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We had our official kick-off celebration. I met all of the other participants and heard a great speech from one of our honorees. He’s a father who detected his blood cancer early only because he was donating blood to help his son who was diagnosed with leukemia. Currently he’s in remission. Looks like there is a good mix of people doing this because (1) they have a loved one suffering from cancer, (2) they are good people, or (3) like me, they’re FAT and don’t want to buy new pants. It was also amazing that many of the honorees looked in much better shape than me!! Looks like this is gonna be FUN!!

This sucks!! I ran for 3 miles along the Embarcadero (see picture) and my feet were covered in blisters (no picture provided). I may have to call it quits right now. I can hardly breathe and it took me over 30 mins to run 3 miles. Need to get some new shoes…and maybe a new brain while I’m at it…my body is already asking my brain “what have we done to deserve this?”

Every week we’re supposed to take one day off - usually Monday. Works for me! Ate chocolates all day and sat on my butt watching TV this evening. I could get used to this…

I haven’t been able to buy a mountain bike yet so I just rode the bike in the gym at a high level for 1 hour - this is probably equivalent to riding 15-20 miles. That’s about the distance of the mountain bike segment of the triathlon. Did 3 sets of walking lunges and 3 sets of push ups as well. Piece of cake!!

Once a week we have a coached workout. During these sessions the entire team gets together and we have group practice. We met about 1.5 hours away from my office in about 40 degree weather. Of course I wore shorts and a T-shirt and froze the entire 1 hour practice. Most of my teammates probably thought I was either hyperactive or suffering from A.D.D. because I kept moving to try to keep my body warm. Great first impression!

We did a few laps around a track and a few group drills. For instance we had to get into teams of three and hold hands while we scaled hurdles and zig-zagged around obstacles. For those of you who know me, its not often I hold hands with other men but it was fun and it reminded me of all those silly corporate retreat things you hear about but you hope you never have to do. Anyway, after reliving my youth doing “bear crawls”, “G.I. Joes” and “leap frogs”, I was ready to hit the sack.

STILL CAN’T FIND A MOUNTAIN BIKE! Everyone I ask seems to think you can’t get a bike that’s decent under $2K!!! “You gotta have (that thousand dollar bike) because all the rest are crap.” Think I’m going to either have to (1) buy a piece of junk, (2) bite the bullet and buy a bike worth more than my car, or (3) steal one. Anyway, I went to the gym again to ride the stationary bike for an hour. Did 3 sets of walking lunges and 3 sets of push ups as well. Finally regained feeling in my toes after the frigid training yesterday night.

I wonder if I added wheels to the stationary bike, that would substitute as a mountain bike? I’ll keep you posted…

Ran for 3 miles today. Feet were covered in blisters again. I even bought a pair of new fangled Nikes. You should check out their website sometime. Whoever they used to build their site really went for style with no intent to ever sell any product. Kinda like one of those Armani stores in Union Square where the shop keepers look at you like they’d be insulted if you actually decided to buy something rather than just “look” like you may buy something. Also this is the first night I ran with an 8 lb hydration pack. If you’ve never seen one of these things, its like a reverse pee bag - you suck drink out of a bladder bag that sits in your backpack. We need one during the race to make sure we don’t end up as dried up as Cher. Filled it with water and ran as though it were nothing. Lauren had a great idea that after the season is over I can use the pack to hold beer. My own personal keg!!! Anyway, I think my body is building up some tolerance for this running thing.

Ran for 7 miles today through Chrissy Field and to the Golden Gate Bridge. Chrissy Field was funded by the Haas family, the founders of Levi’s. Good to see that all that money we spent to buy blue jeans has funded not only child labor in Thailand but some greenery in the Bay Area - very PC!! Below are some photos of the area that I took in 1999 during my business school trip to the Bay Area:

Saw A LOT of soldiers guarding/overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and other parts of the Presidio (yes, it really is a military base and not a fictional place housing Mark Harmon and Sean Connery). I guess that’s because our terrorism alert level was increased a notch this past week. Perhaps we can force some of the captured terrorists to run an Adventure Race? That’ll teach ‘em!

At the suggestion of a mountain biking enthusiast from work, I bought a good starter bike: Marin Bobcat Trail 2003. Cost me about $400 and it is well liked by both mountain bikers and beginners. Its a hardtail with a front wear suspension and disc brakes (man, do I sound like Gary Fisher or what? Ignore me if you have no idea what I’m talking about). The guy at Big Swinging Cycles was real good about tuning it up for me. I guess he figures I’m gonna put a lot of wear and tear on it.

We had a great time riding our bikes at Bayfront. Practiced going down steep hills and inclines. Also learned how to change a bike tire so I can’t be accused of being a “girly” man anymore.

Did my best impersonation of a typical American male: ate some starchy food, watched a little basketball and finished the night with a good dose of “Joe Millionaire”. That has got to be one of the greatest American shows ever, although I am looking forward to a few classics coming up like “Are You Hot?”, “Married By America” or the best of them all, “Marry My Mom!”. TV nights are never going to be the same again!

Rode my trusty mountain bike from Pac Bell Park (that’s the home of the San Francisco Giants - they’re a baseball team that came in 2nd last year in the baseball finals that history will put on the junk pile with the Buffalo Bills if they never win one) to the Marina. This was an area of SF that was leveled by the last major earthquake here in the 1990s. Not much to report except that I think I shouldn’t have much problem with the mountain bike portion.

Weight training was pretty easy given I used to bench over 300 lb. at business school everyday. Yes, boys and girls, business school “IS” all fun and games so don’t believe any of those arrogant MBAs who convince you otherwise! Unless they went to Sloan/MIT like Lauren - they actually work and learn something over there!

Had a business meeting and then started to feel really sick today so I skipped practice. Although I heard from others that everyone’s elbows and knees were sore afterwards….hmmm. I wonder?

Dying…didn’t do diddly…

Recovering but gave myself a rest day… ;-)

Great day mountain biking in the dirt at Arastradero preserve in South Bay. Went mostly up and down hills and around and around. However, there was one very challenging hill where we cycled up a steep gradient for almost a mile. My legs were burning so much that I had to give up 75% of the way up and walk up the rest of the way. Yes, I was quite ashamed!

I was glad to finally get my bike dirty and covered in filth and horse manure (yes, the park is filled with horses who, unlike MOST of us, do their business as they trot). Made me finally feel like I was really mountain biking - as opposed to cycling a really slow version of the girly French road race: the Tour de France.

This day was a true test - my first combination day. I ran for 7 miles from my place up past Fisherman’s Wharf and back again. The Wharf is where you take a ferry to see “The Rock”, Alcatraz, a Federal prison that once housed some of this nation’s most hated and dangerous citizens (e.g., Al Capone, the Birdman, Leonard di Crappio, etc.).

Also biked around the city for another 30 miles. Went through Chinatown where they were celebrating the Year of the Goat - yes for all you uneducated buffoons who have been calling it the Year of the Sheep, it is a Goat or Ram, not a Sheep! That’s like calling the Year of the Horse the Year of the Ass!

Today there was also a major demonstration for the anti-war movement. Lots of people were protesting our potential involvement in Iraq. Interesting mix of characters - young people wearing tie-dye, old men with their Grateful Dead shirts, and an occasional Yuppie (yes - they still exist) on their cell phone. I guess this may be our generation’s Vietnam if the war progresses badly. I guess all we can do is hope for the best and put our efforts to good use: like sponsoring me!!!

For the record, some people may think there is a “God” (at least for a brief moment at 9:58 pm tonight on FOX), and his name is Rupert Murdoch, CEO of FOX, the network that brought us “Joe Millionaire”. Not only did Joe Millionaire (aka Evan Marriott) pick the one woman who would accept him for being what he is - a nice doofus construction worker masquerading as a millionaire, but FOX turns around and makes him a millionaire (at least a pre-tax millionaire which is still better than being a Turkish Millionaire!). Next week: “Joe Millionaire: The Aftermath”. Stay tuned!!

Ran 7 miles on the treadmill today. Interestingly, I was told by a seasoned marathoner that running on a treadmill is actually the next best thing to running outdoors - especially if you live in a cold weather place and don’t want to freeze your bunions. The only adjustment he said must be made is that your time on the treadmill must be adjusted for wind resistance - this can be done by usually adding 20 to 30 seconds to your minute per mile.

I also did 3 sets of weight training while I watched the Lakers defeat the Rockets in double OT. Great to see my kin, Chairman Yao score 24 points and prove definitively that there are Chinese dudes who can dunk!

Rode my bike from Pacific Bell Park to the Golden Gate Bridge and back. Not much to report except that tourist season seems to be at a low - not many camera toting tourists at the Fisherman’s Wharf.

Today was a great day of training. We ran twice around a football field for warm-up then started a whole series of team-oriented tests. We were put into groups of three and were told to never be further than 5 feet away from one another. Some of the tests included doing “bear crawls” for 100 yards, leap frogs into the stands, backward side steps downward and more running. One of the interesting tasks was doing “wheel barrows” and then doing them backwards. If any of you have ever done wheel barrows, you know that they can be tough moving forward and even harder going backwards. However, one of the cool things about Adventure Racing is that you can do anything as long as its in keeping with the rules. So some people simply hoisted one person between them and dragged them upright with their feet scrapping along the ground. I know - doesn’t sound like a wheel barrow to me either! So the moral of the story is LISTEN to the instructions!

We also had to form a single-file, human chain link that had to go over and under a series of hurdles. As one of the tallest participants going through hurdles made for midgets, its was toughest on me! Had a few cuts and bruises…Skipped weight training due to injured reserve status!

Ran 5 miles. I think my foot size has gone to 12 from 14. Still need to shrink one size to get back to normal.

This was one of the first few cross-training days. We went out to Lake Chabot and were split into two groups. The first group (mine) went trail running along the side of the lake while the other group kayaked to the same point. It was only 3 miles but it sure felt like a lot longer. Its amazing how much more tiring running on grass and mud can be - especially when you have to go up and down. I was second out of a pack of 20 to reach the meet point!

We climbed into a two-person kayak for a 3 mile ride back to base. In a two-person boat, the front leads and the back follows. Also the heavier (fatter) person sits in the back so that was me. I was feathering my paddle (oars on each end are 90 degrees to one another to minimize wind resistance) and matching my partner’s rhythm but for some reason we kept going left. I concluded it could have been one of 4 things: (1) our kayak was made in North Korea, (2) the left side of my body is heavier probably due to the empty space in that part of my head, (2) my partner and I both use our right hand for catching flies thus putting extra emphasis on the right turning stroke, or (4) we both sucked. At the end of the day, we couldn’t figure out what was wrong but a mentor paddled over and showed us how I could steer the boat using my paddle. I think she was worried because we were paddling like a bunch of drunk bastards after a three martini lunch.

Biked from Pacific Bell Park to Marin County (about 30 miles) in about 100 minutes. Would have done it faster were it not for the dang pedestrians and other bikers!! Also did about 1 hour of weight training to make up for skipping earlier in the week.

OK - so Joe Millionaire and his companion seem to be on the rocks after only one week. At least he’s now in the running for Superman…or so we hear through the rumor mill…

Biked from Pacific Bell Park to Chrissy Field in the dark. Luckily didn’t kill anyone tonight…although I may have run over a dog or two…

Ran 6 miles to Fisherman’s Wharf. Saw a bunch of Marines in full regalia hanging out by the Embarcadero. Perhaps Osama or Saddam are in SF for the Crab Festival?

Biked from Pacific Bell Park to Chrissy Field. All quiet on the Western Front.

Ran 6 miles to Fisherman’s Wharf. I’ve started to time myself and I’ve been averaging a 9-10 minute mile with my pack. I need to trim that down so that I can get a respectable time and not let my team down.

OK, I have a LONG way to go before I’m in game shape. This was by far our toughest practice. For warm-up we did a 8 mile dirt bike ride. This was pretty easy and we simply practiced some of the technical aspects of riding on dirt and gravel. Interestingly, one of our coaches mentioned that you never approach a train track in parallel fashion (seems logical to me, huh?). One of his teammates did so and lost all his front teeth when he flipped over and planted a nice smooch on the rails.

After the warm-up came a 4 mile dirt run. No biggie - I did it in about half an hour. Now came the good stuff! Without any break, we hopped back on our bikes and then did a 4 mile uphill/downhill bike run. It was tough sledding on the uphill since I was either stuck in mud, slowed by lack of momentum, or just plain tired. However, the bonus was the flight downhill where I easily zoomed downhill over 20 miles per hour. My buddy who did this part last year said 2 of his teammates ended up in the hospital for lacerations and stitches after going airborne or tumbling.

The final leg was a 4 mile mountain run which really kicked my #@$! One of the toughest things about the day was the lack of rest in between transitions. In the actual race, there will be little time to recuperate and rest. Your body needs to be ready to adjust on the spur of the moment!

Had friends in from out of town so I decided to take a breather today!   Showed them some of the sights of San Francisco’s Chinatown that only the locals know about! For instance, the Chinese bakery where Bill Clinton stuffs his face (aka “The Clinton Bakery”), the “George Bush Dim Sum House”, local dim sum joints where you can pig out and each a dozen buns and other delicacies for under $3 total, and the home of the fortune cookie (I wouldn’t advise checking this place out unless you’re used to the authentic filth in Chinese restaurants). Prepare to pick up some cooties or bring some Pepto if you want to eat at my homeboys’ hangouts.

Lauren ordered HBO and we TIVO’d “Six Feet Under”. This is one messed up show! Watch it just for kicks and you’ll soon conclude that the screenwriters at HBO must be either (1) incredibly creative or (2) psychopaths who write by day and kill people at night. Actually, if you think about all the shows they have (Sopranos, Sex in the City, Real Sex, Even More Real Sex, Taxi Cab Confessions, etc.) you gotta wonder if every sex-starved maniac in the world works at HBO (aka “Ho Box Office”)

Ran 6 miles to Fisherman’s Wharf. I’ve trimmed my time down to about 8 minutes per mile (from 9 minutes last week).

Ran 6 miles to Fisherman’s Wharf. I’ve trimmed my time down to about 8 minutes per mile (from 9 minutes last week).

I am proud to report that we had a mini track meet so that the coaches could monitor our progress. They wanted to see how fast we could run 2 miles. Thanks to all of your encouragement, I pushed myself, placed first in the group and clocked just over 7 minutes per mile. Woo hoo! Forrest Gump, watch out!

Biked in the gym today and worked mostly on weight training. For those of you who remember my weight-lifting in business school, I’m a far cry from those Hulkamania days but I’m getting back in the groove. Adventure racing/triathlons is one sport where being built like a truck doesn’t really benefit you. As my coach puts it, its like carrying an extra 20 pound tire around your waist! So my weight training is purely for strength, injury prevention, and good looks!

Recommitted today! Thanks to all of your generosity, I’ve reached over 50% of my $3,500 target today! Also ran 6 miles along the Embarcadero and didn’t even feel phased. I’m started to get into game shape.

Biked St. Joseph’s Hill Open Space Preserve in Los Gatos, CA. This was a great trail that we did twice. In total we biked about 10 miles at varying altitudes and inclines. I was in the advanced group with another 4 teammates and we all performed pretty well. The toughest part was navigating all the horse crap that lines the bike path. It was like a trail with a built-in obstacle course!

To date, I’m pretty comfortable with the endurance requirements for the mountain bike portion. However, I need to continue to work on the technical aspects. For instance, at very steep inclines, I continue to lose momentum and ultimately my balance. My coach has been giving me a lot of great tips such as keeping my center of gravity low and evenly balanced over my bike but its been difficult. Either I end up losing momentum and falling backwards or I fail to get enough traction in my back wheel and slide. Anyway, I’m working on it. I think the root of the problem is my behind is bigger than my head - ergo the uneven weight distribution. I know this problem is prevalent because many clients I know have the same problem, their ass is bigger than their head…

Instead of just running, today I decided to sign up for an orienteering course. As an adventure racer, there are aspects of the race that include navigation and orienteering so it pays to have some prior experience with maps and tasks. The course I ran was by the Bay Area Orienteering Club and the site was Shell Ridge (see map below). The courses were in “short course format” which features approximately 50% of traditional course length but have similar controls. This places the emphasis on fast, efficient control location and the ability to maintain higher speeds for shorter time frames - and somewhat de-emphasizes route choice and endurance. The courses used e-punch (an electronic finger card reader) for the advanced courses and paper hole punchers for the beginner and intermediate courses. I decided to do a beginner/intermediate course (yellow) followed by an intermediate course (orange). Basically, the starts are staggered and you don’t receive a map until the clock starts. Once you receive your map, you need to seek out all the numbered flags where you’ll find a punch that you can place on your card. Once you’ve collected all the punches, you head for the finish line! Piece of cake!

Yellow Course (Beginner/Intermediate) Beginner/intermediate course over 1 mile in total distance (if you follow the map). Total climbing of over 500 feet.

Orange Course (Intermediate/Advanced)Intermediate/advanced course over 1.5 miles in total distance (if you follow the map). Total climbing of over 650 feet.

So I started with the Yellow Course and was making good time until #4. Similar to the adventure race, I was not allowed to use a compass so I had to navigate by reading the map and looking at land markers. Of course, as a newbie, I was running around like a madman expending a huge amount of energy in desperation. I finally asked a chubby Boy Scout if he knew the location of #4 and he simply responded by saying: “Yeah.” After politely asking him where it was he responded by saying: “Its on the map.” Instead of beating it out of him, I decided to follow him and then sprint past when I realized where I was! After that flag is was smooth saling and I finished the Yellow Course in 1 hour.

Next, I completed the Orange Course because the instructor told me that it was a good barometer for the level of orienteering needed for my adventure race. It had a few more flags and more climbing than the Yellow Course but I was able to complete it in less than 50 minutes. The cast of Amazing Race has nothing on me!

At my age (over 30), I think having these days off is really important, not just for my body but my mind as well. Several people who have done endurance races have told me that its much more about mental discipline than physical discipline (of course for some, running 10 miles is more physical torture). So I usually use these days to rest, complete paper work needed for Team In Training (e.g., processing all the great letters and donations you have sent me), take some recreational drugs, and rest my poor feet!

Biked in the gym today on maximum setting. Since its too dark for me to mountain bike at night, I think I’m going to focus on mountain biking outdoors on the weekend and bike indoors on weekdays at high resistance levels!

Ran 6 miles to Fisherman’s Wharf. I’ve trimmed my time down to about 7.5 minutes per mile (from 8 minutes last week).

Biked in the gym today and worked mostly on weight training.

Ran 6 miles to Fisherman’s Wharf.

On Saturday, I was supposed to participate in a race on Angel Island. Angel Island is the West Coast equivalent of Ellis Island (with regards to immigration etc.). However, due to pending weather conditions, the race was canceled so I went mountain biking instead. There are tons of mountain biking trails in the Bay Area, but you have to know where to go. Lauren has a friend whose fianc\’e9 is a veteran triathlete so he gave me some ideas of where to go.

Ultimately, I decided to go up Old Railroad Grade and down Eldridge Grade on Mount Tamalpais (“Mount Tam”). Mount Tam is the birthplace of mountain biking and the trails can be pretty challenging. For one of them (Eldridge), I sped down the mountain where there was no discernible path, only a bunch of loose rocks. Good thing I had front suspension because the ride was pretty bumpy and my teeth were chattering on the way down! On another trail (Hoo-Koo-e-Koo), the trail flattened out with a little pool of water at the bottom. I thought that the pool was probably about 1” deep so I tried riding through it. Unfortunately, instead of speeding through, I found myself stuck in a pile of mud that I had to dig myself out of. Now I know what a deer stuck in elephant crap feels like!!

One of my friends at work gave me a Global Positioning System (”GPS”) which helped me orient myself and track where I had been, etc. Just when I thought I could never get lost, my GPS ran out of batteries! Fortunately, I was still able to find my way back (lots of runners and other bikers in the vicinity).   Overall, this ride was much more challenging than any I have had in practice and did wonders for the buns of steel!

Since St. Paddy’s day fell on a Monday this year (March 17th, 2003), most of the Bay Area decided to celebrate on Sunday. So in honor of the patron saint of the Irish, I decided to try my first race! As many of my frequent running friends would say, this 5 km (3.1 mile) race is a lay-up! So I went to the Dublin, CA St. Patrick’s Day Race and gave it my all!

Since this was a relatively short race (compared to my practices), I was overconfident and ready to go! So as soon as the race began, I committed the cardinal sin of long distance running - I sprinted out the gate. I was going strong (under 7 minutes for the first mile) but then quickly faded as I approached the 3rd mile. Now, there’s nothing more humbling in the world than seeing men twice your age and little kids run past you as though you were in slow motion. And sure enough, that’s what happened during the last mile of the race. Although I will attest that I was the only person with an 8 lb. backpack, I will be the first to admit that I was clearly out classed by many people who are superior runners. Despite my crushed ego, I did manage to complete the race in about 23.5 minutes ( a respectable 7.5 minutes per mile) and place in the top 25% of finishers! The best part was all the “swag” or free stuff you get at the end of the race. Interestingly, they were giving us pizzas, yoga mats, coupons for fast food…not exactly what I would have expected to get as a runner! But I’m not complaining - nothing like a double cheese pepperoni pizza slice after a 3.1 mile run!!!

Thanks to all of the generous support from you, I have reached my fundraising goal! It has been a very satisfying experience to date and I just want all of you to know that your donation (no matter how small) is very much appreciated and is going towards a very worthy cause. You should all be proud of you contribution and sleep well knowing that you have made a major difference in someone’s life!

Ran 6 miles to Fisherman’s Wharf.

Biked in the gym today and worked mostly on weight training.

Biked in the gym today and worked mostly on weight training.

Since this was a rest day, I organized a group trip to see Yao Ming (center for the Houston Rockets) play against the Golden State Warriors (this is the Bay Area NBA team). By seeing him in person, one thing that was made blatantly apparent to me is that Yao Ming (or Mr. Ming as Shaq calls him) has a gigantic ass! Good thing I stopped playing hoops or my ass would have definitely move up from economy to first-class!

Lauren made some great signs (Chinese on one side and English on the other) and we all had a blast! Oh, and just in case you were wondering - yes that’s me with the hairy face. Lauren thought that since I’m part of the 0.0000001% of Asian males who can actually grow facial hair, I might as well exploit it. BTW, I’ve taken an alias while I train: Fu Man Liu (aka Liu Man Chu).

Today we had a combination training session of kayaking and running at Elkhorn Slough which is a preserve located in Monterey Bay about 2 hours from my home. We were placed into teams of 4 and we had to stay with our team members at all times. Our coach had us perform a whole host of activities today. They consisted of the following (performed in the order shown):

1. Run 1 mile along a gravel trail;
2. Carry a teammate through a muddy marsh about 100 yards of mud (I was the mule);
3. Run 1 mile along a trail;
4. Memorize all of the contents of a box which contained 11 random objects;
5. Walk carefully across slippery rocks to a lighthouse and back and never lose contact with your teammates;
6. Run 1 mile across a sandy beach;
7. Answer 3 questions about the box correctly or return to the box (we got 1 of them wrong so I volunteered to run back to look at the box while my teammates stayed and did pushups);
8. Run 1 mile back to home base;
9. Link arms in a circle and pass a volleyball completely around the team;
10. Kayak out 1 mile to a sandy beach;
11. Run to a driftwood as a team and piggyback your team back to the kayaks;
12. Return to the beach and repeat steps 1 through 8.

I was with a team that didn’t run very much so I was able to conserve a lot of my energy (actually, I hardly broke a sweat the whole day). I guess I must be getting into better shape.

So today was the next big milestone in my training. In order to see how far I have progressed (or regressed) in my weakest skill (running), I decided to try the Across the Bay 12K Race with my good friend Julie. Julie is an active runner so I figured if I could keep up with her, I’m in pretty decent shape. Now, ordinarily, this race goes across the Golden Gate Bridge but because our nation is on ORANGE/HIGH RISK alert for terrorism, the race was rerouted through the Presidio.

Thanks to Julie (and her roommate Jen who ran with us) I was able to keep a good pace through the race and finished in 60.5 minutes (8.1 minutes per mile). Along the way we passed the typical SF run participants (i.e., long-haired dudes who look like chicks from behind, spandex wearing sausage women, speedy old dudes who made me look like I was in a John Woo slow motion scene, yuppie duos with their dogs, etc.). I placed 860 out of 2,600 men who ran the race. Not bad given I wore my 8 lb. pack throughout the race!  Next up, a Half-Marathon!

My dogs were barking today!! Watched “The Waterboy” and reminded Lauren that the highest earning actor in Hollywood last year wasn’t Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, or Leonard di Crappio, but the hero of all beer drinking, poker playing, frat boys all over the world: Adam Sandler! Yes ladies, almost every male I know watches his movies even though none of you claim to do so! He’s carved out a great niche market: GUYS!!!

Biked in the gym today and worked mostly on weight training. Watched CNN and the War on Iraq. Crazy stuff - this is like reality TV taken to a new level:

Watch a war in the comfort of your living room 24 hours a day!!! Today’s contestant is Saddam Hussein. He has to survive the full onslaught of the mightiest military in the world for as long as possible.

The Grand Prize: He gets to keep his country and use his weapons of mass destruction in a couple of years on the infidels who tried to kill him!

The Loser Prize: He loses all his dough ($1.5BN+), all his statues get demolished (3,000+), a lifetime supply of Bunker Busters delivered direct to his front door (batteries included), and a one-way ticket to Hades!

Ran 7 miles to Fisherman’s Wharf.

Biked in the gym today and worked mostly on weight training. Watched a new show on CNN: “Survivor: Iraq.” Looks like the local tribe is in trouble…

Ran 7 miles to Fisherman’s Wharf.

Today we had a pretty good combination workout of running and mountain biking. This was also the first day I was able to use my GPS without running out of batteries! We started the day by running 4 miles (2 miles uphill and 2 miles downhill). This took us about 35 minutes and included about 1,000 feet of climbing. Then we biked up the same trail (St. Joseph’s Hill Open Space Preserve) which added another 10 miles and 500 feet of climbing. This time, I was able to do the loop twice without stopping and feeling pretty good! Just call me the Lance Armstrong of mountain biking!!!!

Call me the boob of mountain biking. Today I really banged up my bike. I went to a great new trail with my buddy, Sammy. We tried El Corte de Madera Creek in Woodside.  For those of you who don’t know the Bay Area, this is a tony neighborhood in the western part of the Bay Area where all the VCs live. So of course its really hard to get to and entirely protected from new home development! Of course, there’s no way for them to stop vagrants like me from biking on the public preserves in their backyard.

We tried a pretty challenging route with about 5 miles of climbing (1,000 feet+). We carefully mapped out our route (i.e., we got lost) and bravely decided to take a eroded trail called the Methuselah Trail despite the fact that Sammy’s coworker told us to avoid it (i.e., we were too lazy to turn back so we decided to go for it). Of course, I went first and sped down the eroded path. I was doing well with my adrenaline pumping, my palms sweating, and my teeth chattering, until I started to notice that due to water erosion a crevice was forming in the center of the trail and it was getting deeper and wider. Although I was able to avoid it for over 0.5 miles, I finally got stuck in it and smashed my front wheel, my shin, and part of my knee into the path and the nearby rocks. Needless to say, my shin and knee will heal but my front wheel is toast. Oh well, its all what adventure racing is all about, right? I mean, what’s an adventure without a little blood?

Wow, my shin is really cut up. Good thing I’m a glutton for punishment.

Today was a major day for reflection. After resting on Monday and nursing a few nagging injuries (e.g., sore calf, tender hamstring), I came to the realization that I don’t think I’m going to be able to finish the race. My knee has been bothering me for some time and today it really swelled up. I’m sorry to let you all down but I just don’t see my body coping with another two months of intense training.

Obviously, I was pretty depressed at this realization so to cheer myself up I decided to go on a shopping spree! On-line of course…I may be depressed but I’m not delusional. I bought myself a couple of PS2 games and a new suit. Now, I know some of you may think the way I paid for it is a little bit unethical, but I think its justified given I’ve been working my butt off for two months. I figured that since I’ve done 50% of the complete training schedule, I’m entitled to 50% of the donations (which were fortuitously donated in cash). So I used your money. For those of you who paid by check, I will be tearing them up so you don’t have to worry about me cashing them. I’m sure all of you will understand! My mind wanted to finish but my body wouldn’t let me!

Despite decided to halt my training yesterday, I have found that I need to do some exercise or I can’t sleep. So today, I ran for 2 miles (there was a time when I thought that was a lot!). Ran along the Embarcadero and then went home to eat a tub of ice cream.

Oh, one last thing, happy belated April Fool’s Day! Now you didn’t think I’d really spend your money on games, now do you? Geez, give me a little credit! Actually, I’m a sucker too. I actually believed that Yao Ming was out for the season as reported by the Houston Rockets Clutch City Web Site: www.clutchcity.net

So I missed practice today because I got off work late, but I did manage to attend a short seminar given at a local sports store near my home. It was hosted by Focus N Fly, a sports training company started by a repeat marathon champion. He had 10 interesting tips for how to increase your running speed. It was really great advice but a little complex so I’ve taken the liberty of distilling the key points for you:

1. Consistency
   • Focus N Fly: Stay committed and keep at your training for months before the race
   • Liu’s Interpretation: Treat your training like a bag of chips: don’t stop until all the chips are gone!
2. Plan
   • Focus N Fly: Set up a plan to get you to the finish line
   • Liu’s Interpretation: Without a plan, you might as well open another bag of chips
3. Races
   • Focus N Fly: Try some races to help gauge your ability, set up your rhythm, and improve your mental focus
   • Liu’s Interpretation: Treat your training like a bag of chips: don’t stop until all the chips are gone!
4. Paces
   • Focus N Fly: Train yourself to establish a constant pace during the entire race
   • Liu’s Interpretation: Save some gas in the tank so you can at least crawl to your car
5. Periodization
   • Focus N Fly: Segment your training into set periods with both moderate and maximum training periods
   • Liu’s Interpretation: Try some sprints and tell everyone those are your “regular” times so they’ll think you’re a stud
6. Peaks
   • Focus N Fly: Set up your schedule so that you are peaking and running your longest sessions right before the actual race
   • Liu’s Interpretation: You only get one shot at the brass ring. Don’t blow it and then hurt yourself standing up the day before the race
7. Visualization
   • Focus N Fly: Visualize the difficult parts of the race and see yourself overcome them
   • Liu’s Interpretation: TThat better be the last time I see you cry like a baby!
8. Partners
   • Focus N Fly: Run and train with other people so that you have company to help pace or encourage you
   • Liu’s Interpretation: Either run with runner who will take pity on you or run with slowpokes who you can outrun to feel good about yourself
9. Breaks
   • Focus N Fly: Run and train with other people so that you have company to help pace or encourage you
   • Liu’s Interpretation: Welcome the return of the Fatman and his sidekick Lazy Boy!
10. Acceptance
    • Focus N Fly: Accept your limitations
    • Liu’s Interpretation: There will always others who exceed your skills

Took the day off because I deserve it!!

So I reached another major milestone for Team Liu today: I ran a half-marathon on a hilly trail!!! I signed up for the annual Golden Gate Half Marathon which takes place west of the Golden Gate Bridge in an area called the Marin Headlands. The views were truly spectacular and the run was, dare I say, spiritual! Or was that because of the brownies I had for breakfast…

We started with a steep climb for over a mile and then traversed 3 hills in a loop. There were 3 aid stations: the first and the third were just water and the second was food (Cliff bars, bananas, cakes, hamburgers (just kidding)) and sports drinks.

The first hill (which I will fondly remember as “Ice Cubes In My Pants”) was a real shocker and brutal on the calves. It was very steep and I prayed that I wouldn’t suddenly cramp up and have to call it quits after just the first mile. The second hill (which I will call “Chinese Water Torture”) was about 3 miles of constant uphill running. It wasn’t that steep but this is where I started to see some people fall by the wayside and slow to a walking pace. The last hill (which I will call “The Land That Pepto Forgot”) wasn’t that steep but because of rain the prior day, it was very muddy and often I’d step in something that would squish and slide. The last leg of the race was all downhill (about 2 miles) and on reasonable track so I was flying and expecting a good time for the race until I came up to the final leg: a half mile through wet sand. Let’s just say I wasn’t a happy camper and it took be about as long to run through this molasses as it would’ve taken me if I had to run a mile with Fat Albert on my back. As you can see from the picture, I look like one happy camper on the final leg:

In total, I ran 13.1 miles and climbed over 2,200 feet in just over 2 hours (9.2 minutes per mile).  I am proud to say that I didn’t stop once and kept at it even though my body kept screaming: “Are you mad!??”

Today we had a combination training session of kayaking and running at Elkhorn Slough. Like last time, we were placed into teams of 4 and we had to stay with our team members at all times. Our coach had us perform a whole host of activities today. They consisted of the following (performed in the order shown):

1. Run 1 mile along a gravel trail
2. Memorize all the particulars about a teammate (not in the foursome)
3. Walk carefully across slippery rocks and never lose contact with your teammates
4. Wheelbarrow and walk across a pipe with a teammate
5. Run 1 mile across a sandy beach
6. Swim with all your gear across a river
7. Kayak 5 miles
8. Return to the beach and do 10 push-ups

It wasn’t that tiring but considering my activities from the prior day, I wasn’t complaining!

Is it just me, or is there no decent TV on Mondays?

Biked in the gym today and worked mostly on weight training.

Our coaches really challenged us today - perhaps because they realize we more than halfway to the race day and we need to be pushed to convince ourselves we can finish the race. Today’s activities included a 3 mile warm-up run, several line drills and push-ups, running circuits around the track with another person tugging at our backs, more line drills, and a finish with pull-ups and a couple of more sprints around the track.

Biked in the gym today and worked mostly on weight training.

Ran 10 miles around the Aquatic Park. This is a pier where they launch the fireworks for San Francisco’s 4th of July celebration and a few miles down from Fisherman’s Wharf. From here, you can also get a great view of Alcatraz. Must have been a great viewing spot for watching escaped convicts being eaten by the sharks in San Francisco’s harbor…

So, for my next trick…another half marathon! The Skyline Ridge Half Marathon is held at the Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve, one of the best recreational resources in the Bay Area. The track consisted of 1,600 feet of climbing among hilly hiking trails through Skyline Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains and panoramic vistas from ridge tops, open meadows and forests. After my performance at Golden Gate (April 5, 2003), I was convinced this would be a cakewalk.

First off, the weather was atrocious. It rained all night and continued through the morning of the race. Of the 100 or so registrants, only the die-hards (aka crazies) showed up. There were about 50 of us in total and we were all shivering and cold from the morning rain. The park rangers informed us that they had to reroute the race because our original path passed through a summit where the wind chill factor was 10 degrees!!! Too cold for comfort.

So we ran an adjusted race route through sludge, rain, cold, and grit. In all, it was pretty difficult. On uphill sections, it was difficult to gain and traction, and on downhills it was like surfing through mud. After completing the race in just under 1 hour, 40 mins, I went to a local store where the shopkeeper just stared at me as though I was some escapee from prison. You see, I was covered in mud and dirt from the waist down. I told him it was because I wanted to make sure the body was buried nice and deep in the local riverbed…

Biked St. Joseph’s Hill Open Space Preserve in Los Gatos, CA again. Once you do a trail once, its amazing how much easier it gets over time…

My dogs are barking today…

Ran 10 miles around the Aquatic Park.

Biked in the gym today and worked mostly on weight training. I’m getting frickin’ huge!!! (*just kidding..although I think my ass is getting bigger..*)

Ran 7 miles to Fisherman’s Wharf.

Biked in the gym today and worked mostly on weight training.

We worked on speed on the mountain bike again. We started in phases with the slowest first and the fastest last. I was second last but came in first from the race. All my training must be paying off. We also practiced a few special tests like carrying teammates and setting splints. These are pictures of our team setting up the splint and running back to home base.

We worked on speed on the mountain bike again. We started in phases with the slowest first and the fastest last. I was second last but came in first from the race. All my training must be paying off. We also practiced a few special tests like carrying teammates and setting splints. These are pictures of our team setting up the splint and running back to home base.

Took the day off and celebrated Easter Sunday with the Chens (our annual tradition). Every year we celebrate Easter by a short service and an Easter feast. This year, we decided to gorge on dim sum.

One of the side benefits of training is that I get to redefine my non-physical activities in a positive light. For instance, when I’m doing the “couch potato” on the sofa, I’m say I’m “recharging my muscles”. When I eat like a pig, I can claim I’m “carbo loading”. That sounds so much more chic than I’m “stuffing my fat face” - don’t you think?

Recharged my muscles and reinitiated my carbo loading regimen.

Translation: Sat on my behind, did my Al Bundy impersonation and ate a bag of chips…

I took a leave of absence from my current job in San Francisco and I’m now living in Los Angeles for the next 90 days. It’s a long story that would be irrelevant for this context. However, it has put a huge damper on my training regimen. I work all day and night and have no time to train. So I’m focusing on getting maximum training during the weekends when I return to San Francisco.

Working in L.A…

Working in L.A…

Working in L.A…

Ran 5 miles on hilly trails in Rancho San Antonio. Piece of cake!

Practiced with my three-person team, “Team WHATTHEHELLAMIDOIN?” We figured out the combinations of personnel that work best and should be ready for the practice adventure race in a few weeks.

Working in L.A…

Working in L.A…

Working in L.A…

Working in L.A…

Working in L.A…

Ran 7 miles to Fisherman’s Wharf.

Ran 7 miles to Fisherman’s Wharf.

Did the Andronicos Devil Mountain 10K Race to keep myself in shape. This one took place in Danville about 1 hour from San Francisco. It was quite short and flat. The picture is of me at the finish line. I completed the 6.2 mile race in 46 minutes (approximately 7.5 minute mile pace) which is pretty good considering my pace from the Across the Bay 12K (8 minute mile). I’m learning to love these small town races because they have so much good SWAG. Similar to the Dublin race, at the finish line we were greeted by Krispy Kreme Doughnuts!!! Food of the gods!

Working in L.A…

Working in L.A…

Working in L.A…

Working in L.A…

Working in L.A…

This Saturday morning, I woke up at 6:30AM to participate in a practice run for my adventure sprint. TNT set up an entire course. It was the first time we had the opportunity to do all the required events all in one shot. I was confident that we would do well because my other teammates were athletic and trained regularly.

Since part of the adventure race consists of orienteering, each team was given a map to figure out where to go. I took map duty. Since I was the fastest mountain biker of the group, I would move ahead to the next intersection to scope out the landscape while waiting for the others to catch up. Everything worked out…up to a point. Unfortunately, at one of the intersections, one of my teammates started heading in another direction because he was following another team, and so we followed him without consulting the map. After biking for a long time and not seeing any other bikers on the trail, I saw a ranger and asked her for directions to Lake Chabot (their destination). To my horror, the ranger told me it was 10 miles away… back where we came from! Turns out we had taken a wrong turn and had made a detour that cost us an extra hour of time (15 miles)! At that point, we were too far behind to be able to catch up so we ended up finishing second to last!!

The other sporting events consisted of kayaking (the first four teams were disqualified for going in the incorrect direction) and trail running. I cramped up during the running portion, and I think it’s probably because I didn’t have enough water in my camel pack (it was only half full). On the day of the real thing, I’m planning to fill it with Gatorade as opposed to water. I’m also probably going to eat a lot of bananas the week leading up to the race because it’s a good source of potassium. Aside from the main sporting events, we also had to solve some puzzles. One of them was to cross a stretch of land, but any given time, all team members had to be on top of one of two small planks of wood (about 15″x15″ each). At another site, we were given an 8″x11″ sheet and a pair of scissors and the challenge was to have one team member go THROUGH the piece of paper but you weren’t allowed to cut the edges of the paper. At a separate game called “minefield”, there was a grid of boards, and you had to get across by stepping only on “safe” boards. However, if you landed on an incorrect board, a judge would say “boom”, and you had to start all over again. The difficulty was that you don’t know which boards are safe (they all look the same), and you’re also not allowed to speak to your teammates making it difficult to strategize. Here’s a picture of us doing that:

We did remarkably well, especially since we did so much extra work. Right now, I’m pretty down about the whole race, however, and feel responsible for the team’s performance. Lauren reminds me that that’s what trial runs are for: it’s an opportunity to make all sorts of mistakes so you don’t make them on the day of the race. Well, it’s a team event for a reason - and it just goes to show that you are only as strong as the weakest link. Lauren is encouraging me to participate in a solo adventure sprint at some point.

Working in L.A…