Just Talking

B2FootCramp!

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 11:18:52 -0400

About 6 or 7 years ago my friend Tony, an avid cyclist, said, “Jon, let’s crash the first part of the B2B ride tomorrow! We’ll ride out 30 or 40 miles and ride back to Boston. What do you think?”

The Brewery to Brewery ride aka. B2B , is a 148 mile bike race...I mean “ride,” organized by the Harpoon Brewery. The rides starts at their seaport brewery in Boston and winds its way up to their Windsor, VT brewery. The course has some nice hills to it with the famous “Leviathan” climb right after the 90 mile mark. This lovely Category 3 climb sucked the air out of my back tire half way up. This point will be brought up in a bit. Back to Tony.

“Sure Tony, that sounds like fun. Let’s check it out.”

Tony and I met the following morning and started cycling down the B2B route until we reached Lexington, MA. One of his friends was officially registered for the B2B in the 20 mph (average speed) group, and was supposed to be rolling out of the Boston brewery right before 7am.

We waited about 10 minutes before a pack of 20+ cyclist was cruising past and Tony’s friend yelled out, “Hey!!” That was our signal to get moving fast and jump on the end of bike caravan. If you are cycling with a good group of riders, drafting behind each other for efficiency is key, especially if you are going to bike 148 miles.

It was a mixed group of triathletes with aero-bars and cyclist with one mission, keep the speed up and survive the full 148miles. As the pack reached the 35 mile mark, Tony and I turned around and started cycling back to Boston.

We joined the group

Super Slow Writer

Fri, 18 May 2012 19:31:17 -0400

I haven’t been adding anything! I’ve written a lot with no editing. All these “Just Talking” articles hanging around. For those of you who know me, I’m a hack writer with minor zeal for editing.

I’ll be posting “stuff” soon.

JM

Go Global With Your Music

Sun, 3 Oct 2010 22:42:53 -0400

I mentioned this a couple months ago in the health club world. Go global with your iTunes! I am constantly looking for my next music fix. I NEED NEW MUSIC or I go nuts. I have my variety of music sources I go to online, especially over in the U.K. From time to time I still get vinyl from across the Atlantic through the mail. You can get great “white label” remixes that break copyright laws here in the U.S. but rock the dance scene in Europe.

For starters, and it’s really easy, go global. Use your iTunes to harness the power of ears from all over the globe. What are people listening to in Germany, Japan, Italy, England, and Brazil? All you have to do is scroll to the bottom of your iTunes home page and hit the American Flag button on the bottom left hand corner.

You hit the little American flag and up pops all the flag buttons you see in the background. Look at all the countries you can visit!

What’s the top-ten in Chile...forget that, what’s the top 100? I’ve been doing this for a while and mentioned the song, “We Speak No Americano,” and how it wasn’t being played in the US. It was huge everywhere else and now it’s finally breaking into the American music scene. The cross influence through technology is boundless and fast. What rocking music can you find and pass onto your music loving friends? What music can you post on our ViVe FB wall that you want to hear in cycling class?

C’mon people, lets get the music grooving for the darker days of winter and keep the party going inside. What can you find and share? What’s the next big hit going to be? Beat me to it!

I’m out, I need to find the next groove.

Peace and strength,

Jon Malone

BTW: 1)Did you find out what the flag was above?
2)You won’t be able to purchase the song in the country you visit. Mark the song and purchase it back in the the U.S. iTunes store. If we have it.

inOutside

Sat, 18 Sep 2010 16:48:05 -0400

New word in creation and being sent to Webster’s.

JM

No Periph’

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 08:28:47 -0400

My mountain biking skills improved over night, literally. The first time I went night mountain biking transformed how I felt and rode the trail.

Before night riding, I was always looking at the trail. All the little rocks I wanted to avoid, the 20 foot drop off the side of the trail, the color of the fall leaves, and the climb way off in the distance. Ugh. Now, with a light system, I was looking only at what I saw lit by those two beams of light. One beam was fixed to the direction of the handlebar while the other pointed directly at where I was looking. That saber of light shooting off my helmet was my third eye.

“What was that noise off the side of the trail?” I looked away from the direction I was riding and the third eye sunbeam shot into the woods and lit up a deer’s eyes. It was late November when I saw that deer, the first cold evening of fall and it gently started to snow. The little white flakes quickly appeared in the tunnel of light. Dancing innocently like butterflies but quickly attacked any bare skin like cold bee stings.

Instantly going into a Novocain like numbness to the stings of snow, I pedaled deeper into the never ending tunnel of light. I realized my peripheral vision, in a way, was shut down. Darkness on either side of me enhanced my forward focus through the snow and directly where I wanted to go. It truly was tunnel vision. I had no periph’!

The adaption to my new riding environment happened instantaneously. I quickly recognized how my initial trail distance gauge was limited by the light length. Just like head beams off a car, you can only see so far and that’s your focus. “Jon, you only have this much on your plate right now to deal with.” Everything became more manageable in smaller sections.

The trails I’d ridden a hundred times during the day suddenly became easier. I was riding everything smoother and had a lot less “dabs.” I wasn’t sweating the small stuff because I couldn’t see it. If it didn’t show up in the main concentration of light, it wasn’t as important. Awesome, “I see the light,” praise the lord. I can bike faster with a lot less stress.

This change in vision quickly carried over into my day time riding. Snow, rain, heat, and humidity would no longer be as big as factor as it once was. This vision carried over into running at night as well.

Now I love the occasional run at night along the Charles River. I throw on the perfect soundtrack and zone out to zone into the lit path in front of me as I no longer see the white tips of the ruffled river in the darkness. The graffiti across the Mass Ave bridge is dulled along with the noise and bustle of daytime congestion.

Try it out if you haven’t already. Let me know what your experience is like.

Keep it real.

Peace and strength,

Jon Malone

Joining The Tribe

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 12:31:07 -0400

Finally, I saw the movie Avatar. There is a scene when the lead character, “Jake,” has to prove himself as a Na’Vi tribe warrior. The challenge is to capture and wrestle down a flying Mountain Banshee. The Banshee is colorful mix of a dragon, bat, and lizard with piranha like teeth. Jake must avoid the animals bite, straddle it, and connect with it via hair like strands. These strands connect all living beings when linked together.

Once he connects with the Mountain Banshee, he completes the test by flying off a cliff thousands of feet above the ground. He levels out with the beast and gains smooth flight while another Na’Vi jumps on their own Banshee to go fly with him. The rest of the Na’Vi tribe are yelling in excitement with only one pessimistic Na’Vi saying. “That moron is going to die.” Sound familiar?

The scene clearly reminds me of moments my friends and I’ve experienced in outdoor adventures. Playing games, racing, mountain biking, climbing, hiking, sky diving, all have aspects of uncertainty and risk. It is the individual who with increasing confidence and consistent practice overcomes the risk. The risks are easily understood as evidenced when a person on a borrowed bike tries for the first time, “doing it.” Taking a tumble on the first flight, getting back up, and learning how to ride. With friends that youthful spirit stirred on by the group helps as we guide the "newbie" through important motions and exercise with humor, joking and laughing which balances out any nervousness. Success! When the all while joking around and laughing balancing out any nervous energies. When the newbie performs the jump for the first time and all hands fly in the air, “Dude!! Knew you had it!”

At that moment the tribe has grown another warrior like the Na’Vi, the athlete commands their bike like that Banshee. You see the connections being made on the fly and it’s awesome. The experienced rider jumps on their mountain bike and trails the new rider through the woods as they explore their new found skill. The surfer paddles out yelling, “You got this wave!” The ski group pulls out the trail map and says, “You can totally do this run now, lets go.” Everyone descends the mountain meeting at the chairlift below sharing thrills of the run just like the excitement between Jake and Neytiri after Jake’s first Banshee flight. “You banked this way and I turned so hard....”

The resemblance between that scene in Avatar and real sport life was very real and it got me excited for moments this spring when new people are getting on a road bike for the first time. Going on a group ride with us or coming to a beginner mountain bike class. Even with seasoned athletes who are trying something new. Roadies who are going to tackle some tougher climbs this year or the mountain biker looking to learn some new skills at Highland Mountain bike park in NH.

If you are joining us for the first time, “Welcome.” If you are the athlete teacher helping newbies, be patient and pace it just right. Don’t forget to laugh and keep it all in balance. Help build the tribe and try not to exclude too much.

Warm weather presents opportunities for joy and exhilaration to be shared. I hope to hear all about it.

Peace and Strength,

Jonathan Malone

Tom

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 22:54:35 -0400

Follow along @jmvive on Twitter tomorrow. I am doing “The Triple S” in honor of my parent’s dear friend, Tom, who just passed away of heart complications.
Over the past year I visited Tom in the hospital (MGH) as he went through heart surgeries, and most recently, was waiting for the right heart for a transplant. Tom and his wife, Jan, and family live in South Windsor, Connecticut, and good friends of my parents in Albany. I live nearby to MGH in Boston so, I felt honored to visit with him. Tom had a huge, warm smile that filled the room, and always was a great guy to visit.
Our talks didn’t span a great deal of time, but we managed to share some wonderful thoughts. He asked me about the time I was biking in downtown Boston and run over by a truck, nearly costing me my life. I explained how I felt at that moment when you think you are in control, but you’re not, you just seem to give yourself to the moment. Similarly, dealing with health and a healing process, you do the best that you can and trying to stay positive through it all. “Stand porter at the door of thought.”
It was if Tom knew something about his future, but wasn’t revealing too much. He knew there would be a time to let go of his desires, but he was supported by the prayers of a community, the doctor’s hope, and family love. He was extremely at peace with loosening the tight human grip we have with staying alive and was giving it over to life eternal.
Even though we had those serious conversations we did keep it in balance. I brought him some fun adventurous magazines and he would joke around while lying in bed and say, "we need to stop meeting up like this!" To which I replied, "Fine. Heal up and next time you’re hiking with me!"
He asked me about some of my favorite hikes which led to talking about hiking Tuckerman’s and “The Triple S,” an event I designed. Land, sea and air all in one day. Three sports which all start with the letter “S.”
“Tom, first you hike up Mt. Washington through Tuckerman’s Ravine, earning your snowy turns down by Ski or Snowboard. You then drive to Maine and Skydive. After that you cruise to the coast of New Hampshire and Surf. – That’s what constitutes the three ‘S’ sports.”
Tom was fascinated, and quickly asked, “Why do you do this?”
I replied, “Funny you should ask. I’ve had some people think it’s all about the adrenaline rush or you’re trying to show-off. I do it because it makes me feel complete. Kind of like experiencing Thanksgiving Day, Earth Day, and a baptism all rolled into one. I’ve heard ‘the journey is the destination’ and this is a great example of that thought.”
“Hiking up the mountain I am thankful to be alive.” I explained, “I have two good legs to help me climb to the highest point of the mountain at Tuckerman’s. There you enjoy a great vista and pay respect to the supreme spirit of the land. Then, you dance down the mountain on your skis or on your snowboard.
“Second, you fly up in a plane to a point where you can start to see the curve in the Earth. Just before you dive out, the plane veers one way and you see the mountain you just climbed, where you began the day’s events. Then, the plane veers the other way and you see the ocean where you are about to surf to end the day’s activity. We have such an amazing playground.”
“Third, you start walking out into the ocean and you feel your body get lighter as you walk deeper into the water. A wave rolls in and your feet lift off the ocean bottom and touch back down. You paddle out and just ‘chill.’ The sun is setting, and you patiently wait for that first wave you want to go for. You paddle hard, pop up, and just ride till you dive back down into the ocean at waves end, completely washed and refreshed.”
Tom shook his head in amazement, smiled warmly with a nice sparkle in his eyes. He told me he had skydived before and wished he could be apart of this day.
But, Tom passed away Sunday afternoon, April 18. So, tomorrow for him, I will carry his generous spirit with me as I go hike. He will be apart of this entire day. He encouraged me to continue chasing down the dreams saying, "Those are great dreams with goals to get you there ...no more time to doubt." His final comment had hit the nail on the head for me.
My last words with Tom, "I don't care what these Doc’s say, as far as I'm concerned, you have a great heart!"
Let's go play tomorrow, Tom, and first, you’re going hiking.

Peace and strength,
Jonathan B. Malone