CAF QMDC Training rides weeks 1 to 5

I officially embarked on a new journey last May. A journey that I believe will better me physically but more so as a person. The foundation is called "CAF" which stands for Challenged Athletes Foundation (http://www.challengedathletes.org/). An organization who's primary goal is to help physically disabled athletes who still have a dream of one day being able to ride a century, run a marathon and swim in the open ocean.
I am one of 30 lucky finalist to be chosen for the XX1090 Scott and BR Radio Contest. The goal is simple, be the last man or woman standing and you get 21 weeks of cycling training from top cycling experts, all expense paid trip to San Francisco and of course a unforgettable ride down the California coast line down to San Diego. The contest will not only challenge my skill as a bike rider, but as a fundraiser and education for CAF and what they do. The last thing that is also very important is how much of a team player I am and will be throughout this whole experience. So we are off to week one.

Week one was geared more for introductions, rules and regulations. I was given a Primal Wear CAF jersey to rock on the weekly rides after I signed my life away. I met most the ride leaders such as Pat J. and Joe W. to name a few and also last years winner Adam Beck and 2008 winner Mike Henderson. It was very intimidating the first day, just like the first day of school. Not knowing anyone and what to expect. But I soon realized, we were all feeling the same way. I was glad to have rode with Danielle W., Brian M., and Keith J. to name a few. We all came from different backgrounds but found solace in one common thing, road biking. After a quick ride up and down the coast from Del Mar to Oceanside then back. Before you knew it, the ride was over.

Due to our wedding anniversary in Seattle, WA and the Rock and Roll Marathon the week after. I was not able to make it on the week 2 and 3 group rides. But as you can see, I was keeping myself busy and training for the ride in my absence.

Week four was a strength training and recovery clinic at Fitness Quest 10 (http://www.fitnessquest10.com/). From the moment you walk in, you notice the LT jersey hanging on the wall right next to Drew Brees. These were not only hanging for novelty items, but clearly endorsing what this gym is all about how serious they are in player development. The mission this week is learn different ways on how your body needs to recover. The trainer for the day was none other than group one ride leader Pat J. He is currently a personal trainer with Fitness Quest 10 and was kind enough to show us routines he knew will make us all better on the bike while working off it. After only an hour and a half, I immediately noticed the effects this workout had on my body. I felt it a lot more the next couple of days. I took in great tips and learned the facts and myths about working out in the gym. I took a lot of knowledge from this weeks clinic. Now when do we ride?

Week five was a group ride day. I felt really excited since I wasn't able to ride with the group since week one. Sunday ride was reverse of the week two's Elfin Forest ride. I personally have never started west to east on Del Dios Highway so this will be a fairly new ride for me. By mile number 6 and 7, my body showed me exactly how long I have been off the bike and soon felt it before we hit the only SAG. After taking in much needed sustenance and break. We were off back to the starting line in Flecther's cove with more rollers left on the ride than a uphill battle. I was riding steady in the middle of the pack cruising between 15-20miles an hour, then I hear a clack and notice my crank was not moving at all. My chain was stuck and had to pull over and stop. The rest of the grouped passed but a fellow rider came to my aid and waited for me while I gained momentum once again. (Thank you!) After going up much of the rollers without the group's help. I met up with the rest of the group near San Elijo and made our way towards Carlsbad and back down to Fletcher's Cove. Taking two weeks off the bike can make it feel an eternity, but with the Marathon over. I can now concentrate my efforts on the saddle and strength training. Is it Sunday yet?

Rocked and Rolled

If you walked up to me 2 years ago and asked if I would ever run a marathon. I would think you were out of your mind. But 2 years have passed since my first official race and I have not looked back since. As much as road cycling has taken over much of my spare time now. I will always be a runner at heart. With several half marathons and a few 10k's under my belt. I felt this is the year to step up my game and run my first full marathon. What better event to enter than the annual Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego. But I didn't want to tackle this alone. With the help from my best buds Brian B. and Pat M., we used the last 5 months together training for the daunting task. Training for a race takes time and dedication. But with a wife and daughter, it also takes patience's and compromise on both sides. I was able to get in as much as 25-30 miles a week with their support. I also can not forget the daily running tips from my boss and avid runner Peter B. who has inspired me that anything is possible when you put your training to it. Having a great support system is the key to almost everything huge in your life. With that in mind my buddies and I decided to show our support for CAF on our run.

After several weeks of training and only 24 hours left before the starting gun goes off, I could not sleep. You can call them jitters, but I am sure it didn't help that my daughter was kicking and slapping daddy all night. It's 3 am and my body has not completely woken up yet. This won't be good since it won't be until the start of the race my body will then decide it needs to do what it has to. Oh well, you live and learn. When we got to the staging area, I was greeted by several thousand enthusiastic runners. It was a sight to behold. No one can say they weren't excited to run after seeing all the people in attendance.
When our corral was called and waiting in the starting line, only one thing kept running through my mind. What did I get myself into and am I really ready for this? But I just had to remind myself that I prepared myself as much as I could for this race. The guys and I made it a point to pace ourselves throughout the race. This was a very effective and evident when we got to the 13 mile marker where my body's limit was nearing it's point of no return. Yet at mile 14, I was feeling good. I have to admit that an extra boost of energy ran through my body seeing my cheering wife and daughter along with our friend Emily (Thanks Em for helping Cristal out) on the side of the road. Who says cheering fans never helps with the psyche? When running long distances such as a marathon, being mentally tough is just as important, if not more than being physically tough.
(By the way, thanks to the unknown spectators who cheered for the guys wearing the CAF shirts, you do not know how much that helped us get through the run.)

When we reached the 23 mile marker, both my brothers in arms almost had enough and had to turn it down a notch. Looking back at them they said to "just go ahead and finish strong if you have enough." As much as I didn't want to leave and stay as a team, I felt good and was thinking, "can I live with myself if I decided to not push it the last 3.2 miles left?" The guys understood and I pressed on and on. This must have been the longest stretch of the race. Seeing and hearing the end in sight definetly did not help the situation. I just looked down and drown out everything else. Next thing I noticed I made it up to the crowds of cheering people at mile 25 and the adrenaline took me the rest of the way. Wow, I can't believe I finished it!

There were so many little things I was not able to desrcibe in the blog. From seeing people taken out on stretchers, to people collapsing right in front of me and people bleeding and didn't even notice it. I had so many different emotions running through my head in such a short period of time it was hard to put it in words. One emotion I can put in words is a feeling of accomplishment. The feeling of finishing something not every one will get a chance to do in their lifetime. The one sign i saw and will take to heart read, "If it's easy, then everyone will be doing it". Will this be the last marathon for me? I don't think so, but my brain can not speak for my body.

Memorial Day in the Pacific Northwest

I'm a leaving on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll see sun again. Living in So Cal, everyone including myself takes our weather for granted. Spending a weekend in Washington state reminded me of how lucky we Californians have it. But I don't mind the occasion sprinkle and gray clouds, if it means taking a break from your normal grind. My wife and I decided to enjoy our 4 year wedding anniversary with the rest of her side of the family. Since her father's birthday is the same day and her god-daughters first communion was the day after,

this weekend could not have been a better time.

Some might think taking a break from the warm weather will deter me from running or biking. Not me, I was even more determined to go out there and enjoy the great outdoors and what Washington has to offer. I took a short run to keep the legs fresh for the upcoming marathon. Scenery was fantastic and the air is so much cleaner up there. For the price of having a small constant drizzle it is not bad at all. But this trip would not be complete without a bike ride with my brother in law Rinadi and his wife Soo. Rinaldi was also bit by the bike bug a couple of years ago has not recovered since and has now rubbed of on the Mrs. Taking my bike up there was not economical. Instead, with road shoes, pedals and helmet hand. We went to rent a road bike. I have never rented a road bike before and did not know what to expect. The guys a http://www.kirklandbikes.com/ were helpful and straight forward. They have a large selection of Cannondale and Giant bicycles in stock. I was able to rent Giant Defy Advance 3, somewhat of a upgrade since it was the first Carbon bicycle I have ridden. It was a great ride and would recommend it. In California, its to no surprise that to enjoy the great outdoors on your bike you have to learn to enjoy it responsibly with vehicles on both your left and right at times. But in Washington, the cities and suburbs collaborated on a unique system of pathway and trails for people, bicycles and even horses. I am not talking about gravel or your occasion dirt path. I am talking about bike lanes with arrows, signs, and even restrooms on those long trips. No need to search for a gas station or fast food joints when nature calls. Check out yourself at www.kingcounty.gov/transportation/kcdot/Roads/Bicycling.aspx. There is a rest stop every 5-7 miles. Granted I only rode about 50 miles of the hundreds and hundreds of bike lanes the city had to offer, but I was really impressed to say the least.

What was the weather you maybe asking yourself. Rainy and wet, surprised? According to my brother in law summer time tends to bring some sunshine more often than not. But just my luck it was 75 and sunny two days before we landed. I was prepared like a boyscout and brought everything I have to keep warm in and cold out. But nothing can keep the rain out. I have to admit, I enjoyed it since there was no vehicular traffic nor any hills to worry about.

In day one, we headed East out from the City of Bothell then south to the city of Redmond.

Commonaly known by locals as the Bicycle Capital of the Northwest. Along the way I was greeted by bicycles ridden by people of all sizes and shapes. From Tribikes, Fixies and Mountain. It was great to see that other people truly enjoy riding in this weather. I also saw a horse on the adjacent trail. Which answered the question, why is there hay on the bike path? We ended our first ride at Maymoor Park next to Lake Sammamish. A beautiful park filled with baseball fields, soccer fields. We wanted to end our ride on the Microsoft Campus but the rain was not letting up. It was an out and back route since we tried to keep the ride within a 2 hour time frame. More awaits on our second ride.

Since the rental was for 2 days. You know I wanted to make sure we get a second ride in. Again we headed out of from the city of Bothell. This time headed west through the University of Washington campus and ending at Gas Works Park. Once again the weather was predictable and wet. Riding west meant riding through more residential areas of the city. It was a great change on scenery to ride along the north and northwest side of Lake Washington. The trail itself has been dedicated since 1978 so the road condition was not as pleasant as the previous day. Nevertheless, I would take a less desirable riding road condition over riding with automobile cross traffic any day. Riding through the University of Washington was great. We rode by the college University Distritct and the famous Husky Stadium. There were several bicycle stores near the area, one even had a bicycle repair stand and a air compressor outside for anyone to use in case of an emergency.

We reached the halfway point of the ride when we reached Gas Works Park. Originally built to manufacture gas from coal in 1906, now stands a public park. Most of the heavy boilers are still standing today not accessible to the public. But the city has added picnic tables and converted the exhaust compressor building to a children's play barn.

Even on this wet and overcast day, you can clearly see the famous Seattle Space Needle surrounded by the downtown Seattle skyscrapers. After a quick pit stop and pictures, we headed back to Bothell.

This concludes my amazing and incredible bike ride in Washington State. I would like to thank my wife and in laws for showing me that even in rainy weather, the company you ride with will dictate how much fun you can and will have. I definitely recommend to my fellow riders when they visit the pacific northwest to ship theirs or just rent a bike and hit the road. But make sure you bring your weatherproof jacket, gloves, pants and shoe covers since even in the summer months weather is never perdicatable.

Wednesday group rides...

We all live busy and sometimes hectic lives. Wether its working 8-12 hours a day, to going to school full time or even both. Life tends to get in the way when it comes to training. In preparation for my upcoming marathon and CAF MDC training rides. I have enlisted a few good men and women to help me become a better rider. My friend Edson has introduced me to several of his coworkers Hooman, Steve, Anton and his wife Mary Anne who share the same passion on riding as I do. We try to meet every Wednesday for a group ride which always starts and ends in Clairemont Mesa. Being centrally located, rides can take us as far west as Mission Beach, east to Santee, north to Poway and south to Hillcrest. I have to admit I am not much of a navigator, but with the help of Edson's friend Marco. He is kind enough to share his knowledge of routes with us and give us a a bikers tour of San Diego. Last weeks ride to Mt. Soledad was pretty challenging. We started in Clairemont and made our way to La Jolla where we started the ascent on Nautilus St. I still remember the day I dreaded hills, now I am more accepting of them. About 2 1/4 quarter later and 800 feet of elevation later. We reached the famous Soledad cross and took pictures of the group with a view of the 5 north in the background. Once we refueled, now came the fun part. Heading down hill Via Capri reminded you where your drops are located on your bike. The group later made its way through La Jolla Village Drive, Gilman Drive and to Genesse Ave. With several rollers along the way the group was exhausted but was overall satisfied with the route. Rides vary in time but typically would last between 2 to 2 1/2 hours in length. With only a week to go until the marathon. I decided to take a hiatus on this weeks group ride. But will most certainly look forward on the next one.

Welcome fellow riders...

My name is Mark and I am here to document and share my experience. Born in the Philippines, I moved to San Jose, California when I turned 10 with my younger brother and mother. We later moved down to San Diego, where I went to Rancho Bernardo High. I now live in Poway with my wife Cristal and our daughter Winter. I used to ride bikes for fun when I was a kid, but I never thought that it would bring the comradeship, friendships and memories that is has given me over the last few years.

I haven’t ridden a bike since I was younger, but about 3 years ago my wife bought me a mountain bike for my birthday. Prior to us getting married I wasn’t in the best shape. I did run every now and then, but I really wanted to get into something that would help me be a better person physically. So the summers would be spent mountain biking and the winters would be spent snow boarding. I didn’t realize how many of my friends were into mountain biking. It became my addiction and gave me a healthy way to spend time with friends.

One of my most memorable moments riding was with my friend Brian. We were on one of our regular rides and my bike broke. We were pretty far out, but rather than him riding back along side me, he picked up his bike and hiked with me. Until then I didn’t realize how much cycling was truly a team sport. It was Brian that moved me towards getting a road bike. And last year, another present from the wife, I finally got my road bike. It was a present for my first father’s day.

My daughter is turning 2 this year. It’s only May and I can’t believe the things that are ahead of me. I will be running the Rock n’ Roll Marathon, celebrating my 4 year anniversary, and now have the opportunity to ride with the CAF team. It’s going to be a lot of hard work and dedication, but with the support of my friends and family I think it will be one of the best experiences in my life.

Through cycling I have made so many new friends. We’re all there to support each other and help out when someone’s falling back or has a flat. I’ve never played on a sports team before, but this is a journey that I’m glad to be doing with friends.