A Day In The Thoughts of Carlos Almendárez

R.I.P Fernando Donlucas, profesor querido

2012-04-15T10:23:04Z

Somewhere along the way I heard the expression that we stand on shoulders of giants. For some these giants are famous historical figures. For others, athletes, politicians etc. Being in education – for me those giants are educators that have helped me throughout my life. I think of those teachers that have a special place in my life like that angel in It’s a Wonderful Life. The Fairfax High School community lost a great teacher, coach, mentor and person this weekend.

I woke up yesterday to learn that my soccer coach and latin American history teacher had passed. His family posted on his Facebook:

“Mr. Donlucas's purpose in this life has come to an end. Fairfax lost a great teacher and God welcomed an excellent human being! On behalf of his family we thank colleagues, students, friends, and everyone who had him in their prayers.
His wishes were for all of you to remember him like the great teacher, uncle, son, brother and friend that he was and to cherish the best memories that you experienced with him. Upon his wishes, there will be no funeral services.”

To say he was simply my teacher would be a disservice to the role he played in my life. You could walk by Mr. DonLucas’ class on any given day to at least a dozen students who * wanted * to be in his classroom hanging out at lunch when they didn't have to. Not too many teachers commanded that sort of respect from latino students.

It’s about 2:47am on a Sunday and I couldn’t really sleep. I kept thinking about the years I spent playing soccer under Donlucas and the several classes I took from him. I dug up my old yearbook and sure enough he wrote in it. He famously told people “your past is not your potential”. Those were words that resonated with me as an 18 year old and words that still ring true as I approach 31. Donlucas was one of the first teachers in high school that ever believed in me. Some teachers believed because they saw promise in a student. Donlucas believed in you the moment you walked in the door; as you were. Therein was his power. Even students who some suspected may one day drop out or didn’t do so well in school gravitated towards him. Today I talked to cousins and my brother about him. We all have fond memories of Mr. Donlucas.

I wouldn’t be where I am without educators like Mr. Donlucas. No doubt. It was teachers like him that forced me to believe in myself to get good grades and go to college. For some that is something that is a foregone conclusion but it wasn’t something that was a sure thing for me growing up. Donlucas was a pretty radical figure at the time. He forced us to be proud of who we were as latinos through his latin American history classes and he worked hard to get us to be proud of ourselves. Before I looked at my yearbook one I remember sitting next to his desk once and he was telling me I should have respect for myself. I think I had said something stupid to someone in class and sure enough he wrote some in my yearbook about having “el nombre de Almendarez en alto” which again really resonated with me. He was all about having respect for yourself and taking pride in who you are.

It’s strange to cry over someone you last saw over 13 years ago. I am thankful that we had been emailing earlier this year when I heard he was sick and I was able to express my gratitude to him for all he did for me and countless other people who came after me at Fairfax. I think he started teaching at Fairfax in the early 90’s so I was probably in some of the first classes of students he had in 1995. I wouldn’t be the last as two of my cousins and my little brother would also have him as a teacher and he would also leave a great impression on them. As my younger brother said “I think I’ll go read Always Running now”. That cracked me up. I will forever link that book to him. Donlucas taught us that latinos could be writers, teachers and historians; that latinos had a voice and that latinos had a place in U.S. history. He taught me that I could hold on to my identity as a latino and be proud of that yet still pursue “success” (however I defined that). That wasn’t something I knew before I met Mr. Donlucas. I was also thankful for his guidance in talking to me about teaching at Fairfax if I ever wanted to do. It’s still something I think about and hope to one day do and follow in his giant footsteps.

I wish it weren’t true that Mr. Donlucas had passed but he leaves a legacy of caring, empowerment and love. He is respected by thousands of students who walked through his doors and one can only hope to be as loved as he was.

Gracias por todo, professor. Que en paz descanse.

Carlos Almendarez
Fairfax class of 1999

February 2012 in pictures

2012-03-02T02:52:31Z

The Kaiser half marathon is one of the races I look forward to every year. It’s a good gauge for me. It’s the first race of the year for me and as a flat race it’s a great way to see how fit you are. This year the news isn’t so good. I came in at 2:08 versus my sub-2 hour time last year. Not to worry. It is what it is.

Race data: http://app.strava.com/activities/3913208

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It’s always great to have my mom in town. My mom comes up to San Francisco about 2x a year and I always try to come up with things for her to see.

Caption (above): Mom and I in Golden Gate park

Caption (above): At the Conservatory of flowers in Golden Gate Park

Caption (above): Beautiful flower

Caption (above): On the tour. Docent looks puzzled while Sofia looks intrigued.

Caption (above): Whoa. Very pretty colors.

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Caption (above): Stop and smell the…whatever those are called.

Caption (above): Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park

Caption (above): Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park

Caption (above): When in Japanese tea garden do like the …japanese?

Caption (above):When in Japanese tea garden do like the …japanese?

Caption (above):Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park

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As I head into my 30’s it has been interesting transitioning to a phase in my life where I look towards the future: career, family etc.

I was happy to hear that my good friend Brenda who I met at Berkeley summer bridge in June of 1999 was getting married. Brenda and I go way back and she is like a sister to me. I am very happy for her and her awesome husband Larry.

Caption (above): Picture with the bride

Caption (above): The wedding party

Caption (above): The guys

Caption (above): Rehearsal

Caption (above): The bridal party

Caption (above): Beautiful setup

Caption (above): I am very happy for her parents who are such lovely people. Felicidades!

Caption (above): The Berkeley crew

Caption (above): You know you’re a hardcore Cal fan when you get a Cal garter for your wedding.

Caption (above): *Insert jokes here*

Caption (above): First dance

Caption (above): Cutting of the cake

Caption (above): My Berkeley sisters from SoCal!

Caption (above): Managed to get the tossing of the bouquet

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Good ride today with the San Francisco Triathlon Club (SF Tri Club) 0-60 group. My first time offering to lead a group of newer members.

Caption (above): Our 0-60 group training for their first triathlon. This is on the Paradise Loop ride.

January 2012 in pictures

2012-02-26T06:25:48Z

This year we decided to pass on the crazy New Year’s eve party (we call it the uncchh-unchhh-uncchh fist pump parties) and go with a dinner with friends at home.

Caption (above): Our lovely hosts.

Caption (above): Sofia trying out for the next season of Mad Men.

Caption (above): Dinner is served.

Caption (above): The ladies

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While I do a lot of riding in Marin and sometimes in the Peninsula we decided to switch it up and go easy and scenic and ride the 17 mile drive down in Carmel.

Caption (above): How many bikes can you stuff into an SUV with no rack?

Caption (above): Gorgeous Pacific Grove

Caption (above): Kiss break

Caption (above): Swiss approves

Caption (above): Posing with the lone cypress

Caption (above): After my Orbea Orca was stolen in November I went with a Cervelo. While I had been on Shimano for 10+ years decided to try out SRAM Red. While it was lighter and cheaper than Dura-Ace it just wasn’t for me. Ended up selling this bike after 2 months and going back to the Orbea Orca with Shimano Dura-Ace.

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You have to love California. It has been unusually warm which means...more biking and running.

Caption (above): One of my favorite views in SF.

Caption (above): An unusually clear shot of the bridge.

Caption (above): First time biking through Fort Baker. Very scenic.

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My new favorite annual trip is heading to the Sundance film festival in Park City, Utah. For starters we head over with good friends. What I love about Sundance is it is a mix of Hollywood combines with a film festival and you sprinkle in a bit of Tahoe (with better snowboarding).

Caption (above): Sundance Marquee

Caption (above): Main Street in Park City

Caption (above): Sofia's first snowfall caught on camera.

Caption (above): SoCal people in the snow

Caption (above): At the premiere of Beasts of Southern Wild. Great film. Ended up winning the top of prize.

Caption (above): The ladies

Caption (above): Relaxing at the cabin doing some reading

Caption (above): Sigma Nus

Caption (above): Sofia snow angels

Caption (above): The guys

Caption (above): St Regis Deer Valley is an amazingly beautiful property. No, we didn’t stay there. I wish.

Caption (above): St Regis sightings: Liv Tyler and Tony Hsieh CEO of Zappos

Caption (above): Sofia and I

Caption (above): Sofia *whistles*

Caption (above): Obligatory Park City sign shot

Caption (above): So many comments can be made about this picture.

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I have been really happy with the open Ironman training rides this year. The tri team has an Ironman Nice group that has been great about posting rides. We did Old La Hona / Tunitas early in the year.

Ride data: http://app.strava.com/activities/3688091

Distance: 57.3 mi
Elevation: 5,522 ft
Time: 05:13:31

Caption (above): Climbing!

Caption (above): Pescadero

Caption (above): Parade of bikes. Must have been 60+ cyclists stopped for artichoke bread

Caption (above): I don't like artichokes but the artichoke bread in Pescadero was awesome.

Caption (above): Amazing views. Love January in California.

Caption (above): Stolen from Tona. Amazing views of ocean.

Caption (above): Stolen from Tona. I was only smiles until we started climbing.

December 2011 in pictures

2012-02-26T04:58:04Z

Since we have a couple of weeks in December off I always struggle with ideas for things to do while home in Los Angeles. One of the things I have always wanted to do is run our place in Hollywood to the Santa Monica Pier. After 30 years I finally did it. Thankfully Los Angeles has long avenues you can run across the entire city. Melrose avenue to Santa Monica runs 13 miles all the way to the ocean. Definitely makes navigation easy.

See run data here: http://app.strava.com/activities/2856077

I’ve started realizing that if I take it easy and my body doesn’t break down I can actually run pretty damn far. Long and easy runs for me I can hit up to 20 miles or so. The key is making sure my body doesn’t break down.

Caption (above): Start point: Whether in SF or LA it's nice to live near icons. We live off of Melrose and Normandie so the Hollywood sign is in view.

Caption (above): End point: Santa Monica pier.

Caption: The end. 70 degrees in Los Angeles in December. Unreal.

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Not usually one to cheat on Six Flags Magic Mountain we decided to take a trip to Knott’s Berry farm to mix it up. Tip: go on December 24th and NOBODY will be there. You can get on rides in minutes or less.

Caption (above): Pink’s Hot dogs at Knotts minus the 90 minute wait versus the one on Melrose.

November 2011 in pictures

2011-12-08T05:27:33Z

In November was lucky enough to partake in the SF tri club Eco Challenge. The eco challenge involves biking, running and kayaking through Marin county.

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One tradition we’ve managed to keep up is going to the Los Angeles auto show.

We’ve been going since about 1999 so it’s been cool to see the show evolve over the years. Not to be left out, I tend to go to most SF auto shows as way.

This was awesome. The Dyno’d a Mustang inside the convention center. That engine was LOUD.

This video is my buddy hamming it up as a sportscaster.

Caption (above): This BMW concept car was very popular. It’s an electric car.

Caption (above): Gucci Fiat! I find it funny that there is a branded Gucci car. Even the seatbelts were Gucci.

Caption (above): Have to admit – it’d be cool to throw my bike up on a Porsche.

Caption (above): In the WTF were they thinking category.

Caption (above): Ah yeah, I’ll take one of those.

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I messed up and left my camera in Chicago so didn’t have a camera for Thanksgiving weekend. Took this one with my phone. This is the set up for our thanksgiving dinner.

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R.I.P. to my Orbea Orca. It was stolen from my garage while I was in Los Angeles over thanksgiving. Looks like I won’t be on a bike for a couple of months now until I can pick up another one. Will keep you posted. Will definitely mean more runs and swims in my future.

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I had the privilege of being a part of the SF Tri end of year party this year.

I’ve been on the Social Committee the last two years so it will be cool to transition in 2012 to being on the Board of Directors.

Caption (above): MC’ing the awards ceremony.

Caption (above): With Benko award winnder Mr. Conrad Chan

Caption (above): Female runner of the year.

Caption (above): Vulanich is a beast! 5 minute miles and change…on a hilly Wildflower course. Whoa.

Caption (above): Winners

Caption (above): With Ms. Presidente of the SF tri club.

October 2011 in picture

2011-12-07T05:20:18Z

I have been wanting to go to Chicago for many years. I’ve been before but didn’t get to spend much time there so this was a great opportunity to spend several days. I always feel that big cities evolve over time and the way you experience them also evolves as you age. Being in Chicago at the age of 20 isn’t the same as being there when you’re 30. You’re older, have more resources, different tastes etc and all those things play into the experience. In my case, LOVED my time in Chicago this time around. If it weren’t so damn cold I’d totally consider living there.

Caption (above): Odd but tasty looking eggs benedict with prosciutto at M.Henry. This place was solid. Traditional dishes with creative variations

Caption (above): Like most good places a 45 minute wait at M. Henry

Caption (above): Chicago theater. Strange to see the real thing when you've seen icons on TV for so long

Caption (above): How to be a true Chicagoan

Caption (above): The bean (aka Cloud gate) at Millennium park

Caption (above): Views from Willis Tower (aka Sears tower). From 103rd floor

Caption (above): Not afraid of heights - but 103 floors is damn high

Caption (above): This one captures how high up we were well

Caption (above): Sofia looking cute with Chicago skyline

Caption (above): My pick over Lou Malnati's and Gino's. Next time: Pequod and Piece. Stuffed my face and eat pizza all weekend.

Caption (above): Freezing my ass off.

Caption (above): The buildings in Chicago are seriously spectacular.

Caption (above): Art institute of Chicago. My new favorite museum.

Caption (above): So cool to see painting you've only read about.

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Caption (above): Enjoying some jazz at B.L.U.E.S.

Caption (above): View from our hotel room.

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I got some shots from Levi’s Gran Fondo. Pictures were actually decent and unlike most races you didn’t have to pay $80 for a picture.

Caption (above): The fact that there’s an ambulance behind me cracks me up.

Caption (above): Don’t know why I’m smiling.

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Rahim was in town from Denver so the gang got together for dinner in the Mission. Impressive showing!

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We were lucky enough to check out the USC v Cal game. I figured we needed to go. How often are Cal games in SF? Never. It was something we may never see again in our lifetimes so I thought I’d check it out.

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When the weather is good in SF it really can’t get any better. Nice weather on weekdays is torture. Sometimes you can just feel like getting up and going for a run or bike or lounging by the bay.

Caption (above): Views of the bridge never get old.

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Caption (above): Biking to the top of the headlands is my new favorite ride thanks to the Strava ( www.strava.com ) Hawk Hill challenge.

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Even though I’m 30 now, Halloween is a fun holiday if only to try and come up with amusing costumes. We didn’t really think about it but we came up with Scarface and Scarface’s wife Elvira Hancock. Didn’t think about it as an inter-racial couple costume but it just worked out that way.

Caption (above): Anonymous mouse girl

Caption (above): Group photo

Caption (above): Looking tough; Scarface style.

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Caption (above): Piotr’s face is priceless.

Caption (above): Polaroid shot.

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Just as much as Halloween is a yearly tradition…so is the post-Halloween bike ride with SF tri club.

Caption (above): Ninja cyclist. Damn that thing was warm.

Caption (above): Karen as a maid.

Caption (above): Group shot

Caption (above): I laughed so hard when I saw him dressed up as a maid.

Caption (above): Cookie monster!

Caption (above): Ah, so cute and handing out cookies at the ½ way point.

Caption (above): Group shot

Caption (above): At brunch. Love my helmet hair.

Caption (above): On the bike getting into Tiburon.

September 2011

2011-10-04T03:40:30Z

For the longest time now my mom, brother and I have been talking about taking a trip to Catalina Island. My mom has lived in Los Angeles for 30+ years but we’ve never had a chance to visit this island an hour away from the coast of Los Angeles.

Caption (above): Our ferry with the San Pedro bridge (not the actual name of the bridge) in the background.

Caption (above): Catalina made me think of being in the Mediterranean somewhere. Not as nice…but definitely reminded me of pictures I have seen. Wishful thinking?

Caption (above): Catalina coastline

Caption (above): Mom taking part in some mini-bowling

Caption (above): My brother with his best tiger woods impression during mini golf.

Caption (above): Mom mini-golfs

Caption (above): Mom and brother. Steve kicked my butt at mini golf.

Caption (above): Glass bottom boat was pretty cool.

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Caption (above): Mom is always a good sport. I was dying to see a Costa Rica v USA game at the Home Depot Center in Carson (near LA).

Caption (above): Mom and I in line to meet Cobi Jones

Caption (above): Mom

Caption (above): The Ticos were a fun bunch to play against. The fans were passionate but there were no fights breaking out like when the US plays Mexico, El Salvador or other more feisty countries.

Caption (above): I’m a sucker for those foam fingers.

Caption (above): Only in LA (or Central America) would there be a Pollo Campero at a soccer game. Awesome.

Caption (above): Cool to see a lot of latinos supporting team USA. I would say 80% of the crowd was pro-USA and over half of the US fans were latinos.

Caption (above): Got a picture with my favorite US soccer player of all time: Cobi Jones.

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There are few places I would rather be than Yosemite National Park. So close, so stunning and so many things to do.

Caption (above): The tent cabins at Curry Village. Awesome if you want some comfort. They have beds, lights and a safe for your stuff inside. They also give you linens.

Caption (above): The drag race on our 40 pound cruiser bikes. Mike won.

Caption (above): May consider getting one of these for my road bike

Caption (above): Swiss and I cuddling at the wifi cabin.

Caption (above): Largest fireplace I have ever seen. At the Ahwahnee.

Caption (above): Guys at brunch. All guy trips are advisable. Definitely has a different feel when women are around. The bar for appropriateness definitely drops. Loved brunch at the Ahwahnee. A bit steep though.

Race Report: Levi Leipheimer’s King Ridge Gran Fondo October 1, 2011

2011-10-04T03:04:15Z

In the middle of any difficult race or event I think to myself: this seemed like * such * a great idea when I signed up a year ago.

When I signed up for Levi Leipheimer's King Ridge Gran Fondo a year ago I had lofty ambitions of training, hill repeats and logging thousands of miles in preparation. Reality: not so much.

In one of the magazines we got at the race I read the following written by Chris Coursey: “a cyclist capable of riding the king ridge, the remote and spectacularly rugged road that is the centerpriece of Levi Leipheimer’s King Ridge granfondo is not the kind of rider who dusts off his machine every other weekend or so for a spin on the local bike trail. No, to ride the King Ridge a cyclist needs to be fit; the kind of fitness that comes only with riding at least a few thousand miles a year.”

You hear me say this every now and then: it was neither as difficult nor as easy as I thought.

As far as training I’ve put in about 1,200+ miles this year. It sounds like a lot but I will admit that I don’t train hard and my pace is casual. My thought was that I just needed to log the miles for the sake of building leg strength and mental confidence and that I wasn’t trying to break any personal records since it was my first time doing this ride. In the should of, could of, would have section: I should have attempted more difficult rides, I should have done hill repeats, I should use a heart rate monitor more to push myself on rides rather than coasting.

The Gran Fondo took me 10 hours and 38 minutes. Damn. Moving time was 9 hours and 20 minutes. For comparison the a-walk-in-the-park by comparison Marin Century took me 8 hours and 30 minutes…so at the same distance the Gran Fondo was 2 hours more difficult. Ouch. This was my first run at century rides. I went from my first century ride (Marin Century) a month ago to the Levi’d Gran Fondo. My goal in the future will be to train harder and ride those courses in advanced in order to chase after some personal records.

In short, the hills were massive. The crowds large. The descents were treacherous while wet. This course was meant to be respected.

While it sounds like an exaggeration the week of the race I tried to internalize the elevation profile. I tried to think about being tired at mile 30 and climbing, 46 and climbing and to add insult to injury climb a bit more at mile 72 because that’s just what you need at the end of a long day of riding.

Caption (above): SF tri jacket? Check. SF tri jersey? check. SF tri shorts. SF tri hat. SF tri socks. Damn, forgot my SF tri gloves. One thing I love about our club colors (even though I hate the actual color) is you can spot a fellow club member a mile away. Very useful for riding with friends.

Caption (above): Karen was kind enough to give me a ride up and I met up with Tona and some other SF tri folks.

Caption (above): The start had about 7,500 people. It took about 15 minutes to get everyone going. While it sounds like a lot of people I didn’t ever feel crowded. That may also have been because I was towards the back. It was a great group of people. Everyone I chatted with was friendly and passionate about cycling.

Caption (above): They did an amazing job of letting you know where the big climbs were and placing rest stops at the base of the climbs. At no point was I in need of an aid station since they had so many. Every aid station had a ton of waters, ERS electrolytes, fruit and food galore. In addition, every aid station had cheery mechanics that were willing and able to help you with any issues.

Caption (above): Despite all the people the fog gave the course an eerie feeling. While fog may suck for beach weather it is fantastic for a hard ride. Had it been over 70 degrees the difficulty of the ride would have multiplied (and it was already difficult as it was).

Caption (above): Even though they asked everyone to slow down it was still a ton of fun to go down the roads that weren’t slick. I would love to do this ride again without the rain.

Caption (above): I won’t lie: the rain was miserable. The descent into Jenner was easily one of the most beautiful rides I have ever seen. The road was smooth, windy and had amazing views of the Pacific Ocean.

Caption (above): I may have been slow as s**t but I didn’t walk my bike. So many people bailed or walked. I’m too proud for that. Apparently not proud enough for it to take my 10+ hours but definitely too proud to give up.

Caption (above): The course

Caption (above): The elevation profile. It’s no Death Ride but as far as Centuries go this one is up there in difficulty. The combo of the distance which takes a toll on your body and the climbs make this ride no joke.

My motto for this race was “slow and steady”. While the climbs were steep I tried to keep my heart rate down and just pedal and slowly and smoothly as I could.

Levi is everywhere at the race. He is hanging out, taking pictures with people. He IS the race. The reason the race has spirit is because he has input into how riders are treated. He partnered with Bike Monkey to put together a race that spared no expense.

While most races will have a lunch station that is an expanded aid station with fruit, cookies, potatoes and stuff the Gran Fondo had a working Deli where you could order sandwiches or take them to go if you were in a rush.

All the minor organizational details you can think of the Gran Fondo nailed. You want water? You don’t need to rely on volunteers to hand it to you. They had contraptions where you could refill.
YoYou want a jersey? They had gear galore and you could get it months in advanced through the mail.

You want to show up the day of to pick up your packet? Done. I hate races that force you to pick stuff up the day before. That may work for out of towners but people who live somewhat close don’t want to drive an hour to pick up a registration packet and come back at the crack of dawn the following day.

One of my favorite parts of the Gran Fondo was the food options after the race. It was like going to Off The Grid food truck events. You could walk around and pick from a dozen vendors and stuff your face. I chose Gerard’s Paella and they gave me a MASSIVE plate of paella. It was exactly what I needed after being on a bike for 10 hours.

I also love the marshals all over the course. I had never seen so many of them out for any course I’ve done. They were friendly and very helpful. Two of them rode with me for the last 20 miles. I was tired and it was late but they offered me to ride on their wheel to make my life a bit easier as I wrapped up the race.

I had a great time at Gran Fondo. Santa Rosa and Sonoma county are beautiful and I could really feel Levi’s passion for the race in the details. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a challenging race. Can’t wait to do it in 2012!

August 2011 in pictures

2011-09-28T04:13:53Z

As I get older I’ve been thinking a lot about firsts and bucket lists. On that bucket list was a century ride. For those of you not familiar with the term it is a 100 mile bike ride. I’ve been biking on and off for the last ten years and had never had a chance or ability to finish a 100 mile ride without injury or some sort of complication.

For my first century I chose the Marin Century. It was close enough where I could train for it and I have covered portions of the course at some point. While I had never done the whole course at once I had done about 75% of it in bits and pieces.

Caption (above): Figured I had to have a picture with “Big Rock”. Between the cows and big rocks that pretty much sums up Marin icons. And the Prius.

Caption (above): The Marin century was very popular. Met some very friendly people out on the ride and it was a great riding community.

Caption (above): The descents on the Marin century were awesome. Not to steep and rather long so they were fun. Not a fan of incredibly technical descents.

Caption (above): Marin County is BEAUTIFUL

Caption (above): I couldn’t have done my first century without the help of Mr. Hendrix. He helped me with nutrition and advice. He also helped to pace me so I went way faster than I normally would have. It would have taken me another hour had he not helped me.

Caption (above): Nutrition was key for this race. In the past I have not had much to eat and always ended up cramping. I stuffed my face and hydrated well during the Marin century and my body felt great. The next day I felt like nothing happened. Lesson learned: nutrition is definitely key.

Caption (above): Mr Hendrix and I at the finish. 8.5 hours later we finished the ride.

Caption (above): Race photo

Caption (above): Cool downhill shots. Too bad it has a watermark and I’m too cheap to pay $50 for a photo. Don’t really get why they are so expensive. If they were like $10-$20 I’d actually consider buying one.

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The Bay Area has so many options for weekend excursions. We went to Hog Island oyster company to say goodbye to our good friend Megan.

Caption (above): BBQ time!

Caption (above): Group photo.

Caption (above): Sofia shucks oysters for the first time

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While I love San Francisco I LOVE the sun and we took an opportunity to head down to San Diego to visit Sofia’s college friends.

Caption (above): San Diego!

Caption (above): The ladies at the entrance to the Polo match.

Caption (above): Wasn't sure what to wear for the Polo match so I dressed in caricature of what I thought people wore to polo matches. Linen pants and baby blue shirt

Caption (above): Game was actually fun to watch. Lke soccer/football except the horse does all the hard work

Caption (above): Hotel Del Coronado

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July 2011 in Review

2011-09-22T14:52:34Z

We started off the month of July by going to a bachelor party in Las Vegas. Would love to tell you about it but Man Code specifically states that talking about what happens on bachelor party weekends or posting pictures from the alleged weekend are punishable by death or being forced to wear Uggs for men like Tom Brady:

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One of my favorite parts of living in San Francisco is how close we are to Napa and Sonoma. Over the “summer” we try to make a couple of trips up there to take advantage of the sun.

Caption (above): While not Sofia’s first time in the wine country she had never taken a picture with the giant chair. That had to be corrected.

Caption (above): We were in the wine country to celebrate Patrick’s birthday.

Caption (above): What else is a man to do if you find two Ferraris in the parking lot but take a picture with them?

Caption (above): I’m not big on sunglasses but I like this picture of us. This was taken at Darioush.

Caption (above): Best photobomb I have ever been a part. Thanks DD!

Caption (above): Looks like a paparazzi shot.

Caption (above): Dinner with the crew at Bardesonno.

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In what seems to be a tradition now the SF tri club volunteered at the Vineman 70.3 Ironman race.

I’ve only done sprint and Olympic triathlons so I have a lot of respect for all the ½ Ironman and Ironman athletes as I haven’t been able to dig deep enough to knock one of these out.

Caption (above): Paulo and I before a training ride.

Caption (above): The gang at Korbel

Caption (above): SF tri’s aid station. With fun people and great music we think we had one of the best aid stations out there!

Caption (above): Water? Gatorade?

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We spent time in Mammoth this summer, which is like Tahoe for people from LA (that and Big Bear). It was BEAUTIFUL. I can’t wait to go back. In the winter it has great skiing I hear and in the summer it is baking hot with great mountain biking options and beautiful lakes.

Caption (above): Sofia and I at Mammoth Lake, Ca

Caption (above):

Caption (above): Yosemite falls

Caption (above): Toulumne meadows

Caption (above): Yosemite falls

Caption (above): I call this the victory pose. Started off as a joke and now I do it all the time.

Caption (above): Sofia and I

Caption (above): Practicing some jump pictures

Caption (above): The gang

Caption (above): My first time mountain biking on a ski mountain over the summer. Awesome. Can’t wait to do it again.

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My buddy Darren was married this summer. We were invited to a beautiful wedding in the Berkeley Hills (Kensington, technically).

Caption (above): Great indoor space with trees.

Caption (above): The groom before the ceremony

Caption (above): Cute picture of his parents witnessing the ceremony

Caption (above): The happy couple

Caption (above): Sigma Nus with the bride and groom

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Caption (above): Sofia and I

Caption (above): The Sigma Nus at the wedding

Caption (above): Group shot

Caption (above): Super cute picture of a little girl watching the first dance

Caption (above): Photobooth

Race Report: Tough Mudder 2011 @ Squaw

2011-09-19T14:18:53Z

Having a broken body is quite common amongst endurance athletes…having a broken spirit maybe not as much. After completing Tough Mudder Norcal 2011 at Squaw Valley I had experienced a little bit of both.

After most races I feel cheery and optimistic. Tough Mudder managed to completely break me. It was hands down the most difficult thing I have ever done. That’s not to say it’s the most difficult thing ever (I think an Ironman would be much more grueling physically), but in my experience having done marathons, sprint and Olympic triathlons and century bike rides this completely took my spirit and crushed it. Did I have fun? Absolutely. Was it awesome? No doubt. But I have never felt so crushed by an event like I did for Tough Mudder.

It was like some sick psychological experiment. Like the guy from the movie SAW just messing with you and letting you think you had a hope of living and then crushing you.

You can get a good sense of what the race is like by watching this:

For starters the race started at 6,255 feet and capped at 8,837 feet at the top of Squaw. For those of you that don’t know what that means let me explain a bit. If you live in San Francisco you are at sea level (0 feet of elevation). Even in Russian Hill we are only at 200 or so feet. If I went out for a leisurely run in SF at a 6 out of 10 difficulty rating in Tahoe that would feel like a 9 out of 10 because I was processing air less efficiently at such high altitude. It’s why you hear elite athletes that “train high and race low” (train at high altitude and race at low altitude). It’s no secret that I hate running hills at sea level so I was in for quite a shock when I had to run mountains at elevation. The first mile of the race was up a crazy switchback that while not particularly difficult pushed my heart rate to about 180 beats per minute. Eventually my heart acclimated a bit and my hear rate calmed down but it was a shock.

Tough Mudder also tests your whole body. I am without a doubt a lower body athlete. I run and I bike. I rely on my legs. Tough Mudder requires serious upper body strength which I don’t particularly have. There are several events that require you to pull your own weight for sustained periods of time and potentially the body weight of your teammates.

So yeah – I survived but by no means did I rock this event. It completely domimated by it. At one point I was so malnourished that I was looking for open packets of shot bloks and gu gel packets to feed myself as I was feeling light headed. On the upside – there were a LOT of injuries and I was not one of them. I think a very common injury would be a serious ankle sprain.

What I really liked about Tough Mudder was the camaraderie. No man is left behind and you help each other out. I was towards the back of the pack on the runs and people waited for me which was really nice. On events where people couldn’t pull themselves through we all helped each other as well. It was definitely a misery loves company situation. When people were cold they hugged and kept each other warm. Even amongst total strangers at one point we were starving and a guy from another team was eating a snickers bar and we joked that we were going to jump him and he kindly offered us half his snickers bar even though he was also starving and had been through the same mayhem and could have easily killed the rest of the snickers bar. Despite the event being a bunch of uber-competitive people everyone cheered for each other and motivated one another.

As I write this I’m thinking of how a lot of race reports have a positive spin to them. Beyond how much I loved the event this event completely rocked me and I don’t know how to spin that positively. This thing is no joke…and that’s what is so great about it. Their signs even mock you. Signs along the route poke fun at the fact that you’ll probably break an ankle or die. Since we sign a death waiver in addition to the usual waivers you sign at marathons they were serious that this was dangerous.

The only things I didn’t like about the event were that there was a serious lack of aid stations. There were about 4 aid stations for a race that took us 6+ hours. For those of us coming from the triathlon / marathon world we are used to an aid station at every mile or every other mile. Also, the aid stations only had water and apples (sometimes bananas). It would have been really nice to get something with electrolytes. Towards the end of the race I was so lightheaded that I needed to pick up Powerbar energy blasts off the floor so I wouldn’t pass out. It was no joke one of the highlight of my day to find 2 uneaten powerbar gummy things.

See: http://www.powerbar.com/products/236/powerbar-energy-blasts-gel-filled-chews.aspx

I’ve never even remotely had to do that at other races. Maybe that made it even more hardcore? My girlfriend’s dad (cat 1 cylist and former Marine) once wisely told me that if I cared about my nutrition I would need to carry my own. In this case I should have brought my own gels and things to eat to get me through the day.

The 2nd thing I wasn’t a fan of was the bottlenecks. They had too many participants 2 or 3 of the obstacles had 15-30 minute waits. At the very end the last singletrack trail was at a complete standstill.

Would I do it again? Good question. When I finished I told Sofia something to the effect “thank God that’s over. I would NEVER do that again.” Now that I’ve had time to gather my thoughts and actually have some food and rest a bit I think I’d do it again. It is a great way to spend a day with your buddies. Much like hazing…that allegedly happens at fraternities… it is a way of bonding with your friends. Miserly loves company.

Caption (above): Team Snuggle Bunnies at the finish. You get a shirt, an orange headband and a beer. Awesome. These guys (and girl) were awesome teammates.

Caption (above): The way this worked is you jumped in the the first section and it was water. You had to submerge yourself under the wooden panel to get to the 2nd part. The surprise was that the 2nd part was full of ice water. I had NEVER experienced anything like this. I felt like my brain shut off and my somebody flipped the off switch on all my bodily functions. I had to sit down for 5 minutes after this to be able to think clearly and feel my fingers again. While it wasn’t “difficult” it was a huge shock.

Caption (above): About half way into the race they gave us logs and made us carry them up and down a hill for about half a mile. Pieces of that course were gravel so traction wasn’t so great.

Caption (above): They were kidding…but not really. Several people injured themselves.

Caption (above): This was the boa constrictor. This was the only obstacle I didn’t do. Not because I was afraid but because we were nearing the cut off time for the course and if we didn’t make it to the next obstacle we would be pulled off. We exercised our option to go around it since there was a good 10-15 minute wait for it. Basically – they made you crawl through really long tubes filled with water and mud. NOT for those afraid of confined spaces of fears of drowning.

Caption (above): While I knew we’d be at Squaw I had * NO * idea we’d be doing so much climbing. We went up to the top of the peaks of squaw from the base camp. It shocked me when we got to high camp where I had been snowboarding during the winter and it dawned on me that we had hiked quite a ways. And from there we looked up and saw people very far away so we had a LONG way to go. It was brutal to say the least.

Caption (above): The over under logs were fun. You went under these logs with barbed wire and crawled on rocks and then you went over them. I think this was one of those event where if you were tired, big or had a backpack you were going to get cut up. I did see people running around with bloodmarks on their backs and I’m assuming they came from barbed wire on the course.

Caption (above): Speaking of barbed wire…this was one of the first obstacles on the course. You got down low and got completely soaked ten minutes into the race. If you got your head too high you would be cut by barbed wire. If you got too low you would have mud all in your face.

Caption (above): The Marines that staffed parts of the course must have had a field day with this. You would run through a part of a trail where Marines would launch these giant bouncy balls at you. The couple of people that were hit were completely knocked off balance. My team was able to make it through as we sprinted through as the Marines chased around loose balls.

Caption (above): At the start of the race…this is the sign that you make if you are in need of help so other tough mudders or first aid can help. Not a good sign if they have to tell you this before a race. Also something I had never seen at a race.

Caption (above): The race started off with orange smoke bombs. Nice.

Caption (above): There were some seriously ripped people doing this race. I think the spectators that were there to cheer us along can 2nd me on this one. While triathletes, cyclists and runners are lean and incredible athletes this race appealed to adrenaline junkies and the guys in particular seemed much larger. A friend said she noticed the difference as soon as she got out of the car in the parking lot.

Caption (above): Oh, the monkey bars. If you make it across, congrats. If you don’t, you fall into cold water…again. To make it tougher the bars rotate and some are greased up. And it’s not like the momkey bars when you were a kid. There are like 20 of them and they are at an incline to start off. I had no chance. I got like 5 across and then decided to conserve energy and just swim across. Props to some of my fellow Snuggle Bunnies that rocked this obstacle.

Caption (above): I am happy to report that none of our team members suffered any major injuries. People tweaked ankles a bit and had foot pains but there were not traumatic injuries. It was very easy to hurt yourself on this thing and it was troubling and yet sobering to hear the ATV’s go by to help people. I considered myself fortunate that I hadn’t hurt myself yet when I heard them go by.

Caption (above): This was one of the toughest events and at the same time was the coolest because it was ALL about teamwork. There was NO way you could do this one your own. You had to depend on people to boost you up and to help pull you up if you couldn’t pull yourself up. Then you had to help others and others had to help you as you pulled friends, teammates or randoms so you wouldn’t go over.

Caption (above): This event was tough for me since I didn’t have a lot of weight or upped body strength so if I pulled someone that weighed more than me I had to have someone hold my legs otherwise I was going to go over. I was helping a random guy and almost went over the side head first since he had so much weight on me.

Caption (above): I didn’t have to have people stand on my shoulders but I was grateful for my teammates who took one for the team and volunteered for this one. It sucks to have someone that is 180+ pounds stand on your shoulders and potentially fall on you.

Caption (above): I found this picture funny. There were women that needed help on the wall and it was easy to help them because they weighed less. If you helped guys it was so much tougher. I overheard someone saying that he couldn’t say no because every girl that asked for help was so hot. Haha.

Caption (above): This event was called the plank. Man, I thought this would be cake since I am a decent swimmer. I was very wrong. Again, I feel they plan these obstacles to break you. For starters you have Marines yelling at you. 2 – this is about half way into the course so you are exhausted. When you climb to the top of the ramp you look down and it’s about a 20 foot drop. I am not afraid of heights but I hesitated for a millisecond and decided to just go for it. You hit the super cold water (they put ice in it) and it takes your breath away. To make things more interesting your clothes and shoes are soaked so they act like anchors weighing you down. Normally I’d swim in a speedo or something that doesn’t weight anything or dries quickly. The swim is about 1-2 laps in a pool so not long but you are so tires plus the water is so cold that even very fit people struggles. Thankfully they had islands you could swim to which I definitely took advantage of.

Caption (above): Without a doubt the most masochistic event was the electroshock therapy. Hands down. For starters it is at the end of the race so at this point you’ve been out for many many hours. In our case we were out for 6+ hours so you’re tired. They put this event after the part where you probably are soaked with water so it conducts the 10,000 volts of electricity that the live wires hit you with very well. I was lucky enough to not get shocked. I was able to get through and not touch any wires since they were swaying and I was small enough to dodge in and out of the open spaces. My teammate Brandon and I were so happy that we made it through and that we were done with the race that we started cheering that we were “f**** Ninjas” to each other. We got to see this before we started the race and these HUGE guys were getting completely dropped to their knees by the shocks. You can only truly appreciate this over video. Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31CblNtLbkg

Now, go to 4:15 and you will see how this electroshock therapy works. It’s insane.

Caption (above): The aftermath. I wasn’t as broken physically as I would be after a marathon surprisingly. I didn’t hurt myself in any way. I am sore writing this the next day but I don’t hurt the way I would after a marathon or half marathon. My arms are very sore mostly because I used muscles I don’t generally utilize. I actually dropped my laptop yesterday when I tried to pick it up after the race and couldn’t gather enough power in my fingers to hold on. The race definitely took it out of me when it came to the little upper body strength I do have.

Caption (above): The elevation for this was cruel. It just kept going up, and up and up. Just when you got to one peak there was another peak ahead. It was psychological warfare I tell you. It might have just been me but the race was advertised as 10 miles, then about a week before the race it was 11 and when we got there they said it was 10+ miles. My gps watch clocked it at 13.97 miles. Not sure what to make of that.

Caption (above): It took our team 6 hours and 37 minutest to complete it. Funny thing was the estimate on the website was that we would finish in 2 and half hours. Superman could have finished that in 2 and a half hours. I felt bad for our lovely supporters who came to cheer us on since they had to wait an extra 3 hours. I remember telling Sofia it would take 3 hours tops. I was very mistaken.

Caption (above): The front of our shirts. We were team Snuggle Bunnies. People loved our shirts. They kept complimenting us. Some teams went ultra macho with the name and we decided to go in the opposite direction. It kept the whole thing fun.

Caption (above): The back of our team shirt. AWESOME choice by the team. My only regret is not having a dri fit shirt. The cotton got wet early on and never really fully dried so when wet was really heavy and cold so when you bounced around it acted as an anchor in the water and on the run. Style-wise was a great choice but as far as function my advice for uniform is to wear as little as possible and make sure everything you wear is made of technical fiber.

Caption (above): For this event you had to walk across a thin piece of wood. If you failed you ended up in the water. This was at the very end so if you fell you would be cold when you finished. It was also before the electrical shock section and we all know how great of a combination being completely soaked and 10,000 volts are.

Caption (above): I wasn’t able to make it across so decided to have fun with it before falling off the wood and cannonballed back so I could splash the spectators. This is an actual picture of me unlike all the other ones which are from the tough mudder website as a representation of the race.

Caption (above): We used eyeliner to draw whiskers and a nose on our faces.

Caption (above): The team prepares before the race. Norm and I decided on giving our shirts some extra flair and having tassels.

Caption (above): The next day celebrated with friend at Sunnyside in Lake Tahoe.

One last thing I really liked about Tough Mudder was that it was that it donates 3 million dollars to the Wounded Warrior project. WWP is proud to support the Wounded Warrior Project and participants have raised over $2 million. These funds help support thousands of warriors from the battlefield to bedside, and beyond. This will help provide much needed respite retreats for devoted caregivers, and also funds WWP combat stress recovery programs, adaptive sports, benefits counseling, education and employment services and other programs that aid in the healing of the mind, body and spirit of these brave Americans.

http://toughmudder.com/wounded-warrior-project/

Last but not least, people asked me why one would do this. The answer is pretty simple: because you can…or at least you think you can and want to prove that you can. I had no idea if I’d finish or if I’d finish without getting injured but any endurance athlete can tell you that they finish an Ironman and either they check out and hang up their gear or they sign up for another round so they can prove to themselves that they can do it faster and do it better. While I ended the race broken and saying I would never do it again I am looking forward to potentially doing the race in SoCal in February 2012 or next year in Tahoe again. Thanks Tough Mudder and a big thanks to my Snuggle Bunny teammates.

GARMIN GPS WATCH DATA FOR THE RACE: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/115204783

June 2011 in pictures

2011-07-04T23:23:29Z

This year we decided to do a Vineman 70.3 training weekend. We always do one of for Wildflower and decided it would be great to do one for a race that is much closer and scenic than Wildflower.

Caption (above):
Caption (above): View from our secret spot

Caption (above): The ladies

Caption (above): Sofia and I overlooking Guerneville, Ca

Caption (above): Resting by the river

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Had a great surprise for my birthday weekend. My plan was to head to Southern California to visit my mom and brother in LA and head to Santa Barbara to visit Sofia’s dad for father’s day. Instead – Sofia and Danny planned a weekend away with the guys. They surprised me before we left for LA and Danny whisked me away along with my little brother who was in town to join us. We went away for the weekend with the guys to Lassen Volcanic national park.

Caption (above): Rather than camp we slept in tent cabins. Definitely a step up.

Caption (above): Our bunks

Caption (above): To my surprise there was still a good amount of snow out.

Caption (above): Manzanita lake

Caption (above): Poker and beer with the guys

Caption (above): my brother and I

Caption (above): the guys

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After the camping weekend Sofia took me Gary Danko for dinner on my 30th birthday. Definitely the fanciest dinner I have ever been to.

Caption (above): Sofia and were definitely amongst the youngest people in the room.

Caption (above): Lobster risotto was AMAZING.

Caption (above): A recent fascination of mine: scallops.

Caption (above): Pork belly is so damn tasty.

Caption (above): Senorita Hendrix

Caption (above): Me at dinner

Caption (above): Crème brulee

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One of the games I look forward to seeing live each year is the LA Galaxy v San Jose Quakes in Santa Clara, Ca.

Caption (above): It was also the day of the USA v Mexico finals game for the Gold Cup so decided to rock my new USA jersey.

Caption (above): Perfect weather for a game

Caption (above): Sofia planned a birthday bbq with my mom so we took the opportunity to play some poker.

Caption (above): Sofi tacos

Caption (above): The guys

Caption (above): Happy birthday, Flor! The gang at the Quakes game.

May 2011 in pictures

2011-07-04T22:19:20Z

Caption (above): In May we found out our good friend Rahim would be leaving SF and moving to Denver, Colorado after buying a home. He had a great showing for his going away party. Rahim will be greatly missed but he is quite the traveler so we hope to see him in SF and hope to visit him for snowboarding season!

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We had a great birthday meet-up for Roy’s birthday at La Mar Peruvian. It was a beautiful space and the food was excellent.

Caption (above): Whoa – cake looks like it was on fire. Happy birthday, buddy.

Caption (above): Pre-birthday drinks

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Caption (above): I have always wanted to get into mountain biking. If you think about it makes sense: I love biking and Marin county and Santa Cruz are the two hubs of mountain biking on the west coast. I went out for the first time with some of the guys to the Santa Cruz mountains. For our first ride we did Saratoga Gap.

Caption (above): The guys

Caption (above): My busted spoke. It cut my first ride short about 2 miles in.

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Going with mountain biking theme…decided to follow up my 1st mountain biking experience in Santa Cruz with biking in China Camp in Marin County. I was invited to an event called Ales and Trails. The idea is genius…and by genius I mean stupid but it works perfectly! Beer + mountain bike sounds like a recipe for a Darwin award but in this case it was a great day. Dozens of bike manufacturers let you demo their mountain bikes and they reward you with beer and a great bbq. Can’t go wrong.

Caption (above): Me demoing an awesome Carbon Marin bike I can’t afford.

Caption (above): Lunch!

Caption (above): Lindsay on her ride

Caption (above): Lots of bikes I can’t afford. So nice to try out though.

Link: http://www.alesandtrails.net/Home.html

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It has been my dream for a while to have a staff appreciation dinner for our full time staff and AmeriCorps volunteers. This year we were able to make it happen. We were fortunate enough to have it at Cookhouse. Cookhouse is a great venue for dinners in North Beach. You rent the kitchen space and it has everythin you need for a dinner party or engagement party.

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Caption (above): Everything you will need arranged in a very OCD manner.

Caption (above): Before the party

Caption (above): Staff having dinner

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For Memorial Day weekend we rolled down to Los Angeles to visit the family.

Caption (above): You can’t go wrong with ocean views on Malibu.

Caption (above): Lunch at Duke’s in Malibu.

Caption (above): Tandem bike in Santa Monica. Was great to have my mom bike with me for a good 10-15 miles.

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One of the challenges I’m working on this year is the Divis up or Shut Up Challenge.

See: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=128669877208471

The idea is they give you 30 minutes and you try to go up and down one of the steepest hills in SF. If managed 3.5 laps the first time. If you get a certain # of hills you get a shirt, long sleeve or jacket. I’m aiming for the long sleeve.

Caption (above): The view from the top of Divisadero

Caption (above): Fit group of folks

Caption (above): What you get for 5 laps

Caption (above): What you get for 10 laps

Caption (above): What 16 laps gets you

April In Review

2011-05-20T15:42:01Z

One of my favorite weekends every year is Wildflower training weekend. What happens when you get 100 triathletes and have them camp together as you drink, swim, bike and run? A great weekend.

Caption (above): Since we were amongst the first ones there we got first dibs on camping spots. I love waking up to a view of the lake. Unfortunately I didn’t sleep on a pad so had rocks and all kinds of crap stab me at night. It was also in the 30’s so my cheap target sleeping bag wasn’t particularly effective in keeping me warm.

Caption (above): This is how cold it was. People were hanging out in their sleeping bags.

Caption (above): The bike long course (56 miles) was warm and pretty tough. I have to say that it kicked my a** but the famed “nasty grade” wasn’t as tough as I thought it would be.

Caption (above): I’m glad Rahim was riding with me. For many years I’ve wanted picture with the Wildflower bike cutout. I never noticed that it was an Orbea bike like mine.

Caption (above): Rahim and his triumphant pose!

Caption (above): BBQ time

Caption (above): Learning how to open a beer with no opener

Caption (above): Rahim serenades us.

Caption (above): I can’t say I was feeling particularly motivated on the run. I opted for the Olympic distance run instead of the long course run.

Caption (above): Friends and beer

Caption (above): This picture looks fake.

Caption (above): Love the lake in the morning

Caption (above): Sporting the SF tri gear.

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The bay area is really amazing for cyclists. In our backyard is Napa which on top of being a wine lover’s paradise is also great for cyclists.

Caption (above): We got a good group to join us.

Caption (above): Love vineyard views.

Caption (above): The Silverado trail is a decent 30 mile stretch of road that is flat and has a bike shoulder. Highly recommend it for a fast ride.

Caption (above): Started in Napa and ended in Calistoga (and then back to Napa).

Caption (above): Post-ride drinks

Caption (above): Great views from Domaine-Carneros

Caption (above): Sofia and I

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As I am typing this I realize how much biking I did in April.

I went down to Santa Ynez, Ca to visit Sofia’s parents. Awesome thing was that Santa, Ynez is close to the Solvang time trial for the Tour De California. See:

Sofia’s dad is an avid cyclist so he took us to the time trial course which was fast and beautiful.

Caption (above): Sofia and I

Caption (above): Sofia and her dad

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Caption (above): Hello from 4,456 feet above the Santa Ynez valley. On Sunday Sofia’s dad took me to ride Figueroa Mountain.

Caption (above): I LOVE the wildflowers that were out in full force.

Caption (above): The climb to Figueroa Mountain was a b****. It was 4,400+ feet which is way taller than the highest mountain I had ever bikes (Mt tam at less than 2,500 feet).

Caption (above): Mr. Hendrix asked me to pose triumphantly. I was lightheaded so really felt I was about to fall back into the canyon. No telling if that is sweat or tears on my face.

Caption (above):

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Adding to the crazy sh** I’m up to I thought it would be a good idea to run with 12 people from Calistoga to Santa Cruz for a total 199 miles over 24 hours running day and night.

Caption (above):

Caption (above): Half of our team at the start line.

Caption (above): I should get a shirt with this on it.

Caption (above): KP on the run!

Caption (above): A church welcomes us in the middle of the night.

Caption (above): Recovering from a brutally hot leg.

Caption (above): This leg was killer!

Caption (above): Sleep wherever and whenever you can.

Caption (above): In Napa

Caption (above): Finishing up my first leg. Damn, it was warm out.

Caption (above): Team cheers us on!

Caption (above): This cracked me up.

Caption (above): Our team at the finish line.

This weekend was insane. We started on Saturday at 10am and ended Sunday at 4pm. I loved meeting new people and pushing ourselves was great. Despite the half marathon distance as you don’t sleep your body just breaks down. It was still incredibly awesome. I would do it again.

March in Review

2011-04-12T04:42:00Z

I don’t go to Vegas often but my brother was going for his birthday so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to get out of the Tahoe / bike ride or run routine I’ve been in.

Caption (above): Only in Vegas will you have slot machines at the airport. Awesome.

Caption (above): My bro wearing the happy birthday tiara

Caption (above): We decided to take a sidetrip from Vegas to Hoover dam which is less than an hour away from the strip

Caption (above): Sofia by my side despite my bad haircut

Caption (above): Welcome to Vegas!

Caption (above): At Tao. Tao was…interesting. It’s like Hollywood on steroids that is open a lot later.

Caption (above): Ephra and Julie

Caption (above): Mesmerized by the terracotta statues

Caption (above): My favorite pic from the weekend

Caption (above): Whoa – they don’t sell 50 pieces of McNuggets in California.

Caption (above): Bellagio fountain is pretty sweet

Caption (above): Sofia and I at the Gondola
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From my brother’s birthday in Vegas it was time to transition to Sofia’s birthday in SF.

The idea was simple: it was Sofia’s 30th birthday and what better way to spend a birthday than with all your friends…and have it be a surprise?

The key elements of the surprise birthday party:
1) Decoy – I told her we’d be going to dinner somewhere other than where the party was. I chose one of her favorites places to eat to host the party.
2) Private room – it’s not much fun to celebrate with strangers looking at you thinking you’re loud so we got a small private room so we could be as loud as we wanted.
3) Her favorite champagne – I was able to recruit Mr. Hendrix (Sofia’s dad) to get some Perrier-Jouët. This also required dropping these off prior to the party for them to chill as I couldn’t bring the bottles with me when I was heading to the restaurant with Sofia.
4) Her favorite cake. There is this Scandinavian princess cake she loves that is sold at a place in Burlingame so had to coordinate to drive down, pick it up and deliver it to the restaurant along with the champagne.
5) Timed arrivals – key to any surprise party is…the surprise. I was hoping everyone would be seated by 8pm and we would get in at 815pm so that we wouldn’t accidentally run into anyone on the street and therefore spoil the surprise. This part worked out surprisingly well.
6) Décor – I am bad at this part so her roommate Kim was invaluable in getting party favors and decoration for the party as I wouldn’t have time to get to those.

Caption (above): Sofia is surprised

Caption (above): Video of the surprise

Caption (above): Sofia and I

Caption (above): Princess cake

Caption (above): Sofia cutting the cake

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Speaking of birthdays…Jenn and Sofia’s joint birthday in Tahoe!

Yeah, this month I felt like I was never home.

Caption (above): Casa de Tahoe

Caption (above): This tells you a lot about Tahoe

Caption (above): Jenn and her birthday tiara

Caption (above): The birthday girls with their poison of choice

Caption (above): Beautiful day at Squaw

Caption (above): The guys

Caption (above): Jenn and Piotr

Caption (above): Me at Squaw

Caption (above): The group

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Living in SF and all it seems almost counter-intuitive to think that one of my favorite half marathons is the Oakland half marathon. I love the Oakland half for being flat, having a start/end next to BART, having a 9am start and for having great community support.

Caption (above): Pre-run shot with the raiderettes

Caption (above): If he only knew…

Caption (above): Pensive shot

Caption (above): I think I was thinking that I shouldn’t trip as I was almost done

Caption (above): Last couple of times I tried to jump for the camera I cramped up.

Caption (above): Beer o’ clock

Caption (above): Tim and I post-race. Tim ran a crazy fast 1:20+

Caption (above): I’ve been taking it easy with the races. I can easily cut off 10 minutes but I’ve been saving myself. Still gunning for the 1:45. That’s my goal for 2011.

Bike ride from San Francisco to Santa Barbara

2011-04-05T21:10:43Z

In high school one of my teachers taught us that writing should address the why. Why should I read this? Why should I care? Not necessarily explicitly spelled out but the gist was that the “why?” should answered somehow.

In this case it seems that when I tell people we wanted to bike from San Francisco to Santa Barbara it was more a WTF. If you don’t know what that means, ask your kids.

Logistically, it was challenging. Luckily, John had done the trip before and the other guys were experienced. I was along for the ride.

Why logistically complicated? Riding close to 400 miles over the course of 3-4 days depending on your pace and needing to account for road closures and any issues such as sickness, injury or mechanical problems one may encounter as well as figuring out who rides and who drives and how you meet up with each other. In addition, figuring out what sort of nutrition to bring and all the accessories that could make a half or full day on the bike bearable. Individually I would say it’s pretty easy but putting all together is much more elaborate than I expected it to be. While I did a pretty decent job I failed to bring more than 1 pair of socks (nasty) and a couple of other little things. It was certainly a lesson in organization for me if anything.

So the “why?” The answer is simple: I had always wanted to. My brain operates on checklists and on that list was biking from SF to LA. Obviously, we didn’t make it to LA but that just gives me something else to throw back on the list for years to come. I am already in talk to do a ride from SF to LA or San Diego sometime this summer.

I was born and raised in California and the state is beautiful and diverse. Thinking of 17 mile drive in Pebble beach, I’ve driven that stretch dozens of times but have a newfound appreciation for its beauty on a bike. As you slow down you’re able to take more in. While I went with a group it was great when I got dropped (happened quite a bit more than I care to admit) I’d get time on my own to take in the beauty of the California coast. The entire trip was a lot of more relaxing than you’d think. One would think it’d be grueling and with temps in the high 70’s it’d be exhausting but it was very relaxing to not think about work or anything outside of you, the bike and the road. Cheesy, but true.

I’m into stats, so here go a few from the ride:

Summary:
201.91 miles (the other guys biked about 100+ miles more. I drive the SAG car quite a bit to rest my legs)
15.36 mph averaged over the whole trip (about 3mph than I usually average)
15.5 hours of total riding
13,596 calories burned over 3 days
Maximum speed 44.9 miles per hour (the fastest I have ever recorded on a bike)
Maximum elevation: 1,112 ft

Day 1 stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/76280973
Day 2 stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/76441989
Day 3 stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/76677139

Lance Armstrong famously said: It’s not about the bike. You may not believe it, but I am starting to believe that more and more. Fitness before gear is what I find myself thinking. Despite having a pretty decent bike (pictured above) my 2008 Orbea Orca will only take me as far as my legs can pedal it. Despite 4 knee surgeries I have slowly but surely been ramping up the miles and speed. This trip did a lot to give me confidence in my legs. While it’s not about the bike, I think the bikes and the gear can give you a decent advantage if you can afford it. I can’t really afford it therefore I spend where I can and then focus on more miles and more training to make up for it. I am a fairly average cyclist and I’m okay with that. I’m slowly improving but the best part of cycling for me are descents and taking in the scenery, all of which we got a ton of on this trip.

I’m always curious about gear and every cyclist has their own curious reasons for having the gear that they have. I did find a couple of commonalities in our group of four:

4 of 4 use Garmin watches (albeit different models)
3 of 4 use Mavic wheels (albeit different models)
4 of 4 use Shimano components (Ultegra / Dura-Ace / Sora)
Bike Brands: Orbea, Anchor, Fuji, Felt

I also want to acknowledge that the ride is all about the group you’re with. Going into it I only knew John and met Kenny and Dave on the trip. Everyone was talkative, funny and easy-going so it all worked out. For me, being the least experienced of the group (everyone else had seemingly done several Ironman races) I got to learn a lot from them. On a trip like this there is so much that you can’t plan for that it helps when people are easy-going. If people get upset over not knowing a route or missing a turn it is bound to get tense and we were very lucky to have a cool group of guys.

Day 1: SF to Monterey

Caption for picture (above): Our triumphant departure picture from the Golden Gate bridge parking lot. Not gonna lie – I was pretty nervous at this point. I had run in the Oakland half marathon on Sunday (this was on Wed AM) and my legs were still shaky and I had never been on a long multi day trip like this before.

Caption for picture (above): John’s car loaded up with bikes. Luckily, over the trip only 1 bike was on the rack as everyone else would be riding while one person took over SAG duties.

Caption for picture (above): I joked that I saw a lot of Golden gate tri ass on this trip. The other guys are part of GGTC and I was the lone SF tri club rep. I also joked that I saw the back of their jerseys so much that I should run for their sponsorship team since I had committed them to memory.

Caption for picture (above): Johns gets the first of 3 flats somewhere north of Half Moon bay.

Caption for picture (above): Most of the trip was some variation of this: blue skies, ocean views and decent roads. There was quite a bit of debris but everything else was great.

Caption for picture (above): John and Dave somewhere outside of Santa Cruz

Caption for picture (above): Don’t know why but I am a HUGE fan of city and state welcome signs. On any trip I go on I try to get these signs.

Caption for picture (above): One of my favorite pictures from the ride. We lived on the 1 so it was very appropriate.

Caption for picture (above): I highly recommend that every California bike down some portion of Hwy 1 via bike path. It is BEAUTIFUL. You don’t need to bike hundreds of miles. Even 2 miles. Whatever you are comfortable with, you will be happy you did with its unparalleled views.

Caption for picture (above): Guys rolling along some farm town. If you’re wondering why I’m not in the pics it’s because I’m the only one with a camera. haha

Caption for picture (above): I had two pretty scary situations where I accidentally got on the freeway where bikes where not allowed. Some freeways allow bikes and have wide shoulders to protect you. Accidentally entered two near Monterey and it was damn scary having cars go by at 70mph.

Caption for picture (above): Kenny came through with a great rec to stay at a hostel in Monterey.

Caption for picture (above): Got tan lines?

Caption for picture (above): Surprised me (though it shouldn’t) how many devices we had on the trip. I had: laptop, camera, GPS watch, phone and chargers for all of them.

What it looks like (video) to descend:

Day 2: 17 mile drive + Morro Bay to Hearst Castle back to Morro Bay

I got a little confidence after day 1. I passed out that evening but my muscles felt better than they did the previous day and I had experienced no mechanical issues (which is great because I’m not particularly mechanically inclined).

Day 2 was a bit bizarre. We couldn’t ride from Monterey to San Luis Obispo since there was a landslide that wiped out the road in two spots. We ended up riding the 17 mile drive as an out and back and then driving the detour several hours to our next point in Morro Bay and then rode up to Hearst Castle and back.

See: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1367404/Landslide-shuts-Californian-Highway-1-big-chunk-falls-sea.html

While the pictures are decent it is almost impossible to capture the beauty of Pebble Beach without being there. The video does an ok job of giving you an idea of what it’s like but you should really experience it for yourself. It’s a quick drive from SF and the ride isn’t very difficult so it would make for a great day trip and afterwards you can eat at one of the many great dining establishments in the area.

Caption for picture (above): And the award for the best bike path goes to…

Caption for picture (above): Nothing beats biking by the Ocean

Caption for picture (above): Apparently 17 mile drive is only 9 miles. Fun fact.

Caption for picture (above): Safe to say everyone was blown away by the great views

Caption for picture (above): John being John

Caption for picture (above): Group pic on 17 mile drive

Caption for picture (above): The beach off Cannery row in Monterey

Caption for picture (above): John walks into gas store shirtless.

Caption for picture (above): I thought this picture of Dave’s shadow was pretty neat.

Caption for picture (above): Best way to relax after a long day of riding: take a dip in the cold Pacific Ocean.

Caption for picture (above): John doing the Roach

Caption for picture (above): The gang at Morro Bay, Ca

Caption for picture (above): Cramming bikes into hotel room.

Caption for picture (above):After a long day or riding I treat myself to a beer and BBQ.

Caption for picture (above): On this day Dave taught me how to draft. I don’t think he encouraged me to tape at 29mph but it was very helpful to learm to do so. My speeds definitely picked up on the way back.

A primer on drafting, courtesy of youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKQ9USiKcDE

Day 3: SLO to UCSB

I felt strongest on day 3. I got a good amount of rest, a large breakfast and felt confident about day 1 and 2. I rode for 72 miles this day and whether it was because my muscles had recovered or the terrain was easier I felt pretty good.

Caption for picture (above): The gang as we get ready to depart on the last day of riding. We are leaving from our hotel in San Luis Obispo.

Caption for picture (above): While driving I kept checking the shadow of my bike on top of the rack to see if it had fallen.

Caption for picture (above): Got very excited when we reached the county for our destination. I would find out that the county line is pretty far from Santa Barbara proper.

Caption for picture (above): This is a mural for a tax place in Guadalupe, ca. Interesting town. Reminded me of a small town in Mexico.

Caption for picture (above): Loved how green it was out. Also love mustard along the side of the road. Makes for cool pictures if you stop. Most of the shots on this page were taken while on a bike so not much freedom to be creative.

Caption for picture (above): Flat #3. Sadly, this would end Dave’s ride. Weren’t sure if it was the tube or tire but ended his ride right outside of Santa Barbara.

Caption for picture (above): Next time I’m riding to LA. Gotta cross that off my to-do list.

Caption for picture (above): Success! Ended our trip after 3 days and over 300 miles in Santa Barbara, Ca right off the pier on Main Street.

Caption for picture (above): A dip in the ocean felt amazing after 3 long days of biking!

Final Thoughts

I’d love to do something like this again soon. The ride gave me confidence in my ability to ride for multiple days and gave me a good sense of what my body can handle and what it cannot. While scary for me at first it gave me confidence to ride in the heat (albeit consuming a lot of water and Gu brew). The trip allowed me to be more familiar with my gearing, pedaling and reignited my admiration for the California coast.

I couldn’t have done the group with a more awesome group of guys and I’m super thankful that everyone had fun and we completed the trip safely. I look forward to doing it again.

Pictures in high-resolution: http://www.flickr.com/photos/calmenda/collections/

February 2011

2011-03-18T04:18:38Z

February was pretty amazing. We experienced great weather, which is unusual for San Francisco. I definitely was not complaining as it allowed us to do a fair amount of riding.

The month started off with the Kaiser half marathon.

I’ve shifted my mentality from when I was younger. I am definitely less competitive. I don’t worry as much about times and beating myself as much as I focus on enying the activity and how it adds to my life. Running and biking brings a degree of balance to my life that I enjoy and I try to not get bogged down by the idea that times are important. With that said – 2 hours for a half is my cut off point. I shouldn’t be dropping below that and I am definitely still gunning for that 1:45 half marathon.

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Without a shadow of a doubt one of my favorite places to be on a sunny day is Dolores Park in the Mission.

I’ve been to Dolores many a times and this particular weekend it was more crowded than I have ever seen it.

In LA everyone heads for the beach or pool when it’s nice out and in SF it seems that people head to their local parks. I take pleasure in lounging at the park and ordering a couple of paletas from the paletero and wondering what other kinds of delicious street food will be around for us to enjoy.

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In my opinion one of the best views in San Francisco. This is what we see anytime it is nice out and we head into Marin for a bike ride. I will never get sick of taking a picture of this view. I must have a couple dozen of this exact picture.

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Weather was…odd for a couple of weekends. We had an unusual weather condition that threatened to bring snow to San Francisco proper. Even the New York Times fanned the hype by covering the story of impending snow. We took the opportunity to bike to the top of Mount Tamalpais to see this snow that everyone kept talking about. It was quite a sight, especially for a person from Los Angeles like myself who doesn’t see snow very often.

Caption (above): It was clear in SF, but at elevation we’d see snow. Beautiful view from Crissy field.

Caption (above): View of the snow from sea level (in Sausalito).

Caption (above): The always serene Alpine Dam

Caption (above): A sign of good times ahead

Caption (above): Hills, hills and more hills…with snow for a touch of insanity

Caption (above): Celebrating snow at the top of Mt Tam. Enough snow to make a snowman? Don’t see that very often. May be another decade before we see that again.

Caption (above):

Caption (above): If you are reading this and live somewhere other than California or Florida you are thinking “no big deal”. For us – snow near sea level is a rare occurrence.

Caption (above): Some ride info

Caption (above): Taken from Jim. You can see how much snow was on the road on some parts. Safety first?

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One ride that is starting to grow on me (minus the fact that I have frozen my a** off the two times I have done it) is from Lucas Valley in San Rafael to Point Reyes Station. It’s a mellow 42 miles out and back with a very awesome break in the middle in Point Reyes station where you can feast at Bovine Bakery or one of the many other fine dining establishiments in town.

Caption (above): Always fun times

Caption (above): I look smug and/or uncomfortable

Caption (above): Nicasio reservoir is beautiful

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After many years away from the bike I am really trying to push myself to do harder rides. I had never bikes to the top of Mount Tamalpais before so when the opportunity came up to do it I couldn’t resist. I got semi-dropped on the climbs (which didn’t surprise me) but I had a great time. I am looking forward to improving my biking over the course of the year.

Caption (above): Let me start off with the obligatory shots of crazy hills. I pretended that I was taking pictures to distract from the fact that I was way behind people.

Caption (above): Only in Marin do they spell out the rules of street basketball. In my neck of the woods if you didn’t know you just looked like a fool and nobody would pick you up.

Caption (above): Perfectly describes the hill.

Caption (above): The view from the top of Mount Tam

Caption (above): The Try not to Ralph scouting crew

Caption (above): My face was cold so I resorted to the ninja mask I use for snowboarding

Caption (above): Yay – 2,400 feet of climbing!

Caption (above): Pit stop in Stinson beach

Caption (above): Sadly, after biking 62 miles I took MUNI for the last ½ mile to my house.

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File under: “any excuse to get into costume”:

These pictures are from our 80’s night at track.

January 2011: Month in Review

2011-02-04T05:29:11Z

January was…ambitious.

I tend to start the year with a list-full of places I want to see, things I want to do and much like most of my races I start off trying to take it all in and realize I need to pace myself a bit.
Before jumping into 2011, New Year’s eve…was terrible. To make a long story short we booked tickets to a party that was poorly organized (bordering on theft). I was with good friends so it all worked out.

Caption (above): Celebrating at Roy’s house in absence of the party we paid for

Caption (above): Jenn and Piotr being cute

Caption (above): The gang on the roof of Roy’s place with lovely views of SOMA and the Bay Bridge

Caption (above): At least one part of the evening worked out. Mission Midnight Kiss: accomplished.

Caption (above): Cheeeese!

Caption (above): The ladies

At some point something clicked for me. 2010 was the year of the half marathon. 2011 is going to be the year of the bike. My Trek sat in the basement for 90% if the year unused. As the year ended I started enjoying being back on the bike. I think I started to put my hobbies together piece by piece. I used to do bike and run but for some reason only wanted to do one a time in 2010.

Caption (above): I can’t tell you how cold it is when it is 30+ degrees out and your bike is going 40mph downhill…oh and it was raining.

Caption (above): SF tri kicks off the new year with a cold ride

This may come as a surprise but I pretty much hate the snow and/or cold weather. I blame it on growing up in Los Angeles , land of 70 degree weather 330 days a year.

This year my buddy Danny invited me to Tahoe and I figured it was a good a time as any to get out of my comfort zone and try snowboarding for the first time. I’m glad I did and I really enjoyed it (despite almost dislocating my shoulder and being sore for days).

Caption (above): Our house

Caption (above): If you find Tyler’s body in a ditch you know who to call

Caption (above): Beautiful views of Lake Tahoe

Caption (above): Happy that I had 1) not frozen to death 2) not been trampled over by other snowboarders

Caption (above): The gang

Caption (above): Note to self: never go to Tahoe on a holiday weekend. 30 min waits for the lifts is insane.

Caption (above): The burger at the Ritz made it all worthwhile

Caption (above): Anna Marie ended up breaking her finger when she was hit by another boarder.

Speaking of things I had always wanted to do: go to the Sundance film festival. If you think about it, it makes sense. I’m from Hollywood and love movies and Utah is one of the most beautiful states I have ever visited. In addition – I had boarded for the first time the week before so was curious to try the famed Utah powder.

Caption (above): Tickets to movies were a b*** to get.

Caption (above): Fun with the photobooth

Caption (above): The gang

Caption (above): With the Stella Artois girls

Caption (above): The snowboarding in Utah was AMAZING. Dying to go back.

Caption (above): Our cabin

After two weeks in the snow I went to LA to visit my mom. I was also lucky enough to see my aunt who just moved here from El Salvador.

Caption (above): “winter” in Los Angeles

Caption (above): My mom and her sister

Caption (above): Cheeese!

Caption (above): My mom in the market means I’m going to eat well ☺

To kick off my “year of the bike” I traded my Trek Madone for an Orbea Orca. I’ve always wanted one of these and since I face some challenging rides this year this bike was better equipped to help me suffer through those rides.

Caption (above): The new ride

Caption (above): I wanted to test the brakes…

Caption (above): My new favorite ride is hill repeats to the top of the Marin headlands. I hate riding hills but I am forcing myself to attack them this year.

2010: A Year In Pictures

2010-12-28T07:32:08Z

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JANUARY 2010

Caption (above): Started off the year with a visit from longtime friends Brenda and Shagha. We all met in back in college (summer of 1999) and while we live in different cities try to meet up ever so often. This year we met up in the bay area and spent time in Napa to start off the year.

Caption (above): One thing I wish I had done more is volunteer. I always have mixed feelings about volunteering since I feel that what I do for work is in part volunteering as it helps the community. On this occasion I trekked to the south bay to help a local food bank process food that would be distributed to the needy. This was a group from Yelp.com

Caption (above): Another big change for 2010 was having a car. While the idea seems appealing it ended up being too much of a hassle in the neighborhood that I live in to find parking and pay for a car I rarely used. Instead I chose to go back to walking, BART and MUNI.

Caption (above): A big change in 2010 was dating Sofia.

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FEBRUARY 2010

Without a doubt, the biggest change for 2010 was being healthy. With the last of my knee surgeries in December of 2009 I was really looking forward to getting back to running after a 3 year break. My goal for the year was 12 marathons. I definitely started way too late on that resolution and didn’t take into account any injuries in that plan. I am still committed to the goal for 2011 now that I know how to pace myself a bit better with training and races. This time I will start racibg in January as opposed to late February the way I did in 2010 as the number of local half marathons is pretty limited.

Caption (above): Kaiser is the race most people PR at. For me it was my first race in ages so I couldn’t break 1:50. After sitting on a couch for 3 years the 1:58 I ended up with satisfied me as my only real expectation was to break 2 hours. For 2011 I am looking for a time closer to 1:50.

Caption (above): I spent a good amount of time in Los Angeles this year. I was happy to come back often to see family and friends. The more time I spend in Los Angeles the more I contemplate a move back despite how incredibly happy I am in San Francisco.

Caption (above): While in Hollywood (my hometown) ran into Sofia Vergara at the Château Marmont.

Caption (above): As a result of dating Sofia I spent a lot of time in the Santa Barbara area which is AMAZINGLY beautiful.

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MARCH 2010

For some reason, March is a very eventful month every year.

Caption (above): This was our first trail run for the year. We were slated to run the half marathon but truth be told were out being a little too social the night before and were too tired to race the full distance. Impending rain also didn’t help. Regardless – was a lot of fun.

Caption (above): Our tri team is a lot of fun. One of my favorite events was the 80’s themed track night.

Caption (above): Again, getting back on track to getting in shape decided to do the UCSB duathlon. It was a great small race that was a great way to kick off the racing season. Definitely want to do it again in 2011.

Caption (above): Definitely a different and fun idea: having a Ro Sham Bo birthday party. This was Katie’s doing and I have to admit I’m bummed I didn’t come up with it.

Caption (above): One race I was a bit skeptical about was the Oakland half. It was the inaugural race for the year and I was a bit worried about what neighborhood in Oakland I’d be running through but ended up being one of my favorite races of the year. Oakland definitely came out to support and was very well handled logistically. Big thanks to Megan for supporting.

Caption (above): March also marked the return of me on the bike. This had also seen a 3 year hiatus so it was nice to go on some casual rides with friends.

Caption (above): Easily one of the most fun weekends in my year is the SF tri team Wildflower training weekend. We go away to camp for the weekend and swim, bike and run the course and of course party a little. AWESOME weekend. This alone is reason to join the club. I was injured and lazy that weekend so decided to be photographer for the day.

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APRIL 2010

Caption (above): When I was a kid I really enjoyed competitions. I have a pretty vivid memory of one day when the teacher likely didn’t have a lesson plan and decided to teach us scrabble. That accident fortunately triggered in me a passion. I’ve always loved words and combining words and competition was pretty magical for a 5th grader. As an adult I somehow started playing again and while it started off as something where a handful of friends and I got together to occasionally play scrabble I’m glad our quirky hobby has turned into a semi-regular meeting under the name of the SF scrabble club. If you find yourself reading this and would be interested in joining feel free to go on Facebook and search for “SF scrabble club”.

Caption (above): Half marathon #3 was the US half in SF. This was the first race with rainy conditions I experienced. As you know, NOT a fan of the rain. Luckily it was only for a couple of minutes.

Caption (above): It’s always good to see all the guys reunited. For Dawson’s birthday I got to see everyone reunited and in the process taste some very good alcohol in Alameda at St George’s distillery. Very cool birthday idea.

Caption (above): Jason and Nayeli were married in April. Definitely up there interms of the most fun I’ve had at a wedding. The combination of Mariachi + photobooth + taco truck = awesome wedding.

Caption (above): With the bride and groom

Caption (above): With the guys

Caption (above): Taco truck at a wedding post-formal dinner = win.

Caption (above): Photobooth cracked me up.

Caption (above): I won the garter!

Caption (above): Umm, I don’t know how the Mickey thing started but it ended up being in a lot of pictures * insert questions about sobriety here *

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MAY 2010

Caption (above): I love the Lakers…like capital L love. Every year I make a special place in my schedule to watch every Lakers playoffs game on TV. For the last couple of years I’ve made a special place to catch the Lakers v Celtics in Los Angeles and some other not so big game. One thing I had never done prior to this year is attend a playoffs game. Getting to a Lakers playoffs game requires some effort. There are two ways to get a to Lakers playoffs game: 1) you’re wealthy 2) you put major effort into getting tickets at face value. I went with plan 2.

Caption (above): Had to walk this one. Took me over 4 hours to walk the whole thing due to injury.

Caption (above): Paintball with Latinos A Morir in Vacaville, Ca

Caption (above): If you’ve never “done” Bay to Breakers you are missing out. It is worth a flight to San Francisco. Seriously. I decided to poke fun at Kobe Bryant this year with my costume. Bay to Breakers is bigger than Halloween in SF. No joke

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JUNE 2010

Caption (above): While it may be cold in SF, just an hour or so is Sacramento and 90+ degree weather to be had. In june it is customary for us to try to find a nice river to raft down. This time we were at the American River in Sacramento.

Caption (above): Enjoyed some fine German fare for Riley’s birthday. The boots (steins) at Suppenkuche are brutal…but tons of fun.

Caption (above): Helped a school get a mural. I was proud of that.

Caption (above): I don’t know what to tell you about the World Cup 2010 other than I LOVED it, loved the games, loved the energy and was 100% behind Team USA. Can’t wait until 2014. I even made the SF chronicle (see picture of me in face paint)

Caption (above): It’s always great to dress up and go to a formal. This is from Sofia’s annual ball event at the Fairmont.

Caption (above): People thought I was kidding when I said I’d fly down to LA for the Championship parade. I did. Can’t wait for that 3 peat parade in 2011!

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JULY 2010

Caption (above): July is my vacation month. I was lucky enough to visit Puerto Vallarta, Mexico this year and had an amazing time. Video recap above.

Caption (above): Pics from Mexico above.

Caption (above): Was part of an awesome event where we got to taste burgers and drive Camaros…for free. Awesome. Thanks AP!

Caption (above): Volunteered at Vineman 70.3 and had a blast camping with SF tri team

Caption (above): Ran the SF half marathon as half marathon #4. Congrats to Glenn for running his first marathon!

Caption (above): Fell in love with Fallen Leaf lake in Tahoe…again.

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AUGUST 2010

Caption (above): Corey Lee (chef de cuisine at French Laundry) opened up Benu in SF and we were fortunate enough to get reservations on opening night.

Caption (above): For my mom’s birthday took a trip to LA and went to the Hollywood Bowl and to one of her favorite restaurants (Buca Di Beppo)

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SEPTEMBER 2010

Caption (above): I have been lusting after some new wheels for quite some time and finally stepped up to some Flashpoint (owned by Zipp) FP60’s.

Caption (above): New wheels has given me more motivation to get out on rides

Caption (above): Was part of an awesome kickball team again. I think we’ve lost 1 or 2 games in the last two seasons.

Caption (above): Race #5: The Lake Merced Half marathon

Caption (above): All aboard the party bus to Napa for Estee’s birthday! They forgot to send the memo that guys should come. 20+ girls and 3 guys. Sounds like a recipe for a great day!

Caption (above): Had a couple of beautiful summer days to enjoy by Baker beach

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OCTOBER 2010

Caption (above): Race # 6 was the San Jose Half marathon

Caption (above): With mom in Los Angeles for a Christian concert

Caption (above): Du the Bears Duathlon

Caption (above): Had fun at Burger Club over the course of the year. How do you go wrong with a club that checks out burgers and beer every other month?

Caption (above): Our trip to visit Jordan in Mississippi was ridiculously fun. Football + fried and BBQ’d foods + Halloween = fun.

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NOVEMBER 2010

Caption (above): While I’m not a baseball fan it was amazing to see the city rally behind the Giants as they won the world series.

Caption (above): I’m definitely going to need to hit the trails more often in 2011. SF has amazing views that need to be taken advantage of.

Caption (above): Managed to hit up the LA (twice) and SF auto shows this year.

Caption (above): Had a great thanksgiving with the family this year in Los Angeles. Also made some before and after pics mimicking old pictures we had.

Caption (above): Post Thankgisving run in Santa Monica, ca

Caption (above): My 8th and last race of the year was the US half marathon…completely in the rain.

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DECEMBER 2010

Caption (above): This is a recap video made for the SF tri club. It was a great year for the club and I was very happy to be a part of the social committee.

Caption (above): I was fortunate enough to check out a Warriors game in Oakland in a corporate suite. Sweeet! Thanks JC for the hookup!

Caption (above): My mom visited me in SF in December! We took advantage of decent weather and went to Napa and the Marin headlands

Caption (above): Spent Christmas in Los Angeles. Nothing says Christmas like getting not one but TWO pairs of Lakers pajamas! Definitely wish the Christmas day game versus the Heat had gone better. Sigh.

Caption (above): Finished off the year with a trip to Big Bear for some sledding with my brother and friends.

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Every year as I put this together I am amazed but how much I was able to see and do. I am always very grateful and thankful for the health and opportunity to be able to see all the things I do. My hope is always to continue to be in a position to be blessed and live my life the way that I like. I am looking to 2011 and spending time with all the family and friends that made 2010 a success.

November in Review

2010-12-05T01:58:58Z

As you know, the SF Giants won the World Series. I’m not into baseball and if I had to pick a team it would be the Dodgers but it was really cool seeing everyone jump on the bandwagon and cheer the team on. Given the fact that pretty much every bay area team is terrible this reignited people’s team spirit.

Caption (above): Video of fans celebrating in the streets (on Union and Chestnut Streets)

The night of the Giants parade I was decked out in my finest Lakers attire and we roadtripped to Sacramento for the Kings v. Lakers game.

Caption (above): Always funny to hear the Beat LA chant.

Caption (above): More anti-LA sentiment.

Caption (above): ARCO arena is in dire need of a renovation. Fans were very spirited despite having a crappy team so it was a fun place to watch the game.

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I recently ran the US Half marathon in San Francisco.

Now, I hate the rain. Truth be told – I hate long distance running.

When I got to experience both in one day I wasn’t in the peachiest of moods. Once the race began though I felt pretty invigorated. Oddly enough the rain helped me in several ways. It helped to keep my body cool as I ran and motivated me to want to get the hell out of the rain. I finished the race a good 3 minutes faster than the last time I ran it when it was dry.

Caption (above): What it looked like when I left my house. Not exactly ideal running weather. My idea of great running weather is cool and not windy. Some people think you want to it be sunny but I feel that dehydrates me and slows me down.

Caption (above): Runners seek shelter. I guess they want to stay dry as long as possible before being out there for close to 2 hours in the rain.

Caption (above): My 8th half marathon of the year. Only two more to go to reach my goal.

Caption (above): Trudging down Crissy field

Caption (above):

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Out and about for Lindsay’s birthday at our favorite spot: Tunneltop.

Caption (above): Dinner in the Castro.

Caption (above): Birthday girl tiara!

Caption (above):

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One of my favorite parties of the year is the SF tri club end of year party.

Since I am on the social committee one of my roles is to help put the slideshow together. This is what we came up with this year:

Caption (above): Tri related menus and drinks

Caption (above): Posing with the hello kitty award

Caption (above): The ladies

Caption (above): Katya cleans up with the awards

Caption (above):

Caption (above): Runner extraordinaire, Rahim.

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As I’m sure is no secret I love living in SF. One of my favorite parts are the stunning views and amazing running trails available.

Caption (above):

Caption (above):

Caption (above): Video from the trail

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One of my favorite traditions is going to the SF and LA auto shows every year. I’ve been attending the LA auto show for at least a decade so it ‘s always great to go back and keep the streak alive.

Prior to the LA auto show is the SF auto show. Like the last couple of years the Sf show was underwhelming.

Caption (above): The sf auto show had a pretty near Range Rover course out front.

Caption (above): I love the Lexus LFA.

Caption (above): Loved this car since I first saw it.

Caption (above): Would love a Mustang pool table.

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Without a doubt the LA auto show is larger and features more exotic and high end cars than the SF auto show.

Caption (above): I don’t even know what you would put 42 inch rimson. A school bus?

Caption (above): Cheeeeeeeeese!

Caption (above): Another Lexus LFA. Only 150 will make it to the U.S. and they’re already sold.

Caption (above): This car is stunningly beautiful

Caption (above): Michelle Wie was at the auto show.

Caption (above): Inside a Maybach

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Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, hands down. No pressure to get gifts and the focus is on gratitude and family rather than consumerism.

Withstanding the whole indigenous massacre thing it’s an awesome holiday.

Caption (above): The family gathered for dinner.

Caption (above): Lining up for food

Caption (above): The ham

Caption (above): Mia enjoying dinner

Caption (above): That is a LO of tamales

Caption (above): With the family

Caption (above): One funny thing we did this year was using old pictures and recreating them in the same place we took them 10+ years ago.

Caption (above): One funny thing we did this year was using old pictures and recreating them in the same place we took them 10+ years ago.

After stuffing my face all week it was only fitting to do a turkey trot 5K to burn off some of the calories.

Caption (above):

Caption (above):

Caption (above): The watermark on these photos cracks me up.

Caption (above): I didn’t really care about the race but this girl started sprinting towards the finish line and I couldn’t go down like that and let her beat me.

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I was really impressed by this guitarist. I’ve seen a ton of guitarists but not many play rap songs.

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I thought it was BS...but these compression sleeves actually work

2010-11-09T03:29:06Z

Very rarely do I review a product I like.

In this case – I was hesitant about compression sleeves and any compression technology. If figured it was just another way to bilk runners and triathletes with decent incomes of their hard-earned cash.

I definitely had to eat my words. I ran my 8th half marathon of the year yesterday (Sunday) and I feel great and it’s only Monday night.

This isn’t a one off thing. A few things to consider:

I’ve run 8 half marathons this year so I’m very familiar with the pain associated with the recovery process. My calves usually feel sore and I walk around slowly until about Tuesday night / Wednesday morning. In addition, this was my 2nd time running this exact course so I was very familiar with the pain I experienced the last time around and recovery was DEFINITELY improved this time around and the only thing I changed was the CEP sleeves.

[With this said – the sleeves are only working on my calves, not quads, hamstrings or knee joints which is a whole other story.]

Having worn the CEP compression sleeves yesterday it cut my recovery by about 24-48 hours. That alone is a selling point for me.

I bought CEP compression sleeves and can’t attest to CEP being better than 2XU, Craft, or Skins or any of the other brands but I imagine they are similar. I went with CEP because they were available in black and they were less than $40.

Another great thing about these things is they keep you warm if it’s cold but you can still wear them if it’s warm out. I was able to wear them as it rained for two hours during the US half marathon and while it was pretty warm out (low 70’s) during the Du the Bears Duathlon. Another plus – even running in the rain for two hours they didn’t feel like I was being weighed down by old cotton socks. They seemes to wick well.

The big question for me when I got these was sleeves versus socks. I went with sleeves because I wanted the option of changing my socks without having to swap the sleeves.

Do they look silly? Yeah, a bit.

Would you rather look silly or have your calves hurt? I vote for looking silly.

If you want more technical info on what these do, go here: http://www.cepsocks.com/the-science.html

The highlights:

“Benefits of CEP – an increase in performance*

* A quicker run - It is possible to reduce the running time by approximately 5% (e.g., this would equal twelve minutes at a marathon time of four hours.)

* An easier run - Exertion is reduced by about 6% for the same running time since the muscles have to work less.

* A quicker regeneration - The phase of regeneration is shorter.”

Moral of the story: I can’t attest to it making you any faster but it certainly helps with soreness during and after the race. Definitely worth my $39.

If you’d like to see a video review of similar compression technology see:

http://www.youtube.com/user/competitivecyclist#p/u/0/zca_HO-QgPQ

(I really enjoy the reviews on competitivecyclist.com)

Read his review here:
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=PRODUCT_REVIEW&ARTICLE_ID=3513&RETURN=2XU%202011%202XU%20Compression%20Recovery%20Sock%20page&RETURNLINK=/za/CCY%3FPAGE%3DBUY_PRODUCT_STANDARD%26PRODUCT.ID%3D6938%26CATEGORY.ID%3D2618%26MODE%3D%26TFC%3DTRUE

My thoughts on "true" sports fans

2010-11-03T22:58:32Z

What does it take to be a “real fan”?

I’ll start by saying that most of my longer blogs such as this one come about as a result of boredom.

In this case – I was on a combined 6+ flight to Oxford, Mississippi with no wifi, on demand TV or radio… aka, my worst nightmare.

This week has been pretty magical in San Francisco.

At any given point in the year you will hear me mocking the San Francisco bay area’s pretty…well, downright pathetic selection of professional teams:

SF 49ers: pathetic.
Oakland A’s: pathetic.
Golden State Warriors: god, where do I start? Pathetic.
San Jose Sharks: I’m not Candian so I don’t know.
San Jose quakes: who? Exactly.

That all changed this week.

When the San Francisco Giants made the World Series the entire city seemingly jumped on a fast moving bandwagon. Everywhere I went – children donned mini-Giants gear, homeless people rocked hand-me-down Giants gear, crackheads…were crackheads, Marina girls strutted down Chestnut St in their newly acquired tight fitting jerseys while Marina guys gawnked in expensive authentic jerseys and hats. Hipsters…did whatever hipsters do… and latinos wore Gigantes jerseys and otherwise counterfeit jerseys sold on Mission with pride. Like I said…magical.

There’s many reasons why I would not be a professional writer: chief amongst them my inability to keep a coherent thought going. That and my just writing whatever comes to mind and not going back and editing (very obvious). I figure it’s a blog and not a high school English essay so I forego the editing process.

So, back to my original thought: what makes a true sports fan? I came up with this list while waiting in the 45 minute security line at SFO before a trip. Frustration breeds creativity.

This list is by no means all-encompassing. Shoot, it’s not even applicable to all sports. I’m an NBA guy (to a lesser extent college football and soccer) so most of this will resonate with those of us that watch 80+ game sports rather than a dozen (NFL etc).

Don’t get me wrong with this list: I don’t hate bandwagon fans. The sport needs revenue and it’s great for players to feel like their city is behind them even if only in the playoffs. Bandwagon away! My only beef is when people who have been fans for two weeks claim or attempt to pass themselves off as fans “forever” or “fans for a long time”. That bugs me. For “those” people…this list is aimed at you.

To be a true fan you need to be:

1. Born and raised in the town where your team plays– Honestly, nothing says “fan” like being born and raised in the town where your team is from. I definitely think transplants can be true fans but the real hardcore ones I have observed have been at it since their mom and pops first took them to a game or bar to watch a game before they were old enough to drink. [If you’re a transplant – you should have lived in city at least 10 years before you can start claiming you’re a “true” fan of that team. You don’t need to be repping the Dodgers if you don’t know where the 10, 101 or 405 are]. If you are a diehard fan of a college team the logic would follow that you are actually an alum at that school.

2. You cannot have more than one horse in the race – Fandom is a monogamous relationship. I dare you to look at your wife or girlfriend and tell her you love her…but tell her that Susie Q across the street is fine. Not how it works. If you love the Lakers you can’t love the Celtics. I don’t give a crap if your mom was a Celtics fan and your dad was Lakers fan. It’s like elections – a crappy set-up but you have to pick a side.

3. Have seen more than 12 games in a season – Watching games is key to being a fan. If you haven’t cracked at least a dozen games in a season (obviously less for NFL, college football etc) please stop talking. I know some guys watch EVERY game. I’m not that dedicated and don’t have that kind of time but I think a dozen is an easily attainable number. That isn’t even 10% of the NBA season.

4. Own a jersey or article of clothing from a season more than 3 years old – Nothing is worse than a fan who only likes their team when they finally get good. Real fans should own a shirt, hat or jersey from a couple of years back. I say at least 3. If you’re rocking that Playoffs 2007 hat, you’re a-ok in my book. Bonus points if your gear is from a previous decade. I remember seeing a guy at the 2009 Lakers championship parade with his Lakers 1987 Championship sweater. Lots of respect from me.

5. Went to more than 3 games in a sub .500 year – In years when your team blows, you stick by them and even if reluctantly you will attend a couple of their games for moral support. You can still talk shit about changing the coach or trading players but you’re still there. This reminds me of Married With Children when Peggy asks Al if he loves her. Her responds: “I’m still here aren’t I?”

6. Can name all 5 starters on a team and 50% of the bench (NBA) – You gotta know the team. No getting around this one. A real fan will know who is on the squad. Bonus points for knowing the players on the bench. More points for knowing players in the D league and in development (major soccer teams have U-21 teams and development camps). If you’re into college sports you likely know who has verbally committed and what high school prospects your team is courting.

7. You have season tickets (or have considered them) – Clearly this one requires money. Even if you have considered getting tickets and pawning your worldly possessions to get them I would give you props. I’ve never had season tickets to the Lakers but you better believe I’ve researched and/or thought about them. For now – will have to go on the bucket list.

8. You read the team blog, twitter, fan forum etc. – Espn is nice but you take it to the next level. You read the team page, blog, twitter for players and coaches and are constantly on forums dedicated to team news. You eat, live and breathe your team news.

9. You can recognize 3 of 5 starters if you saw them on the street – One thing is to know the player’s names. It is quite another to recognize a player on the street.

10. You can say where at least 3 of the 5 starters played college ball – If you follow a team closely you’ll easily know where your top players played college ball. Shoot – I’ve even started seeing people snatch up their favorite player’s college and high school jerseys. The thought of owning a Michigan State Magic Johnson jersey or Lower Merrion High Kobe jersey has definitely crossed my mind.

11. Don’t wear the jersey of a player who left or betrayed you – This one might be a bit controversial but I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing the jersey of a player that left my team. You couldn’t pay me to wear my old Shaquille O’Neal Lakers jersey. That shit got burned years ago. [Retired players are exempt. Bonus point if said retired player only played for your team his entire career]

12. You have traveled to a city you do not live in to watch your team play (bonus points if this city is more than 300 miles away) – True fans will take any opportunity to watch their team play. If it’s remotely accessible you will watch them play. I’ve been able to watch the Lakers play in Sacramento and in Oakland and one day maybe I’ll be able to watch them in Europe in one of their exhibition games.

13. You watch ALL the playoff games your team is in – I’m not moving on this one. I’m not hardcore enough to watch more than 50% of the NBA season but I don’t think any real fan would miss a playoff game. Playoffs is what it is all about. If your team makes playoffs and you’re a fan…you need to watch every game. Period.

14. You have attended a playoff game – This one is contingent on income. At some point hardcore fans have considered attending a playoff game in the flesh. Most times they are prohibitively expensive but you should have at least * thought * about it.

15. You would give your first born to see your team in the finals – Again, we hit the income question. I’ve never been to the NBA finals but sure as hell have tried to save up money to go to one. Some day, some day.

16. You talk shit about rivals schools/cities and scout your team’s rivals via internet, tv and scouting reports just to get an idea of how they’ll do against your squad – If you love your team, sports logic dictates that you hate your rivals. It’s how it works. If you love the Giants you hate the Dodgers. If you love the Lakers you hate the Celtics. If you love Barcelona you hate Real Madrid. It’s like sports physics…incontrovertible. This however does not mean that you are ignorant. To talk shit about your rival you need to know them. Scouting provides this opportunity. Their best players can’t hit a free throw if his life depended on it. Ammo. Your rival hasn’t made the playoffs for the last 4 years. Ammo. Your rival hasn’t won at your stadium for the last 4 games. Ammo. Your rival’s star player just tore his ACL? Party!

17. You are highly interested in draft picks, free agents, waivers etc. – This comes along with scouting. Not only do you care how the team does, but you are invested in the future. Go to a hardcore sports bar on draft day and see how many guys are in there and ask around about how many of them have been reading every mock draft know to man prior to draft day. A lot.

18. You can name the following:
1) Owner
2) Coach
3) One assistant coach
4) Team announcer

19. You can roughly name the championship years (if any) for your team in your lifetime.

20. You watch or attend pre season and/or training camps (bonus point if not in the city you live in) – Again, if you love your team you are watching the pre-season games. This may be because your team was awesome last year and you want to see if management managed not to f*** with the roster or if your team sucked last year and you are praying big changes were made in the off-season. Pre-season is a great way to put your nerves in check. Definitely bonus points if you traveled to your team’s training camp facility.

21. Article of clothing that is not a hat or a jersey – Super fans I know own everything under the sun their team puts out. Nothing cemented this in my mind more than visited the Real Madrid store in Madrid. They have Real Madrid strollers, car seat covers, dishes, golf clubs. EVERYTHING.

22. You have or have considered the NBA pass (or NFL’s equivalent etc) – I’m not this hardcore but I know guys who buy the NBA pass so they can watch EVERY single game their team plays. That is some dedication. Not to mention – NBA plays a LOT of games and that NBA pass is not cheap.

23. You follow team news and blacked out games via AM radio. Yes, AM radio. Who does that? Hardcore fans do. Listening to games over the radio is boring as s*** but that’s why it’s called dedication.

24. Know your team’s bar/(s) if you do not live in the city in which your team plays. – If you live in Green Bay and love the Steelers you know the one place where you can watch the game without getting assaulted and be with like-minded Steelers fans.

25. You know a handful a team cheers – Hardcore fans know cheers. Whether you learn these growing up, in school, at the bar or at the games…you should know a handful of cheers.

26. Last but not least, in the: “you’re doing too much but DAMN, that’s dedication” category:
28a) You have a tattoo of your favorite team
28b) You name your children after your favorite players

October in review (part 1)

2010-10-20T05:18:25Z

I have always wanted to run a Rock and Roll series race.

For my first race I decided on the San Jose Rock and Roll half marathon. I was VERY pleased with the race organization and environment. Part of the idea of Rock and Roll is that there are live bands every mile which as most runners know having crowd support and a change of scenery when you are running over 10 miles is very welcome.

I was feeling ambitious for this race. My best time this year for a half has been a 1:54. I thought I could easily churn out a 1:50.

While I had a great time watching “Waiting for Superman” and John Legend the night before I only got 3 hours of sleep the night before (I usually get at least 9 the night before a race).

I started the race pretty well. The first two miles were sub 8 minute miles. Actually, the first 5 miles were sub 9 minute miles which is faster than what I usually run.
Unfortunately the lack of sleep caught up to me. At around mile 10 I just couldn’t go. Legs felt great but I had NO energy. Lesson definitely learned: you NEED to get sleep for a race like this.

Caption (above): At the finish line

Caption (above): The San Jose Rock and Roll medal is quite hefty

Caption (above): Race photo. Another lesson learned was don’t wear clothes you are not used to running in. The black shirt was of a fabric that irritated my skin. Never ever try something new on race day. Now I know.

Caption (above): San Jose marked my 7th half marathon and 9th overall race for the year. Three more race until I reach my goal of one race a month (and 10 half marathons).

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I was able to go to Los Angeles to visit my family. I consider myself Christian but I am by no means a church-goer. If you ever are curious as to why I don’t go to church feel free to ask. I can definitely go into it with detail. Regardless of my personal opinion on Christianity I do like to go because my mother is an avid Christian.

Caption (above): The church I attend with my mom on Venice Blvd near USC.

Caption (above): My mom and I

Caption (above): The Christian concert my mom wanted to go to was at Nokia center. All of this was not around when I was a kid so it’s neat to show her around.

Caption (above): I LOVE the Lakers so if we’re near Staples we’re definitely paying it a visit.

Caption (above): Mom with De La Hoya statue.

Caption (above): Concert at Nokia center

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While in LA I visited Santa Monica.

Caption (above):

Caption (above): Oddly enough I’ve never been on the ferris wheel at the Pier.

Caption (above): Late night visit to one of my favorite taco places in LA. Actually, this time around the food wasn’t particularly good.

Caption (above): Explained to people that this is for when people rob them so they can ballpark the robber’s height.

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It has been MONTHS since I’ve been to a Yelp elite event. Reason: a combination of not applying, not getting in and not being available to go.

When I heard there was an event at a highly respectable steakhouse I couldn’t say no.

Caption (above): Quite a wine cellar

Caption (above): The allure of yelp events: Free food and free drinks.

Caption (above): Pic from the event

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If you love street food, you should check out off the grid. So cool to see people with pupusas in their hand waiting for a tikka masala burrito and talking about the Islamic dumpling they just had which was sooooo much better than the Argentinian empanada they first had. Very friendly people and a great opportunity to sample good cheap food.

offthegridsf.com/

"Off the Grid is a roaming mobile food extravaganza that travels to different locations daily to serve delicious food, with a free side of amazing music, craft
and soul. We're bringing all your favorite gourmet food vendors together to create
a market like you've never seen before.

Caption (above): Tikka masala burrito!

Caption (above): Damn, that was some good paella.

Caption (above): Very California thing for the street trucks to be linked in with websites.

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I am a big fan of the SF tri (my team) socials with Golden gate tri, another local tri team. We joined up for a join social and good times were had by all.

Caption (above): Andie!

Caption (above):

Caption (above): Clearly not shy

Caption (above):

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Not going to lie – the Du Bears Duathlon made me nervous. I wasn’t able to ride the course prior but had the opportunity to drive it and it was then that I fully realized that it would be a very LONG 20 mile bike ride .

Caption (above): The course is called 3 bears. Baby, mama and papa bear. This is papa bear. This hill went on forever and ever it seemed.

Caption (above): The guy who won it all. This guy was a beast.

Caption (above): At the start. That’s me at the far left in the black.

Caption (above): At the finish line.

Caption (above): Post race

Caption (above): Sofia places 2nd in her age group.

Caption (above): Almost there. At ten races. Only two more to go (and 3 more half marathons)

Caption (above): Was at a friend’s house the other night and…damn. Ok, maybe I haven’t done that many races. Props R2!

September in Review

2010-10-05T02:39:11Z

I’m starting to feel whole again. Four knee surgeries later and several years longer than I’d like to go without playing soccer I am finally at a point where I feel that I am back to feeling complete. I would say I’m 90% of the way there. My body is almost to my peak fitness minus a lot of the aerobic conditioning I have lost and some extra weight that will quickly be gone.

Now that I’m back one of the things I’ve wanted to do for a while is get new wheels for my bike.

When buying wheels I looked at two things: aesthetic appeal and cost.

I have always liked the look of very expensive Zipp wheels. The picture above is a good example. I can’t afford to drop 2k on a pair of wheels. Actually – I wouldn’t even if I could.

I settled on some Flashpoint FP60’s which are made by Zipp. The reviews were overwhelmingly positive and after riding them I agree. They retail for about $1,200 but I was able to get them on Craigslist for a net cost of $300 (sold my stock wheelset on Craigslist for $200).

Sort of insane how many compliments I get on the bike now even though the only thing that changed is the wheelset. I’ve always like my Trek Madone and was waiting for the right time to upgrade the wheels. After several rides I have found that on flats the wheels fly. I would say it gives me an extra 3mph with no extra effort. Downhill I can easily hit 40mph whereas I could never push myself that fast on the stock Bontrager wheels.

I’m very happy with the purchase and looking forward to my next tri to test them out in a race setting. Thus far have only done recreational rides.

It has been great to take the bike out and ride with friends.

Caption (above): My favorite view of Sf from Inspiration Point in the Presidio.

Caption (above): Tiburon, Ca. Home to millionaires and also one of my favorite places in the bay area. Great views of Sf from here.

Caption (above): I LOVE flat roads with views like this. This is in Tiburon.

Caption (above): The sign at this bike shop in Sausalito cracked me up.

Caption (above): Was on a random bike ride and almost ran over Robin Williams (comedian). Stopped to see if it was him and he popped into a bike shop I had always wanted to go to. I go in the bike shop and find the Lance jersey from the last Tour de France that was banned. I had looked all over for this jersey and finally found it. Score!

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Pics from a recent cal alum reunion:

Caption (above):
Caption (above): Organizer extraordinaire, Christina.

Caption (above): Go Bears!

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My kickball team the GuidOlympians is still on a hot streak. I believe we are 5-0 this season. While our name changed the team is dominant as ever. While being outfield has always been a strength of mine this season I’ve dropped a handful of balls and that’s unacceptable. I’m sure it’s just a temporary thing.

Caption (above): The squad

Caption (above): Reliving old Toyota commercials.

Caption (above): The ladies at the bar post-game

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For half marathon #6 I chose the Lake Merced half in SF.

It is hosted by a great local running club www.dserunners.com

Caption (above): Won’t be breaking that anytime soon.

Caption (above): The starting group.

Caption (above): Congrats to Sofia on completing her first half marathon.

Caption (above): The ribbons reminded me of elementary school.

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On this particular Saturday I asked myself: how did I end up on a bus with 20+ women and 3 guys? Answer: no idea.

I recently went to Napa for Estee’s birthday. I’ve done limos to Napa before but had never done a party. This bus DEFINITELY lived up to its name.

Caption (above): The party bus

Caption (above): Lots of space, loud music and a stripper pole = awesome.

Caption (above): The ladies toast to Estee!

Caption (above): The ladies!

Caption (above): Lunching at V. Sattui

Caption (above): Ms. Hansen – master of a range of emotions

Caption (above): The only logical thing to do when it is 90+ degrees outside is hop in a fountain

Caption (above): Britney + party bus.

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I never thought I’d have the answer to: how far would you go for good ice cream? I know have an answer: 34.68 miles.

I LOVE Fairfax scoop in Fairfax, Ca.

See: http://www.yelp.com/biz/fairfax-scoop-fairfax

Caption (above): The route to divine ice cream!

Caption (above): Favorite flavors: vanilla honey lavender.

Caption (above): The happy ice cream crew.

Caption (above): It’s rare for us to have a warm summer day. The view from Baker Beach in SF.

Caption (above): Lovely views from a SOMA rooftop in SF.

August in Review

2010-09-26T19:06:30Z

I was fortunate enough to check out opening night for a new restaurant in SF.

Benu was started by Corey Lee, former Chef de Cuisine at Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry. Corey also has a James Beard Foundation award under his belt.

I generally don’t have access or the inclination to make these kinds of reservations but a buddy hooked us up and I couldn’t say no to opening night for such a highly anticipated opening.

Caption (above):

Caption (above): Thomas Keller holds some wine at Benu.

Caption (above): The space was pretty plain.

Caption (above):

Caption (above): The pork belly was THE BEST I have ever had. Amazing.

Caption (above): Benu sparked my new found love for scallops.

Caption (above): Yes, this is as good as it looks.

Caption (above): Corey’s James Beard award.

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Caption (above): One of the best burgers I have had in SF is at the Four Seasons. It is a duck fat cooked burger. Amazing.

Caption (above): It’s no secret that I love cheap street food. Off the grid is an event in SF that puts dozens of street food vendors in one place. They have it every Friday in Fort Mason and throughout other locations in sf.

See: http://offthegridsf.com/

Caption (above): The masses line up for street food.

Caption (above): Mmmm, ramen.

Caption (above): Roy and I are twins at Off the Grid.

Caption (above): Night about town with Yuwynn who is in town.

Caption (above): Rooftop views of SF

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I love Los Angeles. Yes, I live in SF but having lived there 18 years and being able to go back once every two months I have a new appreciation for the city where I was born.

Caption (above): Very LA moment with the license plate on the Porsche reading LAEsquire and on the Benz reading Drama22.

Caption (above): Hands down my favorite outdoor music venue. Most nights in LA are warm and there isn’t a bad seat in the house. I bought $19 tickets and had a ton of fun with the family.

Caption (above): The view from our $19 seats at the Hollywood Bowl.

Caption (above): My mom and little bro

Caption (above):The family

Caption (above): My mom and I

Caption (above): The bowl at night

Caption (above): The show that we got tickets to was the symphony playing the classics of Fox studios. It was cool to hear the music being played and watching the movies play on a big screen simultaneously.

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Some of my fondest memories of LA are of simple things. Playing in the park, playing soccer in the streets or playing tag in the alleys.

Clearly, I don’t do some of those things anymore due to age but I have such soft spot for reminiscing over simpler times.

In that bank of memories is going to San Pedro as a kid. At the time I didn’t eat seafood so I’d walk around trying to find a burger while everyone else feasted on awesome seafood. My recollection of San Pedro was that it was crowded and ghetto. On my last trip to LA I went back…and it hasn’t changed. Don’t think I say that negatively. That ghettoness is exactly why I enjoyed it. I went with family and friends and it was good times. It brought me back to times that I look back at fondly now that I live in SF. My life in Sf is decidedly not ghetto so it’s easy for me to fall into a nostalgic moment remembering what life was like before SF and before Berkeley.

Caption (above): Always loved the Observatory

Caption (above): Hollywood sign!

Caption (above): Mmm, fish. I love me some tilapia.

Caption (above): It was baking hot so had to sip on something cool.

Caption (above): Ah yeah. Shrimp and scallops. Could feed a small family.

Caption (above): San Pedro

Caption (above): My reason for being in LA was my mom’s birthday. Happy 52nd!

Caption (above): Happy birthday mom!

Caption (above): My mom loves Buca di Bepo so we went there.

Caption (above): Hahahahaha.