Day 0 and all signed up

I was up at 3:00 a.m. full of excitement and forced myself to get back to sleep. Tossing and turning, I finally got out of bed at 6:00 a.m. John and I packed the bicycle.

Then ...

STEP 1: Gather necessary materials for check-in and Orientation.

and we were on our way to and arrived at the Cow Palace at 9:00 a.m. to ...

STEP 2: Drop off your bike at Bike Parking.

STEP 3: Watch the Safety Video (mandatory for all participants) - waited in line for about half an hour. This was an important video and had some comedic moments.

Skipped Steps 4 to 6 - already done prior to Day 0
STEP 4: Visit Donor Services to drop off any offline donations or complete a donation guarantee (mandatory for any cyclists who have not yet reached the $3,000 fundraising minimum).

STEP 5: Visit the Medical Tent to complete your Medical Form (mandatory for anyone who did not complete the form online).

STEP 6: Visit Tent Assignment (mandatory for anyone who did not complete Online Tent Assignment).

STEP 7: Visit the Check-In Booth to get your participant wristbands and bicycle helmet and frame identification stickers. Ken Ho checked me in with such enthusiasm - he's wonderful!

STEP 8: Pick up any incentives you have earned at the Incentives Booth. Got the Top 50 Fundraiser jersey - see the picture below. Thanks to all who donated. #10 on the list.

STEP 9: Go shopping at the Camp Store and get those amazing goodies. Didn't do this - I've spent $____ already :)

STEP 10: Place cyclist number on my bike.

Done by 11:35 a.m.

In memory of and support of ...

I want to do something special for my first AIDS/LifeCycle ride. I asked supporters to share with me names that I could somehow carry with me on my bike or person. I think I've solved it with a cape. Thank you David Magdael, Patricia Kimball, Kate O'Malley, WayneJul Aphillus, Gina Padilla Muriera, Michael Bitanga, Alan Hikida, and Donna Judge for sharing. I'll continue to add names before and during the ride as requested.

We ride out in 3 days!

Wow! Time certainly flies. Where did the last four months go? I am so excited about cycling out from San Francisco to Los Angeles this coming Sunday. The past week, I've been making sure the bicycle is in tip top shape - thanks to Richard and Charlotte of Tip Top Bike Shop and Andrew Weber of Bikefit.

Andrew spent so much time (house calls) making sure the new bicycle was fitted to me: from making sure my cleats were positioned just right, so that pedaling felt as if my feet were on air, literally - including adjusting the saddle and handle bars. Andrew came back for additional changes four times to be certain my rides would be enjoyable. I'll be reporting on the fit after the 7-day ride, but if my last few training rides reflect what I'll encounter, I'll have a wonderful ride.

John will be coming with me to Orientation Day on Saturday, also known as Day 0, to sign-in and drop off the bicycle, get our participant numbers for our helmet and bike, so we can be ready for our 5:00 a.m. call on Sunday morning for the ride out. And, yes, John will also be dropping Bill, Woojin, and me that morning and join us for the Opening Ceremony.

I've been packing to make sure that I have everything, including the kitchen sink.

Thanks so very much to everyone. You are part of AIDS/LifeCycle and this journey. We are currently #8 in top fundraisers.

Last ALC training ride - Victory Ride

Distance 21.1
Moving Time 1:24:57
Elevation 1,860ft
Avg Speed 14.9mi/h
Max Speed 35.1mi/h
Heart rate 145bpm avg / 176bpm max

What a wonderful way to cap our training rides! Mark Smith was a wonderful ride leader making sure we had just one more steep climb, Deer Hill Road, before we could call it a day for our final training ride. Thank you to George and his family for hosting our victory party.

Last Saturday mini-training Celebration Ride

Distance 15.6
Moving Time 1:15.47
Elevation 1,637ft
Avg Speed 12.4mi/h
Max Speed 35.3mi/h
Heart rate 128bpm avg / 164bpm max

What a short, fun ride today ending at Mary Vencil's warm, inviting home. I remember when I started training rides in February at 13 and 16 flat miles and was thoroughly delighted with the distance I had just cycled. I would rush into Tip Top Bike Shop and announce to Richard and Charlotte the miles I had just ridden.

Well Mr. Art forgot to takes pictures of the party, but I'm sure others, including Steve had his camera out at the party. I'll copy and paste as soon as Steve posts them in Facebook.

I am so excited that I, along with more than 2000 cyclists will be riding out of the Cow Palace in San Francisco on our way to Los Angeles on our 7-day, 545-mile journey.

Cycled 111.3 miles to help Oakland public schools

Ride 4 A Reason ("R4R") is such a wonderful event that has taken place the last 6 years. It all started with 5 cyclists who were fed up with the massive cuts in funding for education. To protest, they decided to pedal from Oakland to the steps of the State Capitol for one school. This past Saturday, R4R had 270 cyclists -- parents, teachers, students, and community members -- riding again to raise funds and public awareness in this cause and benefit 6 schools.

Seeing whole families cycle was a joy. One family had the mother cycling with her son and the father had daughter with him on their tandem bike. While the ride was a protest, the mood was jovial and supportive.

How can California, ranked 8th in the global economy, be lowest in the nation's educational funding?

John and I have donated to R4R in past years, and thanks to AIDS/LifeCycle for opening up my eyes to actively participate and fundraise for causes near and dear to my heart.

Richard, TipTop Bike Shop, and I in front of Oakland Tech

Distance 111.3mi
Moving Time 8:24:16
Elevation 4,593ft
Avg Speed 13.2mi/h
Max Speed 37.1mi/h
Heart rate 113bpm avg / 156bpm max

A Glimpse of AIDS/Lifecycle

My Godmother, Hedi Desuyo, introduced me to this video just a few days after I signed up for AIDS/LifeCycle the last week of January. John and I were at last night's AIDS/LifeCycle Northern California 2014 10k Send Off Party and I was reminded of how wonderful this video is in giving anyone a glimpse of the experience.

19 days and we're off riding from San Francisco to Los Angeles

The past week, I've been taking it easy and not cycling as much as I have so that I can be ready for this upcoming 109-mile Ride 4 A Reason this Saturday, May 17th. This ride helps 6 Oakland public schools, 3 of which are right in our Temescal neighborhood. You can donate to help the 6 schools by clicking on the donate badge to the right.

I've continued to ice my knee, stretch and take Aleve (doctors orders). I will be ready for Saturday and, definitely, the 7-day ride.

Also, thanks to everyone who has donated on behalf of my participation in AIDS/LifeCycle. We have contributed over $30,000 in support of much needed services. I'm continuing to fundraise in hopes of exceeding the $35,000 goal. I have 19 more days to do this.

Last Saturday, we enjoyed a luncheon thanking those who have donated. My brother Val, an excellent chef, created his signature mouth-watering paella (including a vegan paella) and roast pork dishes.

Short, slow, deliberate ride today

Distance 12.8mi
Moving Time 1:20:40
Elevation 1,407ft
Avg Speed 9.5mi/h
Max Speed 30.4mi/h
Heart rate 111bpm avg / 175bpm max

I wanted to make sure that I didn't re-injure my right leg with this short ride up to Grizzly Peak. I was also trying a out a new, much lighter bicycle with no granny gear, so I definitely needed to take the ride much, much slower than usual. Success! I was able to get to the top without injuring myself and looks as if the new bike will be a great replacement - yeah, already, ditching the February bicycle for a more efficient one.

The body tells you when you've had enough

Distance 77.8mi
Moving Time 6:05:18
Elevation 4,918ft
Avg Speed 12.8mi/h
Max Speed 39.6mi/h

Sunday's ride up to Mt. Diablo's east side summit, Morgan Territory, was not difficult for me. At the summit, I snacked, stretched, re-butt'red, and socialized. After resting a bit, time to go down the mountain. At about half way down the mountain, I started to feel a pain in my right knee, then along my quad, and into my glute. The remaining 37 miles were not fun. I stretched once we got to our lunch stop and took Advil (no this is not a commercial) and rode with a little less pain, but still painful. I biked the slowest I've ever since my training started. But as I thought of anyone having pain in their lives throughout her/his day, I simply told myself to enjoy the beauty of the ride and focus on the next 15 feet, then the next, and so on until I was back in Orinda. Whew!

I quickly prepared and consumed my recovery drink, drove home, iced my knee, and used the foam roller to stretch my legs. I'm fine today, but I'll continue to ice and stretch the injured area throughout the day. I'm hoping with attention to my injury, I'll be able to hop on my bicycle this coming Sunday. If not, I'll continue to rest since the week after, I have 109 miles for Ride 4 A Reason on Saturday and 80 miles to Half Moon Bay and back on Sunday -- and that folks is the last of my training ride. Time flies by so quickly.

I remember when ...

Distance 16.9mi
Moving Time 1:16:05
Elevation 446ft
Avg Speed 13.3mi/h
Max Speed 26.6mi/h

riding for 1 to 2 hours was challenging. And, now, ho hum yawn. I was able to squeeze in a little over an hour of training today to the Bay Bridge and a bit of the Bay Trail. I did one day of cross training with Chris Davis this past week and he's getting me to use more of my glutes with squat exercises. Yes, sore, but that should be able to help with cycling. I can't believe that I have only three training rides left with AIDS/LifeCycle plus the one 109-miler for Ride 4 A Reason, and then June 1, here we come.

Look at how much more the old East Bay span of the Bay Bridge is gone.