Sunday, August 28, 2011

P90X 90 Days Results are in!


Here's my "wow" moment! check out the impact of doing some exercise on a regular basis....




I took these "after" photos a few weeks ago but was unsure whether to publish them....I mean one day I'm gonna get that donut belly back....but I decided for now it's proof I've got it going on!

Quite exciting to see results...getting back onto the program of p90x and other exercise with 12 weeks to go to the big IronMan Arizona Race this year...let's see what the next 90 day photo looks like!

I did just buy another pair of jeans yesterday...another 2 sizes down. That's a total of 4 sizes in the past 4 months and 15 pounds. Crazy expensive to have to buy these jeans again...but it's an expense I don't mind making!!



Sometimes it's not meant to be...

I joined a group ride this weekend but sometimes it's just not meant to be...
It started with 6 of us...and ended with 2. What happened I hear you say??

Fog, Freeways, Flat Tires, Police....all on 1 ride!

Please sing along like the 12 days of Christmas...

  • No visibility from fog
  • 1 broken derailer
  • 1 bike chain fall off
  • 1 pulled hamstring
  • 1 partner turned back for the hamstring..leaving 3 not knowing where to go
  •  3 people biking on the 280 freeway
  • 1 person pulled over by police (for riding on the freeway...)
  • 1 flat tire...with no air pump
  • 1 wife calling saying "WTF are you!?"
  • 2 left to scamper back to the start

And a partridge in the pear tree....

Got to say the last 2 were laughing in fits and giggles that so much could go wrong on 1 friendly bike ride! Guess some things are just not meant to be...

Final stats were a 30 mile bike ride...and I got a good t-run in to celebrate my leg being back in the game...and the need of course to start building up the muscles. It was freezing cold in San Francisco, but having the chance to run through Golden Gate park was quite a moment...felt liked I had "arrived" in the city!

Bike Ride Stats
Nothing exciting here. it was a stop start ride the whole time. Happy that there was some decent elevation in here to make up for something....I hear a rumor I might do a race with elevation on it, so guess I better start loving those hills. uurggh!


Transition Run Stats
This is more interesting...very happy to see a pace of under 10 minute miles. Will have to see how long I can sustain this pace, 5 miles was longer than I thought I could, so patting myself on the back for this one. Woo Hoo!



Tuesday, August 23, 2011

More running???

WOW - That 25km kept with me for a while. I was walking like a cowboy for 2 days!
It would be funny if it didn't hurt so much!


Tip #1: Don't go from 0 to 25km in running!
Tip #2: Use a roller to ease out the muscles...don't avoid the pain...it just stays for later!

So I then went to the gym after 3 days and needed some cardio to get out some stress of work...but what to do?! Chose the treadmill of all activities!

I went at a nice slow pace and was proud to say I did 5 miles in 80 minutes! not setting any records...but so proud that I'm back on the running game with no pain!


Sunday, August 21, 2011

Running is back on the agenda....


I've had 4+ months of me having an excuse to not run, but after X-Rays, MRIs, and the successful treatments of Ultrasound....I had no more excuses.

FYI the treatments using ultrasound, chiropractic care, and standard physical strength training were awesome and a great all round treatment system...

So I found an orienteering race in a local hood of Foster City that looked interesting. There was a 5k, 10k, and 25k version. I thought "go big or go home" and signed up for the 25k version.



 I had planned to walk it and use my great navigation skills to get the Bangers & Mash team to the end. But as soon as the horn went off...we were running! Oh man...25km of running?



Nah, didn't run it all...more like a run walk but still....going from no running to this was shock to the system!
We ended up winning our group, so that was a nice surprise!






Tour de Peninsula Bike Ride - photos

I'm always a sucker for buying the race photos...its the opportunity to get a memory...and I like to take it, even when the photo is expensive.

So here's the 2 photos that were taken on the Tour de Peninsula bike ride 2 weeks ago.



Sunday, August 7, 2011

Tour de Peninsula Bike Ride #addicted

#addicted
You know you are addicted when you need to have a road bike ride to feel good. That as soon as you put your body into position, and clip in those cleats, you feel a sense of both calmness and excitement. That the bike feels like an extension of your overall body. #addicted

So after my mountain bike ride on Saturday, and not quite feeling this sense of calmness, I searched for another bike ride. Didn't expect to find much, and up popped Tour de Peninsula. I woke up at 6:15 in the morning for the 7am start and thought "I should sleep"...but that #addicted drive drove me to jump put of bed and hustle to the start line.

Started at 7:30am and thought I was done for, but as it was more of a group ride than a "race" it was actually fine. Many people started at the same time as me, so I joined in with various groups and met people along the way. There were about 1500 bikers and I think I spoke to only 100 or so (hee hee only)...here are 2 journalists I met and had a "Meet-up" lunch with.

Lucy and some new biking friends

I looked at the route the night before and saw there was a short 30 mile version and a long 65 mile version. I opted to get the longer route in for a workout. I had pulled a muscle in mountain biking (with the cold weather not really letting them warm up) and thought it might not be the easiest of rides, but hey, gotta get a good workout in! Or maybe this is another example of being #addicted

Map My Ride - 65 mile version

What I didn't know about the ride was the elevation. Oh man! I'm not the best hill biker - maybe I can blame having the wrong crankset and a tri-bike vs a road bike?
The route showed Skyline and I thought...does that mean we have to bike all the way up to Skyline (just like it sounds...up to the heavens!). And yes it did mean I was biking non-stop uphill for over 5 miles.

That doesn't really sound like a lot, but my knee went into serious pain (the OTHER knee as well to the usual soap opera drama!) and I could not bear any weight on it. So the whole 5 mile uphill was on 1 leg, leaving me in a sitting position the whole time, and using a push-down / pull-up action only! Ouch! But I also saw it as a good training opportunity...this was not a race after all so I got to learn how to adjust my body, self-massage, rest and stretch, and of course bike on my 1 weaker leg.

Elevation of the 65 mile route. 2000 ft climb in 5 miles

I did make it to the top though! And had to take a photo to celebrate!
Made it to the top of a long long hill...using 1 leg only!

The weather was not what I was expecting either. Usually I escape to the Peninsula to get some sun away from the city. But it didn't really clear up on this ride. Check out this photo of Canada road. Going up the mountain there were some beautiful areas of dense fog that as I biked through, I felt a wave of dew wash over me.

Felt like SF City weather even though I was on the Peninsula!

I enjoyed the ride overall, and took the shortcut for a 56mile bike ride overall and had a biking time of 4:10 hours but an overall time on 5 hours. Guess I put my chatting skills to good work!

Off to foam roller that knee now....and yes, my #addicted sense feels fulfilled. So no need to bike on Monday!

Saturday, August 6, 2011

A different kind of biking in Marin

So its been a whole week since the race where I biked 112 miles (wow, still in shock here!) and I told myself I'd take a nice break and rest the body.
Ah, but then I got invited to go Mountain Biking...something I dabbled in last year...and would often have ended up with a bruise or two.

But this year I'm fitter and stronger, especially on biking, so I thought I'd have more control and confidence on the bike. Right?
So off to Marin Headlands, just north of San Francisco city, where there are tons of trails to explore.

Marin Headlands Trails

The weather tends to be foggy in the city, but often becomes clear in Marin. Today that was not the case, and it was foggy and rainy. Really...foggy....in August....in California????

Got on the bike and had my standard nervous stomach...it just tightens up until I either have my first fall or get some mileage underneath me.

Pedal pedal pedal up the hill...no matter which way I went, it seemed to be hills today? How does that happen?

Well, those hills definitely caught up to me and my fitness showed I was not as good as I thought. Seems like a difference muscle group was in use...and by the end of the cold ride...my legs felt like they'd had a good workout.

Just a nice reminder I still have much to learn and grow when it comes to biking!