Beachbody Coach, Running, Insanity, P90X and My Personal Blog

Vibram Bikila: 1st run

mark — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:33:51 +0000

I had to say that this run was different compared to others. I haven’t really even ran is a long time. It has been since February since I really ran anything. I put on the Bikilas. It is good that they were kinda already broken in. I wear my other Vibrams KSO very often especially on the weekends. These Vibram Bikilas are a lot different than the KSO. They have a thicker material on the top and the stretch of the material is thicker than the KSOs.

I started off with a moderate pace considering I haven’t run in a long time and that my achilles tendon was bothering me. I think about 2 months ago, I hurt it chasing around one of my friends sons. I regret it now. I was almost sprinting and I think I might have pulled it a little bit. Anyhow, the run started off slow. I think I was going about a 12 minute pace or so in the beginning. I was trying to get a feel for the Bikilas. I knew that I would be hitting the front part of my foot first and then the heel would go down. I think I was compensating on my left side a little for the pain in my achilles didn’t really let up till I was about 1 mile into the run.

I would run .20 miles then walk about .05 miles. I ended up going a little bit over 2 miles in distance and had a great feel for the shoes and how my legs would adapt to the different running style. Prior to my running in the Bikilas, my shoes ranged from Asics, New Balance and Nike. I was a heel striker and tried to change it up to a mid foot striker but it seemed much more difficult. These new Vibrams will help me in strengthening my feet and also correcting my running form. I am looking forward to the next run as I will probably increase the distance by a little.

May 5, 2010: Purple Monster

mark — Thu, 06 May 2010 14:25:26 +0000

So I decided to make another attempt at the Purple Monster. It is a tough climb. It is about a 2 mile climb but I think it is tough. It goes very steep and seems really long. I did give a little bit more than the last time I tried this ride. I was only doing this ride but it does take a lot out of you. The time it took from where I parked and to get back was about an hour. I think I could do this twice in one day but we will see how that works.

May 1, 2010: 80 mile bike ride

mark — Tue, 04 May 2010 22:12:17 +0000

We started off not too early this week at 7:30am. We started in Poway at the Community Park. I had a week off since I was sick last week. I felt refreshed somewhat but had a late night since I was out and only had about 6 hours of sleep. I didn’t feel too crazy for the ride because they said it was going to be some climbing along with 80 miles. The week before that, we really pushed it to the limit for me.

We started off with the regular bathroom break and made our way through Civic Center Drive to where it meets Community Road. I couldn’t even remember this when we got back. We made our way to Twin Peaks Road and took a right and I knew we were heading towards Poway Lake. We made a left onto Espola Road. There were some small hills here but I knew we had a large group of 11 and that helped a bit. I think we may have gone out too fast in the beginning but it wasn’t too bad overall. We followed this and made our way onto a long straightaway. We hit Pomerado Road now and headed North.

At the end of Pomerado, we got onto the freeway for a little bit which seemed cool and dangerous. We exited onto Via Rancho Parkway towards North County Fair and made a right towards Kit Carson Park. We followed the road till we hit San Pasqual Valley Road. The light didn’t like us so we ended up running the light. It ended up turning into Ash Street and then hitting El Norte Parkway.

The left onto El Norte then right turn to Broadway looked very familiar. I was leading the group and going very strong. We eventually hit Jesmond Dene Road where there was some good climbing. I was tired and then coasted down to N Centre City Parkway. We then took a left onto Deer Springs Road and came to our first SAG. The SAG seemed very short. I just had a bathroom break and some quick food then we were off. We lost two members due to our speed. We were down to 9 people.

I led the group down Deer Springs Road. I really pushed it down. I got really ahead and had to slow down. We eventually got onto Twin Oaks Valley Road and passed the 78 till we go to Barham Drive and took a right onto Discovery Street then to Rush Drive. We took a right at the top onto Craven Road.

We got onto Discovery Street into a neighborhood and got onto San Marcos Blvd. I was doing good so far. We were going at a slower pace compared to the beginning. I think everybody had a thought in their mind to keep their energy for the last climb. San Marcos Blvd. became Palomar Airport Road which had some hills but not too many.

We took a left onto El Camino Real which took us through some hills and then a nice downhill to La Costa Ave. The headwinds were against us now. It was really windy there as it always is. We finally got close to the coast and got onto Vulcan Ave where we dodged some of the traffic before we hit our next SAG at Glen Park. The SAG seemed a little longer and I was happy. We were over halfway done.

We continued all the way through Del Mar with some hills and I had a great view of the ocean and Torrey Pines before we turned left onto Carmel Valley Road. I knew this route. I drive on it all the time. We turned onto El Camino Real and then took the bike route that went parallel with the 56 freeway. I liked this route a lot. I remember just riding it when I first bought my bike. The last part was a slow climb up to Black Mountain Road. We lost another one of our guys and a mentor. We were down to 7 people left.

Turing right onto Black Mountain Road was nice because it was downhill before we would turn onto Mercy Road. I knew how Mercy Road is. We were in for a climb. It started early. I think Mercy Road is a good climbing road all the way to the end. The first hill was long and somewhat steep. The next hill was shorter and better. After the long hill we got to the flat area of Scripps and that was nice till we go to the intersection of Pomerado and then there was a good hill there as well.

Once we go to the top of the last hill we headed over to the last SAG. It seemed deserted for some odd reason. Once of the guys we had a bee sting in his mouth and we lost another member. We were now down to 6 people. I asked at the last SAG if we had any hills left. They all seemed to joke with me. I didn’t know what was coming up. They called it the “Purple Monster.” I didn’t know what we were in for. I saw it and I almost died. I think I wanted to quit at the first 3rd of the way. I knew I couldn’t. I just keep doing my new climbing technique which included using pushing on each leg individually and pulling with each leg individually. I felt better doing it that way so that I wouldn’t cramp up. I was slow but I eventually got there. I was breathing hard and my hr was at 170+ the whole time. We turned around and went downhill. It was awesome. I was still tired and then we passed the SAG and made our way back.

We were finally back at the start and I was glad. I didn’t know how tough that was going to be and to finish without being too tired was good.

April 17, 2010: 72 mile ride

mark — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 20:24:28 +0000

We made our way today at a new location in North County at Kit Carson Park. I had already been here because I had run here with the marathon team. I got lost for some stupid reason and made it there on time. I was glad because I knew I hit my minimum fund raising and still needed more. We were getting our official team jerseys for the day and I liked that. I ended up getting the coveted #1 fundraiser for the week.

We went through our normal business of fundraising and coach talk. I didn’t know what to expect for the day this time. I had issues trying to upload the workout course to my garmin and finally did. We did some stretching and then started the ride. I almost forgot everything that day. I left my helmet, my drinks and had to go back to my car and even forgot to lock my car. Its lucky I had to go back to it.

We finally set off and took a needed bathroom break. Little did I know what I was in for today. We took off heading north behind a couple groups and caught up to them. We made our way onto Escondid Blvd and were going on a slow incline and finally merged onto Centre City Parkway. It was nice and flat. We saw some Tour De Cure riders as they passed us. We finally made our way to Champagne Blvd and then that is where it started.

We headed downhill and then got to an intersection and made a left onto Gopher Canyon Road. It was a small but steep climb. I got there finally at the end and then we headed downward and then had to stop. Chad’s rear tire had a flat. We took about 10-15 minutes to change that. As we met up with the other group members, we turned into Little Gopher Canyon Road and that was really nice. It was a small road that went through some tree area with nice homes around it. We had to take another stop because Chad had his front tire go flat.

Once we pushed on we got onto Old River Road, where we headed to the first SAG. I felt good so far. I was getting warm though. I ended up taking off the #1 fundraising jersey and my sleeves to give me some cooling. I refueled and had a sandwhich. I was doing good. I felt somewhat tired from the day before doing a P90X workout of Shoulders and Arms. I think next time I will be doing nothing the day before our ride.

I knew where we were heading after this. We were going up to W Lilac Road. It was a tough climb up there. It was slow and it took a long time. It was a grinder as they say. When we finally got to the top we took a left at Old Highway 395 which was a nice downhill. It was long.

We turned onto Pala Mesa Road. The beginning wasn’t so bad. Right after Daisy Lane is where it got crazy. We had to stand for a bit. I was already tired and now this crazy hill. At the end of Pala Mesa Road, we turned onto Wilt. Wilt was even more harder. I was really digging deep here. We finally got to an area that was flatter and coach Jack told us we were going to go through some rolling hills. They were rolling alright more up and down.

We finally got to an intersection and then got onto Reche Road and Co Hwy S15. After this we turned onto Ranger Road. Ranger Road was a slow grinder. I hated it. It seemed so long. It was like I was biking for an hour or so. The road was rough and I finally go to the end and we had to walk up a little bit to see the traffic to cross the road onto E Mission Road.

We followed this road through till we got to Olive Hill Road. It took us back to our SAG. At the SAG, the team was talking about how hard that ride was. I almost wanted to SAG in and just go back to the start but I had to stick with the team. I found out that one of our guys had his knee pop. He had to SAG in. I didn’t eat much at SAG. I had a stomache ache. I heard that the fiber in the bread could be the problem. I was working hard on this workout and i think that it could be the problem. We had only about 23 miles left and one more long hill left which was Champagne.

We headed towards W Lilac but stayed on Camino Del Rey. It took us about 20 minutes to get to the N Old Hwy 395 where Champagne Blvd would be coming. After climbing Champagne, we got onto Jesmond Dene Rd and climbed a small hill and followed this scenic downhill to N Broadway in Escondido and followed this to El Norte Pkwy to Citris Ave to Bear Valley Pkwy back to the parking lot.

We finished, it was tough and I was tired. I had cramps and all sorts of problems. I know some new things about myself and I will learn from it to take on the next challenge.

April 10, 2010: 70 mile ride

mark — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:39:24 +0000

We started off at the same place today in Carlsbad Poinsettia station. It was a little early for me after coming home late and only have 5 hours of sleep. I knew we were going to ride 70 miles today but I didn’t know how much work we were going to be putting in.

I always seem to forget something as we start and today it was only my gloves. We headed over the the Jack in a Box to get to the restroom before we started.

I knew what are route was going to be. We would head along Poinsettia Blvd and make our way through the coast and then to head north along the coast with a view of the ocean and a lot of people going surfing. It also seems like many people like to run along the coast. I think there was some event because there were some road closures and there were a lot of people running. We spent some time dodging those people but finally got back on track.

Once we go to the 76 freeway we rode along a single lane path where a lot of bikers, walkers and runners go. It is nice but it has a lot of head wind on that path. It was a distance of 6-8 miles until we got to college blvd. Once we hit college blvd, we started off to the side.

Once we turned onto North River Road, I knew we were going to hit some rolling hills. We made our way through and hit our SAG and took a break. I was feeling ok at the time.

After the SAG, we went our merry way and I knew we had to do some climbing. It was W Lilac Road. It was a tough climb. It was long and it was up and down, mostly up. I forgot compared to last time how long it was going to take to get to the top. I did like it somewhat but I didn’t push too hard because I knew we had one more long climb.

Once we got to the bridge that crosses over the 15, we were told that there was going to be some downhill and there was. I liked the small break that we had going down it but also there was more uphill. I didn’t think it was so tough. I felt tired though.

When we got to Old Castle Road we had some more climbing but I didn’t want to push it. There was a nice downhill from here though till we got to our main climb on Champagne Blvd where we took a small break just before climbing it.

One of the mentors stayed with me and pushed me through it. I felt better compared to last time. I don’t know if it was his company along with the weather, but I felt I did a lot better but still tired.

At the top was another SAG and I was tired today. I felt it. I think it was the lack of sleep and also my knee was bothering me.

We pushed on and turned onto Deer Springs road which turned into N Twin Oaks Valley Road which intersected into San Marcos. We made our way through and got to San Marcos Blvd and we had our last SAG there by a Carl’s Jr. I was beat. I don’t know if I was dehydrated or tired or both. I wanted to finish. I didn’t have much to eat at the SAG but I had some drink. I knew I needed something to get me through the last 12 miles.

We started again and it was at Palomar Airport Road and we took a left at El Camino Real. We rode through there till we got to La Costa Ave where the headwinds played a big role. I think the wind gods were a little mad. We got through it though with some effort.

We turned right at the coast and made it back to where we started. I was tired. It was already 2:30 or so when we finished. It was like half the day was gone.

Here is my garmin workout

Buy One Get One Free Jamba Juice

mark — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:22:57 +0000

Click on the picture for a buy one get one free at Jamba Juice.

I won $300 working out

April 3, 2010: Team in Training 60 mile ride

mark — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:13:13 +0000

Well, what do you know a new ride this past Saturday. I did like this ride a lot. It proved a lot of things to me for the last couple of weeks of training though.

We started our way at the Carlsbad Pointsettia Train Station. It was a new location to me but I remember riding by this train station so many times now on the last couple of rides we have had. Now we are starting here. I didn’t know much of the terrain at all on this ride. I remember seeing so many new things and sites I did enjoy on the ride.

We headed south for a small distance to go to the restrooms at the nearest Jack in a Box and talked a little before we took our morning ride. It is funny sometimes how we always seem to be the last group to leave but in the end we are always first. We followed Avenida Encinitas till we hit Carlsbad Blvd.

Onto Carlsbad Blvd and we headed north for a quite a distance and followed into S. Pacific Street. We then got onto the San Luis River trail that seemed like a large bike and running path that was single lane and had traffic coming both ways. There were a lot of people on this pathway. I liked it though. It gave a new scenery to look at and it proved a little tough with the headwind we were experiencing here. We did do a lot of changing here on the front. This pathway followed the 78 freeway east and we took this for a good distance till we got to College Blvd and made our way to N. River Road.

N. River Road was a different road. It seemed similar to roads in Rancho Santa Fe. There was a lot of rolling hills here. I remember going up and down a good amount of them. We followed it to Mission Rd and then back onto Old River Road and then to McDonalds where our SAG was stationed at. We met with the Ace Team riders. We were in Bonsal, I didn’t know of this area at all. It seems that doing all this training is great and has many new sights to see around San Diego.

After the SAG, I asked about our new path. We were going to be doing some climbing. I decided to keep a mindset of taking it easy on the hills so that I wouldn’t get an overall burning in my legs. I had to keep my heart rate down. We headed onto W Lilac Road and it proved to be a tough hill with different grades. At the top it intersected the 15 freeway on a bridge that I seem to drive by on the way to Temecula. I always wondered how to get onto it and now I know.

We took a break at the top and then rode down onto Old Highway 395. We were screaming down this hill at 40 mph max. As this road connects into Champagne Blvd, I knew I was in for it. This climb was a steady grade that was something around 3 miles long. I think it took me around 15 minutes to get to the top where we had another SAG. I was tired. I am glad the weather was nice or it would have been worse. We had a long rest and waited for one of the other team mates as he was having a hard time that day.

We eventually got going again and left him at the SAG and continued our way west again through Deer Springs Road. We continued our way through N. Twin Oaks Valley Road and followed that as we crossed the 78 freeway. We made our way and got onto W San Marcos Blvd. and continued to head west and get back to the coast. This area was nice. It was just some rolling hills and we got to our last sag with about 10 miles left next to a Carls Jr.

We followed San Marcos Blvd. till it intersected with El Camino Real and followed that and then we got onto Cannon Road where we saw our last hill of the day. It wasn’t too long of a hill but it proved to be steep and tough. I was burning my legs at the top with some standing and I knew that we were almost home. We crossed the 5 freeway and got back onto Avenida Encinas and got to the parking lot. It was a tough day.

I know now that I will be prepared next week for the ride. I know it will be tough but with some riding I will do this week, hopefully I can do better.

March 20, 2010: 61 mile ride

mark — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:57:47 +0000

Wow, what another amazing ride we just finished on Saturday. It was not so crazy as I thought it would be. Still tough though. We started in La Jolla again at our spot in Parking lot 207. We had some other things that we talked about this past morning, which included some core strength training. I think I feel a little stronger every time I ride. My butt doesn’t hurt as much any more but I feel that I can try to get some more leg training that I should.

I had spin class on Thursday. I kinda want to start riding more this week so that I can get more into shape. I feel that I can’t keep up with the group sometimes especially on the hills. I just too tired and my heart rate just goes up and then I get burned out. I do fine on the smaller hills and inclines but when it comes to some serious climbing, I just get burned. I think I need to mix in some strength and speed intervals to help with that.

The ride was nice though. I wish I could have ridden like that in a group. I wish I had a group of friends that I could ride with. There is still a lot to learn from all the riding and its good that I have a great group that I am doing this with. I think I almost enjoy it more than running. It may take a lot longer but the fun is there. I feel a little bit more connected with this group than the run group. It seems like I will never be with a group like this anywhere. Maybe or maybe not.

I forgot my heart rate monitor at home. I wish I brought it. I think I probably burned about 400 more calories than the previous week.

March 18, 2010: Spin Class

mark — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:17:31 +0000

So another day at spin class. I think the spin class seems to be getting smaller. I think because most of the time it was the Solvang group that was doing it. Since they finished last weekend, most of them are not there and since the spin coach isn’t there either, he isn’t leading the spin class.

The class started off slow but it still gets tougher. I think because I push myself harder and they make it a little tougher every time. I managed to burn over 700 calories and I feel ok at the end. I always have issues during the ILT. I get the burn in my upper thighs there. I think doing some AB Ripper X will help in that department.

The time change has been good. I like it. It has started to get warmer now. I think because spring is here.

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mark — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:19:54 +0000

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