A couple of weeks ago I got an e-mail from my friend Kevin O’Connor. Many of you know Kevin as owner of Gear West Bike and Triathlon, an outstanding bike shop. Kevin, in addition to many of his staff, has a longtime personal and professional commitment to the sport as evidenced by their total involvement with the sport of triathlon.
Kevin told me I had been quoted in an article that appeared in Inside Triathlon chronicling some of the events and changes in the last 30 years of Ironman. As the author TJ Murphy stated, I am a longtime triathlete and I appreciate TJ not calling me an old triathlon warhorse. This summer marks my 30th year in triathlon and like Kevin, I am fortunate to have received all that I have from triathlon. I am also fortunate to have been involved in helping some triathletes make their way to Kona, including not only former Gear West cover model Barry Breffle but with the help of my wife Dr. Clar Baldus I organized a benefit run for former Cedar Rapids residents Tim and Tony DeBoom for their initial trip to The Big Island, Hawai’i.
Kevin asked if I was comfortable being quoted in a mainstream article. After reading it I agreed with him that it is a decent article. As a temporary resident of Hawai’i while I went to school there from 1999 to 2000 and as a frequent visitor for vacations and a few “three days trips” around the island doing UltraMan I am thankful for the true friendships I have made there and the opportunity to discover the authentic meanings of aloha, talk story and other Hawaiian cultural traditions. And as Murphy correctly noted I am used to “the more subtle inclusion of the Ultraman”. However Murphy’s article touched on an aspect of mainstream which I find disturbing and that is the homogenization masquerading as mainstream that has occurred not only in the sport of triathlon but sport and fitness in general and more disturbingly in the world view as a whole.
In the article I was quoted as saying “There’s no spirit of Aloha here” as a result of my experiences with the 1999 Ironman World Championships. For weeks I had watched the steady stream of athletes come into town and ride up and down the Queen K, run along Alii Drive and I guess swim at the pier. As I trained along the first two venues I was passed and passed athletes preparing for the Big Show. I always greeted, with a hello or wave but seldom received a greeting in return. One day running along Alii Drive I saw an Ironman competitor I personally knew coming in the other direction. I waved and called them by name but received no reply. On race day I worked as part of the massage therapy staff, working from about 4 PM until almost 1 am. All in all it was a good experience and I focused on the good but there was an underlying expectation from the athletes summed up by one who expressed their displeasure at the length of wait for their massage and the length of their massage. Oh well. People like that would bitch if they were hung with a new rope.
I do find it concerning that race applications now often include a reminder to the participants to be polite to the volunteers. But then again I find it dismaying that adults need to be reminded with signs to wash their hands after they go to the bathroom. And I wonder how things would be if we really meant what we said when we said it, from the phrase “have a nice day” or the greeting “aloha”.
On my first trip to Kailua- Kona there was no Wal-Mart, Target, Borders, Home Depot, Sports Authority, Hard Rock Café, HOOTERS, Bubba Gumps, Dairy Queen or Outback Steakhouse. Instead there was a great independent bookstore called Middle Earth Books and if you wanted to see bikinis and wildlife you went to the beach, not HOOTERS! But things change. Dave’s Bike Shop is gone, the signed posters within from Tinley, Scott and the like fading away. The bookstore is gone and with this homogenization comes a smothering singularity that makes everything seem the same and meaningless. The Pizza Hut pizza in Hometown, USA tastes pretty much like the Pizza Hut pizza in Anytown, USA. Maybe this is what is meant by the statement “the more things change, the more they remain the same”. I am unsure.
However we must be aware that there are times being truly mainstream can have negative results. Too often it seems that once something makes the mainstream there is a certain destiny for a degradation of sorts, in that the mainstream represents the average and once the average is reached there seems to be a regression past the mean into the backwaters known as below average or what has now sadly become the The American Standard of Achievement. To be truly mainstream one must be able to forsee things not only as they will be upstream but as they are in the present flow and take measures to make sure we don’t get swept back into stagnant backwaters to never move ahead.
I had my conversation regarding the Ironman World Championships with TJ Murphy near White Sands Beach. The winter storms this year have swept the sand away from the White Sands Beach revealing the lava foundation of which the lava will provide a fresh place for a new beach to begin. In much the same way we can bring back the true spirit of aloha in our lives, not simply greeting each other with meaningless and empty greetings that lack substance and sustenance or worse yet, no greeting at all. For you see, fortunately Hard Rock Cafes come and go but the true practice and spirit of aloha can last forever.
CJ
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Ride Report, April 18, 2009
I arrived shortly before 7 AM with the Gentleman Farmer at the spring ride meeting spot, the 4 Way Stop in Robins, IA. As we pulled into the parking lot I saw our local triathlon club Bike Coordinator, Greg B., standing posed next to his SUV, sipping on his coffee, apparently there to take attendance and give the group an extreme send off. There to ride was new to the fold Reverend Bowden and The Gimp. We hung out a couple of minutes waiting for others to show up and then headed out on the route published earlier in the week by our ride leader, the Gentleman Farmer.
With temps moving up into the 50's I was comfortably resplendent in my Gear West long sleeve full zip jersey with appropriate base layers. While the cool air reddened my recently shaved legs there was no need for Belgium Knee Warmers... http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/ A light Lycra skullcap kept my head warm beneath my helmet, custom painted by Emmy award winning artist Kyle Menke. The Reverend was decidedly retro in his Saturn team jersey and shorts, The Gimp kept warm in his LG top and tights while an UnderArmour fleece cap peeked out from beneath his helmet. Our ride leader kept the pace comfortable in his Pearl Izumi top and gloves and his powerful legs were adorned in shorts with slimming piping accents and leg warmers as he led us astride his Surly singlespeed.
As we came into Toddville after crossing the Otter Creek plateau The Gimp headed home as we prepared ourselves to ascend the Feather Ridge climb. Talk soon resumed with gay abandon after we crested the top and continued on before descending down and then riding up Hall Road, narrowly escaping canine consumption but prepared to leave one of us behind for the good of the group.
The Reverend turned off and headed home, presumably to watch his Miley Cirus DVD while the Gentleman Farmer and I rode back into town. Feeling not quite done for the day I headed back out alone for another 2 hours and got caught in a light rain in the final 45 minutes.
See some of you on the roads.
The Pitbull
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Consider the Daffodil
Yesterday I was working with a client and towards the end of our session they commented on the overabundance of “extreme” workouts and classes offered at their fitness club. My client felt that there was nothing “extreme” about these offerings and I concurred. As I walked the dogs this morning with the Iron Maiden I said that I found it puzzling that in a society that wholeheartedly embraces the philosophy of “no child left behind” with its’ excess of participation ribbons and self esteem / everybody is a winner addiction that the word extreme would be so readily applied to so many places and items…from extreme fitness classes to extreme pizzas (with a pound of cheese and meat each on them), extreme makeovers and of course the requisite extreme energy drinks.
Yet there is a link, one borne of craving for a fictitious or assigned identity, between the “no child left behind” and extreme mania of which this craving is causing suffering (the Buddha calls this suffering dukkha) in our society. Rather than rising to excellence naturally, as Pulitzer Prize winning poet Jorie Graham captures in her analysis of the root of the word excellence [i] we ourselves assign or allow marketing executives to assign words such as extreme, being green or buying local to create a fictitious identity – either for profit in the case of marketing executives or in the case of the individual to ease our uncomfortable feelings or dissatisfaction with who we are or what we have become. (While many associate the NCLB dogma with Bush the Latter, it merits consideration that perhaps the groundwork for NCLB was actually laid in the 60’s and 70’s with the advent of Transactional Analysis and the I’m OK, You’re OK movement.)
Consider the daffodil. As a spring flower daffodils in Iowa are oftentimes seen coming up through the remnants of late winter or early spring snowstorms. Without taking time to consider the daffodil one might consider such measures to be extreme. However when one takes time to truly consider the daffodil it is realized that the daffodil is doing what comes naturally, awakening from its’ winter nap as it pushes up and past the soil and snow to taste the lengthening warmth of the sun.
The Spanish philosopher George Santayana [ii] reminds us that we as human beings are natural beings and that sadly as we too often become caught up in the pursuit of materialistic and structured desires we lose this naturalism. In learning to rise up naturally, without forming attachments to these often fictitious, assigned or created identities we are allowed to let go of the chains that bind us, be it to extreme fitness classes, extreme pizza, extreme makeovers or extreme energy drinks. In the letting go of these chains binding us we are offered a chance to observe, recognize and appreciate moments and efforts, not labeling them extreme and thereby effectively negating them but instead enjoying them for what they truly are – simply daffodils.
Yet there is a link, one borne of craving for a fictitious or assigned identity, between the “no child left behind” and extreme mania of which this craving is causing suffering (the Buddha calls this suffering dukkha) in our society. Rather than rising to excellence naturally, as Pulitzer Prize winning poet Jorie Graham captures in her analysis of the root of the word excellence [i] we ourselves assign or allow marketing executives to assign words such as extreme, being green or buying local to create a fictitious identity – either for profit in the case of marketing executives or in the case of the individual to ease our uncomfortable feelings or dissatisfaction with who we are or what we have become. (While many associate the NCLB dogma with Bush the Latter, it merits consideration that perhaps the groundwork for NCLB was actually laid in the 60’s and 70’s with the advent of Transactional Analysis and the I’m OK, You’re OK movement.)
Consider the daffodil. As a spring flower daffodils in Iowa are oftentimes seen coming up through the remnants of late winter or early spring snowstorms. Without taking time to consider the daffodil one might consider such measures to be extreme. However when one takes time to truly consider the daffodil it is realized that the daffodil is doing what comes naturally, awakening from its’ winter nap as it pushes up and past the soil and snow to taste the lengthening warmth of the sun.
The Spanish philosopher George Santayana [ii] reminds us that we as human beings are natural beings and that sadly as we too often become caught up in the pursuit of materialistic and structured desires we lose this naturalism. In learning to rise up naturally, without forming attachments to these often fictitious, assigned or created identities we are allowed to let go of the chains that bind us, be it to extreme fitness classes, extreme pizza, extreme makeovers or extreme energy drinks. In the letting go of these chains binding us we are offered a chance to observe, recognize and appreciate moments and efforts, not labeling them extreme and thereby effectively negating them but instead enjoying them for what they truly are – simply daffodils.
The Pitbull
[i] “The root of excellence – from the Greek – is not, properly, to surpass others – or to be greater than them, but rather, to rise up naturally, to raise – as a crop is raised. The oldest root in the word – from the Greek – is that for HILL. Imagine that hill. It was not placed on the landscape to make the prairie feel flat. It was not raised to make the sky tremble. Its job is to be a hill. We do not know why, but we know a hill-less world would be unbearable.”
Jorie Graham, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, 1996 'The Dream of the Unified Field'
[ii] It warrants mention that George Santayana (1863 – 1952) was educated at Harvard and then taught at Harvard for 23 years. During his time in America he distanced himself from American culture and in 1912 left his professorship at Harvard to live in England and teach at Oxford until 1924 when he moved to Rome where he lived out his final years as a guest of a community of nuns. Personally, my favorite quote from Santayana is “Skepticism, like chastity should not be too readily relinquished.”
© C.J. Ong, Jr. / Quantum Performance, 2009
[i] “The root of excellence – from the Greek – is not, properly, to surpass others – or to be greater than them, but rather, to rise up naturally, to raise – as a crop is raised. The oldest root in the word – from the Greek – is that for HILL. Imagine that hill. It was not placed on the landscape to make the prairie feel flat. It was not raised to make the sky tremble. Its job is to be a hill. We do not know why, but we know a hill-less world would be unbearable.”
Jorie Graham, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, 1996 'The Dream of the Unified Field'
[ii] It warrants mention that George Santayana (1863 – 1952) was educated at Harvard and then taught at Harvard for 23 years. During his time in America he distanced himself from American culture and in 1912 left his professorship at Harvard to live in England and teach at Oxford until 1924 when he moved to Rome where he lived out his final years as a guest of a community of nuns. Personally, my favorite quote from Santayana is “Skepticism, like chastity should not be too readily relinquished.”
© C.J. Ong, Jr. / Quantum Performance, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Dogs of War Training Camp 2009
The Dogs of War Training Camp will be conducted July 9, 10 and 11 in and around Cedar Rapids, IA. The format will remain much the same as in years before, that is no phee, phretting or phrills.
July 9 - 6 AM - about a 125 mile road ride, road or triathlon bikes equally welcomed.
July 10 - a long pool swim followed by a long urban adventure trail run.
July 11 - The Kona Girl Triathlon - a long pool swim, a long bike of 150 miles and short run.
Post event celebration to follow in the evening of July 11.
Questions may be directed to The Pitbull at cjongjr@aol.com
Updates will posted here on this specific post.
July 9 - 6 AM - about a 125 mile road ride, road or triathlon bikes equally welcomed.
July 10 - a long pool swim followed by a long urban adventure trail run.
July 11 - The Kona Girl Triathlon - a long pool swim, a long bike of 150 miles and short run.
Post event celebration to follow in the evening of July 11.
Questions may be directed to The Pitbull at cjongjr@aol.com
Updates will posted here on this specific post.
Dogs of War 2006 Wrap-up
The second coming of the Dogs of War was held this past weekend and resulted in lots of insightful miles being put in on the bike and run with a little time in the pool and weight room tossed in for good measure. The Dogs of War coincided with the grand opening of yet another chain store in Cedar Rapids confirming the suspicions that if you have seen one you have seen them all… the Dogs of War rallied against the homogenization of Amerika and will continue to do so.
Days one and two were solo efforts however mention should be made of the excellent 70 mile warm-up ride on Wednesday that Jared (Cankles) and I had. Thursday dawned crisp and clear, I had an awesome chest and tricep lift with the Iron Maiden. Then it was off to ride a solo 60 and run later in the day. Friday was a repeat of Thursday with legs being body part of choice and a longer ride of 80 miles to take advantage of the weather. The longer ride allowed me to fit into my best pair of Hawaiian shorts and attend my 30th HS reunion social later that evening.
Saturday morning came quickly. I rode over to the park and was joined by "Cankles" for the first of two centuries planned for the camp. Apparently the report of L.A. joining us for the ride was false. However if I have learned anything over the last two years it is the relevance of George Santayana’s quote “Skepticism, like chastity should not be too readily relinquished”. So Jared and I rode alone. While no cooked eggs came up off the pavement the heat did allow us to appreciate convenience stores of small town Iowa as we rode our miles. At the end "Cankles" headed home with about 110 under his wheels. I felt pretty good at about 110 and decided to ride further. I once was told that “goals are not set to merely be met but rather exceeded” and that became my fuel as I rode 125 miles in the refreshing Iowa heat.
The final day of the Dogs of War began a bit too early as well. The reunion effects of the social hour and dinner on Saturday night and a second short night’s sleep had me wishing for rain. No luck. So I headed over to the park and met Barry (The Gentleman Farmer) , "Cankles" and Pete (Crazy Pete) and headed north east to Stone City. Crazy Pete peeled off early as this was a recovery day for his training. Most likely he was still out of breath from the IM Lake Placid sign up race where 2000 plus slots filled in 90 minutes. I secretly wished that Crazy Pete would have stayed on for his swarthy and muscular frame would have provided an excellent draft.
In the hills between Central City, Anamosa and Stone City the fun began. At about 40 miles I began to loosen up and while the first trip down and up Stone City’s hills was fun the second one was even more fun as we ran into Tom Henson and friends. The distance between convenience stores was perfect. Riding into Springville, Mt. Vernon and Lisbon The Gentlemman Farmer provided us with the visual imagery of being in a glassed in room, riding our stationary bikes, clapping our hands and doing jumps, hovers and standing climbs. Next year Cankles will carry a mirrored ball and cool flashing lights. Once we reached Lisbon we discovered that some people eat differently than others. It was about then that punchiness set in from the heat. We began looking at the trip distance, calculating where we would break the century mark which turned out to be just outside of Ely. We stopped in Ely for a final hydration break. The final miles home were actually pretty quick as we could all smell the corral. Cankles planned his next interval workout. Once we reached town we all went our own way home. After a quick shower I went out and lifted back and biceps with The Iron Maiden, had a couple of beers, grilled out and finished the day with a bowl of praline caramel ice cream.
Santayana reminds us that human beings are natural beings. We lose this naturalism as we often become caught up in the pursuit of materialistic and structured desires. Spending 19 plus hours outside on a bike, some hours with friends, some hours alone allowed me time to appreciate a simple way of training. Cash in a zip-loc bag, small towns and formerly cold Gatorade all brought it together. It was much more than riding 375 miles in four days.
When I was at my reunion one of my classmates said it seems to him that time is moving along faster than it used to. I suppose that is true if you allow yourself to be moved along mindlessly by time. For me a lesson about time was provided by a row of three apple trees in a farmer’s yard, each a different height, each leafed a different green and each with apples of a different color. Natural contrasts and variables blended together to provide me a lesson in awareness, not the pre-packaged artificial awareness of Amerika, contained under glass, homogenized, sealed and sanitized but awareness founded in the natural reality of the Now.
Days one and two were solo efforts however mention should be made of the excellent 70 mile warm-up ride on Wednesday that Jared (Cankles) and I had. Thursday dawned crisp and clear, I had an awesome chest and tricep lift with the Iron Maiden. Then it was off to ride a solo 60 and run later in the day. Friday was a repeat of Thursday with legs being body part of choice and a longer ride of 80 miles to take advantage of the weather. The longer ride allowed me to fit into my best pair of Hawaiian shorts and attend my 30th HS reunion social later that evening.
Saturday morning came quickly. I rode over to the park and was joined by "Cankles" for the first of two centuries planned for the camp. Apparently the report of L.A. joining us for the ride was false. However if I have learned anything over the last two years it is the relevance of George Santayana’s quote “Skepticism, like chastity should not be too readily relinquished”. So Jared and I rode alone. While no cooked eggs came up off the pavement the heat did allow us to appreciate convenience stores of small town Iowa as we rode our miles. At the end "Cankles" headed home with about 110 under his wheels. I felt pretty good at about 110 and decided to ride further. I once was told that “goals are not set to merely be met but rather exceeded” and that became my fuel as I rode 125 miles in the refreshing Iowa heat.
The final day of the Dogs of War began a bit too early as well. The reunion effects of the social hour and dinner on Saturday night and a second short night’s sleep had me wishing for rain. No luck. So I headed over to the park and met Barry (The Gentleman Farmer) , "Cankles" and Pete (Crazy Pete) and headed north east to Stone City. Crazy Pete peeled off early as this was a recovery day for his training. Most likely he was still out of breath from the IM Lake Placid sign up race where 2000 plus slots filled in 90 minutes. I secretly wished that Crazy Pete would have stayed on for his swarthy and muscular frame would have provided an excellent draft.
In the hills between Central City, Anamosa and Stone City the fun began. At about 40 miles I began to loosen up and while the first trip down and up Stone City’s hills was fun the second one was even more fun as we ran into Tom Henson and friends. The distance between convenience stores was perfect. Riding into Springville, Mt. Vernon and Lisbon The Gentlemman Farmer provided us with the visual imagery of being in a glassed in room, riding our stationary bikes, clapping our hands and doing jumps, hovers and standing climbs. Next year Cankles will carry a mirrored ball and cool flashing lights. Once we reached Lisbon we discovered that some people eat differently than others. It was about then that punchiness set in from the heat. We began looking at the trip distance, calculating where we would break the century mark which turned out to be just outside of Ely. We stopped in Ely for a final hydration break. The final miles home were actually pretty quick as we could all smell the corral. Cankles planned his next interval workout. Once we reached town we all went our own way home. After a quick shower I went out and lifted back and biceps with The Iron Maiden, had a couple of beers, grilled out and finished the day with a bowl of praline caramel ice cream.
Santayana reminds us that human beings are natural beings. We lose this naturalism as we often become caught up in the pursuit of materialistic and structured desires. Spending 19 plus hours outside on a bike, some hours with friends, some hours alone allowed me time to appreciate a simple way of training. Cash in a zip-loc bag, small towns and formerly cold Gatorade all brought it together. It was much more than riding 375 miles in four days.
When I was at my reunion one of my classmates said it seems to him that time is moving along faster than it used to. I suppose that is true if you allow yourself to be moved along mindlessly by time. For me a lesson about time was provided by a row of three apple trees in a farmer’s yard, each a different height, each leafed a different green and each with apples of a different color. Natural contrasts and variables blended together to provide me a lesson in awareness, not the pre-packaged artificial awareness of Amerika, contained under glass, homogenized, sealed and sanitized but awareness founded in the natural reality of the Now.
Friday, April 3, 2009
They say jump, you say how high...
It’s not easy being triathlete. Training for triathlon takes time, energy and substantial financial resources. In the off season there are Pole Dancing Fitness classes to attend
and in an effort to keep one’s competitive edge sharp many of us are drawn to the pie eating contests held in the modern “fitness” club as part of member appreciation night. All these various forms of cross-training and competition quite honestly and frankly leave me flat out of breath!
http://trainingwiththepitbull.blogspot.com/2009/04/since-being-escorted-from-fitness.html
http://trainingwiththepitbull.blogspot.com/2009/04/american-pie.html
http://trainingwiththepitbull.blogspot.com/2009/04/pole-dancing-your-way-to-fitness-part.html
Fortunately the advertisement came into my electronic mailbox and across my desktop the other day for a new and exciting product that inflates my enthusiasm for my upcoming race season. Oxygen Plus (a proud sponsor of the World Spinning® and Sports Conference) is offering a package of oxygen canisters that according to the information contained within the advertisement will “keep your head in the game”. Not only is it “100% natural” but each “convenient, personal sized package” will fit in your “gym bag, cycling jersey or purse”. The advertisement states that “oxygen is used by professional athletes in nearly every sport…”
So I placed my order today for Oxygen Plus. For a mere $100.00 I will receive my World Spinning® and Sports Conference Oxygen Plus Recovery Pack which includes 1 Elevate Pack, 1 three pack refill, 2 three packs of O+ minis and 1 three pack of 0+ stick.
I am pumped up beyond belief and can hardly wait for my Oxygen Plus package to arrive! Now on the rides with the “Guilty Party” I can breezily respond to Crazy Pete when he goes all extreme and mack daddy on me. I’ll just pull a canister of Oxygen Plus out of my jersey pocket and take a hit and get right back in old Crazy Pete’s face and say, “Yo, Crazy Pete, quit your fronting ‘cause I know you ain’t from around the way”. And at the next triathlon expo I am sure I’ll find one of those belt attachments that will hold at least an O+ mini or two.
I see the potential for my off season cross-training to take a shot of fresh air as well! While working on my upper body strength I may find myself fatigued as I hone my caving and climbing skills by climbing in an abandoned rock well. One hit and I am up and out of that rock well and safe for another day of real gym work! Or perhaps training at The Crucible I may find the air a bit stale or excessively “fragrant”…all I need to do is take a couple of hits and find myself magically transported to the Rockies, amid the smells of the aspen, conifer, birch and aspen trees.
CJ
…
Buying all the products that they’re selling ya
They say jump
Ya say how high
…
“Bombtrack”, by Zack De La Rocha of Rage Against the Machine
Spinning® is a registered trademark of Mad-Dog Athletics
and in an effort to keep one’s competitive edge sharp many of us are drawn to the pie eating contests held in the modern “fitness” club as part of member appreciation night. All these various forms of cross-training and competition quite honestly and frankly leave me flat out of breath!
http://trainingwiththepitbull.blogspot.com/2009/04/since-being-escorted-from-fitness.html
http://trainingwiththepitbull.blogspot.com/2009/04/american-pie.html
http://trainingwiththepitbull.blogspot.com/2009/04/pole-dancing-your-way-to-fitness-part.html
Fortunately the advertisement came into my electronic mailbox and across my desktop the other day for a new and exciting product that inflates my enthusiasm for my upcoming race season. Oxygen Plus (a proud sponsor of the World Spinning® and Sports Conference) is offering a package of oxygen canisters that according to the information contained within the advertisement will “keep your head in the game”. Not only is it “100% natural” but each “convenient, personal sized package” will fit in your “gym bag, cycling jersey or purse”. The advertisement states that “oxygen is used by professional athletes in nearly every sport…”
So I placed my order today for Oxygen Plus. For a mere $100.00 I will receive my World Spinning® and Sports Conference Oxygen Plus Recovery Pack which includes 1 Elevate Pack, 1 three pack refill, 2 three packs of O+ minis and 1 three pack of 0+ stick.
I am pumped up beyond belief and can hardly wait for my Oxygen Plus package to arrive! Now on the rides with the “Guilty Party” I can breezily respond to Crazy Pete when he goes all extreme and mack daddy on me. I’ll just pull a canister of Oxygen Plus out of my jersey pocket and take a hit and get right back in old Crazy Pete’s face and say, “Yo, Crazy Pete, quit your fronting ‘cause I know you ain’t from around the way”. And at the next triathlon expo I am sure I’ll find one of those belt attachments that will hold at least an O+ mini or two.
I see the potential for my off season cross-training to take a shot of fresh air as well! While working on my upper body strength I may find myself fatigued as I hone my caving and climbing skills by climbing in an abandoned rock well. One hit and I am up and out of that rock well and safe for another day of real gym work! Or perhaps training at The Crucible I may find the air a bit stale or excessively “fragrant”…all I need to do is take a couple of hits and find myself magically transported to the Rockies, amid the smells of the aspen, conifer, birch and aspen trees.
CJ
…
Buying all the products that they’re selling ya
They say jump
Ya say how high
…
“Bombtrack”, by Zack De La Rocha of Rage Against the Machine
Spinning® is a registered trademark of Mad-Dog Athletics
Pole Dancing Your Way To Fitness, Part Two
I am, in a way, always surprised at the variety and number of responses I receive when I send out a “Fitness Musing”. With over 400 people on the distribution list all across North America, Asia and Europe it intrigues me that some people respond to each musing, even if it is just a few lines and some people whom I thought had perhaps fallen off the face of the earth send me a reply when one is least expected.
There are times that I am told by readers that they don’t always agree with what I say or that they generally agree with what I say and I am good with that. Honestly, there are times I don’t agree with what or how I have approached things and have said so. That is a component of growth.
Yesterday’s Pole Dancing Fitness musing was perceived by many to be a hoax. I thought this might be the case and for that reason included a web link. It was not a hoax and Pole Dancing Fitness is not limited to California. In Iowa one can find such “fitness” offerings in Des Moines. WHO-TV, an NBC affiliate covered it and I have included the link so you may watch this “workout” http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?s=7881538 if you so choose. I openly challenge and question the accuracy of the fitness claims made in the story as well as on the various web sites.
I find the mainstream / corporate fitness industry to be in shambles and largely a hoax. I became even more acutely aware of this hoax when I personally entered the corporate fitness world in 2003. I spoke up several times and this led to me being eventually escorted from the fitness industry, at least here in Iowa.
At the last facility I taught at the management scheduled a Hip-Hop Dance class during the final 30 minutes of my Yoga class in the exercise studio immediately adjacent to the Mind Body room. The loud music ruined the class for everyone. More insightful was the fact that several of the members voiced their opinion that they found the lyrics of the Hip-Hop music to be offensive and demeaning to women in addition to objectifying women. I must concur and wonder if the same could be said for Pole Dancing Fitness classes - as on reader wrote yesterday “I almost laughed out loud while reading the various options that you can learn including Lap Dancing Choreography... It's amazing what they won't try to market.”
The bottom line – get it?...the bottom line is the consumer must learn to differentiate between fitness and activities and force the fitness industry to offer them legitimate methods of getting fit. At present the consumer is so confused by the continual onslaught of misleading and incorrect information presented by the fitness industry that they fail to realize they are in fact, already “The Biggest Loser”. (Is it any wonder that the above mentioned TV station is an NBC affiliate – the station showing “The Biggest Loser now entering yet another season?)
More importantly is the need for the fitness industry to be honest with the consumers as to what is fitness and what is not. Walking the dogs and pole dancing, well I view those as activities to be kept in their proper venues. I have always been honest and upfront with my clients, both as a bodyworker and as a personal trainer / group fitness instructor. I can’t teach step aerobics or dance type classes. I won’t teach Pole Dancing Fitness classes as they are not fitness. I only wish they were a hoax.
CJ
There are times that I am told by readers that they don’t always agree with what I say or that they generally agree with what I say and I am good with that. Honestly, there are times I don’t agree with what or how I have approached things and have said so. That is a component of growth.
Yesterday’s Pole Dancing Fitness musing was perceived by many to be a hoax. I thought this might be the case and for that reason included a web link. It was not a hoax and Pole Dancing Fitness is not limited to California. In Iowa one can find such “fitness” offerings in Des Moines. WHO-TV, an NBC affiliate covered it and I have included the link so you may watch this “workout” http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?s=7881538 if you so choose. I openly challenge and question the accuracy of the fitness claims made in the story as well as on the various web sites.
I find the mainstream / corporate fitness industry to be in shambles and largely a hoax. I became even more acutely aware of this hoax when I personally entered the corporate fitness world in 2003. I spoke up several times and this led to me being eventually escorted from the fitness industry, at least here in Iowa.
At the last facility I taught at the management scheduled a Hip-Hop Dance class during the final 30 minutes of my Yoga class in the exercise studio immediately adjacent to the Mind Body room. The loud music ruined the class for everyone. More insightful was the fact that several of the members voiced their opinion that they found the lyrics of the Hip-Hop music to be offensive and demeaning to women in addition to objectifying women. I must concur and wonder if the same could be said for Pole Dancing Fitness classes - as on reader wrote yesterday “I almost laughed out loud while reading the various options that you can learn including Lap Dancing Choreography... It's amazing what they won't try to market.”
The bottom line – get it?...the bottom line is the consumer must learn to differentiate between fitness and activities and force the fitness industry to offer them legitimate methods of getting fit. At present the consumer is so confused by the continual onslaught of misleading and incorrect information presented by the fitness industry that they fail to realize they are in fact, already “The Biggest Loser”. (Is it any wonder that the above mentioned TV station is an NBC affiliate – the station showing “The Biggest Loser now entering yet another season?)
More importantly is the need for the fitness industry to be honest with the consumers as to what is fitness and what is not. Walking the dogs and pole dancing, well I view those as activities to be kept in their proper venues. I have always been honest and upfront with my clients, both as a bodyworker and as a personal trainer / group fitness instructor. I can’t teach step aerobics or dance type classes. I won’t teach Pole Dancing Fitness classes as they are not fitness. I only wish they were a hoax.
CJ
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