Mount Diablo 50Miles Endurace race.

April is in the books… it is gone… and I…. well… did not that good when it comes to Ironman Training. Compared to previous months my volume is considerably lower… Darn… Now I have to work really hard to peak before IM in less than 12 weeks… or is it 10? HOLY COW… is is soo freaking close..

Lets see… This month of April, however, I ran a 50 Miles race. Mount Diablo Ultramarathon. It was here where it all started. It was in that race a year ago when I discovered ultra running accidentally. You see, when I came to the bay area, I wanted to run a marathon, a trail marathon. I set out to look for a local race and found Mount Diablo marathon and 50 mile endurance race. I signed for the marathon, and my longest trail run to date had been 15 miles in a very flat course. Well, this is my journal entry of a year ago…

My race report, the Mount Diablo Marathon in Clayton California 2007.

What possessed me to sign for this BEAST? Yes, I have run marathons, but my, last one was over 1 year ago and my longest run was 15 miles about two weeks, ago…. I have only done one trail run; this is my second longest trail run, EVER yet the DEVIL made me do it. I am sure he was laughing at me today… my, marathon o better call it my CRAWLATHON was insane. My ironman was a walk, in park compared to this beast. I did not only decide to run a trail, marathon, but I happen to pick one of the hardest in the state… Almost, 8,000 feet of elevation gain INSANE. By mile 3, I was about to bail out,, but I kept thinking, pain is my friend…. I can handle pain, so I, thought. After, I reached the summit for the first time, I followed a couple of guys that, were having a nice pace, it turns out they were doing the 50 miler. I, reached one of the sporadic aid stations, and a guy asked me "You are doing, great, is this your first 50 miler?"… I said, "no I am doing only a, marathon", he replied "well my friend you should not be here then". It, turns out I had missed a turn and now I had crawl back to summit (another 2, miles uphill) and find the stupid marathon turn. It was demoralizing and, I cursed the mountain, and my other self, the stupid Luis that signed up for, this marathon. Anyhow, I finished and that is what it counts…. I was, not going to DNF, rather I chose to be DFL, but thank God I was not. After, a while I started passing people and I reached the finish line in about, 7:45… Wow, that is a new record for me… What is next, I am going to think long and hard before I decide to do, something crazy like this once again.,

HA… What a difference a year makes… Last year I started 14 ultramarathons, I did not finished 2 of them and completed 12. This year I decided I was going to go back to the mountain that made me cry last year, literally. I was going to take my pride back…. I was going back and this time I was going to do the 50 miler… Twice the distance, twice the elevation gain… 14,000 feet … Woohoo!!!

I wasn’t sure if I was going to sign up since I had been training for the Ironman, but one talk with Janet and I was convinced. I was going to do it… Hell yeah baby!! A started to prepare a couple of days before including getting all the night gear I was going to use and shoes. I have been using the same shoe style, this year, however, they changed the style and they run a little smaller… I did not know that at the time and it took me a whole 5 miles in the race to realize that they were just a little smaller… small enough so my toes were hitting the end of the shoe. Needless to say, I have an array of black toenails now, a number large enough to start my own toenail necklace.. (just kidding).

In any event, Janet Kim and I met at the starting line.. Janet my best ultraruning buddy and . Kimberly, (Trail Runner M.D) another ultra-crazy buddy of mine. They were amazing, there is not way I could have finished this race without their support. They are awesome…

So we met at the starting point and this time I felt that I belonged there. Last year it was very intimidating, I did not know anybody and I felt out of place among those people. You could see that these are the hard-core runners, Mount Diablo 50 miler is not a walk in park by any means. Their faces, their bodies, their legs, their gear showed that these people know what they are doing. This year however, I knew many of them and my gear showed the wear and tear of many ultra runs from the past year. It was a great feeling.

Sarah and Wendell, race directors and incredible ultra runners gave us the directions and sent us in our way....

….. and so we started... up and up and up and up...

Up and up and up…. I knew this was not going to be easy, but I also knew that regardless of the time I was going to finish. The first ascent to the summit was uneventful, when we got there we made a joke…. We said “lets see how we feel when we come back here in about 8 hours” it was not a joke…. We were back there in about 8 hours indeed and saw the sun beginning to set in the horizon. During the second ascent to the summit we were greeted by Sabrina Okada, a really good friend of mine that happens to live nearby. She spent 3 hours waiting for us… What a trooper... She took this picuture.. (insert picture here).

Anyhow… for about 14 hours we ran this monster, or attempted to run since many places were absolutely un-runable… The steepness was so hard we could barely walk it upright… and the descents… OH my God… my poor toes… At mile 13 or so, for not particular reason I twisted my ankle… It is amazing what can go through your head in a split second. I thought, “Damn, my race is over… oh Man.. how am I going to get back to the starting line”. I sat down for a few moments, and then started to walk and then jog and then I found myself running again. It was a great feeling that would last for a few miles. Just before reaching a aid station, I twisted it again, and this time it was sooo painful that my vision blurred from the pain, but miraculously the pain went away and I kept running. When we reached another aid station, a park ranger gave me some medical tape, so I taped both of my ankles to get more stiffness. I also got one big blister…. But somehow the pain went away… it was like "where did it go?". Funny, as soon as I finished the race I felt it, and I knew my toes were going to feel it for a few days.

Check my poor feet after the race... all taped up... I won't show a picture of my poor toenailes here or my big blister... But they look bad...

Also got sick, my tommy was not feeling well… I told Janet and Kim.. “Hold on!”… and I went off the trail, hugged a tree and emptied my tummy. After a really good puke, I started hydrating again and felt much, much better. Kim and Janet were amazing, they pushed and pulled me to the finish line. Wohooo!! It was a great race… Loved it… and yes I am going to do it again next year.. with better shoes…

Check out this little clip.... it is called 14 hours compressed in 30 seconds.... pretty cool..

The pain of having my toenails blacken, my ankle twisted and my stomach not very happy, are a small price to pay for amazing experience that this race gave me. Kimberly said “One of the great things about ultras is that the good parts (friends, beautiful sweeping views from the top of Mt Diablo, red-winged blackbirds, the night sky) stay for a long time, and the pain fades quickly” And that is sooo true… I had a blast and I loved every minute of it.

The Finish: Man... it was a great feeling to finish this race... I earned a great t-shirt, a coaster

The best part of the whole race... the experience with two great friends... Wohooo!!!

Now What?

I walk in a body that can run 50 miles with 14,000 feet of elevation gain… People think I am crazy, people don’t believe that somebody would put himself/herself thought that pain… and for what? For a coaster / medal? Bragging rights? Nope, for me I do it because I can, because tomorrow I might not be able to do it. Because I have experienced not being able to run or walk and I cannot imagine my life without being able to do so. Every morning when I wake up and put both of my feet on the floor I think how blessed I am, how wonderful life is that is allowing me to see one more day, one more sunset, one more day to share with my friends, one more day to run.

When you read this, think about all the wonderful things Life has blessed you with, a family, friends, loved ones, the ability to walk and run… I am certainly blessed… OOOHHHYYYYEEAA!!!!

I will be doing IMcDA in 49 days, then I will probably do another 50miler and most likely a 100 miler before the year is over..

Cheers

5000 Yards swim today

Wohoo... I think this swim deserves a blog post.. I have been working on my swimming technique for the last couple of weeks. I even went back to basics, because I wanted to get better and more efficient. Well, I put it all together today and it was amazing. I did 5000 yards in 1 hour, 20 min and 1 second. This translates into 1:36 per 100 yards.. That is a great pace..

This swim to put into perspective was 5000 yards= 4.57 Kilometer or 2.84 miles. Or 50 football fields... That was a long swim.. right?



Man.. swimming wise, I am ready to take on the Ironman, although swimming open water is a totally different animal.. Check it out here...

This is a picture of the start of the swim at ImCDA last year... I'll be doing this race in a less than 3 months..


Things I learned in the pool today..... If I train smarter, I will get faster.

Pirates Cove 50K

This past weekend went to run the Pirates Cove 50K. This was a great run indeed. The day was just wonderful and the company was great. The altitude profile was about 5600 feet. Pretty hard if you ask me..

We all drove together to the race site, (Isabel, Janet and myself) and got there with plenty of time to visit the little boys/little girls’ room. I had to, I usually get up earlier in the morning and do my stuff and had to wait until I arrived to the race. We met with Kevin and Samantha, Kevin was running his first 50K which happened to be his birthday present. He turned 31, so what would be better than running 31 miles as a birthday present?

I was happy to see him since he was sick a few days before. He was smiling all the time and had a great time.. Wohoo!! You go Kevin!!

We picked up race numbers and say bye to Isabel who was running a different race, waited for the traditional trail marking instructions and the GO command .

Isabel had a great race.... Some of us predicted a 3 hour 20K race, she did it much, much, much faster. Thanks for the photography too Isabel.

Janet and I set up at the back of the pack. We stayed way back for the beginning, walking the big hills and getting into a rhythm. We got into it pretty soon and I don’t believe we slowed down considerably at any moment. There were absolutely not thoughts such as “what the hell am I doing here”, or “Darn I will never do this again” kind of thoughts. We had a great day. The temperature was simply great, not hot and considering that most of the course was open I was glad that the day did not get that hot at all.

The trail had a steep beginning, check out the stairs, these were really hard on your quads, specially the second time around. But the discomfort was absolutely nothing compared to the views that these trails provided.

They were just incredible. Ha… Janet mentioned what our lives would be without running. I have been told that I have an addictive personality, thus thank God I took exercise, or running cuz otherwise I probably be a junkie. Thank God there is running to keep me away from other stuff.. J J

Janet is the ultra crazy friend I been talking about. She is a great runner and a great friend. See, I am not kidding, I got great people in my life.

See my coaster? Proof that I finished the race

___________________________________________________________________

But really… why do we do the things we do? I have thought about it long and hard many times. Why are we the way we are?… what made us who we are today? I have a few thoughts about it, but for the most part I am a work in progress. One thing is for sure, I am happy, and I cannot believe how blessed I am. I got great friends and wonderful people in my life, Wow…

I read this poem long ago… it was written by a girl in India,

Who Am I?

A gift of God,
a blessing to this earth
That is what I am.

A person of substance,
a person who matters,
a person who can make others feel her presence
That is what I am.

A person who learns from each day,
a person who has courage for facing each day,
a person who has hope for each tomorrow
That is what I am.

A person having a yearning desire,
to get more and more knowledge
from the ocean of wisdom
That is what I am.

Someone who can give to others
If not the moon, if not the stars,
If not just gifts, if not just flowers
But a sweet smile on the face
which spreads happiness as long as it stays
That is what I am.

And this is the reason
why I am the happiest
When I am what I am.

Pretty cool huh?

It is March, but this entry is about Feb.

First things first..

Ironman Training

The month of February was pretty good. I am really happy with how things are going so far. I had one week in Feb when I felt a little down and decreased my total volume, but the following week I felt great. I think all I needed was some rest. My training volumes for this particular month were:

February's totals:
Bike:	12h 01m - 23.4 Mi - Mostly indoors
Run:	23h 37m 48s - 126.61 Mi ir 202.6 K
Swim:	14h 05m 39s - 43000 Yd or 24.5 M or 39.3 K

This was definitly a great month and I am on target to get my training done to do Ironman Cour d'Alene. I cannot wait, really. It will be an amazing race.. wohoo!!

Besides, this Ironman training is doing things to my body that I like (wink wink)

but it also doing other things that I definitely don't like one bit.



Trail running...

Since I been training for the IM, I haven't done many long races anymore. I miss them so much. I definitely want the IM training to be over so I can go back and run the trails and go long, very long. But needless to say I am enjoying the short distance stuff, specially when I get to run with friends. And of course since they believe that I am a lover of pain, they make sure I get my share of pain indeed.

Needless to say, the urban trails are pretty nice too. Most of them are paved, but still beautiful indeed. And the thing is, when you run with friends it makes the whole experience totally different.


check out these pics.. (thanks to Isabel an Patty for the contributions)
I love this particular spot, the afternoon was great, sunny and breeze. Check out the wonderful view of the bay.

And of course I had to stop by it and do a little girl push ups (for the picture only) I usually do man push-ups as seen in one of the previous pictures.. :)

The funny thing about these pictures is that I realize how predictable I am at dressing for a run. all these picture appear to be taken the same day since I am wearing the same stuff... but I do wash them... I promise..

However I do enjoy running by myself..


Life Stuff

We are who we are because of what we have gone through. I feel blessed cuz I have gone through a lot in the last 15 years of my life. I look back and I realize that I am who I am today because of the choices I made in the past. However, the past is gone, I like to reflect on the past, but it is gone, I cannot change it and I wouldn't wanna change it. All we have is the present and we must cherish it, and share our happiness with our loved ones..
A few days ago two cyclists were killed by a sheriffs' deputy car, a very sad incident indeed. It was sad since I am a cyclist myself but also because they were so young and upcoming athletes. I can only imagine how their families felt when the news were delivered to them. I actually cried when I read about the details and I just could not believe it. An accident, I think so, but an unnecessary accident indeed.

HOWEVER... these two people died doing something they loved... Biking. I always said that I am going to die, I rather die running or biking or swimming or doing all three. Mey their souls rest in peace...

So what I have learned in the past few days that will help me in the future?

Ok.. here they are my three lessons...

a) Be Prepared!!

b) Learn when to eat a burrito (specially if you are having closed door meetings shortly after)


3) Look where you are going

Sequioa 50K, Oakland California.

This was a very interesting race. I was picking up some friends in San Francisco, but neither them nor I knew that some of the highways were closed. What would have taken about 30-35 minutes it ended taking us about 2 hours. Needless to say we missed the start of the race. We finally arrived, about 45 minutes later. We decided to run it anyway since we already signed for it and well.... we were already there.

The three of us started with a good pace and happy to say, we were not the last ones to finish. Our times were pretty slow, but Hey we had a great run.
About the Race: This one was a 50k with 6500 feet of elevation gain. Check out the profile below. It is insane to many people, but not the most difficult in this trail series.
The views are of course amazing... I loved these trails. I did not bring my camera so most of these pics were taking by other people. However I can testify that these trails are simply amazing.

In some places they give you a t-shirt which I opted out from, or a medal which only hangs or is kept in a dark drawer.. This trail series gives you a finisher coaster... It is something you can actually use... Check it out...


Anyhow... this was another run in an amazing place. I am today (a week later) still feeling sore, but it was worth it. My next race is going to be in two weeks (Skyline Ridge 50K), yes another 50K. I have a score to settle there, last year I did not finish because I fell really bad and I injured my knee. This time I will finish...

Two things I learned from this race... The shoes I got two weeks ago which now already have over 150 miles on them are too small for me, specially if running downhill. I am WILL lose another toenail because of this shoes. The downhills were really steep and the stupid shoes seem to be to small that I knew righ away that my toes, thus my toenails, were getting slammed. One of them is pretty sore, the other one has started to turn black. NO, I will not post any pictures of that here...

IronMan training Update

Did I mention i am training for another IM... I'll be doing Ironman Cour d'Alene in Idaho on June 22. It is going to be so much fun, unlike the IM in Florida where I finished the race, this time I want to race. Anyhow... on the Month of January my training volume was as follows:

January's totals:
Bike:	10h 30m - Mostly stationary bike
Run:	13h 41m 49s - 86.67 Mi
Swim:	10h 40m 38s - 33900 Yd
Strength:	45m

The Month of January was low on the bike, but I just ordered a new trainer (which will arrive today) so I will be upping my volume on the bike since I will be able to ride indoors... Yeay!!

last weekend I took my bike for the first time this year, The day was beautiful. I decided to go to do the kings Mountain loop, It was very hard with some pretty steep Hills.. My heart rate was over 170 bpm and I my legs felt like noodles... It was a great workout...


Check out this hill... now imagine miles and miles of this gradient. After a few minutes you start feeling the burn, then you stop feeling anything really. I realize I need to get a lot more time on the bike in order for me to get ready for the climbs in Idaho. I will, no question about it.

Check out the view... Riding in California is amazing, the hills are great, people are amazing the landscape is breathtaking. I enjoy going outside and run and bike. As somebody put it once... I rather be running or biking...
Here is me after the bike and a change of clothes.... I felt great, you can see my car with its new roof rack and my bike on top. It is a brand new FELT full carbon bought ON SALE.

Brain Tumor anniversary..

Just a few days ago I reached my 4th anniversary (brain surgery that is). My first operation was done back in Michigan in 2004. It is amazing how much has happened in my life since then. I also realize that it was a turning point in my life.. I have become a much wholesome person, I am definitely not the same person due to the hardship that I had to endure. However, I am happy because of the person I have become. After the brain surgery the second most horrible thing happened, my ex wife decided she did not want to be my wife anymore. I was jobless, penniless and in a foreign country where I did not know anybody. Somehow I survived and I am here today... Woohoo!!

Somebody asked me a question a few days ago, she said describe the anti-you. In one word, describe the person that you are not. Without hesitation I said pessimist, I am not a pessimistic person, I believe I am the most optimistic person in the world. I believe in you, I believe in me, I believe in the goodness of people and I believe that happiness comes from within. I cannot make anybody happy (believe me I tried).

Here it is to many more anniversaries... wohooo!!!

Woodside 50K in Woodside, CA

Well i did it again... Ran another 50k making some pretty big mistakes....

1. Run in the rain and cold wearing only one layer of clothing... Darn I was so cold I kept shaking.
2. I got new shoes and wanted to "break them", did not realize that the whole race was ONE big 50K loop so i never go the chance to come back to the starting line and change...
   

Regardless of the stupid mistakes, this was a great event.

The sky was cloudy and of course it started to run in no time. Did I mention it was cold.. I ran ALL of the race with a friend or mine, Kay from Japan. She was nice enough to wait for me most of the way when I was hurting (IT band issues) and I had to walk quite considerably. She also taught me a lot about Japanese culture and customs....

Met her in Angel Island last year and that time I helped her to finish, this time She helped me to finish the race.. She is awesome, like all runners.

I love this trail runs because of the rest stations, they are always plentiful. From potato slices to mm's, and even cake.. Yummy!!
Needless to say i am always happy when I reach one of these cuz I truly eat a lot there. I replenish my fuels and keep on going.. For this one I wish they had hot chocolate or extra layers of clothes for the cold and unprepared (like me).

My finisher's proof!!


Anyhow, it was a great run... cannot wait to do it again...
Next one... February 16, yes another 50K...

Saturday Run...

Well I managed a really good week. I discovered bike spinning, that is awesome. I love it and I have incorporated that into my ironman training. I cannot beleive I will be running another Ironman in less than 20 weeks. I have lots of preparations to do..

Yesterday Friday I ran 13 miles or so around the San Mateo trail. It is one of my favorite places to run, the trail is flat and paved. Good for a nice training run. .

I got up and ran for a full hour before I met my running group. After I met them, I ran the last 6 miles with them. Not very hard, just consistent and steady. Of course after the run we had to go for breakfast. Which is why I run, so I can eat. I got all you can eat pancakes and believe me I ate quite well.


This is part of my running crew (Mid Peninsula running club) they are awesome.. We usually go eat after each run, and that is where the fun begins.


Some of the boys...
Some of the gals..

Check out the trails I ran this Friday.... It is really nice to be able to run here. I feel blessed cuz I can run and because I have the opportunity to see this beautiful places.. It was raining the day before, so there were lots and lots of puddles, which made my shoes really heavy and I was afraid I was going to get a blister, but I did not. Thank God..
A bench I usually stop to stretch a little before I run the trail, but as you can see, it was wet. See the trail just behind the table. It is nice and flat. although most of it is paved, I rather run in the dirt..

See the nice trail.... this was about 7:00 am in the morning, a little chilly, but it was sooo quiet... amazing..

I am back

Well... here I am re-starting this blogger thing again. I will try to add an entry every week so friends and family know of my whereabouts and most importantly of what I am doing these days...
In the sports arena.... I have three main goals this year..

a) Ironman Cour de Alene in Jun
b) 50 Mile endurance run
c) 100 Mile endurance run

anything else i will add as training, starting this Saturday with a trail run in Angel Island, Tiburon California (25K) It is going to be fun... This is one of the views of the Angel Island.... Cannot wait...

This week training..
Swim 9000 yards
Run About 30 Miles
Bike Biked 3 Hours (spin class)

Another picture of the Ironman Florida Triathlon..

This is when we are about to start... look at the amount of people getting ready to swim a mere 2.5 miles... pretty cool huh?