CENTURY RIDE

On Friday, my husband (Randy), my mom, and I left for Lake Tahoe, NV. We left Cerritos at 3:30pm and arrived at the stateline at midnight. On our drive up along a windy hilly road close to our destination, we came across runners wearing neon reflective yellow jackets with a light headgear. I feared for their safety on this busy highway, but they were visible and well lit and vans were following them. It was an interesting spectacle to see.

Saturday happened to be my birthday. Because of facebook, my mentor found out about it. She greeted me warmly when our team met up at 8 am for our pre-event ride. We were blessed with a beautiful weather especially because just a few days prior, it was raining and snowing. After our ride, we picked up our packet from the expo. Fortunately, we received a complimentary "America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride" sports bottle. I speculated I lost one of my bottles from my bike during one of Randy's sharp turns while driving. Since we had free time before our team's pasta dinner, Randy, my mom and I walked around the area and bought some groceries for breakfast the next day.

Team In Training (TNT) is a nationwide organization which includes Canada. There were 1300 TNT participants out of 3500 cyclists. The coaches and mentors were cheering the participants as we entered the hall in Montbleu Casino, the place we were staying at. There was a guest speaker, the husband of a leukemia survivor. He recalled the details of emotional pain during his wife's battle as if it happened yesterday. On a brighter note, announcements were made for the top individual and team fundraisers and the total amount we had raised-$6 million. My team of 14 participants raised $65k. This will help patients cover the cost of parking during their treatments, pay for the phone bills so that patients can participate in "First Connection" program, hosting community outreach programs to educate others on the importance of our fundraising and the ultimate goal of curing blood cancers.

After the dinner, my team gathered to discuss expectations for our BIG day and to hand out a framed collage to our coaches and the participants received goodie bags from our mentors. Before the meeting started, my team suprised me with a birthday song and handed me a card with everyone's signatures. I was definitely beaming from ear to ear.

Fun facts about Lake Tahoe: largest alpine lake (lakes at high altitudes) in North America, America's 2nd deepest lake (1645 feet) next to Crater Lake in Oregon, lake's circumference is 73 miles, known for the clarity of its water due to small amount of nutrients and the panorama of surrounding mountains, one of the oldest lakes in the world.

The BIG day: My middle group was pedaling faster than our normal speed the first half of our ride. After our turn around from Truckee, I hit my wall on miles 50-60. There were several climbs and each pedal I was dragging. I thought I'm only halfway and I'm already feeling this way. After feeling exhausted for those 10 miles, I hit my second wind. At mile 90, I saw one of the most amazing views imaginable with the snow capped mountains as the backdrop, pristine glittering clear coral blue waters, and the road was curving into a tunnel. I got all choked up because of the breathaking scenery. I am proud to say that I finished strong. My group completed the century bike ride in 8.5 hours ride time and 9.5 hours total time with 5 rest stops.
Within 30 minutes after the event, my legs were aching. As recommended, I took a 15 minutes ice bath for my legs only (the only thing I could tolerate), some motrin, and I stretched. As tempting as it sounds, deep tissue massage should be held for the first 72 hours after the event because the body needs time to buffer the pH from the lactic acid build up. Deep tissue massage can cause more damage to the muscles.

This had been a life changing experience for me because of the relationships I had built and I learned the exciting sport of cycling. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. All of the hardwork was well worth it!

last training

In the entire season, I am proud to have missed only 1 training and it was due to a fundraising, my garage sale. My total fundraising is $4652.73.

The last time my team did Rose Bowl Pasadena about 3 months ago, it was pouring rain with some hail. It was a nice weather change for our last training. We did 35 miles since we are weaning down a week before the event. This may seem an easy ride, but we still had 1 flat tire and a bike crash. Our coach was leading our paceline of 7 people and he was slowing down to make a left turn but didn't warn the group. Therefore, the person behind him stopped suddenly and this created a domino effect. The 3rd and 4th person fell and thankfully no major injuries, just road rashes. I was the last person in the paceline so I didn't get affected. Coach Charlie changed the tube from the flat tire. He did the whole thing in about 5 minutes, whereas last week, it took 3 novice tire-changing cyclists (I was one of them) 20 minutes. It was an educational experience.

When I was in the emergency department two weeks ago after my bike accident, I was instructed to keep the wound from my elbow bandaged the entire time even when I take a shower. The problem with this method is it keeps the wound moist which does not allow healing. When I went to my bike shop, one of the workers who is a cyclist, always gives me valuable tips. He told me about aloe vera. This plant has healing properties containing numerous vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and natural sugars which may be antiinflammatory and antimicrobial. Aloe vera has been used for wounds, burns, and indigestion for more than 3,500 years. I bought my plant from Home Depot. You slice a leaf in half vertically and slap it on the rash, keep it on overnight or all day then just let it air dry. I had also been using a massage oil for joints and muscle aches. This was recommended by Guru Carlos. The ingredients are all-natural and it feels minty when applied on the skin. There's a warmth feeling also.

Another valuable tool I learned at the bike shop is to clean the bike after every ride to wipe off residue from the sports drink. The stickiness from the sugar can get stuck on the chains. To effectively clean the bike use a polisher and wipe off the bike using a hand towel. It's also very important to lubricate the chain after every 150 miles.

Looking at where I started during our first training in february and to where I have come, it has been an amazing journey. I have met such giving wonderful people from the coaches, mentors, and participants. I have also felt so much love from family and friends from all of your support with prayers, thoughts, donations, lending a hand with fundraising, and encouragement. I sincerely thank you.

nasty fall

Last wednesday I had my worst fall. It was my midweek training in the riverbed by my house. I was riding back towards the parking lot when I wanted to try a new move-riding hands free. I've seen a few other cyclists do it and everytime I witnessed it, I was in awe. I was inspired by the new asphalt, the flat road, and the free of traffic by other cyclists and runners. I tried riding hands free and succeeded. Everytime I tried it, I made my new move longer. I became overconfident and pedaled faster when my handlebars swiveled. I tried to grab on to the handlebars but ended up falling on my left side-hard! I stayed on the ground and started feeling the pain on my left elbow creep up. I had to hold on to my left arm with my right hand. A passerby approached me and asked if I needed help. All I could do was shake or nod my head with her questions since I was already crying nonstop. I had a million thoughts going through my mind: possible left elbow fracture, infection from a really nasty road rash, I had to drop out of my bike event which was only 2 weeks away, why did I try that new move, not again. Other passers by looked on and offered their help. I felt so embarassed. A man reached out his hand to help me get up but I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it on my own. My watch's wrist band broke. It was handed to me. The first good samaritan stayed with me and walked my bike towards the parking lot.

I called my husband, Randy, and luckily his work let him go to take care of me. I didn't want to leave my bike on the rack if I drove myself to the ED so I drove home first. Fortunately, I only live 3 minutes away from the park. Once I got to our driveway, I let it all out. I cried like I haven't done in a long time. Why now?

Randy called my and his family to tell them about the accident. Great, now everyone's going to feel worried. I didn't want anybody else to know. His mom and aunt actually came to get me since they were closer and Randy would just meet us at the hospital. While waiting for my in-laws, I managed to take my bike off the rack one-handed and gathered things I needed in case the wait was long in the ED.

The xray on my elbow did not show any fracture. I did have an avulsion and almost needed stitches. Since the tear was really small, the nurse practitioner decided to just let it close on its own. I prefered that idea. The effects from that fall is a large bruise on my left upper thigh, muscle strain on my left chest and left shoulder, and a large road rash on my left elbow.

I was determined to pursue with the saturday training since it's our hardest longest ride this season-80 miles. Surprisingly, I pulled it off. On friday at work, a co-worker of mine, Carlos Aguado, who happens to have a passion for healing and massage therapy took the liberty to utilize his healer's touch on me. I really planned to get a massage after work, but after my massage session with Carlos, I felt better. He also used a tuning fork as a means of alternative medicine. To learn more, log on to http://www.biosonics.com/ Part of my healing also stems from the TLC I received from Randy. He taught me to face directly at my rash when hydrogen peroxide is poured on the area. Once the solution touches my skin, it burns. I do a little dance while the sizzling from the solution is dissipating. Then he dabs the residual with tissue and apply neosporin. This is a daily routine until now. I wish for my full recovery real soon.

Malibu 75 miles

I am very blessed to have been paired up with one of our assistant coaches, Scott, in the 100 Friends in 100 Hours competition last week. Being a deacon, he is an influential person not only because of his religious status, but because he has the gift to move and inspire people. He is a skin cancer survivor so he preaches from firsthand experience and understands the brutal treatments to make it into remission. He raised $600 and I raised $200. We were in the lead on thursday, but by friday at noon, one of my teammates, Casey, snuck up behind us and snatched the #1 position. Her and our honored teammate, Laura, won the competition. Honestly, I am very happy for them because they deserve it. Though my partner and I didn't win the competition, I am very elated to announce that I have met my fundraising goal and more. I am at $4100 and counting thanks to all of the donors for making this happen.

Our Saturday training was 75 miles in Malibu. What is more beautiful than captivating nature's beauty? The blue green ocean was a sight to see. I loved watching the birdy fly in V-formation just inches above the surface of the water looking for their prey. The last time we trained Malibu, we saw dolphins. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of them again but to no avail. From the time we started our ride at 0800 to the time we finished at 1500, surfers could easily be spotted. From a distance, they really looked like seals.

The weather was very windy which made it a bit chilly at times. I debated whether to wear my jacket before we started. I opted not to because I don't like stuffing the jacket in the back pocket of my jersey when I get warm. A few of my teammates called to my attention that one of my back pockets was leaking with chocolate. What happens is after I devour a shot of gel (which happened to be mocha flavor, yum!), I stuff it back in my back pocket, so if there is residual, naturally, it'll melt. Believe em, everytime I am tempted to just litter but I envision and hear Coach Charlie's lecture, "Do not litter!" Next time, I'll have to bring a ziplock bag as my designated trash bag.

I was stoked to have witnessed a very minute landslide, small grains of sand and rocks falling from a canyon. On one side of the canyon was filled with sand which reminded me of the Sand Dunes of Peru. As we passed by beach houses with a couple of for sale signs, I couldn't help but wonder the cost of these homes. Apparently, they are about $20 million. The properties look like a resort with a gated entrance, long winding driveways, and palm trees across the front lawn. One of my teammates actually lives on the beach in Malibu.

More than halway through our ride, I was leading the pack going downhill. I felt on a role pedaling fast that I ended up missing our SAG. Therefore, had to make a detour and when I turned into the parking lot, I slid across sand. I glided like I was tagging the home plate in a baseball field. I ended up with a road rash on my left elbow and left shin, bruised a small portion of my left upper thigh, and dirtied the left side of my body. Luckily, I suffered no major injuries.

My mentor told me about "nuun" and I must share this secret with you. Nuun is a dissolvable portable electrolytes with zero sugar tablet. You drop it in 16 oz water, wait for 2 minutes, and voila, you are ready to drink. The tablet comes in a variety of flavors such as citrus, berry, lemon lime, and kona cola. Even better, a container of 12 tablets only costs $6.50. I think I just got converted over from sports drinks to Nuun. I was drinking gatorade and powerade, but I didn't like the amount of sugar and calories content I had to consume. However, I didn't know any other alternative electrolytes replacements until now.

I felt better after the ride compared to the week prior in Cruisin' the Conejo. I think a lot of it had to do with my midweek training since I did yoga on monday and rode my bike for 27 miles on wednesday. I'm a firm believer of yoga since it helps with the core, stretching, strengthening, flexibility, and relaxation. I was reading a bike magazine and learned that Lance Armstrong also does yoga.

midweek ride

Bike-used as a form of competitive and/or recreational sport, cardiovascular exercise, a way to commute, a way of being "green," to build muscles, get fresh air, being closer to nature, feeling of freedom, testing your limits, a great way to meet people and make new friends, to clear your head, and food for the soul. Yet, despite all of the advantages of riding a bicycle, there is VERY limited access of bike lanes. Worse, there is ZERO respect from majority of the drivers. I use a ROAD bike, meaning it's meant to be out on the ROAD with other cars. I don't know if drivers think bikes are meant for the sidewalk or they are just really impatient or are always in a hurry. These drivers like to honk, skid pass you, give you the evil eye, or give you the "bird." The honking makes me jump because it's so loud and it suprises me.

I was excited to leave the house this afternoon after Randy left for work to ride my bike and visit my friend who is dying of brain cancer. Unfortunately, I came home feeling disappointed because I didn't get to see her. I had to make a detour because the "bicyling" route provided by mapquest had me take Lakewood Blvd through the traffic circle. The traffic at the time was insanely crazy. Lakewood Blvd. has a long stretch of road with the 405 freeway at the end of a tunnel. Cars were flying in this area and wanting to merge into the freeway. I was thrilled to learn that there is a bicycling route option in mapquest but was very disappointed to learn that the route given was VERY unsafe.

When there were no bike lanes, I was forced to take the road less traveled at times just to be "safer" so I would take the sidewalk. Ironically, the road is sometimes uneven with cracks and bumps and leaves from trees on the side that can hit your face if you're not careful. I needed to outsmart the road and I had to take shortcuts such as the gas station or through a residential area. I hate taking the pedestrian cross street because you have to push the cross street button then readjust your bike so it points to the right direction. This meant I would have to lift my bike off the ground while I walk with it doing that. I felt silly everytime!

Riding alone definitely heightens your senses since you have to listen to cars, always looking ahead, around, and in front of you, watching out for obstacles, pedestrians, and other bikers. I needed to stay alert EVERY second ready for quick responses and making the best judgement especially the timing of stopping and taking off from stop lights.

I notice that 75% of bikers do NOT wear helmets. I don't get that! Is it worth the risk of being too cool to wear a helmet in exchange for your own life? I have heard of many stories where a person gets in an accident because they get dinged by a car and their helmet ends up breaking in half from the fall. What if the helmet wasn't there? What gets broken then?

Needless to say after this chapter of venting, I had a great ride. My distance was 27 miles in 1'50" time. I did accomplish checking on my parents' house and I did get my exercise, midweek training, and beautiful fresh air.

Thank you for reading.

week 13, Thousand Oaks

Cruisin' the Conejo is a bike event in Thousand Oaks. Our team rode for 68 miles and finished in 6 hours including 4 SAGs, 2 flat tires, 3-4 hamstring cramps that needed stretching, and several call outs of "gap." Prior to the event, I was feeling nervous because I hadn't ridden during the midweek and the longest ride I had done was 60 miles. In the end, I survived without falling or getting a leg cramp like I did last week and I still felt good. On the ride home, I did take a nap since my wonderful hubby came to support so he ended up driving.

It was an adventure to be a part of a bike event seeing numerous other cyclists on the road. The cyclists were very courteous greeting each other with "hellos" and "good morning," made small talks, and everyone knew the rules on the road. The majority of the bike models I noticed were Giant, Specialized, and Trek. In case you are curious, Lance Armstrong uses a Trek. I own a Specialized Dolce. One of our teammates just bought a sweet looking Specialized with carbon material (which makes the bike expensive because of its super light weight) and vibration control (makes the ride even smoother). If you are wondering how much a sweet bike like that would cost, well, it's about $3K. If you are a serious rider, then it's a great investment.

The toughest part of the route was the beginning because of its 8% grade incline. I was really using every ounce of strength and my breathing was very heavy. I was so relieved that the hardest part was over in the beginning.

During our SAG stops, boy scouts volunteered to hold your bike while you take a break to fuel up, use the bathroom, and stretch. One boy scout was holding 6 bikes and they were very enthusiastic to hold the bike for you. It was like a competition for them who could hold the most bikes.

It was a great ride to be out in an open country road. We saw a ranch of white picket fences, with tall iron gates as the entrance, horses, cows, and bulls. There were several farms of strawberries, cabbage, and orange trees. In the strawberry farm were several strawberry pickers. I made a mental note to experience strawberry picking in the future.

I felt very proud to have accomplished my longest ride so far. I was especially happy that my husband, Randy, came out to support and seeing him in the beginning, the middle, and the end definitely helped my mentality to keep going.

week 12, 48 miles, PV and car wash fundraising

We did 48 miles in Palos Verdes, as a break from our previously more challenging climbs and longer distances. PV is one of my favorite rides because of the breathtaking ocean view, beautiful homes, and long downhills. Loved it, loved it, loved it!!! One of the things I admired in the homes was the garden. I saw several marvelous displays of fuschia spring hills. I also saw a peacock in a frontyard. Is that even legal to keep them as pets?Admiring the details in these majestic homes made my climbs easier. In addition, I discovered a way to climb more efficiently. Having clipless pedals is a huge advantage by focusing on pulling instead of pushing on every pedal. I found that I didn't have to work as hard.

Midway through our ride, I developed a leg cramp on my right calf. I've suffered from it since I was a little girl by waking up in the middle of the night because of severe contraction from my calf and I would cry out in agony. My poor husband wakes up because of my screams. My mom suffers from leg cramps too but she gets it only during the daytime. This was my first time that I felt it awake. Does anybody know how to remedy a leg cramp?

Dallas, our speedy downhill guru (he can go up to 50mph), came up to me during one of our SAG stops and said, "Once you make that turn in Hawthorne, rip it!" This was my opportunity I had been long waiting for to break my top speed. I was very stoked that I beat my fastest downhill record of 32mph to 38.9mph. This was 3 miles worth of downhill without sharp turns.

Other moments during our ride:
funniest moment-I yelled out "Go Team!" A horse and a chicken responded by making their animal sounds. We didn't know we had an audience.

jaw dropping moment-seeing a cyclist with 7 sports bottles: 4 on his bike, 2 behind his seat, and 1 in the backpocket of his jersey. I wondered how long he was cycling for.

The next day after training, I had a car wash fundraising event in Lakewood. My team of hardworkers washed several cars, vans, and trucks. Since I had 6 hours of sunexposure without using sunscreen, I got sunburned. It's hella painful! My husband, Randy, was designated to hold the sign in front of the parking lot to get people's attention. He got honks from drivers passing by and women happily waving to him. I felt a lot of love and support because many relatives and a couple of high school friends showed up to get their cars washed. Thank you so much! We made $208. Every dollar counts...