Is This On?

My Lil' Tink

2011-10-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

My little Tinkerbell is 13 weeks today and ready to celebrate her first halloween! I can't wait! Uh I mean she can't wait.

Law & Order SVU has nothing on my SUV

2011-10-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, I finally got my man-car back! Now that I am a family man, I decided I needed a bigger vehicle in which to hall all our baby gear in addition to all the swim-bike-run-ski-etc junk that we already cart around. What better vehicle to choose than the venerable Toyota 4Runner! I had one in the past, and I remember all the good times that truck brought me. After scouring the internet for a couple of months, I finally found one. Below is a brief account of how it all went down:

After a couple of months of looking for a 4Runner, I found a nice certified 2008 SR5 at Maita that was listed on Auto Trader. There was no picture up yet, but after inquiring on line, I received a quick response from Mehdi, the internet manager. He told me the vehicle was being prepared, and photos would be up soon. Later that afternoon, as promised, the pictures were up, and I figured that I better jump on it now that the entire internet community can see how sweet this ride is.

We agreed on the final selling price, then Mehdi helped me apply for a loan, appraise my trade in, and find me financing all via email and phone. This saved A LOT of time. The next morning, I headed up from the Bay Area with my wife and newborn. We arrived at the dealership just before noon, and I called to let Mehdi know we were there. As soon as I stepped out of my car, the feeding frenzy began as no less than 3 salesmen approached me. I said, I'm here to see Mehdi, and they all dispersed.

Mehdi came out and showed me the vehicle, which was super clean except for some dings in the interior ceiling, and a musty-but-just-detailed smell. Everything checked out so I requested a test drive. He let me install the infant car seat, then let us take off down the freeway on our own as he appraised my old car. Very cool, as it made for a low pressure test drive that really let me concentrate on the vehicle.

We got back to the lot and started the final process. Mehdi had good news: my old car appraised at $700 more than the Auto Trader value. More good news, they were able to stretch my loan a little to get my monthly payments down. Even more good news, they got me another 1% less on my interest rate. He showed me the printout of the total price of the car, down payment, etc. When I was comfortable with the numbers, he sent us in to see the sales manager Mario, who had all of our papwork typed up and ready for my signatures.

Mario was a nice guy who was sympathetic to the fact that we had an infant in the room, and didn't want to keep us too long. He offered to sell us 3 additional items at this point: Extended warranty, Car alarm, and Gap coverage.

I passed on the extended warranty because I got the Certified warranty, and because it's a Toyota. I don't like the fact that they install the KARR alarm on all vehicles and just disable it (as opposed to removing it) if you opt not to purchase it. Gap is always a good idea. Mario got me the alarm and gap for a "discounted" price, so I went for those two.
We drove off satisfied with the 4Runner, the process, and the people we dealt with.

The moral of the story is to know exactly what you are looking for and take advantage of Internet car shopping! Deal with fleet or internet managers only, and get all the paperwork, loan info, and other details out of the way before you even set foot on the lot. The whole process only took about 2.5 hours.

Ironman Coeur d'Alene - Sunday 6/26/11 - Race Day! - RUN

2011-08-29T19:52:00.000-07:00

Ahhh I was so glad to be off of that saddle and sitting on a folding chair if only for a moment. I unbuckled my bike shoes and slipped into my running shoes, fearing the onset of another cramp. The cramp never came, and I threw on my race belt and visor, and shuffled out of the tent and into the afternoon sunlight.

As I exited the Run Out area, I felt relatively strong and was running a 9 minute mile past all the spectators and best of all, my family and support crew. I trotted into town knowing that my pace would slow down, so I was ready to accept a 10 minute mile or so. Minutes later, I looked down at my Garmin wrist watch which indicated I was cruising at a 10:30 pace. What? Ok that's cool, I thought, I just have to keep it under 11. As I exited town and headed through frat house row, I looked again, and my Garmin read 11:30/mile. Oh man! Ok that's cool, I thought once again, I just have to keep it under 12. I played this game until my pace settled into a blistering 12 - 12:15 mile.

My strategy was simple: run to every water stop, then walk while hydrating and eating. I'm proud to say that I stuck to that plan with the exception walking part of same hill where I cramped on my bike. I crested that hill and headed to the turnaround point, which had a beautiful view of the lake. The sun was still up, and the road was well populated with runners and walkers moving at various speeds. As I headed back to town, I realized that the bottles in my fuel belt had rarely been touched and that I was lugging at least a pound of stuff around my waist. I was taking in PowerBar drink and cola at the water stops, with the occasional pretzel thrown in for substance.

At the halfway point, I tore off my fuel belt and tucked it into my special needs bag with the intention of retrieving it later. Needless to say, that's the last I saw of it. I ran down the main strip one more time and hit the turnaround there. I stopped to greet Alex and my mom, get some hugs and some energy to finish the second half of the marathon. Somewhere along the run back out, I started thinking about my father. I actually had a conversation with him, which resulted in me getting choked up, literally, enough so that I couldn't breathe. I told him to quit fooling around, and he told me to quit crying and get this thing done. I sucked it up, and continued on.

The sun was starting to drop, and at around mile 18, I made a friend as we came out of the water stop together. He was a Bostonian, a little older than me, and we shuffled along at the same pace. His name was Angelos, and we pushed each other mile after mile, never letting the other give up. The temptation to walk was strong, but he kept me honest. At one point, with about 7 miles left to go, I was so exhausted that I told him to go on ahead of me. The sun had fallen, and I was ready to join the walking dead on their way back to the city lights. He wouldn't have it. He said, "I already blew my time. We're going to finish this together. Come on let's go!". I ran beside him as we continued our crusade. I told him that he was a machine and that I was impressed by his tenacity. His response was "It hurts like hell, but I just run through the pain." And I knew that's exactly what I needed to do.

Less than three miles from the finish, we ran past fraternity row for one last time, glow sticks in hand. The roads twisted through the dark town as I struggled to stay on his tail. Two turns to go, and I hear my name being called by Sedonia and her parents! I get some hugs, and they charge Angelos with the responsibility of getting me across the finish line safely. We can hear the music, the crowds, and Mike Reilly, the "voice of Ironman". We make the final left turn onto Sherman avenue, and I was blown away by the spectacle that awaited us at the finish line. I told Angelos to go through first, but he insisted that I go ahead of him because I earned it (as if he didn't)! People were rooting for us every step of the way, screaming, shouting, and high-fiving!

The runner in front of me was zig-zagging through the gallery, getting high fives on each side. I zigged to the left and lo and behold, there was mom, Alex, and Phil in the grandstands, banging on the boards, reaching out to me! A few more steps, and I would be in place to do my thing. I've been through enough races and watched enough Ironman live feeds to know where the cameras would be, so I timed my victory actions carefully. After all, I had all day to think about it.

As soon as the light hit me, I kissed my fists and sent them pointing to the sky for my dad. Then I cradled my arms and rocked and invisible baby for Sophia, who had yet to be born. Then as I crossed the line, I performed a pose that is dear to me and the 2011 Ironteam; a really bad bodybuilding pose consisting of a bicep flex with the opposite arm pointing skyward. It has become my signature pose somehow. After that, I was all smiles as a volunteer grabbed me, wrapped me in a space blanket, placed a bottle of water in my hand, and threw a medal around my neck. I turned around to congratulate Angelos and thank him for pulling me through. He accepted no credit, and went on his way. Moments later, the same volunteer took everything but my medal and placed me in front of the Ironman finisher backdrop for my photo. Then she gave me everything back and pointed walked me to the finishers area, pointing to the massage tent and boxes of pizza, and congratulating me once more.

I was in shock as I stumbled towards the massage tent, but I could not remove the smile from my face. I went to the next available table and struggled to get onto it. The masseuse asked where I was sore. You can imagine what my response was. So he proceeded to work on every limb and told me to hydrate and take it easy for a few days. I left the tent, and bypassed all the boxes of pizza. I just was not hungry. I walked outside the finishers area to meet up with the family and take our post race group picture. We then headed back to the hotel where I took an ice bath, then crashed out.

I can't thank my ironwifey with child for her support during yet another iron training season. Big thanks to my mother and nephew enough for being out there to support me along with the spirit of my dad. I also could not have done it without IronPhil, who helped me with all my gear and even drew an ice bath for me! All of my Ironteammates' support also played a key part in my success here. I would definitely recommend this M-Dot race to anyone. But which M-Dot will be my next?

Ironman Coeur d'Alene - Sunday 6/26/11 - Race Day! - BIKE

2011-08-23T22:51:00.000-07:00

As I exited the bike transition area, I was still a bit wobbly from the swim. Iron Phil was shouting to me from the sideline as he snapped photos, and I happily waved before mounting my trusty steed. It felt good to be spinning away in a low gear, delighting in the fact that I was out of that freezing lake. I reached into my frame mounted bento bag for a gel snack, as I have done dozens of times before, but my equilibrium was still a bit off, and the task was shakier than usual. I managed to pop a few gel blasts in my mouth, and washed it down with my Powerbar Perform/Carbo Pro cocktail.

The downtown streets were lined with cheering spectators, and that really got me fired up to crank! But alas, I knew I had to pace myself, so I resisted the temptation to blow through. As I got further from town, the cheers were fewer, but hearty nonetheless. People in front of their houses, at bus stops, outside convenience stores, etc. were rooting on every bike that rolled past them. There was even a live band in front of one of the high schools! I kept thinking "what a great bike course, it's so chill and laid back!" Then I realized I spoke too soon.

The course quickly went from suburban to rural, and lo and behold, the climbing began. Granted, I have been through a few tough centuries, and riding regularly in the SF East Bay yields some decent elevation, so 4000 total feet of climbing didn't seem too intimidating on paper. Well, I quickly realized I was not riding on paper. The sun was out and the weather warmed up fairly rapidly. I was still wearing my black arm warmers but I pulled over to take off my vest. The first substantial climb was English Point, which was a low gear grunter that didn't really last that long. After that was a nice downhill followed immediately by another short climb. It went on like this for a long time, never really allowing me to get into a groove. But the roads were well paved, and the scenery was beautiful. I felt very much alive as I rode with, passed, and got passed by all of my fellow competitors.

I cleared the first round of hills and headed back into town from Hayden Lake. I knew I had to do it all over again, but I didn't dwell on the fact, I just tried to remember certain landmarks. I pulled back into town and the cheering crowds re-energized me. From there the bike course runs parallel to the marathon course, but goes out a little further along Lake CDA. I was only at mile 56 or so, and didn't realize how warm and dehydrated I was. I turned a corner and started up a short hill when it hit me - hamstring cramp!

My right leg almost seized but I caught it in time to straighten it out, shout "Slowing!" and pulled to the right. I successfully dismounted though in my head I was convinced that I would not be able to clip out gracefully. I stood next to my bike, right leg stretched out, bent at the waist. I couldn't believe it, I NEVER cramp on the bike. I remember what Coach Simon told me last year when I cramped - drink more than you think you have to. I popped a theralyte tablet, and sucked water out of my Speedfil system. Then I grabbed my bottle of Ironman/CarboPro and gulped it down. At this point, doubt crept into my mind. Would I finish the bike? If I did, would the cramp haunt me during the run? Could I finish this thing? Would I have travelled all this way to be an Ironman, or just a really fit tourist? Aaaargh.

As I was doing my best to handle the situation, I noticed two ladies that were on the hill cheering people on. They noticed me too, and walked in my direction. They approached and asked what was wrong. I explained my situation and they promptly went to work massaging my thigh. They asked what else they can do for me, and I let them know that they were already doing enough. No this was not a page out of Penthouse Forums, but it was certainly nothing I've ever experienced before. I'm telling you that support at Ironman races is amazing.

When they were done, I just let out a big sigh and said "oh man, this is tough". Then one of the ladies spotted the sticker on my bike. It was a photo of my father that read "This one's for you, Pa". She pointed it at it and told me flat out "Well there's your reason right there. You can do this." They wished me well and went on their merry way. She was right, and I knew it. This one was for Pa. I was not about to let him down. Another guy pulled up and asked me how I was doing. We chatted for a while and he gave me lots of words of encouragement. After 20 minutes or so, my cramp subsided and I began my walk up the hill. I was feeling good, so I mounted my bike and spun lightly till I got to the peak. I crested the hill then popped into high gear until I hit the special needs section at mile 60.

The volunteers had my special needs bag ready for me as I rounded the turnaround point. I refilled my bottle, ate my Pringles, and reapplied my chamois butter. I headed back to town then back out to the hills. I rode conservatively and hydrated judiciously, taking the water and Powerbar drinks at each water stop. My diligence in hydration inevitably led to several pit stops, as I am not very keen about peeing myself on the bike. Yet.

The hills at CDA were not one-punch knockouts like some of the monster climbs that you experience in the Bay Area. Rather, they are like quick, sharp jabs and body blows that wear you down over time. The day grew long, the sun shifted, and riders were already talking about cutoff times. I was fairly confident that I would make all the bike cutoffs, but I didn't want to leave anything to chance. I pressed on, encouraging and be encouraged by many riders that were heading back to town for the dismount. I was chatting with a fellow TNTer from another state as we made the final turnaround and headed back to transition.

I dismounted and handed my bike to an enthusiastic volunteer. Everyone in the area congratulated me and cheered me on. Another volunteer handed me my bag, and I headed into the changing tent for the final chapter of the day: the marathon.

Click HERE to go to Race Day RUN!

Ironman Coeur d'Alene - Sunday 6/26/11 - Race Day! - SWIM

2011-08-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

I was having issues sleeping for the past few days, and even though I hit the sack early Saturday night, I never got the passed out, drooling, snoring rest that I needed. I woke up Sunday morning feeling a bit groggy, but ready to go nonetheless. I ate my peanut butter and jelly sandwich and put on my race gear. I used the same Ironteam tri top that I wore last year at Vineman, and a new pair of CEP compression tri shorts. I grabbed my special needs bags, and headed out the door. It was almost 5AM, and the sun was already up to greet us. Mom and Alex picked up Phil and I and headed down to City Park.

We found street parking close to the transition area. The good thing about CDA is that you can hang out downtown and spectate while enjoying all the restaurants and bars that are open during the race. And that's exactly what my crew did. We walked towards the beach and approached the body marking volunteers. I got marked up and proceeded into the secured transition area to check on the bags I left the night before. The area was bustling with nervous excitement as thousands of athletes meandered through. My emotions ran the gamut from excited to worried to nervous to confident and back again. But underneath it all, I knew I had a mission to accomplish, and focused on the task at hand. I remained calm, I breathed deeply when needed, and I reminded myself that no matter what, I will finish this.

After taking some photos with family and friends, I entered my zone and faded back into the transition area. After a trip to the porta potty to lighten the load, I slipped into my wetsuit and handed my morning clothes bag to a volunteer. By this time the sun was out and felt good on my face. By this time the pros were already in the water, and I joined the mass of neoprene covered humanity as we made our way to the beach.

It took a while to actually reach the starting point as we were being funneled through an inflatable arch and over a timing chip matt. I got to the sand and moved to a spot where I was lined up with all the buoys heading out to the lake. I stayed towards the back and chatted with a couple of anxious athletes as the voice of Ironman blared over the PA system. I adjusted the chin strap on my neoprene squid lid, positioned my goggles, and waited for the start.

The famous Ironman cannon went off, and thousands of pink and green caps rolled into the water. I watched the crowd thrash about in front of me as I slowly made my way to the water. After a few steps in, I dove in and started stroking. The water was the smoothest that it has been all week, and didn't seem as cold as it did during practice. I found myself in a good place despite being kicked in the chest, elbow on my back, and smacked in my head. I looked around and was in a strange kind of nirvana as we all propelled ourselves forward in the water. Some people were motoring while others were struggling. Swimmers came from out of nowhere and ran me over as they swam perpendicular to me, fighting to get to my left side. I turned to see that they were scrambling for the buoy so that they had something to hang on to and rest on. Support kayaks were paddling in for others to grab. Not me, I told myself. I won't be brought in on the shrimp boat. I have a mission to accomplish.

I had an issue with sighting last year, so this year I worked on it and stayed as tight to the buoys as I could. I was literally banging my elbow on them as I passed. The buoys heading out away from the shore never seemed to end. I kept looking for the big red left turn buoy, but it was a long time coming. We were pretty much spread out at this point, so I had ample space to work with. Or so I thought. Things can change in an instant out there, and all of a sudden, I was getting kicked in the chest by a breast-stroker. Oh well, I circumnavigated and motored on. I made the left turn at the buoy and was rocking and rolling as I swam parallel to the waves. I got a little dizzy, and welcomed the next left turn that brought us back to the shore.

The buoys that we followed back to shore seemed to come a little faster. I could hear the blare of the megaphone and the roar of the crowd. I could see the big inflatable arch from a distance, and worked a little harder to get there. I finally hit the dirt, and popped up to run through the arch. Or wobble through it, really. I checked the clock and high fived a few volunteers before I flopped back into the water for the second loop. The buoys came even slower this time around. The water was a bit choppier, and I got a little dizzier. But no matter what, I wasn't going to stop, even with my bum shoulder acting up.

At some point before the turnaround buoy, I was cruising along and rolled to my right side to breathe. Out of nowhere, a big ol' mitt came down on my right goggle. BAM! I was in shock, thinking that I lost my goggle, or water was going into my eyes, but I was fine. I found the guy that smacked me, but he was gone before I could return the favor. Then I notice I was at the last left turn buoy before the home stretch. I put a little more effort into my stroke in order to get out of the water quicker but the temperature of the water and the rolling waves did their best to counter all the energy I was expending.

I neared the shore and heard the crowd and loudspeakers once more. This time I would get out and stay out! I pulled hard until once again I was scooping dirt, then I popped up in victory and wobbled forward. A volunteer caught me and helped get the zipper on my wetsuit going. I ran through the arches and glanced at the clock - 1 hour 48 minutes - ugh, but whatever, I was out of the water! I ran along the beach trying to remove my wetsuit sleeves. I got the right one off, but the left got snagged on my watch. As I tried to pull it off, I turned to the left to wave at my friend Liz who was taking pictures. Then I ran forward and spun to the right to face mom, who called my name for a picture. I kept spinning, and fell on my ass, landing up against the spectator barrier. People were reaching over trying to help me up as I laughed deliriously at myself. I made it to the wetsuit strippers who tore my suit off and handed it to me as a volunteer shoved my swim to bike bag in my arms.

WIth my hands full, I ran into the changing tent and sat on a plastic folding chair. A volunteer grabbed everything I was holding and asked how I was doing. I was cold and dizzy, and my coordination was shot. As I toweled the sand off my feet, he had my socks ready to go and I shoved my feet into them. As I fasted the straps on my bike shoes, he placed my helmet on my head and put my vest on for me. He attached my race belt to my waist, and held my bike gloves open as I shoved my hands in them, even though I had to remove one to apply my chamois butter. He wished me well and sent me outside for sunscreen.

I exited the tent to find a line of volunteers, mostly if not all women, holding up hands full of sunscreen. I ran up to them and two ladies instantly began to smear sunscreen on all my exposed parts, and some not so exposed parts. After they got my face, I was on my way to get my bike. A quick stop for water and electrolytes, and into the bike rack area I went. My bike was easy to find, it was at the end of a rack, right next to a BBQ pit. I rolled it out the bike out arch, and mounted for quick little 112 mile tour.

Click HERE to go to Race Day BIKE!

Ironman Coeur d'Alene - Saturday 6/25/11

2011-07-26T23:30:00.000-07:00

My CDA buddies and I agreed to go for a practice swim at 8AM, so Phil and I got up and headed down to the beach. We met up with the usual suspects and I stared out into the water. It was windy and the lake was choppy, and from the looks of the others getting out of the water, pretty chilly to boot. Louis donned his panda suit for inspiration.

I pulled on my wetsuit and decided to wear my neoprene "squid lid" to cover my ears and keep my head insulated under my swim cap. This always adds a layer of security to my cold open water experiences. I crept down the concrete stairs and launched myself into the frigid waters. It was pretty cold, but not the coldest that I had ever swam in. I took a few strokes, then adjusted my goggles. I swam out to the end of the practice lane, avoiding oncoming swimmers, then turned around and headed back. I just wanted to get an idea of the water temperature, and amount of choppiness that I would have to deal with on race day. I got out of the water, pulled off my wetsuit, then dressed and headed back to the hotel.

We got back to the room before 10AM. I showered then hit the sack for a nap. But I couldn't fall asleep. The insomnia that haunted me the night before carried into the next day. I just couldn't relax. I don't know if it was pre-race jitters, or leftover caffeine, or what. Either way, I just lay there and pretended to sleep, but I wasn't fooling anyone, not even myself.

After that whole episode, we got up and met with my mom and nephew for lunch. I had a modest grilled chicken wrap while everyone else indulged in richer choices at the Mexican grill. Following lunch, Phil and I loaded up the jeep and headed down to the transition area to drop off my bike and gear.

I've never seen anything like the rows and rows of gear bags lined up in the transition area. This made the bike rack area cleaner since the only equipment allowed there is your bike - I lucked out and got an end spot with a BBQ pit next to it! There were changing tents at the end of the rows of bags- one for men, and one for women. There were so many bags and they all had to be placed in the right are and in the right position. Volunteers were on hand to help with this.

After dropping off all my gear, I ran into a bunch of friends from the Bay Area. Bill S, Kevin M, Ray L, and others were here to race and become an Ironman (again, for some). We met up with Mom and Alex once more and headed to dinner at Angelo's, a little Italian joint just outside of downtown. It just dawned on my now, as I am writing this, that the name of the restaurant will bear some significance later on in this story. It tooks us almost an hour to get our food, and I was starving, not a good feeling to have the night before an Ironman. I finally got my tried-and-true spaghetti and meatballs. Mom tried to feed me polenta and calamari but I had to decline. I couldn't risk the squid taking revenge on me halfway through the bike!

After dinner, we headed back to the room so that I could do my final prep, relax, meditate a little, and finally hit the sack. Again, I couldn't fall asleep, and I felt myself laboring to doze off. It never happened. Dawn had arrived.

Ironman Coeur d'Alene - Friday 6/24/11

2011-07-10T21:41:00.001-07:00

Friday morning brought a planned bike ride with teamies Sedonia and Margaret. I rode from my hotel down to Ironman Village to meet them. Margaret just picked up her bike from TBT and Sedonia told us that we were just waiting for one more rider - Louis aka Pikachu from the Los Angeles chapter of the Ironteam. Louis showed up and we rolled along the beach towards the run course.

The first part of the course was fairly flat, winding through downtown and the adjacent neighborhood. After that, there were rolling hills and long stretches along the lake. There was a decent uphill right hand turn that signified the turnaround, which historically was at the top of this beast. This year they moved the turnaround about a half mile after the peak, which means we had to hit the turnaround, then come back up the hill. i was not looking forward to that, but at least I knew what was in store.

We cruised back and dropped off Sedonia and Margaret at the Yoshida's little rental house on the prairie. As Louis and I headed back to town, I spotted one of my Daily Mile friends out for a ride as well! It was nice to see her out there after following her training for the last few months. We waved to each other, then I peeled off and headed back to the hotel since my mom, nephew, and IronPhil arrived in town.

We all met back at Ironman village to shop and hang out at the expo. While waiting at one of the vendor booths, I noticed a guy standing next to me with a Filipino flag colored jacket. It was Arland Macasieb, an elite triathlete with bib #6. He's sponsored by Newton and Timex, and does a ton of races (his finishing time was 10:24). He's from New Jersey, but gave me info on the Fil-Am Tri club in Northern California. We wandered around the expo and drooled over all the new bikes, then headed into town.

It was feeding time, and we found Hudson's burgers - a local institution and burger joint that made the top ten in Sunset Magazine. The place was packed, so we ordered out burgers to go. Mine had a cross section of onion, a ton of pickles, and the mild version of their secret sauce. It was pretty good, but I think it was missing something. I would love to go back and get cheese and more fixin's on it. We continued to walk through town, which was bustling with athletes wearing the blue wristbands that were issued at athlete check-in.

We ended up having dinner at a mexican grill, then I separated from the group to attend the athlete's meeting. People were wandering around the waterfront looking for the banquet tent, and I ended up latching on to a group that seemed to know where they were going. I made a couple of new buddies from New Mexico that I would see on race day. We entered the tent, which was already full of 3000+ people, and I walked across the front of the stage, hoping my teamies would see me. Sure enough, Sedonia texted me, but I already took a seat up front.

The race director mentioned the choppy waters, and let us know that if there was a possibility of unsafe swim conditions they would switch to a duathlon format. Geeez, that would suck! Somehow I knew that would not be the case. I just felt deep inside that race day would be as close to perfect as it could be. The swim, bike, and run coordinators spoke about their perspective courses, and we were released. On the way to track my teamies, Ray L., an old TNT friend, introduced me to Adrian Reyes, the guy whose name is next to mine on the M-Dot tshirt that I bought. Sure enough, I yelled Yo, Adrian! I couldn't tell if he was amused or not. Oh well.

I finally tracked down Sedonia and Louis, who appeared with a half dozen cupcakes from the local shop. He claims his strategy was to fill us NorCal peeps up with cupcakes so that he could beat us on race day. Evil Pikachu. After the meeting, I turned in since we had an early morning practice swim scheduled. Race day was getting closer, but I was enjoying this little town and the Iron madness that had enveloped it.

Ironman Coeur d'Alene - Thursday 6/23/11

2011-07-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

For the second year in a row, I trained for and completed an Ironman distance triathlon! As you may know, this means a 2.4 mile swim followed by a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 full marathon run. This time, my goal was Ironman Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

It's been a rough training year for me. I've had a few setbacks including a shoulder injury that almost sidelined me, and the sudden loss of my father, which really took a toll on me and my family. I went into this race knowing that I was not 100%, but I knew I had enough training, tools, and determination to complete my mission.

I flew in to Spokane, Washington on Thursday and collected my rental car, which was a brand new Jeep SUV with 6 miles on it. I cruised into Idaho and drove directly to the Ironman Expo at City Park, where many athletes were now gathering. I wandered down to the lake and was instantly impressed by the beauty of the area. Endless greenery surrounds the expansive lake in every direction. The water was a bit choppy, and groups of clouds hovered overhead, but every angle was still a postcard shot.

As I entered the open-air temporary village, I noticed many lean, serious Ironpeople pushing around bikes that easily cost two months salary. At this point I knew that I was part of the big show. My objectives were simple: Shop for M-Dot shwag, check in for the race, and pick up my bike and gear bag from Tri Bike Transport.

I spent way too much time in the Ironman store, grabbing everything in my size that I could get my hands on. I weeded out a bunch of stuff and ended up with a fair amount of shwag. Next stop was registration, where I filled out a waiver and was shuffled from table to table, picking up various pieces of the puzzle along the way: swim cap, race number stickers, bib, timing chip, transition bags, event wristband, and more. There were not a lot of people in line at this time, so I was in and out of that tent. I made my way to claim my bike at TBT, and the line was ridiculously long. After at least 45 minutes, I made it to the front, hunted down Nacho Lover and my gear bag, threw it all in my Jeep and proceeded to the hotel.

I took a detour and scoped out the Italian restaurant that I would be dining at on the eve of the race. I stopped at Safeway for some rations, then finally made it to the Holiday Inn Express where they had a dining area with everything I just bought. D'oh! They also were giving out goodie bags to the athletes that were checking in, which was a nice touch. Oh and there was a dog working the front desk. I asked him what he was doing there and he said he needed to earn a few bones for the weekend. Must be an Idaho thing.

I didn't do much for the rest of the afternoon except unpack and get my gear in order. I laid out everything I needed, and prepped my bike by bolting on parts that I removed for shipping. I grabbed a chicken wrap for dinner down the street and then retired to my room for the evening.

Made it to CDA

2011-06-24T08:21:00.000-07:00

After months of training and preparation, Ironman race weekend is finally here. I put lots of time and effort into this, but the biggest sacrifice was time away from my extremely supportive wife. She, and our soon-to-come new baby, will get me back after 140.6 miles. Hours of swimming and miles of biking and running will culminate into a single day... a loooong day. But I am ready to get this thing done!

Last year, I completed the Vineman Full triathlon, which is Iron distance - 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run. After that accomplishment I really felt like I could do anything, but was happy it was over. After about 2 weeks, I started jawin' it up with my teamies and the M-Dot buzz started. I was looking for a race that was not too far, and earlier in the year. IM Coeur d'Alene fit the bill. So here I am!

It's interesting travelling to an Ironman event. You meet all kinds of people from young, fit twenty-something elite athletes to soccer moms (or grandmoms) who invade the town to earn the coveted title for reasons as individual as themselves. So why am I here?

There are may reasons why I want to complete this Ironman. The number one reason is because I can. After spending so many seasons with TNT and seeing what a bitch cancer can be, I am grateful to know that I am physically and mentally able to endure such an event. After losing my father this year, I know that diabetes can be equally debilitating. I see my training and racing as my contribution to the cure of many diseases. Sounds corny, I know, but that's how I feel about it. Also, I am somewhat intimidated by the magnitude of this feat, and to conquer it would be huge! But let me be honest; I really want to be able to get all the cool M-Dot gear. Oh, and make all my teammates, honorees, friends, family, and my mom proud! 'Cause I'm doing it for them too!

Another site to maintain

2011-04-27T21:07:00.001-07:00

Yes I have a Facebook account. And Twitter. And this blog. And now, I have Daily Mile.

I have been invited to join Daily Mile by some of my athlete friends, and have been successful in resisting to this point. But I finally caved and set up an account. I'm kind of glad I did, and it's easy because you can use your FB credentials. This site exists for runners, cyclists, triathletes, gym rats, etc to log workouts in a social network setting.

I like it because I can post my workouts and know that everyone who reads them can relate. This is great because then I'm not the A-hole on FB showing off an In-N-Out dinner after an 18 mile run. I also like it because in order to post a workout, you must, well, work out! Random posts about politics or Lady Gaga are nowhere to be found. Yet.

M Dot

2011-04-11T09:53:00.000-07:00

Only 10 more weeks before I tackle Ironman Coeur d'Alene. Oh man it's coming up real soon. Despite a few major drawbacks this training year, I feel in pretty good shape, and will definitely be able to put in a good showing out there. I'll have plenty of motivation - the memory of my father, and the arrival of my little one.

During training, to this date, I have completed sprint, olympic, and half-iron distance triathlons. Next up is 3/4 distance at the end of May. After that I will continue on and begin my taper. I am really excited to be participating in an M-Dot event. Not a 70.3 or 5150 but a real Ironman 140.6 triathlon. Not to take away from any of the other distances, but marketing those as Ironman dilutes the magnitude of the full distance standard. But hey, Iroman Inc. has to make money somehow so it doesn't really how we feel about it. But please, no M-dot 5150 tattoos!

iPad 2

2011-03-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

I've been an Apple fan since 1984. I've been wanting an iPad since the first gen came out but never pulled the trigger. When I caught wind of the release of iPad 2, I figured now was as good a time as any to grab one.

When 5PM PST hit on Friday the 11th, wifey and I sped out of work to the Walmart down the street. There were only about 8 people in line and I expected to be leaving with one. When we got to the front, the cashier announced that they were sold out of everything but the Verizon models. All I wanted was a 16GB wifi. When I asked how many the store received, he told me they only got 12.

I made a somewhat futile dash to the nearest Apple store. The line was already down the block and around the corner. I've never waited in line for any Apple product before, so I thought, what the hell, let me join in the madness. The lil lady went shop hopping as I stood in line. I ran into Gura Michelle amidst the tech savvy mob. As time went by, employees would come by with updates until finally they were sold out of everything but the Verizon models. Strike two.

Heading home in defeat, we decided to stop at the Best Buy that was on the way. There was a short line outside, so I again I thought, what the hell, I waited this long. There were about 8 people in front of me and another 8 or so inside the store in another line that had priority. By the time we got inside, the store clerk told me he was running low. I told him I just wanted a 16Gb wi-fi. He said Yeah we got that! White or black? I was pleasantly surprised and grabbed a black one.

Was it worth the wait, the travel, the cold, and the hype? Sure was! My dad would have loved to get his hands on one of these. I'm surprised he didn't grab one of the 1st gens when they were released. Now I have a cool device to store and share photos of the ol' man.

Mourning the loss of a great man

2011-03-01T09:19:00.000-08:00

My father, Jose Patricio Reyes, left this world on Friday, February 18, 2011. He taught us a lot, and left us with countless memories. He was a renaissance man, a connoisseur of all things quality. He was an architect, and artist, a craftsman, a Marine, and the consummate family man. He was a storyteller, a joker, a mentor, and a coach. He kept his wife happy and raised his 3 boys right (so I've been told). I will miss his Xmas brunches, his Thanksgiving feasts, and just hanging out with him in general. I'll miss his famous chili, and his pranks, and his conversation. I'll miss having my Pa around. Rest in peace, and I'll see you on the other side.

Team In Training - Just Go For It!

2011-02-11T10:43:00.000-08:00

Team In Training is sponsoring a video contest so I had to throw my hat in the ring!

Click HERE to vote for my video!

Made it past Xmas

2010-12-29T22:08:00.000-08:00

What a great time of year. The Christmas rush has passed, and the last week of 2010 is underway. I spent Xmas day with my awesome family, eating, drinking, falling into a food coma, then waking up and eating some more.

The following day was spent with 14 of my closest Iron buddies on a 3 hour hilly bike ride followed by a 1 hour hilly run and capped off with 30 minutes of core strength in a BART parking lot. Good times!

This is the time of the year for reflection. I like to look back and appreciate the fortunate life that I live. 2010 was a good year spent doing things I love with people that I love to do things with. So many highlights this year- I completed an Ironman, The Giants won the World Series, among other less global, but equally significant occurances.

I'm looking forward to what 2011 brings. Another Ironman perhaps? Oh yes, for sure. And then some.

Happy Festivus

2010-12-22T19:55:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again; it's cold out, Xmas trees are up, houses are lit up, and my backpack is full of training gear. 7 weeks into Ironman training, and no sign of stopping. The holidays may provide a speedbump, and with the amount of food I am about to consume, I may just install a speedbump where my spare tire is currently sitting.

I finally got my TRX Suspension Trainer, and I am loving it. Another fitness fad? Perhaps. But the fact that many pro athletes are using this system to strengthen their cores makes me feel pretty confident that it will work for me. I already feel stronger and more fit than I did this time last year. Pretty soon I'll have the lil lady on this thing and she'll be whipping out circuits in no time!

This year's IronTeam is pretty impressive; we've got lots of accomplished athletes and fast folks. We also have our share of characters and hyper-motivated fundraisers. If you are looking for a last minute Xmas gift for someone, look no further. The "Girls That Give" 2011 Calendar is available now. Give it a click, donate a few bucks, and join the fight against cancer while you're at it.

Kinda wet outside - Time to hit the pool and track!

2010-11-20T12:00:00.001-08:00

It appears that November is finally living up to it's wet, wintery normal self. Which I actually really like. The rain has started, and the rain gear is making its way to the front of my closet. There was a OYO (on your own) workout scheduled this morning, but we had the privilege of having our strength coach lead a motley faction of the Ironteam through a swim, run, and strength session.

As I was rippin' away on my PRS last night at band rehearsal, I wondered if I would make it to the pool at 7AM. But it hit me- I am Iron- of course I will be there! I didn't get home too late; in fact, our coach was out til 1AM watching a Bad Religion show in the city! So I really had no excuse.

We took over a little pool in Berkeley and commenced our swim drills. The rain started to come down a little harder, which was of no consequence to us. After we got out and hustled into the locker room, I realized that I left my towel at home! Hell, it was raining outside anyway, so I just threw on my running gear and headed out.

We got to the muddy little track and started running. Every lap and a half or so, our coach gave us strength exercises to do. The menu consisted of reverse lunges, toe touches, walking lunges, jump squats, jump knee-ups, and side bends. A cool down lap and stretching session concluded our workout. Done by 9:30AM! Bring on the day.

Since it's still early in the season, I really enjoyed bonding with this morning's group. Everyone was in good spirits and displayed their will to work hard to reach their Iron goal. We've got a long way to go, but we are on the right track!

Here we go again...

2010-11-13T15:04:00.000-08:00

Today was the first coached workout of the new IronTeam season. Half the team is made up of return participants coming back as staff. The other half consists of excited, anxious, fit balls of energy ready to learn and train for their first Ironman event. I've been swimming once a week during my down time, which really helped when it came time to jump into the pool today. It was a much better day at IVC than I remember it to be last year. The sun was out, the pool was heated, and this time I had a clue as to what I was doing.

After we got out of the pool, Coach Carolyn took us through some run drills then sent us on a short jaunt through the streets of Novato. We got back and were treated to a barrage of core strength workouts. There was much grunting and groaning, but I felt great when we were done. Or maybe I felt great because we were done. EIther way, this was a great way to break in the newbies.

We've got a bike clinic and a short ride tomorrow, followed by a potluck team social. We've got some real contenders on this year's team; I'm impressed by the fitness level and accomplishments that the new folks bring to the team. This is going to be a good year.

SF GIANTS - World Champs!

2010-11-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

Baseball in November? Yes indeed, and for the first time ever, the Giants were up 3-1 in the World Series. I got to my cousin's house at the bottom of the 4th and proceeded to chow down on wings and carnitas tacos. We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Things were just going the Giants' way, and I had a feeling that something good was going to happen tonight.

The score remained nil for both teams up until the 7th inning, which facilitated my frequent trips to the kitchen for more food. We had two men on base as I came back with another full plate. Then *CRACK* Edgar Renteria hit a homer that put 3 runs on the board! I almost lost my donut hole! The house was going crazy! I was enjoying this moment with all of the people that I have enjoyed Giants games with since the 70's; my dad, uncles, and cousins. The game continued until Brian Wilson struck out Nelson Cruz with a full count. We were all on our feet, and jumped all over the place, shaking the wooden floors and rattling all the furniture in the place. The drought was over! The Giants did the unthinkable- they won the World Series!

The parade was slated for the following Wednesday, and I had every intention to be there. So did everyone in the house, and about a million other people. I got to Market and 6th St. early enough to secure a spot right up on the parade barrier. My family showed up and joined me, and the parade commenced on time. Here is the video that I took:

Anticipation

2010-10-27T05:56:00.000-07:00

It's in the air. Great things are brewing, and I can feel it. I will miss what little summertime we had, but I am equally excited about the fall and winter times. The tail end of this October is especially significant. Halloween is upon us, The Giants are going to the World Series, and the 2011 Ironteam season is starting. On top of it all, my new Fender Fat Strat is going to be arriving at the end of the month. So I'm pretty amped.

When most people are packing away their summer gear and dusting off their skis and snowboards, I am getting my bike tuned up, cleaning my swim goggles, and shopping for running shoes. I realized last year that training for an Ironman is not a seasonal activity. Well, I guess you could say it is since it spans 3 seasons. We start off freezing like popsicles and end up sweating like pigs.

The sun is setting earlier, the temps are dropping, but yeah, I kinda like this time of year. And I can't wait for the madness to begin!

Rocktober

2010-10-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

Well this rockin' month didn't start out too hot for me as I got sick following a normal swim day. I have been out of commission for almost a week, and am now just starting to feel back to normal now.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Oracle Open World appreciation party on Treasure Island a couple of weeks ago. They had a carnival theme complete with rides, prize booths, and best of all- corn dog/popcorn/cotton candy stands! The treat of the night was an appearance by the Black Eyed Peas on the big stage with the Bay Bridge and a full moon as a backdrop!

The band from the 80's, Berlin, started things going and were as tight as ever. I was transported back to the good ol' days with each hit they played. I snuck over to the little stage to see the English Beat, who also brought me back to the days when skateboarding was the only purpose of my existence.

Back at the big stage, the crowd formed in anticipation of the BEP. We snaked our way forward in an effort to get closer to the front. When they finally came out, the music started bumping, and we started jumping! Forging onward past the nerds, I chipped away and we moved up until I hit a roadblock in the form of a tall dude and his girl, giving us dirty looks for having such a good time. I eventually wore them down and they left. I bopped about making my way to the mosh pit that I knew awaited me up front. I got closer, closer, then I stopped when I noticed the harsh reality.

The area up front where the action was supposed to be taking place was occupied by immobile nerds staring blankly at the stage. This is no exaggeration, they were literally propped up there like statues, some holding up their mobile devices in an effort to record Fergie's unmentionables. The others just stood and gawked. No head bopping, no hand waving, no foot tapping. Does not compute. Does not compute.

But hey I guess that's what happens at these corporate gigs. It's the first one I've ever attended, and I felt a little bad for the performers as the audience was essentially a captive one. Everyone was bussed from the city to the Island, with the promise of free booze, food, and carnival fun. The shows were just another part of the state fair experience. Don't get me wrong, I had a great time, and I would love to experience it again. But next time, I'll get to the front of the crowd hours before the opening act. Just like the good ol' days!

Tri For REAL

2010-09-19T17:29:00.000-07:00

Ah, the off season. Which also happens to be post season baseball and football season. So there is a lot of couch time involved here. But as I stated before, I have been trying to keep the wheels greased by swimming once a week and running or cycling on the weekends. My training schedule barely has a pulse, but that's OK because my Iron training is done. For now.

However, this little race called Tri For Real found its way onto my radar as the my last triathlon of the season. I signed up about one week before, looking for a short, fun race to do with the fitness I have leftover from the previous training season. It was short, and fun, but not easy at all!

I jumped into the middle of the pack and gunned the swim from the start, and found myself gassed before the first buoy. I had to take a few breast strokes to get my wind back. I did this one more time, then finally found my happy place as I rounded the turn. The leg to buoy two was pretty short, and as soon as I made the corner, I gunned it again for the final stretch to shore. It was congested again, and I was getting kicked by a breast stroker as I slowly passed him. I could see and hear the crowd on the beach, and before I knew it, I was scraping dirt. I popped up, tore off my cap and goggles, and ran into transition.

My choice to not wear a tri top in the swim came back to bite me as I wrestled with my Rainin bike jersey. I managed to get my socks and shoes on, as well as my helmet, gloves, and sunglasses, but that damn jersey was still all bunched up in the back, and I almost dislocated my shoulder trying to pull it down! I yanked at it as I jogged out with my bike, and scooted up the driveway and out of the park. I cranked away on the flat road, feeling like I was pedaling in molasses. I slowed down, sat up, and took a swig of my good ol' Gatorade/Carbo Pro mix. I really didn't get into my groove until 8 miles in, but rode the remaining 10 pretty strongly. The last 6 was close to threshold as I passed many riders that I followed for most of the ride.

I made the final turn back into the park and down to transition where my cheering section of Claudia, Lisa, Onweena, and IronPhil awaited. I dismounted and crossed over the big curb back into transition. Nick shouted "Don't crash!". This time I was out a little quicker, throwing off my helmet and swapping shoes for the run. I slapped on my Ironman visor, grabbed my TNT bottle, and booked it outta there.

I shuffled quickly to get my legs used to running again. The dirt trail had short hills, and after the second or third one, I was thoroughly warmed up. The trail snaked through the backside of Shadow Cliffs and offered plenty of opportunities to see fellow racers passing in both directions. It was starting to get warm and muggy, and I wanted to get 'er done quick. Towards the end of the run, one of the volunteers shouted "well done Ironman!" and I got fired up for the home stretch. I made it off of the trail and onto the cement walkway that led to the finish line. I was about a hundred yards away when I heard "Hey Rock!" coming from my right. My buddy Joe, who was doing the relay with Harish and Dennis, caught up to me and we crossed the line together. Haakon's son Andreas finished long before and greeted us afterwards.

My unofficial time was 1:57 to complete a 700yd swim, 18 mile bike, and 4 mile run. Not super speedy, but not bad for an off season Ironman, eh?

Biding my time...

2010-09-04T09:54:00.001-07:00

Aaaah, what a treat it has been to sleep in on Saturday mornings and then plan and attend social events that would have otherwise been missed due to me floating in a body of water or cruising around on two wheels on some mountain somewhere. It's been a month since Vineman, and I am feeling somewhere in between restless and rested. Is this normal after an Ironman?

Am I suffering from P.I.S.D.? Which is actually not really stressful at all? Perhaps I should heed coach Simon's advice and find a race to do in the next month or so. The season is coming to a close, and there are only a handful of local half marathons to do, and not many triathlons. But that's ok because I am in no hurry to be mixing up potions and prepping gooey fuels just this moment.

Speaking of races, I have been enjoying reading the race reports from my fellow IronTeamers. If you enjoyed my write-ups, you will love theirs:

BK Man Of The Year conquers Vineman

IronPhil's Ironman Canada adventure

Maria M-Dot's inspirational Ironman Louisville story

Sandy the Bond Grrl's Ironman Louisville victory

So proud of all these folks. The fourth sport of triathlon is nutrition. The fifth sport? Blogging about your race, of course!

Off Season

2010-08-28T20:33:00.000-07:00

With Ironman training behind me, I am enjoying my free weekends and evenings. However, in an effort to avoid going off-off-off season as in previous years, I am working out regularly a couple of times per week. Since the lil lady is training for Nike Womens and/or San Jose RNR, I get the privilege of running with her on Saturday mornings. I get my swims in during the week, but have yet to mount my bike since race day. My appetite hasn't completely subsided, so I need to keep burning them calories.

I've discovered it's not enough to become Iron. The real challenge is in remaining Iron. The intensity and length of strenuous workouts may not be the same right now, but at least I'm keeping the wheels greased. Half marathons, fun bike rides, and shorter distance triathlons are the order of the day. So maybe my Iron-ness will degrade to a less hardened element. But as long as I don't turn into Lardman, I think I'll be ok.

My teammates find themselves the eve of their Ironman events in Penticton BC, and Louisville, KY. I share their excitement and angst from many miles away, but will be following online. I have no doubt each one of them will finish with flying colors and feeling better than they imagined they could ever feel.

GO TEAM IRONTEAM!!

And now, for your viewing pleasure...

2010-08-12T20:58:00.000-07:00

I've had some downtime in the past couple of weeks, which gave me time to compile raw data and compose the following Rockumentary. To make up for the excessive verbiage of the past 5 posts, I shall say no more, but present you with this:

I am Iron! Chapter 5 of 5 - Epilogue

2010-08-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

A volunteer placed my medal around my neck and handed me a finishers T-shirt as my crew swarmed the finish area to congratulate me. First hug and kisses went to my awesome wife who was there for me from the start and went out of her way to support the team up until this very moment. She also took care of everyone who came to see me finish by providing them food, drinks, and shelter from the sun.

Then came my parents, who perpetually support whatever I do, then my brother, his wife and kids, then our friends, coworkers and so on! I felt like a total celebrity at that moment. Stalkerazzi flash bulbs were going off left and right; everyone took turns posing with me. In reality, I am just a squirrel trying to get a nut, and would be nothing without the support of every one of these awesome people that were there that day.

At that moment I became an Ironman. I was in constant motion for 14.5 hours. I propelled myself 140.6 miles. I raised over $6000 in the fight against blood cancers. I paid my dues and will forever reap the benefits.

I was physically and emotionally drained but all of that was offset by the high I was feeling from just finishing the damn thing! BK finished way before me and we congratulated each other as Chris and Jim came through the finish line together. These guys are all studs and worked hard to get across that line!

After all of my crew left for the evening, I congregated with my IronTeammates. You see, though most of us were done for the day, we had two more people out there that were determined to finish. The official cutoff time of 11PM had come and gone, but Tiffany and Mary were out on there third run loop and would be damned if they were going to give up now.

At least 25 of us remained as the race crew broke down barriers and dismantled the timing clock. They left the wine barrel arch in tact so we all waited there. Nate and Michelle followed the ladies in their truck, providing lighting on the dark narrow roads. They would call in updates so we knew exactly where they were. Nate's truck pulled in the parking lot, and we knew the moment was close. At approximately 1:30AM, Tiffany and Mary proudly crossed that finish line hand in hand and ran under the human arches that we formed with our arms. To me, this was the definition of IRON. Never give up, never surrender, do the damn thing at any cost. And they came across looking great! We all dispersed for some well needed rest.

The next day I woke up a bit hungry. Some people may say my appetite is, um, healthy. I knew we had our Victory Brunch coming up, but we ordered room service breakfast anyway. I had eggs, bacon, toast, hash browns and orange juice. We got to the brunch and guess what they had? Yep, all that plus sausages and pastries and coffee! During my second breakfast the coaches took turns at the mic to congratulate us, then it turned into open mic. Several people came up to speak and each one had a different perspective of the experience we all just went through. Not just the Vineman race, but the season as a whole. Much love went out to the coaches, managers, staff, family members, honorees, and participants. It was like a gigantic group hug that bonded every one of us that was in the room at that moment.

I've been on several marathon teams, and year after year, each team seemed closer than the last. This was my first Ironteam experience, and I can't imagine a season that could top this one. Thanks to all of you that donated to the cause and believed in me through this whole journey. I hope I gave you your money's worth. I know that our honorees, who are still thriving because of you, think so.

Anything... ANYTHING... is possible.

Return to Chapter 1 - Prologue

I am Iron! Chapter 4 of 5 - The Run

2010-08-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

I racked my bike and sat on a curb to change my shoes and socks. As I stood up to put on my race number and fuel belt, I saw BK running out of transition and shouted "Go get 'em BK!!" he shouted back to me as I hobbled out to fill my two bottles with Gatorade. Hobbled out? Yep, my right foot was killing me, just along the outside bottom- an injury that surfaced after last year's Chicago Marathon. How was I supposed to start a marathon in this condition? I thought I was screwed, but I also told myself there was no option but to continue. All those cheering people out there are expecting a good showing. My contributors, and especially my honorees, deserved everything I had. So I modified my gait and started running. I thought "maybe it will go away". The gods must have been listening because after about a mile I didn't feel it anymore. My muscles were aching and the sun was glaring, but I knew those were things I could deal with.

As I approached the first water stop, I heard my name being announced on the megaphone followed by some kind of So You Think You Can Dance hip hop music. There it was in front of me, the fabled IronTeam spectator tent filled with all of my favorite Ironteamies from past and present! It was a bit of a blur, but I spotted Belinda, Margaret, Phil, Maria, Coach Mike, Coach Yosh, Tammy, Mike D, to name a few. That got me fired up! But then I had to stop at the water stop 25 yards away to refill on water and Gatorade. THEN I started running away! Coach Simon picked me up and ran with me to the next stop. He took off and I got more water, Gatorade and ice.

By the third water stop, I had my routine figured out- grab one cup each of water, Gatorade, and ice. Pour the water in the ice and drink it. Drink the Gatorade. Drink the remaining water. Pour the remaining ice cubes down the back and front of my shirt. My fuel belt prevented the ice from escaping, and I was instantly cooled and ready to run until the next stop. I shuffled along with a modified 6 min run/1 min walk. A couple of hills appeared and I had no qualms about walking up them. I saw BK heading back and I knew I was in the vicinity of the turnaround. Sara caught up to me and told me how she was feeling sick all morning, and was still kind of puking to that moment. I tried to give her a pep talk but she pulled away from me before I could impart any wisdom. I never caught up to her after that! I finally rounded that sandwich board at 4.35 miles and headed back to where I started. I took advantage of running down the hills that I walked on the way out.

This was an out-and-back course, so I saw lots of my teammates along with the South Bay and LA Ironteamers. I gave my best "Go Team" to keep them and myself motivated. I continued my run walk back past the TNT tent and towards the turnaround at the school. As I ran in, I saw my parents, my brother and family, Leo, Edie & their daughter, Jose, Dan, Leslie & family, Sandra, Onweena, Jeanette, Olivia, Lindsay, Meenu, Lisa, Steve & Trish, Debbie & Brian, DHK & Lisa, and others rooting for me! I was happy about that, but the fact that I had to go back out took a little wind out of my sails. I ran through the chute, got my 1st lap bracelet, refilled my bottles, took a shot of Powergel, and headed back out, taking the energy of the crowd down the street with me.

I modified my second lap to a 5/1 run walk in order to break things up sooner. I passed the TNT tent again, then headed out into the rural roads, continuing my hydration routine in addition to Thermolyte pills every half hour. The sun was chipping away at me, but I wasn't going down without a fight. I felt slower on this second loop. My legs hurt just a bit more. It was just a little harder to start running after water stops. Looking around, I noticed athletes in various conditions: some were flying past me, others were walking slowly as I passed them. It was tough for everyone, and since misery loves company, I didn't feel so bad.

At around 2 miles away from the school, I noticed my bro Martin hanging out in the street. He said "Hey man I'm going to run with you for a while!". I welcomed the gesture and it was really special to be running with that guy. I ran him in the last 4 miles of the Inaugural Nike Women's Marathon when he was on the TNT Marathon team. So he decided to return the favor! He ran me all the way back to the school where all my supporters were once again cheering me on. This brought a big smile to my face despite the fact that my calves and quads started to twinge on the verge of cramping. I got my 2nd lap bracelet, refilled my bottles, took two Thermolytes and stretched my legs a bit. I had 8.7 miles to go and I was not going let cramps get the best of me. I headed out one last time and the cramping magically subsided. The sun started to drop, and I really wanted to make it in before 9PM.

As I made my way through the narrow, wooded streets, I realized that I was passing people that got out of the water before me or flew past me on the bike course. At this point in the day I was looking for little victories to push me forward. As selfish as it seemed, I took what I could get in a competitive spirit. On the other hand, there were still people blowing by me, and I had no problem playing a rabbit for them. More like the tortoise, really. At around 7:30PM there were not too many smiling faces on the course. At the same time, every single one of my Ironteamies out there flashed a smile and exchanged encouraging words. We suffered and smiled for the past 9 months; why stop now?

I finally paid my last visit to the run turnaround where I was surprised by Kerri, Connie, and the other TNT ladies that hired a limousine to take them to the Vineman festivities. Kerri even ran alongside me for a bit- we would do the buddy runs at Lake Merritt years ago before she became a manager for the LLS- and it felt like old times. Then she was gone as quickly as she appeared and I was on my own again.

The sun had almost set, which made it pretty dark in the shady areas on the course. A volunteer vehicle was driving around handing out glow sticks for safety. They were the long ones that you could connect the ends and make a hoop with. I grabbed one and threw it around my neck but it bounced around too much so I took it off and clutched it as I prepared to knock out the last 2 miles. At the second to last water stop, I asked for cola, but they had none. I wanted that cola boost that I heard so much about, but I was S.O.L. I looked at my watch and it read 8:38PM. I told myself I could make my 9PM goal if I start running 10 minute miles NOW! So I started shuffling, then sped up on the flat as I headed down the last significant decline. I rounded the last corner before the TNT tent. I saw the last water stop in the distance but no TNT tent. I rolled up to the stop and asked for cola. They had some, so I grabbed a cup and drank it as I turned the corner and power walked down the street to the last turn.

I propped the cup on a cone and started jogging. Coach Simon was coming the other way and picked me up one last time. We made the left turn and headed for the school. As we neared, he relieved me of that hideous glow stick and ran ahead to alert the troops that I was coming. As I rounded the corner, my running sped up, but everything moved in slow motion. I could hear every shout, every scream, every whistle. I could see everyone's face as all eyes were on me. Thank god I didn't trip on a cone.

After passing my awesome Ironteammates, I entered the finish line chute and saw the exuberant faces of all my family and friends jumping and shouting, barely containing themselves behind the barriers. Even total strangers were screaming as I high-tailed it down the aisle and broke the plane of the finish line under the wine barrel arch at 9:01PM!

Click HERE to go to Chapter 5 - Epilogue

I am Iron! Chapter 3 of 5 - The Bike

2010-08-03T17:03:00.000-07:00

I walked my bike out of transition and up the hill. Coach Dave spotted me and shouted "Move it or lose it!" so I proceeded to move it. I clipped in at the top and heard more cheers for me as I started pedaling. At the first left turn I spotted Dan in a lawn chair and Jose on the corner shooting photos with his Nikon. Those guys are my oldest friends and I was so fired up to see them out there.

After I got going, I remembered what Coach Yosh told me about getting out of the water in a deficit and taking the first 5 miles to replenish calories and fluids. I popped a few Power Bite chews and sipped on my Gatorade/CarboPro mix as I pedaled easily. Many cyclists passed me, but I didn't care because I was racing my race, not theirs. Besides, I had another 110 miles to go- what's the rush? The sun was still not out, and conditions were perfect. After 15 miles of rollers, I was finally in my groove. There were constantly cyclists in front of me and cyclists behind me. Occasionally, a pointy-helmeted specimen on a full carbon fiber bike with solid wheels would go whizzing by me. I would get down in the aeros as often as I could to cut wind resistance since drafting was not allowed.

All was going well but I had to make a pit stop about 40 miles in. I held it as long as I could before contemplating some sort of pee-on-the-fly option. Public urination could get me disqualified, and I never really practiced whipping it out while riding (could you imagine what it would look like if I crashed during such a stunt?). The last thing I would want to do is pee in my shorts like some triathletes do. The time saved would not be worth the feel and smell of soiled spandex. Within minutes of all of this scheming, I happened upon a deli/cafe that I stopped at on a previous ride. They had a restroom and there was no waiting, so I took care of business, then got back on the bike to catch the riders that just passed me.

The sun had finally come out and temperatures rose a bit. During the whole ride, I was waiting for the infamous Chalk Hill, the only hill of significance on this course. Since we had to complete two loops, I would see it twice. I've ridden it before, so I knew what to expect. As it finally reared it's ugly face, I said "Hello my friend, remember me?" as I powered up it with one lower gear remaining. Our honoree Laura Warren was on the side of the road cheering us on, and I gladly reported that I was feeling fine. Other spectators were partying alongside the road, playing music and running up the hill alongside bikes. The hill didn't seem as long or steep as I remembered. As I crested the peak, I knew there was a blazing fast downhill on the other side and dropped into a full tuck to take advantage. Shortly thereafter I rolled into town towards the halfway mark where dozens of spectators and my dedicated supporters cheered me on. I headed out on the second loop.

My liquid nutrition plan of CarboPro/Gatorade mixed with Power Bites and bananas from the support stop was working perfectly. 75 miles into the ride I had to go again. Before my mind even started wandering, two porta potties appeared out of nowhere. Color was optimal. I was well hydrated, and felt like it. As I neared the 95 mile mark, Chalk Hill introduced itself once more. This time I had no gears left, and my legs were working a little more than before. I remarked to Laura, who was still on the hill, that the second time was a little harder. She said "Yup", which I translated into "what are you crying about, get up the damn hill". As if on queue, the Rocky theme song was blasting from one of the other spectator cars. There were more Ironteamers out this time around, and they were cheering for me. They got me up and over the hill and I knew I was almost home! (It was at this point that I finally passed a relay rider that I was trailing for the past 30 miles)

I rolled into town and towards the transition area at the high school. People lined the street and I could hear cheering and screaming. I made the left turn into the school and saw all my teammates, friends, family, and Ironwifey screaming their heads off for me! What a treat! I was finally able to get off that damn bike!! 112 mile bike ride= 7 hours 2 minutes!

Click HERE to go to Chapter 4 - The Run

I am Iron! Chapter 2 of 5 - The Swim

2010-08-03T17:02:00.000-07:00

I hit the sack at around 8:30PM and got plenty of sleep before getting up at 4AM. Claudia, on the other hand, left the room at 3:30AM to set up camp at the High School before coming back to get me and my gear. We loaded up her car, picked up her dad at the lobby, and headed for the river. As expected, the sleepy town of Guerneville was quite congested but we found parking about two blocks from the beach. We unloaded my bike and gear, and hiked down to the beach. The sun was not quite up yet, and people buzzed about in every direction. The sky was gray and the air was misty. The narrow street that led to the water opened up and I could see the water, the beach, and the hundreds of people and bikes that inhabited it. Familiar faces began to appear. Green flameware made it easy to spot teamies.

I made my way to my designated transition area, hung up my bike, and laid out my gear. All my buddies were racked near me, which made for a good time and some photo ops. I got my body marking done and wandered back to my area. I pulled on my wetsuit as I heard the air horn that signified the start of the first wave. "Cool! -wait a minute, I'm in the second wave that starts in 5 minutes!" I shuffled out of T2 and down to the beach just in time to see all the white caps waiting in the water. I kissed my wife on the sidelines, waved to all my friends, and jogged into the water. I put on my goggles and dove in, letting the cool water seep in between skin and neoprene. I did a couple of warmup strokes to get me to the crowd, then treaded water while looking for familiar faces. No such luck as the hundred or so white capped, goggled frogmen all looked the same. The air horn went off again, and it took a second for it to register. "Oh shit! My Ironman has just begun!!"

I was smack dab in the middle of the pack when arms and legs started flailing all around me. I joined the party was stroking and kicking away. I got kicked in the chin, smacked on the back, whacked on the head, and had my limbs pulled on. But that's ok because I gave as much as I took. We simulated mass starts in practice, but they were nothing like this. It was a battle in the water that lasted long enough for us to get some space in between ourselves. The calm was short lived as the next wave was released and the fast swimmers in that group overcame me. More smacking, slapping, and pulling. I kept my calm and let it be known that my swim would not be jeopardized by the hand of another man (or woman). I was breathing fine, I was stroking hard, and I felt great. In all honesty, since I have laid off my martial arts to train for this, I enjoyed the water fighting. It was competition in its raw form - hundreds of bodies moving through water to reach a common goal, and contact was unavoidable. So, as with other other rough moments of the race, I embraced it.

The turnaround point was so shallow that many people were walking through it. I rounded the buoy, stood up to take a breather, then dove back in and got into my stroke. As I neared the second turnaround I saw spectators lined up on the beach, and I was hoping to see Claudia's florescent green sign so I could pop my head up and wave. No such luck, so I rounded the buoy and headed out for my second and final loop. I had a lot more space at this point and was able to concentrate on my stroke. The air was still cool and the skies still gray, and I was feeling unstoppable. The occasional contact with fellow competitors did not faze me anymore. I was the USS Pampanito with diesel engines running at full bore (the nuclear subs were long gone by this time). I rounded the final turnaround and threw some whiskey in the fuel tank for a boost home. I swam under one bridge, then the final bridge, then the water exit appeared. I went full throttle, all limbs flailing until it was shallow enough to stand. I yanked the drawstring on my suit, unzipping it and allowing water to flood in. I slid out of my sleeves, tore off my cap and goggles, and exited the water running and grinning! Friends and family shouting my name made me run up that little hill faster! So fast that I got to the wetsuit strippers and bounced around like a pinball before landing on my back to have a volunteer tear my wetsuit off! 2.4 mile Swim time= 1 hour 33 minutes - yeah! Faster than expected!

I hustled into transition with the intention of avoiding my usual lollygagging. I rinsed off my feet, threw on my socks and cycling shoes, then popped up to install my helmet and shades. Claudia was calling to me so that she could take my bag. Michelle showed up and told me she would take it to her. I applied one last helping of chamois butter, grabbed my bike, and shuffled out of T1. Time for transition= 5 min 33 seconds. Lollygagging kept to a minimum.

Click HERE to go to Chapter 3 - The Bike

I am IRON! Chapter 1 of 5 - Prologue

2010-08-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

Tired. Sore. Achy. Elated. Proud. Impressed. Coach Dave asked us to describe our Iron journey in one word, and the one I chose was Impressed.

I was impressed with myself and my teammates for rising to the physical challenges that were put before us week after week. I was impressed by our mental fortitude and the will to continue even in extreme cold and hot conditions. I was impressed by the organization of our staff and how they molded a team into a family. I was impressed by the fundraising efforts of each and every member even during this tough economy we are said to be going through. I was impressed by the support offered to me over the past 9 months by my wife, friends, family, and acquaintances (especially my wife for providing me with great meals and caring so much about the team). Finally, I was impressed that on July 31, 2010, a good number of us became IRON at the Vineman Triathlon/AquaBike.

Claudia and I drove up Thursday evening to get a jump on the Friday madness that was to ensue. This worked out perfectly as I was able to get in my recommended 10 hours of sleep that night. The rest of the team arrived in Santa Rosa on Friday, and we had a joint Inspiration Luncheon with the South Bay and Los Angeles Iron Teams. As we chowed down on pasta, the coaches took turns giving words of wisdom and preparing us for the day to come. The honorees spoke about their battles with cancer and reminded us of the good we were doing. Pikachu appeared- that was a trip. The highlight was a slide show that combined photos of all three teams throughout the season. My Buff tube top shot made it up there, and was good for a laugh! Then they showed close ups of each individual along with their chosen word. That was pretty cool. After bringing it together for a big Go Team IronTeam! we dispersed and headed to Windsor High for packet pickup/ T2 drop off.

We arrived at the High School which was overrun by the 1800+ athletes that were registering for some form of the Vineman race. The first order of business was the Athletes Meeting that took place in a packed gymnasium. The race organizers went over the details of the race, and a representative from the USTA briefed us on the rules. The wives stood in the registration line and Claudia texted me when she was close to the table. Chris, Jim, BK, and I left the meeting and jumped in line with the ladies.

I showed my one-day USTA license and picture ID, and was presented with an orange bracelet. Next stop was race number pickup. I got in the appropriate line and was handed my #399 race bib along with two stickers for my helmet and bike. I was also given a bag to throw my wetsuit in at T1. I spun around and got in yet another line to pick up my special foods bags, one for the bike and one for the run. Then I got my t-shirt and headed out of that little building.

We all walked toward the T2 transition area where we were to leave our run gear. I spent some time the night before contemplating exactly what I needed to leave. Shoes, socks, visor, sunglasses, fuel belt, bottles, gels. I picked a spot next to BK and we used chalk to mark the asphalt to remind us where we were. We headed back to the hotel where Jim, BK, Chris, Haakon, and I went on a short test ride on our bikes. Upon our return, we changed and went out for a nice pasta dinner with our group and families. The last item of the evening was a relaxation session led by Coach Dave. We brought our yoga mats and sprawled out in a small, dimly lit conference room. Spa-type music played as coach read affirmations and we drifted deeper into relaxed mode. So relaxed that Chris let out a couple of snores, and BKs stomach was making squelching noises. As much as I tried to ignore this all, I did everything I could to contain myself, though I'm sure coach saw me trying to suppress my laughter! After the session, I felt relaxed and ready to tackle the next day.

Click HERE to go to Chapter 2 - The Swim

Countdown to Vineman

2010-07-26T20:34:00.000-07:00

It's Monday and I have 5 days left before I partake in the biggest physical challenge I have ever faced. I have been training since November with a great group of people on the Iron Team, and I am ready to go. I have been tapering in the last couple of weeks and I'm getting antsy. I have the next few days to gather my thoughts, organize my equipment, and rehearse the days events in my mind. In other words, I'll be bouncing off the walls!

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to run with my old marathon team buddies for a 6 miler in Alameda. It was great to see them and knock out some miles for old times sake.

The IronTeamies that are destined for Louisville and Canada had their triple brick this Saturday. It was a warm day in Danville, but they all did very well. They have one more month of training before their big day arrives.

Sunday brought the SF Marathon/Half Marathon in which the lil lady PR'd. I knew she would after running with her a couple of weeks ago. Her cross training has gotten her into great shape and she looked strong out on the course. It was fun to be on the sidelines cheering her on this time!

Taper... not tapeworm

2010-07-22T21:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe 37 weeks has passed since my inception into the sacred circle known as IronTeam. During this time I have pushed my physical limits, met some amazing people, and contributed to the fight against blood cancers. Working out 6 days a week and giving up almost every weekend can wear a man down. But here I am, stronger and faster, both physically and mentally. And I couldn't have done it without my IronTeammates by my side. Our training has peaked, I am now in the taper phase.

I've been through taper phases during marathon training, but this one is a little different. I was warned that one could become irritable, restless, or ravenous in this period of time. I have felt a little of each, but today I felt like I had a taper-worm. I ate the lunch that was packed for me, then I ate leftover sandwich from a work meeting, then I put down an It's It ice cream sandwich, then I scarfed a cinnamon bun... what's going on here?

You'd think I had enough to eat at this past weekend's family reunion in San Diego. Yes, the famed Del Carmen get together that we have in the middle of July. As usual, there were moments that will be forever remembered. One of the moments occurred on Friday afternoon when cousin Bud offered to go for a run with me if I wanted. I didn't bring my running gear, so it was an easy out. Then he said he was going to the gym instead. OK so here I am, Mr. "I'm training for an Ironman", so I better work out! But I didn't have any workout clothes. Not a problem.

I asked my uncle for some workout clothes to borrow. He ran upstairs and came down right away and handed me his finest gear. Bud and I drive to the 24 Fitness and I head to the locker room to change as he warms up on the treadmill. I didn't look at the clothes, I just put them on. I turned to face the full length mirror and enjoyed the view: tight blue speedo tank top and short polo shorts. On top of my low cut socks and stan smiths. I invented time travel and was squarely set back in 1986. Rad! I walked towards the treadmills and Bud nearly lost his lunch laughing and pointing at me. After the initial shock, we headed into the aerobics room to do what appeared to be synchronized core strength workout. How cute. And in that outfit. But hey I didn't care, I got my workout in! I was primed for the feast to come. And feast I did!

But here I am now, back to reality, and only 9 days before my first full Ironman triathlon. My workouts are much shorter, which in a way is a welcome idea, but also leaves me a bit antsy. I am psyched and pumped and anxious and excited. The day is coming... and at that point I will know that all my hard work has paid off.

Triple H... Hilly, Hot, Hundred miles

2010-07-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

The last long bike ride of the training season finally arrived this past Saturday. The entire team, regardless of Ironman event destination, was to conquer 100 miles of the East Bay "alps". I was expecting a long day in the saddle, and that's what I got. I started with the second wave at 7:30AM from Heather Farms park in the WC. The first group had a 1 hour head start on us, so we figured we had better get going.

Rolling out at 7:30AM

I rolled out with teamies BK, Jim, Chris, Sarah, Josh, Carolyn, and Nate. As we ascended Mt. Diablo, Carolyn and Nate slowly disappeared into the distance ahead as expected. This left me with the core group that I would spend the majority of the ride with. I normally don't ride with these folks because they usually pull away early on (BK and Chris are accomplished Death Ride finishers). I was determined to stay with them as long as could.

Jim and I enjoying a fast descent

After Diablo and an ascent parallel to the 580 freeway, we tackled just about every significant climb in the East Bay including Grizzly Peak, the 3 Bears, Pig Farm, and Releiz Valley Road. This route looked suspiciously like the Top Hat Classic course that I did back in 2005.

We climbed and climbed

The sun was out in force, and as we passed from the Alameda County side to the Contra Costa side, the breeze from the bay vanished and the heat was beating down. At mile 75, the Ironwifeys had the best water stop ever. Canopy with a buffet of snacks (including lumpia!), fresh water, coolers full of ice, and cold wet towels for us to throw on our necks. The beats were bumping, and no one really wanted to leave, especially since Pig Farm was waiting for us around the corner.

Meenu providing refreshments to Nate and Carolyn

Snacks at the 75 mile mark

Our core group splintered, and Sarah, Josh, and Chris took off. I rolled in with Jim and BK 7 hours and 59 minutes after we started. I was happy to have stayed with them the whole ride because I did not want to be out there alone! I worked a little harder, and it paid off. My nutrition plan of 250 liquid calories per hour/ Thermolyte pills every 30 min, and food/gel at each rest stop worked out well.

I am impressed at the performance of each and every one of my Iron teammates. Coach Dave informed us at the end of the day that this was our mental toughness training day. There were moments when I felt beat down but motored on anyway. Especially later in the day on Releiz Valley Road, which kept going up and was seemingly endless.

Me, Nate, and Jim cooling off after the ride

This was a tough 100 miles, and I am glad we all got through it. It was a breakthrough for all of us, and another great day to bond with the team. Those of us that are doing the Vineman Full are now officially in taper mode! Less than one month to event day. Pizza at Sports Basement was the icing on the cake!

At the post ride hangout, Claudia put the lumpia down and almost lost a hand!

A big THANK YOU to my latest sponsors in the fight against blood cancers:

Gina L.
Marriott Chokureva
Imelda Newsom
Thomas Duffy
Margo Meyer
Priscilla Kalugdan
Patricia Osorio-O'Dea
Sybil Wartenberg
Christopher Savino
Oliver Pabonan
Chris Pedigo

Triple Brick - Three times the fun!

2010-06-28T22:35:00.000-07:00

Thirty some-odd weeks into training, and the infamous triple brick finally reared its ugly head. Well, it didn't start out entirely ugly- in fact, the beauty of Yountville was in full effect. At 8AM our starting point was peaceful and shady. Everyone buzzed about with angst and anticipation as we converted the park picnic grounds into a transition area. Ironteam was here, and we were ready to do the damn thing.

A single brick consisted of a 30 mile (or 2 hour) bike ride followed immediately by a 5 mile (or 1 hour) run. Repeat this three times and you have your triple brick. Those of us training for Vineman were to complete three, and those training for IM Canada or Louisville were to complete two.

The entire team had a vibe of combat readiness. It was time to push the limits once again. I was fired up and ready to go. On Saturday, Chris and I traveled to Guerneville and completed the entire 2.4 mile Vineman swim course. We both left there feeling great, and showed up Sunday ready to tackle the triple.

Ironteam looking fresh in the morning

Coach Dave shouted GO! and we rolled through the quiet streets of Yountville. As directed by the coaches, I took the first bike loop somewhat easy. My legs were fresh and I played with gear selection to keep them feeling that way. I made it to the turnaround point with time to spare. The out & back route provided plenty of opportunities to see all of our teamies, which provided boosts in morale and energy.

Cruising through the shade with my tongue out

After making it out of the twisties and through the long grind along Highway 29, I rolled back into the transition area and systematically prepared for the run. Swap shoes. Remove helmet and gloves. Empty pockets. Throw on fuel belt. Open cooler, swap cycle bottle for running bottles. Put on visor. Go!

I started my stopwatch and trotted out onto the winding country roads. The view of the mountains and vineyards was epic, and my running legs felt strong and happy. But as I got a little more than a mile into it, I realized that it was getting pretty warm. I passed the water stop on the way out, and hit the turnaround point. I stopped a the water stop on the way back and grabbed some gatorade. I was still feeling good, so I hightailed it back to the transition area, again with time to spare.

Being glad to get off my feet and back on the bike, I swapped my gear once again and headed back out on the bike route. 5 miles in and my bike felt a bit sluggish, almost wobbly. I glanced down and confirmed that my rear tire lost quite a bit of air. I found a nice shady spot to stop at, complete with a little rock to sit on while I changed out my tube. I couldn't find a leak in the tube, nor anything stuck in the tire itself, but I swapped out the tube while Sedonia and Mary provided moral support. Coach Mike gave me a spare CO2 cartridge in case it happened again.

I was back on the road and into the twisties again. I rolled up on Maria during a little climb and we shouted encouraging Iron sayings at each other. I didn't make it to the turnaround due to the time spent on my tire repair, but I made it back to transiton in a little over 2 hours.

I swapped gear once more and headed back out on the run. By this time I was 5 hours into it, and it was the hottest point of the day. My run strategy had changed to a 8 minute run/1 minute walk. I stuck with this method throughout the entire run, stopping at the water stop both times to guzzle much needed Gatorade and water. The bottles I carried were being emptied much quicker than the first run. My run/walk scheme got me back to the transition area in under an hour.

First run- looking good, but the sun was already blazing

After yet another gear change and more fluid guzzling, I mounted my bike for the final time. I noticed my rear tire was a tad low again -WTF? Coach Mike busted out the floor pump and topped it off, and I took off like Danica Patrick out of a pit stop. By this time my legs were feeling tired, my butt a little sore, my arms, neck, shoulder, etc. felt worked over.

I motored on at a steady pace, slower than my first two rides, but still moved with purpose. The shade in the twisties provided relief from the 100 degree weather that we were blessed with. One hour into it, as instructed, I pulled over, took a gel and a couple of swigs of water, and flipped a u-turn about 4 miles from the turnaround. The long grind back was lonely until Jen pulled up aside me in her car and offered ice cold Gatorade; I couldn't refuse. That blast got me back to transition for my final run.

8 hours into it, and I had to hit the pavement again. Those that were already done for the day were digging in to their sandwiches and sodas. Some were already changed into their casual clothes and enjoying a shady picnic bench. I wasn't done yet, and as I changed my shoes for the last time, Mama Yosh threw and ice cold towel on me while Merla pumped up her mister and sprayed it on my head. I was completely soaked with a mixture of sweat, sunblock, water, and god knows what else.

Merla keeping her distance while misting my already soaked head

As I hit the road, Nick offered to join me. My new strategy was a 5 minute run/ 1 minute walk. This lasted a couple of times until we hit the water stop. I drank two full cups of Gatorade and was still thirsty. I took thermolyte salt pills every 15 minutes. We continued on at a brisk walk before I decided to run again. A couple of more 5/1s and we turned around at thirty minutes, about 100 yards short of the official turnaround point.

Third and final run - gettin' beat down

By this time I was beat. The sun still beat down, and we took advantage of the shade that was not there during the earlier runs. I wanted to start running again, but my body kept me at a brisk walk. We neared the water stop once more, and were greeted by Chris and Jim, who were sent out to retrieve us on their last run. They were accompanied by Coach Mike on his bike. We were the last customers of the day for Coach Simon's water stop. I drank more G-ade and more water, and refilled my bottles.

The five of us began our 1.5 mile journey back to our start point by wandering down the road. No one voted to start running, so we all agreed that we would walk back. Mike and Nick reminded us that the goal was forward motion; especially in this heat. Run, walk, crawl- just keep moving forward. Of course, things got a bit comedic with this motley crew, and as we closed in on the finish Coach Mike says "well you ARE going to run in the last 50 yards, right??" And we all agreed that we would.

I was feeling a tad out of sorts, not quite dizzy, but ready to be done. We turned the corner and started jogging to the park. Chris busted out a cadence straight out of the movie Stripes, and we rolled down the road singing "Do Wa Ditty Ditty Dum Ditty Do!" as our teamies gathered to watch this gang of fools parade down the street. The high-fives, congrats, well wishes, etc. were kind of blur to me as I felt slightly light headed and just wanted to sit down. I sipped some soda and drank my recovery drink, but could not stomach any food just yet.

Nick, Chris, Me, and Jim recreating a scene from "Stripes"

After packing my gear, saying goodbye to everyone and loading up my car, I changed clothes and sat with the A/C blasting. I busted out my liter bottle of water and started drinking. I felt better with each swig. I thought I was drinking enough throughout this 9 hour period. The heat amplified my dehydration and let me know that I did not hydrate enough. This was a good lesson for Vineman, which takes place at the end of July and is known to be a hot race day.

This was another milestone for everyone on the team. Brick workouts are tough. Triple brick workouts are tougher. But triple brick workouts in triple digit temperatures are downright hellacious! My Ironteam and I made it through whether they did a triple, double, or something in between. This was the toughest, longest physical challenge that I have ever put myself through. But hey, if it was easy, they wouldn't call it Ironman.

Swim, Bike, Run, BBQ

2010-06-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

Yet another glorious weekend in the Bay Area has come and gone. Aside from the usual scheduled Iron activities, it was also Father's Day. How would I fit it all in? Here's how:

On Saturday morning I stuffed my bike and wetsuit into my car and headed in to SF. This day was scheduled to be an On Your Own swim, but Coach Yosh generously offered to meet any IronTeamies at Aquatic Park for a swim in the bay and a swim stroke tune up. A handful of us, including Phil, Carol, Melissa, Sandy, and Dana met on the shore. Coach Yosh comes running from out of the water towards us to get us going. BK, Chris, and Jim started a bit earlier and were already on their second loop around the perimeter of the swim area. Maria and the others were at Del Valle so, sadly, we had to make do without them.

I had the pleasure of doling out free wedgies as we suited up into our wetsuits. I figured the water has been warming up at all of our usual watering holes, so I didn't bring my neoprene cap. I realized how wrong I was as I submerged myself to get the water into my wetsuit. Though warmer than our first outing in the bay, the water was f*ing cold! My hands, feet, and face went numb within seconds, but Phil and I got moving right away, and after a short period, I was acclimated. We swam to the first buoy and ran into the early dudes for a round of greetings and high fives.

The water was choppy, but I moved through it fairly confidently as Phil and I paced each other. There were a couple of close calls with anchored sailboats, but we made it through the rough parts. We went back towards shore for our coaching sessions. Yosh told me what my arms were doing and how to correct it, and a couple of laps in the lanes and I was done. We exited the water and parted ways. I transitioned very slowly onto my bike as I had to get in my car, re-park in front of Sports Basement at the Presidio, and then throw on my gear for a ride.

I headed along the shore towards the Golden Gate Bridge for my solo 2 hour/30 mile ride. The skies were clear but the wind was out in full force. I climbed up and under the bridge to the cycle entrance. As soon as I got on, I motored forward, dodging oncoming tourists as I worked towards a decent cadence. I approached each pillar with caution as a cyclist can literally go from 15 to 0 upon entering the turn. The wind formed a solid wall and cyclists from both directions created a clusterf... well it wasn't pretty. I got across the bridge and climbed up into the Marin Headlands and was rewarded with beautiful views of The City.

I descended the backside and paid a visit to the beach at Fort Cronkhite. I climbed back up and visited an old house that was used as a filming location for the Andy Lau film The Adventurers, which I took part in waaaay back in the early nineties. In case you're wondering, no I didn't have a speaking part, and yes, I played a bad guy that was shot to death by the film's star.

I backtracked to the bridge and headed down to the Presidio. There was supposed to be a TNT alumni event going on down there, but I cruised around and didn't see any sign. Lo and behold, as I made my way back to Sports Basement, I saw two young ladies struggling to erect a big purple canopy without being blown away into the bay. I offered to help, but the wind was too strong, so they stashed the canopy and laid down a big purple awning with the TNT logo on it. Coolers full of gelato held down either side. I did get to enjoy some gelato and chat with the LLS staffers and the few alumni/current teamies that attended, then went on my way to throw money at Sports Basement then head home. A little nap, a little sushi with the lady, and the day was done.

Sunday morning came and I woke up kind of dreading what I was about to put myself through. We had a mentor-led 18 mile/3 hour run in Alameda. I started an hour earlier so I could get done and on to the next part of the day. There was slight cloud cover and the wind was blowing as I parked my car on the street a little before 8AM. I threw on my fuel belt and shuffled across the street and onto the trail that runs parallel to the shore.

Everything felt a little tight, my feet felt a little achy, my back a tad bit stiff. After ten minutes of warm up, I pulled over and did my prescribed Coach Al/Mama Lisa stretches. I started running again and aaaaaahh felt much better; ready to take this mother on. I planned a 9 minute run/ 1 minute walk and stuck with it the whole way. The 10 minute increments helped break down the time and relieved some of the monotony of running solo. About 6.5 miles into it, Capt. Tony rolls by me on his bike with a piece of supersized chalk in his hand. "Rocky? You got an early start!" I explained that I had plans afterwards so I couldn't wait for the crew. He pedaled away to the next intersection to mark as I shuffled on.

At around mile 9 or so I saw my mentor Erin and her husband Matt as they ran in the opposite direction. I also started to think about the magnitude of this run. On the marathon team, an 18 mile run would be a coached affair with volunteers manning water stops every 3 miles or so apart. Coaches on bikes would be roaming to check on participants, and cheering squads would offer motivation to get through the grind. But then I remembered this is Ironteam. An 18 mile run is de rigueur for us knuckleheads- er I mean, uber athletes. Heck, it's only 3 hours, and we're not doing anything else but running. So why complain?

2 hours into it, I returned to my car to refill my bottles, grab a bite, and pour some water on my head. This was a much needed water stop as the sun was now glaring down at me and my supplies were running low. I hit the road again ran as far as I could in one direction, then flipped around and headed back down the very path I started on hours ago. I was closing in on my 3 hours, so I ran a few out and backs to complete the run. Despite my runner's brain, my math was accurate and I ended my run where I began it. I stood in the shade, updated my FB status, then headed to the car and reached into my cooler for my ice cold Endurox recovery drink. The ice cubes were still solid. Aaaaah that was refreshing.

I zoomed home, showered, then got back in my car and jetted up toward Sacramento to celebrate Father's day with my folks and bros and their fams. A few hours of BBQ and quality time, then I returned to the town of Oak. I had to stop in Vacaville to get an iced mocha at Peets, which is right across from the Amici's that we grubbed at after 3/4 Iron. They got everything up there now!

Anywho, I hope your weekend was as eventful. Or not.

Huge thanks to my latest contributors:

The Awesome Carolina Yuen
The Fantastic Jamie Paek
The Fabulous David Lindberg
The Glamorous Alicia Bass

Family weekend

2010-06-16T21:37:00.000-07:00

OK, as you have witnessed, training for an Ironman event sucks time like nothing else. 31 weeks have lapsed since I had that momentary loss of sanity and followed my buddies to the Ironteam. I am loving every minute of it, no matter how hard it gets. I am constantly reminded that this is a choice that I have made, whereas those diagnosed with cancer suffer without consent.

Time with family has often been put aside, but this past weekend I decided to make another choice: forgo the team workouts to spend time with my loved ones. I suppose this puts me in the category of slacker, but the time I lost on the road I made up with the people that I do this for in the first place.

On Saturday, as my teamies were facing a hot, treacherous bike ride through the East Bay Alps, I was surrounded by my folks, brothers, uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews, etc etc etc at my niece's 7th birthday party. Yes, there was lumpia and pancit and rice and chicken and ribs and on and on. I sat down next to the dining room table where all the food was laid out, and literally did not leave my spot for at least an hour. As much as I enjoy training with the team, I love this kind of gathering above all else. Nothing beats a good family celebration, especially in the midst of such a demanding training season. After these events I always feel like training harder. Partly because what I do can help a family member, and partly because it's all I talked about, so I must deliver. My sister in law handed me a 1 lb slice of cake, and when I complained that it was too big, she said "c'mon Ironman, you can eat all that!" And so the day went.

On Sunday, I actually was dedicated to running my 14 miles on my own. The Mrs. was slated to go sailing in the bay with our good friends, but I insisted that I must train, especially after Saturday's feast. I put on my gear, headed to the Berkeley Marina, and proceeded to knock out the miles. After a whopping half mile, the boats in the marina were taunting me. "You should have gone sailing", "You can run anytime. When's the last time you were out on the bay?". I caved in and called to ask if it was not too late for me to join the party. It wasn't, so I jetted back to my car and high-tailed it home in time to get to the boat dock in SF.

OK now that does sound like a slacker move, doesn't it? But wait, before you pass judgement, I have something to add. The friends that we were to sail with were none other than Simon and Brandy. Brandy is the mother of a little boy named Cole Regan who was born with leukemia and lived a short life of 19 months. He was an honoree for Team In Training until his passing in 2004, and we have remained good friends with Brandy since then.

During my brief morning run, I reminded myself that I am not only training for the honorees, but for their families as well. Would being out on a run by myself be any better than actually spending time with those that I am doing this for? Heck no, so off a-sailing I went! We sailed from Mission Rock in SF across the bay and tied up to a mooring in Tiburon. We had a great lunch under the sun with Simon, Brandy, her two children, their friend Andy, Olivia, Claudia and myself. I have not been on a sailboat since I was but a wee child, so this was a memorable experience. And to end a perfect day, we even got to meet my parents for dinner in Berkeley that evening!

The weekend was great, but I am back at it again. Already knocked out a Tuesday bike/run brick, and Wednesday 3000yd swim. So tell me I'm not slacking, please?

Oh BTW, I was chosen along with a few others to film a Team In Training tv commercial last week! Tonight, the spot aired on KPIX channel 5! Don't blink or you'll miss me!

Almost Iron! (3/4 to be more specific)

2010-06-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

Whew! - Just got back from an awesome weekend up at Clear Lake. Didn't do any fishing or boating or wakeboarding. What we DID do was partake in the annual IronTeam 3/4 Iron weekend, which is kind of like a team retreat amongst some beautiful scenery- granted you're idea of a retreat is swimming 2 miles, biking 100 miles, and running 16 miles. OK, so it was no Club Med.

We checked in to the exclusive lakeside Anchorage Inn and settled into our luxury suite. The aroma of incense, tandoori spices, and tobacco wafted throughout the room and into the open walkway. We were treated to a romantic view of a pickup truck-filled parking lot overlooking the water. At this moment, I thought, ahhh, we have arrived.

Anchorage Inn - the lap of luxury

Most of the Ironteammates occupied similar rooms, and the remainder were taken by bowhunting carp fisherman for a tournament that was happening during the weekend. My fears were confirmed: Larry the Cable Guy successfully cloned himself and was building an army in a remote lakeside community. But enough about that.

We all headed over to the main staging location, a house on the water situated on a large piece of property with a yard, private beach, and boat/waverunner pier. The owners are IronTeam alumni that graciously volunteer to host this event each year. We dropped off our bikes in their tennis court (yes, they have their own tennis court) and left them for the night.

Nacho Lover standing at attention in the transition area

Saturday morning came and we found ourselves back at the house at 5:45AM. The coaches gave us an instructional speech regarding the swim and bike. There were 3 waves for the swim start: The first two waves for the women, and the third for the men, spaced 20 minutes apart. I thought to myself "Wait, how could I be in the third wave? By the time I get out of the water, everyone will be long gone on the bike ride!" But I accepted the fact that I would hit the water with the boys and swim as hard as I could.

Coach Mike's pre-swim/bike briefing

With the first two waves already underway, we entered the lake and prepared to get going. The sun finally appeared over a mountain top, marking the start of the swim. We flailed wildly at the start, kicking, elbowing, and slapping each other to simulate a mass start. I was surprisingly comfortable as I made my way out and the lake got deeper. Stroke, breathe, sight, repeat. I concentrated on sighting buoys in the distance to stay on course, but lost track of the swimmers in front of me. I discovered that no one was hugging the buoys, so I re-shifted my focus on the splashing arms in the distance.

Jim, Chris, BK, Me, and Phil ready to do the damn thing

Heading out into Clear Lake

I reached the first buoy turn and positioned myself to face the longest stretch along the deepest part of the lake. Kayak support was out in force as was Coach Dave on his waverunner. Every now and then I found myself swimming in a wake and sucking in the fumes of 2-stroke exhaust as I rotated to get air! I was in my groove but most of the guys already pulled away, just as I anticipated. There was one swimmer in front of me and it took me about 20 minutes to catch him, but I did. This was huge for me! I hit the turn around point and headed back to the beach. In an effort to finish strong I did my best Michael Phelps and sprinted in. I got out of the water and made it to the transition area to see a few people still there. I dried off, threw on my riding gear, and rolled out.

Phil and I early in the ride

I exited the driveway with Tony and Phil and due to the rough road, launched a bottle from my under-seat bottle cage within a mile. "Great, this is going to be a bottle-chasing day". After backtracking to get it, I placed it back in the cage and had a conversation with Sedonia about how the roads will be rough all day and that I will most likely launch a few more. At that point I grabbed the bottle to take a sip, reached behind me to replace it and heard a "CRACK!". I fumbled the bottle but managed to catch it, and as I pulled it in front me I noticed I was holding the bottle and the entire cage and bracket complete with the other bottle and two CO2 cartridges. The retaining bolt sheared off and there was no quick fix.

I handed the busted cage and bottle to Claudia in the SAG wagon, and continued on with one bottle in the pocket of my bike jersey. I made it work, refilling at aid stations and swapping my other bottle from the SAG wagon later on. Luckily I had another bottle with my CarboPro/Gatorade mix waiting in my special needs bag at mile 50. Along with gels and electrolyte tablets, I made it work.

Trying to remain aerodynamic with a big ol' water bottle hanging out of my back pocket

I rode conservatively for the first 40 miles then turned it up a notch after that. I spent many long, lonely miles in the aero bars during this time. I reached a part in the ride that was a steep climb on a crumbling one way road. It was no piece of cake but on the side of the road I saw a sign that read "Go Rocky!" That gave me a little boost as I let out an appreciative chuckle. Then I saw another sign, and another, each with the names of our teammates. What a great touch by the coaching staff. It's the little things.

I headed back and hit the last aid stop where Team Frankie was handing out cold wet towels, fruits, cold water, gatorade, etc and welcomed me with big smiles and an encouraging "only 13 miles left!" I quickly refueled and hit the road for a quick blast back to the house. NOT. There was one more granny gear climb, then miles of frontage road riding, then a long, boring grind down highway 20- I was tired and complaining, but dropped back down into my aero bars and hammered all the way back to the house. As I pulled in, Coach Dave blurted my name through the bull horn and those that arrived before me gave applause. I was happy to be done, then headed to the lake for a cool down.

Winding down the 104 mile bike ride

As soon as all the riders were in, the coaches and volunteers fired up the grill for a BBQ dinner and we chowed down on burgers, dogs, sodas, salads, and some folks even had beer. Wait, we still had 16 miles to run the next day! Oh well, let the good times roll!

We were fortunate to have two honorees, Laura and Frankie (and his family) there this weekend to share their stories of encouragement. They have both survived blood cancers and continue to thrive and inspire us. These people, along with others, are the reason we do this. It's important to keep the connection to the cause front and center to remind us why we are here. After the festivities, we returned to the lovely Anchorage Inn to prepare for the next day, and pass out.

BBQ dinner at the mansion

Sunday morning treated us to an extra half hour of sleep. We packed up and headed back to the house for a 7AM run start. 16 miles, 8 out and 8 back, awaited us on the lovely country roads of Clear Lake. Coach Simon handed out minute-per-mile paces to each of us based on our VDOT scores, and like grammar school kids at lunchtime, we all compared our strips of papers as we hemmed and hawed. The gun went off and we all bolted out of the gates and down highway 20.

BK almost pantsed me

Me and Sara pulling into the 2nd water stop

Sara and I made a deal within the first mile to stick together since we share a similar long pace. She is actually faster than me, which forced me to work a little harder. The sun grew stronger as the minutes wore on, and each of the 3 water stops were a welcome sight. By 8AM it felt like high noon, with trees all around but minimal shade in sight. This called for extra hydration and liquid cooling. I would pull my water bottle out of my belt, pour some on my head, and then take a swig. Towards the end of the run I poured, then sipped, and instantly realized I just gave myself a head full of CarboPro/Gatorade mix. Oops wrong bottle. But I didn't care because the end was in sight, and the cool lake beckoned! We hustled it in with a strong finish and enjoyed the fruits of my labor with an ice cold mug of Endurox recovery and a cool lake bath.

The cool lake water served as an impromptu ice bath. Refreshing!

Another incredible, unforgettable landmark weekend with my super IronTeam had come to a close. The crowd dispersed as we cleaned up and headed out in search of a post-3/4 Iron recovery meal (which we later found at Amici's in Vacaville).

The Ironteam family vacation group photo

Once again I have to say that I couldn't have completed all 118+ miles without the support of my awesome teammates, my magnanimous coaches and staff, our incredible honorees, generous volunteers, and our gracious hosts Jeff and Janet. A special thank you to my super-duper Ironwifey for being out on the course every day to support me! Oh, and lil Daisy, cause she helped too.

I hope you enjoyed this account of our long training weekend. Words can't really convey the challenges we face while we do this, and words alone will not find a cure for blood cancers. I hope you will consider contributing to the cause by clicking on my fundraising link. OR, join the team and get out here with us. It's tough fun, and worth every minute of agony because I will gladly put myself through Iron training so that others won't have to suffer through cancer.

A big thank you to my latest contributors to the cause:

Theresa Singh-Janklow
Michele Giles

8 weeks to go...

We couldn't do it without them!

30 weeks into training and closing in on 3/4 Iron!

2010-05-30T17:19:00.000-07:00

For this old dog, the past week has been somewhat of a recovery week from last week's recovery week. I didn't make every workout every day though I did double up on Thursday, with a 3000 yd swim and a 5x1200 track workout. This Saturday's workout consisted of a 1 hour swim and 2 hour trail run at good ol' Lake Del Valle. We've gone through three recommitment periods but the majority of the IronTeam still remains, and is still going strong.

March of the penguins

Chris and I discussing swim strategy

Coach Dave asked us each to express how we felt in one or two words. I agreed with every word that each teammate spoke. Words like anxious, proud, happy, confident, tired, and more. The word I chose was "tough". I feel tough right now. Not "smash me in the face and I can take it" tough, but rather "throw me a challenge and I'll tackle it with all I got" tough. Training for an Ironman toughens one up both mentally and physically. An Iron athlete must endure sustained efforts of physical exertion while still keeping a level head. The mind must be clear enough to execute proper technique while still making smart decisions regarding nutrition and performance levels. And all of this goes on for a maximum of 16 hours.

The lake was so much warmer than previous visits

How many times have you competed in a sport for 16 hours straight? None? Well fret not my friend, neither have I. But in 10 weeks, my resolve will be put to the test. By that time, we would have raised over $6000 in the fight against blood cancers.

Me, Jim, and Chris sporting our new "buffs"

But before I go all Iron, I must go 3/4 Iron, which will take place next week. This will be another milestone for me as I will swim 2 miles, ride 100 miles, and run 16 miles in one weekend. Wish me luck, and I'll report back.

Now, time to thank my latest contributors! These people are all uber-athletes in their own right, former teammates of mine, and are dedicated to the cause:

Arthur Cheung
Russ Peterman
Alexandra Cortes
Kate Bokan-Smith
Nicole St. Lawrence
Vijay Mehrotra

Ramped up again. Ready to recover.

2010-05-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks have gone by super fast. I am sticking to my training schedule as well as I can, working out 6 days a week to reach my Iron goal. These next two months are crucial and I must pay special attention to nutrition and keep pushing on physically. These past couple of weeks tired me out pretty good. Thankfully I have a great team consisting of relentless go-getters and overall good souls and a supportive wife who feeds me mounds of food after long workouts.

Mondays are generally my workout day off. I actually look forward to Mondays now. Sure I have to go to work, but that's it. Lunch is relaxed, and the evening is free. Until I have to pack for Tuesday.

Starting the 80 mile Vineman course ride

Tuesday evening bike ride, Wednesday swim, Thursday brick, Friday swim, and on and on. Two weekends ago I rode 60 miles on Saturday, and ran 12 miles on Sunday. This past weekend I rode 80 miles on Saturday, then swam 1.2 miles followed by a 6 mile run on Sunday. The increase in volume is notable as we enter race phase and get closer to race day.

Sunday morning swim group at Shadow Cliffs

I continue to train, and I continue to raise funds. I am getting closer to my goals, and you can help me get there!

Tuesday evening ride to Grizzly Peak

I would like to thank my recent contributors, all of whom are making a difference in the fight against blood cancers. I consider all of you to be an important part of my team as I make my way through this journey.

Chris Reyes
Merla Salongcong
Sarah Crawford
Tori Morales
Arlene Espinosa
Onweena Choonhchuongchoti
Sandra Robinson
Tim Yagle
Deborah Watts
Michael Li
Regner Cunanan
Kim Michell Moppin
Candace Parker
Dave & Gloria Froines

Back from vacation... back to training

2010-05-03T16:12:00.000-07:00

We just flew back from Hawaii, and boy are my arms tired! We had a great time in Honolulu, relaxing on the beach in front of the Royal Hawaiian, eating lots of spam, and yes, getting our workouts in.

I have to admit that I was slightly bummed that I would miss the coached Ironteam workouts and the following busy weekend of rides and races. But, celebrating my 3rd anniversary in paradise was clearly the highlight of the year to date! We have been anticipating this break for months, and it was very much needed! But it wasn't lazy time, we tried to justify every big meal we ate. And let's just say.. I like to eat.

The time difference made it easy to squeeze in workouts super early in the morning. We did all of our running at around 6:30AM, which was just before the weather started to heat up. And getting this done early meant that breakfast came early too! Eggs, rice, and spam was all I needed to replenish.

Speaking of spam, we checked in just in time for the Spam Jam that took place on Kalakaua Ave, right outside the Royal Hawaiian Shopping center. The street was closed down to make room for a live music stage, booths of spam-themed offerings from local restaurants, and droves of hungry people. I sampled spam musubi, spam sliders, and spam katsu. And this was on the first day!

The following days brought sightseeing trips up to the top of Diamond Head and out to Pearl Harbor. The ferry ride to the USS Arizona was both nostalgic and somber. It was hard to imagine a horrific event happening in such a serene and beautiful location.

Our little rented Mini Cooper brought us up to the North Shore which had its own special offerings of food. We got garlic shrimp, hot dog, and rice at Giovanni's lunch truck. We had shave ice at Morimoto's. We visited the Buddhist temple at the Valley of Temples cemetary that is featured in movies and tv shows such as Lost. We visited the famous blow hole and made an inadvertent stop at Kailua Beach. Good thing we did; I found the location of my next swim workout.

The next day we snorkeled at Hanauma Bay in the morning then drove back to Kailua Beach and rented a kayak to get to Popoia Island, which was about 1/4 mile off shore. The young local asked if we wanted a two person kayak, or two singles. I had to reiterate that we only needed one single for the lady- I would be swimming to the island. After realizing I wasn't joking, she drew up the papers and instructed us where to pick up the equipment.

When we reached the shoreline, I dragged the kayak out past the breakers and Claudia jumped in. I shouted "Ready? GO!" and dove forward into the clear, but choppy, water. I would site every few strokes and the island barely seemed to be getting closer. I would periodically pop my head up to look for my support kayak. Windsurfers were whizzing by and I wanted to be sure I didn't get run over. Claudia was close behind and I had to tread water while she caught up; she was working as hard as I was! I could view coral below me during the whole swim, and as I finally approached the island, the coral also grew closer. It was shallow enough for me to stand, but I was stumbling and tripping over the sharp rocks as I lunged for the beach. I made it!

We docked the kayak and went for a tour of the tiny pock marked bird sanctuary. After taking a few pictures and enjoying the views, we headed back to the beach and prepared for the journey back. Claudia got in the kayak, and I waded back into the blue waters. Other kayakers looked at me like I was nuts. I agreed with them, then I motored back towards the shoreline. This was a great workout that amounted to about a half hour total swim time. There was no doubt I was but a speck in the ocean as I was pummeled around by the currents. But I made it back safely and happily.

And that's why my arms were so tired after the flight back home. What'd you think I meant by that??

Vineman bike course preview!

2010-04-20T21:47:00.001-07:00

My Iron event will be the Vineman Full Iron distance in Sonoma on July 31, 2010. At this point, I have been training for 24 weeks in three disciplines (4 counting nutrition) and I still cannot fathom the completion of such an event. If I break it down, I can visualize the completion of each individual task- a marathon, sure, I've done that. Cycle century, yeah I'm confident I'll clear that. 2.4 mile swim, eh, haven't done it before, but I would bet on completing it. But all three in one day? No, I don't see that yet. But I'm closer than I ever was.

Sunday morning we set out to do one loop of the Vineman bike course, which is the exact course I will experience on race day. Yes, this is the day after I rode 100 miles through Gilroy and my legs, though tired, were feeling beefy and up to the task. Many of my Ironteammates are doing this race, so it's nice to get a look at what we will be up against. Rather than giving you a blow-by-blow, I'll just give my initial impression of the course.

Most of it is beautiful and passes through many vineyards and wineries. It's not very hilly but does include lots of rollers. Some roads are narrow and require extra caution while sharing the road with cars. There is one downhill that can get me close to 40mph, and one climb (Chalk Hill) that can get me down to 4mph. There are lots of areas that are long and flat-ish where my aero bars will come in handy. There are nice shady areas and there are spots where the sun will bake me as I pedal.

I completed the 60 miles in just under 4 hours, which puts me at around 7.5 to 8 hours to complete the two loops on race day. This is not a solid calculation, but gets me in the ballpark. It was a pretty hot day, and we are only in April. It can get pretty warm in July, but being that they hold this race the same time every year, I think I'll survive.

Major props to all of my IronTeamies for a fantastic bike performance over both days of the weekend. Saturday's Sea Otter, Tour de Napa, and Tierra Bella riders came out for another day in the saddle, and everyone looked great and performed excellently. Maria rode her first 60 miler! Jim rode his first 100 miler! Chris blazed on his new bike! Phil made it through both days and still holds a grudge against that lady from Tierra Bella! Dana is on her way back from a knee injury! Will didn't poop on himself! I could go on all night! But I wont.

Tierra Bella Century

2010-04-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

The last 100 mile cycle event I rode was the Solvang Century back in 2008. I thought my next 100 miles would take place at Vineman, but Christmas came early, and I'm hitting the mark a little more than halfway into the training schedule!

The calendar called for a 60 mile ride on Saturday, and another 60 on the Vineman course on Sunday. But since I hang with the insane boys on the team, talk of the 100 mile option of Tierra Bella began to circulate, and I got caught up in the whirlwind. 100k? Why not do 100 miles? OK, seemed feasible enough to me since we already did a 60 miler. How hard could it be? Heh heh...

About 15 Ironteamies made the trek to be in Gilroy by 6:30AM for the ride. We converged upon the registration area and staged once more in the parking before rolling at around 7:30AM. We stuck together for about a mile before the groups splintered, and my buddies for the day were Phil, Kristie, and her friend Ralph, with Jim joining us later on.

The first few miles were fairly flat until we hit the first climb. By the time we reached the first rest stop, my rear bottle cage had gotten loose and the bottles were almost parallel to the ground, resembling a pair of rockets. The bike repair dude let me borrow an allen wrench, and I fixed the angle. We continued on the hill got up it fairly easily. Soon afterwards, we were rewarded with a speedy downhill rush through a shady, narrow road. One of my bottles got launched from my rear bottle holder, and I had to flip around and climb back up the hill to find it. I actually rode up past it, climbing more than I needed to. When I found it, I picked it up and attempted to take a swig, but nothing came out of the spout; my carbo pro/gatorade mix just kind of dribbled out the side of the lid. I shoved it back into the holder and motored on.

We stopped at the 35 mile rest stop and chowed down on potatoes, chex mix, and raisin bread PBJ sandwiches. They even had Cup O' Noodles handy. I passed on that. The next stop would be at 50 miles and thousands of feet of climbing later. The route meandered through the flatlands of Gilroy, and every time we headed north, we were greeted with a headwind. We finally turned into a nice little residential area that lead to the first of many climbs. This road was steep and windy, but was surrounded by nice houses to look at on the way up. We entered Henry Coe state park, and zoomed down into a valley towards a lake (I don't recall the name) and then went back up into the hills.

In my lowest gear, I spun away and kept conversation going with my riding mates. The climbing was constant, the grade decreased every now and then but never flattened out. Then I saw the view of the lake we passed earlier and it was breathtaking as we were so high above it. Then we dropped down into another valley and then shot back up, up, up to more climbing. At one point we crossed a cow grate and were hit with the steepest grade of the whole ride. I was out of my saddle, grunting in my lowest gear, and moving at a whopping 3mph. Luckily it didn't last long.

After a few more miles and expletives we saw a parking lot up ahead, thinking the rest stop was near. It wasn't. There was a sign that said "Rest Stop" with an arrow that pointed left. Which pointed straight up another hill followed by another hill, etc. FINALLY we came upon the 50 mile rest stop! We dismounted and joined the party that was already in progress. More potatoes, bananas, PBJ, animal cookies. Then our buddy Jim appeared! He started late, and caught up to us! Luckily he stuck with us the whole rest of the way.

The descent off the mountain was super fun and fast! I only lost a bottle once, but I quickly retrieved it. I really gotta figure something out about these bottles. Winding down through hairpin turns was hairy at times, especially through the neighborhood where obstacles were abundant. Gravel, loose leaves, and debris from weed whackers made for dangerous conditions. One rider went down and was sitting up while his riding partners were stabilizing his head. Sirens were in the distance and getting closer. We knew they were coming for him.

At this point the toughest part of the ride was behind us. We were back in the flatlands and grinding away against a headwind on long, drawn out streets. I couldn't figure out what was worse/better- tough climbing in the beautiful woods, or flat pedaling through the dusty splendor of Gilroy. A few more climbs and we were at the 75 mile rest stop. I was pretty tired, but felt relatively good, grabbing more food and refilling my water bottle. Phil wasn't doing so well and was in search of ibuprofen. After he got some, he asked a volunteer what the remainder of the ride was like. She told him there was no more climbing. She lied.

We rolled out of the stop and onto the road. The road went up, but wasn't steep or too long. But Phil kept reminding us that the lady lied to him. We descended and hit another hill. Once again, Phil let his grudge be known. We finally made it back to the flatlands, then changed direction one more time to find- yep, more hills! We climbed relentlessly, knowing we were only miles from the finish. After the last real climb we were greeted by a family that built a home grown rest stop in front of their house. They had ice cold water that tasted so good and I used it to wash down my electrolyte tablet. We zoomed past the last official rest stop and headed home.

We could taste victory. We and a slew of other cyclists moved as one mass towards the finish, and we were close, so close, maybe a mile away then... Jim shouts out something about a flat! His front tire suddenly lost air! We pulled over, and instead of changing out his tube, he just pumped some air in and we hit the road. It held up for a few minutes, then he had to pull over again. As he pumped more air into his tire, I realized we were about 100 yards from the entrance of the school that we started at. When I told him this, he started pumping faster! Then he jumped on his bike and we all rode to the finish together.

A bunch of our teammates were lounging around waiting for us, and we were all so glad to be reunited. I was elated to be finished and have another hundred miler under my belt. And I did all this on Nacho Lover, my triathlon specific bike that many say are a beeotch to climb on. They are right! Total ride time was 9 hours 30something minutes. Almost 7000 feet of climbing. Ahh it was a good day.

Boot camp Day 2

2010-04-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

Just a quick recap of the second day of Iron Boot Camp: Sunday morning brought dark clouds that threatened rain, just as the forecast had promised. The team reconvened at a high school in San Jose where the south bay team regularly trains. The first item on the menu was swim drills. Yay!

After setting up our bikes on trainers, we quickly changed in the locker room then shuffled through the cold air and into the warm pool. There were approximately 12 lanes with one particular drill assigned to each. We rotated through them all for a little more than an hour. The toughest one was the drill where I had to keep a tennis ball tucked under my chin while I swam. I lost that ball several times!

Next we suited up and mounted our bikes for a 35 mile ride. As soon as we rolled, the rain started to appear. The roads were wet, the air was cold, but spirits were still up at this point. The highlight (or lowlight) of the ride was Metcalf road. This road is steep and windy and lasts about 2 miles. Winds were at 40 mph and blowing from all directions. We were fighting through headwinds and sidewinds the whole way up. Phil actually got lifted and knocked sideways at one point. I made it to the top, but the ride wasn't over yet. Sara and I made it out of the canyon and reunited with a bunch of teamies back in civilization.

At this point, we were all cold, wet and ready to be done. The rain was pouring steadily and passing cars shot up a nice spray. We stopped on a street corner to change Sara's tire and were all completely soaked and chilled to the bone. This was one of those rides I was not enjoying. But we were only a couple of miles away from our start point so we bucked up and cranked it home.

We hustled into the locker room, changed into our dry running gear, and headed back out into the elements for a half hour run. Upon my return, I was wet and cold all over again, but the last portion of the day consisted of more time in the pool. At first I dreaded this and just wanted the day to be over. But once I plunged back into the warm pool, I was glad I did. It was a great way to get my core temp back up and loosen up from the morning's activities. By the time we were done, it was almost 4PM. What a day!

(Giving cancer the Boot) Camp

2010-04-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

This past weekend left me kind of wiped out, so forgive me for the late report. Saturday's workout took place at Shadow Cliffs regional park in Pleasanton, the site of the Tri For Fun that I have experienced a couple of times. This time around we were tasked with doing as many "sprint" distance triathlons (900yd swim, 9 mile bike, 3 mile run) as possible within 5 hours. Non-stop, in case you were wondering.

The sky was gray and threatened rain, though it never really came. The lake water was cold, but certainly not as frigid as our first swims at Del Valle. At this point in the game I am pretty comfortable with donning my wetsuit and hurling myself into the open water. However, I do still have issues with sighting, wandering through the water like one of the three blind mice. Sedonia caught me and told me I was swimming twice as far as needed and had me pop my eyes up every 3rd stroke to spot a landmark. After the swim I popped out of the water, hung my wetsuit up to dry and got on my bike.

I hit the road at a fairly high cadence due to the short distance. Droves of cyclists wearing veils and tutus were going in the opposite direction, and I realized that the Cinderella Ride was underway. I heard the cowbell as I passed Claudia and Olivia who were parked on the side of the road for SAG support. I stayed in the aero position through 90% of the ride to cut through the winds that were picking up. I dropped back into the park and headed for transition.

After throwing on my running shoes, I jogged out of transition slowly to acclimate the new muscle groups I would be using. The run was mostly on trail and I still didn't have complete feeling back in my feet, so I was a bit apprehensive- did not want a Wildflower repeat. I actually felt strong throughout the run and was welcomed back to transition by Coach Simon's brief core exercise routine. Then I slipped back into my wetsuit and repeated the whole thing.

This went on for the next few hours until I had amassed a total of 3 swims, 3 bikes, and 2 runs. I didn't complete the 3rd run because I had to get tested by the Orca swim club in order to be certified to swim in the open water. Which was just as well because I probably didn't have enough time to finish the last run anyway.

This team amazes me. Every single person out here buckles down and gives it their all no matter how tough the workouts get. This is hard work, and as individuals, we sometimes feel weary and maybe even have a few doubts. But as a team, our spirit is unstoppable! BK relinquished the spirit cape to Suzie, both of whom exemplify team spirit. BK added boxing gloves as accessories to the cape as a reminder that we are here to knock out cancer..

Gearing up for boot camp

2010-04-09T21:43:00.000-07:00

I've been under the weather all week- stayed home from work on Monday due to a sore throat and cough. I felt well enough the next day to go to work but the cough persisted and I was hacking up green stuff in the morning. It never got any better as the week went on. Combined with the residual pain of my right foot arch, I wasn't feeling very Iron-y.

I finally went for an easy run on Thursday and felt pretty good- not great. I really was hoping to be 100% before this weekend's boot camp workout. I'm still coughing a little but I am fired up for what is in store. I hope to make it through the rigorous schedule the coaches have lined up for us.

It's been a couple of weeks since the whole team came together, and honestly, I miss the camaraderie. I'm ready to mix it up with the Ironkids again this weekend. Looking forward to seeing BK's tourettes kick in. I don't feel very strong this very moment, but I'm sure the enthusiasm will kick in once I'm back with my team. In training. Get it? Team in training? Get it? Oh, nevermind.

Oakland Overrun

2010-03-30T21:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was not as intense as the previous one, but was action packed nonetheless! Saturday morning was sunny and beautiful for our 5 mile bike marker ride. A skeleton crew consisting of myself, Tony, Sara, and RonYalon met at our usual spot in Orinda and worked through the headwinds to best our previous times. I felt like I worked harder, but was one minute slower! Aarrgh.. After the ride I headed down to run two loops around Lake Merritt. It got pretty warm by 11:30AM, and I was hoping the weather would cool down a bit for Sunday's marathon.

The long awaited Oakland Running Festival finally arrived and took place on Saturday 3/27 and Sunday 3/28. CPR and her crew were scheduled to run the half marathon, and the MotherHumbuckers were playing on the main stage. I was excited to get the gig, but I wanted to run too! Either way, we were stoked to be part of this historical event!

The anticipation of running a half marathon in our home town was electric! I had flashbacks of the Bay To Breakers in the 80's as we drove through our neighborhood and spotted folks pinning on their race bibs before making their way downtown.

Since I had a band access pass, I was able to cross road closures to get to the main stage located in front of city hall and close to the start line. This worked out perfectly as I was able to drop off my groupies and use my car as their personal bag check area. Seeing crowds of people scrambling about, warming up, and lining up for the porta-potties made me want to throw on my running shoes and join them. The air was brisk but definitely hinted towards the warm day to come. I saw lots of familiar faces from past TNT teams as well as my current Ironteammates milling about. I wished the lil lady good luck and went back to the stage to set up my gear. The MC announced the countdown to the half marathon start so I grabbed my video cam and ran to the big inflatable starting structure:

After the race started, I hustled back to the stage to sound check my guitar amp and vocal levels. The rest of the band showed up and we did a full song soundcheck. The crowd of spectators grew in anticipation of the show. Then, as luck would have it, we lost all power to the PA system. The sound guys were frantically checking all the circuits and pulled in a City guy to help them out. After 20 minutes they were able to reroute the cables and get juice back to the board.

We started our set and gave props to Oakland in between songs. Runners draped in metallic finisher blankets gradually began to fill the amphiteatre and grassy area behind it. We played up until 12:10, after which the awards ceremony began. Mr. Cooper was the local celebrity handing out awards.

Claudia finally showed up with Ingrid in tow (congrats to Ingrid for her 1st half!) Her dad was there to witness her finish of half marathon number 14 or 15 (lost count) which made the day even more special. We followed the smell of BBQ and chowed down on a couple of hot links on the corner of 14th & Broadway.

It was a great day for the city of Oakland and I was proud to be a resident of this city! The community really came together and a sense of pride and unity swept through areas affected by the route. I really want to play the main stage again next year! But, I also want to experience the course. Hmm.. we'll see...

Halfway to Iron (get a snack and a drink, this is a long one)

2010-03-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend landed my IronTeam at the campground of Lake San Antonio for a training weekend, the location of the world famous Wildflower Triathlons. As a training exercise we were to complete the entire Long Course which consisted of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run; essentially a Half Ironman distance. This course is touted by many to be the toughest half Ironman course in the country. And I was about to find out why.

Everyone camps at Wildflower. It's been dubbed the Woodstock of triathlons due to the thousands of tents and carefree spirit that the outdoors brings. When Claudia did the Olympic distance a couple of years back, we pitched a tent and roughed it the night before her race. This time around, we evolved, and rented an RV that slept 5 of us. Many of our teamies had the same idea, and we took over a nice chunk of the hill that overlooked the camp ground. We pointed our noses skyward and called this territory "The Hills". From our verandas we could witness the shenanigans that took place in the forbidden "Tent City".

Friday night we carbed up on Meenu's pasta and hit the sack at 9PM. Meenu and Chris got the master suite in the back, Phil was on the couch, and Claudia and I took the loft above the driver's seat. I slept well at first but felt entirely too cold as we neared dawn. It was still dark out when the sound of bagpipes echoed through the grounds, growing slightly closer by the minute. Our side door burst open as Coach Dave, donning his crocheted rastafarian hat, shoved his boom box inside and shouted Good Morning Ironteam! I damn near crashed my head into the roof above me as I awoke in shock. It was 5AM, and the day had started. This called for breakfast in the main dining room.

We gathered all our gear and tossed it in the CRV. The girls drove everything down to the lake as we rode our bikes down the windy, steep hill known as Lynch Road in the dark. The air was frigid and I shivered the whole way down, dreading the thought of jumping in the lake. We arrived at the transition area and set up our gear. We checked in, got body marked, and threw on our wetsuits. The coaches were barking at everyone to get down to the water, and after double checking my transition area, I joined the march of the penguins to the boat dock.

I looked down at the crowd gathering on the dock. There was no wading in this time; we were about to take the proverbial long walk off a short pier. As we plopped in one by one, I heard encouraging comments about the temperature of the water, which put me slightly at ease. I put on my goggles, took a big breath, and hopped off the pier. I expected an ice cold rush but was greeted with a cool dunk. Much better than the previous open water swims. My teamies and I bobbed about chatting and joking while waiting for the green light. Coach Dave counted us down through his megaphone- 3... 2... 1! The siren went off, and the splashing commenced. I spared no time trying to get my stroke in gear. We bumped, kicked, and clawed each other until we had our spots. I tried to draft but the toes I found made their way too far ahead of me. I shifted from breathing every stroke to every three, and sighting was not as much an issue in the past; I felt like I always had command of my direction.

I hit the turnaround buoy sooner than I expected I glanced at my watch: 24 minutes. I flipped around and had another .6 miles to swim til I was done. By this time I was in my swim zone- my body was feeling good, breathing was not an issue, and I felt comfortable- and enjoyed- the task at hand. I saw the pier from a distance and turned up my efforts a notch for a strong sprint to the finish. The South Bay coach Dan pulled me out of the water at 46 minutes, a new accomplishment for me that signified negative splits from the turnaround! I was fired up! Bring on the bike!

I slipped into my flip-flops and shuffled to the transition area. After stripping off my wetsuit, I toweled off and smothered on more sunscreen. I pulled on my jersey, stuffed my pockets with food and a spare tube, slapped on my helmet and mounted my bike. The previous day was warm and sunny without a cloud in sight, so I used none of my warm gear, expecting another scorcher. Phil came in from the swim just before me, and we rolled out of transition together.

The first mile or so brought rollers that led to a final climb away from the lake and to the top of the camping area. We exited the park onto the fast, mostly flat two lane highway. Phil was practicing his aero position so I told him I wouldn't crowd him. He told me to pass, and so I did. I dropped down into my aero bars, shifted up, and cranked away. I started to catch up to a few cyclists and pass them. After passing a few more, there was no one in front of me for miles. Thank goodness there are Wildflower mile markers on the road or I would have thought I was lost. I stopped at the first support stop for a banana, gel, water, and a break from the saddle. Of course, the riders behind me did not stop, so I had to go and catch them all over again.

At this point, Claudia and Meenu, who were working sag for the first part of the bike leg, appeared in time to check on me and snap a photo. After that point I was all business, cranking comfortably to knock out a decent time on the bike. At one point, I was in the aero position feeling all speedy when a lady from the South Bay team pulls up on her standard road bike and says HI as she passed me. On the following decent, I went into a deep tuck and passed her. I came upon another short climb, and she passed me again. I caught her on the downhill, and so it went on and on. On one climb, she snuck up on me and said "Here I am turning up again, like a bad penny", and I asked her what her name was. "Penny!" Go figure. I couldn't come up with any Rocky quips so I let it stand. I managed to drop her again before the next rest stop. When I pulled over, there was no one behind me. As I finished chomping on a banana, here they came again, so I mounted up before they got to me, and motored through some rollers to the challenge called Nasty Grade.

Nasty Grade was no walk in the park, but definitely not any tougher than many of the climbs we have here in the East Bay. What was stacked against me were the facts that it was long, appeared at mile 40, and followed a swim. Oh, and there was still a half marathon pending.

After the grade, a fast, sweeping downhill right hander brought me up to over 40 mph as I passed Penny once more. The rollers that followed fueled our little game until the final decent down Lynch Road and into transition. Time to get my run on!

As I dismounted, Coach Mike told me that I wasn't too far behind BK, Chris, and Jim a.k.a The Boy Band. They always smoke me so I was surprised that I was even remotely close. I slipped into my running shoes, threw on my fuel belt, swapped my helmet for my visor, and trotted out of transition. Coach Simon told us to go slow and easy for the first few miles. I had no problem with that at all. What I did have a problem with was the arch of my right foot, which has been aching for the past two weeks. This time I had my orthotics in my shoes and the pain was minimal; slightly nagging, but bearable. I didn't know how far I would get until I might hit trouble, but I had no intention of giving up in the next 13.1 miles.

The run followed a path that turned into a street that turned into a trail. At 3 miles in, I hit an aid station for water and gel, then bounced out of there and back onto the trail. After another five minutes, I felt trouble. Another rock in my shoe! This time it was in my left shoe, right under my arch. At this point in the run, there was no one in front of me or behind me. My buddy Penny turned out to be as strong a runner as she was a cyclist, and quickly turned into a little dot on the horizon. I pulled over on the trail to take off my shoe and shake out the rock. I thought I saw it fall out, and put my shoe back on to run some more. It was still there! It was really affecting my gait so I pulled over again as my teammate Rick passed by, and I removed my sock for good measure. There was no rock; I grew a blister on my foot! Dammit! I never get blisters! The trail leaned to the left, and with each step, my weight rolled my foot to the outside. This caused friction on my arch, which formed the blister. It hurt like hell at this point, and I wasn't more than 4 miles in.

The trail only got steeper and rockier, and the most I could do is power walk. When the trail leveled out, and I was able to run, the blister would activate, and then my right foot started to mock me as well. So here I am in the middle nowhere, shuffling along on a deserted dirt trail with two bad feet! At this point I turned to my friends who I know were watching from above: Brenda and Raji. Both were triathletes and heroes in the own rights, and both were always inspiring and encouraging during their brief stay on this planet. And both of them told me to keep going. And so I did.

Out of nowhere, I was passed by John from the South Bay. He asked if I needed anything and told me I was looking strong (did Brenda and/or Raji send this dude?). I told him I had everything I needed though my 2 bottles were only half full, so off he went. By this time of the day, the sun was out and I was feeling the warmth. My feet hurt, the dirt was dry and crumbly, and the trail had no end in sight. I was fully immersed in the Bite Me zone at this point. Then the trail curved right, and I saw Tony from the South Bay walking towards a water stop! Ahhh, water, gatorade, pretzels, electrolyte pills, I was instantly relieved.

After replenishing my supplies, I shuffled up yet another uphill trail which led into the campgrounds. Claudia and Meenu were done with SAG duty and were driving around to find their hubbies on the run. As I shifted from a walk to a run, the CRV appeared on the road going in the opposite direction. I saw them both in the car and waved. Then I hear the car turn around and approach me with only Meenu in it. Mystified, I turn around to see Claudia running on the trail behind me, trying to catch up! I stopped and said "Oh, did you want to run with me?" and she said "I wanted to run with you cause I though you were having a hard time, but I can't keep up!" So I slowed down and walked with her for a while, which was a nice break from the monotony. They gave me a band-aid for my foot, and off I went into the desolate campground. I didn't see anyone again for at least a half hour. I found a water spigot in the abandoned campground and filled my bottles again, and ran the fresh cold water over my head for a few seconds. I started running again, ignoring the voices from my feet that were telling me to stop.

I hit the paved road and headed down towards "The Pit". I finally saw some familiar faces as they surfaced from the turnaround at the bottom of The Pit. First Jim, then Sara, then Margaret, then Chris, and finally Rick. As I neared the water stop at the bottom, I heard cowbells and saw our honoree Laura serving supplies. Another moment of relief came over me as I chugged gatorade and water and took yet another gel. I was happy to have made it this far, but my feet were screaming, and I knew I had to run back up that downhill that I just enjoyed. I ran up half of it then went into Ron Carino walk mode till I crested the peak. At this point it was almost 2PM and the sun was strong. The pavement was hot, and I was running past various displays of roadkill. The road, again, had no end in sight. At least the ground was level as I continually corrected my form for brief moments only to have it fall apart again within minutes. I practiced Mama Lisa's method of shooting for short landmarks in the distance, such as that tree there, or that light post over there. I came upon the turn into the final decent of Lynch Road, and picked up the pace.

I had less than a mile to go, and it was all down hill. It couldn't come quickly enough as more than four blind turns kept me from seeing the parking lot/finish line. I finally hit the flat portion and heard team captain Tony announcing my name over the megaphone. I wanted to make it a strong finish, and quickened my pace- it would be so impressive to sprint it in with all my power and might! But then I felt my right calve tighten up followed by a quick twinge of my left quad, and turned it down just a smidgen to ensure a safe passage through the finish line tape.

I raised my hands in victory as I cruised in and broke the makeshift tape. I found Claudia and gave her a big hug, then the high-fiving commenced! It was all smiles for my teammates, my coaches, and new friends from the South Bay. BK, Chris, Jim, and I traded war stories as we meandered down to the boat launch dock for our makeshift ice bath. The water was refreshing but undoubtedly cold enough to serve it's purpose as we submerged up to our waists. We went back up to the finish line and watched the rest of our team cross and receive proper kudos. Just about everyone had great day and accomplished their first Half Ironman. The evening would be filled with bad pasta and great partying, and bonding of the greatest IronTeam ever.

I was overwhelmed with happiness and relief for the rest of the day. I couldn't have gotten this far without the support of my wife, my team, my friends & family. It felt great to complete the toughest physical and mental challenge I have faced to date. And yet, in all this glory, I realized that we are not done. We are only halfway through our journey to Iron, and must still work hard from this point on. Workouts will get longer and tougher, and this weekend will soon become a reference point to look back upon.

Needless to say, our journey of fighting blood cancers is far from over. I do this for Brenda, Raji, and many others that no longer have the opportunity to do so. If you're reading this, then know that I do it for YOU - so that you don't have to ;-). If you'd like to contribute to this great cause, please CLICK HERE to show your support.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a good pat on the back for my accomplishments. But a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is appreciated even more. And besides, pats on the back are not tax deductible.

View from the Bay ..or IN the Bay, rather...

2010-03-16T18:58:00.000-07:00

Man was I dreading the upcoming swim at Aquatic Park in SF. Given my last two breath-taking adventures into the frigid waters at Lake Del Valle, I was not exactly enthusiastic about jumping into the cold, salty SF Bay. But I had a long talk with myself the night before, and convinced myself to suck it up quick and concentrate on forward motion. And that I did.

I arrived at Aquatic Park a little before 8AM and was greeted by the team and a beautiful sunny day. The waters were actually invitingly calm, and there were swimmers already in there - sans wetsuits! I helped Coach Dave carry the support kayak down to the beach and then geared up for the plunge. I beefed up my armor with booties and Claudia's neoprene cap to battle the chill.

The coaches explained that 3 laps around the buoys was equal to one mile. Then they told us we are shooting for 4 laps. I couldn't wrap my head around that- I never swam a mile in open water before! Then they tell us that we need to get out of the water after each lap and perform a "task". This added to my anxiety, but I was ready to go.

At the whistle, we all waded into the bay and let the water seep into our suits. I got off to my usual choppy start complete with erratic breathing and jacked up stroke. Then I felt tugging on my right foot and realized the booty was hanging off, so I stripped them both off and handed them to Kristie, who was on kayak duty. After a little while of slogging about I finally got into cruise mode and headed for the first buoy. I still felt way out of my element but acheived my goal of moving forward. I rounded the turnaround buoy and headed to shore for my "task".

I popped out of the water and ran dizzily towards the coaches. Coach Mike, instead of handing me a cup of hot chocolate and a blanket, barks out "Now gimme 20 pushups!" I hit the deck and banged out 17 before I slowed down. Just let me add that I, being the genius that I am, decided to see how much I could bench press at the gym after my brick workout on Wednesday. Needless to say, I was feeling it at pushups #18,19, and 20. Then POP back up and into the water for the next lap!

By this time, I actually felt some comfort in the water. I started to believe that this was my playground, and that I was a creature of the sea. The second outing on the beach had me partnered with Will for wheelbarrow duty, and the third put me in the ever-entertaining reverse crab walk, followed by deep sumo stepping. I had one more lap to go, and with some good sighting advice from Coach Doug, I attacked the final leg. I was in my groove and crusing along swimmingly (pun intended).

As I churned towards the last turnaround, I came across a seagull that was peacefully sitting on the surface of the water as I approached. I was heading right towards him, and he held his ground, staring me down. Each time my goggles surfaced, he grew closer, but kept his position. I held my head out of the water long enough to shout "Move!" but he squawked back in his best Mr. T bird voice "YOU move, foo!", so I went around him. His house, his rules.

I scrambled for the shore until I was scooping sand, then I rose out of the water like the Creature From The Black Lagoon in victory, basking in the accomplishment that was my first open water bay swim. Now we just had to run 10 miles and then punish our cores :-)

My right foot has been bugging me since the Captain Morgan run, so I layed off the run, finishing only 2 miles and walking another 2 back to Sports Basement. We hit the beach again for a somewhat comedic core workout. OK truth be told, almost every workout is comedic providing the improv troupe of BK, Chris, Josh and Jim are present.

Sunday brought a beautiful 60 mile bike ride through Lucas Valley, Nicasio Valley and other parts of Marin. There were gorgeous vistas, hellish climbs, and pupil-dilating downhills. Nacho Lover (my tri-bike) handled it all with aplomb, being both nimble and powerful depending on the situation. I got a little hungry 2 hours into it, but quickly cured that with a cherry-pretzel bar that I picked up the day before. Mmmm... Otherwise I felt great and hammered out the ride with nary an incident. I can't say the same for others, as that day graced a few of our riders with blowouts and bruises.

What's next? The Halfway To Iron rite of passage, which will take place next weekend at Lake San Antonio. We will be completing the entire Wildflower Long Course- a Half Iron distance course consisting of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run. I am freaking out a bit, but should have my head straight by race day. I'll let you know how that goes...

Brainfreeze part deux

2010-03-07T15:21:00.000-08:00

Ironteam week 17. Back to Lake DelValle. My last (first) experience swimming there was not the most kindest, gentlest introduction to cold, open water swimming. But it did help me to mentally prepare for my return to, and ultimately my revenge of, this oversized fish tank.

We suited up and hit the water a little after 8AM. I slowly waded down the boat ramp and into the pond and dunked myself to let water in while letting out a howl. I threw my face in and got that suspense over with. Slight freakout ensued, but I maintained forward motion to the buoy that marked our start point. We were to swim to another buoy that I couldn't see out in the distance.

I followed the trail of bright swim caps and flailing arms, assuming they were going in the right direction. A few minutes passed and I was still struggling with the cold, breathing, stroke, and sighting. I muddled through and continue forward. After a while of this, I looked up and spotted the turnaround buoy. That's when things began to click and I found some semblance of a groove. I got to it in less time than expected, and made a u-turn around it to head back. I found a comfort zone and consistency in my stroke and stuck with it. It was still a struggle, but it was one I had become somewhat accustomed to.

I rounded the start buoy knowing that I had to do it all over again one more time. I got about three quarters of the way to the turnaround, but was turned back in the interest of time. This didn't complete bum me out because I finally got to a point where I felt like I could have kept this up for much longer. I felt a level of accomplishment as I stumbled out of the water onto the boat ramp.

I walked with BK, Chris, and Kristie to the area where our bikes were set up on our trainers. I threw off my wetsuit and put on my cycle jersey for the upcoming 40 minute interval workout. I threw down a powergel and washed it down with water. We ran the gamut of spin techniques; low gear/fast cadence, high gear/slow cadence, high RPM spin, hardest gear climb simulation, etc. I was working up a good sweat and drinking water and gatorade as we worked. Before we knew it, Coach Simon was ordering us off the bikes and into our running shoes.

We hit the trail and ran 10 minutes out and 10 minutes back. It doesn't sound like a lot, but on a twisty trail, it was some work. My feet still were not completely thawed and I couldn't feel them for the first half of the run. As we came back, my feet thawed out and I felt some pain under my right toe. There was a rock in my shoe! How long was that there? I'll never know.

We got back to our bikes, dismounted them from our trainers, threw on our helmets and headed out for hill repeats. As many as we could do in 45 minutes. I felt great on the bike, spending lots of time in the aero position and averaging 35 mph down the hill that we would repeatedly climb. Each climb was a challenge but the last two stuck in my mind. Coach Dave told us to grab a couple of gears and stand up all the way up. I muscled my way to the top and was relieved when I got there. On the last climb, super fast Nate told me to stay with him as he rocketed up the hill at high RPM. I rose to the challenge and damn near lost a lung, but stuck with him almost to the top. I was spent for a moment, but glad that I pushed through the end of it.

We rolled back to our transition area, and threw our running shoes back on for 20 more minutes out on the trail. At this point, the sun was out and I could feel my feet! I maintained pace with Ron and Sarah, and stuck with them the whole way. On the way back, BK and Ron decided to challenge each other to a sprint to the finish. Jim was in tow, and Sarah started to pull. I answered and it was on! Coach Simon shouted, "you can drop that chump Sarah!" and she pulled away. I turned on my patented turbo boost and zoomed by like I released the Nitro! (yeah I know, but she kills me in the swim so I'll take what I can get)

The physical part of the workout was done, and we went right into the mental preparation talk from our coaches. Immediately following that was the passing of the Spirit Cape from it's current recipient Melissa. It was awarded to none other than yours truly by my mentor Erin, who said a lot of nice things about me before draping me in the purple shroud. I must add my own flair to it before passing it on, and I am brainstorming now.

All in all, it was a great workout day for me. I conquered some demons in the water, and pushed on the bike and run. I left the area feeling content with my work, and satisfied with my efforts. I also felt that I needed a burger and was beckoned by the drive thru at In N Out. Nothing like two burgers and a coke to mark the end of another Iron day.

Sunday brought a 1 hour 45 minute run. I organized a motley faction to meet at Lake Merced in SF. BK, Jim, Ron, and I met to knock out a run around the lake and down the Great Highway - and back. Total mileage was 11.5 miles. It was nice to have a change of scenery and visit my old stomping grounds with my pirate friends!

Back in town, hit the ground running... and swimming... and biking

2010-03-01T08:57:00.001-08:00

Last weekend's workout was both a bear and a blur. It was followed by a great gig at Rooster's Roadhouse, and a 6AM flight to Florida for work the next morning. After 5 days on the Gulf Coast, I landed safely back in Oaktown and hit the people's pool on Friday. On Saturday, the IronTeam workouts commenced, and it was a marker weekend.

A marker is a timed performance of a predetermined distance that shows progress throughout the training season. Saturday was a 5k run marker followed by a 2k swim marker. The 5k was held on a track, and I didn't worry about it too much. I just knew that I would have to push myself a little bit outside of my comfort zone in an attempt to go "all out". I finished in 26:30 which put me just under a 9 minute mile. Not very impressive, but pretty good for flabby ol' me.

The swim marker had me a bit worried. I didn't swim all week, and my last experience was the debacle at Del Valle. Luckily I squeezed in some pool time the day before. A 2k swim doesn't sound like much, but when I spell it out- two thousand yards - it becomes a bit daunting. Especially since my longest continuous swim was 1500 yards. My head was filled with thoughts - "Would I make it? Would I hold form or flop for survival? What should I order for lunch?" I suited up, jumped in the pool, did the prescribed drills, and prepared to grind.

The gun went off, and I started my nautical journey. I had lots to think about as I was concentrating on every part of my technique. Throughout the swim I would focus on different aspects such as my pull, kicking, breathing, rotation, arm position, balance, etc. and rather than getting more tired I felt myself getting more efficient. One big clue was that either of the women flanking me did not lap me! This is a big deal because at the beginning of the season, they were blowing by me like I was the chicken of the sea. I completed the marker feeling slightly winded, but ready to jump on the bike and ride. If there was a bike to jump on, that is. Fortunately, we were done. Unfortunately, we still had a strength workout to complete.

When coach Doug says, "don't worry, we are just going to stretch", or "no TRX, so no strength today", hold on to your balls because it's time to suffer. My abs, low back, and sides are still aching today from the non-workout workout that he put us through. Front planks with one foot up, side planks with one foot out, supermans, etc. followed by contortionist grade stretches that had me doing the old man grunt with each breath out. Don't get me wrong, I love the strength workouts. I get the same or more intensity as a room full of weights, and improve balance and coordination while I'm at it. It's the hidden aspect of Ironman training that will pay off big time on race day.

Sunday morning I got to sleep in before our 9:00 bike marker ride. I met with the usual suspects in Orinda to do our familiar 5 mile marker along the San Pablo Reservoir. We've done this ride before, and each time I have shaved off a few seconds to a minute with each effort. This time I actually knocked off 2 minutes! OK I have to admit I drafted off of BK for a couple of hundred yards before I realized that was cheating and I backed off. But this was after he dropped his chain and pulled over to fix it, and still caught and passed me! He's a strong rider, so I wasn't surprised, but he had a least a half mile to make up before he chewed me up and spit me out! Awesome effort.

After the ride we went for a short 5k (or so) run to acclimate our bodies to running off the bike. It's a weird adjustment to make, but I am gradually getting used to the transition. It takes a few minutes for the brain to communicate to the body that the repetitive motion has just changed. My "old man shuffle" kicks in briefly before my legs really start to cooperate.

It was a short day, but I felt great and the sun was shining. We took a few goofy photos afterwards, and then I was treated to Bake Sale Betty's chicken sandwiches ( I ate two!) and the exciting USA vs Canada gold medal hockey match. It was a great way to end an otherwise hectic week.

IronTeam Boot Camp Day 1

2010-02-27T22:35:00.000-08:00

The day of our first open water swim with the IronTeam had arrived. I was both excited and apprehensive about taking the plunge into the chilly depths of Lake Del Valle. I had a few things on my mind as I had a gig to play later that evening and a flight to Florida to catch the morning after (hence the lag time between blog posts). I've only put my wetsuit on twice; when I tried it on, and when I tested it out in a pool workout. This time was the real deal, I was to be hurled into 52 degree water to fend for myself for at least 30 minutes. I pulled on the frogsuit and headed to the beach.

Let me add that it was cold out with a strong possibility of rain and a brisk wind to keep things nipply. I stood on the shore and contemplated my presence at this peculiar gathering, with these peculiar people, all willing to subject themselves to such a test of intestinal fortitude. After reminding myself of the answer, I hobbled into the water and submerged myself, tugging at the front of my suit to let the icy water flow in. I tend to hoot and holler during these situations, and this time was no exception. My face was cold in the water and even colder when I popped my head out.

We were instructed to swim back and forth from buoy to buoy, which looked to be about 30 yards apart. I dropped my head and stroked, but could not get my groove. I would get about three strokes in then pop my head up to sight the buoy, go into a breast stroke, then crawl again. Three more strokes, then stall out. What was it about being in that lake that had me so defeated? In retrospect, the answer was simple. I freaked out. Not major panic attack freakout, but a mild, wake up call freakout. The factors were: the shock of the cold water, a somewhat restrictive wetsuit, and the inability to see ten feet past my nose in the bottomless lake. Regardless, I maintained forward motion and completed the swim.

We had time to get into the parking lot and change for our 35 mile bike ride. This would be the hilliest course that I have ridden my new triathlon/time trial bike on. During the climb out of the valley, my rear derailleur started hopping around, which was a sign of things to come. 17 miles into the ride, I looked down to notice that one of my cables was really loose.
When I looked back up, I was off road, struggling to keep my bike upright. I got back on the road and caught up to the others just before a windy climb. I began to drop back, and couldn't figure out why. Then I heard my front tire whispering to me as it slowly deflated. Drats! A flat!! Further inspection revealed a thorn that punctured my tire and tube.

As I pulled over to remove my wheel and start the repair, I was greeted by two rambunctious country dogs that seemed happy to see me. After a little while of playing with them and keeping them away from my powerbars, I swapped out my tube and was on my way up the hill with dogs in tow. They followed me to the support stop where I put more air in my front tire, then discovered that my rear was now low on air! Another thorn had laid waste to my rear tube. It was a slow leak, so I pumped some air and went on my way back to the lake. I stopped three times to fill up the tire with the CO2 cartridge in my pocket. Before the big climb back into the valley, I finally surrendered to the fact that I had to replace the tube. I pulled over, took care of business, and motored up that hill, enjoying a long, fast, windy downhill to the parking lot.

I changed for the trail run that was 30 minutes out and back. I did a better job of refueling and staying hydrated on the bike, so my legs felt good over the rocky, hilly, and sometimes muddy terrain. I negotiated the single track as best I could, and even ran negative splits on the way back.

After the run, we wound it all down with a group stretching session followed by a trip to In N Out burger. It was another long day and the following day would be worse, as boot camp would continue in San Jose. Unfortunately I missed day 2 as I had to travel across the country for work. But I was fired up to come back to my team because after this day, I was more impressed with them than ever!

Bike, Durian, Run... what? Durian?

2010-02-17T21:35:00.000-08:00

After a monumental 2800 yard swim workout on Saturday, I was ready to roll for the Valentine's day bike ride/run workout.

We had a great turnout on a socked-in Benicia morning. I brought the 'fast bike' (guess I have to come up with a name for it) since this ride was long and somewhat flat. It was a 45 mile loop from downtown Benecia to the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield, through the Vineyards of Suisun Valley and back. Since there was a run planned afterwards, I concentrated on staying hydrated and nourished on the bike so that I didn't cramp and bonk like I did during the Louie Tri.

I tried to catch up to Chris, BK, and Jim, but rode the majority of the course with Phil, who rode "$" (bike formerly known as Money). This route was a good testing ground for riding in the drops and cutting through the headwinds. The fast bikes were paying off, and we sliced our way to the jelly bean. We pulled into the Jelly Belly factory and were welcomed by the humongous jelly bean, sitting up in a not-so-modest way with arms outstretched. The cameras came out, and history was made.

We rolled out of the factory and into a hidden wine country, zipping past rows of grapevines and quaint little tasting rooms. As we headed back to Benecia, we realized why we were zooming out early in the ride; the deceptive tailwind became a grizzly headwind! I got back into the drops and cranked away.

Our ride went well, but the group was not without incident. Yusi had two flats, Maria had a frightening mishap, and a few other riders had to be SAGged in. All in all, it was a good experience.

In honor of Chinese New Year, Les brought durian to the ride and offered to donate $25 to the lucky person that chose to eat the notoriously stinky fruit. Yusi really needed the money, so she stepped forward and cracked it open, scooping out gooey chunks and chowing down. Susie tried it, and I did as well, sticking my nose in it first to smell it, then being surprised as Susie shoved a chunk in my mouth. I ate it without flinching, not being entirely grossed out. But I didn't want to over do it because I still had to run. During the transition Carol blurted out a cuss word and took everyone by surprise! We are getting to know each other a little better in the build phase, it seems!

While everyone milled about talking about running, Chris, Susie, and I headed out to get those 40 minutes done. I felt surprisingly good after such a long bike ride. I tried to concentrate on my form, and it seemed to pay off. I actually accomplished negative splits as it took me 20 minutes out and 19 minutes back. On my way down 1st street, blocks from the start point, I noticed a bunch of Ironteamies shuffling into Kinders bbq, and I thought to myself "there's no way they are all done with their run!" I finally caught up to them and I discovered that Chris, Susie, and I were the only suckers that ran! But I'm glad I did because I needed the reassurance that I could run that well off the bike.

It was a great day to be out. It's great team to be on.

Man am I sore

2010-02-07T22:28:00.000-08:00

I hope you had a nice, relaxing Superbowl weekend. I didn't. As you may have guessed, this weekend was filled with - what else- IronTeam Training!

On Saturday, I swam in a wetsuit for the first time. We all jumped into a pool with the lane markers removed and two big buoys installed. The buoyancy of the wetsuit was unusual but welcomed, though while actually swimming in it I felt a bit constricted. Along with this experiment, we performed mass-start simulations, drafting practice, and chase-the-rabbit drills. I got kicked in the face, swatted on the head, and bumped around, but all for a good purpose- to prepare for the chaos that triathlon swimming generates.

Following the swim workout, we headed to the track for 100 meter skips, sidestep, and pickup drills. Our main workout was 4 x 1200s of "Indian Runs" (most likely not the most politically correct name for a drill) which consists of running in a paceline and having the last person surge to the front every 20 seconds. I was placed in group C which was to maintain a 10min mile pace. At the end of our last set, I got the whole group to take up all lanes and do a full on sprint from the turn to the finish line! I did my best Usain Bolt out of the turn, and Will and I battled for the gold. I think he beat me by a hair!

Helen, our web captain, took the most hilarious photo of Jim and I during the core strength workout. This must have been in between sets of side planks, and neither of us looked at what the other was doing. We struck the exact same pose, down to the wrist angle. It is so ridiculous that I will post it here for your enjoyment. D'OH!

Sunday brought captain Tony's East Bay hill ride. We all received our flames (IronTeam uniforms) the day before and decided to break them in on this cycle adventure. It was an adventure all right, as we started our 30 mile ride climbing 2 miles straight up the hill behind the Claremont hotel. I grunted and moaned and groaned, but made it to the top without stopping.

The ride took us through Tilden Park, down San Pablo dam road, past Orinda, into Moraga, and up Pinehurst - another grueling climb consisting of tight switchbacks. We stopped at Suzie's firehouse where she replenished our water bottles and let us take pictures in front of the fire engine.

We finished off the ride with a brisk descent of that first monster of a hill that we climbed. 3-5mph going up, 30+ mph coming down. That's how it worked out. Afterwards, we chowed down at Cactus on College Ave and called it a day. I headed to DC to watch the Superbowl with the family and pig out some more. Great game; great food!

As I write this, my neck, shoulders, back, legs, feet, and anything else that contains a joint or muscle, is sore. Time for ibuprofen and a good night's sleep!

It's been a busy week

2010-02-04T22:32:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy week at work, and it's only going to get busier as we near the National Sales Meeting. I've got quite the laundry list to complete before the event kicks off.

It's been a busy week for IronTeam workouts as well. Every day I have been swimming, spinning, running, or some combination of each. Tuesday was a 5AM swim and a 7PM spin. Wednesday was 5x .5 mile hill run repeats. Thursday was a bike/run brick. Friday is a swim/core workout. And all this while tending to my wife & dogs, planning the next MotherHumbuckers gig, and fundraising. Oh and keeping all of my websites, blogs, facebook, and myspace accounts current.

Like I said, busy week.

Exit January, Enter Build Phase

2010-01-31T18:48:00.000-08:00

The last weekend of January brought us clear skies and a great day for a 90 minute run at the Presidio. The IronTeam gathered in the parking lot of Sports Basement where the winter walk team just happened to be meeting as well. Got to say HI to some old friends and then we commenced with our workouts. I started out with the old boy's club aka former marathon team buddies BK, Chris, and Phil. We ran out-and-backs between Fort Point and Fort Mason until we hit 90 minutes, and cleared just under 10 miles in the allotted time.

After the run portion of the workout we headed into the store for a wetsuit clinic. Coach Doug went over the various types of wetsuits and demonstrated how to put one on. Coach Sedonia was helping him out and even blew into his sleeve, which elicited all kinds of hoots and hollers.

After the wetsuit demo, we all headed out for Coach Doug's TRX workout. He told us earlier that we would just be stretching, but we should have known better as we found ourselves doing lat pulls, hamstring curls, one legged squat jumps and suspended front planks among other things. I love that TRX, and will soon have one. If it's good enough for Drew Brees, it's good enough for me!

Following the strength workout, we headed back in for a race nutrition clinic by Norma Stark. She went over carbo loading, hydration, supplements, recovery foods, and the correct dosages and timing during a 13-16 hour race day. That sounds insane, but you can't drive a car all day without refueling, and the same goes for the body. Bottom line- don't train to eat... eat to train!

Later that evening my hammies were screaming! I rolled them, stretched them, and heated them to get them to relax. Next time Coach Doug suggests level 3 hamstring curls with low back elevated and a hip pop at the top... I'll do the level 2. :-0

Water wings

2010-01-30T16:04:00.000-08:00

The week following the Louie Tri was more or less a recovery week, though workouts commenced as usual on Tuesday, and there was both a run marker and swim marker to complete by week's end.

I didn't swim on Tuesday but I did spin, alone, in the garage because I couldn't make it to group spin on time. The run marker was on Wednesday eve. I met with mentor Erin, Jane, and Phil at Piedmont track to knock out 8 x 800s, or "Yassos" as they are affectionately referred to in the running world. I averaged 3:50 per 800 (half mile) and felt pretty good when we were done. I also realized that I am now part of a triathlon community that I had touched base with during Claudia's days on the Wildflower & PacGrove teams. I ran into many familiar faces that night, along with run team alumni from years back. It was a busy night at the track!

The next morning I went to meet with Coach Mike at the gym in San Ramon for a swim training session at the ungodly hour of 5AM. For some folks, it's routine. For me, it was just plain early. Starting the day before the sun comes up is a foreign concept. But I made it to the gym, where I met with Mike and also saw Chris, Simon, and a couple of other triathletes.

Mike filmed my warm up swim. I watched it later on and it was horrendous. I expected to see a big orange lifesaver thrown at me. It was obvious that my intentions were good, but my form was off. He had me do some balance drills and focus on specific techniques such as balance, hip rotation, and arm position. I brought my newfound knowledge to the pool the next day for my swim marker. I knocked out 1000 yards in 20 minutes, 2 minutes faster than my last marker time. I was stoked! I'm not claiming to be a Thorpedo, but given my limited swim experience, I finally feel like there is some hope for me in the water!

Thanks Coach Mike!

2010 Olympics are upon us! But first, an Olympic Triathlon...

2010-01-25T21:12:00.000-08:00

What a weekend. As previously mentioned, my plan (or lack thereof) was to play the Rock Against Leukemia gig on Saturday night, and then complete the Louie Bonpua Memorial triathlon the following Sunday morning. "That's crazy!", "You're insane!" they all yelled at me as I mentioned it. But hey, I did both the damn things, and to all of you naysayers, I just have to say - What was I thinking?? You're right, that was insane! Heh heh.. but that's how I roll.. Don't plan on seeing a repeat of that any time soon.

Planning the fundraiser was a months long project, and it couldn't have happened without the generosity of Tony of Beale St. Bar, the guys of Bender, and DJ Patrick, who all volunteered their night to help the cause. I also had some great sponsors donate awesome raffle prizes such as gift certificates to Sports Basement, and entries to the Oakland Marathon! Claudia managed to rustle up a couple of iPods from one of her vendors! I promoted the show as best I could, and the turnout was phenomenal! We packed the upstairs at Beale St, and rocked it as hard as we could! I was impressed to see my teamies in the crowd that night - they were scheduled to do the triathlon with me the next morning! Tony, Marina, Phil, and Maria all showed up to support me, and they had to be up just as early as I the next morning.

Fast forward to the next morning... after about 4 hours of sleep, we found ourselves lugging my gear to Pleasant Hill for the Louie Bonpua memorial Olympic distance triathlon. The North & South Bay Ironteams were there, along with the winter TNT triathlon team. We racked our bikes, set up our transition areas, and tried to stay warm with nervous chatter. Checked in, got my bib, and clipped it into my race belt. Body marking was next, and the marker of truth touched everyone's left calf to indicate their age. That's always fun. After all the initial prep was done and Coach Dave gave us a quick briefing, we went into standby mode. That's when I realized that the last triathlon I did was in 2006! The Tri-4-Fun, which I did with Phil as well!

We were told to go to the pool and get ready to swim. I stripped down and headed to the deck with nothing but a t-shirt, shorts, and a towel. It had to be about 45 degrees out and my teeth were about to chatter out of my head. The steam rising from the pool was reassuring, but I had no idea when I would be able to drop into that soup. The first group got into the pool and started their 60 laps. This took them anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes. As the swimmers finished, people in the next group followed them. I was in the third group to enter the water, which means I was waiting almost an hour before getting in. It's a good thing I put my sweats back on, but it was still a long time to spend standing in the cold.

I finally get in the water and share a lane with Sarah, who is a super fast swimmer. Combine that with my super slow swim skills, and that equaled me getting lapped several times. At one point I saw her getting out of the pool while I still had a couple of hundred yards to go. I felt good, I was in a groove, and at no time did I feel like I was struggling. I did lose count, so I had to ask Will, who was counting my laps, and I could have sworn he said "keep going - one more lap" so I went out and back and then he shouted "100 yards!" but I thought hey, no worries, I could do more if needed. My last 100 was faster, and the last 25 was a level 7 sprint to the finish. I tagged the wall, popped my head out in victory, and looked around... and everyone was gone! Like they all played a joke and ditched me once I jumped in. WTF? I jump out of the pool, took a quick rinse under the shower (cold water this time, no thank you very much), and headed to the transition area.

I got to transition and noticed almost all the bikes were gone. All that was left were backpacks and piles of towels, shoes and clothing. I hustled to get dry and threw on my bike gear, including leg and arm warmers, which are a biotch to get over wet skin. Putting on socks was no picnic either but I got them on and slipped into my cycle shoes. I threw on my helmet and cool new Oakley shades (they make me faster) and checked to see that I had all my bottles, gu, and power bar for the bike ride. The teamies and volunteers cheered for me as I left transition, but I felt like the last one out on the bike. Where did everyone go??

Once on the road, I followed a few turns indicated by the volunteers, then I peeled open my powerbar and scarfed it while I pedaled. I was quickly joined by two Lava team members who turned around before we got into the valley. Darn, I thought I was going to have company up the backside of Pig Farm. I kept thinking that I had to see someone out on the road! About 3 miles into the ride, I did. It was Haakon, and he was already on his way BACK! Granted, he is really fast in all disciplines but damn that took some wind out of my sails. Another 10 minutes later I saw BK coming back! I cheered for them regardless because those guys are awesome. I finally did catch one of my teamies shortly before ascending the backside of Pig Farm, which is a long, gradual climb (i.e. not the 'tough' side). As I peaked, a support crew was at the top cheering me on. I headed down the steeper side and hit about 40 mph but had to be a bit cautious because the road was wet and I was on tail of a moving car. I was determined to catch up with the other cyclists, but I had to find them first! As I got further into the valley, I started to see other racers- coming towards me! I saw Chris and Phil, and some other fast guys. They all hit the turnaround point and were heading back already! I motored, pedaling hard up hills and harder down hills, to get to the turnaround point! I finally arrived and stopped to Gu up and drink a little. Mike D, Kieran, Monica, and lil Emma were there to give me words of encouragement.

I flipped the bike and headed back. I was determined to catch up to the pack. I jammed through the valley, and finally saw a couple of riders going the same direction. I caught up and said HI and offered any encouragement that I could, then motored on, zooming past a support stop (maybe I should have stopped to get something to eat from them). I hit the base of Pig Farm and Les was hanging out waiting for anyone who might need support up the hill. I told him I was cool and he said he would wait for someone who wasn't as strong on the hills as I was. That little statement really helped pump me up and prepare for the climb that awaited. I took the left turn and was faced with the beast: Pig Farm.

The sky was grey and the clouds were ominous. The familiar whistle from "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" rang through my mind. The hill stared me down and tried to intimidate me, but I stared right back and said "OK you wanna play? Let's play". I dropped my gear, hunkered down, and put my pistons to work. I was silent after the first pitch, but on the second pitch I started grunting and as I neared the top I was making full on pirate noises as Will ran up the hill beside me and Coach Mike, Michelle, and Lorraine cheered me to the top. Of all the times I've climbed this hill, this was the toughest. As I peaked and started to head down, I felt a slight tightening in my left hammy. A sign of things to come. A sign that told me to drink more gatorade. I sign I failed to heed.

I flew down the hill, again hell bent on catching someone, anyone, who may be ahead of me. The roads were wet and twisty, and I navigated as well as I could at reasonable -not quite reckless- speeds. I finally found a rabbit, but the gap never closed. As I headed closer to transition, I remember Coach Dave saying, "If you don't see a volunteer directing riders, go straight". I was maybe 5 miles away and by this time it was raining pretty heavily. I was wet, cold, and numb, and not really looking forward to running 6 miles, but I really wanted to get off the bike. I didn't see any volunteers, so I went straight. I ended up at an unfamiliar shopping center near the freeway. Definitely not the transition area. Luckily Claudia and Meenu popped out of nowhere in my car and told me where to go. 3 miles later, I found myself rolling into transition. Everyone there cheered me in, and I felt both relieved and anxious- now all the bikes were back, but everyone was out on the run! In fact, some people were already back grubbing on the burritos that Chipotle supplied us. Man, that was messed up! I was hungry, too!

I swapped shoes, threw on my fuel belt, emptied the pockets on my bike jersey, and headed out on the run. As expected, my legs felt like cinder blocks during the first few minutes of the run. Then the monster hit: my quads started to tighten up, and instead of getting looser as I went, they got tighter. I tried to negotiate, but the picket signs came out and they went on strike. I had to stop and stretch and chugged down the gatorade that was in my fuel belt bottle. I tried to walk it off, but to no avail. I happened upon a couple of nice volunteers but they didn't have anything for me but did inform me that the aid station is not far off. I drank some more, then walked a little more until I turned a corner. Coach Simon jogged towards me and asked what was going on. He had me jog with him to the aid station where he instructed me to drink one full cup of gatorade and one full cup of water. He speculated that I didn't drink enough on the bike and he was right. I was feeling better and my quads started to cooperate, so I headed back out on the course.

As I came upon Will, Michelle, and Lorraine (man, they got around), my quads were giving me the big F-U again. This crew had water, so I refilled my bottles and drank one almost instantly. After hanging around for a few minutes, I was able to run again and paced with Paula for a brief time. Then- you'll never guess what happened next- that's right, my quads started cramping! We just passed the 2 mile mark, and I said screw this, I am turning back now (Coach Simon gave me the option, I didn't come up with that on my own). I turned back, and here he comes again out of nowhere, with a bottle of water and thermalyte salt tablets! I take a tablet and almost a whole bottle of water, and start running again. I get to the aid station and drink another cup of gatorade! Jen Jay picked me up and ran me in the right direction. Now my legs were cooperating, and I was able to run the entire distance back to cross the finish line! In reality it was a yellow CAUTION tape line, but it was the thought that counts. Yay! I finished my first Olympic triathlon and ran right into a crime scene!

Thank god Claudia saved me a burrito! I washed it down with my Endurox recovery drink. Man I was glad to be done! I felt a sense of accomplishment tinged with a little disappointment. I felt good on the swim, but was slow. I felt fast on the bike, but never caught anyone. I felt terrible during the run, and I have complete many marathons & half marathons before. But I did it. My first Olympic distance! And I was happy to have done it with such a supportive team, friends, and family to make it special.

Coach Wayne of the Lava Team talked a little about Louie Bonpua and his spirit and accomplishments. Louie's sister was on hand to speak to us all and expressed her gratitude for carrying on in his name.

It was a cold, wet, dreary day. But it was a good day.

Oh boy, here we go

2010-01-22T22:59:00.000-08:00

The weekend is finally here. It's been a challenging week at work. Throw in daily workouts and band practice, and my schedule is full. Balancing training with fundraising is quite the undertaking, especially during this Ironseason.

Friday's aren't what they are cut out to be these days. Most likely because I know I will be expending lots of energy on Saturday and Sunday. Not that it's a bad thing, but sleeping in has become a rare luxury. This weekend will be proof of that.

Saturday night I will be hosting Rock Against Leukemia in San Francisco. The MotherHumbuckers, Bender, and DJ Patrick will provide the entertainment, and we expecting a very good sized crowd to come out and support the cause. I usually go all out during our shows, but I'll have to leave some in the tank this time around.

Why? Because the very next morning I will be participating in the Louis Bonpua Triathlon, an Olympic distance race held in honor of this brave young man that was an inspiration as he battled leukemia until his last days. It consists of a 1500yd pool swim, 27 mile bike ride, and 6 mile run. And starts at 8AM. Which means I have to be there and checked in at 7AM. The morning after a gig. I haven't done anything like this since the MHB rocked the Rockit Room then headed straight to the airport and off to Vegas. Ahhh we were young and reckless once.

I am filled with anticipation, anxiety, excitement, and general good thoughts for all the wonderful things that are to come in the next couple of days.

Swim, bike, grunt

2010-01-16T12:56:00.000-08:00

Our most recent coached workout consisted of a 27 mile bike ride, a couple of hours of swimming, and a core strength workout on a concrete basketball court. We gathered in Pleasant Hill where the cycle team and tri team were also meeting up for their workouts. Since the triathlon team was in the pool first, we hit the road.

The course was a bumpy, windy jaunt that included the infamous Pig Farm hill. This site is appropriately named due to the farm at the top that sold live pigs at one time. The sign that reads "Pig Sale" is still in tact. The backside is a steady grind while the front side consists of two steep pitches broken up by a short flat section. Chris, Phil, and I did a valiant job of motoring up without stopping or having to dismount. The downhill that followed is a fast 40+mph thrill ride. The rest of the ride was not too intense, but we were happy to be approaching our end point when we did.

As riders filtered in, we hit the pool as the other team evacuated. We did a series of drills for almost an hour. At the end of that time, we were offered to learn flip turns. Not everyone wanted to so an option was given: do the workout again. I didn't want to learn flip turns, so I kept swimming.

After the swim we were ushered to the outdoor basketball courts to commence out core strength training. We burned our abs, sides, and backs as we worked through the routine. On our way to becoming Iron, we have had many moments of feeling like melted rubber. This was one of them.

Why? Why do this? Because participating in Team In Training helps me do my part in the fight against blood cancers.

Lazy weekend... NOT!

2010-01-03T18:11:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the new year. So far, 2010 has been pretty eventful as far as physical fitness goes. No resolutions here, just an ongoing iron schedule to follow.

January 1st - We rang in the new year with a trail run at Lake Chabot hosted by Coach Al, Mama Lisa, and a slew of TNT alumni. Troublemakers from the IronTeam were there en masse in an effort to return to their roots and rile everyone else up. It was also the introduction of Team In Training's new Ultra Marathon program. It was a brisk morning, and despite everyone's plans the night before, we all got up and made it to the trail. I ran with Chris, Phil, BK and Jim, and though we opted for the 6 mile loop, ended up doing 9. If you have ever run at Lake Chabot, you know that the hills there will beat people down. But Mama Lisa is not normal people, and as usual, she schooled us clowns, even with her shoelaced untied. We all finished and wrapped it up with a big group hug. It was a great way to start the year.

January 2nd - Back to IronTeam business with a 5 mile marker ride. A handful of IronTeamies gathered at the Orinda BART station for a 15 mile bike ride. The roads were wet, and drizzle and wind made their presence known. But again, there we were for the challenge. We rode 7.5 miles out, along the San Pablo reservoir to our start point. After a brief stop, I started my stopwatch and headed back to our start point, stopping and recording my time after 5 miles. I was 20 seconds slower than my previous marker, but I felt stronger and faster during the ride, which means that some progress was made.

January 3rd - First coached workout of the new year! The morning air was c-c-cold and the skies were blue when we hit the pool at 8AM. The steam rising from the water was a welcome sight. I slipped on my cap and goggles and dropped in to a toasty surprise. The water was nice and warm, almost bath-like. I was instantly loosened up and began my warm up swim. As in previous workouts, we were given drills to perform, but this time at a higher level of intensity. A highlight was having three of us swim down the lane and allowing the fourth person to pass us, simulating a gnarly group swimming situation.

After hundreds of yards of swimming, we transitioned to the cycle portion of the workout - a 20 mile ride through the surrounding area and into the nearby canyon. It was clear and windy, and going out we had a nice pace line to ease the workload a little. After hitting a couple of hills, the group broke up and I ended up riding with training captain Nick for the last 10 miles back to base camp. I checked in, drank some water, took my gel, and suited up for the run.

The run course was marked at 2.5 miles, but the object was to get in 30 minutes of running. Somehow I was the first one out of the parking lot and on the course. My feet were still cold from the bike ride, and my legs felt like quick-drying cement. I envisioned myself running like the Incredible Hulk for the first fifteen minutes. I tried to concentrate on form, but legs were doing their own thing. A few of our cyclists rode by cheering me on, which gave me a much needed boost. Team captain Liz's chain fell off as they rolled by, and I stopped to help her get it back on. As her and Carol rolled away, I continued my run. I got back to the starting point as some were just heading out, and I was 5 minutes short of the 30 minute goal. So coach Simon had me run around the parking lot to make extra time. Ironically, by the time I had to stop, I was all warmed up!

The core exercises followed. I always fool myself into thinking that the core strength portion is a bonus, that the hard part is done. Then coach Doug sends us through a series of ab exercises that just make me want to quit (but I don't!) followed by side and front planks and techniques that involve working with (or against) a partner. Thank god today's core routine was the very last thing we did, but at the same time, given everything we did up to that point, I was spent!

Today's training was to introduce us to all 3 disciplines in one day, and help transition to each one faster. This was just a preview of what is to come. Distances will get farther, and workouts will get longer. And I will appreciate my rest time more than ever!

1,000 yard swim, done and feeling good!

2009-12-30T18:42:00.001-08:00

OK I'll make this quick. But I have to blog about it because tonight was somewhat of a breakthrough for me. I didn't win any medals, and you won't see me on any Wheaties boxes anytime this century, but I am basking in an afterglow of a first time achievement!

I was dreading the 1,000 yard swim marker that was on the calendar for today. The last time I tried to swim 800 yards, I stopped on the wall after every 200 and sucked air till I gathered myself to start up again. This time, I fell into the pocket after the first 200 and just kept going. I can't flip turn so I just played wall tag for 40 laps. Breathing never became an issue, and almost became automatic. I concentrated on different little things on each lap; rotating my core, grabbing more water in front, pushing at the end of the stroke, etc. I actually felt efficient and closer to the 'long run' mentality that I get when I settle into a high mileage run. I swam the last lap with gusto and almost (key word almost) wanted to go for more. My 100 yd cool down satisfied that craving, and I was done! The muscles in my chest, arms, and shoulders were about to explode; I couldn't have gotten a better pump if I jumped out of the pool and ran into the weight room next door. Hulk angry!! OK, Hulk HUNGRY!!

It was a great feeling, similar to when I ran my first 10 miles, or passed a certification exam. It's the reward of putting in hard work and dedication. I'm looking forward to reaching new goals, and eventually the ultimate- no not the Ironman, but finding a cure for cancer. The Ironman is a big fat bonus!

Made it through the Holi-daze

2009-12-27T14:44:00.000-08:00

Pardon the radio silence, it has been a beeeezy week as anticpated. Yes, I did get my workouts in during the week, running or swimming during lunchtime and spinning in the evening. The highlight of the week, of course,was celebrating Christmas with the family. Which means food, food, and more food.

Xmas eve was a precurser to the to the carnage with Claudia's tasty beef tenderloin and bacon mac&cheese that was prepared for the in-laws. Xmas day brought the requisite steak and omelette brunch at chez Reyes in DC, replete with mimosas and bloody marys. After the gift opening ceremony and recovering from food comas, the cousins, uncles, and grandma made their way over in time for the second feeding.

We had meat on top of meat: turkey, honeybaked ham, leg of lamb, more beef tenderloin, spare ribs, and a few filipino dishes that I won't go into detail about. The gift exchange was brutal but I ended up with a lapdesk that I am using as I write this. Score!

Saturday brought a spin workout and more time with the in-laws. Later, Claudia, her bro Alex, and I ventured into the wet, crowded city to catch the tail end of the holiday festivities. It was well worth the logistical grief that we endured to get there. No meat for dinner- fish for me! Mahi mahi to be specific.

Sunday morning brought a much needed team workout at foggy Inspiration Point. There were about 10 of us out there along with coach Mike. We were scheduled to run for 70 minutes, which put Phil and I just shy of 8 miles. Visibility was about 100 feet, and we felt like we were being watched. Sure enough, the eyes that were peering at us belonged to the cows that were grazing freely along the trail. There were big ones, little ones, brown ones, black & white ones, and given the amount of meat I ate in the preceding days, I could swear they were giving me the stank-eye. Or maybe my brand new flourescent yellow rain jacket shocked them. I tried to take photos of them but my phone just would not come out of hibernation. Arrrgh!

Following our socked-in run, the strength workout commenced. One-legged squats, dips, pushups, step ups, lunges, reveres lunges, and we were done for the morning. A hot cup of Peets was calling me so I went to answer that call and enjoyed and olallie berry scone to boot. What is an olallie berry? I dunno, but it hit the spot.

A new week is upon us, and I am back on schedule. Once again, it's time to IronManUp and head into the new year STRONG!

Longest workout ever... so far

2009-12-20T20:39:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to see an increase in the amount of training as we worked our way through week 6 of the Ironteam training initiative. This weekend was no different. All week long, Saturday's schedule loomed over my head in an intimidating fashion, mocking me with the notion of 4 different workouts in one day. When the morning finally arrived, I was ready to take on the challenge. OK maybe not right away, and the drive to the North Bay wasn't very inspiring, but as soon as I arrived on site and saw my Ironteammates congregated in the parking lot, it was on!

First up was a track warmup that consisted of an easy jog followed by coach Simon's various track drills. Then the air-sucking commenced. We had to run two miles flat-out to get a reading on our current progress. The air was cold and after the first 4 laps, I felt like I was breathing through a straw. I faded a bit but still improved my time by 52 seconds. Not too shabby for me, though I was lapped by the speedy guys. Ugh, what a wake up call. Ironbloggers Phil, BK, Chris, Maria, and Carol all improved their time as well, in fact, 22 of our teamies bettered their previous record!

After a short break, coach Doug took over and led us through a tortuous, yet entertaining, core strength workout. Crunches, squats, pushups, planks, dynamic isometrics, lunges, etc, etc, etc. left every muscle fiber in my body used and slightly abused. After this workout we were advised to replenish by eating and drinking whatever snacks we had stashed away. Clif blocks, Gatorade, and Gu, mmmm!

Next on the menu was the swim workout. The steam rising from the pool was a welcome sight, a stark contrast to the ice fishing hole we were subject to last week. Coach Sedonia broke us up into our groups, and I happily landed in the first group 2 lane. We drilled, swam, drilled, swam, and drilled some more. Coach Skip gave me feedback from the deck, which I instantly tried to incorporate into my stroke. I finally feel like I am making progress. It's coming slowly, but it's progress nonetheless. My swim stroke is starting to resemble Phelps. (Jim Phelps, from Mission:Impossible. Not the Olympian you were thinking about)

After rinsing the chlorine out of my hair, I toweled off and headed to the car for snack #3. Chris and I sat in the parking lot comparing lunches and lo and behold, we had matching lunch bags and twin sandwiches again. Our wives are on a roll. Someone could literally sneak up and swap our lunches and we wouldn't be the wiser. We unloaded our bikes and trainers, and headed to multi-use room for a group spin. It warmed up quickly in that enclosed space as coach Mike cranked us through pedal technique and climbing drills. After at least 20 minutes he made us all stop, dismount, throw on our running shoes, and head out into the streets for an 8-minute run. By this time in the day my calves were screaming and my hams and quads were cussing me out. We returned to base, and mounted up again, spinning in the hard gear and standing up to simulate long climbs. When this cruel and unusual punishment ended, coach had us dismount, remove our front tire, let out the air, remove the tube, replace the tube, and inflate it again. Monotonous, but necessary. And fun! Not ;-p

Once our bikes were back to status quo, coach Doug called the end of the workout, 6.5 hours after we had started. Needless to say, I was starving. Thank god Merla called ahead to the Marin Brewing Company and warned them that we were coming. I fell in love with my fish & chips, but the affair was short lived.

This was the first coached workout to incorporate all 3 disciplines, and one of many long days to come. This is where we declare that we are iron, and where we test our mettle. Or metal. Or medal.

Must... keep... going...

2009-12-17T10:36:00.000-08:00

When it's cold and grey outside and Christmas music is playing everywhere and friends are posting pictures of their snowboarding trips on Facebook, I just want to curl up under a warm blanket and snooze by the fireplace. Alas, I am on a mission and finding myself donning spandex, swim cap, and goggles in the middle of December. I barely escaped the rain during yesterday's lunchtime run. But I did the damn thing. And I will continue to do the damn thing.

Motiviation can be a rare commodity during the week, especially during these winter months. When I start to feel a little stale, I turn to our honorees for inspiration. People living with cancer get up and fight for their lives on a daily basis. They endure invasive procedures, both chemical and radioactive. And yet they are the ones with the encouraging words and positive attitudes. Here we are (that's right I included you!) complaining about running in the rain or going out in the cold to get to the pool. In all reality, workouts are optional. Do people HAVE to run marathons, or HAVE to ride 100 miles, or HAVE to do an Ironman? Of course not. It's a choice. A choice that we "healthy people" are fortunate to have.

So when I hit that wall, I think of those that hit a wall of a different kind; a wall that determines life or death. And then I realize mine is not a wall at all, but a reminder of how good I really have it. Even in this weather.

Hump Day Brick

2009-12-09T22:01:00.000-08:00

The Ironteam training schedule had me in the pool yesterday. I swam a total of 2,050 yards. I never swam that far before in my life. Granted, it was not continuous but rather drills with rest periods in between. But still. If you want to find a way to exert yourself from head to toe, swimming is it.

Today's swim was 300 yards shorter and consisted of different drills. I particularly liked the one where you swim 25 easy and come back 25 hard. During that drill I would mosey on down to the end of the pool, turn and burn all the way back doing my best Mark Spitz. Um, okay, Michael Phelps for you young 'uns. I totally smoked the old lady doing the breast stroke next to me! Bam! Shake & bake, baby!

But seriously folks, all this time in the water and concentration on certain parts of the stroke have paid off, though the task itself is still difficult. My body is more balanced, my breathing is easier, the feel of the water is more apparent. And most importantly I don't look like I'm flailing wildly to get away from pirahnas. OK, maybe I do but in my mind I don't. This weekend's video taping at the coached workout will reveal it all!

After my time in the water, I rinsed, toweled off, threw on my running shoes and hit the treadmill. I never liked the treadmill, but this time was different. I ran with a purpose. Decked out in my Chicago Marathon t-shirt and my Ironman tri shorts, I presented myself as a serious endurance athlete with a goal to accomplish. Or maybe I just looked like a big dork. Either way, in years previous, a gym visit would consist of 5 minutes of cardio followed by an hour of heavy lifting. Workout after workout, there was no measure of progress, no sense of accomplishment. I was working out for the sake of working out. OK the big muscles were cool but did little good. Now I'm in it for the long run. And swim. And bike.

Bittersweet Weekend

2009-12-06T15:36:00.001-08:00

I was looking forward to the team workouts this weekend since I was away last weekend and it seemed like forever since I have seen my Ironteam. Saturday's workout consisted of an early morning track run followed by a swim session. It was a brisk (i.e. frickin cold) morning, and we ran 800s at a predetermined pace, and I felt pretty good. We were scheduled to run 10 of these, but time constraints cut us short after the 5th one. I didn't complain, though I was mentally prepared to go 5 more!

We broke for the nutrition portion of IronUniversity in which we learned about proper hydration and diet habits. Coach Dave's wife Norma is a trainer/nutritionist and had lots of good information to share. The challenge would to be following those guidelines. I did make a crack about our post-workout pizza buffet, and her answer surprised me. She said of all the 'junk' foods out there, pizza is the best one to eat. Aha! I knew it! Through the years, my friends and I would always argue that pizza was a square meal - you had your dairy, meat, vegetables, and bread all in the palm of your hand! She confirmed this theory. With the disclaimer that all things must be taken in moderation. I knew there was a catch.

After food school, we headed back out into the arctic wilderness to hit the pool. The TNT Tri Team was out there as they had the pool before us, and I spotted Ray and Deb and others. Didn't have a chance to chat as we all invaded the warm pool water as soon as we disrobed. I shared a lane with teamies Les, Jen, and Amanda, and by the luck of the draw I lead the circle swim. I felt good during the drills, and concentrated primarily on balance and body rotation. Why? Because I am leg-heavy and have to work to balance my body on the surface of the water. The rotations help me deal with the anxiety of sucking air, not water, into my lungs. When I am swimming and I feel I have a handle on these two things, everything else is gravy. Swimming is often compared to golf (at which I effectively suck at too)- technique is power, less number of strokes is better, don't drive your Escalade into a tree at 2:30AM, etc. I came out of the pool feeling satisfied with the work I put in.

During the course of the day, I was delivered unfortunate news. Our good friend, TNT teammate, coach, and all around great person, Raji W, passed away the night before of cancer that had spread to her brain. This was heartbreaking news, and I spent the rest of the workout thinking about her, and what she would have wanted me, and her other friends on Ironteam to do: keep on going, train hard, and do the damn thing. And so we did, and will continue to do, in her name. Cancer of any kind SUCKS, people. This is why we do what we do.

Raji and I at Redwood Park on August 29, 2009

Hump Day gone too soon

2009-12-02T20:44:00.000-08:00

And I say that because I've been off from work all week. Why do the days drag when I'm at the day job, but quickly disappear when I don't have anything particularly urgent to do (and no, errands and chores don't count). Oh well, c'est la vie.

I have been getting my workouts in, though. Monday I dragged myself to the people's pool and completed my 1650 yards. Tuesday evening I did my 'hill repeats' on my cycle trainer in the basement. Today I ran the prescribed 30 minutes (ok I cheated by one minute because it took me 29 to get around the lake) then went straight to the gym for my core strength workout followed by a grilled chicken sandwich. Man, I could get used to this kind of life. Just train and eat all day.

Tomorrow I will be back in the pool. Swimming continues to be the most mystifying of the three disciplines for me. Tell me to go for a run, and I'll say sure, no problem, how far? Ask me to go on a bike ride, and I'll say saddle up, let's roll! But lead me to water and I'll be that horse standing by the side of the pond staring right into it. I feel that I have improved a tad since we started, but not a whole lot. My form is getting better, but I just get so... tired.. after all those drills! Not just physically, but mentally as well. It takes a lot of mind-over-matter-ing to get me through a swim workout. I am just not at the point where I feel I can keep up a stroke for hours. I know, it will come, but till then, I just have to pay my dues like I did with running and cycling over the years. There ya go, I just solved my own dilemma. Thanks, me.

Back from the desert

2009-11-30T16:01:00.000-08:00

Finally back in the Bay Area after an awesome Thanksgiving weekend in the little town of Indian Wells, just outside of Palm Springs. The folks decided to ditch the usual turkey duty and take the whole family away. We invaded the Esmerelda resort and moved into a 2 story suite that had it's own living room, dining room, and fireplace. We spent lots of time eating, lounging by the pool, and visiting local sights. And yes, I did get my workouts in.

OK, one run workout, but it was a good one- I had the pleasure of running with both my brothers and my nephew early on a brisk desert Thanksgiving morning. I introduced them to run/walk intervals which they welcomed openly, especially when it came to walk time. However, these guys are no slouches and kept me on my toes. The last run segment became an all out sprint back to the compound. This was one of the times I was glad to be towards the back as my oldest bro and his son were so engaged in the battle that they missed the turn that brought us back. Younger bro and I didn't say anything as those two hammered down the avenue at full speed while we took the turn, jogged in and beat them back to the parking lot. It was one for the books.

Mom arranged a tour up the Palm Springs Aerial Tram that took us 10,000 ft. straight up to the top of the world. Once up at the top, we all dispersed and a few of us went for a hike on the extensive trail system. The afternoon sun was out but at that altitude the air was cold, almost biting. The trails were rocky, hilly, and dusty. And I loved every minute of it.

Back at the resort we attended a character breakfast hosted by Spongebob Squarepants and Dora the Explorer (or is it Explora?). Funny thing is that amongst the 12 of us, there were only two little ones that are fans. But hey, we are all down for a good time with costumed characters, especially since the resort picked up the tab for the breakfast buffet for all of us!

Thanksgiving dinner itself was also a buffet complete with a turkey carver, dessert bar, and fresh seafood trough filled with mussels, shrimp, and king crab legs. There were pies, creme brulee cups, and even a chocolate fountain with fresh strawberries. We all had a great time celebrating all that we were thankful for. I was grateful for this time spent with my family away from everything else that seems so prominent on a daily basis.

So here I am, back in town, and catching up on stuff. Including the swim workout that was supposed to have taken place yesterday. Since we were busy doing planes, trains, and automobiles trying to get back home, there was literally no time to squeeze in a swim. I used my rest day to get my drills in. I'm glad I did. But now I'm kind of spent. I blame part of it on post-vacation blues.

Coached workout #2

2009-11-22T22:10:00.000-08:00

This Saturday was only the second coached workout of the season. It's seems much longer than that since I have been training every day for the past week. Thank god I have Monday off from workouts and work. Plus I came down with some kind of nagging cough, which worries me because I don't want to take sick time off from training.

We started with a big group spin in the faculty parking lot of the high school we were at. It was pretty chilly so I made sure I had plenty of layers on. Even after I was warmed up, I was cold. It was fun to be hangin' with my marathon buds in the big circle - Phil, Carol, BK, Maria, Tiffany, and Chris. I would include Haakon but he wasn't there. I didn't bring my tri bike this time; I went with big red, my old faithful road bike. It's cool, it has red tires, and it's fast, even with me on it.

After the spin, we went on a short group ride. I started with the guys in front to see how it would go. It was supposed to be a review/orientation of riding in a group on the street; practicing hand signals, verbal queues, etc. After the first mile or so, it morphed into some kind of criterium with riders speeding up, jockeying for position in the turns and on the inclines. We pacelined through the little town of Larkspur and made it back to the school. It was such a short ride (maybe 20 minutes) that coach Doug suggested we go again, everyone was fired up to get back out there and mix it up, but coach Sedonia called time, and had us all head to the pool.

I threw off my bike gear and quick-changed into my tri/swim shorts. I put on my Rock N Roll swim cap - it actually says "Rock" on it ;-p- and jumped into group 2 territory. Coaches Skip and Nancy were there once again to help straighten me out. They gave me tips during the drills that helped my overall swim tremendously, and I needed that. As I said, I must work on balance, and it was much better this time around. I even received comments from the coaches on how my form has improved a bunch. That's the kind of reinforcement I need for this whole swim thing. I have to say that I felt more efficient, and therefore more confident, during this swim workout. If I can learn to swim, anyone can! After the workout, I enjoyed a nice warm shower under the sun. I could have stayed under that warm water for another half hour, but we had to vacated the premises.

We cleared the pool and regrouped for a team lunch at the Marin Brewery. I really enjoy these group activities because it gives me a chance to get to know our teammates a little better. I am starting to figure out peoples' senses of humor now. I get to know their backgrounds, enjoy a little dirt, and interject my own tidbits of history and opinion. Brainstorming about fundraising always comes up, and from what I've heard, a jello-wrestling fundraiser is on the calendar. Next time I will sit at the other end of the table and enjoy the company of lesser known (to me) participants and staff.

It was a great day to be on the IronTeam. Then I went to my folks' place for a pre-Thanksgiving feast. But that's another story.

Group Spin workout

Yeah Rock N Roll!!

Chris & I getting ready to roll

IronPhil and I awaiting the race - I mean group ride

Getting ready to do the last 100 easy

photos courtesy of Helen Tsai and Jennifer Jay

Lifestyle Adjustment

2009-11-20T16:56:00.000-08:00

They said it would be one. I kind of anticipated it, but now it has become a reality. I have become that guy that brings his workout gear to the office and sacrifices nachos at La Pinata in favor of a lunchtime swim or run followed by a desktop meal, complete with computer screen glaring and telephone blaring. I am the guy that smells freshly of Irish Spring as I pass you in the hallway in the afternoon. I am the guy eating snacks at his desk. Constantly. But hey, as they say, humans are highly adaptable to their environments, and my current environment requires me to be performing acts of endurance while keeping my day job. And my night job for that matter!

I have not had one day off from working out this week. But I continue to hammer away for the cause. I am fortunate to have a boss that understands, a running path right outside the door of my workplace, and a gym to swim/workout at 10 mins away so that I can make this lifestyle change by building it into the current construct of my existing daily grind.

Yes, it's a lot of work. But the reward is great on many levels. Now it's time to turn in. Bike/Swim/Core workout tomorrow with the Ironteam.

Here is a video that I shot and edited of Claudia's experience at the Wildflower Triathlon a couple of years back. I watch it and just get all fired up!

Workout? I'm workin' IN

2009-11-17T22:15:00.000-08:00

I got my equipment ready last night. Bike, shorts, gear, trainer, etc. etc. etc. I was determined to make the group spin workout after work today. I painstakingly crammed everything into my car this morning and took it all to work with me. As soon as the day came to a close, I made a quick change into my Iron gear and jetted out as planned at precisely 5PM. Then I noticed the drizzle. Which quickly turned to rain. I deferred to my trusty iPhone to check the traffic on the freeways that would take me from Oaktown to the WC. Red lines dominated the little Google map that appeared in chunks. I had to call an audible: instead of sitting in traffic for an hour and maybe meeting the group in time, I decided to peel off and get home in 10 minutes and be training in 20.

After the ritual greeting of the dogs, giving them biscuits, letting them into the yard, then back into the house (they got me well trained), I headed down into my personal training facility and set my oh-so-sleek bike up on the trainer. Tonight's workout focused on cadence, or number of times the pedal crank completes a full rotation. Similar to a car's engine, this is measured in revolutions per minute, and is monitored on my cycling computer. I started the 10 minute warm up, made a few quick Facebook updates, and then dove into the meat of it all.

The workout started me out pedaling at 80 RPM in the big ring up front and the 3rd biggest in the back. For the uninitiated, that translates into: "damn that's hard!" I was barely managing a steady 72 in that gear, and I had to hold that for 5 minutes and then spin faster by 5 RPM? Oh Hell To The No. The coaches talk about scaling a workout to fit you, so that's what I did. Dropped down a couple of gears, and *poof* like magic, my computer read 80RPM. Increased 5RPM every 5 minutes until I hit 95RPM. Which basically made me look like I was piloting one of those cartoon helicopters from the Flintstones (and barely keeping it afloat).

THEN that damn workout sheet says to shift into a higher (i.e. harder) gear and do the whole thing over again! Sometimes I wonder if I'm reading these things correctly. I followed suit, and brought myself into a new zone of pain and frustration. But I held strong. The grind became so difficult that I actually had an "honoree moment", which is an instance of enlightenment during training or a race when one realizes that the pain being endured at that moment is temporary and optional. In contrast, the pain that a person battling cancer- of any kind- endures is never optional. I thought of our friend Brenda Donato and how her life affected all of us and how freakishly strong she was up until the end. I also reminded myself that every watt that I generate through physical work manifests itself into an effort to find a cure. I run for a cure. I swim for a cure. And tonight, I sweated my ass off on that bike for a cure.

After a wobbly dismount, I proceeded on to my "optional" core exercises. The number of repetitions seem to have gone up since I last did these. Damn, am I reading this correctly? I motored through the one-legged-squats, split squats, side planks, hamstring bridges, etc. etc. etc. My muscles were tore up from the floor up (say that like a cool kid, not how my nerdy self wrote it), but I was relieved that it was done. Until tomorrow's run, at least. I am packing my gear now. See, I have a plan. I am going to bring all my stuff to work and get my run in during lunch. That's the plan. At least for now.

And now for shout outs, yo!

Big THANK YOU to IronRock's latest contributors to the LLS:

Onweena Choonhchuongchoti - a girl whose heart is as big as her name. Onweena just ran her first half marathon at Nike and is training for Oakland!
Gloria Lomeli and Myrna Jacobsen of the Regional Center of the East Bay - both of these ladies are at the core of this organization, and have been great friends of mine for more years than I can remember.

"Hey guys, I can't feel my legs! A little help here. Please."

Track, Core, Swim. Eat. Eat more.

2009-11-15T20:33:00.000-08:00

Man I have got to get used to working out on both Saturdays and Sundays. Not that yesterday's ride was exceptionally rough, but I had to eat somewhat sensibly, abstain from the liquid carbs, and get to bed at a decent hour. On a Saturday night. That's hot. Not.

As Sunday's dawn bared it's butt crack, I completed my oatmeal/power bar ritual and headed out to Pleasanton for today's run & swim workout. By the luck of the draw, or more specifically by last name, I was in the group that was to run first and hit the pool afterwards. The other group did the inverse.

It was a brisk morning and I hit the track in my usual t-shirt and shorts, warm blooded as I am. The others were outfitted in long sleeves and/or leggings. After warming up with some drills, coach Simon instructed us to line up on the 'start' line and run as fast as we can for two miles. Which basically equated to 8 laps of non-pleasure. I figured I would shoot for negative splits so I let the fast guys bust out of the gates while I hung back a little. See, the plan was to let them out fast, I go out slow, they fade, I speed up, and pass them all in the end. Mwahahahaha...

BUT it didn't go down like that. Those fools never slowed down, and my second lap was 8:26, only 25 seconds faster than my first. I became a backmarker and was promptly lapped by 4 (yes I counted) of them dudes. Hey I hit my negative splits, so I was happy with that! Plus, I got the data needed to determine my VDOT score .

We retreated from the track and headed to the pool deck for core excercises with coach Doug. We mixed TRX work with mat work while the first group wrapped up their swim workout. By the time we were done, my lower back, abs, sides, and shoulders felt worked. And we hadn't even hit the water yet!

After a quick change we finally got to get in the pool. This time I made sure I was in group 2 (not 3 like last time!). The swim coaches had us execute a 500 yard assessment swim which I completed in 11:50. Not quite a post-bong Phelps effort, but I was happy with it. Afterwards we practiced 4 other drills. During the float test, the coaches picked me out as an example! A BAD example. When in a 'dead man's float', my legs swing towards the bottom of my pool, positioning my body almost completely vertically. This tells me I need to work hard at balancing my body while swimming. So that, my friends, it what I shall do for the next few months.

After the workout, a good chunk of the Ironteam bonded over all-you-can-eat pizza at the local Round Table. I headed straight to Daly City to pick up my cuz Chris to take him to the airport, and was greeted by a delicious omelette courtesy of my gourmet dad. It was a good day. Not all my updates will be this long, I promise, but all this is new, so for history's sake, I am compelled to document it all!

A big thanks to the latest contributors to my fundraising effeorts, Mr.&Mrs. David & Sylvia Lamon, the fabulous parents of our very own Olivia Lamon! Their generous donation will make a difference in the fight against blood cancers.
Want to be part of the solution?

Striking a pose after completing my first 500 yards

Preparing for the huffin' & puffin'

photos courtesy of Jennifer Jay & Helen Tsai

Cycle Saturday

2009-11-14T19:16:00.001-08:00

Where did this rain come from? OK it wasn't really rain, more of a heavy drizzle, but it was pretty wet this morning. I loaded my cool new Fuji Aloha 2.0 into the car, and headed out to meet the Ironteam for the East Bay captain's 20 mile assessment ride. The weather was pretty bleak, even in Pleasanton; not the ideal testbed for a maiden voyage.

This being an assessment or "marker" ride, I wanted to stay with the first group of riders for as long as I could, so I stayed with the front runners right out of the parking lot. Two of the Iron captains were leading, and Chris was soon pushing up against them and he decided to pass, with another participant in tow. The road began to descend and Phil was between me and the two caps. I figured this was a good time as any to test my aero bars. I shifted up, dropped my elbows and shouted "Passing on your left!" as I punched through the moist air with Phil cheering me on. As soon as we hit a couple of hills, we had a nice little pace group formed. Chris led for a while and I offered to take over. He dropped back, I dropped back into the aeros and cranked away. Literally. I felt like I was working hard, and after a couple of miles conceded to the next in line. 5 riders passed and I was back on. Kind of. There was a gap between Phil and I, which ended up working out when his water bottle went flying and exploded on the road in front of me! I had time to avoid it and continued to roll to our turnaround point. I made it with the first group, and we inadvertently traveled an extra mile. We stopped at the SAG car (wo)manned by Erin and Maria. But then it was time to turn back.

On the way back, we happened upon all of our other teamies, going in the same direction. Apparently they turned around at 10 miles, as we should have! The road was wet but another element was introduced: dirt. When you mix the two, and are in a paceline, you are treated to a mud pie coming off a rooster tail from the rider in front of you. Tasty.

The sun came out and the downhills we enjoyed earlier came back to bite us as our paceline disintegrated. One by one, we pulled into the parking lot and dismounted. All in all, it was a good ride. I gelled with my new ride instantly, and got some good practice riding in the drops. Tomorrow, we swim and run. Which means no monkey business tonight. Fuel up, rest, and prepare for another day of grunting.

And now it's time to give props to those that have contributed to the cause by supporting my training:
Big Thanks to:

Melissa Krum - Marathoner, Triathlete, and Cyclist who kept me well entertained during the Solvang Century!
Eric Stern - MFT extraordinare and former RCEB colleague. Rock on Eric!
Yvonne Gallegos - awesome Mentor/Captain on the East Bay Marathon team, super mom, and Duffy tamer ;-p
Tom Davies - just back from the big show at Kona! Big Sexy is the man!
Carl & Brenda Taban - best friends of the best parents I know. Salaaaamat!
Your Name Here

Phil, me, and Chris before the ride

Aftermath - Helmet hair and mud marks. Suave, no?

Ironteam reporting for duty

4 on, 1 off

2009-11-12T09:45:00.000-08:00

That's the new run sequence I have to get used to while training with the IronTeam. On the marathon team, this technique was reserved for the run-walkers, while my posse and I ran continuously until we hit the next water stop or the end of the trail. I can understand the logic behind the walk breaks, since we never had to do anything right before a marathon but wake up and make sure our shoes were tied. I'm sure that after swimming a couple of miles and biking a bunch of miles, the walk breaks will be welcomed. Whatever the case, I will stick with the program!

Had a great run workout last night at Piedmont High's track with my mentor Erin & her husband Matt, and teammate Dana. It was pretty cold and dark for only being 6PM, but I got through my 8 sets of run 4 min, walk 1 min followed by a core strength routine. I got home and the lil lady had tasty chicken tacos ready for dinner! Watched some TV, then balanced it all out with quality time with my old Strat.

Big thanks to good friend Jona Malan and family for their donation. Jona introduced me to Michelle Maykin, who I then referred to LLS to become an honoree for TNT. In 2007, at the age of 27, Michelle was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. After several rounds of chemotherapy her cancer went into remission. In 2008 it returned along with a mass in her brain. She underwent more chemo and radiation, along with a stem cell transplant. On July 25, 2009, Michelle lost her battle with Leukemia. Michele was a bright spirit that will always be remembered, and yet another reason that I am training for this Ironman event. Together, we can find a cure.

First Cycle Trainer workout

2009-11-10T20:51:00.000-08:00

What could be so hard about throwing a bike on a stationary trainer and pedaling for an hour? Piece of cake, right? Ha! So I thought. I couldn't make it out to Sports Basement in time for the last minute trainer clinic/workout, so I set up my trainer in my private multi-purpose space in the west wing (aka the garage). I threw the iPod on the little speaker system and played my Run Jams playlist, the same playlist that Mama Lisa would play at the team runs.

The 10 minute warmup seemed to last forever. The workout itself seemed to last even longer despite the fact that each activity was broken down into 1 or 2 minute increments. All told, I pedaled for 1 hour 8 minutes and worked every part of my legs. I was spent! Thank god the lil lady went out and got food for all of us- including the k9s- as I was sweating to the oldies in the basement.

It was hard to do the workout, but even harder to read the tiny print of the workout detail! It looked like this:

Type: Bike
Planned duration: 1:00
Warm-up 10 minutes in middle-middle chainrings. Repeat the following drill set TWICE. Stay in big ring up front the entire workout, Shift to 3rd from largest ring in back. Alternate removing one foot from the pedals for one minute at a time, returning to two footed pedaling for one minute @ 90 rpm between single leg efforts. Repeat 4 times per leg.(12 minutes total). Shift to 4th from smallest gear in back. Pedal at 85 rpm. Focus all mental energy on the 1:00 to 3:00 position of the pedal stroke for 2 minutes. Focus all mental energy on the 4:00 to 6:00 position of the pedal stroke for 2 minutes. Focus all mental energy on the 6:00 to 9:00 position of the pedal stroke for 2 minutes. Focus all mental energy on the 9:00 to 12:00 position of the pedal stroke for 2 minutes. After second time throught the drills, shift to middle middle and cool down at 90 rpm for 10 minutes.

TNT Winter Kickoff - Ironteam!

2009-11-08T16:30:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday was the official kickoff of the 2010 IronTeam season! OK, it was kickoff for all TNT teams, but this time I wore a new jersey. It was nice to see all of my friends from the all of the other teams, and almost bittersweet to visit with the great Coach Al and Mama Lisa as I transitioned (pun intended) from the Marathon team to the IronTeam.

This season I am the baby - no mentor duties, no web captain duties, no responsibility other than to soak in the knowledge and put in the hard work. And that's exactly what I plan to do.

After the usual administrative activities and Brandy Regan's inspirational speech, the teams all left the Wheeler auditorium at UC Berkeley and met in separate rooms until noon. Except for us. We stayed until 5PM, learning the ins and outs of Ironman and taking exercise breaks in the hallway. They told us to bring snacks and a lunch, and it's a good thing I did because I was refueling through the whole thing. I was happy to have my friends and other marathon converts there with me- BK, Chris, IronPhil, Carol, Maria, Tiffany, along with Claudia and Meenu, our "IronWives".

The coaching staff is well fortified, and there are assistant coaches for each aspect of Ironman. Coach Doug will strengthen our cores, Coach Sedonia will get us swimming like fish, Coach Simon will help us 'not slow down' in the run, Coach Mike will keep us all in line, and Head Coach Dave will get us rolling with the best of them. I am excited and overwhelmed, but completely up to the challenge.

Of course, the driving force behind all of this is still the fight against blood cancers. Please consider contributing by clicking on my link on the right side of this page. Thank you.

The Old Digs Course

2009-11-03T20:45:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful Tuesday in the Bay Area despite being the first week of November. Luckily I happened to have the day off, so I figured I would take advantage of it and take my fresh-from-the-shop bike for a post tune up ride. I have never ventured directly out the door from our new house yet, so I expected a bit of an exploratory jaunt.

I wiggled through the quiet hilly Maxwell Park streets and made my way to Macarthur Blvd heading north. There is a bike lane that lasts from 35th to Fruitvale then mysteriously disappears. I made my way to Park Blvd. and my old stomping grounds until I finally reached the lake. One quick loop and down Lakeshore Ave., Trestle Glenn, then back on Park, but heading uphill this time. Hit Leimert, Clemens, and Tiffin before heading down Lincoln. Got down to Macarthur and hooked a left and backtracked it home. I think I'll call this route the Old Digs Course since I literally rode by the front doors of 3 of the apartments that I have stayed at since moving to Oaktown.

Granted, these are not pristine two-lane country roads. This route was mostly urban, consisting of pothole strewn stretches, speeding cars, and buses that come a little too close. I found myself in paranoid survival mode at times, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Years of city skateboarding, bmx curb hopping, and motorcycling through downtown SF helped develop that mode in me. I'm grateful that it all carried over to my road cycling days.

It wasn't a very long ride, and served as a test bed for my new heart rate monitor. I'm not sure what my optimum rates are yet, but I think they seemed a little high. I'm hoping that as I train, they drop from the cardiac arrest zone into some place a little more acceptable. Plus I've got a slight aggravation on the outside part of my right foot that materialized after the Chicago Marathon a few weeks ago. A visit to Dr. Laurie Klein is in order.

Ironteam kickoff is this Saturday! Hence the preparation...

More fun in the pool

2009-10-29T22:32:00.000-07:00

Had a great pre-Halloween gig last night at the Red Devil Lounge in SF. It wasn't too bad circumventing the Bay Bridge. Aside from the normal 101 traffic, getting into SF was easy. It was a great show and the house got packed as the night went on. I left relatively early (10PM) but it took me an hour and a half to get back to Oaktown! Read more about the gig here!

Today I took my buddy Joe up on his offer to go to Mills College to swim at lunch. I put together a mini workout consisting of warm ups, drills, continuous swim and cool downs. I got in about 45 minutes in the pool with a total of 700 yards. Baby steps for sure, but I can slowly feel my form come together. I wasn't as tired as I was after Sunday's clinic, and I felt like I could have gone a little more. Jumped in the hot tub for a few minutes, then hit the showers and jetted back to work. It looks like I better get used to this ritual.

My bike is back from the shop! Just needed a tune up, and Performance is having a half off special, so the timing was right. The lil lady picked it up for me on her way from work. I see a ride in my very near future.

So far so good, I hope to be in good shape for kickoff!

Rubber Man

2009-10-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

I can feel it. I can literally feel the beginning stages of transformation that my body is starting to go through. All the muscles in the back and sides of my neck, all three parts of my shoulders, and my upper back feel like they have been torn down and are rapidly trying to rebuild. It's no surprise though, as after years of no pool activity, I found myself at the swim clinic doing, to the best of my recollection, the following:

50yd warmup
50yd assessment
25yd kick drill
25yd swim back
25yd catch up drill
25yd swim back
25yd hip slap drill
25yd swim back
25yd close fist drill
25yd swim back
25yd zipper/finger drag drill
25yd swim back
3x50yd easy out, hard back
50yd final assessment
50yd cool down

Wow, no wonder my shoulders are sore.

Big thanks to Regan Dodson for being the first to donate online! Regan is one of our super cool alumni mentors from TNT!

Thanks also to Carol Wu, my IronTeammate this season! Carol has done it all, from marathons to X-country ski.

Swim clinic - T minus 2 weeks and counting before Ironteam kickoff

2009-10-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

This season I have committed myself to raising funds for the fight against blood cancers once again. But this time, instead of running a marathon or cycling a century, I am training for a full ironman, which combines the two plus the lovely aspect of long distance swimming. More on this to come.

Today I attended a pre-season swim clinic that was formulated to introduce would-be triathletes to the drills and exercises of pool swimming. There were about 12 people in attendance plus 3 coaches and our team manager. After brief introductions and explanations of drills, we hit the pool and executed drills as the coach barked them out. The fact that I am in marathon shape mattered not one bit. I was winded after the first 50 yards. I don't remember it being this difficult. I also felt the pool was slanted as my 25 yds out was easier than the 25 back. Swimming uphill sucks!

Chris and I were placed in the group 3 (toughest) workout and were completely spent by the time we were done. Afterwards the coach suggested we hang back with group 2. We looked at each other in bewilderment and proclaimed that we thought we were doing the group 2 workout! D'OH! Next time, I stay with the masses instead of running to the far end of the pool. I now know that's group 3 turf.

So as I type this my shoulders are burning and my back muscles are screaming in protest. I can only hope things get better as training becomes a regular thing.

As I said earlier, I am once again fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The journey to complete an ironman triathlon is huge; even beyond comprehension for me at this point. But the fight against cancer is even bigger, and your help is needed. Please log on to my fundraising site to donate.

Stay tuned because I will be training for about 10 months and I'll keep you all posted right here!

Thanks for you support!

Not cardboard, wood, stone, or tin

2009-10-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

...but Iron. Newsflash: Iron Team 2010, here I come. Stay tuned!