RUN CARLITOS RUN!

Weekend of January 22, 2012

2012-01-25T01:02:00.000-08:00

We headed into our second week of building some mileage this past weekend. The plan was to do a bike and run on Saturday and then a long run on Sunday but the weather had other plans. It was raining on Saturday morning so that made it a bit dangerous to ride so our coaches decided to switch the days around and instead we ran on this day. 8 miles total was on the schedule. Sunday we hit the bigger mileage and completed a 25 mile bike followed immediately by a 40 minute run. The day was bit cool when we started but turned out to be lovely by the end of the afternoon. I had a solid workout and was very happy with how I felt by the end.

Earlier in the week I completed my swim "marker" that was required by the team and completed a timed 1000 yard swim. I ended up finishing the 1000 yards in 20 minutes and 34 seconds which really surprised me because I expected to be much slower. I don't feel my swim has improved much yet this year, but that's completely my fault. Due to work and overall scheduling I haven't hit the pool as often as I need to in order to improve. January has been much better though and I plan to stay focused from here on out.

Overall it was a solid week and I'm looking forward to the higher mileage that is ahead. It's also time to make my next big push in terms of my fundraising. I've got some ideas for a few events I may put together but still haven't nailed something down. Stay tuned though because I definitely plan to make something happen. Thank you to all who have donated so far. We are over at over $1000 but I won't stop until I reach $4500.

Until next time. Peace...love...and hair grease!

Carlitos

10 Week Update

2012-01-16T23:51:00.001-08:00

Well I've been doing a poor job of keeping up my blog so thought tonight I'd recap the past several weeks. So far we are about 10 weeks into training and things are going well. I'd say I hit a bit of a lull with my training during the holidays but that is pretty normal for most. My fundraising is coming along slowly and I'm chipping away at it. I just surpassed $1,000 about a week ago to hit my first deadline so I am super excited for hitting that milestone. I've committed to raising a minimum of $4,500 by race day in June so now only about $3,500 more to go which I KNOW I can reach. I also recently finally got around to OFFICIALLY registering for the race in June and paying for my own registration. All that is left now is to purchase my flight ticket soon and I'll be all set!

This past weekend I got sick on Saturday so I had to miss practice. I was disappointed for this because our team had its first "physical recommitment" on the bike which I will have to make up for next Saturday. Since the swim, bike and run all have time cut-offs on race day, our coaches are tracking our progress in each and making sure are on track to continue on with our training. For the bike, our coaches want us to be able to complete 25 miles in no more than 2 hours. Having done a few races in the past I'm familiar with my bike times so I should be able to comfortably reach this goal. On Sunday I felt much better so I went out on a run on my own and tracked my progress in order to meet the "physical recommitment" for the run portion. We had to run 90 minutes total and at least have completed a minimum of 7 miles during that time. I was able to complete 9.8 miles over that 90 minute span so I am clear now with the coaches for this event. Later this week at our team practice I will have to complete the physical recommitment for the swim and complete 1000 yards in the pool in no longer than 30 minutes. Quite frankly, I hate swimming so this will be my most difficult event. I've got a lot of work to do in the pool with my mechanics but I should be able to crank out this 1000 yards in no more than about 22-24 minutes...well...hopefully...jaja!

Last weekend on Saturday January 7th our team had its longest practice to date. We completed a 2 hour bike ride followed a by an immediate 20 minute run off the bike. This is the first of many long "bricks" where we will practice getting our legs used to running after being on the bike so long. Below is a quick video of Coach Brad providing some wisdom on recovery beverages as we wrap up our practice.

The week before that we had our unique New Years Day bike ride on January 1, 2012 at 9am. Yes...that is 9am after a long but fun New Years Eve night. I won't go into too many details but I rang in the new years with great friends and had a great time before putting my spinning head to bed at 5am. Two and half hours later I was up and out the door on my way to practice as scheduled. Kids--don't try this at home. A 2 hour bike ride is much more fun with a full night of sleep. :)

I rang in 2012 with a beautiful 2 hour bike ride along PCH from Santa Monica to Malibu and back. The battery on my phone was dying so I was able to capture a few quick seconds in the video below. I wish I could have filmed more of the scenery because the views were spectacular.

Let's rewind back a little over a month and talk about The Las Vegas Marathon on December 4, 2011. This was my 17th full marathon, but one of my most unique. This was the first ever marathon run at NIGHT which made things exciting. In addition, the strip was closed to cars for the runners so I got a chance to run up and down the strip at night--how cool is that. I wish I had taken more pictures but I was out there trying to soak in as much of the experience as possible. I managed a few quick photos and even a quick video clip which you see below.

I look forward to the weeks ahead of training and the challenges that await. It's time to crank things up a notch and make it HAPPEN!

Thanks for reading. GO TEAM!

IronTEAM 2012: First Team Bike Practice

2011-11-21T23:56:00.000-08:00

Saturday 11/19/2011:
Hawaii Ironman 70.3

So I'm BACK! Excited to be back supporting Team In Training and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. After 14 month break from triathlons I'm itching to get back into the swing of things. I am signed up for the Hawaii Half Ironman Triathlon on June 2, 2012. This race will consist of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run. Seven long months of training lie ahead but I am excited for the journey that awaits me.

I'm also committed to raising $4,500 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society(LLS) as part of this journey. This is an organization that has become a part of my life over the past 5 years and I will not stop raising much needed dollars and spreading awareness until we find a cure.

In the video below I briefly describe the first fundraising event I have in the works. I plan to organize a yard sale in early January where 100% of the proceeds will go to LLS. I'm collecting items from all my family and friends to sell at this event so if you are reading this and have some items lying around your house that you don't need...give me a shout. I plan to have many more fundraising events in the months ahead so I will keep you posted.

On this day, we had our first team bike ride and met at Dockweiler Beach for a calm 90 minute ride. This was only my second bike ride in 14 months so I definitely had a lot of cobwebs to clean out. The morning was great. The ride was awesome. The excitement of a new season and journey was certainly in the air. Let's do this!

Carlitos

Week 8: 12 Mile Run

2011-04-03T21:27:00.000-07:00

This morning we had a magnificent run with the Westside Marathon Team. After a few weeks of rainy weather, we finally had a perfect morning of sunshine for a smooth run. This week our mileage was up to 12 miles, our highest of the season so far and for many participants on our team, this was the highest mileage they have EVER run. It was awesome to see them all reach new highs and break new barriers. I ran with the ladies of group 4 today and we had a great time together. We ran, talked, we even sang. It was good times. Following our run, we even took a quick dip in the Pacific Ocean to recover a bit. Icing your legs and knees is usually a great way to recover after a long run so dipping in the freezing water was a great way to simulate cold of an ice bath. Great morning all the way around. Can't wait to tackle 14 miles next week and see our team reach newer highs.

I'm BACK! Just thought it was time to BLOG again

2011-03-29T22:30:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but tonight I thought it would be a good idea to dust off my blog and get this puppy going again. It's been about 8 months or so since my last post so definitely about time to get shaking again. No Ironman triathlon to train for this year. Instead focusing on my running and striving to quailify for the Boston Marathon. Yes...the holy land for all marathon runner...BOSTON. It will be tough but I'm gonna give it my best shot this year. Currently I'm training for the San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon on June 5th with the Team In Training's Westside Marathon Team and having a BLAST. More to come later but here are just a few pictures and video of the season so far. Glad to be BACK!

100 Mile Bike Ride!

2010-07-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

July 24, 2010 Training

Today our team met in Long Beach to complete our 100 mile bike ride. We rode from Long Beach south on PCH for 50 miles. I made it all the way down towards just before Camp Pendleton before turning around and heading back. I had a pretty good ride and this definitely built some confidence for our race in just over a month. 100 mile bike rides are never easy but you want to be able to finish them with enough energy so that you can be prepared to run immediately afterwards. I finished feeling good and energized so it looks like my nutrition on my ride was dialed in. After finishing our ride our team got to hang out along the small beach where we met and got to unwind for a bit.

On Sunday, I was able to complete my 16 mile run in Santa Monica. I had a GREAT run and completed it in about 2 hrs 30 min. The weather was fantastic and the scenery along the beach was marvelous. Unfortunately I had to miss out on my swim so I only completed one out of my two workouts on the schedule.

Next week is another big one...another 100 mile bike on Saturday followed by 18 mile run on Sunday. Race day only about a month away so it's GAME time now folks. See ya next time!

Below are some pictures from my afternoon in Long Beach before and after my long bike ride:

Happy 4th of JULY!!!!

2010-07-05T16:08:00.001-07:00

So the only way the Ironteam knows how to celebrate a long holiday weekend is to go on a nice long bike ride. This past Saturday our team met in Camarillo for a hilly 85 mile bike ride through the mountains of Malibu. We started in Camarillo, biked down toward PCH, then headed up Muholland Canyon all the way to Encinal Canyon. That Mulholland/Encinal loop was some tough climbing, but guess what, we did it a second time after that before heading back north on PCH to Camarillo. It was a rough ride with those two loops of climbs on Mulholland but that is exactly what our legs need to build strength for race day. The weather was fairly cool and the sun did not creep out until the very last hour or so of the ride. Overall, I completed the 85 miles in just under 6 hours...5 hrs 55 min to be exact. I was pretty much wiped out after this practice so my Saturday night consisted of sleep, sleep and more sleep. Sunday morning we had to keep the momentum going and completed a 12 mile run and 60 minute swim. By noon I was finished and finally had the time to enjoy the holiday weekend. Great training weekend overall. Sounds like a crazy amount of training I know but I really enjoy it and had a blast hanging out with my team.

Happy 4th of July peeps!

Videos from the past few weeks of practice with the IronTeam

2010-06-23T00:06:00.000-07:00

Wildflower Half Ironman 2010

2010-05-03T21:42:00.000-07:00

What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time I had just finished my first Half Ironman at Wildflower and I was on cloud nine with my performance. I crushed it with a very respectable 6 hrs 52 minute finish time and I felt GREAT! This year, it was a bit rougher. My training all season has been mediocre at best due to long hours at work which has made completing all my midweek workouts a huge challenge. Last year my training was a "10" out of 10. This year at has been about a "6" or "7" at best. This little thing called LIFE has kind of gotten in the way of my training regiment. Here is a not so short summary how my afternoon went on May 1, 2010 at the "one and only Avia Wildflower Triathlon":

Pre-race: Woke up a 5:30am in my tent after driving in the night before at 11pm. While the rest of my team had been camping, resting and pre-race prepping for the prior 2 days, I was stuck in LA at work until Friday at 5pm. It was work, a 5+ hour drive to Paso Robles, straight to bed at 11:30pm and up at 5:30am to race. Although I woke up tired, I still had tons of adrenaline running through my body. I was just happy to be back together with my team. All felt right in the universe again. Two quick peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and the usual morning Coca-Cola and I was ready to bike down to the race start.

Swim: 1.2 miles.
Time = 49:31

Before the swim and in transition I was very calm. This whole experience was familiar to me now so I felt no need to worry. I knew I would be able to finish this race. I knew the course very well so my attitude was just to have fun and cheer on my teammates.

The swim itself was pretty uneventful. It is my weakest event and also the event I have neglected the most with this season's training...and it showed. My overall time was only 20 seconds faster than a year ago. Basically, in one year I have not improved a lick...LOL! I'm OK with that because I've gotten out of my swim exactly what I have put into it this year, and that is not very much training. With more focus and actual effort, I know I can improve my swim time dramatically.

Swimming out was pretty annoying because I was trying to sight off the big orange buoys but all I would see when I put my head up was a big orange glare called THE SUN. The glare was frustrating. I couldn't really see where I was going so I just did my best to follow the crowd of swimmers in front of me. The swim always feels like an eternity in my mind and I thought to myself that I was definitely swimming slower than I was last year. I ran out of the water and saw 49 minutes on my watch, exactly what I swam the year before. I kind of laughed and just told myself, "well, at least you are consistent".

Bike: 56 miles
Time = 3hrs 54 minutes

Last year my bike splits never got posted so I don't know exactly what I biked. Unofficially on my own watch I believe I biked close to a 3:30 so this year I went backwards.

Lots went wrong on my bike. I first knew I was in trouble when I left transition to get on the bike course and I realize I was totally tired and winded already. That is not how I felt last year. I knew at that moment my lack of rest the week before had caught up to me. Then going up Beach Hill at about mile 3 my bike started making this horrible noise every time I changed gears. Then, each time I'd switch from my big gear to my small gear, the chain would pop off my wheel. Overall, my chain fell off the bike a total of 8 times during the whole afternoon. For you not familiar with biking, that is NOT supposed to happen. I had other bikers pass me and politely ask me..."ummmm, is your bike ok" or "ummmm, I don't think your bike is supposed to be making that noise". Yes, I already knew this people. No need to remind me. The only thing that helped was to know I wasn't crazy and had validation from other riders that something was wrong with my bike. In a nutshell, every time I would switch gears, the chain would skip about two gears down. It kept skipping and honestly, I was waiting for the whole darn thing to fall apart at any minute. From early on in the bike course, I told myself it would be a success just to finish the ride still in one piece.

I rode cautiously the entire time and tried to focus on the positives and not the negatives. Who cares if my time would not be where I wanted it to be? Who cares if my time this year would be slower than last year? Who cares that I was frustrated to be tired so early in the afternoon? I focused on how lucky I was to be in the beautiful mountains that surrounded me. I focused on the encouraging cheers from bikers all around me. I focused on just trying to have fun and GET IT DONE. The biggest hill of the day was Nasty Grade and honestly, I thought it was pretty ok. Not as bad as I remember it to be so that gave me some confidence that I had done something right with my training. I hustled in for the last 14 miles after Nasty Grade and was excited to get going on my favorite event...THE run

Run: 13.1 Miles
Time = 2 hrs 31 min

Similar to the bike, I don't know what my run time last was because it never was posted but I estimate it was about 2 hrs or so. Last year I remember CRUSHING the run. This year, more issues. As soon as I got onto the run course, my lower back began to hurt. That darn lower back pain has been bothering me for a few years now. Some races I feel great and no pain from it. Other races it just has this shooting pain that makes it hard to run full speed. Another thing that bothered and that I have never experienced before was the super increased heart rate I noticed coming from my chest. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest during that first mile and it kind of scared me. It definitely felt NOT normal and I realized that I was also short of breath. I've never experienced either of these things in years and years of running. By now it was pretty hot so I decided to pull it back and just take it easy for this run. The combo of my aching back and crazy heart rate scared me so I knew early on I was going to coast on my run. I figured it was the lack of rest and crazy heat that had my body acting strange. I feel great now so hopefully I never feel that again on a run.

The run was frustrating and slow. Well, it was slow by my personal standards but know overall it turned out ok. I walked about half of it because of my back and was afraid to get my heart acting crazy again. I was kept company by my teammate Terry for most of it because he was also having back issues. He would pass me down the hills and on the flats. I would pass him on the uphills and on a few short running spirts. I also was motivated when I saw one of our honored teammates, Gordie, around mile 3 of the run. He looked a bit tired and I gave him a quick high five to hopefully encourage him a bit. I asked him how he felt and he told me he rolled his ankle early that morning and now it was bothering him. I walked with him for a few moments to make sure he was OK but he just told me to keep going. He was powering through it and NOTHING was going to stop him. It was super inspiring to see him push through all his discomfort. GO GORDIE! Here I was trying to encourage him but instead he left me with some much needed energy.

I finished the run pretty comfortable and coasted to the finish area, looking forward to seeing my teammates.

Final race time = 7 hrs 23 minutes

Final Thoughts:

Overall, this year was pretty rough. I had nothing go wrong last year and had tons go wrong this year. But that is what makes this sport so addicting and exciting. You always have to overcome new obstacles and no two races are ever the same. As much as it was painful, uncomfortable and frustrating, it was equally AWESOME! I don't know what it is about pain but I love it...lol! What is great about triathlons is you have to learn that the key is not to focus on what goes wrong with your day, but to instead learn to focus on how you are going to REACT to what goes wrong. Something will always go wrong in race so long so you just better be prepared to how you are going to deal with it. Do you sit and cry? Or do you push through? Do you complain and blame everything around you? Or do you find a solution and manage to complete the journey you started? It's just like life. Focus on the solution and not on the problem itself. I love it.

The finish line was AWESOME again for the second year in a row. No other team that I know does what Westside Ironteam does and waits for every single teammmate to cross the finish line. Until the very end, we waited for the very LAST competitor of the race to finish. We had a crazy long tunnel that we formed and cheered our brains off. Awesome I tell you. You kind of just had to be there to truly understand what I am describing.

My experience this year has been so rewarding in a different way as a returning member and staff member. Although my personal race didn't' go as planned, it was OK because so many of my teammates had GREAT races. Watching all my first year teammates cross the finish was amazing. It's like I could look at their faces, see the look in their eyes and know EXACTLY what they were feeling because it was what I felt the year before. It felt like I didn't cross the finish line once on Saturday, but instead I got to experience it dozens of times over and over again through their experiences. Like my teammate Kevin Smetts, I am not embarrassed to admit I got misty-eyed a few times watching my teammates finish.

At one point during my run I was feeling pretty crappy. My back issues. My tired legs. That hot sun SLAPPING me in the face. I had that low moment where I asked myself, "why am I doing this again? Why am I signing up for these things voluntarily to just endure pain?" As soon as I got to finish line I was brought back to reality on why I keep coming back. It is because of my incredible teammates and the incredible lessons they teach me. There is NO team out there like the Westside L.A. IRONTEAM and I am proud to say I'm a member of such a fantastic family.

GO TEAM!

PV Loop

2010-01-26T00:03:00.000-08:00

Saturday 1.23.10

BIKE: 40 Miles

This past weekend we trained on Saturday in beautiful Palos Verdes. It was pouring rain all week long but I think the gods know the IronTeam trains on Saturdays so skies were clear BLUE on this day. It was lovely.

We started the morning with a nutrition clinic/talk from Coach Paul and Rad. I'll get in more details in future entries but bottom line, nutrition is the most important part of our training. MORE important than our training so today the coaches taught us exactly what we should be consuming per hour during our Ironman event.

Following the nutrition talk, we headed out to conquer the famous "PV Loop". The PV Loop is a 20 mile route looping along PV Drive. It has hills and switch backs during the steep decent but the views are AMAZING. It is one of those things that I could describe all day long but honestly, you kind of just had to be there for yourself. Following the first loop of the bike course our team had to check in back at the parking lot and we surprised the participants with a tire changing pit stop. I had the pleasure of bursting everyone's bubble and letting the air out of the tires of some participants as they entered the parking lot. I got many stares full of daggers. I felt bad having to let the air out of their tires but it had to be done and every participant had to do one tire change before heading out on the second loop. I hung around the parking lot for about 45 minutes and tried to help of few of the teammates but the idea was to make every participate do it for themselves. It is the only way to really learn so my job was to assist a little bit, but not do any tire changes for them.

Following the tire change pit stop, I headed out for loop # 2 and cruised in with a comfortable ride. All together, just a little over 40 miles and another successful ride in the books.

Sunday 1.24.10
RUN 90 minutes

and

SWIM 1600 yards

Sunday morning I slept in until about 10am because I was one tired dude. I did my 90 minute run in Santa Monica around 11am and then came back for a quick lunch. After catching a little bit of playoff football, I headed to the Santa Monica Swim Center for my swim sets. Nothing exciting. Just swimming. I still feel like I need a lot of work to improve but I know this season I can really make some progress with the experience I have from last season. Below are some quick pictures of the swim center.

That's it for now. Until next time.

Work on Saturday and Make Up Bike Ride on Sunday

2010-01-19T01:24:00.000-08:00

Saturday January 16, 2010

60 Minute Run

Today I had to go to work. Yes, the insurance business is indeed hoppin for the new year so I had to go in on a Saturday and sell sell sell. Work caused me to miss practice with the team so I had to switch my days around. While the team did a 2.5 hour bike ride in Malibu, I worked from 10am to 4pm and went for a nice 60 minute run in Pasadena after leaving the office. The plan was to do Sunday's run on Saturday and make up today's bike ride on Sunday morning on my own. I shortened the 90 minute run to only 60 minutes because I didn't want to wear out my legs too much for tomorrow's ride.

Sunday January 17, 2010

2.5 Hour Bike Ride (about 40 miles)

and

Swim (2,000 Yards)

My buddy Seth was kind enough to join me for my ride today so I wouldn't be alone. We had a great ride together keeping up a comfortable pace. I met Seth at the corner of Ocean and San Vicente at 8am after biking from my apartment to our meeting spot. I live near SM Blvd and Bundy so it was about 20 minute ride, or warm up as I like to view it, before heading out on the real ride with Seth.

Seth and I rode north on PCH for 1 hr 15 min and then just turned around and came back the same way. We made it all the way to Zuma Beach which is further than I had expected in my mind. The weather was great and we had a terrific ride.

After finishing our ride I had to get back home to change and pick up my swim gear. I grabbed a quick bite to eat and then went over to 24 Hr Fitness to get my swim ON. 2,000 yards worth of drills today. Kind of boring. That is my overall feeling everytime I swim so nothing new today. I was pooped after both these workouts today and took a big LONG afternoon nap before heading down to visit moms and pops in the South Bay for some family time...and yummy home cooking too. Weekend over and OUT!

Westlake Village: HILL Training Continues

2010-01-19T00:44:00.000-08:00

Saturday January 9, 2010

30 Mile Bike (about 2 hours) followed immediately by a 10 Minute Run

I remember doing this course for the first time last year. It is tough course if you are a newbie, but very doable. By now, I've done this course numerous times over the past year so it is not very tough anymore. However, we knew it would be a challenge for all the new folks on our team. Overall our team rocked it today. Everyone made it and everyone succeeded. We had 4 different people crash today but the good news is nobody was seriously injured. Below are pictures of one of my mentees, David Hamer, who had a nasty fall and is showing off his battle scars:

Following the bike ride with did a quick 10 minute run immediately off the bike. Our first BRICK RUN of the season. Ten minutes may not seem like a lot but it is important to get your legs used to the feeling of running right after you get done with a long bike ride. As the season continues, we will build on these brick runs by running 10, then 20, then 30 minutes and so on. Great practice today. I had a blast.

First Training Weekend of the NEW DECADE!

2010-01-18T23:58:00.000-08:00

Saturday January 2, 2010

Bike Ride: Hill Training doing 3 Amalfi Loops

Saturday January 2, 2010 was our first team practice of the new decade. We met at the corner of Ocean and San Vicente in Santa Monica for a team bike ride. Today we were going to tackle the Amalfi Loop. This is a very common loop in SM with a few hills to tackle. For many on our team, this would be the first time really doing some hills so I know it would feel tough for some of the newbies on our team. I remember doing this course for the first time last year and it kicked my butt. There are only two main hills on the course that are really not that bad, but if it is your first time exploring hills, while at the same time you are still trying to get comfortable with how your bike actually works, then it is pretty challenging.

I was able to complete three loops of the course and mainly took it easy, trying to help out as much of the team as possible. I could relate so much to some of the folks struggling on the hills because it is exactly what occured to me for my first Amalfi Loop. My thighs burned. I was out of breath. I even had to walk my bike half way up one of the hills because I climbed it in the wrong gear. U remember the frustration very vividly. Today, I could see the same frustration in many of their faces and tried to just encourage as much as I could. Overall the team did great and we had a successful first practice of the new year.

Sunday January 3, 2010

60 Minute Run and Swim 1600 Yards

Today I decided to do my run by joining my pals on the TNT Winter Marathon Team. Their team is training for the Arizona Rock N Roll Marathon so this week they were doing 12 miles. I only joined for 8 of them since our schedule today only called for a 60 minute run. It was fun. A lot of goofing off as you can see from the videos below.

And here is the end of my run.

Following my run today I headed over to 24 Hour Fitness to get my swim sets in. 1600 yards worth of drills today. I'm feeling much better in the pool this year. Don't get me wrong, I still have TONS of work to do but I am just not as intimidated by the swim this year like I was last year. Great workouts today. Great start this entire weekend to what is sure to be an awesome year of training in 2010.

Goodbye Blog #1...The Impossible was REACHED and so now we dig further.

2009-11-23T01:35:00.000-08:00

Below is my title and description of last season's blog. I'm BACK for another one. I can't explain it. My life is not complete unless I keep training for more triathlons. Stay posted...I plan to update this blog soon with my early thoughts on the new training season. GO TEAM!

Making the Impossible....POSSIBLE!

This is my first blog EVER and it will document my quest to become an IRONMAN. I WILL complete the Vineman Ironman Triathlon on August 1, 2009 in Sonoma, California. Experience this great journey with me and keep up with my successes, failures, pain, tears (of happiness I hope), frustration and shameless JOY over the next 9 months as I tackle one of the toughest endurance events in the world: THE IRONMAN TRIATHLON 2.4 mile Swim / 112 mile Bike / 26.2 mile Run. LET'S ROCK!

THE FINISH LINE!

2009-08-24T00:22:00.001-07:00

RACE REPORT: I AM AN IRONMAN! Hear About It In This Lonnnnnnnnnnnnnng Race Report! (you should grab a drink and some snacks...it's long)

2009-08-14T02:43:00.000-07:00

Sat August 1, 2009:

My alarm went off at 3:30am and I was ready to go. We had to be in the hotel lobby to leave on the buses to the swim start at 4:30am. I had a hard time falling asleep the night before. I went to bed at 9:30pm but I know I didn’t fall asleep until at least 11:30pm. I was definitely anxious and my mind was spinning. I remember lying in bed and noticing how fast and hard my heart was pounding. Although I felt very confident about being able to cover each individual portion of the triathlon, I think what had me uncertain was doing them all together in one day. That’s a whole different story so that is why I think I was uneasy. I had swam over 2 miles numerous times in the pool, had biked nearly 4 century rides and ran many marathons over the years…I know I could do each one but had never put them all together. Yikes! I also learned something new about myself…that I am a control freak. I realized I kept worrying about the things I couldn’t control. I was confident in my ability, but worried about the unknown. The main thing on my mind was my bike. What if my chain broke on the ride? What if I hit a pothole and bent my wheel? What if I had more than 2 flat tires (I only carry two spare tires and 2 CO2 cartridges on my bike)? What if...what if…what if…what if????? It was driving me crazy. I realized I could control my results in the swim, I could control my destiny in the run, but on the bike there was an element of helplessness. On the bike I could physically feel fantastic with all the energy in the world but IF I had any mechanical problems, my opportunity to become an Ironman would be over. I did my best to try and put aside the unnecessary worry and get to sleep. Somehow, I managed to zone out and get the much needed rest.

6:30am-Swim Start

The horn sounds and the swimmers are OFF! For this race, it is a floating start, meaning you start your swim already in the water and just floating there until it is time. I made sure to get towards the back of the pack because I know I am a slow swimmer. As the swimming began, I was happy to notice there was very little chaos around me. I was expecting a little more of bumping into people and possible kicks to the heads or elbow s to my sides. I remember the words of Coach Paul the night before to TRUST that we were one of the most prepared people out there. That if you looked at other people, to NOT be intimidated and feel like you were not ready…because we WERE ready. Well, about 5 minutes into the swim, Coach Paul’s words came true. I was just beginning to catch my stride when out of the corner of my left side I noticed a swimmer floating there on his back. He was totally facing the wrong direction and paddling with his hands while on his back. He was doing “The Allan Matus” backstroke! He was definitely in panic mode and it was only 5 minutes into the race. I don’t mean this to sound mean, but that gave me some confidence. Seeing somebody else struggle made me feel better about where I was because I am NOT a swimmer, yet I was moving forward without any anxiety. I knew at this moment that Coach Paul was right…I WAS ready. It didn’t matter what others around me were doing. I was trained, I was ready and I had to just focus on MY game plan. To even confirm further that I was doing OK, about 10 minutes after seeing that first swimmer, I noticed another swimmer on my right side doing this breath stroke/doggy paddle type thingy. He was not swimming freestyle like he should have. That fella was also struggling big time. Again, the struggles of another fellow triathlete provided me confidence. What is wrong with me???? I guess I am just heartless.

The 2.4 mile swim for this race consists of 2 loops. You swim down the river for 0.6 miles and then turn around and swim back for 0.6 miles to the start. Then, you just repeat the same loop a second time. I remember about half way to the first turn-around point (about 0.3 miles in) I was actually PASSING some swimmers. You don’t understand...this NEVER happens to me. 9 months ago I was spitting up chlorine water in a 4 ft pool struggling to swim one lap and now I was passing fools?????? Hell had frozenth over. Of course there were tons of speed demon swimmers in front of me too, but I just felt good knowing at this point that I wasn’t the slowest male in the entire river.

There are some points in the water where it is super shallow. At the first 0.6 mile turn-around I looked up and I saw 4 guys walking on water. I only have a quick second each time I turn to breathe and in one of those seconds it looked like Jesus was walking on water. The water was so shallow at that section of the course that these 4 really TALL guys were walking with water barely to their knees. I realized this looked like fun so I stood up myself and walked around the buoy. This was the first time I actually took a minute to enjoy myself and I yelled out to the other swimmers also walking…”Come on BITCHES…we’re doing IT! We’re DOING IT!!” I had fun for that quick second and then dove back into the water to push on.

My personal goal for the swim was to complete it in at least 90 minutes. I purposely did not want to look at my watch. I only looked at it once at the midway point…it read 46 minutes. I was just a little behind my goal but not too bad. I felt good because swimming is not my thing. I was waiting to get tired but it never happened. I actually feel like I got stronger with every stroke. As I was close to finishing and heading to shore I was SO excited. Somehow completing a 2.4 mile swim excites me more than completing the entire 140.6 miles because of the huge improvements I have made in such a short time. I got to the shore, looked at my watch and it read 1hr 29 min…WOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO! I had actually negative split that sucker! WOW! I was riding on cloud nine as I entered transition. My worst event was over and I had surpassed my goal.

112 Mile Bike:

The course consists of two 56 mile loops. Our team rode this exact course about a month earlier for our training so I was familiar with what to expect. The main difference was it was 104 degrees that day and I was EXHAUSTED by mile 70. Today we were lucky and the weather was perfect…even overcast and cold for the first 2 hours of my bike. My biggest obstacle is I tend to go too hard early and then I fade. Today I wanted to work on that. I had a great first loop. I looked at my watch and it read 3 hrs 20 min…that was WAY ahead of my anticipated time. I thought I’d finish my bike in about 7hrs 30min but I was on pace for sub 7. I felt great but now I knew I had to tone it down a bit so as to not bonk.

The highlight of my bike ride came at about Mile 90. I was on Chalk Hill Road and knew the major hill of the race, Chalk Hill, was near. By this point in the ride it starts to get uncomfortable. Your ass gets numb. Your shoulders begin to ache. Slight knee pains begin to creep. And you get a bit bored too. Come on...it’s 6 hours on the bike by this point. I’m biking and noticing I’m starting to slow a bit and I hear honking. I turn to my left and there is my friend Javier and his wife Claudia in their truck driving alongside me. They were honking like crazy, shouting and had a video camera out of the window filming me. It was GREAT! I was so shocked to see them. This was NOT part of the game plan. Javier is one of my best friends from LA and he drove up all the way up from LA that very morning at 3am. The plan was that he was going to meet me at mile 56 and then go straight to the run to catch me there. Well, I got to mile 56 and no Javier. I figured he just didn’t make it on time or something and didn’t worry about it much. Well, while their truck rode alongside me for a few minutes, they explained to me what had happened. Javier told me that he did go to Mile 56 but jussssssssst missed me by 5 minutes. Disappointed that I had already come through he decided to drive ahead and try to catch me at mile 75, which I didn’t know he was going to do so I wasn’t looking for him, and apparently he missed me there too. I was JAMMIN people…apparently I can out-ride a truck…LOL! Anyways, Javier is a stubborn beast so he just decided to drive the entire course until he found me. And HE DID! How cool is that! He found me at mile 90 and caught me COMPLETELY by surprise. Sometimes you just need a little something to get you going in a long race like Ironman and this did it for me. I felt like it was Tour De France or something. Javier had gone to a lot of trouble to find me and it gave me a huge boost of energy. I didn’t want to disappoint. Coaches probably won’t like hearing this but I GUNNED it for the last 15 miles of the race when I probably should have slowed it down to prepare for the run. I couldn’t do it…I just had too much adrenaline running through me after I saw Javier and Claudia on the course. I finished the bike ride in my FASTEST ride of the entire season…6 hrs 50min. A new PR on race day…how about that!

Ooops…one last highlight I forgot to mention. I had to pee pretty bad during the second loop of the bike. I held it in for like 30 minutes but then I couldn’t hold it anymore. In this race you get disqualified if you go to the bathroom anywhere other than the port-o-potties at the aid stations. Well, I couldn’t hold it anymore and I had no clue how far ahead the next aid station was, so….I had to do it. I went #1 on my bike. HA…gross you say? No….liberating is what I say. Don’t knock it till you try it. This blog entry is far too long right now so I’ll spare you the details. If you want to hear more about it….just ask me the next time u see me. Or ask Allan…he was riding next to me and witness this glorious event.

26.2 Mile Run

By the time I started the run I had already surpassed both my goals for the swim and the bike. I began my run at about 8 hrs 30 min and I knew it was over…I WAS AN IRONMAN!! I was so ahead of plan that I could technically bonk NOW and walk all 26.2 miles and still make the 16 hr cut-off. You know, they say that you don’t truly feel excited about finishing a race when you cross the finish line, but instead you feel excited at the POINT IN THE RACE where your mind KNOWS you can make it to that finish line. That point where you know without a doubt that you will make it to the finish. For me that point and moment came as I put my bike on the rack and laced up my running shoes. All my worries were gone. I realized at that moment that today, I WAS GOING TO BE AN IRONMAN! From here on out I just wanted to stay steady and enjoy the rest of my day on the run.

I ended up running about 20 miles of the marathon with my buddy Allan. We both felt sluggish for the first 8.7 mile loop. By the second loop we both felt a little better but each of us started feeling some aches. My knees were hurting and my hamstrings were stiffening up. Allan’s feet were just hurting. We tried to keep each other motivated and had fun seeing all our teammates along the course. By about mile 20 Allan had a bit more juice left in him than me and that sucker took off. I couldn’t keep up with him. My pride said keep up with him, but the other part of me said to just not worry about it and enjoy the rest of the time I had left. I honestly felt like I had nothing left to prove anymore and I was SO SO SO happy with my swim and bike times that it allowed me a cushion on the run. I used those last 6 miles alone to remember all the reasons I was doing this. I thought about all the people who inspired me. I thought about our honored teammate Kyle. I thought about my friend Javier and his mom who is ill. I thought about the Fantazier family who is going through a tough time right now. I thought about all the emails and msgs received in the weeks leading up to my race. I thought about a lot of things. Far too many things to describe in this blog. It would take all day to describe what I was thinking. I felt blessed to have this experience and lucky to be where I was.

Highlights of the run included all the familiar faces awaiting me at the end of each loop (oh yeah…forgot to explain that…this run consists of three 8.7 mile loops). I saw the coaches and captains. I saw Allan’s family cheering for me. Steve’s wife Dee was cheering. I saw Efren, Foofie and Sara all cheering. There was Carlos C.’s posse rooting for me along the sidewalk. Friends Allison and Marcela were even cheering me on with special signs. That was pretty cool. Allison and Marcela had a different sign for me for each loop. Loop one said “Untz Untz”…that made me laugh.”Untz Untz” is kind of an inside joke that a bunch of our friends have back home so it def brought a smile to my face. Loop two there were three signs that said “Go Los Go” written on three female bodies drawn on each sign. It is hard to describe here but the signs were…let’s say…interesting. I’ll try to get pictures of them but they were great. I even stopped and paused for a quick picture at loop two because I wanted to just enjoy every moment. I cruised in and finished my run with a hard sprint for the last 100 yards. Final run time: 4 hrs 53 minutes.

Carlitos is an IRONMAN!!!!!! Total Race Time: 13 hrs 26 min

At the finish line there were all my teammates waiting for me. Hugs in every direction. I had for months thought that this moment of crossing the finish line would be more emotional. Instead I felt like it was a dream. I felt like it was just another long training day in the books. It was quite a surreal experience. I was definitely happy and proud. I spent the rest of the evening there waiting for all my teammates to finish. Our team is a family so we leave nobody behind. The day ended by about midnight and my first Ironman was in da books.

CLOSING THOUGHTS On This Entire Experience:

So I’m writing this race report almost two week after completing my Ironman. It is still sinking in. I am getting over my bout with“PIDS” this week. PIDS stands for Post-Ironman Depression Syndrome. Sound crazy??? Okay…maybe I’m exaggerating a bit but I did feel odd these past two weeks. Definitely felt a bit empty. I felt sad that the ride is over. It’s really kind of hard to explain unless you are one of my teammates. Think about it? For nine whole months I have had one single day circled on my calendar. That date is the thing around which much of my life has revolved around for a very long time. I’ve spent a lot of time and energy thinking, planning, scheduling, preparing, eating, sleeping, mixing powders and packing for training. And now the date has come and gone. Now what? I figure getting my thoughts out there on this blog would be a good start. Here goes nothing.

Race day was amazing. I’m going to say it right now and I hope nobody wants to punch me in the face, but I thought the Ironman was kind of easy. There…I said it. I didn’t think it was that bad at all. Trusssssssssst me. I know how crazy that statement sounds. I was expecting the worst pain in my life, the most fatigue I have ever felt and mental agony. None of that occurred. I had no idea how I was going to get this sucker done 9 months ago and now I’m calling it “easy”. There are only two explanations to why I could even consider using that adjective to describe my Ironman. #1…I’m just a freak of nature and a BADASS. Or #2… I was properly prepared, trained and my hard work all these months just paid off. After talking to many of my teammates these past two weeks, I learned that I am not alone. Most of them feel the same way and say it “wasn’t as hard as they thought”. So as much as it would be cool to believe I’m a BADASS, I’m not. I have confirmed our incredible preparation and training given to us by Coach Paul and Coach Rad did the trick. Who knew…preparation + hard work=results. Crazy concept.

What an incredible experience the last nine months have been. It’s been one of the best experiences of my life. The title of my blog is “Make the impossible, POSSIBLE!” That is exactly what I thought about an Ironman when I started this thing…impossible. I would see that famous footage on ABC Wide World of Sports of that lady doing Ironman Kona and collapsing to the ground, crawling to the finish line. I thought only certain humans on this Earth were capable of such achievements. I never thought I could be capable of something like that. For some strange reason though, I felt the need last year to give this thing a shot and explore my limits. Every now and then in life I know I like to venture out there to the unknown. I am so glad I did. This experience has truly changed my life and taught me so many things. In a way, it has just brought me back to basics. My teammate Louis I think summed it up best…”It’s funny how you need to do an Ironman to rediscover the simple things in life.”

If you think hard, ever since you were a little kid, your parents or your teachers in school always told you to set goals. They told you that you can do whatever you want as long as you set your mind to it. They told you to work hard, to practice and to never give up. Pretty simple stuff if you think about it. We all know these principles. It’s not rocket science. But why is it as you get older and become an adult you deviate from the basics? Why do we fear “impossible” goals? Why do we begin to doubt ourselves and our abilities? Why do we make excuses? The 9 months of training on the Ironteam have taught me that I am unstoppable. I can do ANYTHING if I just set my mind on a goal, commit to that goal with laser beam focus and do not let anything get in my way. I feel like I have been reborn. I feel empowered to go out and attack the world with new passion. I can no longer view life through the same eyes. I know this is only an endurance event we are talking about, but it really does symbolize much more. I have already noticed in the last few months the difference it has made in my life. I’ve been in conversations with people and some random topic has come up and the words began to exit my lips…”no way, that’s impossible. I can’t do…” and then I catch myself and stop. I can’t finish the sentence. “Can’t” is no longer in my vocabulary. I think to myself…”Well, the last time I thought something was impossible, I DID IT. Last time I thought “I can’t”…I DID. That theory of thinking “I can’t” just isn’t valid anymore. I can’t go backwards.

I’d like to repeat something here that another one of my teammates, Sharon, wrote so eloquently in her blog. I think she summed it up best. “Let me say that I am no more athletic, special or talented than you. I made a decision and I set my mind to it. I was focused and determined to meet this goal and complete it. We all have different goals in life. Mine just happened to be swimming, biking and running to complete an Ironman”. I am not suggesting here that all of you sign up for an Ironman and that it will solve all your problems. But I would encourage you all to go out there and tackle whatever “Ironman” in life you have been chasing, and maybe have been a little scared to chase. Maybe it’s that dream job you want, or that business you want to start or that book you’ve been meaning to write. Whatever it is…it doesn’t matter. DO IT! Don’t doubt yourself. You will be surprised what you can accomplish if you just set your goals and GO FOR IT!

So I think I have rambled on long enough. If you made it this far, I salute you. You’re a champ. THANK YOU all who have supported me throughout these past few months. Thank you for all the incredible messages of support. Thank you for your generous donations for a great cause. Thank you for helping me get across that finish line. We did it together. I like to believe that I did so well and had such a great race BECAUSE of all the incredible energy you all provided me.

GO TEAM!

DONATE HERE to Help Find A Cure For Blood Cancers. You CAN make a DIFFERENCE!

2009-07-07T05:25:00.001-07:00

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Vineman Training Weekend in Sonoma: The HEAT IS ON!

2009-07-04T02:37:00.000-07:00

So this weekend was important for the team. We drove all the way up to the site of our race in Sonoma to do a little swimming, biking and running and familiarize ourselves with the course. I can sum up the weekend in one word...HOT!

Saturday June 27, 2009

Bike 112 miles
Time: 7 hrs 55 min (which includes 50 minutes of multiple breaks to stop in the MAD HEAT..ugh)
Avg=15.4 mph
Max=35.7 mph

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early and headed to the start of the bike course. The race course consists of two 56 mile loops which we would complete today. Forecast for the day was 104 degrees so all of us were ready to tackle the heat and see how our bodies would hold up in these conditions. I started the morning great and felt like I had lots of energy. Rule number one for ANY endurance event is not to go out too fast. I've known this rule for years now as part of my marathon running but for some strange reason...I don't always follow it. Today I went out too fast and hard on the bike. I KILLED the first 56 mile loop. Why did I go out so hard? Honestly...I don't know. It was a mistake. Once I begin the second loop the fatigue started to set in and the heat began to affect me. Around mile 70 I had to stop and just catch my breath. I was feeling a little bit lightheaded. I could feel the energy oozing out of my body. The bottles of PowerAid that I carry on my bike were now BOILING hot from the sun and tasted like DIRT in my mouth. It was awful. From about mile 70 to 100 I stopped multiple times. Anywhere that I saw shade I stopped on the road just to stay cool. A few teammates of mine and I even found a local convenience store along the way and stopped inside to buy COLD water and Gatorade to replace the boiling bottles we had been using. It was a huge struggle to stay cool, hydrated and energized during those miles. Around mile 95 we hit the infamous part of the course called Chalk Hill. By this time I had stopped to rest so many times and had cooled myself down enough with the new water and Gatorade and I got a bit of a second wind. I finished the ride. It wasn't pretty, but I got it done.

Writing about it now, I feel it is difficult for me to convey the actual PAIN and EXHAUSTION I felt out on that course. You kind of just had to endure it yourself to truly understand. The heat added a TOTALLY new element to this ride and I can 100% say without a doubt this 112 mile bike ride was THE TOUGHEST AND MOST GRUELING PHYSICAL EXERTION OF MY LIFE. I remember during one of my many stops around mile 80, I was all alone on the course, the sun was beating down on my skin and I was completely depleted. I remember the thought that creeped into my head was that on race day I would STILL have to run 26.2 miles after this type of bike ride. On this day I asked myself if I thought I could run a full marathon after what I was feeling on this day and the honest answer was "I don't think so". I had one of those "low" moments when your mind starts to doubt that this can even be done. I quickly shrugged off these doubts and pushed forward. It is in the tough moments that I tried to remember WHY I am doing this and remember that the pain I am feeling is just temporary. I think about my friend Javier's mother who is battling Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I think about our honored teammate Kyle who has battled cancer four times. I am reminded that what I am doing is tough, but no where close to what others have to endure.

In summary, the toughest training day of my life was a success. I learned a lot about my body, how it is affected by heat and many things I can improve on for race day. Official temperature for this day ended up being 104 degrees. On race day we expect similar temperatures.

Sunday June 28, 2009

Swim = 30 minutes

and

Run = 17 miles
Total run time = 2 hrs 50 min

Sunday we woke up and headed down the where the swim portion of the race starts. It is in a beautiful river with amazing scenery. We did a quick 30 minute swim before heading out to the start of the run course.

Temperature today was a tad bit cooler...about 96 degrees. The run course consists of 3 loops of about 8.5 miles but today we would only run 2 of the loops. Even though I am a strong runner, today's run was tough. Again, the heat played a major factor and basically I just felt much more tired and much more fatigued sooner than I normally do when I do this type of mileage. I ran the entire course with my buddy Allan and we stuck to our 8:1 intervals. Run for 8 minutes, then walk for 1 minute, then repeat. Final run time was 2 hours 50 minutes...a SUCCESS when you factor in the crazy heat we had to deal with.

Well...the end to a hectic, HOT, and productive training weekend was completed. I learned a lot. I made a lot of mistakes. I tackled heat. I had highs. I had lows. I will definitely be better prepared when I return to this location for race day on August 1st. WATCH OUT!

Griffith Park for a 4:2 BRICK!

2009-06-23T12:37:00.001-07:00

NOTE: DON'T FORGET TO MUTE THE PLAYLIST MUSIC TO THE LEFT IF YOU WANT TO HEAR THE SOUND IN THE VIDEOS BELOW!!!!!

So this week our team was supposed to start gearing up to train in some major heat. We usually start practice at 7am but today we pushed it back to 8:30 so we could easily hit the bulk of training during mid-afternoon heat. The Vineman race we are training for is famous for having 100+ degree heat so it is important for us to get used to training in heat. Mother nature however did not cooperate with us Saturday because it was super cloudy and overcast. I actually biked in my ARM WARMERS and when we arrived at practice it was even drizzling a tad bit...hahahaha...so much for heat training. What can u do?!?!?!?!

Saturday June 20,2009

Location: Griffith Park

Bike: 4 hours for 63.2 miles

and then....

Run: 2 Hours for 13 miles

Anyways, today we trained at Griffith Park and completed a 4 hour bike followed by 2 hour run. No real excitement today. Many loops on the course for biking. I completed 63.2 miles on the bike and felt just blah. Biking is not something I hate doing but it also isn't something I LOVE doing. I felt pretty good the whole time but got a little tired in the end. That kind of surprised me because just one week earlier I did 100 miles and today I was tired after just 63??? Oh well, they say some training days are better than others so I guess this was just one of those days. On the run I felt great! I am SO ready for this part of the race. I could easily run a marathon RIGHT now if I had to so I am far ahead of training for this event.

Sunday June 21, 2009

3K Swim or 3282 yard swim or 1.9 mile swim

Time: 1 hr 11 minutes

Today I went swimming at the Santa Monica Pool with some teammates and we knocked out our swim set. I swam 66 laps in the pool non-stop which is my longest swim so far. I felt pretty good. It was a HOT and nice day out so it was nice to be at the pool.

Of the three events I am training for, by FAR swimming makes me the hungriest. I don't know what it is? It is kind of boring swimming lap after lap in a pool so your mind has lots of time to think. I notice I tend to think about FOOD a lot. I usually ask myself..."What do I want to eat when this is over? Chicken? Cheeseburger? Or maybe a PIZZA?". Well folks, on this day I was craving a cheeseburger BIG TIME for my whole swim. If you watch the video below, you will see when I have 4 more laps to go, all I can talk about is a CHEESEBURGER....LOL. Just so you know, when we finished practicing, my teammates and I went to Islands and I KILLED a Big Wave with cheese...mmmm mmmm gooooooood.

YUMMY!

My first CENTURY RIDE!!! 100 miles baby!

2009-06-17T02:20:00.000-07:00

Saturday June 13, 2009:

I'm stealing this summary of what we did from my teammate Eurie (Eurie...I have no clue how you kept track of all these towns...I could not think straight during the ride). Saturday our team pedaled from Anaheim through Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, Costa Mesa, the tail end of Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, San Clemente, Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Leucacia/Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar, Torrey Pines up to UCSD and back down to Del Mar. WHOOOP! WHOOOOP!

Yes indeed, ONE HUNDRED MILES on the bike. I still can't believe I did that. Here are my statistics for the ride based on my spiffy new bike computer:

Distance: 100 Miles BITCH! (yes...my computer bike said "BITCH" after it caculated the 100th mile)

Time: 6 hours 41 minutes

Average Speed: 15 mph

Max Speed: 33.8 mph

Calories Burned: 6,339

This week I tried something different and I tried to document our practice by using the video mode on my Canon Powershot Digital camera. I hardly ever use the video mode but I found it to be FUN. Here are the highlights from the longest ride of the season.

YES, I already know I misprounounced "San Onofre". I couldn't remember the exact name of it. Come on, cut me a break, I was at mile 44 of a CENTURY RIDE.

The day of training was fantastic. We met at 8am in the parking lot of Anaheim Stadium where the Angels play. There is a train station next the the stadium so the plan was that after we biked to San Diego, we would just ride the train back up with our stuff right back to the starting point where our cars were parked.

Overall I'd say it was a medium ride in terms of difficulty. It was mainly flat, a couple of rolling hills, and then a few big hills that the coaches added in on purpose. At mile 85 near the UCSD campus we had to do a bit of climbing. The hills were purposely incorporated to the END of our ride to get our tired legs used to doing some work. I'd say 80% of the ride was along PCH and through many beach towns. It was beautiful. There were so many little towns I had never been through and seeing them this way was so cool.

When the ride was over I was definitely tired but honestly, it was not that bad. My ASS did hurt from sitting that long on that uncomfortable bike seat but I still had energy to keep going. That is a good sign that my conditioning is paying off. The other thing that I was happy about was MY BACK. My lower back has been bothering me for most of the season on a lot of the much shorter rides so I was prepared for it to really kill me after 100 miles of riding. NO PAIN...YAY! It was a little stiff about halfway through the ride but no real pain to report. I had to stretch it out once (see picture below of my stretching) at one of the rest stops and that was it.

We finished our ride in the parking lot of the hotel we were staying. The next morning we had to be up by 7am to run our 20 miles before heading back to Anaheim on the train.

Sunday June 14, 2009

Statistics:

Running Miles: 20 (longest run of the season so far)

Time: 3 hours 10 minutes 22 seconds

Speed: FAST as HELL my friends...hahaha...j/k

When I woke up on Sunday my quads were still a little bit stiff and my BOOTAY was definitely sore. To be expected I suppose after such a long bike ride. But no time for rest...20 mile run was next for the weekend.

We did a simple route...10 miles north on PCH and then 10 miles back south to the starting point. Coach Paul emphasized that we work on our pace today. He recommended we take it easy during the first half and then try to negative split by running a harder second half.

My run felt GREAT. As you all already know, running is my favorite thing to do so I get so excited when we run that far. I ran the entire 20 miles with an 8:1 interval (run for 8 minutes, then walk for a minute...repeat). I find that usually by the 7th or 8th minute my body naturally starts to get tired so stopping to walk every 8 minutes really works for me and helps me stay steady. I ran so well that I even finished SPRINTING the last 1.5 miles. Similar to the bike ride on Saturday, I still had gas left in my tank when the run was over. If I had to, I definitely could have run 6.2 more miles if necessary.

Great weekend of training overall. June is a BEAST of a month for training. Let's see what the coaches have in store for us next weekend.

"My ASS hurtz....."

2009-06-08T16:03:00.001-07:00

"My ASS hurtz" are the words my teammate Linda (see video below) used to describe her Sunday morning and are the same words I would use to describe my entire weekend of training. June and July are the last two months of our training and from what our coaches tell us...the most INTENSE, longest and toughest. This is where we separate the men from the boyz.

Saturday June 6, 2009:

Bike = 69 miles PLUS Run= 5 miles

Total workout time = 5 hours 45 minutes

We did something a little different today and biked several "circuits" instead of one big bike route. We biked one bike loop starting from Ocean and San Vicente Blvd in Santa Monica and then transitioned off the bike to run about half a mile up San Vicente and half a mile back to the start. Then we repeated it. I repeated it FIVE times total! One bike loop was about 13.9 miles and took me about 49 minutes. Then off the bike it was about one mile for about 9 minutes. I killed the first three circuits/loops and completed them in about 58 minutes each (bike and run total). But then on the last two circuits my quads and hamstrings started to BURN sooooo bad. I had definitely started off too fast/hard and now my fatigue was setting in. I was EXHAUSTED for the last two circuits and had one of those moments where I just wanted to stop. One of those moments that happens from time to time when you ask yourself, "WHY the hell am I doing this again?" Hahaha, yeah, momma said there would be days like this. I hardly ever feel that way but today the end of the 70 miles and 5 1/2+ hours of bike/run had me beat down. What a workout it was today.

Below is a quick snapshot of our bike route (CLICK on map to enlarge). One important thing I forgot to mention about the 13.9 mile bike route is that it included the "Amalfi Loop" in Santa Monica which is very popular with most cyclists. The Amalfi Loop is hilly, not too crazy, but it does have 2-3 short but steep hills. They really are not that bad to tackle but when you have to tackle them FIVE times like we did on Saturday, it can be rough.

Sunday June 7, 2009:

Spin on bike trainer = 30 minutes PLUS Run = 18 miles

Total workout time = 3 hours 30 minutes

Still being a bit sore from the day before, I met back up with the team on Sunday morning at Ocean and San Vicente. It was like deja vu...felt like I never left that place...LOL! My knees were a little bit sore and my ASS a bit sore from the bike ride the day before.

In order to continue practicing transitions off the bike to the run like we will do on race day, today we did a light spin on the bike trainer and then immediately got on our 18 mile run. Spinning lightly on the bike trainer is also very good for recovery and flushing out the lactic acid from tired leg muscles. Since running is my favorite event, I was happy to go for such a long run. Crazy I know, but that's just that way it goes for me. I had a FANTASTIC run and finished in 3 hours flat. I was fatigued a bit towards the end, which is to be expected, but overall I still had gas left in my tank so I could have actually run longer. It was a great workout and the end to a very BUSY BUSY weekend of working out.

Below is a quick video of some of us spinning Sunday before our run. Now you will understand why my ass, Linda's ass, and probably all the asses from our team were SORE!!!! (DON'T FORGET TO MUTE/PAUSE THE MUSIC ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE WEB PAGE IF YOU WANNA LISTEN TO THE VIDEO!!!)

A-GUZZY...SHOUT OUT! This blog entry has been written in your honor and per your request!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wildflower Half Ironman....I DID IT PEOPLE! Halfway There Now!

2009-05-11T17:25:00.000-07:00

HALF IRONMAN COURSE: 1.2 mile swim / 56 mile bike / 13.1 mile run

FINAL RACE TIME: 6 hours 53 minutes 7 seconds.

On Saturday May 2, 2009 I completed the Wildflower Half Ironman Triathlon. Wildflower is one of the THREE most difficult half Ironman courses in the world. They call Wildflower the "Woodstock of triathlon". As you'll recall, Woodstock was known for sex, drugs, mud and, of course, rock 'n' roll. Yet while Wildflower, like Woodstock, takes place in the country and involves camping, I found that that the only things the two really have in common are the drugs (think energy drinks and steroids instead of marijuana) and that both begin with the letter W. Nearly 10,000 racers come to Wildflower every year, making for quite a sight when you stare out into the campgrounds and see nothing but tents/campers in every direction. Below is my race report on how my day went.

Race morning:

On Saturday morning the alarm was set to go off at 5:30am. I slept like a rock that night and my eyes popped open at 5am, something that didn’t surprise me because I knew I was anxious to get this show on the road. Our team was to meet down at the race transition/start area by 6:30am. The start of the race was a short 10 minute bike ride down the hill from where our campsite was located so we had to be ready and heading out by about 6:20am. Getting ready in the morning is usually pretty quick for me--brush my teeth, put on my racing clothes and grab a quick snack for breakfast. After finishing one banana, one peanut butter & jelly sandwich and one water bottle of water, I was ready to go.

Pre-Race Preparation:

Unlike marathon races which I am accustomed to, triathlon preparation is a long process. I had to rack my bike and set up my transition area with my gear. Taking advice from what Coach Paul said the night before, I took about ten minutes to set up my area and then got the heck out of there. Coach told us NOT to spend forever preparing your transition. Lots of people tend to drive themselves crazy trying to get every little thing perfect. They tend to arrange, then rearrange again unnecessarily. They freak out at paying attention to what the other athletes to the left and to the right of them are doing and then think they are doing something wrong. Coach Paul said to just set up your stuff and then just get away from your area. Go anywhere you want and just get mentally prepared for your race start. Don’t let the hustle and bustle of all the frantic athletes around you freak you out. Listen to your iPod, stretch out, hang out with your teammates--whatever you want to do is fine as long as it’s not you stressing over your transition area. I did exactly as I was told. I set up my stuff, and relaxed on the side with many of my teammates. We took pictures, pumped each other up and basically killed time till it was time for my wave to start for the swim. I felt oddly calm and very comfortable. I had expected to be much more nervous but I think I just felt so confident in all my training that my mind knew I could do this. Kudos to our coaches for the incredible work they did in getting us all prepared for this race.

1.2 Mile Swim:

The elite athletes began their race at 8am. My wave of “Males Age 30-34” in black swim caps began at 8:30am. The only thing I would say that I was nervous about for this entire race was the swim. We had covered the full 1.2 distance in our training but that was in a pool. A pool is completely different and much easier. This would be my first time going straight in open water. We had biked 56 miles or more multiple times at practice and had run 13 or more miles several times also and for this reason I was not one bit worried about these two events. My first time ever covering 1.2 miles in OPEN WATER would come on this day. Conquering this “first” for me was what had me a little uneasy.

It is all a blur in the start but all I remember is the gun going off and suddenly time for my wave to begin. I purposely started in the back of my wave because I know I am not a fast swimmer and I didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of the madness with swimmers battling for position. I stayed calm, let the other suckers go right ahead of me to duke it out with themselves and then I dove in the water. I was expecting my body to freak out again like it did the last time I did a swim in an open water race at The Desert Tri in March. To my surprise, I was so calm and smooooooooth. Smooth like BUTTER. Bam! My breathing was on point right from the get go and my mind never doubted itself. Coach told us the first 200 yards to the first buoy would be the toughest and before you know it, I was there. I hit the turn and remember thinking, “wow…I feel great! If THAT is the worst part of this swim, then I’m in good shape”. It was a huge boost of confidence.

There is not much excitement that goes on when you swim. I remember just not worrying about the other swimmers around me, concentrating on my strokes and working on my breathing. By about halfway through the swim, I began to get a little fatigued. Nothing too crazy but just starting to feel my pace slow down. I noticed different colored swim caps around me which meant the waves that started behind me were now starting to pass me up, but I didn’t let that bother me. The most exciting part of the ENTIRE day for me was when I was heading back towards the last buoy. There was one last turn to make before you had about 200 yards to the shore and once I made that turn I could see the orange arches of balloons that lined the finish line. I was SO excited. Swimming that last 200 yards, climbing out of the water and running up the ramp a bit disoriented was the BEST feeling. I had DONE it. 5 months ago I couldn’t swim ONE length in a pool…today I had completed 1.2 miles non-stop. Final swim time was 49 min 51 seconds.

56 Miles Bike:

One month ago our team completed this 56 mile course as part of our training weekend so I knew exactly what to expect. There is nothing too difficult up until mile 41 when you hit the infamous “Nasty Grade”, a two mile stretch of SUCKY ASS hills. After that you make a quick right turn and think your climbing of hills is over and then you hit “Soul Crusher”, the name says it all. A shorter hill but one that is exhausting because your legs are burning from Nasty Grade. The final 15 miles of the course are up and down hills. Since it is the end of the course, this sucks big time because you obviously are starting to get fatigued.

I felt pretty consistent and strong for the entire bike ride. I think I was mostly still on a “high” from having such a great swim. That momentum seemed to carry me the entire ride and I had no real issues except for my nagging lower back pain. I felt the pain start within the first ten minutes of getting on the bike and I just dealt with it for the entire ride. As usual with me, I just kept counting down the miles until I could get off the bike and start running.

13.1 Mile Run:

Once I hit the run I knew I was going to finish strong. I realized I was tired but I had more energy than I anticipated. By this time in the afternoon is was pretty hot and the sun was out. The entire first half of the race was very cool and overcast which was perfect race weather. The entire sky was grey. By run time though, heat became an issue.

So you finish the last 15 miles of the bike ride, having conquered Nasty Grade and Soul Crusher and guess what is waiting for you as you enter the run--6 miles of hills to start your 13 miles. Not fun. My back was hurting more and more by this time and I had to walk every hill. I realized that I could walk up the hills just as fast as I could run up the hills so I figured why waste more energy than necessary. Sounds crazy but that’s how steep some of those suckers were. Walk up every hill and then JAM down every downhill. I stopped three times along the run to lay down and stretch my back. I stopped at every mile that had an aid station and drank two cups of Gatorade and poured two cups of water on top of my head and neck. I had a system. Staying hydrated and keeping your core body temperature as cool as possible is key so I made sure to stop at every single station. I finished strong and even sprinted the last 100 yards to the finish line.

Finish Line and Post Race:

I had to add this section because it is one of the most memorable parts of the entire day. As I crossed the finish line I looked up and there were 5 to 6 of my teammates waiting who had finished before me. I had expected everyone who finished to go back to their transition area, go get food or just go sit somewhere in the shade. It was super cool to finish with high fives, hugs and smiles waiting for you. From that point on it was just a big ass parTAY and our team OWNED that finish line. We ALL stayed and cheered on every single one of our teammates as they finished. As every new teammate finished and crossed, we kept cheering and our group just group bigger and bigger. We grew louder and more excited. You have to remember some people finished in like 5 ½ hours and our last teammate finished in close to 9 hours so some folks stood out there for quite a while, but NOBODY cared. It was FUN staying out there. No other team or group around us stayed together the way we did. It was so AWESOME. Trying to describe the moment here in words just doesn’t do it justice and I don’t think you will all understand, but trust me when I say it was a beautiful thing. In 4 seasons doing races with Team In Training, I have never had an entire team wait for every single teammate at the finish line. I felt so proud to be part of this team and it was clear on this afternoon we were a family now. I will admit here I had a couple of moments when I even choked up. A tear may have dribbled down my cheek. Efren…it’s your fault buddy. Watching you cross and seeing Coach Paul hug you at the finish line hit my soft spot. It was great. I feel honored and privileged to be part of this team and be surrounded by such supportive people. I will never forget this afternoon.

Conclusions:

So there you have it. A not so brief summary of my experience becoming a Half Ironman. I had so much fun this weekend and gained so much confidence moving forward to the full Ironman in August. I realized this weekend how much FUN I am having with this whole process and how exciting it feels to grow both physically and mentally. I can’t wait to see what the future holds. The next three months are supposed to get really intense so buckle up people…here I come!

60 Mile Bike Ride...and guess what....MORE FREAKIN' HILLS!

2009-04-20T21:39:00.000-07:00

Saturday March 21, 2009:

60 MILE BIKE RIDE!!!

Today was our longest bike ride of the season. It seems like every week I am saying this phrase…haha. Today we tackled 60 miles through what seemed like all of the West Los Angeles Mountains. We biked a hilly course starting in Calabasas, over the Santa Monica Mountains National Rec Area, down to PCH in Malibu, and back over the mountains to Calabasas. Our coaches informed us after the ride that we had climbed over 6,000 FEET...three times what we climbed last week! WOW! I can say that it definitely felt like it. Other than the first 3 or 4 miles, there were absolutely no flat parts to this course. Either you were steadily climbing some huge ass hill or you were cruising down the hill you had just conquered. It was up and down up and down for nearly four and half hours.

I can honestly say without question THIS was the toughest training session of the entire season for me. I have never felt so depleted, exhausted and spent after any practice. The weather was not a help either. It was very cold and misty through most of the course. Towards the end, it was sprinkling light rain which made the roads very slick. Rain and downhills do not equal a good combination. Some people on my team LOVE LOVE LOVE zooming down hills and trying to reach new record high speeds. Me…I’m not there yet because I value the teeth in my mouth and all the limbs on my body. Downhills are scary to me and I feel like it just takes one split second of losing concentration and you can easily have a spill and fall off. No thank you. I will go a little slower to stay safe rather than try to play Lance Armstrong. My Garmin GPS showed I hit a high of 39 mph on this afternoon. Imagine what that could have been if I wasn’t slowing down during those downhills. CRAZY!

Picture below shows me zooming down the back of Mulholland Drive with my buddy Matt "MuthaF*cking" Sills...the baddest white boy I know. The boy can FLOW!

Latigo Canyon! We begin our tackle on HILLS!

2009-04-10T21:37:00.001-07:00

Saturday March 14th:

LATIGO CANYON!!!

This week our team tackled one of the most famous hills/courses in Los Angeles…Latigo Canyon. Since I am new to cycling, I had never heard of this popular course until just a few weeks ago. Latigo Canyon Road runs 10 curvy miles from PCH to its inland intersection near the Canejo Valley. As Latigo Canyon Road rises from PCH, there are few dwellings at first but soon homes with magnificent ocean views are encountered on branching streets. The great views are on the slopes of canyons that open to the seacoast. “Latigo” is basically a great bike route for those interested in tackling some serious hills. The 10 mile course winds and climbs for roughly 2,000 feet. No hill is super crazy steep but it is tough because it is a steady climb. I managed to finish the 10 mile climb in about 1 hour 15 minutes. Coming back down was another story. You are basically JAMMIN downhill, maneuvering through all the switchbacks and turns. It took me 1 hour 15 minutes to climb Latigo, but only about 15-20 minutes to ride down it. That gives you an idea how steep that sucker is.

I found this video on YouTube to give you an idea of what "Latigo" looks like in case you were curious.

Once I arrived back at the start of the bike course, it was time for a 60 minute run around Pepperdine University. In preparation for the Wildflower Half Ironman in a few weeks, running the hills around Pepperdine is a good workout. Wildflower is known for it's hilly bike and run course so Pepperdine hills are perfect for preparation. Quite a productive morning we had today. I am no longer a Latigo Canyon virgin and can say I have tackled this infamous hill.

Below is a video taken by one of my teammates sharing the story of one of our honored teammates, Nick Gardner. Nick explains his connection with blood cancers and how Team In Training was able to support him. Great reminder here of why we are all doing this. GO TEAM!

Schedule Past 4 Weeks...just lookin' back.

2009-03-25T02:05:00.000-07:00

***CLICK ON CALENDAR BELOW TO ENLARGE***

Here's a quick snapshot of the last month. We've finally moved from the usual 5 day/week of training to now 6 days/week. It's going to stay like this till the end of the season in August. I'm sweating a lot these days...but I am also eating a lot...where is my SIX PACK?!?!? That part is not coming along so well yet...I guess I just need to keep sweating.

OK People...this THANG just became REAL!

2009-03-15T01:20:00.000-07:00

I AM A TRIATHLETE NOW PEOPLE! YAY ME! Last week our team traveled to Palm Springs, La Quinta to be exact, to participate in the Desert Tri. This is an International Distance race consisting of a ¾ mile swim, 26 mile bike, and 6 mile run. All of these distances should be cake to me by now because we have already covered these distances in our weekly workouts. It was my FIRST ever official tri so I was excited to cross that achievement off my "Things To Do In Life" list. It was a weekend of many emotions and one that taught me a lot about what I have gotten myself into. The reality of what I have signed up for finally hit me like a ton of bricks and I had that “OH SHIT” moment. Doubt of completing a FULL distance Ironman crept into my mind for the first time this entire training. Here is a recap of the weekend to elaborate further.

Saturday March 7th: We had our normally scheduled Saturday morning practice. We met in Malibu at our usual location across the street from Pepperdine. We completed our longest bike ride of the season, FOUR HOURS PEOPLE. I must say, I had a great ride. My butt didn’t hurt as much as I expected sitting that long on the bike and the only discomfort I felt was that nagging lower back pain that pops up on me from time to time. According to my Garmin watch I covered roughly 62 miles in those four hours. Using that as a rough guide that means I should be able to complete the 112 mile bike ride on race day in somewhere between 7 and 8 hours. (Picture above shows me fixing my flat tire along PCH towards the end of my ride)

Immediately after practice our team drove down to La Quinta. It was a mad rush to get to the packet pick up at 4pm and then meet the rest of the team at the start of the race at Lake Cahuilla. Here Coach Paul wanted us all to get in our wet suits and get a feel for what the water was like. We got some coaching tips on the next day’s course, practiced getting in and out of the water, and then headed out for a team dinner at an Italian restaurant. After dinner it was off to bed for early morning wakeup call at 5am. I had been up since 5:30am and had been motoring non-stop till 9pm on Saturday. Now THAT is action packed day and I was one tuckered out latino.

Sunday March 8th: RACE DAY! Having the experience of marathon races under my belt, I know what RACE DAY feels like. This race day however was different. I had to set up my transition zone, had much more to pack and I was doing my best to rid myself of the nerves regarding the swim. The swim was the thing that had me worried the most but I tried to stay calm.

8:03am: It’s all a big blur in my mind but this is the start of the race for me. The swim begins in different waves of groups that are determined by your age. Black swim caps go first which are ages like 18-28, then 3 minutes later my wave goes next…we are ages 29-34 in white swim caps. 3 minutes behind me are the purple swim caps and so forth. The entire first half of the swim was a freak-out session. Everything our coaches told us about your first time in an open water race in a wet suit happened EXACTLY as they described. One of my teammates, Eurie, captured the experience of her swim in her blog. It was her first tri also and I could not have described it better than she did. I felt EXACTLY what Eurie describes below:

“…the air horn went off and the purple swim caps jumped in the water and I started swimming. It took about a minute for the reality of the situation to sink in and my body went into supreme freak out mode. My heart rate quadrupled. I couldn't get enough air. Every time I put my face in the water to swim, I thought I was going to drown. I would try to get a stroke in and when I went to take a breath, it seemed like there was no oxygen entering my lungs. I would end up taking double breaths on every stroke, and it still wasn't enough. I couldn't slow my heart rate. I tried going on my back, I tried doing a weird modified breast stroke with my head out of the water, I tried a sidestroke, I'd try to swim again once I calmed down, which immediately made me freak out again. Around the first buoy someone screamed my name in encouragement but it felt more like negative recognition at the time. The second fucking buoy seemed like it was in Arizona.

Here's the thing. I like swimming. I would even venture to say that I love swimming in a pool, with chlorine, a dark blue line running along the bottom, a plastic lane marker, and most importantly, a nice fucking wall to push off from every 25 yards. I could swim for miles in a pleasant chemical environment. Lake Cahuilla is not a pleasant chemical environment with a wall. All I can think at this point is: fuck nature.”

No joke...that pretty much describes what I felt for the entire first half of the swim. Within the first ten minutes I panicked. It is amazing what places your mind will go to when doubt and negativity creeps into it. I was winded. I was tired. I couldn't see in the water because it was just black. I couldn't swim straight and kept having to swim back on course. What makes the swim different than biking and running is that you have the least control of your surroundings in the water. Lack of control=PANIC!I thought to myself…”OH SHIT! If I am struggling now, how the hell am I going to cover 2.4 miles in an Ironman?” The reality of what I had signed up for hit me for the first time and I wondered why I even signed up for this thing. I was scerrrrrrrrd big time. But then something magical happened. It was like I heard Coach Paul’s voice right in my ear. His words from practice and the previous day rang in my ear. I thought God was talking to me. He said to stay calm. To stay focused and just do what you do in practice and JUST SWIM. About halfway through the swim I finally got my rhythm. I no longer felt short of breath and I was just swimming. Stroke 1,2,3...breathe left side. Stroke 1,2,3...breathe right side. Stroke 1,2,3...breathe left side. It was brilliant. I finished the swim in just over 31 minutes and let me just tell ya…I have never been more happy to see solid,dry land than this moment. I stumbled out of the water and I was dizzy. I nearly tipped over jogging to my transition area numerous times and I was SO SO SO SOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy to see my bike.

The bike ride was also a reality check. The 4 hour ride the previous day really took a toll on me because my legs were immediately burning within the first ten minutes. I was like WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!? The course was not even hilly. I was pedaling as fast and hard as I could but I was not moving fast. I remember people ZOOMING past me as if my bike was just parked. I gotta admit, it was quite a blow to the ego and a bit demoralizing. I thought I was a better biker than that but on this day it seemed like EVERYONE was passing me effortlessly. I finished in about 1 hr 35 minutes which is not a very fast time but hey…I was just happy to finally RUN. That's all I could think about for those 95 minutes, "I can't WAIT to get to the run".

The run came and I felt right at home. My lower back was hurting me a bit as soon as I got on the course but I chugged away. I began passing up people left and right. It felt so GREAT. For the first time, I was the one demoralizing other people. I recognized folks from the bike ride, the ones that had zipped passed me, and now I was like “so long SUCKA! BAM! Who's YO daddy now!” Running is where I did most of my damage and I completed the 6 miles in about 53 minutes or so. My final time was 3 hours 6 minutes.

Overall I had mixed emotions about my first triathlon. Let me be clear that I am indeed happy with it, however I didn't expect so many emotions to come out of it. On the one hand I was super happy to have overcome my struggles on the swim and conquer another fear. On the other hand I really expected myself to finish much faster overall, especially on the bike. The race was a total learning experience and one that finally gave me a chance to measure where I stand in each of the three events after 4 months of training. The race also finally made it feel like IRONAMN was real. Like I have signed up for something pretty serious here and if I don’t train properly, race day will HURT and feel like hell. The panic I felt for those first 15 minutes of my swim would be how I would feel for 15 hours on race day if I didn't prepare properly. My competitive side basically came out on this day and this race motivated me more than ever to work HARDER. It was also a great weekend with my teammates and the first real bonding experience we had together. It was great being cheered on by them and cheering on the rest of my teammates. I loved it.

As if my entry today was not long enough already, I am going to leave you with some more passages from my teammate Eurie. Eurie had a rough day out on the course overall. She was the very last finisher in the entire field and she took that fact a little too hard. Many folks QUIT somewhere along this race but Eurie didn’t and I hope she realizes how much that says about her. She rocked it but it took her a few days there to realize her great achievement. Her experience and emotions are to me exactly what this Ironman journey is all about. It’s so much bigger than your finishing time and more than what place you finish. It’s about breaking down the false limits you have set for yourself, conquering your fears and most importantly…NEVER GIVING UP. Eurie’s range of emotions are what all of us contemplate at some point or another. I found her revelations described below very inspiring, motivating, (and pretty darn funny) so that is why I am sharing it with you all.

“…so there you have it folks, the story of the most physically excruciating 4 hours of my life. And I'm probably only saying this because I have not yet given birth.

I've spent the last few days trying to stay positive, falling into depression, trying to get myself remotivated, practiced many versions of the "why it's totally reasonable for me to quit the team" speech, thought about postponing until next year, wondered how I was going to tell of my lovely friends and family who donated that I was quitting, wondered if I could possibly avoid everyone from the team for the rest of my life if I did quit (I actually thought about how I would have to unfriend all of my teammates on facebook), tried to not think about anything related to triathlons, numbed myself with movies and text twist and sleep, and thought about skipping tonight's swim practice. I just couldn't face the world.

At this particular moment, I’m not planning on quitting. But let me tell ya, coming in dead last really made me face a lot of my insecurities. Any moment of feeling isolated, condescended to, fat, gross, having a bad hair day, and feeling unpopular and kicked to the curb, all kind of fell on top of me like a giant elephant and it's been hard to get that fucker off my back.

I want to say how amazing my teammates and coaches are, but I'm not sure I can convey how important they are to this whole process. They're awesome and supportive and un-judgmental. They're the anti-me.”

Way to go Eurie and the rest of the WESTSIDE IronTeam! We are on our way!

GO TEAM!

Schedule

2009-03-04T23:11:00.000-08:00

Just a quick look here at the past two weeks...it's really starting to pick up now.

My FIRST open water swim!

2009-03-04T22:25:00.000-08:00

So last weekend I had a chance to do my first open water swim. Our team met for practice in Long Beach on Saturday morning for a busy...BUSY day. We completed an open water swim, 3.5 hour bike ride and a 30 minute run.

SWIM: For me this was a big deal. This was my first time ever having to swim with a wet suit and first time NOT in a pool. Coach Paul gave us a lot of tips before heading in and everything he said was right on point. First of all, swimming in a wet suit is super uncomfortable. You get this claustrophobic feeling in your body and once you hit the cold water, your instincts immediately make you feel like panicking. We practiced swimming out to a designated spot in the water and then back to shore, focusing on getting your body use to the new atmosphere. The water was FREEZING and I even felt a little light headed when it was all over. This definitely was a different experience and one that helped me learn what to expect come race day.

BIKE: Our bike ride was beautiful. The weather could not have been better and the route more scenic. We rode from Long Beach mostly down PCH, passing Irvine, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach and Newport. Nothing major to report on this ride. My lower back started to give me some pain towards the middle of the ride but I managed to get through it. All I kept thinking though for the entire 3.5 hours though was, "I can't wait to get to the RUN".

RUN: By the time I hit the run it must of been about noon and it was HOT. I ran 15 minutes up and 15 minutes back along the shore in Long Beach. I felt terrific on the run so it means the nutrition I am taking on my bike ride is doing the trick. When practice was over everyone was STARVING so we headed out as a team to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles in Long Beach. MMMMMM MMMMMMMM GOOOOOOD! Not a bad reward for a productive morning.

Next week our team is headed to Palm Springs to race in the Desert Tri. This is an international distance triathlon and I am excited because it will be my FIRST ever official tri. Can't wait!

MO' Pix from the hospital visit!

2009-02-27T10:19:00.000-08:00

Here are MORE pictures!

TNT visits Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles

2009-02-27T09:02:00.000-08:00

This past Monday I had the pleasure of visiting Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles for the second time this year. One of our teammates is Dr. Terri Harned and she is a doctor at this hospital. With her help, our team is able to set up trips to visit the leukemia and blood cancer floor of the hospital.

Visiting the hospital is always a very humbling and powerful experience. We are basically there to visit the children that are ill and hopefully provide at least a small amount of distraction in their very tough days. I started the visit expecting to hopefully provide some cheer but instead I left with the kids cheering ME up. They turned it around on me. These kids are amazing and it's hard to believe they are enduring so much.

During this visit I made a new friend. Her name was Ricca and she was a blast. Ricca is only nine years old and is about to enter her third round of chemotherapy soon. I spoke to her grandmother for just a little while to learn about her and I was so amazed to hear her story because Ricca was so full of life and excitement. She was a tough little camper and really brightened my day up. I had a chance to spend time with her in the playroom and also play some games in her room. I really didn't think I had done much to add some fun to Ricca's day but when we were leaving she asked for my cell phone number....hahahaha...how funny is that! My first reaction was, "So YOU have a cell phone?" She answered confidently "of course". How could I say no. Ricca was great. We have texted back and forth for the past week. Looks like I have a new buddy.

It's days like this that make me realize how lucky I am for all that I have. Days like this remind why I am doing an Ironman. Simply put...because I CAN . Some days of training have been tough and some days I don't want to get out of bed at 5:25am but honestly, this pales in comparison to the all that children like Ricca have to endure in the hospital with cancer. I feel lucky to have the opportunity to do an Ironman and will do it for those who can't--like Ricca. Hope you get better soon Ricca and when we visit the hospital again later this season, I hope you are long GONE and home healthy!

GO TEAM!

UCLA Baby!

2009-02-27T08:35:00.000-08:00

Last week our coaches decided to add track workouts to our training schedule. Until now, we have just been running 60 to 90 minutes at a moderate and conversational pace. Now with track practices, we get to work on our speed with these shorter and more intense workouts.

Our first team track practice took place last week at UCLA's Drake Stadium at 6:15am. This took place during the middle of the week so not everyone on our team was able to make this session due to work. My alarm woke me up at 5:25am so I'd have enough time to get ready and drive all the way up to Westwood. I won't lie, it felt like torture waking up at 5:25am. So glad not all our sessions begin this early.

We started our practice in the dark and when we were done an hour later the sun was out and super bright. It actually felt really good to have a good workout so early and out of the way to begin my day. We ran three sets of 1200 yards(three laps in case you were wondering), with one cool down lap in between. First 1200 yards was at a calm pace and then the final two sets were to be run at a faster pace--something just slightly above your regular marathon pace. According to my Garmin watch, I was able to run the first 1200 yards at an 8:05/mile pace and then I ran the second two sets at 7:30/mile and 7:31/mile pace. That's pretty good for me considering my usual marathon pace is 9:30/mile.

It was a great workout and I was happy to focus on my favorite of the three events. It was also super nice to be back on campus of my beloved UCLA. I hardly ever visit campus and every time I set foot on it, it brings back such good warm and fuzzy memories. I can't believe it has already been TEN YEARS since I graduated. WOW...time sure flies. GO BRUINS!

BRING IT!

2009-02-11T02:33:00.001-08:00

EXPERIENCE IRONMAN!

Training for Week of 02.09.2009. No flu this week...YAY!

2009-02-11T02:11:00.000-08:00

Monday: BIKE TRAINER--40 min on trainer! these sessions are important to flush the muscles from lactic waste! Nice and easy - and "active recovery"

Tuesday: SWIM--100yds swim/100yds kick on side/100yds fists/100yds pull buoy, then 6 x 200yds (alternate pull/swim) off 30 sec rest - 100yds easy swim cool down. TOTAL=1700 yards.

AND also...

RUN--same as last week - putting the base to work now - - 20 min warm up - then 3x8 min HARD RUN (push it but something you can hold for 8 mins) take 3 min easy jog between each set. 10 mins easy cool down

Wednesday: BIKE--1 hour 30 minute base bike ride.

Thursday: RUN--40 minutes easy! Tuesday was hard day, today is marathon pace again.

AND also...

SWIM: Culver City Coached swim session

Friday: REST!

Saturday: BIKE--3 hours 30 minute ride in Palos Verdes hills

Sunday: RUN--1 hour 35 minute long run

General Thoughts...I feel like venting this week

2009-02-11T01:01:00.001-08:00

With just over 3 months of our training over in the blink of an eye, I had time last week to slow down and reflect on my progress so far. Unfortunately, last week I got sick with the flu AGAIN for the second time in 6 weeks. That has never happened to me before. Usually I get the flu once a year, twice at the most, but NEVER so close together. I must admit, it was quite humbling to lose control and be laid out in bed for 3 days again and it gave me a lot of time to think.

If you recall, I was sick with the flu for 4 days during the first week of January. The bug was definitely going around at that time and I knew lots of people sick, so I wasn't surprised when it hit me. I recovered, went back to life and hit my training hard once again. It could be that I just never recovered completely from then but I have a feeling it was just me taking poor care of my body. Laying in bed last week I got to thinking. Thinking of why my body was acting funny. During all my years of marathon running I admit that I have felt untouchable. I don't eat the healthiest, get the most rest or really slow down hanging out with my friends, yet I manage to get all my training done and get races completed. Many times I was able to stay out on a Saturday night until the wee hours of the morning, get just a couple hours of sleep and still manage a 15 mile run in the morning. I think those days are gone. I have much respect for the Ironman but I admit I brought some of my old habits to this triathlon training, thinking I was untouchable for this too. I realized last week my body is trying to tell me something. It's starting to be pushed harder than it is use to and it is fighting back. I am burning a tremendous amount of calories and I think my body is obviously not use to it. Last week was a learning experience for me and I realized this training is NO JOKE. I feel like I have hit a turning point.

I want the Ironman race to be an enjoyable experience on August 1st. I don't want to just complete it and hobble through it, cursing the gods for 15 hours. I want to BEAT IT and truly have FUN. FUN FUN FUN!!! In order for me to do that I am going to take my training to the next level starting NOW. I am going to start making small steps and improvements to make sure I stay healthy, hydrated, and strong for the rest of the season. No more bad habits and no more frustrating FLU BUGS. I figured I'd start with baby steps.

#1 is soda. One thing I thought I would start off with is soda. For those of you that know me well, you know I LOVE soda, especially Coke. Not diet, but just old fashioned, sugar-filled, sweet taste of goodness that they call Coca-Cola. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. I've cut back over the years but always thought it would just be a good idea to stop altogether. Even my dentist told me I should stop drinking that stuff because it stains my teeth. Well, earlier today I had my last Coke...last Coke for the week. I've read having a cheat day and taking things in moderation is the best way to go so I am going to limit myself to only drinking soda for one day per week. #2 is fast food. I'm a fast food junkie. Usually it is just out of convenience. You are out, you are hungry and BAM, the drive through begins to call your name. "Carlos, Carlos...EAT ME. EAT ME! aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh". Two minutes later--me with a Big Mac attack, chicken McNuggets and gurgly McSTOMACH. I am a weak man. As with soda, I am going to limit my fast food intake to only ONE DAY per week. These goals may sound silly, but they are just my baby steps to a healthier next 6 months. Next month I am going to try and tackle alcohol and see where I can limit that. I'm also going to try and get more rest on the weekends, especially Friday nights before our big workouts on Saturday mornings. What is the point of making all these silly rules? I just want to create some small positive momentum that will eventually snowball into HUGE momentum in other areas.

In closing, I am grateful for this Ironman experience. I believe learning is a life-long process and I have already learned so much in the short amount of training I have done. There is no better feeling than waking up every morning and challenging your body and mind to go to places it has never gone before. I look forward to the next 6 months of training that are still to come...bring it. BRING IT!

P.S. Shout OUT to DAN this week. What up Dan! You can thank Stacey for this shout out.

Training for Week of 02.02.2009

2009-02-04T01:50:00.000-08:00

**Mon
Trainer: 40 min on bike trainer! Go to the gym and spin easy if you don't have a trainer at home

**Tue
Swim: 100yds-200yds-300yds-400yds-300yds-200yds-100yds -- 30 sec rest in between each set
AND
Run: Time to work some speed - 20 min warm up - then 3 x 8 min HARD RUN (push it but something you can hold for 8 mins) take 3 min easy jog between each set. 10 mins easy cool down

**Wed
Bike: 1 hr 30 min BASE bike ride.

**Thu
Run: 40 min easy! Tuesday was the hard day, today is marathon pace!!
AND
Swim: Culver Sessions with coach

**Fri
Rest: YAY! =) I get to eat NACHOS and CHILI FRIES and IN N OUT today...hahaha!

**Sat
Bike: 3 hours on the bike! We're going to build climbing more and more! And you should be getting your plan for food and drink under control by now!

**Sun
Run: 1hr 30min long run day!
AND
Swim 15 x 100yds...off 30 second rest! Please try to swim them all the same speed!

Surf City Half Marathon PIRATE RUN...Oh Yeah 02.01.2009

2009-02-04T01:38:00.000-08:00

On Sunday 02.01.09 I decided to jump into the Surf City Half Marathon in Huntington Beach just for fun. With all this swimming and biking I really miss just getting out there and RUNNING. I didn't even register for this event and just wanted to jump on the course to join my friend Lindsey A.K.A. L-Boogy. Boogy and I coasted through the course in a solid 2 hours 5 minutes and in the end we were both happy with the cool surfboard medals that The Surf City race is known for. I know I wasn't registered but the volunteers at the finish line just handed it to me. What am I suppose to do...say NO?!?!?!?!?!?!? I am sure they would of had TONS left over anyways after the race. Well...that is what I like to tell myself.

SWEEEEEEEEEET looking medal I must say! Great start to my Super Bowl Sunday.

SHOUT OUT to L-Boogy for the great company! GO TEAM!

2 hour bike + 1 hour run: Palos Verdes on 01.31.2009

2009-02-04T01:34:00.000-08:00

Too tired to type tonight. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I did one better and here is a slideshow of pics of our practice this past Saturday morning. Good night!

January Training DONE: 1/3 of our training is already over...WOW!

2009-02-04T01:22:00.000-08:00

NOTE: To get a better look at this schedule since the writing is so small, just click on the pic below and it will enlarge.

Here is a snapshot of my training for the month of January. You will notice 4 blank days in a row from the 4th till the 7th. Those are the days I had the flu and was sick as a DOG in my bed. January definitely was harder than the previous 2 months. I hit new highs in biking--going for 3 hours straight and highs in swimming--going for my first 1 km STRAIGHT (22 laps)...that's right folks...NO stopping. I can't believe 1/3 of our season is already over. It's amazing how fast this is all moving. I'm glad I am keeping this blog to be able to remember this great journey I am on. I can see myself pulling this sucker out when I am 80 years old in my rocking chair and showing the grandkids what pops did when he was a young pup. BAM!

Karaoke Fundraiser--This is WHY we all do this

2009-01-28T02:17:00.001-08:00

I had my first fundraising event this past Sunday night with 3 of my teammates--Sharon, Arlene and Frenchie. We put on a Karaoke Night fundraising event at Backstage in Culver City. Our night included a "Westside Idol" karaoke contest as well as cool door prizes. The event was awesome and I am super happy to report it was a SUCCESS! We were able to raise as a group over $800 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. ALL the money will go to our individual fundraising efforts.

Our team fundraising captain is Frenchie and she did an AWESOME job helping organize this together for Sharon, Arlene and I. THANK YOU FRENCHIE! Sharon, Arlene and I were able to each get donated many neat door prizes that we used to promote our event. We had Oakley sunglasses, a Cheesecake Factory gift certificate, Best Buy gift card, free personal training sessions, wine, relaxation gift baskets and a $250 Hilton weekend gift certificate just to mention a few. Sharon and I had to work the door all night to greet guests and collect donations while Arlene spent the night signing up folks for our karaoke contest. Although I was busy most of the night at the door, I had time to enjoy the music, visit a bit with those who came and had a really fun time. I noticed laughter and smiles around the whole room so I am glad everyone in attendance had a fun time. At the end of the day, THIS is why all of us on the Ironman Team are training so hard and fundraising. To spread awareness and raise much needed funds for cancer research and patient services. This is what makes all the early mornings, sore evenings and long hours on the bike worth it all. THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO CAME BY and THANK YOU for all the kind words of encouragement I have received so far.

GO TEAM!

Week of January 26th UPDATE!

2009-01-28T00:51:00.000-08:00

Here is my training schedule for the upcoming week:

Mon: Rest
Tue: 40 minute easy run
Wed: 1 hr 30 min BASE bike ride
Thu: 25 minute EASY jog and
1 hour coached swim practice
Fri: Rest
Sat: 2 hour bike ride followed by
1 hour run
Sun: 1.5 kilometer swim for TIME!

Last week was a good week for training. On Sunday the 18th I swam 1 kilometer straight for the first time. I completed the swim in 25 minutes which is not a super great time, however I am SUPER happy at just being able to complete it. 1 kilometer is 22 laps in a standard 25 yard pool in case you were wondering. On this particular day, it was a SCORCHING Sunday afternoon somewhere in the 80s, so swimming at the outdoor Santa Monica Pool at 1pm was refreshing.

The next big workout of last week was suppose to be our 3 hour bike ride in Malibu this past Saturday, unfortunately mother nature had different plans. It's funny how in like a 3 day period we went from 80 degree temperatures on Tuesday to rain on Friday and Saturday. That's Cali for you. Our team bike ride was cancelled on Saturday morning due to the heavy rain overnight. I had done all my preparation the night before getting my nutrition/hydration pack in order, all for nothing now. I woke up at 6am and got ready as usual...getting pumped for the long ride ahead. Just as I was opening the door to my car I get a call from one of my teammates and friend, Frenchie (her name is Marie but we call her Frenchie) and she informs me that practice has been cancelled because the roads are just too flooded in Malibu. At this point in our season, being that it is still so early, missing one practice like this is not a big deal. Safety and rest are a bit more important. Moving forward, practices will no longer be cancelled due to weather. Even if rain is coming down sideways next time, we WILL practice in the rain. The fact of the matter is on race day we will ride in whatever conditions exist, so we can't let a little rain stop us moving forward.

I have all my biking gear on now, I am wide awake, and I have a ton of food and water bottles ready to be consumed--what should I do??? I decided to be productive and workout on my new bike trainer instead. If you are not familiar, a bike trainer is this cool machine you can buy that turns your bike into a stationary bike so you can ride it inside your apartment or house. You just snap your back tire into the unit and BAM...stationary bike. I rode my bike in my living room for 90 minutes while watching Flip This House on A&E, texting on my crackberry and Twittering. I had just bought my trainer on ebay the week before so this was my first time using it. My review of the trainer: it hurts your ASS much more than actually riding your bike on the streets. I need to get better padded shorts soon. =)

The pictures above show my bike on the trainer and also the food I had so carefully prepared on Friday night. Just to explain what all the food is, here is how I consume all that you see. Correction---how I would have consumed this food on Saturday morning. In my mini cooler I have 2 20oz recovery drinks, 2 peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, 3 Rice Krispies Treats, 8 Fig Newtons and one Power Bar. For breakfast, I eat one peanut butter & jelly sandwich, the Power Bar and drink a little water that I always carry with me in the car. Then during the 3 hour bike ride I consume the three 24 oz bottles of Power Bar Endurance mix (WITH Carbo Pro...see my previous entries for explanation of my fluids). During the second hour of bike riding I eat the three Rice Krispies Treats and 8 Fig Newtons. Remember, I am still experimenting on which foods my body likes to eat during the bike rides so Saturday I was going to test out the Figs and Rice Krispies. Immediately when I am finished with the three hour bike ride I am SUPER hungry so I eat, or better yet--DEVOUR, ATTACK and INHALE--the second peanut butter & jelly sandwich and my 2 recovery drinks. BAM! Can't forget, then we usually head over as team to grab breakfast somewhere nearby so we can finally REALLY start eating. LOL!

Ironman Learning Curve

2009-01-14T14:54:00.001-08:00

There has been so much I have learned about being a triathlete. I really didn't think it would be that complicated but I was soooooooooooooo wrong. First thing I have learned is that your appetite goes THROUGH THE ROOF when training for this thing. I thought I would get pretty hungry after training for my marathons but my hunger now has gone to another level...another universe which I cannot describe. The first picture above is of me at a team breakfast we had about 3 weeks ago. I ordered the pancakes and my buddy Bobby left me his breakfast burrito plate because he had to leave early. I can't let good food go to waste so I was a good teammate and helped him out. BAM! I call this "Iron Hunger". If you hang out with me over the next 7 months....DO NOT leave food in front of me...it will be gone.

Ok...back to being serious now. I have also learned that nutrition for an Ironman is very important. Honestly, I've never taken my marathon nutrition super serious over the years. I just carbo load a few nights before the race, lots of water or Gatorade on race day and BAM...another marathon in the books. Heck, I've even been known to crack open a few beers the night before the race over the past few marathons...this is not what I'd recommend but remember--I am a running MACHINE...hahaha. Anyways, I cannot continue these habits for the Ironman. Our coaches gave us a nutrition clinic last weekend and I learned how important fluids and the proper amounts of carbs are needed to complete this race. A marathon only takes me about 4 to 5 hours but this Ironman will take me 13 to 16 hours so it is pretty obvious nutrition is going to play a huge role on race day.

Here is the "Iron Math" I learned:

For every hour of riding I do on the bike, I need to consume at least one 24oz bottle of fluid. And just filling my bottles with water or Gatorade is not enough. I need to consume a very specific amount of grams of carbs PER HOUR--for me that is specifically 72.7 grams of carbs. How did I come up with that figure you may ask? Coaches told us you need your body weight divided by 2.2 = grams of carbs per hour. For me...160 divided by 2.2 = 72.7 so let's just say 73 grams.

So what does this mean? How do I know I am actually consuming 73 grams of carbs every hour? Gatorade and water do not provide me enough carbs per bottle to reach this number so I have to use those powdered drink mixes. The one I like and the one I use is PowerBar Endurance Refuel mix. A picture of it is posted above. One scoop of Endurance in my water provides me 17 grams of carbs. For a 24oz bottle, Endurance recommends 3 scoops so that will give me 51 grams. But wait...I need 73 grams remember?? What about the remaining 22 grams I need? Just add another scoop of Endurance is what you might be thinking but that is WRONG WRONG WRONG. Just adding more powder to the same serving size will do no good. It will throw off the ratios and actually do your drink more harm than good. If you want to add a 4th scoop you would need a bigger bottle but I only have a 24 oz bottle. What is needed is more carbs so adding another supplement called Carbo Pro will do the trick. Carbo Pro is a flavorless powder that can be added to any drink. One scoop of Carbo Pro added to my 3 scoops of Endurance will get me to that 73 grams I need. BAM! For the 3 hour bike ride this past Saturday I just needed 3 24oz bottles of water with my Endurance and Carbo Pro mix and I am golden. Who knew Ironman training would be so complicated?!!?!?!?

But you also have to have FOOD sometime during your bike ride. The 112 mile bike ride on race day will take me somewhere around 7-8 hours. 8 bottles of fluid won't cut it. Our coaches told us to experiment at practice with whatever we want to munch on. Could be PowerBars, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, pretzels, or whatever it is that we are comfortable with that doesn't churn our stomachs during our rides. On Saturday I experimented with 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches tucked away in the back pockets of my jersey. During the 2nd hour of bike riding I pulled those puppies out and munched away with one hand while the other hand steered. They tasted like heaven but I have to admit they were kinda sticky to eat. I'm gonna test out PowerBars or some other kind of protein bar next week.

Lots of info huh? Yeah...that is what I thought when I heard the coaches. Bottom line, one bottle per hour of bike riding in addition to some type of food/solid scattered throughout your ride. And don't forget the magic number...73 GRAMS OF CARBS PER HOUR = IRONMAN CARLITOS!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"Some people dream of success while others wake up and achieve it"

2009-01-14T14:41:00.000-08:00

So it is the start of another new week and I thought it was about time to blog again. Last week was a rough one for me. On Sunday the 4th I woke up with the flu and I was LAID OUT for the next 4 days. I missed 4 days of training in a row for the first time this entire season. YIKES! On Thursday I joined the team for our swim practice at The Plunge in Culver City, still with a nagging cold. Turns out I swam great and my confidence was back up. I was getting a little worried there for a minute of falling behind after missing so many days.

Saturday we had our longest bike ride of the season. We did a 3 hour bike ride followed by a 20 minute run. Our team met for practice at 8am on Saturday in Westlake Village with a beautiful course mapped out by our coaches. I wish I had taken some pix of some of the sights. It was BEAUTIFUL. However, this Saturday was super windy in the early AM and we were greeted by 35mph gusts of wind at many points along the course. I only weigh about a buck sixty and there were literally times when I felt the wind nearly knock me over. CRAZY! There were 3 main hills that I would call challenging on this course and then lots of other gradual small hills. I completed the bike ride and then as soon as I stood up to start my run, I felt a huge pain in my lower back. OUCH! IT HURTS...IT HURTS! I knew it was from being in that awkward seated position on that bike for so long and my body not being use to it. Usually 20 minutes of running is CAKE for me, but on this day, the heavy legs from biking and that lower back pain made it hell. Now I understand that running this marathon after about 10 hours of swimming and biking is going to be NO JOKE.

Overall, I was very proud of myself after this ride and run. Let's think about this for a minute....how many people are crazy enough to get up at 6am on a Saturday morning, bike 3 hours, and still want to run 20 minutes after that???? Yup...Ironman people are a different breed I've learned. WE ARE CRAZY!

I am starting to feel really confident about this whole thing now. It's all about staying disciplined and not giving up. Some days training feels great and other days it feels like crap. For me, the fun is having that date of your event circled on your calendar and just working towards it. It is that feeling of accomplishment on race day that is addicting and then when you can look back on all your blood, sweat and tears from the months prior, it is all worth it. We still have so long to go but let me tell ya...I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

Training for This Week...in case you were wondering?!?!?!

2009-01-13T03:02:00.001-08:00

Just click on the image above to get a closer and detailed look at my week ahead.

"Concentrate on the process and the outcome will look after itself." Trust and execute the plan to the best you can

2009-01-05T11:41:00.000-08:00

"What we have is based upon moment-to-moment choices of what we do. In each of those moments, we choose.We either take a risk and move toward what we want, or we play it safe and choose comfort. Most of the people, most of the time, choose comfort. In the end, people either have excuses or experiences; reasons or results; buts or brilliance.They either have what they wanted or they have a detailed list of all the rational reasons why not."~ Anonymous

Well we are finally in 2009 and Ironman training is in FULL swing. Now that the holidays are over our coaches tell us that things begin to kick it up a notch and training really starts progressing. The past 8 weeks so far have been amazing. The progress I have made in swimming and biking have really surprised me. If in just 8 weeks I have come this far...imagine where I will be in 7 more months?!?!?!? Scary.

In December our training began adding two-a-day workouts. Basically this means many days had a do a combination of two sports...either biking/running or swimming/running. Getting use to this is very important because your body needs to adjust itself to transitioning events. I honestly didn't have very much trouble with this. The only uncomfortable part was going on our "brick runs". A brick run is a run that is done immediately after a bike ride. They call it a "brick" run because your legs and feet feel super heavy...like BRICKS...during these runs. Let's just say the name fits. My legs do feel like bricks but it usually goes away after like 20 minutes.

My biggest improvements came with swimming. Tomorrow I will be swimming 1K in the pool...that is 1,097 yards. How far is that you wonder??? Well...to put it into perspective, up and back on a standard 25 yard length pool is obviously 50 yards. So it is about 22 laps up and back on a pool. There is no way however that I can swim this straight...YET. I have to take 30 second rests in between each 100 yard interval. Considering that just over 8 weeks ago I could barely swim one length of the pool without DYING, I'd say I've come a long way.

Overall, it's been a pretty amazing experience so far...and we are only beginning. I can see the progress being made and some small changes in my body. The coaches are fantastic and the teammates I have started to meet have kept me motivated. I am going to try and update this blog a little more often starting in 09. It seems I will have much more to say and longer training sessions to talk about. I hope you all make it a GREAT 2009 and shoot for the MOON! I'm out for now.

December Training....Bye Bye 08...Bring on 09!

2009-01-05T11:37:00.000-08:00

In December we began two-a-day workouts. All training levels increased. Drills got longer, faster and harder. Great progress was made in December. Woo! Woo!

MORE REASONS

2008-12-17T09:55:00.000-08:00

In the past two years I have dedicated my Team In Training events to very special people. I've dedicated my races to friends, relatives and honored teammates. For my Ironman, I want to dedicate my race to Josephine Santiago and Kyle Garlett.

Josephine Santiago is the mother of one of my close friends, Javier Rivera. Javier and I met during our first season with Team In Training on the marathon team. His mother was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2006. For the past 2 years she has been fighting this terrible disease and continues to fight day in and day out. Since the time I met Javier, I have been amazed and inspired by his dedication to the cause. He manages a very busy life but always makes time to give back. His positive attitude during this surely difficult time is a huge inspiration to me. Javier...this one is for you brotha. You and Josephine will be on my mind on race day.

Kyle Garlett is the other person I dedicate this race to. Kyle is our honored teammate and his life story is simply amazing. He has battled blood cancers for 20 years and he is also a heart transplant patient. He is living healthy and strong these days and attempting to be the first heart transplant recipient to complete an Ironman in Kona, Hawaii next year. His story is one that makes me shake my head every time I hear it. Kyle's story can best be explained by Kyle himself. Attached here is his website http://www.ironmankyle.com/mystory.htm

Kyle's story leaves you with no excuses on what is possible in life if you set your mind to it.

MY REASON

2008-12-16T11:24:00.000-08:00

So this week I thought I would give a little more explanation of why I am doing an Ironman. That is the question I get asked the most by people and it definitely deserves a response. I know my fundraising website touches on some of my reasons, but that only scratches the surface.

This story will help explain:

So it was a Saturday afternoon. September 20th to be exact. I had the pleasure of paying a visit to the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. Team in Training offers participants the opportunity to come visit the hospital in order to meet some of the patients fighting leukemia and other blood related cancers. For me, this was my first visit of this kind. About 14 other of my teammates also came along and we were allowed to spend time on the floor of the hospital designated for leukemia patients. We were basically let loose to enter each room and meet the patients. At first, I felt a little awkward and didn't really know what to expect. I actually felt like I was intruding but I was assured that visitors are welcomed. I visited the room of about 7-8 patients who all had incredible stories, but it was the story of one family that really touched me.

I met Jorge and Maria Hernandez. They were a very pleasant couple. Their daughter was 9 years old and suffering from leukemia. Her name was Ashley. Ashley had suffered through EIGHT rounds of chemotherapy over the years and now she was doing better. She looked fantastic and so happy on this day. There is no way you would have guessed how much suffering this little girl had gone through just by looking at her. We brought some coloring books with us this day and she seemed to love the gift. Jorge and Maria were immigrants from El Salvador (that is where my family is from) and Mexico. We proceeded to explain to Jorge and Maria why we were there that afternoon, what Team In Training was all about and why we were all fundraising. Jorge proceeded to explain his family's struggle over the past few years caring for Ashley. It is important to note here before I go any further that Jorge was a very large man. Tall, husky and somebody I would not want to rub the wrong way. As Jorge explained his family's story he began to choke up and tear up. I was caught so off guard at first. Such a macho, tough looking fella but he was so emotional and open. He called Ashley the bravest and strongest person he had ever met in his life and said he was weak compared to what she had endured. His voice shook and eyes watered. He then continued to very kindly thank our group for participating in Team in Training and supporting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He was super impressed at our quest to run a marathon, but seemed more impressed that we were raising awareness for blood cancers. As you can imagine, I was pretty choked up by this point.

As the small group of us was preparing to leave the room, Jorge left us with some words of wisdom that changed me. It was the light bulb moment that I had which helped me decide to do an Ironman. Jorge told us all we were doing a good deed by spending our Saturday afternoon at the hospital. He said he realized there were lots of ways we could be spending our Saturday afternoon but we chose to be there. He told us to be appreciative of the opportunities we had in our lives. To take advantage of everything we were blessed to have and the opportunities this country has given us all. As an immigrant, Jorge explained he felt too many young adults in this country don't live to their fullest potential and don't realize how lucky they really are. Jorge told us to realize we have our health, families, and opportunities...to not take any of these blessing for granted. We then thanked each other and our time together was over.

It was during this weekend that I was contemplating the small, VERY small, idea of signing up for an Ironman. Just a small seed in the back of my head. It was also the same time I was realizing the fear I had of taking on this challenge. But it was the visit that Saturday afternoon and the words that Jorge left us with that made this decision a no brainer. Jorge made me realize I had nothing to fear. That I was LUCKY to have all that I have in life. I realized that I should do it...because I CAN. Because I was healthy enough to do it. Because others cannot and others, like his daughter, only wish they could so something as simple as play outside. Because life is full of opportunities to explore. It was just so crystal clear to me.

This is WHY I decided to do an Ironman. Because I can. To do it for others who can't. And to prove that the only limits that exists are the limits we place on ourselves.

"Life, to me, is a series of false limits and my challenge as an athlete is to explore those limits."—Lance Armstrong

2008-12-12T02:08:00.000-08:00

The New Lady In My Life

2008-12-12T01:32:00.000-08:00

SPECIFICATIONS:
NAME: Still working on it. I like Juanita so far.
Sizes 52cm
Color(s) White/Black
Main frame Fuji Altair 2 custom butted aluminum with PowerDiamond down tube, Integrated head tube, Double water bottle mounts
Rear triangle Fuji carbon seat stays, Fuji Altair 2 aluminum chain stays, Fuji forged road dropout with replaceable derailleur hanger,
Fork FC-770 Fuji Bonded Carbon Integrated w/ 1 1/8" Alloy Steerer
Crankset FSA Gossamer Compact MegaExo w/ Integrated spindle, 34/50T 7075 AL rings
Bottom bracket FSA MegaExo Exterior Bearing System
Pedals Nil
Front derailleur Shimano 105, 31.8mm
Rear derailleur Shimano Ultegra
Shifters Shimano 105 shifter/brake, 20-Speed Flight Deck compatible
Cassette Shimano 105, 11-25T 10-speed
Chain KMC DX10
Wheelset Alex ALX- 200, 700c clincher
Tires Continental UltraSport, 700 x 23c
Tubes CST presta
Brake set Tektro R-570 dual pivot w/cartridge pads
Brake levers Shimano 105 STI
Headset Tange IS-24 1 1/8" Integrated Road
Handlebar Fuji UltraLite 6061 Double Butted, 31.8mm w/Anatomical drops
Stem Fuji PRO Alloy 3D forged, +/-7 degree
Tape/grip Fuji custom cork wrap
Saddle Fuji UltraLite Racing
Seat post Fuji PRO Forged Alloy, 300mm
Seat clamp Fuji Superlite Alloy, 31.8mm Laser Etched
Other 7075 alloy water bottle bolts
Weight, lb./kg. 18.65/8.46

For those of you not familiar with all of this bike lingo...I'll help you out. BAD ASS! That is what my bike is. BAM!

December Training...so far

2008-12-12T01:13:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick glance at my training for the month of December so far. Pretty self-explanatory. The icons tell you which sport I am doing that day. Below each icon are the minutes I spent training that day. So far, this thing is pretty dang fun!

Westside Team In Training - IRON TEAM!

2008-12-09T19:21:00.000-08:00

Here are just some of the sights from our first few weeks at practice.

What Exactly IS the Ironman?

2008-12-08T23:46:00.000-08:00

Here are a few quick videos to illustrate the madness which I am about to experience in the upcoming months. These videos show clips from the most famous Ironman race in the world in Kona, HI. Kona is where The Ironman World Championships take place. In Kona the best of the best compete and you can only be part of the field by qualifying. If you don't qualify, you can be invited to participate by taking part in a lottery where 10,000 applicants fight for 150 spots.

I am doing the Ironman in Sonoma, CA which covers the same distance...140.6 total miles. Although Hawaii looks LOVELY, you can call yourself an IRONMAN wherever you can cover the full distance of 2.4 mile swim / 112 mile bike / 26.2 mile run. Who knows...maybe I can get to Kona someday???

Ironman: YOU Will Do This

IRONMAN--There Are Only Two Types of People: Those That Say I can't...and Those That Say I CAN!

"Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live"

2008-12-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

So here we go. I am beginning my first blog ever and I have no idea where to begin. So much to say. So much emotion and anxiety rattling in my mind right now. How does a blog work? What are the rules for creating a blog? Do rules even exist? I'm such a rookie. Here goes nothing.

I joined Team In Training's Ironman Team a little over 6 weeks ago. Our training began on November 4th so I have been at it for a little over 4 weeks now. I have been meaning to start this blog for a while now, but for some reason I have procrastinated until today. And today of all days is quite special...it's my 32nd birthday! YAY! I find birthdays and the time around the holidays to be quite a reflective time in life so I guess today it just feels like oozing out of me. Birthdays to me serve as a good time to stop and take inventory of what is happening in life. To make sure I am on track for my goals. A time to be appreciative of my friends and family. A time to search new ways to grow and challenge myself in life. I find it very fitting that my journey to take on the Ironman begins at basically the start of another year for me.

So here is the low-down on how our team is training for the Ironman over the next 8 months. We have a training schedule that we follow weekly which consists of training for about 6 days a week, with one rest day off. So far the past month has not been super difficult...which is something I won't be saying in late March/April. We are doing what is referred to as "base training" which means we are starting off really really slow and buiding a strong foundation/base for our bodies in all three events: swimming, cycling and running. Right now, no training day has been longer than about one hour so training has not disrupted my everyday life very much. I am told that will change much later. Long distance training is very different than a lot of other athletic training. It's about building a strong base and training your body to sustain the same repetitive motion for several hours at a time. What is important is endurance, not speed, and stamina over strength.

Our team meets as a group for swim practice every Thursday in Culver City and every Saturday morning for either running or biking...or both. On Saturdays we meet throughout Los Angeles to try and accommodate where everybody lives. Our team right now has about 70 participants scattered throughout L.A. We meet in Santa Monica at the beach, Playa Del Rey, Griffith Park, Malibu and many other cool places where we can fit in a strong workout. For me, I am learning all about swimming and biking. I got this running thing DOWN so I feel like I am really only focusing my efforts on 2 of the 3 sports for now. Here is what I have learned so far: swimming SUCKS! I get tired very easily and I need to learn how to breath better. Swimming is the event I am the most worried about but the only thing I like about it is that I am SUPER SUPER hungry after I swim and hopefully in 8 months I can have Michael Phelps ABS.... BAM! Biking...not so bad...but feels very uncomfortable so far. I am still getting use to sporting those sexy tight ASS cycling shorts...but it's part of the deal. I just bought my new bike about a week ago. OH MAN...she is a BEAUTY! I will post pix of her later. I am still coming up with a name for her. I need a few more rides in before I get a feel for her. Right now I like Juanita, Bonita, Chula, Snowflake (because she is white), Saphire or Precious. I'll let you all know when I lock down a name.

All in all, training has been a blast so far. It is so exciting challenging yourself with something new everyday and pushing your limits. It's really hard for me to put into words. I'll explain more in my next entry but the moment I knew I HAD to do this was about two months ago when I realized I was SCARED TO DEATH of the Ironman. The moment I realized I was honestly afraid, petrified and nervous is when I knew it had to be done. I believe that without fear and pain, there is no growth in life. When I notice fear, that to me is a kind of "signal" telling me opportunity awaits me. I remember the moment I realized how scared I was to do this and then thinking I didn't remember ever feeling this scared before. That is when my decision was made. Strangely enough, in the just the short time that I have accepted this daunting challenge, the "fear" I once felt has already started to disappear. Looks like I am on my way.

Gotta run. Entry #1 in da books! BAM!