Saturday, I met Nanditha and Sree in Livermore to ride with Sree's co-worker's riding group. Very nice folks who are training for the Amgen California Coast Classic which benefits the Arthritis Foundation. It's a 520 mile 8-day tour from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Sounds crazy, but fun at the same time. Anyways, the ride this day was to make a giant loop from Patterson Pass to Corral Hollow Road. There were about two major climbs. We started off on Tesla Road, passing Wente Vineyards. All of which was familiar to me since I think we road there a couple times last season. Then we were off to Patterson Pass which was a struggle. It was a very extended uphill climb. I realized how high up we were when at the top, I actually looking down at the windmills. The downhill was amazing. I've never experienced such a significant drop without any switchbacks. You actually see from the top where you have to land at the bottom, which was rad. I couldn't quite top 40 mph. I got 39.9 mph.
About mile 15, we took a break at the gas station and then it was off to a strange bike path that was adjacent to the aqueduct. Very strange in the fact that every few miles you have to get off the bike to carry it over a gated fence. Very bizarre. However, there were signs that claimed it was a bike path. Eventually we got on Corral Hollow Road, where there were major headwinds all the way. Very brutal and not very scenic. On the right of the road was the Lawrence Livermore Lab Blasting Site. On the left was Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area, which is full of dirt bikers riding down from the top of the steep mountain. We stopped there for a long break.
Then we were off to tackle the remaining part of Corral Hollow Road. With 17 miles to get back, we still had a 1000 ft to climb. The climb was tough. Lots of switchback. My legs were pretty exhausted especially batting the headwinds earlier. I made it to the top and could see the other cyclists below still trying to get up, which allowed me to comprehend how far up I had actually climbed. The rest of the ride was all downhill, which was nice. All in all, we finished 43 miles with 2,660 feet of elevation gain.
I had the honor and privilege to drive Brenda out of UCSF after her first hospital relapsed stint in late '06. You may recall this was the same day when Monica and Brenda had the great escape only hours earlier. Brenda had been cooped inside for months without fresh air. So Monica and Brenda made a break for the outside. When I pulled up in front of 505 Parnassus Avenue, there was Brenda sitting on the ledge all my smiles. We said our byes to Monica and we were on our way back to the East Bay.
On the drive back, Brenda was mad calling people on her cell announcing her exit. She wondered what kind of music I had in the car. I told her my car does not have a cd player. She then laughed..."how can a Mercedes not have a cd player?" I told her the cd player would have been an upgrade and I was too "chinese" to fall for that trap. Brenda then phoned her mom to tell her she was on her way home and proceeded to tell her mom that I didn't have a cd player in my car. She found it too funny that I still had a tape deck.
The next person she phoned was her husband Jim. Jim told her that we should take our time because he wanted to be present when she got back. So the next thing Brenda wanted to do was see her boys, Trevor and Jarrett. She found out they were spending the afternoon swimming at a swim park in Concord. We headed straight there and when I stepped out the door, I couldn't believe how freakin' hot it was. That Friday was a scorcher. I think it hit about 102 degrees in Concord. We carefully had Brenda stand in the shade, while I went screaming for Trevor and Jarrett through the millions of kids that had to be there. The friend who took the boys there also began shouting their names. When they recognized their names, the friend alerted the boys that their mom was here.
They came running wet towards Brenda and I instantly saw her face radiate with love. Nothing was more important to her in the world than her boys. The boys then started rambling about their day and I was amazed she could decipher what they each were saying because they were definitely talking over each other. The boys got cleaned up and we were ready to take them back home until Jim called said he still wasn't home yet. So we took a detour to Dairy Queen since the boys were craving for some ice cream. Plus we needed someplace cool in temperature to hang out since it was 102 degrees outside. There I learned Brenda had worked at a Dairy Queen back in Chicago as a teenager. Brenda had some ice cream, which I wasn't sure if she was suppose to have any, since she was just recovering. However, after the strict diet she was placed on before, I wasn't going to stop her. Meanwhile, I don't know what it is with sugar and kids, but soon after the boys were done, they got all super hyper.
Jim called and said he was back. We packed everyone back in the car, headed to their home and there was Jim parked in front of the house. When she walked in the house, she saw Jim had re-modeled a big portion of the home while she was away. Most of it was designed especially to help Brenda as she recovered. That put a smile to her face. The boys (still hyper) were pulling her in every direction trying to tell her, "you gotta see this!" I was definitely impressed what Jim and his crew was able to do. I hadn't seen the house before, but according to Brenda, it was a whole lot different.
Then it was time to karaoke! Brenda had been dying to karaoke in UCSF and when she found out I had karoke on my PS2, she wanted me to figure out how to hook it up. We couldn't figure it out at the hospital, so the one request she had was that I bring the games when she was released from the hospital. I don't think Brenda karaoked that day, as she looked exhausted. The boys however sang. Not sure if they knew the lyrics. I think they just made up whatever, but Brenda got a kick out of it as she rested on the sofa.
That was my day with the Donatos where I saw another side of Brenda, the wife and mother. She loved her family.
I decided to challenge myself today by running 4 miles as fast as I can. It didn't start out well as it began to drizzle; however, I was game to run in the rain. NO WIMPS, right? It sprinkled a few, but the clouds eventually moved away and allowed the sun to come back out. I decided to go back to Alameda Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal for the run and took in the beautiful skyline of SF. Unfortunately, the winds made the run slightly irritating. The first 2 miles I hauled ass without looking at my watch. At 2 miles, I clocked 16:40 (8:20/mi). I was definitely breathing hard and needed to relax the heart. I started walking back to recover and decided to begin running the rest of it at 20:00. Had major headwinds most of second half. I was so exhausted from the first half I just wanted to take it easy. No negative splits, but I felt a lot more comfortable with the pace. I still managed to finish the 4 miles with a time of 36:23 (9:05/mi). I can't explain what is going on, but I feel stronger.
Not quite as dorky as falling off my trainer, but this one comes a close second. I met up with Amy and Claudia for laps at the Aquatic center. For whatever reason I can't seem to swim straight on my back. I constantly hit the buoy barriers like a pinball machine. Each time causing me to stop. During the last drill set I got so frustrated, I stopped to talk to Claudia to vent. When I was done talking, I leaned back to continue swimming on my back and BAM! I hit my head on the back of the pool because I had already made it to the other side. Nothing serious. Just a bruised ego. Nah....I live for dorky moments like this. Anyways, I finished 1500 yds tonight in 50 minutes.
Want to see what other dorky things I can do next? If so, join me this Saturday at McAfee Coliseum for an afternoon ballgame! If it was anything like the last crazy tailgate party at the Coliseum, it will be a memorable time! This time a portion of tix sale proceeds benefits a great cause! Holla, if interested. GO A's!
Join The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and the Oakland A's this Saturday, March 29th for Team In Training Camp Day, where the A's will take on the San Francisco Giants in a Spring Training game at the McAfee Coliseum. Don't miss this opportunity to root for your favorite home team in this rare pre-season match-up. Grab your peanuts and crackerjacks and come get a sneak peek at these Bay Area boys of summer before the regular season begins. Game starts at 12:35 p.m.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training program is a proud beneficiary of this special game day promotion brought to you by Silicon Valley Leadership Group and Seagate. A portion of ticket sales will advance LLS' mission to find cures for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life for patients and their families.
This morning I met Rocky and a slew of TNT Winter Cycle friends (Matt, Julie, Steve, Michelle, Cheryl) at casa de Sree and Nanditha in Pleasanton for a fun 50 mile ride. Thanks to Nanditha and Sree for providing the route directions and maps! The group worked out well because we are all in close riding pace proximity except for Matt and Steve. But hey, they got each other. The ride today called for a revisit of the Calaveras Reservoir.
I remembered it to be a great ride, so I couldn't wait to show it who was boss. Afterall, I had just completed a century. Well, I could not have been more humbled. It wasn't a tough climb. In fact, I think I improved by 2 mph during the climb this time. However, I completely forgot how long the freakin' climb was. It was never ending. I kept telling Rocky at least 7 times that I think we were almost at the top. Wrong. I should have known better especially when we hit the "false summit" and I thought we were done.
Calaveras Reservoir (file photo)
However, the weather could not have been more pleasant. It started off cold, but warmed up to the 70's. The good weather brought all the cyclists out. We saw the Ironteam come down as we went up. Lots of ladies out riding. A lot were probably training for the Cinderella ride coming up in a couple weeks. So we got to the top and before the ride began, Sree and Nanditha gave us the option to do "The Wall." This was the same wall that Coach Beth decided our group should not do because it had no training value. Since I was not training this time, I said, "heck, why not try it." I should be ready for it. Afterall, I just did finish a century right? Big mistake. We went down "the wall" and turned right at the intersection to get to the park in Milpitas (turnaround) at mile 25. To get to the park was another steep descend.
After we refilled the bottles at the park, it was time to turn around and climb. I was gased by the time I finished climbing the hill leaving the park. Then it was the "The Wall." Everyone rocked it, except for me. I had to stop a couple times. "The Wall" chewed me up and spit me out. I now truly appreciate the good deed Coach Beth did for us back in December. No training value whatsoever, unless you are doing Death Ride and you wanna have at it a few hundred times.
The descend back down Calaveras was nice. I was very relaxed unlike the first time when I was gripping and braking for dear life. The only bad part today was that there were massive headwinds while descending. I was forced to pedal when I should have been coasting. Riding back out to Sunol, we made one stop at the school to refill the bottles. About 8 miles to go, we re-grouped in front of store where Matt, Steve, and Cheryl were partaking of some nice cold "beverages". We each took a taste of the good life and chilled for 20 minutes or so. Then it was off back onto Foothill and then back into P-town. We finished the 52 mile ride in about 5 hours. Felt like old times. Good times.
I can't believe it's been almost year since beautiful Brenda physically left us. There isn't a day I don't think of her. With the anniversary of Brenda's passing coming up, I thought I would introduce a special segment on my blog called "Fridays with Brenda" to celebrate her life. When Brenda relapsed, I would often visit her at UCSF on Fridays during my days off. However, this won't be much of my hospital visits. Instead in the next few Fridays, I want to share stories of my cheerful times with Brenda to help us remember what an amazing, full of life person she was.
This first one is my favorite. Brenda signed up to do the Wildflower Triathlon in '06. Good friend Claudia was also on the team doing her first triathlon. TNT sets up a weekend called "Wildflower Training weekend", where all bay area TNT triathlon teams go to the actual race location at Lake San Antonio and gets a preview of the course. If you are familiar with Wildflower, you know it's out in the boonies so you really have no choice, but to camp out. Well Claudia, convinced a group of us to go and help be TNT volunteers for the weekend. Somehow I said yes knowing very well i'm not much of a camper and thinking I was probably going to be bored since I wasn't doing any training myself. When I arrived at Lake San Antonio, I remember I got a big hug from Brenda while screaming, "It's Phil!" When I saw her, I knew she wasn't gonna let the weekend go snoozing away. If anyone could make something out of nothing, it was Brenda.
After dinner, there seemed to be little parties at the various campgrounds. SF Tri and Redwood Wine Country Tri had something going on. East Bay Tri was mostly quiet. Someone came back and announced that SF Tri had beer. East Bay Tri had nothing. I really wanted beer. Brenda suggested we go over and see what we could score. YEAH! Raiding!!...a very camp like thing to do! Before we went in, Brenda and I devised a plan. Brenda would do all the mingling while distracting everyone and I would be the one stealing the beers. So the two of us made our way to SF Tri campgrounds and pretended to fit in. I was able to grab 2 beers and afterwards I was trying to find Brenda so we could make the escape. When I found her, I realized she didn't need to pretend to fit in. Brenda fitted in. She's such a people person that she made friends with the Tri coach and other participants who scored us a couple more beers. We ended up chatting with the SF Tri team for awhile and watched some of their people go crazy. By the time we got back to the East Bay camp, everyone was asleep around 8:00 pm for their early training the next day.
beers scored!
Brenda and I couldn't believe how early it was and how most everyone had went to sleep. It was quiet. We wanted to party it up with the East Bay group. Brenda wasn't ready to call it a night, so it was just the two of us awake and talking in the dark. Mostly crazy stuff since we were both buzzed. Stuff about us being attacked by wild boars while camping and then how we thought everyone hated us because we were awake and making so much noise talking. I just remember laughing the night away. Finally 2 hours after everyone fell asleep, Brenda crashed in the back of Tristen's SUV because she thought it felt better than camping outside. The next day, Brenda rocked the training course. No joke. She absolutely loved it and had no tiring signs from the night before. She was one amazing athlete!
Brenda (middle) with a smile on her face.
In the end, I have to thank Claudia for inviting me to participate that weekend because it allowed me to get know Brenda, who showed me how great it is to be alive. It turned out camping was pretty fun.
Swimming just seems to always be a struggle. Perhaps i'm just not swimming efficiently. I met up with Claudia and Amy. Tonight, I did 16 main sets w/my calf and bottom foot cramping during the last set. I hope it gets easier.
Tonight's workout:
Warm up Swim: 200 yd Kick: 100 yd Pull: 100 yd
Main set Kick: 25 yd Drill: 25 yd Swim: 25 yd
repeat 4x (for each drill: face down buoy, back buoy, no arm body roll, roll + pause) for one main set completed that 4x for a total of 16 sets
Cool down: Swim: 200 yd
Total: 1800 yd (if my math adds up correctly) In the pool for 70 minutes.
Today I ran around the lake in 28:43. That calculates to an 8:58/mile pace. Again I pushed it, breathing deeply all the way around. I pushed it so much that the above time also includes a one minute walk 2/3 of the way through. I can't seem to slow myself down to find a comfortable marathon pace. Then it occurred to me. Why am I so worried about marathon pace right now? I don't have any marathons or even half marathons on my schedule. Actual triathlon training doesn't begin until June and by then, the marathon pace will somehow work itself out.
Right now, my main focus is to drop pounds. It will make me lighter, which should improve speed. Now is the best time to lose weight because i'm in transition between endurance events. So, I think i'll continue pushing my running at this uncomfortable pace during short runs and see what comes of it.
On Monday, I did strength training and sit-ups. Today, I finally used my bike for the first time since Solvang. I placed it on the trainer and did intervals: 15 warm/ 5 x (4 hard/2 easy) /15 cool. It was a workout, but I needed it. It almost felt like the season was still continuing. In some ways it is. Lots of metric century and century rides are falling into the radar. Need to choose some and then train for it. The hard part is trying to schedule amongst the sports. It was easier when I only knew how to run. Now I learned how to ride and I wanna keep that up as well. So many events, not enough time. It's all great though. I've accepted it. Training is my life. Best part is i'm getting in the best shape of my life. Took me long enough.
The alarm woke me up at 5 o' clock. I ate breakfast and gathered all my stuff to pick up Olivia. We got to SF around 6:40 am or so. Boarded the shuttle bus and was on our way to the start. Then we just stood and waited in the cold breezy wind for what felt like an eternity. My wave didn't start till 8:45 am and hers didn't start till 9:00 am. We tried standing in front of the rising sun to get some warmth. I guess it helped...a little. While standing, we bumped into many TNT run alumni and eventually found the current marathon team. It was good to see Sarah, Vic(Tori)a, Rebecca, Heather, Ray, Sandra R., Anita, Haakon, Tim, and Coach Gary again.
Sarah and Me
Then I saw Mama Lisa and had to give her a fat hug. It was wonderful to see her since I had not seen her since November. After she led the stretches, I had to line up at the start. The organizers did a good job in lining up the waves since I last ran it. They checked bibs thoroughly before allowing people to corral at the start. The weather was perfect and similar like the last time I ran it. It was cool and the view of the Golden Gate Bridge was crystal clear. I instantly thought of Brenda.
View of Golden Gate Bridge
The gun went off and I stuck with Ray since he's near my new so-called pace. We ran through Fort Baker and then I saw the dreaded hill to get up to the Golden Gate Bridge. Having not done any hill training, I knew I was in trouble. The hill sucked. I had to walk it mid-way up. At the top I was so hot, I really wanted dump my running jacket. No such luck, I had to keep it on. 3 miles into the race, I was tiring. I had no idea what my pace was because the mile markers were either not there or I just completely missed it. I took the downhill portion of the bridge's span to just recover. I'm pretty sure I had overworked the heart. Fortunately there was a tailwind for most of the bridge portion, which significantly helped.
on Golden Gate Bridge
I took my next walking break around mile 3-4 where the water stop was. I shot a GU and continued on. Around mile 4, there was a bad headwind at the hairpin turn below the Golden Gate Bridge. I took a very short walking break to adjust my water bottles in my fuel belt. Finally I saw a mile marker at mile 5 and I looked at my watch. It read 49:08. Under 10 minute miles. I still didn't believe it. Then I saw a mother and son running in front of me. The son was no older than 8 years old and the mom said "C'mon, you can do it." This was the near the same location of the race 2 years ago, where I saw Brenda and Trevor running. I swear I almost lost it, but I held it together and smiled.
A minute later, I saw Capitan Jeanette taking my picture. I was so glad to see her. I asked if she could do me a favor and just take my stupid jacket. I was so freakin' hot. Before I ran off, I think I embraced her legs since she was standing on the bench. Last water stop was at about mile 6 and I was gased. I walked through it. Mile 6-7, I developed a stitch on my right side. During this part of the race, I stopped about 3 times to walk it off. I thought for sure my goal of 10 minute miles was done. What kept me going was I heard people call my name out, which was weird because I didn't have my name on my shirt. I did a double take of who it was and somehow Matt O. and later Jeremy S. recognized me while being crowd support , which was cool.
Mile 7 was the short uphill climb to get to Aquatic Park and I just slowly went at it. That is until the downhill where I just let it fly. When I saw the corner I knew I was at the end and I found an extra gear (which I wish I had on my bike) and flew to the finish line. Towards the finish, I heard my mentee turned mentor, Michelle cheer me in. That was rad.
Michelle and me
I finished the 7.45 mile run in 1:14:19 (9:58/mile). My finish time 2 years ago was 1:26:05 (11:27/mile). To get under 10 minute miles, I definitely pushed myself to which I was no longer comfortable. The pace today was not indicative of my marathon pace. So right now, i'm all screwed up. I have no idea what my realistic marathon pace is.
I stuck around to cheer Olivia in and was excited to see more alumni come in such as Dorothy and Karla. We stayed until Mama Lisa ran the last team runner in and of course gave her another hug. Afterwards, I was pretty damn hungry. So Olivia and I went to the O'Neil's Irish Pub, each got a pint of Guinness and devoured a burger. "Great day to be alive...I must say!"
I guess now is a better time than ever to unveil the new "Fat Kids" logo for this year's The Relay race! I'm not sure if you can handle it. Ok...wait for it....wait for it....
(design by Donna)
Captain Tina has announced the t-shirts are in and hopefully I didn't get the weird nipple clips t-shirt that I got last year. Don't ask.
On a different note, I am pimping my Marathon Coach, Mama Lisa's Hike For Discovery Fundraising webpage. She doesn't know i'm doing this and is too modest to ask for assistance. Mama Lisa has been a Coach with TNT for 11 years and will be a participant hiking the Grand Canyon. Her goal is to raise $4,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Mama Lisa is a very special person and she along with Coach Al have laid the foundation for me to do all these wonderful endurance events. For that, I can never thank them enough. If you ever been fortunate to be touched by their generosity and kindness, this would be a great way to give another thanks. So if you are able to assist (every little bit helps) and want to rid blood cancers, please donate on her behalf here:
Slowly, but surely. I did a weigh in today and i'm down 2 lbs since I last reported. That makes a running total of 13 lbs since November. Only 15 more lbs to go! Another indication of the weight loss was when I picked up my fuel belt to use for my tester run today. I had to tighten the straps even more since I last used it a month ago for Kaiser.
The run itself went well. I ran it at what I felt was marathon pace. So I felt pretty comfortable, unlike last week at the lake. I finished 5.3 miles in 52:55. That's a 9:59/mile pace. I'm still not convinced that's my new pace. Has cycling itself really knocked off more than a minute off my mile pace? All signs seem to point to it. However, i'll once again try to reaffirm it this Sunday for the longer run.
Tonight, I joined Claudia and Amy for their scheduled swimming night. I had not done laps since I trained with Rocky for the Tri For Fun back in '06. After tonight, I realized I got a long ways to go and swimming is gonna be my achilles heel for the triathlon. Oh yeah...in case you haven't heard yet, i'm re-joning the team this summer season to do my next endurance event, a triathlon! I'm shooting for the half ironman. I've got my sights set on completing 3 sports with a total distance of 70.3 miles. That would be a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, followed by a 13.1 mile run.
Tonight I began my pool exercises. The 50m warm-up was already a struggle. Things were not looking good. Then I did the drills. I eventually got warmed up and was okay. I can't tell you exactly what the drills were because even I kept forgetting them. I constantly had to ask Claudia what I needed to do next. I appreciated her patience. There was a lot of using the kickboard, swimming on the back, front face swimming with just kicking, 1/2 rotation and 1/4 rotation stuff. So the drills were okay, except for the one that I had to keep rotating my body. That one sucked big time because I kept swallowing and taking in pool water through my nose. All in all, I completed 800m 1100m of swimming and that was good enough for me. I hope to get out to the pool more often so I can get more comfortable with the swimming before the season starts.
Now that Solvang is over, i've got this big void in my schedule. So my plan is to fill it up by stockpiling tons of events. Now that I got a handle of this whole cycling thing, I might as well put it to use. However, I need to start running again. The Relay is only a month away and I don't think i'm even close to being prepared as I was last year. So to get things rolling again, I signed up for the Emerald Across the Bay 12K run this Sunday. I did it 2 years ago with the team and really liked it. It was a beautiful day and I remembered seeing Brenda and her son, Trevor (9 years old at the time) on the course. They both finished the 7.45 mile run in 1:42:47 and I remembered Trevor just plopping on the ground afterwards from being so tired and Brenda laughing. Brenda then left a comment on my blog the next day:
"Great day to be alive...I must say! Couldn't have ordered better weather or better friends to hang out with!"
Brenda & Trevor at Emerald 2006
Yeah, it's always a great day to be alive. Thank you for reminding me.
WARNING: this may be my longest blog entry ever; however, I know Brenda would have liked it because it has all the "flair" she would have wanted. Also even more photos to come when available!
Weight off my back. The turning point of my first century ride.
Friday night after the pasta party, I hit the sheets around 9 pm. I woke up at midnight all amped and ready to go. Just about as nervous as my first marathon. I tossed and turned for about an hour and debated whether I should just wake up because the adrenaline was already kicking in or go back to sleep and get more rest. I forced myself to sleep and I got another 3 hours of sleep before I woke up at 4:20 am (25 minutes before I asked for the morning wake-up call). My roommates Rocky and Claudia woke up. Rocky was also doing the century, but he had trained on his own due to other obligations. Claudia was providing the stellar support. I ate my breakfast, got everything on and before I knew it, it was 5:35 am. I had to get down to the front of the hotel to meet Team Maxx at 5:45 am to roll out at 6:00 am.
When the door opened I found this on the ground:
very humbling
me & Rocky and yes that is a cable car on my helmet
Still pitch black outside, we took pictures and sang "Happy Birthday" to Jack Sr., who turned 62 years young. We gave a strong Team Maxx shout and rolled out into the foggy abyss.
The morning temperature was probably about 48 degrees; however, we knew by 9 or 10 am, it was going to shoot to the 60's. High's were going to be mid 70's. The first 20 miles was all descending. I don't recall much because it was difficult see anything past the fog. I do remember telling teammate Rita, we are currently at mile 2 and we have another 98 miles to go. By the time we got to SAG stop #1, the fog rolled out and I remember seeing Merla and the rest of the TNT crew cheering us in. I quickly scarfed my almond butter sandwich down, refilled my bottles, and took a few photos. Team Estrogen, led by Coach Susie rolled in as we were about to leave. I caught up with Rocky who was adopted by them. Team Estrogen started about 15 minutes after Team Maxx.
Without much time to do anything else, we were off. Coach Beth then pointed out a tree that sheltered her Solvang group 2 years ago during a nasty hail storm. That hail storm kept 18 of them under the tree for a good 20 minutes. This year's weather was much different. You couldn't ask for anything better...blue skies and white clouds. Maxx, Brenda, and Cole were definitely looking out for us. About 5 miles after the SAG stop, I needed to "pay the water bill". I should have done it back at the SAG stop, but there was so much going on, I didn't have time. I pulled out and said I would catch up. Jack Sr. needed to go as well. I tried to be as discreet as possible, but i'm sure most of the riders knew what was going on. I quickly hopped back on the bike and hauled ass to catch up with the group. Jack Sr. and I eventually caught up thanks to the eyes of Team Estrogen.
me, Cheryl, and Ramona at SAG Stop #1
what you say? another 80 more miles?
About mile 30 is when things went really bad for me. My lower back was killing me. During trainings, my lower back would not hurt until mile 50 or even later. I was perplexed why it was happening so soon. We hardly did any climbing. I took in some Ibuprofen, but it did not ease the pain at all. It bothered me so much, I was losing focus while riding. I was not smartly shifting gears, which made the ride more difficult than it should have been. I was riding behind Coach Beth and she probably had an idea something was up because I became ultra quiet for miles and miles. About mile 35, I couldn't keep it a secret and I figured the smart thing to do was to say something. I told her my lower back was in pain and I needed to stop and stretch my back. I did not want to slow the team down, but Coach Beth decided it was also a good time to re-group. That gave me some time to stretch the lower back. However, as soon as I got back on the bike, I was in agony. I fell back to the end of the group and the crazy thoughts started filling my head. First, I didn't want me to be the reason that the team slowed down. Second, I was thinking at this rate, I would have to stop at least every 5 miles for the rest of the 100 mile race to stretch it.
We got to SAG stop #2 around mile 38. I saw Coach Beth and Coach Lorraine talking to each other and I knew it was about me. Coach Lorraine then offered me either biofreeze or Icy Hot pack to help get the blood circulating in the back. I opted for the biofreeze and applied it generously. I instantly felt the cooling sensation and I was all smiles. Coach Lorraine also showed me a stretch I could do on my bike which would stretch my hamstrings and alleviate some of the stress on the back. I refilled my bottles, ate almond butter sandwich #2, took some photos, and we were off. Coach Lorraine asked how I felt and I said good.
Team Maxx (Strong)
Three miles later, I was in pain again. I was silent, fell to the back of the group, was distracted by the pain and could not focus on riding. I was extremely frustrated. Frustrated of not knowing what was causing it and worried about finishing after sundown. There was never a question of not finishing. I had the energy; however, I was worried about how many stoppages it was gonna take to get to the finish line.
We then hit the part of the ride of the famous uphill wind tunnel climb. During this stretch I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to pull over and stretch my back. I sucked it up. I kept looking at a picture of Maxx on my bento box and could only imagine the pain he had gone through and I was complaining of just a little back pain. I felt like a big wimp. Still I was dreading to be the lead of the paceline. It was already a struggle for me to ride when I was back in the pack, so I knew I was gonna be in pain when I had to break the wind. It did add to the discomfort. I only lead it one time before the long paceline was ultimately called off. Coach Beth sacrificed herself and probably broke about 90% of the entire headwind for the whole group. I think I owe her for life for that one.
About mile 46, my mentor Nanditha asked me if I wanted to stop and stretch the back. I finally said yes and Coach Lorraine suggested this time I try the Icy Hot pack. I really appreciated Coach Lorraine going through everything should could do to help remedy my situation. It helped for about a mile, but the pain came back. 2 miles later, Nanditha asked me if I was carrying a lot of stuff in my back pockets. I said I did have more stuff than I usually carry because this was going to be a longer ride. At the next stop, she said we should try emptying it out. The next stop couldn't happen any sooner. Coach Beth got a flat and so the group pulled over. Nanditha took all the stuff off my back and put them in her back pockets. I'm sure i've mentioned this many times, but Nanditha is the best mentor ever!
When we continued on, I instantly noticed the big weight off my back. I was not use to hauling all that crap on my back and I had no clue that just the slightest amount was going to impact my lower back. I felt like a new rider and was talkative again, which was a good sign. 6 miles later we rolled into SAG stop #3 at the Hotel Radisson parking lot in Santa Maria Airport area.
coming into SAG Stop #3 with Coach Lorraine behind
I used the port-a-pottie, refilled the bottles, and ate almond butter sandwich #3. There I saw Claudia when I came in and that put a smile on my face. Lots of family support was at this stop. Mrs. Jack Sr. was also there offering oranges to our group and Rita introduced us to her daughter. I think we lingered there a bit longer than the previous 2 SAG stops, but I was fine with that. This was a ride, not a race. Coach Beth then pulled out an e-mail response she received from Maxx's mom and it really moved us and gave us the inspiration to finish the 48 miles left. We belted out a "GO TEAM MAXX" and we were off.
Probably about 2 miles after leaving SAG stop #3, I had to go potty again. I had just gone, but I needed to go again. I've never had to go so many times in a ride or race. Good news I guess is that I was probably well hydrated. Since no one else was stopping, I tried to hold it. That is until teammate Michelle crashed with Coach Lorraine climbing after the signal light change. I then looked back and I saw Michelle heading to the gas station to use the restroom. I asked Nanditha if she was using the potty because I was gonna go follow her. Unfortunately, there was a lady already there waiting to use the restroom, but she let Michelle go, and then me after. So thank you to the kind female at the Santa Maria Chevron gas station!
By this time the group separated. Just me, Nanditha, Michelle and Coach Lorraine were left. We tackled the big rolling hills; however, we eventually lost Coach Lorraine. We were concerned so we pulled over a couple times to see if we could see her. Then we saw a few teammates from Coach DHK's group riding by and we asked if they saw Coach Lorraine. They said she was okay, so we kept it going at a reduced pace.
About mile 73, we got to SAG Stop #3 and re-grouped with the rest of Team Maxx. My lower back was feeling fine and I was excited we were that much closer towards the finish line; however, we knew the bulk of the elevation gain on this ride was from here on out. I refilled my water bottles and realized I only had one packet of cytomax left. I decided to just split the packet so I could use the other half at the final SAG Stop. I ate almond butter sandwich #4 and I think I shot a GU for good measure.
Before we rolled out, Coach Beth warned us the next 10 miles was going to be the hardest part of the ride because it was going to be mostly at a 2% uphill grade. Following that would be a 3/4 mile steep climb, but we were going to regroup before that. The 10 miles of riding through the wine vineyards was pretty bad. It looked flat, but I was on my easiest gear the entire time. Towards the end of it, my lower back tightened up some more, but not as badly as it did earlier in the ride. We stopped and I followed Coach Beth to do back stretches on the ground. After a nice long break, we were ready to tackle the big steep 3/4 mile hill. However, only within a few seconds, teammate Rachael unfortunately rolled over a staple and got a flat. We spent a good 20-30 minutes trying to fix it and inflate it with ineffective CO2 handles. By this time some of the group went ahead because they were really beginning to cool down. The remaining group finally rolled out and a 1/2 mile ahead we saw Mentor Edna and teammate Sheryl who also had a flat. Coach Beth told us to go ahead and we would re-group at the final SAG stop.
Coach Beth helping Rachael with her flat
After Cheryl found her "suitable tree", the three of us climbed the 3/4 mile steep hill. I was already joking with Nanditha that with my back, I would have no problems stopping in the middle of the hill and using "potty" as an excuse to stop. To have a climb like that after 80 miles or so was pretty mean. I saw a few riders walk their bikes up the hill and I even saw one rider using his right hand to push an elder-looking rider all the way up the hill. The climb was a challenge, but we had many of those climbs in the training. I still was going up it at 4-5 mph, but somehow I picked up my second wind. I tried pumping up all my teammates up and reminded them that this was nothing compared to those going through cancer. Near the top I shouted at the top of my lungs the names of Maxx, Brenda, and Cole and thanked them for getting me up the top. The descent was pretty sweet. I think I topped out at about 37 mph. At the bottom was the final SAG stop at mile 96.
I gave Jack Sr and Merla a high five. I could smell the finish line. Out of almond butter sandwiches, I wandered for the first time to see what food the ride support had. They had good stuff. I ate a chocolate chip cookie and an orange wedge. Then I had my Clif bar and shot another GU for good measure. Then Coach Beth arrived and showed me where we were climbing next. I walked out towards the street, looked up and shouted emphatically, "NO! NO! NO!" (probably as dramatic as that psycho kid on You Tube who told everybody to leave Britney alone). I think it gave Coach Beth a good chuckle, which I was hoping for. It was a long day, we needed a laugh. The riders looked like ants crawling up this long hill. Coach Beth said it wasn't as bad as it looked. I trusted her.
We rolled out and headed towards the hill. It was (piece of) cake. Well maybe not cake...yeah it was cake. It looked a 100 times worse than it really was. We were then rewarded with a fun downhill. A few miles later we had one more switch back climb to get over. That one was probably second worse after the 3/4 mile hill. I didn't care, I was on my second wind and I knew it was going to be over soon. The climb was cake. Down we went and we were near the finish. My back started hurting again, but with the finish line near, I easily sucked it up. I then saw my odometer and it said 98 miles. I asked Rita..."remember when I said at mile 2, we had 98 miles to go?....well we are at mile 98 and have 2 miles left!" We both agreed it felt like last week when I made the first statement. Less than a mile to go, we re-grouped and waited for every last one of our teammates before we rolled out to the finish line together. As we waited, Coach Beth played with kitty Lloyd (or was it Floyd?) Milo, resident of the home we were congregating in front of. He eventually ran away and was probably frightened because each time one of our teammates came in for the re-group, we screamed our heads off.
Our final teammates came in and we strolled to the finish line where each one of our SF Bay Area cycle teammates cheered us in (even the fast riders who finished 3 hours earlier and had time to shower and come back). Team Maxx rolled in in just a few seconds after 5:00 pm and congratulated each other with joyful embraces. It definitely was a team effort. We picked up our medals and the "100" pin, but couldn't stick around too long to celebrate. We had to ride back to the hotel to get in the full 104 miles. As you probably noticed at the beginning of the blog, I did not mention the start line. All TNT chapters started the race from the hotel since it was along the route. Regardless, we completed the full mileage and it's a ride, not a race. Total elevation gain turned out to be around 5,500 feet with actual ride time to be about 8 and half hours or so.
congrats to Rita on her triple crown! i hope to follow right behind you
The first thing I noticed was how pain-free (besides the obvious back) I was. Much different than marathon finishes. I must say the Coaches did a phenomenal job in training. We were definitely over-trained for the race, which I very much appreciated. Props definitely go out to Coach Beth who pulled me like a rope through the ride, especially the headwind portion of the ride. Props also go out to Coach Lorraine who would not stop until she found the remedy to solve my back pains. Last, but certainly not least is my mentor Nanditha for carrying all my junk that caused all my problems.
I use to think I couldn't possibly love cycling as much as running. Afterall running is my first (endurance) love. But through this experience, i'm a cyclist just as much as i'm a runner. On Saturday, I did finish that ride with Brenda that we started back in May '06.
Well...not until Friday morning, but this will probably be my last post until I come back from this little place called Solvang. Did you know much of the film "Sideways" was filmed in Solvang and nearby Buellton (where I will be staying)? (yes, I found the info via Wiki). Just wanted to thank everyone who supported me by donating to the cause and who followed my journey through this blog leaving me encouraging messages. Now it's time to take off the training wheels (so to speak) and let it fly! Check back for the post ride report!
A BONE MARROW DRIVE will be held on Sunday, March 9th. You must be between the ages of 18 to 60 to register. The hardest part about registering as a donor is the 10 minute application, after that it only takes a simple cheek swab! For more information about registering to become a donor please visit www.marrow.org
The JOSHUA MALIGRO BONE MARROW DRIVE
will be held on
Sunday, March 9th, 2008
Starting at 12 noon
@
Willey’s Bagels and Blends
390 West Country Club Drive
Brentwood, CA 94513
(on the corner of Balfour Road & W. Country Club, across from Heritage High School)
Joshua Maligro is a 12 year old Brentwood resident and 6th grader at Adams Middle School. He is now fighting for his life for the second time in less than a year! Josh’s only chance of survival is to have a BONE MARROW or CORD BLOOD transplant. Josh is of Filipino and Caucasian decent and it may be difficult to find him a matched donor. Please keep in mind that typically a donor with the same background has a better chance of being a match but, not always! It could be anyone! If you would like to follow Josh’s journey you can visit:
Josh spoke at our Cause for Celebration in January and thanked us for helping make a difference. At the time, he was in remission from AML. Now he needs all the help in the world to survive. Please spread the word around about the marrow drive. It's simple, harmless, and most importantly can save a life!
At the send off party, we got a tag of pictures of all our team honorees and on the back was a copy of a writing piece by Travis Yon in 2005. When Travis wrote it, he was 12 years old celebrating six years of being leukemia free after a match was found through the National Marrow Donor Program. Just wanted to share his message.
If You Haven't Had Cancer By Travis Yon
If you haven't had cancer, you don't know attention. You can't know attention. The constant questions and the feelings of being surrounded. The "Does this hurt?" and the "Can you feel that?" You are never alone. There is always someone watching you. Whether it's your doctor, nurse, mom, dad, brother, or sister, grandpa or grandma. You are always supervised. If you haven't had cancer you don't know attention.
If you haven't had cancer, you don't know medicine. There is no way you can know medicine. The continual injections, pills, swallowing, and IV's. The charts and keeping track. The discomfort and vomiting. The exhausting chemotherapy and radiation. The 75 medicines a day. If you haven't had cancer you can't know medicine.
If you haven't had cancer you don't know pain. You can't know pain. The injections, the radiation, and the chemotherapy. Pure torture. Fear. That is pain. It's the worst. If you haven't had cancer, you don't know pain.
If you haven't had cancer, you don't know long-term. You can't know long-term. The long, boring hours of just waiting. Doing nothing. Pathetically trying to brainstorm ways to amuse yourself. Waiting for it all to be over. Waiting for the results. It is grueling. If you haven't had cancer you don't know long-term.
If you haven't had cancer you don't know joy. You can't know joy. The joy of surviving, making it, you're done, sprung, released, out through. If you haven't had cancer you don't know joy.
Travis (right) cheering on his mom at mile 22 of the Honolulu Marathon in 2001
Last night I was itching to run. So tonight I planned for a run around the lake after work. I finished the 3.2 mile run in 28:13 (8:49/mile). A new Lake PR. Kind of happy, but not really. I probably exerted more energy than advised. With four days until Solvang, we are really suppose to take it easy this week. I think I got it all out of my system tonight. I promise to take it easy starting now.
Saturday was our final training ride before Solvang. How fitting we finished it off in Pinole where it all began across the street back in November. The first person I met on the team was Coach Beth and little did I know at that time I would be placed under her watch for the next 4 months. That first sorting ride was pretty bad. I did not know anything about gears, fixing flats, etc. I didn't even know I was riding a steady incline. How sad? I struggled big time and seriously doubted if I had made the wrong choice in joining the cycle team. Fast forward 4 months and I have gained a wealth of cycling knowledge and experience. I've definitely come a long way since that first day. I'm happy to say I did not make the wrong choice.
This morning's ride kind of started off strange because just seconds before Team Maxx was going to roll out, Cheryl's rear tire deflated. The rest of the group went off and Coach Beth volunteered me to stick with Cheryl until we ("we" meaning just Coach DHK) fixed the flat. Coach Beth figured I wanted to go fast, so she held me back to do so because she knew we could catch up with the group.
About 20 minutes went by before we finally rolled out. Just before leaving the school driveway, of course I fell. Cheryl yelled "stopping", so I was all set to stop; however, my shoe accidentally clipped in when I didn't want it to. I was already at a stop position and with no more room to move forward, I fell over sideways. I got a nice little battle scar on my left knee as a souvenir.
Jack Sr. and Me
Today's taper ride was just an easy out and back 35 miles going through Pinole and Moraga. Cheryl and I hauled ass for the first 16 miles to re-group with Team Maxx. We managed to do so right before the rest stop. The ride coming back was pretty tough because the winds picked up. Going down the descents was a bit freaky because it felt like the winds were going to knock me and my bike over. Other than that, it was a fun easy ride to finish the training season off with.
junk in my trunk
After the ride was the send-off party. Awards were handed out. I scored two awards. One for being "Maxx Strong" in the group because of my competitive edge (I guess?). For me, I guess it's more just wanting to be better than I was the week before. The other award was for perfect attendance. I had joked about wanting to get one. Merla came through!...hehe. Ahh...the days of elementary school when my mom would not let me miss a day of school. This ones for you mommy!
While the send-off was a great time to laugh and let loose, it was also a time to remember why we are riding. We ended it off with a tribute of all our honorees past and present, which was quite touching. Now i'm pumped and ready for Solvang!
