2009 was that year.

I updated this blog in May? Damn. I'll get back to this one.

2009 Avia Wildflower

Geez, I haven't upgraded this blog in a long, long time.  Originally this blog was meant to show friends around the world my recent bike adventures or just adventures for that matter, but mostly about biking.  

I think really the blog only gets updated the more I ride, which I haven't been doing so much unfortunately.  Fortunately, I have been riding my bike and I rode it like crazy in a one day span and had such a blast doing it.  

So let's get started ... 

A couple of months ago, my good friend Brad (who I was stationed in Korea with) got me to register for the 2009 Avia Wild Flower Long Course.  For th

ose who don't know what the long course entails, it's basically half an Ironman distance or half the distance I did during Ironman Korea (which by the way, I was in way better shape for).  

So I registered some time ago and nearly forgot about it.  Work came around, school started and my training truly went off track.  I had some sporadic moments in some hills, some miles on the rollers (which involved a broken coffee table) and some really refreshing hill/trail runs and finally a good 64 mile bike ride to the Oregon border which include

d a 4 dog chase, a broken spoke and a chewed up derailleur cable.  Idaho has not been too kind to me on the bike or the swim, but has been really good for running which I ended up doing the most right before the race.  

So the weekend finally came around and with me already dreading racing that weekend without any kind of solid training, I was trying to get into the mindset of just having fun and finishing.  Kind of like Ironman Korea.  

Thursday morning came around had to pick up the rental.  I didn't want to drive the X since i'm driving it x-country in a couple of weeks.  What was cool with the rental was for 10 bucks more I upgraded to the new Hummer H3 which is a very cool ride.  Good thing I didn't take the Sebring as planned since there would have been no way we could have packed it with bikes.  

Okay, got the car and I got my gear inside.  Let's hit the road.  

I thought I was ready until I tried to hook up the iPod.  No go since the H3 didn't even have a AUX input jack.  You would think all cars in this day and age would have some sort of way to plug in your iPod, right? 

Fine, I'll listen to the radio.  Wrong again!  Turns out the only station between Boise and Reno is a country Christian station or the Bible reading station.  I didn't quite reach the New Testament when I got into Reno.  

So blah blah blah .. let's just fast forward to the race since driving through Sacramento was bad enough.  Death to all California drivers.  Four hour jaunt from Brad's moms house to beautiful Monterey County where Lake San Antonio awaited.  Brad said we were going to be hanging out with a girl named Jocelyn who he met during Ironman China.  Pretty cool already hanging out with international pros.  Turns out when we get there, they had already picked out some primo locations on the camp ground right next to the bathroom.  Sweet! 

Jocelyn bought her friend Amy who was pretty much a awesome triathlete in her own right and also she's got a freaking sweet Felt which got some love among a Cervelo camp.  

After setting up camp, Brad and I walked through the festival area to try and score some free schwag (which we did, but not as cool if you're a pro .. more like free powerbar gummy bears, cereal, and stickers!), but we did see the amazing new Shimano DI2 on display .. 

After some walking around we hung around camp and relaxed a bit.  Well I turned it in early since I was racing the Long Course on Saturday and the rest of the camp was racing the Olympic.  

The next morning, I got up early to the smooth sounds of a garbage truck collecting the dumpster next to our camp.  It ended up waking up Brad so we got the oatmeal cooking and packed up my gear and I headed off to the transition site.  

 

I racked my stuff and got started on squeezing myself into my wetsuit.  Turns out I gained about 20 lbs. since Ironman Korea and my wetsuit was a little bit smaller than I remembered.  Eventually, I got into it and walked down to the shoreline since my wave started at 0815, which was good since I'm a horrible swimmer (I hope people now believe me with this swim time and my backstroke sessions at Bomun Lake) and that gave me about 3 hours to finish off a 1.2 mile swim since the last wave started at 0930 and was limited to an hour after the last wave.  

I got into the water and immediately forgot how to swim.  Hahah!  I thought of Jeff Swindle and my backstroke sessions and I think I started doing so in the first 200m.  

Okay, I stopped to adjust my "dorky seal mask" (Thanks Jocelyn!) and I kept thinking of what the hell I got myself into.  Then I realized how long it took to drive here and how much money I spent for registration and then eventually got into my groove albeit slow and steady. 

Cool.  I got into the rhythm and and finally made it out of the water!! I wasn't last and Brad even said there was another guy in my wave doing the backstroke.  Nice.  

So here again is my summary of my swim since pictures do tell a thousand words.  

It wasn't as bad as I thought since usually I'm dizzy after a long swim and going up that steep ramp to the T1 wasn't a battle.  I was feeling kind of good actually.  I was in and out of transition in about three minutes and I started rolling through to the first major hill called Beach Hill about a mile after T1.  

As you can see me sporting the OG Beer Belly Bike Club jersey all the way in California and at Wildflower of all places.   Okay, back to Beach Hill.  Here's a funny story.  Everyone on that stretch I was on at that time got passed by some guy on a Bianchi Pista.  A FREAKING FIXED GEAR!!!  That guy is a beast if I ever saw one.  

I was feeling good in the first 40 miles of that ride.  It had some beautiful scenery and the wind was slightly blowing, but not so much that I couldn't handle.  Still, for someone who didn't get some solid training during the winter, it was pretty decent.  

It was around mile 45 that I realized someone lied to me.  Something called Heart Rate Hill combined with Nasty Grade.  These were some extremely nasty hills and for those who've known me from Korea is how much I HATE hills.  These hills were just a nightmare for me.  For the first time in my life I cramped my legs - bad.  No bonking.  I've yet to experience that, but major cramping in my quads from pushing a combination of the wrong gearing (39-25) and steep grade percentage.  I actually stopped  four times to stretch some muscles out, except it was more of standing there trying to figure out which side of my legs to stretch first since both were as solid as a rock.   

With that being said, the bike leg destroyed my legs.  I walked into T2 already knowing this.  

The run leg was misery business for me since it involved a 70% trail run mostly uphill.  I managed to run only a couple of yards before my quads locked forcing me to walk/limp most of the way.  Luckily I met a lady named Martha (who was having her own hamstring problems) and kept me entertained with her amusing anecdotes and sarcasm for the last remaining six miles.  After a long day of torturing myself, I had a relaxing night at camp trying to keep my noggin' warm.  

As for the rest of the players from Camp Wongstar and The Beer Belly Bike Club Reunion Special, they pretty much kicked ass.   Jocelyn took AG champ, Amy and Brad took 3rd and 4th in their AG respectively. 

Here's the rest of the pictures 

Overall, I had a blast for my first time in California.  Good new friends, good race and event.   I think this race boosted me back to where I should be at because I ran 10.5 miles yesterday and I felt pretty good afterwards.  The Idaho Famous Potatoes Marathon is coming up in a week and whatever TT falls in between that and my final race here in Boise - Ironman Boise 70.3!! 

Alive!

View Larger Map

  Today was cold.  It was also the first time in almost a year that I forgot how much wind chill can bring the fun to screeching halt.  I almost didn't think I'd make it back to the house under my own power since my toes and fingers stopped responding.   Every shift required an active concentration since I couldn't tell if I was holding the handlebar or the shifter itself.  My feet on the other hand (?) couldn't tell if I was still on the pedal or not.  Also the headwind made it the suffering even more sufferable.  I don't think I'll ever do something like that again.  I should have take a picture of my toe.  It was actually slightly blue and everyone knows that's bad. 

  29.4 miles.  I wanted to keep going and I was feeling great, but the sun was setting and I decided to turn it around.  I kept it at a 23 mph average, but the return trip crawled into the most torturous, agonizing 14 mile trip back.  Eating a clif bar on the way home, proved to be a lesson in motor skills.  I couldn't chew very well, let alone keep my mouth shut enough to prevent me from drool dribbling down all over my jersey and bike.  

  Eventually I got back to the house and immediately ran the tub full of hot water, and just sat in it shivering despite how much it should have boiled my skin off on a normal day.  

  Geez.  I should have just ran. 

Well, on a positive note the map shows how many cities you can pass within a 15 mile radius from my house.  Looks like the Oregon border is right there so as soon as it gets warmer, I'm crossing state lines.  As for now, i'm bundling up and drinking copious amounts of coffee, burning my tongue.  

Faster than you can say ...

  

Today was the first day in Boise that I was able to take the new bike out on its first "true" ride.  The harsh weather Boise has been having only let me take it out sporadically and for less than 5 - 10 miles at a time.  The sun came out today, with absolutely no kind of precipitation on the road whatsoever.  It was still blisteringly cold this morning so I decided on riding after my climbing class.  

  Well, it was still as cold as ice around 1:30, but at 24 degrees , it was still warmer than it was yesterday.  Anyway, I started on a what became a 32 mile loop on Hill Ave. and as I started to warm up, I started to really push it.  The only word I can think of this bike is twitchy.  I know road bikes vary greatly from TT/Triathlon bikes, but this one seemed like it wanted to escape from me every time I inhaled and exhaled.  It's when you lay low in the drops that this thing just takes off.  It seems like the less you fight it, the easier it is.  It's definitely not a lazy man's bike.  Or maybe coming off the TT/Tri position is still ingrained in me and i'm still adjusting.  Whatever it is, the bike requires some attention on the road.  

  Holding it on the pace line is sensitive to input and a little goes a long way.  The shifting is incredible on this thing.  I've been using 105 10speed on the Cervelo and it's nothing compared to this Ultegra SL.  Every shift is light, fast and extremely responsive.  The compact geometry constantly keeps me in an aero position, but coming off TT/Tri's it's almost natural anyway.  The wheelset is light enough, but i've been using carbon wheels almost exclusively for quite some time.  It's a bit on the harsh side, but it does the job.  Still better than the Velocity's I once had.  The seat is amazing.  Somehow, the design would lead you to believe on how uncomfortable it would be to sit on such a thin piece, but it was solid and very much more comfortable that my previous Profile Design seat I was using.  

  All these opinions may or may not even be relative since I'm coming off a completely different aspect of cycling.  It'll take me some saddle time to get used to all of this, but it all looks so promising.  Somehow holding a 22mph pace for ten miles seems quite good (and relatively easy?) to start this new year.  Climbing still sucks.  I could tell coming back to my apartment is going to be the worst after a good ride.  I went over to George's Cycles to get a saddle bag and cage and I had a chat with Dustin and he mentioned a yearly race up Bogus Basin road.  A $1000 prize for someone who can climb it in under 50 minutes.  I haven't seen the route, but I will check it out with my car later.  Must be one hell of a climb.  It's supposedly 16 miles up.  Training, training, training is all I can say.  Also, I've read Kristen Armstrong uses that same route in her training.  Is that why she won gold in Beijing?  There's a connection in there somewhere.  

  Well, I hope this weather lasts as it is or at least gets warmer.  I really have the itch now and in the back of my mind I still HATE running.  Not too many people know that.  They still think I like it for some reason or another, but I really HATE it.  I want to be back on two wheels.  I run out of boredom and a disillusioned concept of keeping me right for the bike.  I think it's working.  Oh yeah trail running is only cool because there's always something different to look at, at any given time.  It also packs in a little bit of adventure and different route every time I go, whereas road running is the same boring routine.  Some people may have a different opinion, but I plead the fifth on any other reason why.  

  So a bit of R & R for the rest of the day, I have got to catch up on Heroes.  I've been out of the loop for quite some time.  I'm only on season 3.  

  Oh yeah, and Netflix?  Exactly. 

Just keep rolling on ...

  I'm officially addicted to trail running.  The proximity of the Camel's Back trail system literally a few steps out of my front door helped to compound that addiction.  

  Running in the dark brings a whole new meaning to adventure. Being alone at the top is somewhat creepy, but it's just you vs. nature.  It's like when Rocky was training in the mountains in Rocky IV.  It's hard work, but I kinda feel like Rocky when you get to the top.  Except for the snow.  90% of the snow melted on the trails yesterday.  So much for screwing those studs on my sneakers.  

  Anyway, I just ran 4.24 miles in 38'40" which almost puts me back on my old "road" 10k pace.  It's much more sweeter when you account for the elevation and actual "trail" pace.  I've yet to test an actual "road" race pace.  Maybe when the weather gets a little warmer.  

  I've spent quite some time on my computer looking for upcoming fun runs / races.  I've found some, but some of the registration fees are quite ridiculous for the short distances they are.  I wouldn't be complaining too much if it wasn't the "bill" portion of the month where rent / insurance / utility payments are due.  The 15th will look a lot better and I can finally register for the upcoming major races in the spring/summer.  I need to pick and choose my battles since I'll be a bit busy with duty requirements and such.  So far, I've got the Avia Wildflower in sights and Ironman Boise.  I'm also pondering the Coeur d'Alene Marathon or round 2 for Jerseyman since they moved the date to May this time around.  

  Also, on a good note I saw twice as much people when i started my run.  Must be the whole new year resolution thing.  I hope it stays that way.  

2008 in a pinch.

The official events I've entered and some pics (if I had any) for the 2008 season.  Enjoy! 

2008 Camp Casey 30K Bike Race 

1st Place 

00:52:18 

2008 Osan Air Base Cold Steel Triathlon 

1st Place Team Division 

01:05:23

2008 Camp Humphreys Sprint Triathlon 

7th Place 

01:17:36

2008 8th Culture & Tourism Minister's Cup Olympic Triathlon 

24th Place (25-29 AG) 

02:54:30 

2008 Ironman Korea 

11th Place (25-29 AG) 

15:58:22

2008 Nike Human Race Seoul 

47,754th Place 

00:53:36 

2008 Osan Air Base Duathlon 3K Run/20K Bike/5K run

01:13:59

2008 Jerseyman Half Iron Distance Triathlon 

11th Place (25-29 AG)

06:50:02

2008 Boise YMCA Christmas Run

382nd Place 

00:58:06

Bring in the new year. Bring in the pain.

  I'm usually not about resolutions whenever a new year comes around and this year is no exception.  I'm used to the days blending in so my routines are usually kept the same.  Unless I was into some sort of horrible vice, I would normally keep my schedule as is.  

  Luckily, I got out of my rut that I was in a couple of weeks ago.  I'm feeling better now and starting to get back into my groove that I was before in Korea and in SERE school.  Funny thing about SERE Indoc that I've gotten accustomed to were "ins and outs".   Basically, 10 Pullups/25 Pushup whenever you leave and enter the house.  It's sometimes hard to follow since I'm always in and out of my house if not for errands or just running late for work, but I always follow them coming from work or in the afternoons when my mind is a little bit more clear.  

  Anyway, the bike thing is still on hold other than the rollers.  The snow has pretty much all melted from the previous weeks and I had planned on taking it out today for its maiden voyage on actual road.  Unfortunately, the temps today in Boise are low and raining out.  Which pretty much means ice on the roads.   So much for that idea.  

  Well, I have been running on a daily basis now and I've been using the Nike+ program in conjunction with my iPod.  It's actually a great tool being able to see your progress visually with some pretty nifty graphics on Nike's site.  Also, the auto sync with iTunes is pretty convenient.  Only qualms with the system is the inability to sync if somehow the nike site went down due to an error.  There just doesn't seem to be a way to record the previous run if it hasn't been able to previously.  Also, the user interface on the Nike site. It's visually stunning,  just not the easiest to navigate.  

The pros do outweigh the cons since i've never been able to track my runs before.  Oh one more thing, the Nike+ system seems slightly off in terms of distance covered.  It might just be the flaw of using a sensor in determining steps counted.  Still a general short is okay.  

  Speaking of running, I've taken to getting of the concrete and into the dirt.  Living in Camel's Back means accessibility to some of the greatest hill climbs i've ever seen.  All being right next to my apartment.  Apart from being some of the hilliest routes varying in terrain and elevation, some of the greatest views of downtown Boise and the surrounding mountain views are just spectacular.  

  Trail running ( especially in the snow ) have slowed my overall times up.  I wish Nike could differentiate trail vs. road.  

  Well, its just about four months exactly until the Avia Wildflower and six months until Ironman Boise so I'm all in.