2021. New Year. Renewed dreams & refreshed hope.

 Happy New Year! 

We brought in the new year with a snow hike in the Laguna Mountains about 50 miles south of us. We had a great time. We decided to hike to Garnet Peak on December 30th which he had hiked back in November but from a different starting point. We also wanted to avoid the holiday crowds so we got an early start. When we arrived the parking lot only had 3 cars and by the time we finished our hike there were at least 10 more cars. We parked at the Pioneer Mall Hiking trail and there are bathrooms and picnic tables. It was a 6 mile hike with 879 feet of elevation gain.  We started and ended in snow which was really cool!  It was a sunny day and gorgeous views. Zissou had no issues walking through the snow - he loved every minute of it. We were really happy to walk through the snow as well as it was a nice treat for us.  Great way to end a funny year - surrounded by nature, sunshine and snow! We had a little picnic at the end enjoying the sun and watching birds. 

Mi Familia

The views! We had a great view of the Anza Borrego Desert (the bottom of it) & Mount Laguna in the background.

Zissou loved walking in the snow.

Of course snacks are involved.

Cheers! A picnic to bring in the new year!

More yummy snacks.

I love Zissou so much.

Snow is a real treat of us!

View of the Anza Borrego Desert. 

Zissou loves adventures.

And Zissou is very handsome.

I love these two!

Walking back to the car. It did get a bit slushy but there was some nice powder. And for some cuteness watch Zissou walking through the snow. 

Trail information:

 

mentoring.

For the last year and a half, I’ve been a mentor with Big Brothers and Big Sisters. B is my current little “sister” and she is 10 years old.  Our activities have included hikes, movies & eating out for dinner. Our latest outing, we went on a bike ride at Rancho Penasquitos (RP).

Barbara has a very heavy bike without any gears. I selected RP because of the dirt trails and absence of car traffic. I thought it would be an easier route. However, in this case it turned out more challenging than I anticipated. For B’s first ride, she experienced sand, rocks, uphills, downhills, packed dirt and a few falls. All in all she rallied through the ride. Our 6.2 mile ride also included a waterfall crossing. B enjoyed the ride, did get tired and told me she's ready for our next bike ride.

B gave me so much happiness by enjoying my passion of cycling (and in the dirt!).  Cycling provides you with self-confidence and the experience of nature. I am hoping that exposing her to bike riding it will open her mind to new adventures. We both enjoyed riding and spending time together. 

dirt riding.

Rock Cobbler 3.0 - The year of the black cobbler 2016 -  this was my 2^nd gravel grinder and by far one of the toughest rides of my life. Good news I was well prepared for this 85 miles, close to ~7K feet of climbing in beautiful Bakersfield. Key lessons here: eat well, drink well, stay positive. Hardest parts were the hike and bike sections. The best part: having a partner supporting me throughout the ride. I started the ride thinking I’d call my teammate to pick me up at some part of the ride but knew in my heart that finishing was the only option. I’m grateful  for Adventure Cross Bicycling  for the Saturday training rides.  Gravel grinders prove to be hard work and exhausting. It's also about the adventure and less about the speed - at least that is what I keep telling myself.  Gravel grinders test your endurance and bike handling skills as well as your patience. 

We did it!

On the fun and dirty side I attended the 2^nd annual Sedona Mountain Bike festival. My friend Barbarah  and I signed up for our first women’s specific mountain bike clinic hosted by Vida MTB Series. We managed a quick dirt ride on Friday and attended the clinic  Saturday.  I did learn some key skills at the clinic such as positioning on the bike and also realized I still need to learn quite a bit more of mountain bike skills. I met really cool women (both attendees and coaches). Quite impressive were the 60 years old in our group shredding like bosses. I highly recommend skill clinics for any type of mountain bike rider. 

Our awesome group at the Vida MTB skills clinic

Barbarah shredding the red dirt trail

A vortex...amazing site

Barbarah spent Sunday demoing a full suspension mountain bike while I took to the trails with a new friend I met at the clinic.  It was a quick trip to Sedona and can’t wait to return and explore more trails. 

Great part of skills clinics is the fun people you meet. 

B4T9 social ride Westlake Village CA

inspiring group of women cyclists

This past weekend my team , B4T9, had a social ride starting from WestLake Village through parts of the Santa Monica Mountains. The inspiring part about riding with this group is riding with my teammates. On our way up stunt road, chatting with one of my teammates I find out she is 66 years young! I was taken aback and my first thought was I hope that when I'm her age, I'm  still riding up stunt road. A few other women riding in our group are in their 70's. Our team proves that we're never too old to be an athlete and we just do it!

the social ride was led by Jan (ride leader) and Lynda (SAG Support)

That's one of my life goals is to ride my bike well into my 80's. The route proved to be challenging and scenic. The Santa Monica mountains provides beautiful roads & substantial climbing. Our team hosts monthly social rides on a monthly basis. Check out the calendar on www.b4t9.com for the schedule. 

This ride also helped me calm my fears about climbing as I'm preparing for the Rock Cobbler. The 40 mile ride included 3k feet of climbing. I felt pretty good. It's always fun to ride with my B4T9 teammates and it provided me with much needed motivation.

Jan and I at the top of stunt road

Sunday ride:

Year of the Gravel Grinder

This year is the year of the gravel grinder. My love for dirt riding started two years (2014) ago with the purchase of a new mountain bike (also noted that was the last time I wrote on this blog). This past year was the year to upgrade my cyclocross bike from aluminum frame to carbon and decided that the year 2016 will include gravel grinders. In the back of my mind, I have the Dirty Kanza (100 miles) on the bucket list (the year to be determined).

My old MASI cross bike is a fine bike. A bit heavy but was very good for my first 100 mile gravel grinder (Rebecca Rusch’s Private Idaho) in 2013 and a load of cross races. The 2016 Focus Mares CX Disc 105 is quite a bit lighter and improved performance with the disc brakes.

Focus Mares CX - Carbon Shimano 105

Mr. Fackler and I had our first dirt ride last week to prep for the RockCobbler in Bakersfield this February. It was also our longest ride in several months. We picked a route we could take directly from our front door. It included a good mix of road & trails. Most of the trails were in Lake Hodges.  During this route, I was reminded of some key lessons: 1. Hydration is key prior to riding (didn’t help New Year’s eve was the day before). 2. Bring more snacks because bonking sucks (failed here since I’m used to 2 hour rides and less) 3. Falling on rocks will hurt, it’s ok to tear up a bit but get up and back on the bike as if nothing happened 4. Having a domestique (thanks Mr. Fackler) makes it more fun!

Mr. Fackler leading the way at Lake Hodges

I’m not sure why I’m so nervous prepping for the Rock Cobbler. I’ve ridden thousands of miles with climbing before although it’s been some time. I think it’s the climbing and getting to know the feeling of suffering once again. Mr. Fackler agreed to ride with me the entire time so that is comforting. My goal is just to finish and have fun. 

Do what you fear most…it’s my motto for this gravel grinder. 

Our ride from Solana Beach:

So you want to be a cyclocross racer? Tips from a novice racer.

It's now the start of my 2nd CX season with the first  SoCal Cross Race in Granada Hills (Los Angeles).  I raced the women's masters 35+  race with 5 women in the field and managed first place (unofficially). 

One fun part is the start of the race because you have to work to get in the front of the group. For this race, I did manage to stay in the front of the group the entire time with a good gap between me & 2nd place. You can have very good fitness but lacking in bike handling skills can set you back. This is how I got in front of the woman in first place at the start. She struggled to corner a sandy turn and I was able to pass her and gap her.Most of the race my heart rate was maxed for about 35 minutes. I felt I had the cardio fitness but my legs felt tired.  I focused on cornering around the tight turns, letting go of the brakes and keeping my breathing even.  The best part was that I managed to stay upright on the bike. The course was very good for beginners because it was less technical, mostly grass and some slight hills.This race was fun and it was a great way to start the season. Having a goal and an event to push you to your limits is always good.   

This is the grassy course.

So you want to cross too? Yay! We need more CX women racers.

Last year I just threw myself into cross racing without the appropriate skills. It worked out okay but did have some good falls ending up with nice bruises & broke my bike a few times. The beginning of this year I picked up mountain biking and that has helped tremendously with cross. I also ride my CX bike at least once a week on trails near my home working on intervals and dismounting off/on my bike. 

Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Bike - you can rent a bike at the socal cross races. Another option is to use a mountain bike (borrow one). You can always find used CX bikes for sale at reasonable prices. The good thing about owning a cross bike is that they can be used as your road bike back up during the "rainy" season. You'll need mountain bike shoes too. I highly recommend wearing long finger gloves and of course a helmet. 

2. Go and practice dismounting on the grass. Just to get the feel of what it's like to mount & dismount the bike. You can youtube videos on cross racing to get a feel for how it's done. 

3. Practice in some dirt. The sandy parts make it tricky to handle your bike. So it's a good idea to get used to the feeling of riding in sand. If you can, get a hill in or two. 

4. Avoid using too much of the brakes. This is hard and I still do this. But the less you use your brakes the less likely you are to crash.

5. Practice riding around tight corners. Set up cones to go around on your bike. This will help with the tight corners (this is usually where you tend to overuse your brakes).

6. Get yourself a sleek skinsuit (ok this is optional but they make you look fast & cool). Regular cycling clothes are fine. Cool socks, however, are not optional.

6. Just do it. Sign up for a beginner race. Take your time, have fun. The women are friendly and keep a fun attitude. It's cross after all. 

Here is the Velo Hangar skin suit & Team Awesome Sock Guy socks.

Hello again.

It's been a long time since my last post. Mostly because I was burnt out after all the long distance last year and a full season of cyclocross (CX) racing. I had about 6500 miles of riding last year (including Belgium Waffle Ride, riding the Italian Alps: Motirolo, Stelvio & watching the Giro d'Italia with Thomson BikeTours, Mt. Everest Challenge & Rebecca's Private Idaho Gravel Grinder.

This year is the year of dirt riding - more dirt, less road.

Started out with the Tahoe 100K in June. Barely finished under the cut off time of 8 hours. This race was hard but overall fitness was good considering only 4 weeks of training. 

Highlights of the race for me: receiving the empty shell that was shot 2 seconds after I finished & unexpectedly receiving an entry to the Leadville 100. 

And no, Leadville isn't in my future (yet). 

I'm calling myself an athlete

Greatest motivator for athletes is seeing results.

I never thought of myself as an athlete. Then I changed my perspective & started to think of myself as an athlete. After all, I have a coach, stick to my training plan, do my best to eat well, sleep well & many of my free hours are dedicated to training…so I AM an athlete.

As an athlete I train hard. 

How do I train for these events? I hired a coach, Jill Gass. We’ve been working together for 1.5 years now. Jill's experience surmounts any coach & she founded my cycling team, B4T9. The best performances in my athletic career (marathons, Ironmans, cycling, etc.) have always been when I trained with a coach. I’m too busy to figure out a training plan plus it always makes sense to have someone do it for you. I’d rather spend my time on the bike. 

The beginning of this year I played catch up with training and it hurt. Mostly mentally.  Last year I focused on moving up a category in women’s road racing & it did not happen. Disappointed. Oh well. I re-evaluated my 2013 goals & decided to focus on my cycling vacation to Italy and the Mt. Everest challenge. I have/will race some road races such as Madera & even a few crits but the cat 3 upgrade is on the bottom of my list. 

I booked my Italy trip with Thomson Bike Tours to watch the Giro d ‘Italia and climb the infamous passes. Before then, I’m going to ride the super hard Spy Belgium Waffle Ride  (BWR) this April in my own backyard of north county San Diego. All the macho cycling men show up at BWR and ride the hell out of this route. So will I. BRUTAL is the best way I can describe this based on hearsay. BWR will prep me for the big ride of my year, the Mt. Everest Challenge, Bishop CA (near Mt. Whitney). I’m a climbing fiend & possess the spirit of a climber.

What does my training look like? Lots of climbing.

my BMC = beautiful mexican chica

the epic ride

this is what makes climbing worth the suffering

business school friends

Want to know my secret weapon? It's my sexy BMC.  Fast & super light. The last 5 years I've ridden a BMC and my most recent one is dressed with Campagnolo Super Record. The compact crank I switched to last year makes a huge difference since many of the road races in CA involve some type of climbing.

How do I make training interesting? Ride in different places.  I take road trips to ride my bike. This one happened to be one to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit business school friends. They are very understanding of my athletic lifestyle and a few of them joined me on this ride.  The best part of this ride in particular was how strong I felt on the climbs. Since I have trained for several Ironmans, I find I am stronger at the end of rides due to my muscle memory of long endurance rides. Strong because I've been following the training plan. Motivated because I felt the results. 

The ride in the Mount Tamalpais area exceeded my expectations with it's smooth, asphalt roads and breathtaking scenery. Everything a climber could ask for in a ride; orgasmic. 

I ended up riding to the lighthouse both on Saturday & Sunday only to see if I could break my Strava record. As you can see from the picture, Strava records didn't matter after taking in the view. These past weekend rides motivated me because I felt good. I felt strong on the climbs. I know the training plan is working. Thanks coach. 

Another great weekend of cycling & spending time with good friends from business school. I'm grateful for a life of passion & great friends.

I'm back!

I've been MIA because I've lacked the motivation. So now that I have two races under my belt for 2013 I'm taking a stab at updating my blog. 

Two of my favorite races: Poor College Kids and Boulevard. Poor College Kids is the road race where I fell in love with road racing. This year the organizers changed the course eliminating the fast descent and moved the course closer to Santa Maria (Sisquoc to be exact), a beautiful location. The UCSB cycling team did a fantastic job organizing this race with their well marked course and smooth registration process. Our very own B4T9 teammate, Amy Benner, placed 1^st at this race.

For me it was a hard race and I finished strong on the uphill climb although I did get dropped from the group on the first loop on the climb. Those hill surges kill me! I worked with another racer from a different team for the 2^nd lap and that was fun. It's always nice to have someone to finish the race.  I experienced some negative self talk in my head about feeling like crap and wanting to come. This was hard but I quickly stopped those negative voices from getting me down & focused on finishing the race. For some reason, I can always finish strong and it makes me wonder if I need to push myself harder up front but then my legs can only take it so far. I'm working on improving my efforts on the hill surges. 

Boulevard road race, I changed my attitude. I went in with the goal of staying with the group as long as I could. The descents made for the biggest challenge for this race. I fear descending in a large pace group and I experience stomach knots due to my nerves. This stems from my experience last May at Mariposa Stage Race with the loss of our B4T9 sister, Susanne Rivera. I will just need to work through and I’m really not sure how. It’s important to feel confident during any bike race because once you are instilled with fear you've already lost. The other important lesson was to stop comparing myself. I am where I need to be and I just need to accept that.

The best part of racing is hanging out with my B4T9 sisters. Kudos to my dearest friend, Rachel, on her first road race. She picked one of the hardest road races as her first one. 

My goals for this year in terms of racing are to focus on the Belgium Waffle Ride in April & the Mt. Everest Challenge Stage Race in August.

Next race: Madera Stage Race.

Recovery week/end

Recovery weeks provide a time for reflection and personal growth. I have learned to embrace them! As an athlete, recovery (rest) weeks and days keep your body in tune for training.

I am enjoying a blackberry margarita at Pacific Coast Grill

Friday evening started with a celebratory dinner of my friend's, B, birthday at Pacific Coast Grill (PCG) in Cardiff by the Sea. You can read my review on Yelp here: Diana A Yelp Review. The sunset view completed the experience. I'm a big fan of the sunsets. On the 2nd level of PCG they have an open patio with an amazing view. Next time, I'll enjoy my drinks on the outdoor patio.

We had an amazing view of the sunset that made the pricey dinner worth it!

 I took full advantage of a Saturday recovery day by sleeping in until 7 a.m. It occurred to me that Saturday was Jodina's, Italiano with Jodina, conversation group. I decided since I had this rare cycling free Saturday to join her group. Training plays an important part in becoming a strong cyclist, same concept with a language. Jodina's Saturday session complemented my Monday evening class. Jodina shared with us this beautiful linen with the pasta of Italy and we learned the "leggenda" of where pasta was born (hint: not China).

Bike Ride Report:  Since I had two days off the bike I decided to join my friend,  JP,  and his Velo Allegro cycling club on a ride up Glendora Mountain Road (GMR) for a 50+ miler ride covering approximately 5K feet of climbing. I didn't know what to expect. GMR placed high on my "to do" cycling list. We encountered beautiful weather for our ride. Overall, the ride provided a challenge but not as steep as I expected hitting only 7-9% grades.  The last 6 months of training focused on keeping a high cadence and this has helped tremendously with the climbing. The compact crank helps out too with the climbing.  I felt very strong on this climb. It served as a reminder of the importance of recovery both in my cycling training and in life. 

Check out my ride here:

Moroccan Bowl & Acai Beer

We had a post race celebration dinner at Native Foods in Newport Beach. I died with happiness eating the rockin' Moroccan bowl. All vegan and plant based food. It tasted delicious and a reminder that being creative you can make delicious food. I thought of Kalli, who inspires me to cook healthy and live a positive life, when I read her Fit and Forty Something blog & view her instragram postings.

Barkley after daycare

Recovery week and weekend proved successful as noted by my performance on the GMR ride. After this ride, Barkley did a great job depicting my feelings of how I felt after the long day of cycling.

A nice complement to my recovery weekend included a beautiful sunset view from my balcony.

On a quick side note regarding my blog. I started this blog as an online journal to share my experiences with the participants of the Wednesday Women's ride I lead in Encinitas. I received a very nice compliment from Jessica that writes the Run on Organic Blog. She nominated me for the One Lovely Blog Award!! Check out her blog for the details of the award.

 

Here are 7 possibly unknown things about me:
1. Spanish was my first language. I didn't speak English when I started kindergarten.
2. I completed 3 Ironmans. My goal was to complete 3 in the 3rd decade of my life.
3. I've traveled to 32 countries (I traveled a lot in Europe since I lived in Germany for 9 months).
4. I'm a project manager for a healthcare insurance company.
5. I ran Boston Marathon and had a personal record time of 3:35 hours.
6. I'm of Mexican descent. Both of my parents were born in Mexico.
7. My first endurance sport was marathon running to lose weight.

I am supposed to list the 15 blogs I follow but I only follow 7:

1. http://fitandfortysomething.com/

2. http://runonorganic.wordpress.com/

3. http://dailyworth.com/

4. http://zenhabits.net/

5. http://www.pm4girls.elizabeth-harrin.com/

6. http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/encinitas/2012/05/17/oh-baby-whole-baby/

7. http://www.baggagereclaim.co.uk/

Thanks for reading my blog! It's been a fun journey with you.