Of Earth Weekend and Bike Rides


I Live All My Life on Planet Earth – Devo

What are you doing this weekend? Let’s just call Earth Weekend. I wish we all cared about this planet a little more. Heck, if we did we might even be nicer to each other along the way. I would say I have always been earth friendly yet my awareness went up one day when my coach, Steve Ilg, was giving me my next training program. One of his exercises was to have me pick up a piece of trash daily. I have tried to keep this ritual going for the past three years. Of course, I miss some days yet this blessing has literally opened my eyes to the “mess” we are creating.

I don’t want it to sound noble because as Coach Ilg reminds us, our Mother deserves better, Mother Earth. I am just respecting my mother, no different than at home with my birth mother. I love you mom.

My eyes were opened again Thursday on a ride with SoCalRunning.com member Alison. We just finished a long steep climb when we stopped for a water break. I dropped my water bottle and it started rolling across the road. It ended up in a small ditch. When I reached down to pick it up I noticed a cigarette butt next to it in the dirt. I knew I needed to pick it up. How many lifetimes was going to take for that ugly little thing to disintegrate? Yuck! I hesitated, I’ll find a bigger piece trash somewhere else today and all will be cool I thought. I hesitated some more yet I knew I had no choice. I picked it up and stuffed it in my jersey pocket.


Riding Clean-up

Today, I rode with SoCalRunning.com member Colin and while I was waiting for him I peeled a banana. Yummy. I happened to stop by a trashcan so I opened the bear proof door and threw it in. Just as I did I looked down and what was there? All sorts of stupid trash. Stuff like tar paper, bottle caps, tissue and more. Today I would have to get it all. It is Earth Weekend after all. I even found half of some energy bar in its wrapper later in the ride on a 5 mile climb. I rode past it, then turned around and did my karmic duty. At one point in the ride I was so hungry I almost thought about eating it, just kidding.

66 miles – 4 hours later I feel great. Join Coach Ilg and myself and show your Mother a little love this weekend. Happy Mother’s Weekend.

Train Focused, Steve Mackel – USA Triathlon Coach

April 21, 2007 | Filed Under Steve's Posts 

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