Archive for June, 2012
Episode 31–BOXING AT HOME
Saturday (6/23/12) we did the “Blue Cruise” put on by Blue Cross of Idaho to raise money for various charities around the Treasure Valley.
(Let me repeat that line: PUT ON BY BLUE CROSS OF IDAHO. This isn’t your mom and pop organization. It’s a major corporation. Keep reading; I have a point here).
Miles and I signed up for the century ride (100 miles) and took off from the starting line at 7AM. We got in with a fast group right off the bat of about 30 riders for the first 75 miles. At that point the group took several wrong turns and got us off course. This taught us to not trust the group no matter how big it is. Miles kept saying to me, “Man, this doesn’t feel right. I think the group has taken a wrong turn.” He was right—he always is. Anyway, we left the group, got back on course and still finished in less than 5 hours. We were happy with our effort and ride time.
Having said all of that, I have to be honest with you: The support for this ride was flat out TERRIBLE. I’m not kidding. I didn’t see a SAG wagon the entire time. The aid stations (rest stops) were pathetic. Food was scarce with only bananas and fig newtons. I’ve seen better food at a homeless shelter. I stood there staring at the table thinking, “I’ll get more fuel gnawing on this table leg.” I walked away empty, disappointed and deprived. After the ride, they had pulled pork sandwiches, Cole slaw, potato salad and water. For the non-meat eaters, you had a wrap with lettuce, cheese and onions. Gross.
The good things about this ride:
- They offered a free 10 min massage if you felt like standing in a long line for it.
- They had chocolate chip cookies
The ride packets were anticlimactic filled with useless crap that I will never use (Windshield crack repair? Really?) Blue Cruise organizers offered only one discount coupon to a vendor for a $45 massage. (my massage therapist will come to my house for $40). The poop-brown t-shirt provided is now at the bottom of my garbage can.
To top off my rant, the route was boring as hell. Blue Cross has put NO EFFORT into updating the route or giving it a facelift. Talk about a snooze fest.
In contrast, the Great Owhyee Ride (from last weekend) was put on by volunteers who knocked themselves out with a fantastic variety of food and SAG support. We felt like we had really made a difference by participating in their fund raising ride. I could tell they were grateful and it makes me want to go back next year. I’m excited to go back and support their cause! Even the “Cycle for Independence” which raises money for the blind left you feeling good because the people you are supporting are actually out there helping with the ride, meeting people, thanking riders, etc. The Blue Cruise left me with a giant yawn.
I realize this is a negative blog and you might be cringing while you’re reading it. I just read it to Miles and he said, “Man, you’re really coming down hard on Blue Cross.” Yes, I am. But I call it like I see it. And I was not impressed with the Blue Cruise.
(This was my first century (100 miles) that I finished in under 5 hours. I was excited.)
Age is just a number, baby!
A shout out to my client, Dr. Lee Lindquist, who turns 68 today. He’s in fantastic shape and can handle anything I put him through. His wife, Joan (next to him) is 65. These two are proof that age is just a number!
I couldn’t stop the words from rolling off my tongue…
You know when you have a moment when you say something and you can actually see your life flashing before you in slow motion as you say the words? I know I’m being a little dramatic (I’m my mother’s daughter) but this happened to me tonight. I spoke a sentence I’ve never heard myself speak and it felt like a different person as it was happening. More importantly, it actually stirred up feelings foreign to me.
Let me explain.
Most of you know me and you know that I DO NOT lack confidence. Even from a young age, I know who I am. I know I’m pretty, smart, funny, sexy and I’m very sure of my place in this world. I know when I walk into a room my presence is known and I command attention. I know I can intimidate someone at the drop of a hat with one look; I know I can make a crowd laugh with one line. Confidence is not an issue for me. I’m not jealous, envious or intimidated by anyone or anything. I’m just not.
I recently starting dating a man who is a fantastic cyclist. He’s been riding longer than me and he’s just flat out BETTER than me, despite our age difference or my more natural athletic ability. I’m constantly trying to keep up with him, chasing him down, pushing myself harder to out ride him. Tonight, we did a 3,000 foot climb up a mountain. He was holding back to ride along side me. I knew it, and I appreciated it. We love to be together and he paced me faster than I would’ve paced myself.
We were riding faster and harder than I’ve ridden before up this mountain. My pace was good (for me) and I was feeling so proud of myself. But he wasn’t saying anything. He wasn’t giving me kudos or high fives. The only thing he did say was, “What’s your heart rate?” When I told him, he replied, “Well, there’s room there to push yourself harder.” As we approached the top, I was feeling pretty drained and this is how the conversation went:
Me: “SO? How did we do?”
Him: “Eh. I don’t know…okay, I guess…I usually get to this point 20 minutes faster.”
Me: “Well then, how did I do??? How do you think I did?”
And that’s when it happened. My moment of insecurity and desperately needing to hear from him that I did great. He looked at me funny because he has probably never heard me speak with such insecurity. The poor guy stumbled for an answer, “Um…er, uh, I don’t know, babe. I guess…um… you did okay.”
Here’s the bottom line (and the point of this blog), I KNEW I did great on that ride. Did I ride it better than him? No. Could I have done it better than I did? Probably. But it was a MASSIVE improvement over last time I rode it. It is not his job to feed me a line of bull. He’s not a trainer; he’s not a coach and to be quite honest, he’s not a good motivator. That’s not his strong point. In his mind it was a slow, non-productive ride and probably a waste of time. But the fact is I have gotten stronger and I continue to improve.
It is NO ONES job to make you feel good. That’s your job. YOU are in charge of your own happiness and joy. Even if you’re in a loving relationship like mine, it is ultimately your responsibility to make sure YOU are happy. Never rely on anyone to make you happy. Other people can certainly can add to your happiness (he adds to mine every day) but always trust your own judgement and do what’s right for you. You have to be happy with yourself.
And when he turns to me and tells me, “Baby, you killed it today on our ride!” I know that he means it and that it’s a true, honest compliment.
The Great Owyhee Ride lived up to it’s name. I was indeed a GREAT ride.
Perhaps the organizers had a prayer meeting last night asking the Heavenly Father for a beautiful day because the weather could not have been better. A nice day always helps!
Upon arrival, our check-in was relatively smooth and organized. The organizers were happy to see us, shook our hand, and thanked us profusely for coming. Ride packs included a cool shirt that was designed differently that most ride shirts. The ride started on time and we were off! We had police escort all the way out of town, although I don’t know if it was needed because I think the entire town of Ontario was asleep! Regardless, it was nice to sail though intersections.
The scenery was breathtaking and the roads were decent most of the way. But there was a stretch of road through the canyon that was quite rough. Reminded me of a patchwork quilt I made my mom in high school. But there were no dangerous objects in the road and the entire 100 miles was free from loose gravel.
Rest stops were awesome. The food was OFF THE HOOK! They had every kind of food you could want from fresh fruit to protein to sweets! The water was cold and the volunteer’s smiles were warm. SAG wagons and motorcycles circled the course and I never once felt abandoned or lost. The course was clearly marked with giant arrows, caution warnings and confirming marks.
The main guy in charge was a man named Kevin, who was a cross between Mr. Clean and a mobster hit man. This dude has either spent some serious time in the gym or time in prison. Good Lord he’s huge! But I don’t think I’ve ever met a nicer man. Helpful, courteous and kind. He personally greeted each rider as they crossed the finish line and spoke to them one-on-one to see what they thought of the ride. He listened to suggestions (we didn’t have any) and thanked us for coming. He is a big reason I will be coming back.
The after-ride food was pulled pork sandwiches, chips, pasta salad, cookies, soda, beer and wine. We all sat on picnic tables or the grass and visited with the other riders.
There is no reason whatsoever why every cyclist in the Treasure Valley shouldn’t be attending this ride next year. Fantastic day.
Besides…you wouldn’t want Mr. Clean mobster coming after you, would you?
Bob LeBow Bike Tour
Insecurities of a stalker…
I recently found out that I have a modern day stalker. By that I mean, this person isn’t camping on my door step, following me home or going through my trash (at least I don’t think so). But rather this person has become totally and utterly obsessed with me in every way “internet-ly” possible.
I have no idea why this person has chosen to make me the center of their energy, time and focus. I’ve had admirers in the past from my boxing career, MTV show and media/public attention. It could be a physical attraction to me, athletic ability, my job as a trainer, envy of my happiness, contentment with my life…I don’t know if this person loves me or hates me…who knows? I didn’t give it a second thought but it caused me to wonder why people become obsessed with others?
It boils down to insecurities and jealousy. This person, and many others who do this sort of thing, are not happy with themselves or their own lives. The energy this person is using to dive into my life isn’t being used to better themselves. They choose to ignore their own problems, their own situation and instead invest that time to something they can’t change: me. Why? You will only drive yourself crazy and these unhealthy thoughts that bury deeper into your heart. It’s very sad.
My heart feels sorry for you and I encourage you to get some help. Obtain an activity that will take you away from the computer. Take up a hobby, get a job, volunteer at an animal shelter. You are robbing your own life of happiness and joy by obsessing about mine. I have never been jealous or envious of anyone or anything so it’s hard for me to imagine why. But someone with this mindset must be in agony. And it saddens me to think of anyone in agony over something they can change.
(the reason I’m not insecure–I carry an ax, a knife and a saw. Yep)
BLOG 
You must be logged in to post a comment.