With many photos to come soon after I retrieve my newly purchased laptop after a crashed mother board I plan to add them from some of the races I have attended so far to watch many of the women that we got to know last year while putting on women’s cycling clinics, supporting the ladies’ record setting RAO ride and through my wife being on the Sorella Forte Cycling Board of Directors.

I was doing what we all do when we’re supposed to be working (fortunately for me, this actually counts as work…well, sort of), I was trolling through the weekly local racing results (don’t worry folks, I’m not in them so I’m not hunting my own kill) when I came across some pretty amazing stuff.

First off, I was not surprised by the fact that friends and regular seekers of knowledge Colleen McClenahan rocked a 4th place finish at her first go at Tabor and 6th last night, with an unfortunately dropped chain on the finish, and is now sitting in 4th overall. Of course, newbie to the track Kim Rueter, but Cat 3 on the road is winning every track event she enters over there. (I can’t wait to be a cat 5 again too, I just hope I don’t get dropped!).

Of course, newbie to the track , but Cat 3 on the road is event she enters over there. (I can’t wait to be a cat 5 again too, I just hope I don’t get dropped!).But what really caught my eye and blew me out of the water, was how many of the women who came to last year’s clinic series are either winning or placing in the tops of their respective fields or have upgraded and hanging tough.

Abby Jenkins, Jan Moss and Sarah Tingey are consistently winning or placing in the top of their categories, and Libby Evans & Kaytee Petross just upgraded and are killing it already top contenders regularly, Jen Urich has PR’d in every duathlon and running event she’s entered this year and Shana Sturtz is riding strong as well and it just made my heart sing to see this, (especially during a week like I’ve had). Flo Liebowitz’s TTT team lost by 3 minutes without anything aero over a 27 mile course w/ 4-person teams (you do the math!).

Great job ladies! Maybe we actually did do something that made a difference and  helped the sport Adnan?

Either way, I’m just glad to see women’s cycling going strongly, and growing as quickly as it is, and to the overall development I see going on in every arena of cycling as of recent. If we were to only allow the press to determine our perception on reality and provide our sense of hope in any area of our lives, we would have all quit years ago, and now look what has happened!

The Cross-Crusade, (a legendary, local cyclo-cross racing series), is now getting over 1,100 entrants in most of the races. Many of the fields have almost doubled in size as have the number of people coming out to training races weekly. Erik Tonkin and his Sellwood Bike Repair, Kona Bikes and River City Bikes sponsored ‘cross clinics reaching similar numbers  It’s awesome to see what could be perceived as something that is “bad” easily get turned into something very, very good!

Leave it to Portland to lead the way in just about everything. Although, it doesn’t take a jack-ass to realize that if you’re not only thinking about ‘you’ all of the time that life tends to get better for all, starting with you oddly enough! (Ranting sort of stops NOW!)

I am truly grateful to be a small part of it and I look forward to witnessing even more of it in the future. Things are headed in a good direction and I love what I am seeing.

Keep up the great work everyone!

***Photos coming soon!***

-JS

As many of you know I am not only an athletic coach but a success coach, for lack of a better description, who’s primary goal as a professional is to help others determine and overcome their personal roadblocks to success en route to achieving their goals, whether that be in the physical realm or otherwise.

As such, I am always open to, and on the lookout for new and effective means for growing personally and adding to my tool box for helping others do the same. My motto as a professional and as a human being has always been that “My approach to coaching and to life is one that is subject to change given better information at any given time”. Fortunately for me, and for my clients, I am presented with better, or should I say, new and exciting information and tools for helping others succeed all of the time.

One such example has recently come to me in the form of a tip from a fellow coach and friend whom I hold in the highest regard. He is a coach and a human being who I feel really ‘gets it’ in both arenas. What I mean by ‘gets it’, is that he understands what’s really important in life, and how to really bring out the best in people through his coaching by caring about his clients and through leading by example. He has certainly helped and been an example to me.

We connect on a monthly basis to share and trade ideas and last month he had shared one with me that I didn’t really ‘hear’ until this week. As some of you may already know, Oprah has been doing a 12 week, special web broadcast around the world, where she has been interviewing a revolutionary spiritual teacher and visionary by the name of Eckhart Tolle.

In the course of doing so, they have been going through his most recent book, titled “A New Earth”, that focuses on the shift that is occurring in human awareness in order to help us evolve to a higher level of functioning through an elevation in our individual and collective levels of consciousness.

While that may sound, and is to some degree quite esoteric, it is by no means as ‘out there’ as it sounds and is actually quite down to Earth. (No pun intended, but gladly achieved!). The subject matter is also extremely congruent with my own personal philosophy and espouses many of the beliefs, techniques and tools that I utilize in my own journey of personal growth as a coach and as a human being and that I have found useful in working with anyone who is also interested in growing towards their highest potential.

Unfortunately, this Monday, May the 5th, 2008 will be the last show of this 12 week series. However, fortunately for us, each show has been archived on Oprah’s website and is available for the viewing, free of charge. Finally heeding my friend’s suggestion to check it out, I watched the first recorded show last night and was so moved by it, that I not only felt inspired to share it with as many people as possible, but felt a certain sense of responsibility to do so.

After watching the show I went out for a run with my dog as I often do in the evening, and felt a sense of exhilaration, inspiration, clarity of purpose and connection that I have not felt in a while. It provided me with the catalyst I have been meditating on and waiting for as of late, a catalyst of inspiration & guidance in this area of focus in my business and in my personal life. I am so grateful to have chosen to take the time to watch this first show and plan to watch the next 11, starting with Monday’s last live showing at 9pm PST and the rest of the shows that are archived on Oprah’s web site.

If you are interested in checking it out, and I highly recommend that each and everyone of you do just that, just go to her site (I know it sounds cheesy, but just trust me on this one here folks) and look for the Book Club section and the recent discussions with Eckhart Tolle on his book ‘A New Earth’. You can also check out the videos directly at the following link.

“A New Earth” discussions w/ Eckhart Tolle on www.Oprah.com

I can say with confidence that I know that you will be glad that you did. I hope that you get at least half as much, if not more than what I have gotten out of it so far. If so, please feel free to drop me a line and LMK what you thoughts about it are and what it brought up for you.

Be sure to keep checking in here at my blog and to sign up for my ‘Success Tips’ and Monthly Newsletter to find out about more happenings and opportunities like this one, including a number of upcoming webinar series that I will be giving on topics like this as they relate to human performance enhancement. I will also be offering a membership-only discussion forum of my own here soon, where you can meet and discuss topics such as this one and many more with myself, my colleagues and fellow members of the forum.

Thanks for stopping by. I look forward to hearing from you and hope that you keep visiting my site as we continue to explore new topics and ideas aimed at, and related to helping us all be our best, enjoy life to the fullest and help others do the same. Until next time…be well my friends.

-JS

This excellent quote was brought to us by a new friend of Endurofit who who really gets what a holistic approach to performance is all about.

Their open-mindedness, eagerness to learn and willingness to put those lessons to practice via hard work has, is, and will continue to pay off and it’s been fun to watch them grow as a result.

This quote of the week was given to them by a coach in their earlier years, by the name of Don Sachey, and goes like this.

“You begin by doing things unconsciously wrong. Then you begin to do them consciously wrong. Then comes consciously right, then finally unconsciously right.”

Now if this doesn’t sum up the process that just about every cyclist has gone through, including myself, en route to learning the tactics that make up the game of cycling, the hard way, then I don’t know what does.

While this was uttered in reference to coaching equestrian athletes, it’s message and profound simplicity is so dead on, that I just had to share it with you all.

No thought is original, so I owe everything I put on here to others, and on that note I would like to extend a heart felt “thank you” to L. C. for sharing this one with us.

Be sure to be on the lookout for a SUCCESS TIP on this subject in the upcoming weeks. If you’re not already receiving these free gems, then what are you waiting for?

Get your butt on over to our Free Success Tip & Newsletter Sign Up page and start getting your free weekly uplifting and educational success tips that are guaranteed to improve your performance and your life.

Here’s to another great week of joy filled living and strong tailwinds!

Enjoy!

-JS

Local super star, masters road and CX phenom, Kim Rueter’s husband is holding a blood drive at his store on Saturday off Macadam (SP?) and Taylor’s Ferry Rd.

If you have a few moments, stop by a few hours after your training once you’ve recovered to help give back and be of service. You can check out his great store while you are there, especially for the windsurfing, skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts.
It won’t affect your training, unless you’re racing the next day. Just don’t kill it on Sunday, but riding long and moderately won’t be a problem at all.

Goodness knows that we cyclists have some healthy blood, so check it out if you’re interested at the link below.

http://www.givestoke.com/Home.html
Thanks Kim! Those Sorella Forte girls sure know how to give back. Keep up the good work guys, and thanks to Mr. Rueter!
JS

I was sent this quote by none other than Endurofit Team member, Flo Leibowitz, and I found it to be so appropriate, that I just had to share it with the world.
“Don’t try to change what you are doing. Just notice what you are doing.”

-Tim Galway (author of Inner Game of Tennis; Inner Skiing), about changing behavior and improving performance.

***As provided by an Oregon State University Metrics, Tracking & Coaching list-serve.

Take it for what its worth to you, but I found it to be one of the most intuitive and insightful quotes regarding performance that I have read in a long time.Enjoy!

JS

After many years on the drawing board, I have teamed up with forward thinker Lisa Engles of InnerState Coaching and the technology of WebEx to begin offering online courses, seminars and presentations via interactive webinars to endurance athletes & coaches. In addition, we will be creating an online library where course participants and Endurofit University members can access what will be an extensive selection of webinar & Tele-courses, audio & video recordings, articles and various other media, all aimed at helping coaches and athletes improve their performance or their business, their health and well-being and their lives.

The intention and motivation behind this endeavor is one that is near and dear to my heart. As a lover of teaching and empowering others, my mission is to help people discover and create a means for developing their true and highest potential. As a consummate student, self-proclaimed techno-geek and ever fumbling entrepreneur, I have always wanted to create a means for providing a better way for athletes and coaches to access the information, products, services and get the support they need to attain their personal goals more effectively.

However, the challenge has always involved coming up with a way to reach a wider audience and offer them tools and solutions that fit their respective budgets without sacrificing the quality of those products, services and events. Well, that’s exactly what this endeavor is all about. By creating an educational resource center for athletes and coaches, I will be able to collaborate with some of the best minds in coaching, training and developing human performance and potential to offer a broader range of products, services and events to fit a wider range of budgets.

Before, if I couldn’t coach you one on one, I didn’t have anything to offer you. When this project gets up and rolling, starting with the addition of articles, e-books, audio recordings and the distance learning courses that begin next month, there will be quality solutions for everyone’s budgets and hopefully over time, for as many people’s different needs as possible. I know that I cannot help everybody, but with today’s technology and a smarter approach to work, we will certainly be able to be of help to a whole lot more and that brings a lot of joy to my heart.

By working with the wonderful team at WebEx, we will be able to really offer a much more effective and professional approach to online learning and the dissemination of good information while creating a highly interactive and supportive online community.

Do these seem like lofty goals? Well, I sure hope so, because in my experience, everything worth while in life requires hard work, taking risks, faith and a steadfast commitment to manifesting the pinnings of your heart. I can say with 100% confidence, that this undertaking is chock full of all of the above and I look forward to each and every step of the way, every moment along the journey as we watch this baby grow.

If you haven’t already joined, then please sign up for my NEWSLETTER and SUCCESS TIPS to stay informed and be one of the first to know when these things come available, not to mention to take advantage of the free gifts that come along with doing so.

I appreciate your time, your faith and your patronage and look forward to connecting with you more often, and on a whole new level, as this thing starts to take shape over the next few months. I look forward to sharing the fruits of this labor with you all very soon.

Acknowledgments
I would like to take a moment to extend a special thanks to the most patient web site host in the business, Terry Pokorny of Scrap & Sew Inc.; the kick-butt masters cyclist and very talented graphic web designer, Hugh Givens of g2strategic; and the ride and work ’till you drop Ultra-cyclist and very creative multi-media artist, Susan Plonsky of AZBrevet.com. Without the help of these guys and many, many others who all know who you are (and probably don’t want your names on here anyways for one reason or another), this certainly couldn’t have ever even begun to come to fruition. So thank all of you for your immense and undying support.

Sincerely,

Jeb Stewart
Owner & Head Coach
Endurofit, LLC

Check out the recent USA Triathlon Performance Coaching Newsletter to take in some great articles, a couple by the likes of yours truly and Lisa Engles, a business partner and friend who is on the cutting edge of mental skills training and developing the whole athlete.

Aside from this shameless self-promotion, there are a bunch of good articles for the endurance athlete in here, regardless of your sport of choice, so check it out and enjoy learning a thing or two. I did!

http://www.usatriathlon.org/upload/pdfs/usatnewslettertemplatefinal.pdf

Enjoy!

-The Coach

This thought for the day from the Napolean Hill Foundation is so applicable to our philosophy here at Endurofit that we couldn’t resist sharing it with the world. This message sums up in a nut shell what we try to teach those we work with and live ourselves. Read on and enjoy!

IF YOU HAVEN’T THE WILLPOWER TO KEEP YOUR PHYSICAL BODY IN REPAIR, YOU ALSO LACK THE POWER OF WILL TO MAINTAIN A POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE IN OTHER IMPORTANT CIRCUMSTANCES THAT CONTROL YOUR LIFE.

A Positive Mental Attitude is not developed in a single decision to replace negative thoughts with their positive equivalent. It is a sustained commitment that requires personal discipline, the same kind of discipline that is required to stay in shape and maintain your physical health. It is a commitment that must be reinforced daily, or it is soon forgotten and cast upon the scrap heap of good intentions. When you take charge of your fate and determine that you will live positively in every aspect of your life-physical and mental-you will receive an extra benefit. Positive physical conditioning will reinforce your Positive Mental Attitude, and your positive attitude will help you stay in better physical condition.

This positive message is brought to you by the Napoleon Hill Foundation. Visit us at http://www.naphill.org.

I wanted to pass along this Thought for the Day from the Napoleon Hill foundation as it really conveys the essence of why I suggest this practice to help develop inner fitness.

Thought for the Day
May 30, 2007A MOST BENEFICIAL USE OF TIME IS SILENT MEDITATION, WHILE SEARCHING FOR GUIDANCE FROM WITHIN.