Just a little summin' summin' to post before I get my delightfully charming (and funny) race report posted....
I had a couple of challengers down the final shoot... and the facial close ups take the cake... enjoy... cause I was suffering..
Monday, May 5, 2008
WIldflower - Race Report Preview
Just a little summin' summin' to post before I get my delightfully charming (and funny) race report posted....
I had a couple of challengers down the final shoot... and the facial close ups take the cake... enjoy... cause I was suffering..
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Inspiration!
I can only tell how how amazing and motivating triathletes are. Fellow Velo Bella Whitney DeSpain and Shannon Werner finished their first Ironman races this weekend at Ironman Arizona this last weekend. Vic, another Bella made this video, and it just may bring you to tears... the next time I complain about the wind or the heat... please remind me it could be worse.. I could be doing an Ironman...
After her daughter watched the video.. her beautiful daughter Abby replied, "Mommy, I thought you were going to run"... (too funny!)
Run, walk or crawl, 25% of competitors at the 2008 Ironman Arizona didn't even finish.
A HUGE Congrats to Velo Bella Shannon Werner for a smashing debut at Ironman, placing 7th in her age group!
And another CONGRATS to VB Sandra Fairchild for finishing her first Olympic distance Triathlon at the Irongirl in Vegas!
After her daughter watched the video.. her beautiful daughter Abby replied, "Mommy, I thought you were going to run"... (too funny!)
Run, walk or crawl, 25% of competitors at the 2008 Ironman Arizona didn't even finish.
A HUGE Congrats to Velo Bella Shannon Werner for a smashing debut at Ironman, placing 7th in her age group!
And another CONGRATS to VB Sandra Fairchild for finishing her first Olympic distance Triathlon at the Irongirl in Vegas!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
We're not in Kansas any more
So how wrong is it when you're in the middle of nowhere (about 40 miles from anything), the wind is gusting to 40 miles per hour, the thought "if it's like this all the way home, I'm going to cry" is circling through your head.. and the then you see it.... Saddle Sore Trail. Dave, Stacy, Julie, Miller, Rice & myself drove out to Ocotillo, Ca to do the Stagecoach Century this morning. I had checked the weather courtesy of my iPhone... it was going to be a cool 88 degree F (down from the originally forecast 95 degrees, thank goodness!). There was a slight detail my precious iCrackPhone didn't tell me..... oh yeah.. little breezy today.
We open the car door in Ocotillo and nearly get our arms ripped off as the wind tears the door open. Oh crap. Uh Houston... this is going to SUCK! My concerns are belayed as the man inside the warm, comfy building states that the reports from the road state the wind settles about 10 miles down the road once you drop down into the canyon. Cool.. let's ride. Yeah, it took 50 minutes to ride the first 10 miles. 6 of us, forming a nice eschelon, rotating & playing well with others.. just to try to maintain a whopping 10 mph. Ouch! Relentless head/cross wind from hell. Mother nature had a different plan from us.
With the exception of about 2 separate 1 miles stretches, the entire freaking 50 mile stretch was a battle of wills... the will not to turn around and go hide in the car. Even up the stupid climbs. Ugg.
But Bellas don't quit...
42 miles of battling ridiculous wind, we pass the lunch stop and still have 8 miles to go to the turn around. Stacy's pretty sure her mum would have washed her mouth out with soap by that point. That last 8 miles took about 45 minutes. It took six strong cyclist about 4:20 to travel the 50 miles.. and all we could think was "it better not be like this on the way back!"
We ate lunch, took a family picture, started off again for home, Julie pointed out the Saddle Sore Trail (just how wrong is that!), battled into 2 miles of headwind, and then flew home in a tick over 2 hours. I don't think I've ever maintained 35-42mph for such a distance ever. Even the 3 climbs we had to do coming home didn't slow us down too much.So last week when I was whining and moaning in my blogventure over the wind at CA IM 70.3.... I had no idea what it could have been like! Oh my...
Thank goodness Shadow Tour provides such a well supplied century!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Bikes n' Cars
I'm not sure if it's the latest tragedies that have prompted the need for cyclist & driver education on how to be safe on the road, but whatever the cause, it's always good to keep safe riding in mind...
A fabulous video for DRIVERS: http://www.dothetest.co.uk
This email was sent to me from Velo Bella Cycling, and I think it's a solid reminder of what we're required to do, and have the right to do as a cyclist.. enjoy:
(now if only drivers would watch it too!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU4nKKq02BU
**********************************************************
You know how, as a child, you were taught never to bicycle in traffic and to stay out of the way of cars? Well, a new video on the rights and duties of bicyclists has just been posted on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU4nKKq02BU. Among other things, it shows bicyclists how to ride in traffic, including controlling the lane and using left turn lanes to turn left. An acquaintance of mine, Dan Gutierrez (an experienced bicyclist and a satellite engineer), posted this video in an attempt to counter those ideas you were taught as a child. Basically, he is teaching adult bicyclists that they should act as drivers of vehicles. If they are traveling slower than the prevailing speed of traffic, then they should ride to the right if they can do so safely. But if not, then they need to ride in the middle of the right lane. And when a bicyclist needs to turn left, he needs to change lanes and move to the left, just as the driver of a vehicle would. Dan's point is that if the lane is too narrow to safely share side by side, then it is better to ride in the middle of the lane. That way, the bicyclist avoids opening car doors, motorists who try to squeeze by without changing lanes, and right hook accidents. That's the way I ride, and that's the way that the League of American Bicyclists instructors teach their students. But I wonder how many motorists, people on bicycles, or, for that matter, bicycle advocates understand that. And if they understood, how many "bicycle facilities" would we really need?
Please take a look at the video and let me know what you think. I will pass any comments on to Dan.
Robert M Shanteau, PhD, PEConsulting Traffic Engineer
(you can post a comment if you'd like a comment to be passed to Dan)
***********************************************************
A little Q & A:
Ed wrote:
Raja,
I practice 95% of these techniques, but always wondered what the "protocol" was for the narrow lane situations where there are no shoulders, bike lanes, etc. So, "hogging" the right lane so to speak is safer until you can move over. This always seemed to be the right move and I've done it when the lane was extremely narrow, but now I'm empowered with the "law"/rules.
The only item I noticed the video left out was the situation of car sensors at traffic lights. It's true that some cities insert bicycle sensors too, but overall, if you do as the video suggests and you're first in line at a light either to go left or straight, chances are the car(s) behind you are not "tripping" the sensor so the traffic light system does not know anyone is present and may never change unless they're set on timers.
So, common logic may suggest (?) the cyclists should move forward/to either side/into the crosswalk (a bit) to allow the car to inch up onto/into sensor range, assuming they're paying attention and understand the technology. This is tricky however, because as you know (and I recognize), inching forward/sideways could put the cyclist in a less than safe situation. I think it's a gray area and unique to each situation, but I thought I'd ask if there's anyone weighing in on the subject.
Thanks. This was helpful,
Take care,
-ed
>>Dear Ed,
Good question! I forwarded your question to Dan... I'll let you know what the response is when it is received. When I'm out riding and am sitting at a light waiting for it to turn.. and waiting.. and waiting... I usually smile and get overjoyed a car has pulled up behind me. I usually just roll forward a bit, turn around, give the driver a great big smile, and wave them forward so they're triggering the light. They usually have kept a safe cushion behind me and don't want to crowd me, so it usually takes some coaxing to get them to move forward. If I point to the pad, then point to the light, they usually get it and pull forward. Then they get the big thumbs up and "Thanks!" from me... Always thank drivers who are courteous... they really don't know how much they are appreciated.
Cheers,
Raja
Ty wrote:
Raja,
Great video - thanks for sharing. I am new to cycling and I was wondering what you do if people honk at you? I've cycled down the 101 through Solana Beach and Leucadia and at times people honk if I'm controlling right the lane. Ignore them? Travel in groups only?
Regards,
Ty
>>Dear Ty,
Well, the natural reaction is not always the best (usually involving birdies and some french)... So I usually try to "kill em with kindness"... and just wave to them to acknowledge that I hear them. Your safety is the most important, so above and beyond what any laws state, do what you need to do to be SAFE. There are a TON of aggressive drivers out there who will do what they want to do in order to "own" the road. In this case, some of them really do try to get as close to you as possible to make their point (for some odd reason, they're usually driving pick up trucks or expensive cars) - which is HIGHLY illegal and VERY dangerous, so if you're confronted with one of these drivers, just move to the far right to get out of their way, your safety is more important than a bruised ego. I'm all for getting license plate numbers and reporting it to the police. These are the drivers that will one day accidentally come too close and injury or even kill a cyclist.
There are also a TON of clueless, oblivious drivers who have no clue how close they are to you, and don't understand that you really do need more than 6 inches clearance... I wrote on my blog about a women who honked at us and thought she was doing us a favor.... oh my...
There are also a TON of very considerate drivers, and I usually try to give them a thumbs up and smile so they know I am thankful for their respect.
Whatever you do, don't ignore drivers. Probably not the best idea to fly them a birdie, but at least let them know you've acknowledged their presence... and if you need the entire lane, take the entire lane, just be clear with your hand signals if you plan on turning, or what your intentions are. If I have to merge into traffic because a car is parked in the bike lane (often on PCH), I make merging gestures with my left hand advising drivers I will be merging left.
Please let me know if you have any questions... I'm not a pro, nor an authority on the law, but I can speak from experience...
Happy Safe Riding,
Raja
A fabulous video for DRIVERS: http://www.dothetest.co.uk
This email was sent to me from Velo Bella Cycling, and I think it's a solid reminder of what we're required to do, and have the right to do as a cyclist.. enjoy:
(now if only drivers would watch it too!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU4nKKq02BU
**********************************************************
You know how, as a child, you were taught never to bicycle in traffic and to stay out of the way of cars? Well, a new video on the rights and duties of bicyclists has just been posted on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU4nKKq02BU. Among other things, it shows bicyclists how to ride in traffic, including controlling the lane and using left turn lanes to turn left. An acquaintance of mine, Dan Gutierrez (an experienced bicyclist and a satellite engineer), posted this video in an attempt to counter those ideas you were taught as a child. Basically, he is teaching adult bicyclists that they should act as drivers of vehicles. If they are traveling slower than the prevailing speed of traffic, then they should ride to the right if they can do so safely. But if not, then they need to ride in the middle of the right lane. And when a bicyclist needs to turn left, he needs to change lanes and move to the left, just as the driver of a vehicle would. Dan's point is that if the lane is too narrow to safely share side by side, then it is better to ride in the middle of the lane. That way, the bicyclist avoids opening car doors, motorists who try to squeeze by without changing lanes, and right hook accidents. That's the way I ride, and that's the way that the League of American Bicyclists instructors teach their students. But I wonder how many motorists, people on bicycles, or, for that matter, bicycle advocates understand that. And if they understood, how many "bicycle facilities" would we really need?
Please take a look at the video and let me know what you think. I will pass any comments on to Dan.
Robert M Shanteau, PhD, PEConsulting Traffic Engineer
(you can post a comment if you'd like a comment to be passed to Dan)
***********************************************************
A little Q & A:
Ed wrote:
Raja,
I practice 95% of these techniques, but always wondered what the "protocol" was for the narrow lane situations where there are no shoulders, bike lanes, etc. So, "hogging" the right lane so to speak is safer until you can move over. This always seemed to be the right move and I've done it when the lane was extremely narrow, but now I'm empowered with the "law"/rules.
The only item I noticed the video left out was the situation of car sensors at traffic lights. It's true that some cities insert bicycle sensors too, but overall, if you do as the video suggests and you're first in line at a light either to go left or straight, chances are the car(s) behind you are not "tripping" the sensor so the traffic light system does not know anyone is present and may never change unless they're set on timers.
So, common logic may suggest (?) the cyclists should move forward/to either side/into the crosswalk (a bit) to allow the car to inch up onto/into sensor range, assuming they're paying attention and understand the technology. This is tricky however, because as you know (and I recognize), inching forward/sideways could put the cyclist in a less than safe situation. I think it's a gray area and unique to each situation, but I thought I'd ask if there's anyone weighing in on the subject.
Thanks. This was helpful,
Take care,
-ed
>>Dear Ed,
Good question! I forwarded your question to Dan... I'll let you know what the response is when it is received. When I'm out riding and am sitting at a light waiting for it to turn.. and waiting.. and waiting... I usually smile and get overjoyed a car has pulled up behind me. I usually just roll forward a bit, turn around, give the driver a great big smile, and wave them forward so they're triggering the light. They usually have kept a safe cushion behind me and don't want to crowd me, so it usually takes some coaxing to get them to move forward. If I point to the pad, then point to the light, they usually get it and pull forward. Then they get the big thumbs up and "Thanks!" from me... Always thank drivers who are courteous... they really don't know how much they are appreciated.
Cheers,
Raja
Ty wrote:
Raja,
Great video - thanks for sharing. I am new to cycling and I was wondering what you do if people honk at you? I've cycled down the 101 through Solana Beach and Leucadia and at times people honk if I'm controlling right the lane. Ignore them? Travel in groups only?
Regards,
Ty
>>Dear Ty,
Well, the natural reaction is not always the best (usually involving birdies and some french)... So I usually try to "kill em with kindness"... and just wave to them to acknowledge that I hear them. Your safety is the most important, so above and beyond what any laws state, do what you need to do to be SAFE. There are a TON of aggressive drivers out there who will do what they want to do in order to "own" the road. In this case, some of them really do try to get as close to you as possible to make their point (for some odd reason, they're usually driving pick up trucks or expensive cars) - which is HIGHLY illegal and VERY dangerous, so if you're confronted with one of these drivers, just move to the far right to get out of their way, your safety is more important than a bruised ego. I'm all for getting license plate numbers and reporting it to the police. These are the drivers that will one day accidentally come too close and injury or even kill a cyclist.
There are also a TON of clueless, oblivious drivers who have no clue how close they are to you, and don't understand that you really do need more than 6 inches clearance... I wrote on my blog about a women who honked at us and thought she was doing us a favor.... oh my...
There are also a TON of very considerate drivers, and I usually try to give them a thumbs up and smile so they know I am thankful for their respect.
Whatever you do, don't ignore drivers. Probably not the best idea to fly them a birdie, but at least let them know you've acknowledged their presence... and if you need the entire lane, take the entire lane, just be clear with your hand signals if you plan on turning, or what your intentions are. If I have to merge into traffic because a car is parked in the bike lane (often on PCH), I make merging gestures with my left hand advising drivers I will be merging left.
Please let me know if you have any questions... I'm not a pro, nor an authority on the law, but I can speak from experience...
Happy Safe Riding,
Raja
Sunday, March 30, 2008
A Bumpy Ride through 70.3
So I thought I'd put a creative twist to the usual boring race report....let the journey begin!
I was given my instructions to take my spaceship to the planet Ocarina Fanil Minor. This is not my usual route. I was not looking forward to the flight as I knew my ship had been having some engine trouble lately. My test flights had hit some snags, and I knew at least 1, if not 2 of my 4 engines were already running on half steam. I unfortunately won't have time to get them full repaired, so I instructed the crew to throw a band aid on the engine failures, we were set to launch, so we'd just have to see what happens. At the very worst, we would coast in, but I knew for sure the overdrive propulsion system was going to be out of the questions. No lightspeed on this mission.
The journey would take us through 3 galaxies and was a total of 70.3 light years away. It was going to be a long haul. The first galaxy was the galaxy of Wims. A simple galaxy known for the abundance of liquid substances. Space was usually tight so it was critical not to get jammed up against the flow of traffic. Unbelievable that there is so much space in Wims, but everyone chooses the exact same vector so it ends up in a wing fight. This stretch usually gives me the heebeegeebees. Luckily I hitched some good rides and found that I was far more comfortable through this stretch than normal. I got through in better time that usual too. Since this has usually been an issue for me, having a successful journey though Wims was a victory.
The next stretch would put us through the galaxy of Kebi. Usually I'm not so concerned about about Kebi because I can keep out of trouble when the Kebitians try to slow you down, cut you off, or whatever tactic they use to keep you from exiting their universe. Torque up those boosters and just get out of there. This flight however, there would be no boosters to light and I would just have to depend on my ships aerodynamics to safely carry the precious cargo through. The good news was my transformer module was operational and my wings were easily tucked in for a more efficient flight. The bad news was... Kebi was expecting some weather to move in so I underestimated the ventosity vortex was sucking my fuel faster than anticipated. Engine #2 begins to fail.
The last leg was through Nur. Now Nur has historically been a challenge. With only 13.1 light years left to travel, it was still 13.1 light years away and typically something in the engine room quits on me through Nur. I hate this galaxy. No matter how well stocked I try.. I've learned it's just years of experience nursing your engines through this galaxy, as even the seasoned pilots remark that the engines tend to tank, it's just a matter of getting better engines. Damn. With 1 engine out to start, engine #2 failed, I'm wondering how 50% power will get me through this. So I enter the gateway to Nur. Systems check, 2 engines are still running. I'll back off power, try to get a steady economic velocity going and see how far it takes me. Half way through I smile, hey, both engines are still working! I speak to soon. A little turbulence and BANG! Engine #3 begins to fail. Crap, coast it, just coast it in. Can't turn up engine #4 until we're in the final leg through Nur, I need to make sure it last. Back on planet Earth, I would have birdied up the road like a blue-hair trying to drive in the left lane. Luckly the peaceful aliens at planet Love Stop were all gas and helped push my limping ship down the route. At 69.2 light years into the entire journey.... Engine #4 is now failing. My ship sputters, jolts, coughs and spits as I try to throw a little more juice in. I get nothin'. Ok, just be happy you get one of those 5 lbs "Mission Success" medallions.... I know I can coast it in, it's just not going to be a purty sight.
I see my point of docking. My journey has ended. My ship's a little burned and I have no fuel left to report of. It was a bumpy ride, but I made it, the cargo has been delivered, and yes.. they did give me my medallion for a successful journey.
But I do remind myself... I really like the shorter journeys. My ship will need some serious rebuilds if these endurance fests through galaxy after galaxy are to continue. So I think for now.... I'll stick to my favorite route.... to planet Plyocim.
Your Mission Captain,
Raja
Congrats to the Other Bellas who made it through the journey! Stacy D, Stacy S, Jess, Terri and Christine!
Dave had a rather bumpy ride as well, so while in the docking station, he captured this prime photo of me deck changing out of my flightsuit. Nothing like a wet flightsuit.... or "diapes" as I call 'em.
I was given my instructions to take my spaceship to the planet Ocarina Fanil Minor. This is not my usual route. I was not looking forward to the flight as I knew my ship had been having some engine trouble lately. My test flights had hit some snags, and I knew at least 1, if not 2 of my 4 engines were already running on half steam. I unfortunately won't have time to get them full repaired, so I instructed the crew to throw a band aid on the engine failures, we were set to launch, so we'd just have to see what happens. At the very worst, we would coast in, but I knew for sure the overdrive propulsion system was going to be out of the questions. No lightspeed on this mission.
The journey would take us through 3 galaxies and was a total of 70.3 light years away. It was going to be a long haul. The first galaxy was the galaxy of Wims. A simple galaxy known for the abundance of liquid substances. Space was usually tight so it was critical not to get jammed up against the flow of traffic. Unbelievable that there is so much space in Wims, but everyone chooses the exact same vector so it ends up in a wing fight. This stretch usually gives me the heebeegeebees. Luckily I hitched some good rides and found that I was far more comfortable through this stretch than normal. I got through in better time that usual too. Since this has usually been an issue for me, having a successful journey though Wims was a victory.
The next stretch would put us through the galaxy of Kebi. Usually I'm not so concerned about about Kebi because I can keep out of trouble when the Kebitians try to slow you down, cut you off, or whatever tactic they use to keep you from exiting their universe. Torque up those boosters and just get out of there. This flight however, there would be no boosters to light and I would just have to depend on my ships aerodynamics to safely carry the precious cargo through. The good news was my transformer module was operational and my wings were easily tucked in for a more efficient flight. The bad news was... Kebi was expecting some weather to move in so I underestimated the ventosity vortex was sucking my fuel faster than anticipated. Engine #2 begins to fail.
The last leg was through Nur. Now Nur has historically been a challenge. With only 13.1 light years left to travel, it was still 13.1 light years away and typically something in the engine room quits on me through Nur. I hate this galaxy. No matter how well stocked I try.. I've learned it's just years of experience nursing your engines through this galaxy, as even the seasoned pilots remark that the engines tend to tank, it's just a matter of getting better engines. Damn. With 1 engine out to start, engine #2 failed, I'm wondering how 50% power will get me through this. So I enter the gateway to Nur. Systems check, 2 engines are still running. I'll back off power, try to get a steady economic velocity going and see how far it takes me. Half way through I smile, hey, both engines are still working! I speak to soon. A little turbulence and BANG! Engine #3 begins to fail. Crap, coast it, just coast it in. Can't turn up engine #4 until we're in the final leg through Nur, I need to make sure it last. Back on planet Earth, I would have birdied up the road like a blue-hair trying to drive in the left lane. Luckly the peaceful aliens at planet Love Stop were all gas and helped push my limping ship down the route. At 69.2 light years into the entire journey.... Engine #4 is now failing. My ship sputters, jolts, coughs and spits as I try to throw a little more juice in. I get nothin'. Ok, just be happy you get one of those 5 lbs "Mission Success" medallions.... I know I can coast it in, it's just not going to be a purty sight.
I see my point of docking. My journey has ended. My ship's a little burned and I have no fuel left to report of. It was a bumpy ride, but I made it, the cargo has been delivered, and yes.. they did give me my medallion for a successful journey.
But I do remind myself... I really like the shorter journeys. My ship will need some serious rebuilds if these endurance fests through galaxy after galaxy are to continue. So I think for now.... I'll stick to my favorite route.... to planet Plyocim.
Your Mission Captain,
Raja
Congrats to the Other Bellas who made it through the journey! Stacy D, Stacy S, Jess, Terri and Christine!
Dave had a rather bumpy ride as well, so while in the docking station, he captured this prime photo of me deck changing out of my flightsuit. Nothing like a wet flightsuit.... or "diapes" as I call 'em.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
A Horrifying Tragedy
I am stunned, horrified and saddened by the accident that killed Kristy Gough & Matt Peterson and critically injured a third rider. By a police officer no less.
Police should be required to escort cyclists... just so they see what we have to endure every time we hit the road, what some drivers will do to own "their" road.
Just this last weekend while I was out with a group on a 65 mile training ride, a woman in a very nice Mercedes came up behind us, honked and yelled something through her window. At the red light she rolled her window down and told us she was doing that for "our safety". Yeah... if you want to keep us safe.. STAY AWAY FROM US! Her voice was sincere, and I'm sure she meant it.. but was this how she was trying to "protect" us?.. really, is that what she thinks "protecting" us really is??? How about staying as far from us as possible???
Drivers... please be careful. Yes, there are those righteous cyclists who think they own the road.. but I'll tell ya what.. it's probably because they've been buzzed one too many times by you drivers... we aren't really going to hold you up. You do have a gas pedal and you will get there in time.
And riders.. please be careful out there! These three riders were riding on the correct side of the road, on (as I've read) a road with a bike lane which is highly travelled by cyclists, in single file and they still got killed. Brutally killed I may add.
As least they died doing what they loved.
Please be safe out there...
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Tour of Cali!
I just got back from a trip to Ojai with my husband Dave, and our friends Stacy & Ryan Dietrich, to watch the Tour of California. Other than being fairly sick, not being able to breath and on antibiotics the entire time, I had a blast! I got some wicked pics of the time trial in Solvang, but I will put you in suspense as the pictures, all 575 of them, are on my husband's computer, and he is now on a business trip (yep, he left Ojai at 4AM this morning to catch his flight out of LA.. ouch!), so alas, we all must wait to view the photographic masterpieces! I mean, did you know that both Hincapie and Cancellera stick their tongue out of the right side of their mouth when time trialing? Did you know that Hincapie has rather significant varicose veins in his left calf? Did you know that Lion King Chipollini smiles when doing time trials? Did you know that Levi looks weally, weally, widdle on a TT bike?
In the meantime, I'll leave you with this Pic from Stage 6.... up to KOM #3.... Our race leader opting for his National Champ jersey rather than the yellow....
Sunday, February 3, 2008
ESA Magic
Wow, talk about getting inspired by the best. I was honored to represent the Triathlon Club of San Diego at the Competitor Magazine Endurance Sports Awards. TCSD had 3 tables of members whom attended the awards banquet, including Darrell & Denise, both of whom were recipients of the Jim McCann Tri Club Members of the Year. Denise was also the lucky winner of the Felt cruiser.. in flaming red! Congrats Denise!Dave & I walk in to Sea World and I run into friend and former co-worker, Scott. It's funny to think that Scott's the one who taught me how to transition... amazing what you can learn at work. Back to
ESA... I've met Macca previously, and just as I was going to say hello, Dave turns me around and says "Raja, you've got to meet Mark Allen." Uh yeah.. the real Mark Allen?? Since I'm still a relative newbie to the sport, Dave's been telling me about the legends of the sport. And Mark Allen, is a legend.Next I proceed to play some carnival games, you know, the ones you played as a kid at the fair.. and I think any 7 year old could have beat me, I was pretty pathetic.. but it sure was fun being a kid again!
After the awards presentations I met the parents of Jon "The Blazeman" Blais and thanked them for their strength. If you've ever met anyone suffering from ALS, you understand just how tragic this disease is. When I was living in Los Angeles I worked at a small family run company in Westwood. When I interviewed with the owner of the company, I thought she was from the south as she spoke with a slight drawl. Her daughter, Julie, soon took over the business and as each month passed, we watched in horror as ALS took over. First she lost the ability to speak. Then eat. Then her body broke down and not long after, she passed away. It was truly horrible. One day may the progress in stem cell research bring hope and cures to those who needed it yesterday.
Before we left I got the biggest inspiration of all. Back in high school
Dave was a star cross country runner. Running is in him, so he wanted to meet Ryan Hall and his beautiful wife Sara. Ryan gave an absolutely wonderful acceptance speech and really stressed the love and support he has with Sara to get him through the days that tug on your strings of doubt. Well, there is no doubt that Ryan is possibly the best American runner of all time. Sara herself is also one of this country's best as well. Truly incredible. But I must say... after having my doubt strings tugged something fierce recently with my own confidence, meeting Ryan & Sara gave me more inspiration that I can tell you. Just to believe in yourself. It's normal to not feel on your game, you just have to keep pursuing. If you've never seen Ryan run.... then you've never seen a man run the song of grace and inspiration.
I had my best run today in quite some time.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The Sam and Saul Show
More on this post later, it's getting late and I need to get up early... but, I have to say, I really like my life. That's not to say that I'm not constantly pushing myself because it isn't' good enough, or that I don't have enough time to do the things I enjoy, or that I don't make enough money, or that I'm jonesing for a bear claw.. but really, it's really a wonderful thing to be surrounded my such wonderful people in TCSD. That of course, would be the Triathlon Club of San Diego. Today we had a club meeting with Samantha McGlone.. I'm sure I've written about her in my previous posts.... but it was great. She's a great speaker and I do have to say... I'm all for the Canadian humor. And she is one fast-red-headed-Irish-named-freckled-freak. And I say "freak" in only the best way. She's fast, like mad-fast, and (when not racing) is quite humble about it. When she's racing... watch out, her hair's red because it's on fire!
She made some really great points - stick to your plan when you race. You will feel like crap, that's part of the plan.. just push through it and keep going. Apparently feeling like poo is supposed to be ok...
One day I wish I to ride like Sam.... I'll never run like her.. but maybe one day I may be a decent rider....
And then there was Saul. That is of course, Saul Raisin. He didn't speak at the meeting as he was at a local bike shop, Nytro, yesterday and told his story. I was bummed I couldn't make it, but I did get a chance to speak to him for a few minutes after the meeting, and I have to say - he is one gentle, warm & friendly man. He's been through a lot, and I can't imagine being the one who is told your career as you've known it is over. You cannot ride for your team. But it's still early. Maybe after some time when he can prove his healed body is worthy of racing again will they let him back into the carbon gates. In any care, look for his cause - he'll be promoting the funding & research of brain trauma. A whole new world just opend for Saul. I wish him the best on his new adventure.Ok, time for bed....
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