What I've Been Up To

Kick-ass Laura reminded me via a Flickr comment that I haven't blogged in forever so I figured I would do a, "What I've been up to" blog.

My bf and I checked out an awesome concert at The Fillmore (my 1st Fillmore attendance, cool venue!)where I ended up coming out looking as if I had just done a two-hour hard core interval training ride. The band was Cavalera Conspiracy and they rocked!





We went to Tahoe in August and rode around the 72-mile perimeter of the lake. Talk about an awesome ride!



We've also been doing long rides (i.e., century rides) in Marin county and the peninsula.










We also went down south for some REAL summer weather. We rode bikes around Catalina Island, played beach volleyball, BBQ'd, played pool at a popular hang-out, and got drunk at a house party.









The biggest event coming up is the Capoeira Batizado in November. (You can read abou its' background here ----> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batizado). I'm curious to see what official nickname I'm given. I'm thinking about filming my batizado performance and uploading it to youtube to share with my friends. Further details to come. :-)

How did that happen?

“Why do birds suddenly appear
Every time you are near?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.”

Although I think this Carpenters song is one of the all-time corniest songs (sorry Sheryl) it does capture that feeling of being in love. As many of my friends know, five months ago I posted a craigs list personals ad and met my now-boyfriend, Rey. Rey is a Brazilian triathlete who loves to ride his bike (road and mountain). He’s fun, smart, athletic, nurturing and a good communicator. He is handy with tools and he’s an awesome cook! And, therein lies the problem. I’ve gained a pound for every month we’ve been together. That’s 5 lbs. people!

Rey loves to cook and cooks for us all the time. His food is so damn good I often find myself having seconds. Perhaps not such a good idea when those seconds come in the form of rice with cashew nuts or omelets with cheese. Not to mention that I haven’t been riding consistently due to work, travel and some degree of laziness.

Perhaps I wouldn’t be as self-conscious about my weight gain if Rey wouldn’t grab at my love-handles. Note to guys: DO NOT grab at your woman’s love handles, stomach pooch, or other fatty body part! It does not feel like an affectionate gesture. If you want to be affectionate, give us a kiss on the cheek, hold our hands or give us a warm hug. Reaching for our body fat (other than our boobs or butts) only makes us feel uncomfortable and sooo un-sexy!

Thankfully, Rey is being understanding about my weight gain and has promised to help me lose it. Ideally, I’ll lose the weight faster than I gained it. Just in time for the holidays. ;-)

If you're looking for custom-made cakes...

check out http://www.sweetartbyjennifer.com/

I ordered a birthday cake from Jennifer and I was very happy with her professionalism, cake design and flavor (chocolate with Kahlua cream filling. Yummy!! Btw, she also delivers.

Time to check myself!

Although I'm certainly not a strong bike climber, I have a special affinity to the Mt. Diablo Hill Climb Time Trial because it was the first bike race I ever did. Sad to say, my finishing time hasn't improved since '06:

2006: My finishing time was 39:22.9 (1st place finishing time was 32:02.0 by Shawn Chapler from EMC/Vellum, 24-women field)

2007: My finishing time was 40:43.2 (1st place finishing time was 32:53.6 by Deb Sandercock from Left Coast, 26-women field)

2008: My finishing time was 40:14.5 (1st place finishing time was 30:27.9 by Susan Lannoo, unattached, 17-women field)

I'd like to think that I would have come in under 40 minutes had I not had to race to the start line (I made it to the start line about 45 seconds before my start time). Could've, should've, would've...whatever. The point is that I need to start kicking my own ass again (i.e., lose weight, train more, drink less wine (scratch that, eating less is enough of a sacrafice).

The nice thing about the Diablo TT is that you can continue riding up the mountain after your race and mull over not having pushed harder on some of the easier sections of the road. The first trip up to the summit, I rode solo and turned around right before the 100-meter,17% grade stretch of road leading up to the summit. On my second trip, I rode with my now-triathlete-but-hopefully-soon-to-be-road-racer boyfriend Rey, Peter Armstrong from Synergy, and Peter's girlfriend, Melissa. Despite my intensifying hunger, I rode to the summit the second time around.

My next goal? The Esparto TT on August 10th.
2006 results: 56:00.4
2007 results: 53:21.7
2008 results: Hopefully, 50:00.0!

My First Duathlon

I competed in my first duathlon last Saturday (the Mermaid duathlon in Fremont). I was joined by my Team Oakland teammate, Marie, and my friends Jesse and Melissa. (I would later discover Tri Flo Velo Girl Lorri at the race as well. I don't know what the hell I was thinking by not getting a few shots with Lorri. Aargghh! Maybe I just can't multi-task between being a participant and photographer. But I digress...)






My race started at 7:30 a.m. and I figured a 5:15 a.m. wake-up would give me plenty of time to get to the race comfortably. Nope! I ended up running 20 minutes late and was feeling a bit stressed when Rey, Jesse and I got to the race. Although we cut it very close, Jess and I made it to the start line on time.

Our race distances were 1.5 mile run, 11 mile bike, 2.5 mile run. Although these are short distances, I didn't know how well I was going to do (especially since I'd only run a total of 7.5 miles since registering for the event).

I got through the 1.5 mile alright (12:55.4).



When I got to the transition area to pick up my bike, I had a little trouble finding my bike in the sea of bikes before me. When I finally found it, I moved as fast as I could (transition time: 2:25.0)



Once on the bike, I felt I was in my element. I noticed a Tri Flo jersey (Lorri) ahead of me so I tried to stay with her or ahead of her throughout the bike leg. However, she dropped me on the second loop where she did more aggressive bike handling on the bike trail. On the 3rd corner of my last loop, my right calf started cramping BIG time!. I had to slow down significantly, drink water, and wait for the cramp to subside somewhat before picking up the speed again. Damn those cramps! Bike Time: 33:28.0.

I found the third leg of the race to be the most challenging. I had to work very hard at keeping my breathing under control. Although I knew I had to run across sand to get to the finish line, I was so ready to finish my first duathlon and sprinted as fast as I could. Third Run: 22:00.4.



After the race, I chatted with Marie, Lorri and the rest of my pals and enjoyed a good breakfast. When the results were posted, I learned that I placed first in my age group (12th overall in the duathlon group). Right on! Fellow Team Oakland team mate Marie placed first in her age group and 2nd overall).



I had a lot of fun competing in this race and think there might be more duathlons in my future.

P.S. If anyone can tell me how I can include the link to Marie's and Lorri's blog pages within my blog, I would appreciate it mucho!

Latest Happenings

These past few weeks have been pretty activity-filled.

In May there was Laura's birthday celebration. Surprisingly enough, I was the only one not to get plastered. I guess I exercised self-restraint because I was the designated driver. Yet, I managed to: (1) get on the wrong freeway and (2) miss the last non-SF exit. Consequently, Beth and I enjoyed a tour of Yerba Buena Island as we turned back so we can head back home instead of crossing the bay bridge.







There was also that hot day in May. I decided to work a half-day and hang out at Ocean Beach until late. Although the water was cold, I managed to jump into the ocean for a few minutes. I also got to enjoy watching the sunset with Rey.







I've been on a few challenging bike rides (e.g., lower body weight training on a Friday, followed by climbing some of SF's notorious steep hills on Saturday, and completing the torture training with a ride to Mt. Tam with very little fuel in my tank on Sunday).

There was also another May birthday celebration I got to enjoy: TO's very own Jeff Sobul looking very dapper and happy on his birthday.



I also got to watch some of my capoeirista friends in action at Union Square.





Of course, there's always time to catch a live Brazilian band.




This past weekend I went to Rey's triathlon in Sacramento. He and his teammates did very well. Oh, and imagine my surprise when I see a Team Oakland racer there. Yup, Scott Cole was there doing the bike leg (his attendance was part of his office's team-building endeavor.)





Lastly, I did kayaking for the first time this past weekend. Pretty fun stuff.





I'm looking forward to more adventures this summer!

A Recap

These past few weeks have been fun and busy.

There was that warm, sunny day in April when I got to actually enjoy a day at Ocean Beach. Rey, Thatiana, and I did cartwheels, kicked a soccer ball around, attempted acrobatic yoga, and practiced a little capoeira. I obviously have yet to perfect my Au (portuguese for cartwheel) but I had fun attempting them on the sand nonetheless.





I also did my first ride out to Santa Cruz. It was the perfect day for a 100-mile ride (there was some headwind on the return trip but thankfully that lasted for only about an hour and a half or so).




The pay off to doing these long rides is the amount of food you get to eat in the name of "recovery".



Earlier this month, I got to witness my first triathalon event. Rey does the Avia Wildflower every year and I was happy to be there for him to offer him moral support.

Rey did the Olympic distance:
Swim 1.2 miles: 44 minutes, 3 seconds
Transition No. One: 3 minutes
Bike 56 VERY HILLY miles: 2 hours, 50 minutes, 19 seconds
Transition No. Two: 2 minutes, 1 sec.
Run 13.1 miles: 2 hours, 6 minutes, 7 seconds
Finish Time: 5 hrs, 45 mins, 3 secs







I also have to say how inspired I was to watch the athletes from the Challenged Athlete's foundation work their asses off on that course. Absoultely, friggin' inspiring!!!









Most recently, I made my first trip to Tahoe and absolutely loved it! I actually cried at one point, I was so touched by the beauty of my surroundings!





Rey and I plan on visiting Tahoe a lot this summer, where he will show me how to kayak and mountain bike. I can't wait!!!

One of "Those" Endurance Rides

Last Sunday I went on a Club One group ride in Marin: Fairfax; Nicasio; Pt Reyes Station; Inverness; Tomales Point and return. 73 miles, 5100' climbing. Being the kind of person that's always looking to have a good time, I went out to dinner, played pool and danced until 1:30 a.m. the night before. When my alarm clock went off at 7 a.m. Sunday morning, I was slightly tempted to skip the ride but the little voice inside my head reminded me that I hadn't been on my bike for a week so I better drag my ass out of bed, which I did.

When Rey and I arrived at the meeting place, the other Club One members were there and ready to roll. Thankfully, the weather forecasters were wrong about possible rain on Sunday and we rolled out into a beautiful, sunny day.

I was very surprised to discover how much climbing there was during the first half of the ride and imagine my great joy when I discovered that there would be continuous climbing all the way to Tomales Point. I figured I would need extra nourishment to get me through the ride so I drank a cup of coffee and ate a slice of pizza and a piece of coffee cake when we arrived at the Bovine Bakery (20 miles into the ride).

The hilly ride continued and I was excited to see the coast on the horizon. However, I was not excited to see the steep climb that awaited us up ahead. Holy Cow! Do I have the legs for this today? Despite the voice inside my head that said, "There's no shame in getting off the bike and walking up this stretch considering that you've had minimal sleep and are a bit dehydrated from last night's drinking" I pedaled my way to the crest of the hill before beginning my descent into Tomales Point. Despite my tired legs and labored breathing, I was glad that I sucked it up and stayed on my bike.



During our short break, the group and I tried to soak up as much sun as possible to warm ourselves against the windy chill. Although we would have liked to just hang out under the sun, we knew we had to head back so onward we went toward the rolling hills. Of course, on the way back, I just had to stop and take a picture with a cow. The expression on its' face is: "What the deuce are these creatures looking at me?"






As the ride back to Fairfax progressed, I found myself losing a lot of steam. I was so happy and relieved when I saw a sign that said Fairfax was just 9 miles away. Unfortunately, those last 9 miles felt like 90 miles! By the time we rolled into the parking lot, I was ready to take a nap. The lesson I learned on this ride: keep the partying to a minimum the night before a long ride. Duh!