Funded by the USA Cycling Development Foundation, cash grants for Center of Excellence recognition are awarded to programs that meet specific structural requirements with the potential and ability to develop athletes into international-level competitors, and have consistently produced national results and coordinated with USA Cycling’s National Development Program participation. Since the program’s inception eight years ago, USA Cycling has distributed over $160,000 to grass-roots development programs thanks to the generous donations to the USA Cycling Development Foundation.
USA Cycling recognizes the outstanding work of all of these Centers of Excellence as they continue to grow the model of athlete development in cycling and contribute to the elevated levels of competition and growth of the sport in the United States.
It’s a great honor to be part of a team that puts a lot of energy and support behind junior cyclists. If 2010 was any indication for the future of the team, we should be expecting many many many top 10s and podium finishes from the 31-member team (and still growing). CONGRATULATIONS!
Saturday morning… the sun is shining, the temperature is perfect, and I have a good solid hour to get a workout in. An hour is probably enough time for a quick bike ride, but the hassle of getting dressed and making sure the bike is ready makes that hour an easy hour and a half, and I can’t go very far in an hour… so I opted for a run.
It was my first time running outside since Xterra Crystal Cove Trail Run back in December. After that, I was running on the treadmill inside because the weather was getting cold, the evenings were getting dark, and it was just more convenient. That ended up being a bad idea because I pushed myself too hard too fast and started feeling shin splints and other legpains, which prevented me from running for a while. It was weeks of ice and rest and leg strengthening with no running. Now that my one-month gym membership has expired, I’m slowly trying to get back to running, which brings me to Saturday morning.
I opted for an easy five miles around Mile Square Park (I realize that a lap around Mile Square Park is only 4 miles, but I started half a mile away… so it works out). I went in knowing that I would keep an easy pace and stop to walk if my legs started bothering me. For the most part, I made it through with minimal leg pain.. and finished in 51 minutes, which isn’t horrible for me, having not run for a while. But.. I was feeling it afterwards, and was DYING for ice on the walk back to my house. First thing I did was plump the icepack on my legs and downed some coconut water (YUM!). Today.. the legs are feeling a bit better, though sore from the first run in a long time. I iced a little more, but definitely won’t be running today. I’ll give them a little rest and maybe run again tomorrow.
I have to say, it (mentally) felt great to be running outside. The treadmill is SOOOO boring, and even though I’ve run around the park a million times (<— that’s a gross exaggeration), it was still better than running indoors. Also, I found some new things at the park.. like these added workout/stretching stations along the 3-mile walking loop.
I remember seeing something similar on the 1.5-ish-mile loop at Huntington Central Park and thinking that it would be a GREAT idea for Mile Square Park. I guess someone read my mind. I only saw one because I wasn’t running the loop, but I’m sure there are more. I’ll post back on it once I find them all.
Yesterday I ran for the first time in weeks… on the treadmill.
From ImageEnvision by DJArt
The act of running felt AWESOME. I was so happy to be running.. until.. until… my leg started hurting like no other and my running form felt like I was limping to compensate. So.. I got maybe 1.5 miles in at a very slow pace on the treadmill and stopped. Continued with the rest of my workout (weights mostly), stretched.. and went home to ice. I’ll try again in a few days.. maybe some short trail running for the softer terrain and a change of scenery. I can only hope that running outside will feel a little bit better.
I can say, however, that I’m extremely proud of my workouts this week. Swam two days this week, including a 700m time-trial in the pool which I did in under 15 minutes (which was my goal). And weights two days this week.. focusing on building up lower leg strength and attempting assisted pull-ups (which I did at least 10 in a row yesterday.. but heavily assisted).
This weekend Minh and I are planning 4 laps of Fullerton Loop on Saturday (to get time in the saddle, but with an easy course) and I’ll probably get back on the WobbleBoard for some more stability practice and lower leg strength building. I still have a couple more weeks of gym membership, so really trying to milk it for all I can. Maybe hit the pool Saturday afternoon for another session.
British studies have shown that TODAY is the saddest day of the year. The idea is that by this time (the third Monday in January to be exact), the high from the Holidays have worn off (presents have been opened and exchanged if needed, New Year sales are dwindling down, relatives and friends have gone from visiting or you’ve returned from travels, etc), resolutions have been made and broken, the daily grind at work has started up again… I found it a little surprising when I heard this since the third Monday in January is usually off (for schools and federal offices) in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr,’s Birthday… but seeing as how this was a British study.. you get the picture. Perhaps this will explain why I’m feeling abnormally depressed and out-of sorts today (especially since I don’t get today off).
Anyway.. Working out has been better since I got the gym membership. I’ve been trying to hit the gym for swim and/or weights and Stairmaster about 3 to 4 times per week. Haven’t been back to running since my legs are still hurting (I’ve self diagnosed my shin-splints to be caused be overuse and jumping back into running to fast too soon on the treadmill). I’ve decided to give it time to heal up before I aggravate the injury further. FINALLY got back on my mountain bike this weekend since BEFORE the holidays…
It took a lot of energy to hold up the bike against the wind..
Minh and I took an “easy” ride up Maple Springs to Four Corners. I was DYING… so we decided to turn around there. It was actually a beautiful day for a ride, and I’m very happy that we went, but was a little disheartened that I wasn’t able to go further or faster. Looks like I have a lot of building I need to do to be ready for Traverse in May.
I tried to smile.. but was very tired..
The rest of the weekend was spent recovering and getting errands run. Tested out the BOB trailer on the back of my road bike (since the skewer was not long enough for the mountain bike)…
Testing out the BOB trailer
Pretty cool, huh?
And.. I’ve paired down the race schedule a bit because I’m not nearly as ready as I wanted to be at this point, and feel like removing some races will make me better at the ones I really want to do well in. So.. Mostly, I’ve elminated most of the Kenda Cup West races, with the exception of Bonelli because it’s close. Since the real focus this year is Xterra and Traverse, I want to make sure that I’m ready and in tip-top shape for those.
Hopefully my sad state-of-mind will end when the saddest day of the year is over.. till then.. HAPPY MONDAY!
I love watching movies.. and all kinds, too. Dramas, documentaries, comedies, suspense thriller, horror, independent, etc etc.. I’ll watch them all. Minh doesn’t LOVE movies as much as I do.. actually, I often think that he only watches movies because I want to watch movies. He gets sleepy/lazy afterwards, which does not make for a fun Minh.
Some of my favorite movies to watch are the ones that inspire me to go out and do something… and when I say “do something”, I’m not talking about saving the world or making a difference. I’m talking about going out to climb a mountain, sign up for a ridiculous race, run the “Best Race Ever” , bike hundred of miles across the state/country/continent…. you get the picture. So.. here’s a quick list of some of those movies that make me want to go out and do something… Maybe it’ll inspire you to go out and do something this year!
No surprise that this movie would make the cut of inspirational films. The Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race is on EVERY mountain bikers’ bucket list. I like watching the pro/elite race just like everyone else, but the real inspiration comes from the “normal” people riding that grueling 100 miles. The ones that have been doing it for years on the same bike with the same helmet and the same outfit.. or the ones that bounced back from something terrible only to make the 12 hour cut-off for that coveted belt buckle. Whoever you’re cheering for, watching the movie will either make you want to go out and ride or make you think people are CRAZY for putting themselves through that kind of hell. Me? It definitely makes me want to go out and RIDE!
The Great Divide Race usually solicits a response along the lines of: “Are you CRAZY? Do you want to DIE?!?!?” No, I’m not crazy.. and YES.. someday I would like to die.. but until then, I want to have fun and go on adventures. This is one of those adventures that I want to go on. Maybe not the entire race (which is completely solo and self-sufficient), but accomplish chunks of the race over time. How fun would it be to say that you rode your bike through the middle of the country.. BY YOURSELF!!! Best part about this race (if I ever do muster up enough gumption to actually do it) is that you can take AS LONG AS YOU WANT (I think within reason).
Another documentary about a race that traverses a LONG LONG LONG distance… but this time instead of dividing the country from north to south.. you set off from Coast to Coast… 3000 MILES!! This movie follows the epic journey that is the Race Across America (originally known as the Great American Bike Race, started in 1982).. across the dessert, over the mountains, traversing the Great Plains, grinding up seemingly un-ending switchbacks…. seeing America as few have seen it before. Another film that makes me want to go out and ride.
I had never even heard of Hood to Coast until I watched a trailer for a documentary about it before the 2010 Race Across the Sky showing. But.. like the spirit of the Ragnar Relay, which is really all about the experience and camaraderie and not about the race, Hood to Coast is one of those experiences that lasts a lifetime. From the base of Mount Hood to Seaside Beach, this race traverses all the beauties of Oregon that some people so rarely see. And the race draws all kinds of participants, from the elites and seasoned veterans out to win to the newbies just out for a challenge and a good time. The movie is not only enjoyable for hardcore runners who want to be inspired for their next challenge, but also non-runners who will gain a little more understanding on the craziness that drives someone to run a 5k, 10k, marathon, or ultra.
Steering away from the documentaries… here’s a HILARIOUS movie about a normal guy (Simon Pegg) who’s just trying to get his ex (Thandie Newton) back before she makes the mistake of her life by marrying a complete JERK (Hank Azaria). If you’ve ever hit “the WALL”, then you’ll totally relate to this film.. and by the end I wanted to sign up for my first marathon (DONE!).
Speaking of marathons… how about a documentary about one of the BIGGEST marathons in the world? From what I’ve read/heard, THE big marathons to run (and qualify for) are Boston, New York, London and Chicago. This documentary follows the story of six runners (of varying levels of competitiveness) competing in the 2005 Chicago Marathon. It’s not just their story during the marathon itself, but how they prepared, what they’re motivation is, and all the struggles along the way. Having run two marathons (woefully unprepared) myself, I know what it’s like to hit the wall, want to give up, deal with injury, and finding the little bit of strength/will-power left to just keep going. Available on Hulu.
Steering away from races, biking and running, for a moment…. here’s a great story about the will to live and having to make life-or-death decisions in perilous situations. I first watch Touching the Void with my friend Karen. Based on the 1988 book by Joe Simpson, this is a great story about two climbers (Joe Simpson and Simon Yates) and the sacrifices they made during their journey in the Peruvian Andes. I don’t want to give anything away, but tough decisions are made (and nobody dies). Part documentary/interview, part reenactment.
Based on the New York Times Bestseller Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston, this wonderfully filmed movie recounts the life of Aron Ralston and his entrapment in a canyon for… wait for it… 127 hours (go figure). James Franco does an amazing job portraying Aron Ralston and his mental struggle during this ordeal. Another great movie about the will to live.
Not Movies.. but Inspirational Nonetheless
NBC Sports coverage of Ironman World Championships (every year)
Every year, around December, NBC airs a special on the Ironman World Championships. Minh downloaded pretty much every single one that he could find, and I’ve watched all of them since they started doing this special, even the 25th anniversary special (which is the best). I love watching this every year because it reinforces my love for racing. It also makes me feel like a horrible person… I either want to (1) quit my job and train full time so that I can aspire to become a pro (not happening in my lifetime) or (2) hope for a life-altering struggle in which I come back to do something incredible (lose a leg, get a horrible, incurable disease, or the like).. which no one should ever hope for anyone, let alone oneself. But.. seriously.. have you watched this thing.. it’s all about the pros and then the stories of overcoming personal struggle or life’s curveballs. It’s amazing.
I had the privilege of seeing Molly Sheridan speak last year… which made me want to run the Badwater Ultramarathon… SOMEDAY!!! To go from non-runner, to marathoner, to ultramarathoner in such a short time and so late in life…. it’s reminiscent of Michelle Barton (the most kick-ass ultramarathoner out there). Her journey and race was documented in a great short by Justin Yurkanin.
Only 6 days into 2011 and I already need to stop and reflect on my (lack of) training and reset my schedule (meaning, actually make one). The year has started very poorly in terms of training. I had a week off between Christmas and New Years. The plan was to swim each weekday and go for a ride or run after or before my swim session. I swam 3 out of 6 weekdays I had off, rode my bike only 2 days, and ran (on the treadmill) probably 5 or 6 days. I blame it all on the rain and perhaps a little bit on my desire to do other things while off work. Now that the New Year is officially here.. what have I done to help my training?
Jan 1: Slept in from the late night. Woke up and ran errands. Maybe did an hour on the treadmill.
Jan 2: Rain.. no workout.
Jan 3: Ran for 2 hours on the treadmill (rained on and off all morning). Did a good 45 minutes at the pool (kickboard intervals, and 25yd sprint intervals).
Jan 4: Hit up the HB Farmers’ Market.. no workout
Jan 5: 1 hour on treadmill… really really bad aggravated shin splints on left leg.
Answer to the question: NOT MUCH. It’s sad actually. I really want to hop on my mountain bike, but the trails are mostly closed around here due to mudslides and poor conditions (thanks a lot RAIN!). I would love to do some trail running.. or running outside.. but I don’t like running when it’s dark out (especially when I’m by myself), and with these shin splints.. it would almost seem like I need to lay off the running for a week or so. Luckily for me.. Groupon came to the rescue!!!
Yesterday’s Groupon was for 1-month membership to Los Caballeros for only $25. There are two reasons why this is more awesome than a 24 Hour Fitness membership, which has the bonus of being cheaper and more locations:
Los Caballeros is right by my house.. within walking distance, less than a mile – don’t need to drive
Los Cabelleros has a large pool that gets crowded, but has TONS of open lanes – don’t need to share with TWO other people (which is super annoying – splitting lanes is ok)
I’m actually excited to be getting a gym membership again, even if just for a month. Even though I can do weights at home, I usually don’t dedicate as much time to it as I would if I were at the gym. Also, I prefer using the machines than the freeweights I have at home. I’m hoping this will give me a good solid month to build up muscle to prevent injury and get me a bit stronger. It’s also nice that I can swim and then do weights without a big time delay in between.
First race is February 12 with Race #1 of the OC Chili Winter Trail Run Series, but the first MAJOR race is Kenda Cup West #1 – Sagebrush Safari at the end of February. I really want to be prepared for this, which means I need to get back on the bike (Rain, please stay away).. and build up some muscles so I can push harder. Hopefully I’m ready. A month is a long time.. but can also fly by very quickly.
This is my first time being “tagged” on my blog.. heck.. I didn’t even know such a thing existed until Stuart tagged me on Christmas Eve Eve. So.. without further adieu…
1. What are you most proud of accomplishing in 2010?
That’s an easy one.. HANDS DOWN, my biggest and most proud accomplishment of 2010 was finishing Ironman 70.3 California in Oceanside back in March. I was so happy to finish that race, especially with the short experience I had with triathlons and the lack of preparations.
Crossing the FINISH LINE (!!!) of IM 70.3 CA!
The next big and proud accomplishment of 2010 is deciding to torture myself again with another half-iron distance race with even less preparation (if that was even possible).
Not the most graceful of my triathlon performances.. but still a FINISH!
2. What are your running goals for 2011?
I’ve already posted up my race schedule for 2011, but the main running goal isn’t to just finish races. I really want to start being competitive instead of ending up in the middle of the pack (which is still better than the back, but only marginally). So the real running goal for 2011 is to get faster. Key milestones: sub-25 minute 5k (ok.. that’s not THAT fast, but it’s faster than what I can do now) and sub-2 hour half marathon (aiming for 1:45 at Disneyland Half Marathon during Labor Day Weekend).
3. What is your favorite race?
It’s hard to pick a favorite race for 2010 since I did so many. In terms of running, I absolutely LOVED Xterra Trail Race #1 – Point Mugu State Park. That’s one race that affirmed my preference for trail running over street running and made me realize that running is actually fun when the scenery and terrain changes and challenges you.
Awesome course.. and I'll probably come back and do it again!
4. What is your most embarassing running moment?
I’m lucky enough to NOT have had ANY embarrassing running moments to date, let alone in 2011. Although, on a personal note, the San Diego Rock’n'Roll Marathon was pretty much a DISASTER for me. I was grossly unprepared for it (as I have been for most of my 2010 races) which was ok at the start, but escalated quickly from uncomfortable to painful to downright depressing. My legs throbbed and my spirit broke.. I cried.. I almost gave up.. and then somehow I managed to find the will-power to keep going (it mainly had to do with running into my cousins just about when I was ready to throw in the towel).
One of the many "eye-opening" races that told me: "You better be prepared next time!!"
So… that was my first attempt at playing this blog-tagging game… Now it’s my turn to do some tagging…
Elise, Kelly, Skyler, and Allison (you can change it to biking, as that is more applicable)… TAG! YOU’RE IT!
Sometimes I feel like days and weeks move so slowly in the moment, but then out of nowhere months past and we’re at the end of the year… CRAZINESS!
After Friday’s adventure in the mountains, Minh and I headed out yesterday for a nice night ride up Blackstar Canyon (gate-to-gate). It was cold, and got dark fast (as the days are in December). Minh was having a hard time since his legs had not yet fully recovered from Friday’s ride. He ended up having to walk a lot. I took this opportunity to do some sprint and out of the saddle hill “intervals”… stopping occasionally to let him catch up. For a while, I thought we should turn back because he was huffing and puffing and I though he was going to throw-up.. but he stuck it out and we made it to the top.
Made it to the GATE!!!
View from the TOP.. much better in person..
And here's MINH!!!
On the way down, we took it a little easier since it was dark. Even though we were going slower, the darkness actually made me a little bit braver going over rocks and crevices and such. I think it was because I could only see where I was going and couldn’t see all the other things around, so I was a bit more focused. It actually made me think that riding in the dark would actually help improve my (lack of) technical skills because of the added focus.
This nice bit of TRASH was waiting for us at the car... :-/
It was definitely COLD, but the ride was well worth it in the end. We were out for a while because we had to stop a lot, but I still got a good workout.
Since Minh and I weren’t going anywhere near the malls or shopping centers on Black Friday, we headed out to the Santa Ana Mountains for a nice long-ish mountain bike ride. Since we were going for a longer, more difficult ride, Minh said we could take our geared bikes. This meant no work for me since I have two mountain bikes, but loads of work for Minh since he had to convert his singlespeed back to a geared bike by adding a cassette to the back (and all the other stuff that is needed, i.e. shifter.. and then the tuning and adjusting). What was supposed to be a 15 minute job ended up taking about an hour, and Minh ended up giving up. For some reason, he couldn’t get the chainstay adjusted properly, and he was getting very frustrated. Instead, he took his cross bike.. it seemed like an OK idea at the time.. but ended up being a very very very bad idea…
Our planned route was Black Star Canyon – Motorway. This was a good training ride and eye-opener for what to expect for Traverse in May. I’d never ridden this before, so it was definitely a humbling experience.
The first part of the ride was pretty straightforward… head up Black Star Canyon to Beek’s Place. I’ve done this before… easy peezy. The rest of the ride was not so straightforward. After we pass the big white ball, each foot of riding is a foot further that I’ve gone into the Santa Anas, each foot of extra elevation gained is a foot higher I’ve been in Orange County. It was fun and exciting being on my bike and seeing new places, but it was also a little terrifying since I had no idea what to expect and no idea where I was going. It was also a lot of stopping and waiting because Minh’s bike (and legs) stopped working for him and started working against him. The brakes weren’t working so great, so he had to walk most of the downhills. And the easiest gear ratio on his cross bike was still harder than the one on his singlespeed, so he had to walk a lot of the uphills (after his legs died from powering up Black Star Canyon).
No brakes means having to walk the descents...
... or carry the bike down the descents..
... or figure out that it's too heavy to carry that far and just walk..
Eventually, he told me to just go on ahead. So I did. What I didn’t hear him say was to wait for him at the white gate. My plan was to go ahead until I saw the turnoff to head down the mountain and wait for him there. I completely misse the turn and kept going, went past it about 3 miles before a truck came by and told me that Minh was waiting for me eating a sandwich. Lucky for us the truck was on the trail, or else I could have gone on forever (well.. not forever, but a long time). My phone had also died while one the trail, so Minh had NO WAY of contacting me.
here's the trail sign that I COMPLETELY missed...
Here’s what I ended up doing actually riding…
The little "tail" on the right is the "extra bonus" that I biked...
Actually, I ended up having to walk a lot. My quads stopped wanting to climb and my morale was deteriorating fast since there seemed no end to the trail. I went through some emotional ups and downs since I had no idea where I was, no idea where Minh was, no idea where I was supposed to stop, and no one around crossing my path at all. That and I was a little afraid of mountain lions after I saw some tracks. We were EXTREMELY lucky that a truck was out doing trail maintenance work… if not for the truck, I would probably have gone on for 10 miles, stuck in the mountains with no communication and only half a ham and cheese croissant sandwich and some gels. Minh was actually worst off, since he also had no idea where I was and couldn’t ride much (he had also cramped up pretty bad). He waited for me for a while at the white gate, but eventually started walking towards my direction looking for me, stopping every five minutes to yell out my name just in case I had fallen off the trail or gotten hurt. It really freaked him out…
Lesson Learned: Don’t go on ahead… and if I do… make sure I stop at regular intervals to regroup.
I have some goals to hit before the end of the year now that the season is over… Just some small goals to help improve my overall phsyical ability and performance going into 2011…
Improve 5K time to 25 minutes
Be able to do 5 pull-ups
Be able to do 20 push-ups (real ones, not girly ones).
Balance for 1 minute on the wobble board
The goals aren’t incredibly difficult, but being able to reach them will mean that I’m getting harder, better, faster, stronger….
