Momentum: Bodies in Motion TA's Weekly Update 8.23.09

>Howdy,

Sitting here typing with blue stained finger tips having picked and processed 15 litres of blueberries. Marian, Nolan, and I had a fine time wondering through the Tilton Barrens on a dual mission of checking out an orienteering map and picking blueberries. When I looked at the upload of data from my new Garmin Forerunner 305, I noticed that blueberry picking got much more of our attention. The Garmin is a training tool that is a combination of heart rate monitor and GPS. It tracks how far, how fast, and how fast my heart beats. It is already giving me new windows into and understanding of my training. Using a heart rate monitor allows me to work out in a specific heart-rate zone to give my various energy systems an opportunity to grow stronger and more efficient.

By uploading the data to the Garmin Connects site, I can view the terrain I covered. If you'd like to see the berry-picking track, you can click here. http://bit.ly/4h103p If you zoom in (by pushing the plus button) you'll see the little squiggles that I made when pursing the almighty blue antioxidant and breakfast staple. In just a few days of having it, I can see that I'm going to use the new toy (tool) when teaching students about backcountry navigation. It's both invigorating and a challenge to keep current with all the technology that exists for outdoor recreation these days. What in the past may have been ten essentials may have grown to 15 or 20 now.

It was a bit of a post-partum week after Camp Glow, the valley after a peak experience. Fortunately, I knew that was likely so did my best to wait it out. The house renos made big leaps forward this week and I think the summit ridge may just be visible through the clouds ahead. I got a few long standing house projects done and that felt good.

Training is moving forward. My running distances are slowly growing and the ankle mostly does pretty well. I get some soreness and stiffness with it and on occasion, the other leg hurts in the same place for solidarity even though it's never been injured (bodies are funny things).

I notice that training begets training. As I get back to a more disciplined approach, it gets easier to be disciplined. As my training schedule becomes more routine, I find it easier to get it done. As I begin to sense training and strength gains, I get excited to do more. Momentum is key. I see that more and more. I am a creature of momentum. I like to create it and use it to keep things moving forward.

If I (or a project) lose momentum, I notice how hard it is to pick it up again and get it going once more. Sometimes things go on the wayside for weeks, months or years, half done…just waiting for a hit of energy to see them through. With this insight of late, I'm more choosey. I don't start things if I don't have the time or energy to see them through. I try to not split my attention too many ways. I am simplifying my existence so that I can focus my momentum on nurturing the most critical tasks through to completion.

Inertia is hard to overcome…both personally and in training but once I have some of that momentum I've been talking about, I tend to remain in motion. I like to use the "body in motion" trick to manage all the things I need to pull off but also have learned that sometimes "a body must remain at rest." My life as a science experiment!

Not feeling all that articulate today so I'll sign off knowing that in almost seven short months to the day, I will be arriving in Kathmandu to start another Everest adventure.

Take care,

TA

Flash Rust: TA's Weekly Update August 9, 2009

Howdy,

Catching a few minutes pause between coats of rust-inhibiting paint on our old claw foot tub. It got moved out on the deck on Friday and I've had intimate lessons in the concept of flash rust. Basically, one shouldn't sand or grind a metal object one intends to paint until just before you paint it. If you sand early and it rains say, you get a "flash rust" lesson and you get to sand and grind and wire wheel more than you did the first time. It was a little like making a carry at high altitude, I got to cover the same ground over and over again.

But now, there are two coats of paint on the tub and it only sprinkled some rain to bring up our heart rates (the paint said-it shouldn't have rain touch it for 24 hours) so the tub is doing a good imitation of an orange ghost or a rather misshapen pumpkin by hiding out under one of our camping tarps.

Speaking of camping, Marian and I have been "camping" in our house since Friday when they removed the main drainage stack and plumbing in the bathroom. No water, no sewer, no toilet. Frankly, it's easier to camp outdoors where you can go off and find a fine spot to take care of business. Instead we are making well-timed visits to local restaurants and schlepping our camping pee bottles with us to work when we head there for a shower.

Now that all the demolition has been done (and of course, it was more extensive than anyone had imagined-when planning renos double the time and triple the budget), they can start putting everything back together again starting tomorrow with the hope of water by Wednesday. So as you can see, my week was consumed by renos…either waiting for deliveries, making upteen visits to building supply stores, consults with "da guys," painting, sanding, cutting quarter-round (thank god Marian has more spatial intelligence than I or we might still be up in the new study…the new floor looks fab!), and collapsing our existence into every smaller and smaller spaces as the reno virus spread. Pockets of sanity in the house are harder to find-rather like taking a layover on a big expedition where a metaphoric bomb goes off and things explode from your backpack to be found, dried, and organized before the next big storm rolls through.

Apart from the urban adventure of renos, I've managed three runs this week. The ankle is doing well in taking on the new activity. It's been great to back at it and I've reconnected with old running/training routes in the early morning. It reminds me that I do know how to train. I feel rather like the new cork floor that got laid down on the third floor this week, that I am laying a foundation of gentle discipline.

I'm reminding myself and relearning about how to make training happen in my new life as part of partnership. When I lived alone, I could train just about any time but now I'm sorting through how to fit training in around all the other joys of life like sharing a yummy breakfast on a sun-drenched deck amid the basil and oregano. I figure August is foundation time–training in a summer pace–amid plenty of flower-smelling and reno-projecting.

I thought I would make another invite for folks to join me on the trek into Everest base camp. There is a trek at the beginning of the expedition that meets in Kathmandu on March 30 and last about 2.5 weeks. There are four or five folks already signed up to trek in with me at that point. There is also another trek leaving May 1 that will hit base camp right about summit bid time…more info on these treks can be found on the Peak Freaks website: http://peakfreaks.com/ebc_trek.htm and I would be happy to answer any questions about the experience as well.

I also have a friend who is considering trekking in sometime in May who is going to work with my friend Raj to create a trek and she is looking for a traveling companion as well. If you'd like to trek in a very small group, let me know and I will patch the two of you together. Peak Freaks has been holding spots for friends of mine, which they will release soon so I wanted to put one last invite out to join us on the amazing journey to Everest! I'm touched that folks are going to great lengths to come along and I can't wait to show them one of my favourite places in the world.

Finally, a climbing friend of mine, Alan Arnette has a mountain-sized ambition to climb the seven summits while raising a million dollars for Alzheimer's research. He's also hoping some folks will join him on some of the climbs. I'm thinking I will do my best to climb Mount Vinson with Alan in November of 2010 (a better length of time for raising the funds than this year I concluded). If you are thinking of climbing Kilimanjaro, this might be a great opportunity and great cause to support.

Please check out Alan's project at http://www.alanarnette.com/alzheimer/memories7summits.php

Have a great week. Time to give the tub another coat of paint and then log my training hours.

TA