8 lbs

I've dropped 8 lbs since training began mid November. I was hoping it would be more considering i've been doing both cycling and running, but i'll take it for right now. Perhaps i'm gaining some serious muscle mass in the legs? One thing i've noticed is that the gut is definitely shrinking because I need another notch on the belt. Must be those sit-ups! My ultimate goal is to drop at least another 20 pounds. I know it's not easy, but I know it is possible. A big inspiration is Ironteam '06 member Rommel Surratos who dropped 53 lbs in 2 years.

Well this weekend is gonna be as close to a half ironman as I will get to experience so far. There will be no swimming involved; however, I will be cycling 60-65 miles on Saturday and then will follow it up with a half marathon on Sunday. Oh man.

BIG thank you for helping me go beyond my fundraising goal:

• Karen B. - continued supporter of my TNT events.
  

Intervals

Because i'm alive. 15 warm/ 5 x (5 hard/2 easy) /15 cool = 1hr 5 min

Brrr.

Finally got to run with my friend Bernice tonight. I got her to sign up for the Kaiser half (her first endurance run). Due to scheduling conflicts we have not been able to train together until tonight. Tonight was suppose to be an easy 6 mile run in Alameda. It wasn't easy because the ferocious headwinds severely slowed us down and also made the run blisteringly cold. Fortunately, it didn't rain. We managed to get through it in 1:03:47. No more running till Sunday.

Bleh Monday

Did upper body weights and sit-ups. Tomorrow will be my final tune-up run before half marathon #5 this Superbowl Sunday.

Sunday I'm in Love

The decision to postpone Cole's ride was on Friday when it was pouring cats and dogs. The plan was to then ride on Sunday at a new location. Amazingly, it did not rain at all on Saturday. It would have been a perfect day to ride; however, the roads for Cole's ride were still unsafe. I pretty much vegetated at home and thought better to save my energy for the Sunday ride (if it was gonna even happen at all). It rained Saturday night and this morning I looked out the window and the ground was wet. I checked weather.com and it said thunderstorms were coming. Well, the cycle hotline said the ride was on, so I was gonna be there. Cycle hotline trumps weather.com.

I arrived at our meeting point in Pleasanton around 9:00 am. The temperature was 55 degrees, so it was quite warm actually. The team rolled out at 9:40 am. Today's ride was more like a buddy ride. I stuck with Coach Beth and Tok for about the first 10 miles heading towards Livermore. Coach Beth then went back to check on the groups behind us and Coach DHK then took over and led Tok and myself. Everyone else seemed to be nowhere in sight. It was just the 3 of us on Mines Road with Coach Cyd sometimes driving back in forth for SAG support. After about 15 miles, we pulled over at the pumpkin patch place to take a short snack break while Coach DHK alerted us that a big climb was just ahead of us. It was gonna be something crazy like 7 miles of climbing.

me, Tok and Coach Beth

The climb was part of the Mines Road ride that we were going to do next week, which was replaced by Cole's Ride that was suppose to happen yesterday. Have I confused you yet? It still has not been determined if the Mines Road ride will be revisited this training season; however, we were gonna sample a good chunk of it today.

scanned map of today's ride

How should I describe the climb? Pretty brutal. Probably the most challenging climb to date. Not only were parts of the climb very steep, the climb itself was damn long without many flat parts During the steep parts I was huffing and puffing and going about 4-5 mph. The not as hard parts, I was going 6-7 mph and felt okay. I eventually lost Tok and it was just me solo for awhile until Coach DHK road beside me. Coach DHK asked me to rate my climbing intensity for the first climb. I said 8-9. He said 7 is ideal, but was hard to do especially since I was new to cycling. I definitely sponged a lot of knowledge from Coach DHK; however, I have learned he does like to rate things a lot.

Back to the climbing. There wasn't a part where I felt like I was gonna die; however, it got me tired. I just focused one pedal stroke after the other and tried to control my breathing. Simply, just trying not to freak out. If I freaked out, it was over. I think the interval training mid-weeks has helped my climbing quite a bit. I can see the improvement from the beginning of the season. Of course, part of climbing is mental. I just told myself to be patient, stay focus, and what i'm feeling is nothing close to what cancer patient's go through. In fact, it's just a privilege to be out there riding at all.

Coach DHK asked if I was hot. He read my mind, I was burning up from all that climbing. He suggested to pull over at the telephone pole. As I typically do, I like to clip out way in advance of my stop. I clipped out the left foot and I was so exhausted I leaned towards the right, my bike not going anywhere because I was not pedaling and I felt myself falling sideways.

It's like one of those old Bugs Bunny cartoons, where the Coyote runs across the cliff and finally realizes he is on top of air, looks down and then he falls to the bottom of the canyon. I knew I was screwed, but couldn't do anything about it. I was down. What..fall #4 or 5 of the season? I've lost count now. I scraped my knee and after the ride noticed it bled and my bike pant was also torn. Eh. Who cares? All in the name of LLS. Totally worth it. I shed my layer and after I was able to catch my breath, Coach DHK and I headed out. Yup, more climbing. I was going at 4 mph to recover. Meanwhile, because I always wear my subzero skull cap on, which covers my ears, I really can't hear too well. It was difficult because Coach DHK likes to talk a lot. (Hey, he admitted it himself.) From what I understood, I think he said the amount of climbing we did today was comparable to the entire elevation climb in Solvang.

At this point, it was starting to sprinkle. At about mile 23, the hard part of the climb was over, Coach DHK decided to turnaround for safety reasons. Going downhill on wet roads would not be good. Besides, the rest of it had no training value. Since this was an out and back course, we went back down the same way we came up. I put back on my annoying orange jacket because it was probably gonna be cold going down. The uphill was steep therefore the downhill was steep. I didn't think I was gonna be terrified, but midway I was trying to calm myself down because it felt like I was gonna fly off. I held back a lot, but I was still going 33 mph. I did stop once to get the blood circulating back into my hands. They cramped up once again. I definitely need to learn how to get down on my drops. I think that'll cure the problem.

On the way down, we found Tok. Amazingly again, I made it down to the bottom unscathed. We found Coach Cyd and we stopped to get some food and top of our water bottles. Then the 3 of us headed out of Mines Road and found our way out to Stanley Blvd where the winds were blowing mad crazy. My first time battling winds. I think it started as a headwind and then became a crosswind. I constantly felt my bike being pushed to the right. I just tried to maintain a straight riding line. At 1st Street, Coach DHK phoned Coach Cyd and he heard the rain was already pouring down on our teammates back behind. At this point, we wanted to haul back asap to avoid the rain. Too late, it was sprinkling and it soon turned into rain. The last 6 miles of the ride was all in the rain. I had to frequently wipe the rain off my amber glasses. Sidetrack: I love the amber lens. It makes a gloomy day turn into a sun shiny day. Good stuff.

Coach DHK, Tok and me

Anyways, I was pretty wet, the roads were wet, and drivers were being assholes. At Bernal Avenue before the freeway on ramp, I had signaled in advance to say I was staying straight and moving over; however, this damn truck driver was so impatient, he wasn't going to let me in. Fortunately Tok and Coach DHK screamed for me to not go and I survived.

That was pretty much the cherry on top of the ride. At that point, I was happy there was just 3 miles left in the ride. I was pretty damn tired because of the climbs earlier, the winds, and the rain. We got back around 2:30 pm and finished 44 miles. Coach DHK asked Tok and I what we learned today. I took a pause, but remembered we should go at a 5 when riding on the flats. I think that was good enough as I was then excused to go home...hehe j/k. Big shout out to Tok and Coach DHK though for being good company. Fun times.

Definitely the most challenging ride to date, but I was glad Saturday's ride was called off because it gave me the opportunity to overcome all these obstacles today, which I think will help me become a more physically and mentally prepared cyclist.

You Suck Rain!

Well, tomorrow's ride is a wash. Cole's ride will have to be postponed to the following weekend. There is an alternative ride planned on Sunday if good weather holds up.

Typically I would do nothing on Fridays in preparation for the big ride on Saturday. As soon as I found out it wasn't happening, I hopped on the treadmill and ran 3 miles.

Spirit of the Marathon

No training tonight...well except for some sit-ups. I spent the evening with friends watching the one-night special engagement of Spirit of the Marathon. Well it's no longer a one-night showing. There will be an encore presentation on February 21st at select theaters.

Spirit of the Marathon is a non-fiction feature film that capture the drama and essence of training for the 2005 Chicago Marathon. Filmed on four continents, the movie presents six unique stories and brings together a diverse cast of amateur athletes and marathon luminaries.

Jerry, the 70-year old runner in the film definitely got me inspired of thinking about doing another marathon this year. Big Sur on my birthday? NYC perhaps? Yeah I know...how many times did I say I would retire from 26.2? I should learn to never say never.

65 minutes & Brenda Moments

1 hour and 5 minutes of cycling fun: 15 warm up, 5 x (4 Hard/3 Easy), 15 cool down.

Since Brenda's passing, i've been having recurring flashback moments of her. Some are funny, some are sad, and some are really inside jokes only she and I would understand. I really needed to jot them down for myself so I would never forget; however, if you understand any of the below, I hope it helps you remember her:

• "MORE FLAIR!" (Brenda on how blogs were so bland)
  
• "You have no CD player in your car? How is that possible?" (Brenda riding in my car)
• "Why does everyone hate us?" & "Wild Boars won't hurt the honoree, right?" (Brenda and I the only ones awake and slightly buzzed at Wildflower training weekend)
• "I'm currently in remission. I wish there was something more exciting to say." (Brenda introducing herself to new run team.)

9 months later and it is still not any easier.

Ouch!

Sometime today while at work, I pulled a groin muscle. Very weird. At times I would limp and there were other times when I was able to walk just fine. As I precautionary, I laid off any leg workouts today and just did upper body strength training and sit-ups.

This Saturday we will be doing Cole's ride at Point Reyes. Coach Cyd said it is one of the all time favorite courses. Lots of amazing scenary and nature to take in. The team will learn about Cole's story. I had no idea Cole had a ride named in memory of him. It just goes to show what an impact Cole has had not just on the marathon team, but also on the cycle team. I personally never met Cole. He passed away a year before I joined TNT; however, I have been training in his memory since I started TNT. While I never had the opportunity to get to know him, just being around his friends and his mother Brandy, has provided me a strong connection to him. He continues to inspire me.

Brandy finishing marathon #1 in loving memory of her baby Cole
on his 5th birthday. Nike '07

12 miles...Check!

Decided to head out to Alameda and run since I was gonna be there later in the day to check out grandparent's new pad. 12 miles done, so let the tapering begin! The 411 on this morning's run:

• Finished 12 miles in 2:12:47
• Temp = 48 degrees
  
• Endured headwinds for 6 miles
• Rain tinkled on me for 4 miles
• Had to make 2 potty stops (2 more than my avg)
  
• No calf cramps
• Recipient of 3 blisters

Thoughts: I truly believe cycling has helped with running and running has helped with cycling.

Speaking of cycling and running, Lance Armstrong plans to run the Boston Marathon on April 21. That will be marathon #3 for him.

Lance in NYC '07

Where is the Bank Teller?

cuz I have a hell lot to deposit! ....about 53 miles worth baby!

Nothing better than reaching a new milestone. Maybe i'm experiencing cyclist's high? Who knows.

Tour de Tri-Valley

Saturday's buddy ride was in my hood of the Danville/San Ramon area. This ride was the one that got cancelled because of the big storm a couple weeks ago. This time Coach Cyd added 10 more miles to it. The team met in Danville at 8:30 am. Despite the sun shining, I was still freezing my ass off from the 32 degree temperature.

shivering

The weather was gonna warm up, so I decided to ditch the annoyingly orange jacket. Probably a wrong choice since I was complaining of how cold it was during the first 2 miles. We headed out onto Diablo Road which turns into Blackhawk Road. I decided to follow Nanditha and Cheryl since I enjoyed their pace last week. I was reminded that I still have yet to master putting the water bottle back in the bottle cage. I tried to put it back and I completely missed it and it went rolling down. I did go back for it. Blackhawk Road then spit us out onto Camino Tassajara. The signal timing at that giant intersection is stupid. I think the left-turn lane gets 15 seconds to turn. It's impossible for an entire group of cyclists to clear that. Half the cars queued up in the left-turn pocket were not even able to clear it. From Camino Tassajara we turned onto Highland Road where we rode to Livermore.

The ride was not as climb intensive as in week's past. As for the scenary, it looked pretty much the same for miles and miles...farm-like, country road. I saw horses, goats, llamas and some skunk and squirrel road kill. Nanditha, Cheryl and I just chatted the ride away until mile 22. A bunch of our speedy group members were on the side of the road. Coach Jeannie flagged Nanditha down, so we pulled over. She proceeded to tell us that her husband Sree (also on the team) had an accident and was taken away by an ambulance. It was a great scare; however, fortunately it wasn't anything major. He had a spill and required some stiching. Despite our deep concerns, Nanditha told us to continue on with the ride as she waited for the SAG car with Coach Jeannie.

Cheryl and I continued on with the speedy group. We kept up with them for the first few minutes and then it was just the two of us until we regrouped with everyone at the second rest stop in Livermore. I munched on my almond butter sandwich that I made in the morning.

at rest stop #2

We turned around and headed back to Danville. There was definitely some kind of headwind on the way back. During this time my feet was alarmingly cold. It was probably because of wind flowing into my shoes. I tried to move my toes around. I really need to invest in some toe covers. On our way back, we found Rita who was lost for quite some time. She rode back with Cheryl and I. By the time we got back to Camino Tassajara, we had done 42 miles and I felt pretty good. I thought my second wind kicked; however, by mile 45, I was getting tired and every muscle in my body was tensing up. I was ready for the ride to end.

click on the graph for larger view

We got back around 2-ish and I was starving. It's going to be weird when the rides get even longer and lunch gets pushed back to dinner time.

Quickie Update

Wow, my legs are still sore from last night's run. I think i'll ice them. Tonight I pumped out 49 minutes on the trainer: 15 warm up, 4 x (4 Hard/2 Easy), 10 cool down.

Wanna ride with George Hincapie? Wanna raise funds for The Wellness Community and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship? Breakaway From Cancer Ride on Feb. 10th.

Oh Cramps!

Tonight was the second to last "long run" before the Kaiser Half Marathon on Super Bowl Sunday. After work, I headed out to the Alameda Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal. Temp was 50 degrees, but it felt more like 40's. The plan was to start at the ferry terminal and head out to Crown Memorial Beach and back to get the 10 miles in.

I told myself to start off really slow the first 2 miles. 24 minutes would have been just perfect. Somehow I finished the first 2 miles in 18:55. Not good. Way too fast. The next 3 miles was boring. I then smelled the wonderful scent of French Fries. Damn McDonalds! As I got to Crown Memorial Beach, it was not lit at all and it was very difficult to see inside. I decided to turnaround at the entrance and miss out on the 0.5 miles if I had ran inside.

On the way back over the bike bridge, my right calf started cramping and like many times before, it just yanked me back instantly. A few minutes later, the left calf did the same. I had not had calf cramping problems since Nike 2006. I was extremely bummed. I slowed it down, but still somehow bumped into Ken and Joanie of the Winter Marathon Team with about a mile to go. The cramping problems was likely attributed to going way too fast in the beginning and electrolytes imbalance. I finished 9 miles or so in 1:36:46. Which is a shocker to me because I know I don't run sub 11 minute miles for that long.

I forgot to mention for our Saturday ride, our team rode in honor of one our teammate's friends. I didn't realize until today, that his personal honoree was Victoria Wallach. Victoria was one of Brenda's friends and attended Brenda's Celebration of Life ceremony. Victoria had been in remission from leukemia for 14 months and found out this past Friday during bone marrow biopsy that some leukemia blasts were found on the slides. Please send good thoughts to Victoria. If you would like to follow her progress or send her a note, please go to her website.

On a lighter note, if you listen to Sarah and No Name in the mornings on Alice 97.3, i'm sure you heard Producer Matty has signed up for another season of TNT! Matty was on our marathon team last Summer and raised nearly $7,000. I remember him telling me at our last track workout that he wanted to do cycling. I tried to get him to join the Solvang Team, however it looks like he's going to do America's Most Beautiful Ride in Tahoe with the Spring Cycle Team! Good luck!

BIG thank you to today's fundraising contributors:

• Ms. Linds who made her donation in loving memory of Brenda.
• Candace P. - my superstar Team Brenda mentee who rocked Nike 2007!
  

A Case of the Mooondays

I'll keep this short and sweet. Did upper body strength training, cycled 45 minutes easy, stretched, and did sit-ups.

BIG shout out to today's contributors to the cause:

• Jeanette and Michael H. - she: the one and only Capitan, he: the stixs of EB Mudd!

Wooohoo!! Currently sitting at 99%.....who wants to put me over 100?

Because I Can.

Alarm went off around 5:30 am. After doing my normal prep routine, I headed out the door around 6:30 am. Still pitch black outside, I tried to read the driving directions to a place called Fairfax. As I drove on this street named Red Hill Road in San Anselmo, I thought to myself..."man, this looks really familiar"; however I was almost certain i've never been in this part of the Bay Area before. About a 45 minute drive, I was finally there.

Before the ride, guest speaker Dr. Jim Taylor spoke to us about the emotions we would feel during the ride in Solvang and how we can overcome any struggles through mental toughness. The key is to build up our mental toughness for Solvang by applying it in our trainings. Putting money in the bank as he calls it. Dr. Taylor is internationally recognized for his work in the psychology of performance in sports, business, and parenting. He is a former US Alpine Ski racer, sub 3 hour marathon runner and a sub 12 hour Ironman.

After Dr. Taylor was done, it was time to ride! Team Maxx was ready to roll; however, we had to ride a short distance to make a potty break. As we rolled up the driveway of this grocery store, I failed to go perpendicular early enough to the driveway lip and as a result, my tire was parallel with the curb lip and it prevented me from turning. I slid down instantly, which I guess makes it fall #3 of the season. I ended up scraping my elbow, but I was okay.

me in my new annoying bright orange jersey jacket

After the break, we continued about 3 miles before we hit our first climb of the day. It wasn't as steep as the one two weeks ago on Palomares Road, but it was still a challenge. I just went at it calmly, patiently, and kept reinforcing to myself that i'm alive and I can do this. That helped me get to the top. And of course, the descent following was awesome. Then it seemed like we were on a steady downhill for awhile. I had no idea where we were, but the scenery was great. There were lots of trees shading the road and I also remembered seeing a river. During the ride, I felt pretty comfortable getting my water bottle in and out of the front cage. The rear one is still a toughy. We had one more climb before reached the 18 mile rest stop at Point Reyes Station. It was tough, but I had all this positive energy and made sure nothing was gonna bring me down. When we got to the rest stop, I was amazed on how we didn't have to make any mini-stops along the way.

We headed towards the town of Nicasio and Coach Lorraine taught our group how to pace line. Pace line is a great way to cover distance, with much less energy expended by everyone in the group. The concept is that wind resistance is your enemy and by following someone close behind you can use less energy. The person in the front will be doing most of the work so you trade off turns at the front so that everyone gets a break. I think our group picked it up pretty fast.

me and SAG Captain Cheryl

We had one more quick potty stop in Nicasio before we headed onto Nicasio Valley Road for our third climb . This one was probably the toughest one of the day. However, I just kept at it. Not focusing on anything else except starring at my mentor Nanditha's shoes in front of me. Although I was probably moving at just 4-5 mph, I was extremely upbeat and was sure I was gonna tackle it. I just remembered to have fun as Brenda use to remind me because that is what it is all about. I enjoyed the downhill; however, it was really difficult to break for the stop sign at the bottom. Fortunately, I was able to stop before entering into the intersection. As we crossed the street and I saw San Geronimo Valley Presbyterian Church and I knew I had been here before.

The church was the start location of my second leg in The Relay I did last year. Of course, when I ran that leg it was around 10:00 pm and I really couldn't see anything, but I remembered the church parking lot. It turns out we were going to cycle the same Sir Francis Drake Blvd. route I ran last year. It was also going to be the last climb of the day. The climb wasn't too bad; however, I think running it was a lot easier. The downhill was crazy. My mentor Nanditha was in front of me; however, with the weight I was packing, there was no doubt I was going to pass her. I had to pass her up because full breaking was not an option. I pretty much was screaming all the way and flying out of control. Either the road was poorly resurfaced or there was just so much little crap on the road, I could feel every nook and cranny I ran over. I hit this one bump where I think it caused me to go momentarily in the air. I somehow made it to the bottom unscathed.

As I road back, all the memories of that leg from The Relay started coming back. The fact that it was freezing cold, how "almost there" was actually about another 2 miles away and not the 0.8 miles I was told, how BK promised me pizza at the end of my leg (and amazingly delivered), and how Lindsay lost the wristband baton (ahh, the drama of being DQ'ed!). Good times. Back to the ride. A few more miles and we were back! We finished 37 miles, 4 big climbs, and did 4,500 feet of total elevation gain.

click on the graph for larger view

Hands down, my most enjoyable ride of the season. I almost wish it didn't end. After the ride, we headed to the Iron Springs Pub & Brewery across the street to celebrate honoree/teammate Sheryl's 5th re-birthday of her bone marrow transplant.

At Sheryl's Re-Birthday Party

In celebration of recommitting to the team, we were given a Spirit Award and asked to fill in the name of the person that inspires us and give it to that person or if that person is no longer with us, put it on the wall so that they can remind us of their inspiration. Was there any question of who that would be?

BTW Nanditha...I forged your signature.

BIG thank yous to my latest fundraising contributors:

• Karen K., - ultra superstar Team Brenda mentor and my Team Positive mentee
  
• Richard & May C., - continued supporters from my very first TNT season
• Dr. Michele T., - my super caring Davis Alum amiga
• Rhonda M., - abundantly kind Team Excellent Alum!
• Mike & Julie L., - supporters from the very beginning.
  

Contributor Appreciation Blog Entry

Today's blog is dedicated to all those who have sponsored me this season. I've been fundraising since 2005 and I can honestly say that every time I get an e-mail alerting me of a donation, something inside of me sinks and deeply touches into my heart. It truly is a humbling experience. It's an emotion that never gets old no matter how many times I get a donation. Your support means more to me than you will ever know. Thank you for letting me experience that feeling.

This morning's workout

Bike: 60 minutes moderate
Core: Upper body weights

BIG shout out to today's newest contributors:

• Moosie, - mega fantastic Team Ready to Run Alumni
• Tony & Theresa, - fantastic cuzs that inspired me to run
  

Blog Post #330

Tonight's workout summary:

Run: Did 3 miles (32 minutes) on the treadmill.

Bike: Cycled 54 minutes >>15 warm up, 4 x (3 Hard/3 Easy), 15 cool down

Core: 135 sit-ups

BIG shout out to my latest contributor to the cause:

• Laura H., - my super rad Team Brenda mentee
  

Cause For Celebration

Tonight was Cause For Celebration for the Winter Season. As a result, I had no time to do any training. Which is fine. Tomorrow was suppose to be a rest day so I guess i'll just swap. Some great info I learned tonight. Our cycle team has so far fundraised $43K. Mighty impressive when compared to the two East Bay Marathon teams which have a combined $100K or so. Not shabby considering the cycle team may be the smallest team of all the sports. Cross-country Ski took home top honors with something like $70k. Well, we are really just one BIG team and working towards the same goal. So as a collective group of all the sport teams in the Greater SF Bay Area Chapter, we have already banked $330K. That's enough to put 3 researchers at work for 3 years. By the end of the season, our chapter is looking to hit $1,000,000. I think that's reason to celebrate.

86%, Check!

Soooooo close to meeting my minimum fundraising goal! 14% left. Humungo THANKS to my awesome sponsors for helping me reach 86% so fast - quickest time yet from all my TNT seasons. You still like me! You really still like me! Ok, maybe it's because you really care about the cause. As well you should. You are making a big difference in lives. SF Bay Area Winter cycle team has raised a collective $33,000 thus far. Thanks to caring people like you!

Today I did upper body weights and did my normal situps. I also tried doing some core work as featured in this month's Runner's World for elite abs. I did some side planks and bird dogs. Weird sounding names, but I guess the stretches are suppose to help with lower-back muscles and strengthen the muscles along the spine, upper back, and glutes. We'll see how that goes.

Rain on My Parade

Well it did happen. Mother Nature forced the cancellation of our team ride. Real big bummer. So I ran 10 miles on Saturday instead. The Kaiser Half Marathon is less than a month away and I have not been able to put in as much training time as I wanted. I've been only able to run twice a week. Meanwhile, the longest run before this weekend's run was 8 miles and that was 3 weeks ago. So I knew I had to kick it up a notch soon.

I decided to just run on the treadmill since it was pouring outside. It was not a fun run whatsoever. I finished 10 miles. I've never been on a treadmill for that long. It was boring and I can't tell you how many times I tried to convince myself that 6 miles was good enough today or let's call it quits when I get to 8 miles. Just two months ago, 10 miles was a walk in the park. Not anymore.

The rain finally stopped on Sunday and I had every intention of riding outside. I got my cleaning supplies ready and gave my bike a nice wash. I then noticed some of the screws in the back of my rear derailleur looked loose. So I decided to screw it in back on tight. I put my bike back on the trainer to give it a test ride. I started pedaling and my chain began shifting gears on its own. Here is the lesson of the day: If you don't know anything about bikes (like I do), DO NOT MESS WITH ANY SCREWS!

So I gave a call to my friends at Sports Basement in Walnut Creek and asked them what the problem could be. They quickly diagnosed that the adjustment was off. I took the bike in for them to check out and within minutes they were able to re-adjust the tension properly. I had messed with the limit stop screws. By the time I got back, the sun had set. No ride. I decided to just do 60 minutes on the trainer.

BIG shout out to my latest fundraising contributors:

• Bill and Linda G., - supporting me from the very beginning!

Rain! Go Away!

Is everyone gearing up for the big bad storm? I'm planning on locking myself inside all day Friday. This Saturday's ride looks like it's gonna be rained out unless a miracle happens. Anyways, tonight I did upper body weights and sit-ups. Gotta work on that core!

Meanwhile, here is a beautiful graphic of what I have to do at Solvang.

BIG shout out to my latest '08 contributors:

• Gary and Yok Y. - He: my fobsytwin. She: my 2nd mother (j/k Yok. I kid cuz I care!)

Bicycle "Car Wash" Machine?

I wish there was such a thing. Maybe there is one? Well, apparently it's good practice to regularly clean the bike, bike's chains, gears, and stuff. Otherwise all the debris that get caught on the bike will severely damage the very expensive bike components. My bike is looking pretty dirty after Saturday's ride. I haven't gotten around to cleaning it. Now I must invest in some bike specific cleaning tools (brushes, lubes, etc.). Hey! Is anyone doing a bike wash as a fundraiser? Because i'll be the first in line. Or if you can direct me to the nearest bike wash machine, i'd appreciate it.

Tonight's workout summary:

Run: Did 4.1 miles (44 minutes) on the brand new treadmill in the complex's fitness center. I'm not a treadmill person myself, but it wasn't that bad.

Bike: Pumped out 54 minutes of cycling fun. 15 warm up, 4 x (2 Hard/4 Easy), 15 cool down

Happy 2008!

Hope everyone had a fun-filled New Years. With alcohol in my system from NYE, doing anything endurance today would have been stupid. As a result, I did full body strength training and of course, sit-ups (3 sets of 15 front, 15 left, 15 right). This year's new resolution is to be in the most tip-top shape i've ever been. That includes losing weight, eating right, and getting faster in all training activities. In addition, my 2008 goal is to keep up with the running, finish Solvang and then do another century, and complete a long-course triathlon by years end. Good goals huh? Finally, I plan on breaking the $10,000 mark for raising funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through my TNT lifetime.

BIG shout out to my parents for my final donation of 2007!

Now be one of the firsts to get in on the tax benefits for 2008!
Donate here: http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/plee100