Finding Zen half a world away

Mark Blanchard worked with some of the stretching and relaxation techniques that he's learned in boxing and yoga to find a little 'zen' in the PEK airport in China.
This is what we mean when we tell you that your 'Fitness' is Everywhere! Way to apply your skills Mark!!


(These photos are from Mark's recent trip to China, actually in the Beijing Airport - part of the incredible efforts undertaken by the Chinese as the hosted the last Olympic Games.)

A jaunt through the woods

Coach Coop and her sidekick, John, went to the woods (Eagle Creek Park) for a little trounce through the woods with a couple hundred other like-minded souls and mud-stompin' yogis. It was the first DINO trail run of the season, March 14th. Of course, Coach Coop has been heading out to The Creek from time to time, and also visiting other trails and paths in the area. John, on the other hand, tends to take off in a trot about as often as our federal budget runs a surplus.

It was big fun, really. Perfect weather for a run through the park (btw - you may find this particular park referred to adoringly as Iggle Crick, but only when addressing cycling events and issues). We hung back at the start, and took our sweet time. The route, about 5k, including a sweet section of twisting, curvey, rutted, steep single track that REALLY got John excited. During the trounce, Coach Coop asked John why he'd taken to running of late: John really didn't have much of an answer for her - he couldn't even make something up on the spur of the moment (perhaps due to a lack of oxygen). Heck, we all know that John is no runner - in fact, the only thing he really struggles more with is swimming!

'Bout the only thing that came to him was, "Well, perhaps it was a remnant of the Project work with Coach Chris?" And so I consulted Coach Chris on this - and he shared the following:
"Trail running is primal, indigenous, authentic, real, visceral and pure. Anyone who has peeled away at least a few sticky layers of ego knows this and feels it."

So, there you go - as good a reason as any. In the end, is it important, this reason? The bottom line is, John will be doing more of these. At least he isn't likely to drown!

While Coach Cooper went Skiing....

Coach Cooper went on an intensive training session in Flagstaff this weekend. Meanwhile, I engaged in some intense activity of my own. Above, Ted won the St. Maria Goretti wrestling tournament in the 119 weight class. Nothing gets the adrenaline going like a 3-minute wrestling match that is tied 0-0 at the end of regulation and which your son BLASTS a take-down in about the first 5 seconds of over time.
This is Ted in the stands at the Carmel basketball game Friday night. He and a bunch of friends came out to cheer on his sister Alexa's last dance with the highschool team. And in case you're wondering, body-paint and bare chests are not allowed at Carmel high school games.
Here is the rest of Alexa's cheering crew: Left to right - Bryce, Alexa's sister Tori, Luke, Alexa, Tori's boyfriend Joe F., Joe S. and Ted.
Seniors on the dance team at the after-party: Kelsey, Mikayla, Alexa and Tori
Alexa and her coach, Susan Wolf. Ms. Wolf gave a nice little speech for the girls that included the following thought: When we die, they put the date we were born and the date we died on the headstone. It is the time in-between, the trip of our life, that counts. For these girls, their time on the team seems like one of the most important things that has occurred on their "trip", when in fact, it will end up being just a little blip, barely noticeable in the long run. For Ms. Wolf, though, her nine years as coach of the team has been her very most important stretch on the trip between her start and what will be her end. Her life-role as "coach" has come to define everything about who she is. For me, it conveyed an interesting perspective, and accurately captured the essence of "coach".

A Common Misperception

Basically, there are three kinds of people: Those who have a bike, those that are going to get a bike, and those who never got a bike but should have!
If you go to a local bike shop, they will try to sell you a "fit" or even a "custom fit" as part of their services of getting you on just the right bike. They will take some anatomical measurements, consult a chart - maybe they will even put you on a funny-looking bike-like thing, et voila, you've been "custom fit". And nine times out of ten, they will have "just the bike that's perfect for you" on their floor. What you have been through, though, is a "sizing", and not a custom fit! To be "sized" for a bike, you'll get a frame that can be made to fit you perfectly, with proper seat height, fore/aft position of the seat, seat tilt, stem length, handle bar height, handle bar drop and reach, cleat placement on your shoes, compensations for your own personal and unique geometry and physical ranges of motion and sense of comfort. Oh, and last but not least, power and efficiency that can be applied to the pedals and out to the road. If you want all those things - you'll be best served to go beyond the quickie bike-store sizing and check out someone like Coach Ken Nowakowski (i.e. Dr. Knows-alot-ski).
Above is a photo of the first-of-its-kind and prototype of the ProBikes Ltd. "Dynamic Fitting Cycle". Coach Ken made this in about three weeks time. And it is pretty special! Via remote control, while you are on the bike and pedaling, hooked up to a CompuTrainer lab-quality power meter, you will be adjusted up/down, forward/aft, handle bars will go up and down. The crank arm lengths are variable, the stem is completely adjustable, and the whole rig will be rotated on a turntable so you can be video taped (using 2-D and 3-D video imaging), and the resulting data reviewed with the experienced eye of the best bike-fit person in the Midwest.
Ken and John showed this Dynamic Fitting Cycle at the National Hand-Built Bicycle Show this past weekend at the Indianapolis Convention Center. The idea was to showcase and highlight Ken's fitting services: Instead, we created a huge stir in the custom-built bike community over the fitting cycle itself. If we can finish the original prototype, and figure out how to build many of them, and figure out a price to charge so that it is worth our while - you may see one at your local bike shop sometime this year.
In the meantime - if you have a bike and want to make the most of it, or if you are going to buy a bike and want it to FIT - check with John and he'll hook you up with Dr. Knows-alot-ski.