The Rides Continue

Video by jimbeisuzuki courtesy of Anthony E. The footage is rough but sweet, turn down your speakers because of the sound of the wind. You get a great view of the front and the back of a pack.

So it's been kind of a somber week for me because of what happened last weekend to those cyclists. I didn't know them personally but I can't get the incident out of my mind. Just tragic you know. Like that time 2 years ago this month, when a runner was killed here running in the Presidio. A victim of a hit and run, the driver responsible was never found. She was training for the LA Marathon. 2 years later the flowers are still there, I pass by the spot all the time when I'm training in the Presidio.

Anyway today Anthony E. sends me this video. He races bikes and on Tuesday nights they do this "Port of Oakland" ride which seems like, as I understand it, a big circuit around the deserted roads of the Port at night. Kind of like track for cyclists. One of the riders attached a camera on his bike and captured this vid. At first you think it's only him and two buddies until he slows down and you realize he was at the front of a pack. Soon he's surrounded and you get to feel what it's like to be riding inside a pack through the straight aways and turns. Lifted me up, thoroughly enjoyed it.

"This is how I spend my Tuesday nights. This is about a lap and a half. The main group does this for about an hour. lots of fun. :) If you look carefully, I'm in there rolling along. - Anthony"

The riding and racing will continue...

As for my running. The 6 hour "beat downs" on Sundays are in full swing and they have left me crawling out of bed on Mondays and Tuesdays. I haven't said anything because I'm afraid I'd start whining about the aches and pains and those endless hills. I had to skip track this week because the left hammy was tight and "biting", sa'll right now though, nothing a little rest and active recovery won't fix. The swims have started, I can't say it enough - I hate the pool!

Sad Ending

It was another great weekend. The weather was the nicest yet and lots of great stuff all around. Unfortunately there was also tragedy. 3 cyclists leading a group out for a training ride were struck by a car in Cupertino, that's about an hour south of San Francisco - home of Apple. Anyway two died and another in critical condition. In light of that I've decided to shelve the stories for a couple more days.

Road cycling is a dangerous sport, you are out there with all these cars and often there's a lot of speed involved, sometimes on both parties. As a cyclist you are incredibly vulnerable and every time you go out you are trusting that these drivers are NOT going to hit you. You also have to have a lot of confidence in yourself and your bike skills to take care of yourself.

Before I bought my bike that was the one thing I spent a lot of time thinking about – Did I really want to get myself into a sport that raised my potential for injury or even death? In the end I decided that I wasn't going to live in fear. I'm always thankful though whenever I end a ride safely. Nevertheless accidents happen, sometimes it's the cyclist's fault, sometimes it's the driver's but cyclists always lose in the end.

My condolences to the family and friends of the victims. These guys were experienced cyclists and if it can happen to them, it can happen to the rest of us. You can get the story here.

Flying in Circles

This is the second time I've showed up to track draggin my behind and the second tIme I left swaggerin to the bus stop like some star athlete. The moment I entered the energy of everyone inside lifted me up and got me in the mood to work. Many teams, many individuals, a lot of fast people.

One team in particular is back on Tuesday nights. Two years ago they had practice the same time we did but last year I think they changed their schedule and I didn't see them at all. They are back this year and they are running circles around most of us - the all women Impala Racing Team. They are so beautifully fast. According to the info on their site, 3 of their members have qualified to run in the 2008 Olympic Marathon trials. While running our intervals for the night, 2 women blew by me like I was jogging, then two more, then one more before I completed one lap around the oval. With runners like this on the field how can you not get inspired.

If you are a runner contemplating getting some track workouts into your training, I say do it. If you have the time do it. Find a local team and jump head first. Running with people is inspiring and entertaining. Running fast will make you faster and it's not as boring as it looks. Is it painful? Absolutely there's pain but in controlled portions and if you do it right, you'll feel like a superstar. The speed will put a smile on your face (not while you are running:).

Thanks

Thank goodness it's Monday, rest from the long workouts. Club meeting tonight with a Dr. Something talking and instructing about mental training. 8 years into running and 5 years into triathlon I've developed a little bit of that "I know all that already" and I'm fighting it. I'd like to grow old in these activities gracefully with an open mind for constant learning. Besides I'm not so sure I'm not losing some brain cells constantly pushing myself in these endurance activities, refreshers on topics I've already heard and read about is a probably a good thing.

I'd like to thank those who have shared their sympathies about my wind incident on my last post. I was feeling quite the wimp after that episode and I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way about the wind.

The weather has been downright beautiful here, mid-70s and sunny, with just that slight bite in the air to remind you that you are in San Francisco. Marin's hills were full of people. We had armies of high school kids cleaning the beaches and pulling weeds on the trails. There were families having picnics in the hills overlooking the ocean. Fathers and mothers carrying small children in their baby packs while hiking on single track trails. Ran into Jason and his purty running partner at the top of a climb; "oh hello Jason, who's your friend?" Haha, Jason you sold me out man! Well actually it was the other way around. I needed 6 hours, they were going only for 2 so I excused myself.

Lastly I'm 7 for 7 for ice baths. I've gotten a lot of reading done in the tub this past week, although I always have to re-read the material I've read the first two minutes. The initial shock always knocks the comprehension right out of me.