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?

I was about to finish my first loop in the run.... 13.1 miles... I felt great at this point... 

Ironman Florida

Well.... I did it..
I finish.... the most amazing thing I have ever done. An ironman Triathlon.... 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking and a mere 26.2 miles of running. It only took me 13 hours and change..

I loved the experience... I loved the fact that I could do this, I love the journey to the finish line.

For a long time, I only dreamed of accomplishing such a feat. And today, I am savoring my accomplishemet..

The race report is as follows.


IRONMAN FLORIDA2005-11-05Panama City Beach, FloridaUS76F / 24CSunny
Triathlon - Full Ironman Total Time = 13h 14m 13s Overall Rank = 1263/Age Group = M35-39Age Group Rank = 256/353

Pre-race routine:Got up... took a shower.... (why? routine, I cannot start my day, any day without a shower)... got dressed drank a double expresso (Starbucks cold drink) ate a cliff power bar and a banana... sat down and just relaxed.. I could not believe how relax I was, no jitters just anticipation. I went to use the bathroom..... got my things and Ken and I drove to Walmart where the shuttle picked us up to the starting race. I had a sense of tranquility in me, I keept thinking that this is what I have studied for.. Saw the fear and the anticipation in the faces of other racers, and for some reason I felt great.

Event warmup:Got the see my bike and realize that I had a flat front tire... SHUT... i don't have tubulars, so it if it flat.. it is probably damanged. I changed the tire and got into a lane to access a floor pump. A nice volunteer pumped my tires and I re-rack my bike. Went looking for water to fill up my aerobar bottle and finally got time to go and get body marked.. Now.. this was an experience... I looked for Jessica (tri_take_away) and Renee... they bodymarked me.... felt great.. They were indeed a great support group.... many thanks to them.. so by the time I was body marked, the were herding us to beach.. Put on my wet suit, Ken found me and we walked to the beach. That was a warm-up... I watch the pros start and then I just waited and started to vision my swim stragegy....

Swim
Comments:The start was a litte intimidating.... all of those athletes there and I had no idea how I was going to tackle this part of the race.. I moved a little to the right, made sure that my googles were tight and clear (spitted on them) and when the cannon went off... I just started running.. I actually did some of those little dolphin jumps.... and started to swim..... Now I know what my socks might feel when I put them in the washer because that how I felt the first, I dont' know.. maybe 10 minutes of the swim.. I stopped looked around and decided to swim a little to the right to avoid the blender effect.. I was not nervous I was happy to be there. Started to find my groove and decided to let other sight for me.. With all of those people looking at the same object it would be a waste of my energy looking at the same object as well.. So I found a girl (she had painted toenails) and drafted her all the way to the first turnaround.. I could feel somebody else was drafting me as well cuz I kept feeling his/her hands on my feet all the time. That made me feel good... Wow somebody is drafting me.... After the first turn things got better, no more chopping and not more people swiming on top of people, i found my groove and just kept on going. My wetsuit was a little tight on the neck so I stopped and loose it up a little and then kept on going. I finish the first lap and realize that I had forgotten to start my watch so i had no idea how fast or slow I had done the first lap... I asked a guy and he told me 35 minutes... and I thought... this is great... i wanted to finish in 1:10 and I am right on target. Ran, got some water to remove some of the salt of my mouth and went for the second lap. After I got to the last turn and was heading back to the beach I kept thinking... wow this is great. I was not tired, all those long swims on fridays really paid off and I was thinking.... I can do another lap....
What would you do differently?:Nothing... absolutlly nothing...

T1
Comments:Now... transition in an Ironman is a great thing. Got out of the water and the "peelers" wonderfull volunteers just strip you out of your wetsuit in a flash.... ran to the transition area where somebody (by magic) already was waiting for me with my transition bag on hand. Went inside the tent and took my time to change.... I did not want to forget anything and a 2 minute transition or a 12 minute transition time will not make a difference in the end result of the race.... to FINISH....
What would you do differently?:only one thing... remember to let the volunteers to rub sunscreen on you... and add some vaseline to the boys... I will get to that later...

Bike
Comments:I took my speed sensor out of my bike.. the only thinkg I had working was my HRM.... I had decided to bike only paying attention to my HR. I had envisioned a race with a HR below 150, and my HR average was 152.... I think I did great keeping my HR down.. It was funny, I knew I could go faster, and It was very hard not to grind and hammer.. but I also knew that I was undertrained on the bike and I needed to pace myself. So I did... frustrating to see all sorts of atheltes passing you on the bike.... When I reached the 56 mile mark, I was doing soooo well, at 2:54.... wow.. i thought... I am going to have a 6 hour bike split.... I could not believe it.... but then the way back started and the wind picked up... topped with the rough asphalt... it just took all the time I had banked.... The truth is though, is that I only saw my watch two times, at the 56 mile mark and at the end... Did not wanted to see how long it had taken me, just wanted to know my HR. The last 12 miles, I am sure I average 12 MPH or less.. the wind was incredible hard, and all of the sudden my legs started to feel the effort... but I just kept thinking... almost there, almost there, almost there... My nutrition worked like a clock... I had experimented all summer long to find the right formula... My ironman cocktail, 1 spoon of cytomax, 2 servings or CarboPro and 2 1/2 servings of perpetuuum.... Blended it all and each bottle will last me exactelly 3 hours, taking one sip every 15 minutes and washed down with water and Gatorade Endurance. I complemented my nutrition with ONE cliff bar eaten little by little and a banana. I also took 4 gels (1 every hour)... One of the gels was given to me open and I squeezed too early and pour the whole gel on my face... I had to stop and found a bottle of water on the ground (half empty) and proceeded to wash myself... Felt really great... Brett (Alpine87) caught me at mile 56, and slapped my butt.. the bastard... Then.... a few miles later I saw him again... It seems he was preparing some sort of illegal drinking stuff... the only thing I saw was a cloud of white stuff comming out of his hands... I assume it was some illegal stuff and since he talked a lot about how much fun he had in South America, I can only imagine what it was... ") :) It was a great ride.... way too long.... way too long and boring. I am glad I paced myself the way I did.. When I finished the bike I thought, I could have gone faster... That thought was a great thought to have at the start of my run...

What would you do differently?:Train harder....
T2
Comments:Again, transition in an Ironman event is great... I came off the bike, some wonderfull volunteer took my bike and I ran to the changing tent. There, again, I took my time to change and dry my feet really well. Put lots and lots of vaseline and my put on my socks, removed my biking shorts, took a Gu, left the changing tent and found a bunch of volunteers putting sunscreen, I let them do their job and started my little 26.2 mile jog. Great to find Jessica and Renne on the course... they took pictures and held a sign of encouragment.... Thank you guys...
What would you do differently?:Nothing... Are you kidding me?

RUN
RunComments:Started to run easy and clocked about 9 minutes for my first mile... I knew then I was going to fast and started to slow down... I kept a 10 minute mile for the first segment of the run and felt great. I ran from station to station and walked the stations drinking gatorade in one station, chicken broth and pretzels in the next, and a banana and coke in the next, I kept that routine for the rest of my run.... I would also get a sip of water on every station and ice that I would place on my hat so it will cool me down as it melted. When I finisht the first segment, I got to my special needs bag area where I changed my shoes and my socks. Again, I took my time, I dried my feet, put lots of vaseline and a fresh pair of dry socks and dry shoes and kept on running. when I passed by Jessica and Renne I asked about Ken and they told me that he was not very far ahead of me, I knew there was something wrong cuz he is much much faster than this. I found him and he was not feeling good, I stayed with him for the next 1/4 of the marathon... I was getting cold and my feet were starting to feel heavy so I decided to take off... and I did.. The last segment of the run was my best... I passed a million people, nobody passsed me on the last 6 miles. I was cruising, I caught a guy that obviously was having a hard time just walking.... He told me that that was his first loop and I felt bad, I stayed with him for a couple of minutes and encouraged him to keep on going.... I took off again and comming into town was exciting. I could hear the sound of the crowd in the distance and I reached mile 24... I could hear people two miles away (or I thought I could hear them), and I just kept on running.. Finally reached mile 25.... and I knew then it was all down hill from there.... ran and passed Jessica and Rennee again and it was a wonderfull sight... they were there for us all day long... What a duo... I saw the end of the course, the only thing left was the little hill to the finish line..... had nobody in front or me, or nobody behind me for maybe 5 seconds.... so I wanted to enjoy this moment... people were giving me high fives and I reached on my back where I had been carrying a homemade sign to hold high as I cross the finish line. I unfolded the sign and my tears started to fall.... What a finish... what a wonderfull experience and a wonderfull feeling... and I was enjoying every second of it.. I held the sign high in the air and I cross the finish line.... The sign read.... SARA I LOVE YOU, since she was not here with me, I wanted her to know that I had been thinking about her all the time and throught the whole race...
What would you do differently?:Nothing.

Post race
Warm down:Finish the race... and could not believe how fresh I felt after crossing the finish line.. found a massage tent and got a really good massage... the lady was strong and really flush my legs well.. It felt great... I could not eat anything, so I just found an apple and a banana and some more gatorade and ate that. Sat down, took a finisher picture and went to retrieve my bike and my transition stuff... Found Ken and Alpine87 (Brett) and waited for the bus to take us back to the hotel.. Took a shower, and went to bed...
What limited your ability to perform faster:huh!!!
Event comments:Just after I went to Bed, Ken and I stopeed at Walmart and bought IceCream... and ate a whole deal of it... Felt great, Got a call from my ex-wife and went to bed... aaaahhhhh...what a feeling It was great to meet all the Bt'ers... Jess and Renne, karl (motivated), larry (Ladavidson) and Brett (alpine87), and of course Ken, and Sherry (Oliveview). I must tell you guys... the incredible feeling of accomplishment has not left my body yet... I loved every minute of it.... I loved the feeling of getting there and knowing I would finish..... time was unimportant for me, just the fact that I was out there is indeed a blessing. I am not an athlete, I consider myself a guy happy to be alive, happy to be able to put one foot in front of the other, happy to cross that finish line. I am an Ironman, yes I can finally say it.. I am an IRONMAN, OOOOHHHHYYYYEEEAAA!!! Before the start as we started to position for the race, I notice an incredible amount of people that in many people's eyes had not bussiness there... they obviously were overweight.... then i saw them in the bike course when they totally smoked me.... I realize that anybody can accomplish this race with the proper training, and with the courage and determination. I saw a 72 year old walking her marathon, and told her... "When I grow up... i wanna be just like you!!! She smiled and say Thanks... and I meant it. I hope to get that old, and I hope I can do what she does at that age.. Thank you guys for all the encouragment, and the inspires and for keeping me accountable... I will be here for a long time..... or as Long as I can.. now.. back to reality.... Work that is...