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.