The Reader, 108 Sun Salutations

Went to see The Reader with Sascha last night. I'm not a big fan of forced new year celebrations, so seeing a movie I've been eagerly awaiting at 9:30pm would be the perfect way to ring in the new year. But alas, apparently movie theater employees had more interesting plans, as that show was cancelled for yesterday. Nevertheless, we saw the 7pm show and made plans for dinner at Figlio instead.

I'd read The Reader (and plenty of other books) when I was broken last summer. It's an excellent book, and I was anticipating being disappointed with the movie as often happens, but the movie was earning rave reviews. The reviews were right: the movie was very well executed. Extremely well in fact. Kate Winslet put on what must be the performance of her career. Much credit must be given to the book and the screenplay, but Winslet's character is very nuanced, and she pulled it off well. I lived in Germany for two years, and I have to say that it portrayed the German angst over the Holocaust and the (tragic) German reserve very well. Everything that was going on beneath the surface came through, whether you've read the book or not. Some liberties were taken with the chronology and a couple of scenes to translate events to the screen, but nothing that distracted. This is a must see movie, well-deserving of the awards it's earning. (Besides, you get to see Kate Winslet naked - need I say more?)

Figlio, by the way, was excellent. I'd never heard of it before, other than crashing the bar during a Cat 6 mustache ride. I had the lobster ravioli, and it was yum! At $2.50 per ravioli square it was a bit pricey, and you didn't even get any sides, but I've paid more for mediocre food, so really, it was a pleasant splurge.

Today I did 108 sun salutations at the yoga studio. For the non-yogis, a sun salutation is a flowing series of poses, usually for the purpose of warming up the body in preparation for more advanced poses. There is a tradition of welcoming the new year with 108 sun salutations (an auspicious number), so I joined a heated studio full of fellow yogis and yoginis, packed mat to mat, for an amazing practice. There was a real sense of community, and it was an intense way to start the year. You'd probably have to be there to understand.

Another year gone by. A year marred by a seriously nasty bike crash, a stock market crash, a dangerously incompetent president and business leaders, ethnic and religious bloodshed around the world and accelerating global warming. But there is hope for a better 2009 as the majority of Americans have learned the hard way that change is needed, and we all play a part in that change. I'm hopeful that 2009 will pave the way for great years to come, and I hope everyone emerges well from the doom of the moment. No matter how bad things are for us right now, remember that we're pretty privileged compared to most of the people in the world. Be thankful, be kind, and be present.

Yoga

I don't happen to agree with the sentiment, but it's still funny, and probably a lot of people do!

First yoga class...

...since the crash. It went really well actually, and after being immobilized and restricted for so many months, it felt awesome to stretch, bend, twist and work the kinks out. I'm so happy to be able to do yoga again! It's also going to be a big help with further recovery.

I saw my surgeon this morning, and got the official go ahead to get back on the bike. I didn't tell him I'd already been on the bike. Now it's official. Yay! It's been a good week for getting back into a normal life.

This and that

Went running again today and dialed up the pace over the last time. No pikas today, just chipmunks, although I saw one critter with no chipmunk stripes, but no pika ears either, so I'm not sure what it was (too small to be a prairie dog).

I'm really into the reimagined Battlestar Galactica, and tonight we'll watch the final episode until the season resumes in January. After that I'll be able to check out the fan sites without worrying about spoilers. Yes, I'm a nerd, but that's not news to anyone that knows me. It's as interesting as a good book, politically relevant, philosophically stimulating, with neat special effects and hot Cylon chicks (and guys) too. The characters are complex and real, not simply good vs. evil. Seriously, what more could you want?

Physical therapy is coming along, but as remarkable as all the little improvements each day are, I want to be fit again! Once I'm "normal" I still have to work my way back up to the fitness, strength and flexibility I had before the crash. Fortunately, I've had good sports doctors that understand what it's like for an athlete. I'll be so happy when I can sprint on the road bike, shoulder the cross bike for a runup and jump into bakasana in yoga class. To stick with the nerdiness: "patience, young jedi."

Another potential doper caught at the Tour. I'm not liking how they're guilty until proven innocent, especially with the proven outrageous incompetence of the labs, but it looks like confidence is slowly being restored to the Tour and the sport in general. But really, at a time when our justice system is under extreme duress, how about at least waiting for the B sample results before declaring yourself judge, jury and executioner, armchair pundits?

Minneapolis Downtown Classic

So girlfriend and I drive (how I hate having to drive everywhere now!) downtown for the race. After grabbing some Chipotle we stake out a spot at the corner into a nasty headwind for the racers, and I'm hoping to get some good pictures and catch any crashes (and yet hoping there aren't any!). Fortunately there aren't any, and the women race safely, at least through that section. It's also a great spot for cheering. Each lap, however, we're looking out for local hero Teresa Moriarty, and she's not there! We'll hear some rumors later about why not, but there are plenty of cheers available for Linda Sone now, and it's awesome seeing her work her way up each lap! I note how Linda's normally bubbly countenance turns into a mask of intense focus and pain on the bike. (Wow, that was almost poetic!) She and teammate Shana are working hard and working well together, and end up finishing safely up in the field. I don't know Shana well, but looking at the GC she must have done well in the TT and road race as she's very well placed overall.

For the men's race we met up with the Birchwood crew up on the roof of Brit's. My shoulder was hurting after my first day without the sling, so I was hoping a beer would make me forget about it. In between socializing, I saw the results of a lot of crashes, as the pit was located just below us. One crash apparently took out a big chunk of the field, as they all had to jump back in the race at that point. I cringe. Colavita is clearly the most aggressive, sending attacks that stick for many laps time and time again. Rock Racing gets lots of attention - the girls like the "bad boy" image and the guys are checking out the flashy graphics. Love him or hate him, Michael Ball knows how to draw attention! I also chatted with a new(?) Birchwoodie that I met during a karma yoga project that reminded me again of how much I miss yoga as well. On the other hand, if it weren't for yoga, I'd be in worse shape (physically and mentally) than I am now.

By now my shoulder is cramping pretty bad and the wind has taken its toll on my t-shirt clad body, so we skip the party on the wrong side of the bowling green and head home. I'll be so happy when I can have my normal life back!

The Plan

So surgery is scheduled for Tuesday morning. They want to keep me overnight to have me on IV antibiotics and monitor for infection or problems. Then I'm still in a sling for three weeks, and off the bike (and yoga mat) for three months. That puts me into August. That sucks, but not as bad as eight months and healing with a crooked, shortened and deformed collarbone (if I heal at all). I don't think I'll be doing any more crits this year, probably just focusing on getting fitness and mobility back. No choice but the trainer (sigh) until I can get back on the bike. My goal will be to be able to have some fun during cyclocross season. I've gotten a lot of good advice from people, in comments, emails and personally, so thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences! I'm sure I'll get my groove back, but I'm not going to rush anything. Fortunately, I'm not paid to race! Good thing, because I wouldn't have been able to live on a bag of coffee and $7 last year!

Funny Mac / Yoga ad

Mental fortitude

My yoga practice has really been hammering home something I've been learning on the bike as well. And that is the seemingly simple, oft-repeated fact that the greatest limiter to most athletic endeavors is the mind. I really enjoy riding my bike. What I don't so much enjoy is suffering. However, the point at which I want to quit comes way before the point at which I really must quit. The area in between is where the training happens. Last month I practiced yoga every day for the month of January along with many other people around the globe for WoYoPracMo. My asana practice grew more in a month than in the last couple of years that I've been practicing. More importantly, however, I've learned about focus and learned all about that area between wanting to quit and needing to quit, and the amazing benefits of playing in that area. It was similar to the benefits I encountered when I started climbing repeats the fall before last. Pushing beyond "this hurts" when powering up Ohio St. time after time after time resulted in measurable improvements. The theory and blah blah became reality, the pain became (relative) performance. Thus the spring training is going better this year, because I'll go out and train even when I don't want to, when riding or running is not a pleasure, because I've actually experienced that improvement begins when the comfort zone ends. This is probably nothing new to the competitive athletes reading this, but as a relative newbie to competive cycling, it's a revelation to me!

Perspective

Via yogamum. Blog wars aren't limited to bike racers!

Yoga jokes

So, a yogi goes to a baseball game and sees the hot dog vendor in the stands. He calls the vendor over and asks for a hot dog, telling the vendor, "Make me one with everything."

*****

So the hot dog vendor makes the hot dog and gives it to the yogi and says, "That'll be four dollars." The yogi hands him a ten dollar bill and the vendor starts to walk away. The yogi yells, "Hey, where's my change?" To which the vendor replies, "Change must come from within."

Boring

Wow this blog is boring. It's preparation period in the training plan, plus yoga every day for the month of January. I'm blogging that experience of there if anyone's interested. Been getting stuff done around the house, which is great. Going to head out for an easy ride later today, hopefully I'll come back in one piece.

WoYoPracMo

Currently I practice yoga about twice a week. I kicked it up partly for cyclocross season, for which core strength is even more important, and partly because yoga is becoming an increasingly important part of my life in general. Browsing around the web for inspiration I stumbled across WoYoPracMo:

Formerly NaYoPracMo, we're now World Yoga Practice Month. All you have to do is practice yoga every day for the month of January, 2008. From Ashtanga to Iyengar, newbies to longtime practitioners, everyone is welcome to join in the fun.

January is a perfect time to deepen the practice for several reasons: racing season is over, yoga is a welcome respite during the dark, cold month of January in Minneapolis, and the beginning of the new year could also be the beginning of a deeper, more fulfilling practice. Yoga can take many forms, from the familiar asana practice in a studio setting, to karma yoga. Whatever form it takes, it means taking time from each day refocus and try to free myself from the daily distractions of life. I think it's also important for me to take a real break from cycling, which has become an overly important part of my life since moving here, and I'm a bit burned out after a long season. Exactly what form of practice each day will take is still up in the air, but if you care or are maybe even interested in participating, join me at WoYoPracMo.