moving sucks...

there is no way around it. moving sucks. it totally worked me but the reward is well worth because i love our new place... and my new tv.

christmas in september!


i took thursday and friday off work to get things going and am glad i did. trying to manage all we had going on was hard enough without having to deal with work. for the first time in my life i hired movers and it may be some of the best money i have ever spent. it took them 4.5 hours to load up everything at our old place and then move it into the new one. if i would have done with on my own, with friends and beth it would have taken 12.

on saturday afternoon beth headed up to the oc with a crew of fast ladies (colleen & kristin) to race in the OC Triathlon. it's a killer race and i wish i could have gone up too but i wanted to knock out a bunch stuff at the new place... and watch the bolts game on my new tv. beth had a great race and came home stoked and tired... but then rallied and went on an unpacking, organizing mission while i cheered the bolts to victory and then took a well deserved nap.

beth running... and running well. so stoked she is healthy. can't wait to see what she does at soma in a month.


we are still in the unpacking process but things are coming around. our new neighbors are rad and neighborhood is killer.

now for the more interesting information... training and racing. over the course of the move i was able to get out on some rides and runs and have just been winging it since the races the last week. the back to back days of racing in the heat shelled me. i really didn't start coming around until friday and then the moving just me back down.

on the start line of the CX race last weekend... wondering what the hell i had gotten myself into.


as of right now i have decided to pull out of the 50 mile race next weekend but it's for the best. inititally i thought the race would be fun because a lot of friends (ryan, luke, justin, allison to name a few) were all going to race. i figured it would be a rad way to end the season and knock down some post ride/race beers with cool people. since then, and for various reasons, i am the only one signed up. with the unification race on 9/20 and then the california state championship race at big bear this past sunday i am figuring most people are raced out and the field will probably pretty small. racing a 20+ mile XC race with a small field is one thing, but a 50 mile sufferfest in the heat is another... just doesn't sound like fun... and it's october and football season... so fun takes precedence.

going through the start finish last weekend.


so instead of driving out to temecula for the race and having to prep everything to race i am just going to ride long with beth. she has a long ride planned for saturday in prep for the soma half and it's been too long since we have done a long ride together.... sounds way more fun than the 50 miler. i still will be racing next weekend though... on sunday i will be doing a cyclocross race up at irvine lake. really looking forward to throwing down again.

double race weekend....

i am going to try to keep this on kind of short. beth did a rad recap of our weekend on her blog, i'm pretty busy with work, have a lot to do moving-wise, and just have a lot of photos.

saturday we headed up to bonelli park in san dimas to pre-ride sundays XC MTB course and for me to race my first cyclocross race. we got to the park met up with allison and justin and then I rode 2 laps with beth before heading back to the truck to get ready to race.

i had no idea what to expect from the CX race... but the course looked fun. there were some barriers, a muddy run-up, a sand pit, and plenty of technical turns. I lined up for the start of the men's cat 3/4 race and felt out of my league. out of the 20+ guys on the line a lot of them looked pretty serious with some expensive bikes and full-on skin suits... and it was hot.

the race ended being one of the hardest things i have ever done on a bike... if not the hardest. it was the like the hellish first 10 minutes of a XC mtb race, but for 45 minutes. right off the start i was kind of off the back in about 20th place as we hit the first barrier and run-up.

when we got to the top i just jumped back on and started to hammer and move up. in the middle of the 2nd lap i was totally blowing up and thought i was going to puke... but kept hammering.

i rode my way through the field over the course of 5 laps and ended up finishing second and only down to first by about 20 seconds. so stoked... and could not believe how hard and fun it was. i have a new addiction!


after the awards we headed to my sisters house in LA, grabbed some dinner, and then collapsed on the couch. i was pretty shelled from the race and so was beth after riding her mtb for 4 hours and getting in a transition run... killing it!

sunday morning we were up and headed back to bonelli park for the US Cup Unification Race (finals). it was another hot one and beth's race started at 10:25 and mine was at 12:35. beth had a great race and won her category and was 4th woman in the Cat 2's. she getting fast on the mtb.

beth telling me how it went down.


my race was tough. a solid very fast field and i wasn't sure exactly how my legs would respond after saturday's hammerfest.

the race started fast. marco, in typical fashion, went off the front and a pack of 6 of us hung together through the climbs and descents of the first half of lap 1. in our pack i was sitting in about 5th of 6 and the guys at the front were definitely marking each other and playing games. i wanted nothing to do with that and didn't want to let marco get too far away because this was "his" course. he won the first US Cup race of the year on the same course. so i made a move on a climb and rode to the front of our pack and put the hammer down and wanted to see if anybody would come with me... and the really didn't. by the top of the climbed i had bridged back up to marco and we rode together for the remainder of the 1st lap.

i passed him right at the start of lap 2 on the first climb and just put in a huge effort and got away. i was alone in first and was riding scared. the is how the rest of the race played. i was hammering in fear of being caught... and after the 3 laps i crossed the line in first place. definitely the biggest win for me ever on the mtb. very happy with the race and the result.

the race kicked my ass. i left it all out there.


passed out waiting for the awards.


podium.


successful weekend for the team.


after the awards we "bolted" home. i had DVR'd the chargers game and couldn't wait to get home to watch it on my sweet 13" flat screen.

my beer was bigger than my TV!


nothing like sitting on the floor, eating dinner, and watching the bolts... lose (so bummed)


that's it. epic weekend. moving this week... it will probably be harder than all the racing.

off to the races...

my new cross bike. thanks gordon.

moving sucks... there is no way around it. beth and i have been spending our evenings on our makeshift couch made out of pillows & blankets on the floor and watching our sweet 13" flat screen. don't get me wrong... i am glad we sold a much of our crap but i can't wait to be settled in our new place with my brand new, epic 47" LCD HDTV and our new couch.

on monday i headed up to the OC to watch the bolts on monday night football and ryan's place. he has a real tv.


we watched the chargers barely get past the raiders, drank some good beers, and ryan made some killer yellowfin tuna tacos. the game was about what i expected week 1 from the bolts. they always start slow and a win is a win... and i'll take it.

celebrating the kickoff of the chargers season with one of the best san diego beers out there.


luckily we are getting away again this weekend. saturday morning we will be heading up to Bonelli Park in San Dimas for a weekend of racing. on saturday i will be doing my first cyclocross race and i can't wait. i am contemplating doing to the catergory 3/4 race and then also jumping in to the 1/2/3 race 30 minutes later. we'll see how the day and first race plays out.

cross race course. i don't even know what to think about this or what to expect.


on sunday beth and i will both be racing in the US Cup Unification Race at the same venue. Bonelli park is the the same place first US Cup race of the season was held and i was able to some how pull off a 4th in my category without really even knowing what i was doing. i have raced a lot of XC MTB races this year and can't wait to get out there knock heads with guys that i have become friends with over the year. it's going to be fun... and hard... which is the exact reason why i love racing my bike so much.

i also can't wait to see what beth can do. she raced a few mtb races over the summer and has definitely done well, but hopefully she be racing the some good competition that will push her. gordon also just finished a major overhaul on her bike and dropped over 5lbs. it will be fun to watch her get after it.

race, moving, and bolts reports next week.

working... worked.

kind of a boring post... just an update.

a lot of work done last week.... at work, on the bike, and getting ready to move in a couple of weeks.

I am beat... yesterday (sunday) afternoon and i was sitting on the floor in my living room watching football on a 20" tv and passed out at 8pm for the night.

the riding this week and weekend definitely took its toll, but beth and I have also been super buys getting ready to move. so we have been packing, selling stuff on craigslist, giving tons of stuff to goodwill, and just finished up with a very successful garage sale. that's why i was sitting on the floor watching a very small tv. we have pretty much sold everything and are buying all new stuff when we move. it's a lot of work, but definitely worth it.

where i will be sitting while watching tv, using my computer, and eating. no more furniture. stoked?



from training perspective things continue to go well... and it's time to rest with some racing coming up next weekend. i picked up my brand new cross bike on tuesday and gordon totally hooked it up. my first ride on it was wednesday and it was killer... so much fun. i will be doing my first "cross" race on saturday and backing that up with the US MTB Cup Unitifcation race on sunday. It's gonna be a tough weekend of racing... and i'm ready.

on saturday i was up early to head to down to Fiesta Island to race the TTT with the B&L team. unfortunately we only go to do about a quarter of lap. a rider on one of the teams ahead of us went down... hard. it was not pretty when we rolled up on the scene just as the paramedics and firetruck rolled up blocking the road. we stopped and let the EMT's do what they do. what blew me away is that some of the cyclists from other teams were yelling at the firemen and EMT's to move their vehicles so they could race... seriously? the guy down was in very bad shape and the furthest thing from my mind was the race... or actually continuing. i couldn't believe people were more concerned with their race than the riders well-being. disturbing. we just spun back to the the start while other teams continied to hammer past us. by the time we got back to the start line the race had been stopped. good call.

since the TTT was canned i headed home and got out for some intervals and climbing on the mtb. a very solid ride and good prep for the up coming races.

after knocking out the ride and getting ryan to help me carry all my heavy furniture down into the garage (harder than riding for sure) we headed downtown. trevor had a rooftop party. we watched the pads get a win, ate some killer food, drank plenty of good beers, and had a great time!




sunday morning came around pretty quick, but i was up early to help ryan load stuff in his truck, before heading for 3 hours on the road. i felt pretty good and then got home and right to work on the garage. i was shelled when it was over at 3pm and finally got sit down have a beer, and watch some football. i was so tired that i at dinner and passed out on the living room floor at 8pm. beth had to wake me up and tell me to go to bed.

now it's monday and i am feeling good... i am still kind of tired but am just stoked for what goes down at 7:15pm tonight! the bolts kick off the season on Monday Night Football. I will be cruising to the OC to watch the game at ryans. can't wait!

Labor day weekend!

i love 3 day weekends... especially when I make them in to 4 days. typically at this time of year (for the last 3 years) i have been pretty focused on my training with Xterra Nationals and Worlds coming up. not this year. this labor day was more about just riding my bikes and hanging out with friends. good times.

on friday i had an epic time. for ryan's bachelor party we headed out on a chartered fishing trip. so we were up early on and on the water by 5am. the photos definitely tell the story. we ate good food, drank good beer, and caught plenty of yellow fin tuna. such a rad day and the best bachelor party I have ever been to... hands down.

breakfast



the crew


one of my fish


all 4 of mine!


end of the day


my fish, filleted and vacuum packed


don't let ryan fool you. he claims to love some IPA but when it comes down to it he would rather have a michelob ultra.


since i has a long day on friday and i had decided to wait and see how i felt saturday morning before committing to any training plans. I ended up meeting with matt and crew for some solid miles. it was perfect. not a hard ride, but not easy. just solid miles. after 85 miles on the road beth and i headed down to the beach to meet some of our friends. great "san diego" day.

beach beer


saturday night's dinner. ate quite a bit raw and then seared some on the grill.


sunday... yep more of the same. this time i was up early to head down to fiesta island some TTT practice with team B&L... Dan, Jens, and Matt. next weekend we are racing the 40k TTT and I am stoked. i took me a little while to get the hang of the pace line but soon enough we were hammering around the island. after 90 minutes of "practice" we headed home. a little later on I got in some more miles on the road and then it was off to a super fun bbq/b-day party. we kept it pretty mellow and were home early due to a pretty big monday on tap.

before i get into monday's ride. last weeks training was solid. a lot of miles on the road and some good group riding. the only bad thing was that due to my jacked up brake i didn't get on the trails. that will change this week as gordon has dialed me in with a loaner braek until my new on comes in. i am starting to get pretty stoked for the end of the season races.

monday's ride was a good time. we had a good size crew rolling out of harrah's and heading for palomar. beth rolled too... and was the only chick. she got a head start and then we rolled out. i climbed palomar at a solid clip but was not going for a PR. I ended up hitting the top in 1:10 which i am stoked about. i used to have to really go for it to hit sub 1:15 and then 1:11 was my PR from earlier in the year. last time with the guys pushing me i hit it in 1:07. so 1:10 not trying to PR and turning myself inside out is solid.

resting/refilling mid ride.


beth killed the climb too. she's champ and rode strong all day... hanging with the dudes. towards the end of the ride me while the guys stopped to fix a flat beth and i decided to get a little head start and we nailed it! i rode tempo for an hour with beth on my wheel trying to hold off the pack and in typical fashion we were caught at final descent down the mountain. good times.

we ended the day with just over 4 hours, 70 miles, and plenty of climbing. then it was time to eat. we headed over to matt's house for one of his now famous bbq's. awesome food, drink, and good friends. perfect way to end a rad weekend.

labor day might be my new favorite holiday.

Rim Nordic #4 Race Report (the finals!)

i had a really good recovery/race week leading up to the race on sunday. i had a full on recovery week leading into race #3, didn't do much for intensity during the days leading up and felt a little flat race day. i wanted to treat this past week as more of a "race" week and to try to lockdown my plan for my final big race of the year on 9/20, the US MTB Cup Unification Race.

So this week i added a little intensity by hitting the swami's ride on thursday and put in some work but didn't go as hard as normal, and then rode with the Celo Pacific crew on saturday and also opened it up a bit... but still held back and played it safe. I was also stoked that beth and a few friends cruised down for the ride. it was rad having luke, slater, justin, and allison out there dropping the hammer and pushing the pace.

the restof saturday was spent running around north county. we hit B&L to pick up my wheel. gordon once again dialed me in last minute by re-sealing my wheel. the support i get from gordon and B&L is HUGE. i never ever have to stress about my bikes... they know and love what they are doing. if you are taking your bike anywhere else you are blowing it!

after getting my wheel we knocked out some gripping wedding invitation shopping... actually i did have fun looking through the five 10 inch thick binders of samples at the paper source. our last errand was my favorite... we hit costco to start shopping for our (my) new TV. this is what i am thinking as of right now: Vizio XVT Series 47" 1080p. Any thoughts?

our pre-race dinner. bbq chicken tacos and coleslaw with granny smith apples. good. beth also made a killer salad.


breakkie on the road sundy morning: mesa sunrise waffles (gluten/wheat free), nuttzo, and agave nectar.


ok... the race report.

beth's race started at 10:12 and mine was at 11:34. so i watched her take off.


Then I discovered that my front brake was broken. the body of the brake lever actually had cracked and there was no way to mount the front brake to the bars. i have no idea when or how it happened. so i had to break out my macgyver skills. i was kind of nervous as there was still some movement but it was good enough to race.


I found out earlier in the week that me and Griffith (now former Celo Pacific teammate) were in a dead even tie for the overall points series. I had won 2 of the 3 XC races and finished 2nd in the other. Griffith had 2 x 2nd's and a 1st in the XC races, but also took the win in the stage race that i didn't do giving him another win. they take your 3 best scores and drop the others. so we were tied with 2 wins and a second place finish each. it would all come down to sunday's race.

the race started in typical fashion. Marco went off the front, taking the lead, then it was Griffith, me, and couple of others behind as we approached the start of the single/double track climb. then unexpectedly Griffith pulled a Bart Taylor on me (if you don't know who Bart Taylor is you need to watch the greatest movie of all-time: RAD). he slowed down and waived me around him just like Bart did to Cru at Hell Track. i wasn't sure whether to go or not. my plan was to just sit on his wheel and then decide when to make my move, and wasn't expecting for the games to begin right off the bat.

so i went around and he proceeded to just sit on my wheel followed by the others. i decided to keep the pace a little mellower than normal even though this was allowing Marco to open up a gap on us. about half way through the climb, when we reached a really steep section i decided to throw down a move and see if i could break away from Griffith and the others... it worked. See the graph below. it's pretty ease to see where i made my move... at the 1.7 mile mark... hitting 200 bpms!

near the top of the climb i caught up to marco and went around, taking the lead. i just kept hammering and got away from everybody... and this time didn't let up. I finished the first two laps and was still in the lead and wanted to make sure to not let up like last race where I almost got caught.

on the final lap I got through the first climb and then saw one of the pro racers ahead (they started 4 mins ahead). I made it my mission to get to him. this pushed me and i finally got to him on the final climb and passed him. Even though we weren't officially "racing" each other i road like we were so I would keep the hammer down. I was able to hold him off and crossed the line ahead of him, taking the win in Cat 1 30-34, and winning the overall series. Stoked.


the race data:
1:30
18.54 miles,
Avg HR: 184 bpm
Max HR: 200 bpm


i am really happy with this race and it's easliy the best i have put together from start to finish. i rode hard, and focused the whole time. i also rode the descents faster and cleaner than ever. I am super stoked that our team, Celo Pacific, was able to take 3rd place in the team competition. I had a blast racing the series with the Celo crew. Great people and good times.

done.


podium.


once we finally got home from the race, got everything put away, and cleaned up it was time celebrate victory. i had been saving a good beer for this occasion.

Avery Mahraja (courtesy of Ryan)

then i cooked up an epic recovery/celebration dinner. sirloin burgers, turkey burgers, grilled onions, peppers, mushrooms, and sweet & purple potato fries. oh yeah.... and another beer! come see me!

Friction Fighter!

a couple of months ago i got an email from the folks at Anti Monkey Butt Powder and they wanted me to test their product. With all the time I have been spending in the saddle and driving to races i was definitely interested.

once i received the Anti Monkey Butt Powder I began using it right away. it definitely works. i have been using before rides and runs, especially when it's hot, and it's definitely helped reduce chafing and increase overall comfort. I have also just been using it on a daily basis post workout while at work sitting in my office all day. it's definitely made me faster on the bike.... ok not really, but it does work and definitely increases comfort. I have a couple of road trips coming and I will definitely be using it.


I want to say thanks to the the guys and girls at Anit Monkey Butt Powder for giving me the opportunity to test their product.

training... i finishing up a solid recovery week and really looking forward to racing on Sunday. I have been on the bike but the miles have been mellow. yesterday i hit the swami's ride and put in a couple of efforts but then just played it smart, and didn't attempt to make the front group when they made their break. I had a recovery week leading into the last Rim Nordic race and didn't do ANY intensity in the week leading up to the race and I felt bit flat on race day. So this week I wanted to experiment a bit and see how i feel on sunday.

I have a chance to win the series but I am going to have to throwdown! I'm ready.

what weekends should be!

last week was big... in many ways. first and foremost it was our 2 year anniversary. as far as training goes i finished up the biggest (highest volume + intensity) two weeks i have ever put in on the bike. race-wise we raced in the first race of the Dirt Dog XC series on saturday and beth raced in the Surf Town Triathlon on Sunday. and last but certaintly not least, good times-wise, we went to the Stone Brewing 13th Anniversary festival on saturday.

riding wise i feel like i am really starting to see a major change. all this riding has definitely made me stronger and will ultimately make me faster as we start to reduce the volume and get me ready to throwdown at the end of the season races. the last two weeks were challenging for sure but i was never over it. i really do love riding my bikes and get stoked to tackle tough workouts. this week will be all about recovering from the 600+ miles of put in my legs over the past two weeks and also getting ready to race the final race of the Rim Nordic series next weekend.

saturday was tough one. we raced the Wild Duck 5k at Guajome park in oceanside. beth and i are both running for Team BSK/Running Center this year in the SDTC's Dirt Dog XC series. It's always fun to actually be doing the same races from the time to time. it makes things pretty simple.

my race went better than expected considering the run training i have been doing which has basically consisted of 2 runs a week of 45-60 minutes and no interval work. mainly just hitting the trails and running by feel which i usually about 7:00-7:15/mile pace. defintely nothing to get me prepared for how hard the XC running races are. i know i am really "fit" right now with all the riding i am doing but my leg turnover running-wise is just not there... and doesn't really concern me right now. it'll comeback.

i decided to start conservatively so I hopefully wouldn't blow up and could finish strong. i actually ended starting way to mellow and before i knew it i was probably in about 40th of 180 as we hit a narrow trail. i had to run my way through the crowd to get back near the front and was working harder than i wanted to. that was pretty much the story of the race. i worked my way consitently towards the front, got passed by a couple of guys, but then passed them all back with a final strong kick in the .25 miles. i think i got 5 guys in the .25 so that was good.

making a move on the finaly uphill grass section.


when i crossed the line the clock read 16:57, but when they posted the results they had me at 17:00... gotta love manual timing. either way i'll take it. i was 18th overall. i knew the race was going to be tough and was thinking before the race that i would be happy with anything around 18 minutes on the rolling course. i am really looking forward to running the rest of the series and building my running back up as the mountain bike race season ends and the the Dirt Dog series progresses the championships on 11/14.

i was also stoked because it was my first race in my 2009 Avia Avi-Bolt II's. they were awesome, super light, and comfortable. i can't want to race in them again.


after the race on sunday i jumped on my bike and rode 40+ miles home and it was probably the best thing i could have done for my legs. i was worked after the race and the first 30 minutes of the ride was a full-on sufferfest but then after that i felt rad... and got in some solid miles, and felt great waking up sunday morning.

Beth had two really good races this week. she is definitely getting her running legs back. she had a solid 5k on saturday and then we were up mega early to head down to Imperial Beach (borders mexico) where she killed it at the Surf Town Tri. check her blog for the details. i watched her race and hung out with a bunch of friends before jumping back on my bike and riding home. it was long ride going through downtown and the harbor wasn't too fun but i got it done to finish my biggest week of riding... ever. 310 miles (286 road/24 mtb).

view from my sunday ride home from the top of mt. soledad.


ok... all training and racing aside. the real highlight of the weekend was attending Stone Brewing's 13th Anniversary Celebration. saturday afternoon after riding, running, and relaxing a bit we headed over (it was 5 miles from our house!). there were 40+ breweries on hand, each with multiple beers to try. for the price of admission you got 10 x 5oz tasters.

putting together our plan of attack.


i was on an IPA mission! hopefully i'll get around to posting a more detailed review on the beer blog, but for now i'll let the photos show how much fun we had and how good the beers were. definitely some new favorites and ones i want to drink more of.

comemorative tasting glass.


beth was a champ. she drove us there and only had a couple of tastes, which meant me and our crew had a couple of extra tastings to go around! i owe her for sure.


since beth was taking it easy Kerri stepped up and was my tasting teammate. she went beer for beer with me! she really like the Brew Dog Punk IPA.


i thought it was just OK.


as usual i made some new friends. these were the "Arrogant Bitches". Huge stone and IPA fans and have been to every anniversay fest. dedication. i love it!


beth did find one Belgian Beer she really liked.


me and nikee... she loves IPA as much as I do!


our crew. good times.


TIME FOR SOME REST!