What's Next?

Wow! I haven't posted in a long time...damn u Facebook! But, I will be soon because the new year is upon us and plans are being made. Of which I will soon write about as I try to plan a solid race season.

Don't lose faith in me!!


-cheers!

kinky on NPR

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102637820

disappointing performance from the Mexican futbol squad

This Past Sunday my brother invited a group of us to watch the Mexican National team square off against Guatemala at Qualcom stadium. WOW...this game sucked!!! It was so sad to see these pro players not give a shit about representing the national team. One would think that they would at least be filled with pride for getting the opportunity to play for their country, but that apparently was not the case. The game ended in a lackluster 0-0 tie, which would a have been okay if the game was the least bit exciting.
I will say one thing though, my bro did get us some bitch'n seats!! (left-right: Pops, Me, Big J.C., and my brother Jose. Oh, and Jesus took the picture. Not that Jesus...hahahaha)
I think I was having more fun watching the drunkards getting into fisticuffs, then the actual game itself!(you gotta love drunk Mexicans) This is one of the biggest reasons why I'd rather watch sporting events in the comfort of my own home, they're way too many knuckleheads out their!! All in all I had a good time shooting the breeze with the guys, and the burgers we ate after the game were amazing! I really hope that Mexico gets their shit together, otherwise they sure as hell won't be going to the World Cup next year. Julio sums it up quite nicely in this short clip!! Hmmm...I wonder what Crystal was doing while I was at the game?

San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon 09

So this past Sunday was the San Diego Rock'n Roll Marathon and I was supposed to participate...but never got around to actually registering, which was a good thing. I wouldn't have been able run it even if I wanted to. Due to hurting the o'l back. I wonder if I had registered if I woulda been able to get a refund? Probably not...they always find ways to fuck you over with your registration fees. Anyways, I went and I had a complete blast. My primary role on Sunday was as "domestique" to my girlfriend Crystal. I actually ended up riding the entire course, and then some, in my efforts to be Crystal's one-man support crew. I carried everything that she needed: gels,fuel bars, Gatorade, h2o, her extra layers just in case, oh...and my amazing humor that seemed to work great the first few miles but slowly fizzled away as the miles began to pile on!
As the video shows, I was hustling the first few miles from several point to point "pre-determined" rendezvous spots, it wasn't until we hit the 163 that I was able to cruise along w/ crystal the rest of the race. (if your wondering why I'm not wearing a helmet and what I'm actually saying in the video: 1) I forgot it @ home. 2) something along the lines of "cool I'm in downtown on my bike w/ no traffic!!) This was so much fun. Hats off to everyone who completed the race...my respects to all those who finished. Running 26.2 miles is easier said than done!!! I am particularly proud of Crystal because she had to overcome quite a few barriers in preparation for this race. And even though she had injuries that forced her off her feet early on in her training and then having to put aside her training completely to help me out when I needed her. Yet, she was still able to get out there on one months training and grind out the miles for a good cause!! I'm so impressed and proud of her!(I'll post a link to her blog once she writes her race report) I was so motivated by this that I will definitely be back next year to compete...well I wont be competing for first but I'll be out there for sure!! Here is a little foto montage of how my day went down!! Enjoy.

Attack of The Penguins: The Beginning

Attack of The Penguins: The Beginning

(CRYSTAL AND I HAVE WAY TOO MUCH TIME ON OUR HANDS!!!!)

Green means go!!!!

Well, It's official...I can go back to work! Doc has cleared me for a complete unrestricted return. This is good news, cause it means I am getting better and my recovery is working as planned. I must admit that I'm a bit nervous about it, but so glad to resume my daily activities. There are a lot of mixed emotions though, but I now feel like I can "dare to dream" again...which wasn't the case before because of the uncertainty of my predicament. So this blog will once again, I hope, resume it's role as my journal that chronicles my outdoor adventures, as it was intended to.

"Face your Fears, Live your Dreams"

This week so far....

I have had two consecutive chiropractic sessions this week so far and they were not exactly what I expected. They were cool...but, I don't think they are going to help me much in my recovery...wait, let me restate that...they will help me out, just not at this moment. Because of my limited range of motion many realignment techniques that I would've hoped the chiropractor would perform are just out of the question. So I will continue on with my own recovery plan that I have set up for myself. This plan is intended to "rebuild" my back. I need to develop better habits that promote proper posture while incorporating an exercise regimen that focus on strengthening my core. Thus, reducing the probability of injuring myself again.

Sunday 4/19/2009...Dia de Classicos...Lastima que haya quedado fuera "La Maquina".

It is Sunday and it has been a little over a week since I injured my back. Lots of progress has been made in recovering, but a full recovery is probably several weeks away...I have begun to rehabilitate and "rebuild" my back with several stretching and and strengthening exercises, mainly yoga and core strengthening exercises. I am so stoked to be able to get on the trainer and spin for ~45Min's at a time with little to no pain and swim as well!! These are going to be my main forms of cardio since running at this moment isn't in the recovery plan, because I need to focus on low impact exercises. I made the decision to stop taking all my prescribed medications as of last Friday, for several reasons...mainly because I just did not like how they were making me feel. They did an excellent job of numbing me up, but they were fucking with my concentration and making me forget shit. Plus, I'm going to make an attempt to return to work...I need to to go back! I already lost this semester which is a complete bummer cause I was really digging my classes.
I'll be fine...I have always thought the answers to everything in ones life lie directly in your own hands. You never really need to look much further...

One week down. Bring on the next one!!!!

It has been a week since my medical ordeal and some major progress has been made. Progress that few thought possible...myself included. And fortunately every thing is pointing towards a full recovery. I know I need to do this as quickly and as safely as possible, patience has never been a virtue of mine, but I have had to learn to cope and learn quickly. I am now able to walk unassisted, which is fricken awesome!!! I'm not going very far but its much better than before when even the slightest steps were excruciating. Hey, we gotta crawl before we can run right? Not that I'll be doing any running soon...or will I? (note. That's not my X ray, just used it to illustrate the lumbar region where my injury was sustained)
Um...this isn't my x ray either...or is it? lol

redeeming virtuous circles from vicious cycles...

Last week something happened. Something that was unfortunate and so unexpected. It is a bit to early to write about it because my mind is still hazy and my thoughts are equally blurred. So I'll put some images of how I feel and will attempt to write about it in the days to come. I am fine and I know I will make a full recovery. I am blessed to have such an extraordinary family and a equally phenomenal woman who has helped me in ways I never thought possible. Gracias Crystal, Te AMO!!!

TCSD March Club Race Recap...

So how did it go at the Race on Saturday? Well...I Finished. I was looking for an image that would suit this post, all I could think of was an image of a turtle! Don't get me wrong, Saturday's Race was so much fun and I had an absolute blast out there. It was very well organized and they had an amazing spread at the end...so much so that I went back for seconds!!! Did I mention it was all FREE!!! TCSD ROCKS!!! I'm so glad I finally joined.(Thanks Crystal 4 the X-mas gift) Anyways, as far as the race goes here is how it went down: I ended up going to bed really late, I just couldn't sleep I must have finally gotten to bed at around 12:45 only to wake up at 5:15. I got to fiesta island at about 6:10, checked in, set up my transition area. I really had to use the restroom so jogged to a port-a-poti that was up the road(what a relief). So then they gave the pre-race briefing, but a lot of folks were already down at the swim start, and they probably did not hear that we would be doing 5 loops on the bike as opposed to the 4 that was indicated on the website.
Then we were off, the swim went smoothly. I got into a comfortably slow pace and ended up getting out towards the back, I really didn't care though, I know I'd catch and pass folks on the bike. When I exited the water I was really dizzy, as I jogged to T1 I had to stop and make sure I didn't vomit. I waited a bit, slipped off the wetsuit, dried off, grabbed my bike and I was off. I got into a smooth pace ~20-22mph and I started to gain some ground passed a few folks, even lapped a couple! But, for some reason when I went out for the last lap #5, not too many folks were on the bike course(they only did 4 laps). So T2 went a bit better, once on the run I got into a comfortable groove, managed to find a fellow racer who was running at my pace, so we strolled along together, until she had to use the restroom. I continued on and after my first lap, then BAM I really had to go myself!! I must have been in there for a good 8 minutes. When I got out I could see my running partner about half a mile up the road, so I upped the pace and passed her she ended up finishing 2min back form me. I crossed the line with a time of 1:48. I felt good!! Glad to have gone out there!!

Let the Games Begin!!!!

So this weekend will be my first "race" of the season. Have I been training...well not exactly. I had hoped that I would be doing more XTERRA racing, but that isn't going to happen for various reasons. But I'm very happy that I can still do plenty of racing locally. So I will try my luck at on-road triathlons this year. I will do most if not all of the TCSD club races along with some others. I am not going out there to push it on Saturday(shit, I wont even venture to predict how I'll do) To be totally honest I don't know what 2 expect, I'm not even sure what the run and bike distances are for the race(all i know is there will be an 800m swim). I'm just happy that I'm healthy and can get out there to mix it up!!! I just need a good indication of where I'm at, so I can begin to train with a little more focus and hopefully as the season progresses I can start to improve on my times!! The goal is to break one hour at the IB triathlon which will be on August 23.(last year's time 1:18)Which Is totally doable!!! I'll try to get some images for the race report...i wont take a month to write about it this time!

1st Annual New Year's Day "Start-the-year-right-Hike" (2009 edition)

Is it just me or did this year start off on the right foot. This year seems special, we have a new President(who is Black; in case you didn't notice), planes crash and nobody dies, superhuman athletes seem all too Human(i.e. Phelps) and my weight seems to be taking "off" in the right direction. We were all lucky to have started this year off on the right foot with this hike. All kidding aside, I wanted to complete this post while the memory was fresh...but, those of you who know me, know that was not going to happen, well, because I'm a procrastinator and I like to take my time.lol I have finally gotten around to finishing it. And in retrospect, I don't believe this day could have been anymore perfect then it was. I want to start by thanking everyone who was able to make it out there for our "inaugural" event. To be totally honest, when Crystal suggested we invite folks to join us, I really didn't think anyone would be interested. I did not expect for us to have such a great turn out. This was an awesome way to start the year, especially with friends and family. We want this tradition to grab hold and continue, maybe next year we can grow it even further, we can tackle a different trail, have a pot-luck type picnic/barbecue at the end of the hike. Or we can repeat our visit to the Viejas buffet...because lets be honest...that was pretty damn good. (Jen can wait in the car) lol jk!!! (you have to have been sitting at our table to get the joke) Anyways, I hope that this post does the day justice, because it was a terrific day. These are all the images and videos that I captured, enjoy!!!
The hike couldn't have gotten started without lil'evan's pep rally! In the next clip we have some folks warming up, although the group started to spread out according to pace we all eventually made the summit!! Almost everyone who made it is in this take except for a few people who were a little late!!
Here we go!!!!!
One of the many snowball fights that broke out along the way! It is a lot of fun to play in the snow...one more, of the many, reasons why I love living in San Diego. We truly are blessed to live in such a great part of the world.
Once the summit was reached everyone had a snack, enjoyed the views, and prepared to head back down. It was definitely as much fun heading down as it was going up. We hope that you can all join us next year so this will become a deep rooted tradition, because I feel that this is exactly the way people should kick off the new year. So tell others what you did, maybe they'll be interested in joining us next year!!! Finally, here is a slide show of the entire day.

Lake Tahoe 2008

Here are some more photos from our trip to Lake Tahoe. They include some of my training ride on the flume, our hike down to Emerald Bay, and our gondola ride in Heavenly!! Enjoy!