I have sent you my invitation,
the note inscribed on the palm of my hand by the fire of living.
Don’t jump up and shout, “Yes, this is what I want! Let’s do it!”
Just stand up quietly and dance with me.

Show me how you follow your deepest desires,
spiralling down into the ache within the ache.
And I will show you how I reach inward and open outward
to feel the kiss of the Mystery, sweet lips on my own, everyday. (more…)

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Jens Voigt is my favorite kind of rider. He is completely selfless when it comes to his team. He personifies the worker and he leaves nothing behind on the field. He is also one of the most loved riders in the world, and certainly one of the top 3 favorite riders among pro riders themselves. This isnt by accident.

I have included 2 clips from the movie Overcoming, which is a documentary about the CSC team . Its a bit of a stretch in time, but over your lunch make a cup of coffee and load them over your companies bandwidth. He is a very unique individual and yes, I have had the chance to spend time with him and yes, he is THAT nice.

We had a very interesting conversation ranging from Shark Spotters in Muizenberg to how Global Warming is going to affect Germany. He is madly passionate about his kids, as he is about everything in life it seems, but his kids in particular got him going full tilt, arms flailing all over the show and shouting about how proud he was of them.

Magic stuff…

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-SH05G7vAs]

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4NSZa9X1jg]

No go out and do something selfless and random for someone.

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It may seem like a track bike wouldn’t stand a chance against a super-charged V8 engine in a speed contest, but don’t mention that to Olympic gold medalist Chris Hoy.

Pedaling his Dolan track bike, Hoy will take on race car champ Lewis Hamilton, who’ll be at the wheel of a Mercedes SLR, next month at London’s Wembley Stadium.

The man vs. machine match-up is expected to draw 80,000 curious spectators. Click on the picture for the full story.

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So cool…

Please comment….

Have an amazing week out there. Cool quote I heard today. “Better done than perfect” – thanks.

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I am formalising my coaching program at the moment with the eye on a launch for Jan 1st, 2009. I have a name and the basis which I want to coach off, and have put a limit to the number of athletes I can realistically deal with to start on each level which I want to be involved with people.

I want to coach on 3 levels of interaction with guys, and basically, the more interaction you want, the more you need to invest in me. It’s a relationship which goes both ways.

The best athletes never seem to make the best coaches. I have only had relative success as a triathlete and I don’t consider myself an elite level athlete. Never have been and never will be. I am what you would call an elite age grouper and enjoy my time there. Its a good balance for me. I have a huge hunger for knowledge and I have been blessed enough to have regular access and spent time with guys like Gordo , Joe Friel and James Cunnama , all 3 are established coaches and ultimately were very successful at implementing their strategies. Thousands of successful athletes will quote you these guys as their source of happiness. They all focus on a balanced lifestyle, not just the finishline.

My basic philosophy for coaching can be summed up as follows:

“Has your life improved because I am partnering with you to achieve your goals?”

I don’t care if you win races. I want my teachings to positively influence every piece of your life. I want you to live a balanced life. I want you to have a girlfriend who loves you because you are becoming an Ironman. I want you to be happy and energetic when race week comes.

I also don’t want to coach everybody. I want to coach athletes who have discipline and the ability to listen. Athletes who want a better life, not just a result. Athletes who are patient and realise that they might have to go slow before they go “relatively” fast in endurance racing.

I have spent the last few years digging for knowledge and the same thing comes up time and time again.

“There is no easy way” is the famous line from Epic Camp. I have to agree. If you want an easy sport, try lawn bowls or darts. You can drink, smoke and be fat and still be a world champion. You can have middle names like “The Power” and be wildly popular among overweight British slappers.

We prefer triathlon because it improves our lives. Because it’s hard. But it needn’t be stupid. You needn’t kill yourself out there everyday to come home tired and irritable, hating your sport and being an idiot to your loved ones. You needn’t doubt yourself all the time. Surely your sport should be the antithesis of tired, unconfident and unmotivated?

So if you are interested in being coached please drop me a line at raoul@urban-ninja.co.za and we can discuss your individual needs for next year.

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Thanks to Seth from 2Oceansvibe for this valuable piece of history right here. Eddie Izzard is one of my favorite funny guys, he dresses funny and I love his style of humor.

I also happen to love Christopher Walken – He is omnipresent and always a hoot. The impression is uncanny. You have yourself an awesome weekend now. I know mine is jam packed with action, but you`re going to have to wait till monday for a synopsis of the chaos that’s about to hit.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF1ANzUmSv0]

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“…Try to execute this workout once every 4-7 days, depending on your motivation and rate of recovery, of course! Finally, if you don’t have time for this, well, then, maybe you should consider switching sports. Maybe take up badminton or archery? Gaming? Major League Eating?

You say you want to be a faster triathlete next season? Then trade that wishbone for some backbone!

Now quit reading and get training.” – Chuckie V

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One of the new things I am going to be posting about is sustainable design. As my itch to buy a property grows at the moment one of the things I am researching is sustainable design, as the option to build is there too, as frustrating as that may seem.

I found (not literally, because then I’d still be there) this restaurant this morning and had to post some pictures of it. How gorgeous is this?

(more…)

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[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0urVtOFoEI&feature=related]

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I am always amazed at how the body deals with pain. It simply forgets about it. Its a coping mechanism for dealing with future similar scenarios. When pain is purely physical we forget easily, but when its emotional it tends to leave a scar that can cut quite deep and might take years of therapy to get over.

I am about to embark on a training phase which is going to give me quite a bit of stiffness and muscle soreness over the next few months. My quest to superpower my bike split has to work in 2 phases. I did a year of really good basework this year, and for the next few months I am going to rebuild it with speed and sustained power workouts, all at higher intensities (but not near threshold) than what I’ve been doing this year. This means less mileage but higher quality mileage, and more pain. (more…)

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