kg/5x5

2 Mountain Bike Rides
2 hours in Morro Bay
45 Minutes in Palo Alto at Arastradero

Yoga
1 full 90 minutes at Darshana with Catherine, Iyengar
1 hour home session
2 Sunrise Sun Salutation mornings
2, 30 minute home sessions

Fathers Day:
18 holes in Santa Cruz at De Laveaga

A great week of working out and enjoying life. I feel great and in fact my best and it does just get better. :-)

Competition and Winning

What is your goal? Are you out to win? Are you to compete against yourself or the field? These questions are important questions to ask ourselves and reflect upon when looking at our culture.

I believe we have lost perspective on what competition is and what it means to win. When looking at our culture, it is often that people will spare almost no means to win. If you have been paying attention, over the last number of years the talk of performance enhancing drugs in sport has dominated the news and in many ways smeared the accomplishments of many. The fact is whether or not these athletes did or did not use performance enhancing drugs they still had to do the work and challenge themselves to be able to compete at the highest level. No doubt the drugs will help the process but we must not ignore the effort put forth to be their best.

To me the real challenge is that we have to go to such extent that as an athlete we would be willing to risk our health and well-being to achieve a mark, a record, a number that most likely will be beaten at some point.

In my humble opinion the real competition, the true victory lies in the competition within ourselves to push our limits to achieve our best with class, integrity, and dignity. However, this has been lost in many ways within our win at all cost culture and our bigger, better, stronger, faster, more, more society that judges people on their numbers or lack thereof.

I argue that we need to turn the page and the nature of our culture to a cooperative competition, one that rewards not only the winner but those who are striving along with said 'winner' to be their best and push the whole field of competitors to their best.

Example: From Thinking Body, Dancing Mind by Al Huang & Lynch

In the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens who held the long jump record fouled in his first 2 attempts to qualify. Germany's top long jumper, Lutz Long approached Jesse and gave him a tactical suggestion. Owens followed the advice, qualified and then beat Long in the finals, establishing an Olypmic Record in the process. Long proceeded to hold Owen's hand high in the air in front of thousands of cheering spectators and left the stadium hand in hand.

This is a perfect example of two athletes, two people working as partners toward optimal performance. We should be thankful for our opponents, for they represent gifts that enable us to experience the process of sport of being our best and they are great teachers who push us to heights we might not have achieved without them.

From Thinking Body, Dancing Mind, a quote from Dick Taylor, Olympic BiAthlete:

"It is a ritual, a highly compacted human experience situation ...It is a measure of our curiosity about optimum human possibility ... the sustenance coming from a shared sense that all are relatively more alive from having 'died' a little as well. The experience of expanded personal potential and relatively with other humans is both profound and rare... a deeper sense of belonging, to oneself and to a community. Self-confirmation happens simultaneously with a community venture...ultimately making a winner of everybody."

Billie Jean King, Tennis Champion said about winning that "it is not a big deal. The real joy comes from the very thing that involves people in the first place...the fun of execution, the fun of playing." The key is focusing on the 'moment' and the inner gratification.

If winning is unimportant, why keep score?
"As a TaoAthlete the outcome of any event is important-but not as an end in itself. Keeping score enables you to measure your performance level throughout the event and get an indication of how you are progressing over a period of time."

Important points on Competition and Winning from Thinking Body, Dancing Mind
*Let the possibility of winning keep you alert and sharp.
*If you, terrific, if not, feel the joy and satisfication of having participated.
*Focus on how well you are mastering the skills.
*Notice how the event provided you with an opportunity to display your skills against challenging competition.
*Win or lose you have to dig down inside and discover other aspects of your essence.

A REFLECTION:
This brought to my own story. I have had the pleasure and opportunity to compete and win a multitude of times. In particular I reflect back to my adventure racing days. During those times and the races I competed with my teammates in we were fortunate to always enjoy ourselves, create great memories, challenge ourselves physically, mentally, spiritually and as a team, push our own personal abilities/limits, learn the value of friendship, communication and teamwork, and of course compete against the highest level of competition, the best of the best.

One particular season, our teams last I combined with just one teammate, Toby. We competed in the Tahoe Big Blue Adventure Racing Series in the, you guessed it, 2 person all male division. For the first time ever, we actually won a race, one in which I struggled mightly the whole race with severe cramps and dehydration (95 degrees in the hot/humid desert of Reno, NV). With a bit of luck we came out on top.

In our second race, I again struggled with the high 98 degree temperatures and fought another bout of dehydration. As the race came to the last quarter mile we saw our toughest competitors in front of us. Toby and I sprinted only to fall less than 5 seconds behind. The thrill of that moment, of being pushed by those men and almost running them down was one of the best feelings, in fact better than the victory. At the end of the race, post-race celebration we shared a beer and reminisced knowing that the overall championship was going to come down to our 2 teams and indeed it did.

OUr last race was in Tahoe, no heat or dehydration, just a tactical error that cost us 30 minutes and essentially the race. However, we did not know where we stood and often in Adventure Racing on the 12 hour events you do not know where you are. There are many routes to the finish line and tactical decisions, trusting your teammates instincts, etc. play an important role as does fueling the body and fitness levels. On this day we pushed hard to the end only to find our competitors eating food, relaxing having finished about 25 minutes ahead of us....we were close.

In the end it was an exhilirating experience and one which my friend and I cherish to this day. We had developed a healthy perspective and a certain level of friendship with our fellow competitors, often sharing information and helping with food/water when needed. Even with prizes and 'pride' the bigger picture was always in sight. Did we want to win, YES, but that was just another aspect of a much bigger event. Great times and memories, no regrets.

It is what it is, take it for what it is worth and thank you for your time,
joe

workouts over the past 3 days

Recent workouts

Kettlebells (top end work numbers)
Military Press
97lb/2/2x3

Pull-ups
5x8

Snatch
40/5/5x3
97lb/1/1x1 (PR)

1 arm swing
40/5/5x5 (focused on technique: hip snap, shoulder position, linkage)

Again, focused on Strength Training with the bells.


Mountain Bike
45 minute ride

Yoga
30 minutes x2

Organizational Coaching

Notes and reflections from the Organizational Coaching with Mark Nicolson this past week at www.itp.edu. Mark is an amazing coach and through this weekend and past weekends coaching is coaching and spending time with Mark and the other coaches only expands my knowledge base and wisdom. And just so you are clear, organizational coaching extends beyond what one might imagine.


7 Ways People can Participate within an Organization

1. Being Affected
➢ Feelings in response to what is going on around you.

2. Notice How You are Affected
➢ Awareness of your feelings

3. Describe How You are Affected

4. Expressing how you are affected

5. Becoming aware of your imaginal structures
➢ Beliefs, ideas, lenses you have constructed from your personal biography

6. Which are Personal, Archetypal, Cultural from your personal biography
➢ What is relevant to present moment and to your lenses

7. Creative and Imaginative Action
➢ It is a surrender to….
➢ This is the place we aspire to within an Organization

EXAMPLE:
Gandhi, in his process sifted out his personal, archetypal and cultural lenses and surrendered to a cause greater than himself. During and through the process he did not respond to his or form his reactivity to his triggers.

Question

To what extent are people really able to participate, be, respond to their challenges within the organization?

Reflections

It is simple, eliminate the internal dialogue of unrealistic thoughts/chatter & have the courage to take a chance thereby living the 7th way, surrendering to all the b.s. and trusting your intuition. Wear no masks, serve others and breakdown the walls.

Coaching reflections

➢ It is comforting to know as the coachee that you have a guide to lead you through the darkness. It brings out more courage knowing you have hands to help you when you need it most.
➢ Coaching guides and requires trust and intuition on part of the coach as to the appropriate response to any given situation.
➢ As a coach it is important to be aware of the space containing you & the Coachee
➢ As a coach it is important to be aware of the things around you & how to safely and with minimal interference guide.
➢ Coaching is more observational than hands on (telling the person, ‘this is how’)
➢ Further, there is a beauty to observing the person move freely within themselves and their space.
➢ It is far more empowering to find your own way than have someone tell you the answer and this is true as a coach.
➢ Your role as a coach is to allow the coachee to find their way, guiding and facilitating.
➢ Giving an answer to a question without allowing the person to inquire within themselves only holds them back and in many ways implies they do not know what is best for them and may make them feel ashamed.


Question:
How does Shame tame you?
How does the prospect of failing or being ashamed affect your choices?


Key Points:
➢ Communities need ACCOUNTABILITY otherwise shame lives, thus effectively eliminating expression.
➢ With ACCOUNTABILITY we can transcend shame to a more dignified humility and dignity.
➢ To further an early point, there is no need to tell people how to get out of the dark. This giving of advice shames people and tell them they do not know how to do it themselves.

My Reflections
➢ Shame has the affect of making people hide. The fear of failure makes us where masks. The fear of being judged makes us where masks.
➢ Forgiveness and Support are keys to people being willing to release their fears, remove their masks and explore their possibilities.
➢ Accountability reveals much about our truest and deepest nature.
➢ When People are enabled, supported, encouraged to get out of their darkness, their senses become available, their awareness capacity increases, their senses become alive, their senses come out of the darkness into the light leading to self discovery and self empowerment.
➢ By not telling our story of how to get out of the dark we are making the person accountable to themselves, us, and the community. This opens the door to overcoming shame and leads to dignity and humility.
➢ We all have our way, therefore encourage peoples sense of their own way.
➢ Step back, let it be, and allow.

My New Radio Show

Its Official Joe Sarti the Radio Show Host era begins on August 13th of 2008. The show will air on Wednesdays from 1 to 2 p.m. (PST) on

http://www.modavox.com/VoiceAmericaHealth/

The show will feature a weekly Topic of Discussion, an Interview with an Expert and of course your participation through emails and phone calls. The Basis of the show is Holistic Health and Wellness.


Now here’s the exciting part. This show is about YOU and what I can do for YOU.

I NEED YOUR HELP, PLEASE ☺
➢ First, send me an email NOW about YOUR ideas, thoughts, concerns, and problems you may be experiencing in your life where I can assist YOU!
➢ Then, tune in and listen! This is radio, so it is definitely ratings driven and you tuning in counts! If you can’t listen live, all of my shows will be archived and available On Demand for your convenience!
➢ While you’re listening, give me a call or send me an email so I can help you on the show. There is no telling how many other listeners you may help. How often have you and a friend had the same question at the same time?
➢ Now there is one more thing! Please forward this email to anyone and everyone you know that may have an interest in the program or my assistance. I will make sure you receive all future show announcements, ecards, and other offers related to YOUR radio show.
➢ Last (but not least) your thoughts and feedback is appreciated, so please stay in touch!!

My goal is a simple one: to help YOU to live your life to the fullest. My hope is that the topics which are vast and the guests which are also in great numbers will help inform, educate and support you on your health and wellness/wellbeing path. I have 13 weeks to establish the show and the guests are starting to line up as we are working hard to get people of interest and who truly have something of value to say/share.


As always I thank you for your time and whatever/however you decide to contribute is just perfect. I hope this message finds you and yours in good health.

With Gratitude,
Joe

More workouts

Squats and deadlifts. 2 of the best exercises for developing whole body strength. Over the next 4 weeks and beyond I want to incorporate them. It seems with my approach to 'resistance training' that these are just perfect in my plans. At this point I am just continuing to develop and improve technique and form. I am hesitant to develop a strict program because I will be gone traveling for 3 weeks and the gym will not an option where I am at, just body weight and my yoga practice. So, I have 4 weeks to train and keep improving

Squats
315/2x2

Very happy with the numbers and these felt strong. I know I have a long ways to go but this gives me a good base number to work off over the next few weeks

Deadlifts
365/1x3

Another strong lift and number. Of course no where near my TSC lift numbers but it has been since about that time I since I have done this move and after the squats this feels great.

Workouts

So, I have been having a really fun time with my workouts, getting a good blend of stuff. Eventhough I have been doing a few different things I do have some consistent exercises, etc. I am focused on in terms of improvement.

First the kettlebells
Snatches: 24/10/10x5....my goal is to work on time, I did this in about 8 minutes which is not a lot considering I have done 110 in 5 minutes but it is a good start since most of my focus has been on Snatching the 40 and eventually the 48kg. Later this week I will be doing my 40kg snatch.

Presses (Military)
40/5/5x3

This is always a good challenge, especially the reps. My goal this week is 40/4/4x4 and working up to 5x5 before my big 3 week vacation.

Yoga:
A daily practice. Although I did give myself a couple days off to focus on the recovery/regeneration aspect. I am doing regular workouts ranging from 30 to 90 minutes. the key here is learning how to put together postures/classes and to improve my ability and understanding.

Overall, my fitness level is really good. My strength, endurance, power, flexibility, and stability all seem to be moving along at a good clip. I feel balanced and have no aches and pains other than normal workout soreness but that is even minimal with my strong nutrition and recovery.

Intuition and Courage and small story to boot

For the past couple years I have been going back and forth on whether I should sell or trade my truck for a more fuel efficient and greener vehicle. The main driving force behind this has been the rising cost of gas combined with my sheer amount of driving per year, approximately 25,000 + miles. That being said own a truck, a bigger truck at that and considering these variables it seemed logical. However, there is one big catch, I am terribly upside down in my truck, by thousands of dollars making it a bad decision in the first place and one I did not think through.

So, here I am now, having tried to sell my truck on craigslist, auto and truck trader and through word of mouth and not one bite. This has been going on for about 1 year. Also, I have went to a few dealers to analyze my trade in options which if you know anything about cars, this is not the sellers (i.e. Me) best option, in fact it is the worst. Up till this point I have come close to pulling the cord and making it happen but THINKING way to much and LISTENING to others I have held back, failing to listen to my intuition and failing to have the courage to trust my instincts and make the deal happen.

I am not unusual, often I observe people who have chosen not to listen to their intuition for their own reason(s) or who have chosen not to take the path least taken or most risky again for their own reasons.

As in The Tao and stated so perfectly by Dr. Dyer in Verse 13,

"Practice trusting your own inner nature. Every passionate thought that you have regarding how you want to conduct your life is evidence that you are in harmony with your own unique nature-your fervent belief is all you need. Respect your vision and trust your natural, passionate thoughts."

The Tao states the importance of an independent mind that does not seek the favor of others but instead trusts its own intuition because others opinions probably are not taking into account your true, eternal being. It is said that we should take others opinions with a grain of salt and as a personal philosophy with respect and gratitude. This is true whether the opinion is positive or negative, it does not matter since there is no attachment to outcome.

My mother works in the car business and has for 25 years and does not think it is a good idea because I am upside down. But, the way I see it is that this truck is an even worse investment with 90,000 miles, needing work done (tune-up, brakes), a of course the fact that it cost $110+ to fill-up which is at least 4 times/month, maybe 5. So, my independent mind, taking into account her advice and that of a few others feels the time is right and has been regardless. The cost to own the truck based on the numbers vs a new, fuel efficient vehicle is far better to own the new car.

Courage, the ability to trust your intuition, to take the riskier road, to make a tough decision, to follow through, etc. courage is a trait I believe is part of my make-up. I love to take CALCULATED RISKS, which I believe to be a marker of courage and do it. I have done this numerous times in my life and this is no exception. Therefore I must trust my intuition and have the courage to make the deal happen.

This is no different than preparing yourself to lift a heavy weight and have the courage to get on the stage, in front of onlookers and attempt a PR. Some of you have done this and it is exhilarating to take such a personal challenge and listen to the strength of your intuition due to your preparation and thus knowing by calculated risk that you can do it. Having the courage to do it is then a great example of trusting your intuition and of your character.

I got a new car!