Summer Time!!!

It's Summer!  For most of my childhood, summer was my favorite time of the year...playing outside with friends and family till dark, endless hours in the pool, camping in Sequoia or local camping spot, and sleeping in your undies with the windows wide open and the night breeze barely cooling you down.  Today I celebrated the Summer Solstice on a mountain bike ride during lunch with just a water bottle and a t-shirt (no kit, no strava, no timer) and with the Blue Angels flying overhead.    Sweet ride - made me feel like a kid.

My family camping in the local mountains.  I'm the girl on the far left in the green jacket.  

Now that us kids are older, it seems that we have found new ways to enjoy the summer with extreme rides, runs, and adventures.  Right now, there are two rides crossing the states - The first is the ultimate road ride: Race Across America starting from Oceanside, CA to Annapolis, MD approximately 3,000 miles.  The second, Tour Divide, the ultimate mountain bike race from Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico.  There is also a foot race that starts this weekend, the Black Hills 100, a ultra trail run in South Dakota.

If these events seem a little too much for your taste buds, there are some other fun summer advetnures you can sink your teeth into.

• Tough Mudder - these races are 10-12 miles in length and specialize in obstacles made from the British Special Forces.  The races are held not just in the US but all over the world.  There is a race in So. Cal in July.
• Rim Nordic Mountain Bike Race Series - is underway and offers cross country, downhill, and Super D races all summer long.  The course is beautiful and terrain challenging.  
• Trail running has a long list of races this summer from 5Ks to ultra runs.  Here's an extensive list of trail runs this summer.  

Between now and September,  I will be in the mountains in Southern California training 20 hikers to do Mt. Whitney in one-day.  I will sprinkle a mountain bike ride on the weekdays or sneak in a weekend ride after a training hike.  A new way to enjoy summer in a non-extreme way is riding to the beach with a packed lunch and a cold beverage - I'm outside and enjoying some tranquility.

Get the cooler ready and have some summer fun!

Chi

Training for Whitney - food, shoes, altitude, poles..

I am going to take a break from the Stagecoach 400 for two reasons...one - i need to come up with a better way to describe the cast of characters.  each person had such a different background, experience, expectation that i can't oversimplify their story.  second - I am in the beginning of training two groups to summit Mt Whitney in a day and there are mounds of information I want to share while its fresh on my fingertips..and i have my dirty shoes and pack next to my leg.

Goal: Summit Mt. Whitney in one-day
Experience: various levels ranging from Whitney veterans to some who are afraid of heights.  We have men & women who are in excellent fitness level and some who want to use this to help with their fitness level.
Strategy: two training hikes per week for four months; each hike increase either duration, distance, elevation gain, elevation or a combination of two to expose their bodies to the elements they will see at Mt. Whitney including steep climbs, steep ascents, altitude, and hikes.

Checklist of what to carry on each training hike:
1. hydration pack that holds 3 liters
2. water bottle to carry for electrolytes
3. sun protection - hat, glasses, sunscreen, chap stick
4. cold weather - beanie, gloves, windbreaker
5. first aid kit - ibuprofen, blister kit
6. camera/phone
7. hiking poles
8. electrolytes - nuuns, coconut water (see #2 above)
9. yummy food - salty, sweet, fat, protein, sugar.  examples: fresh fruit - banana, orange, grapes, mango, fruit cups, tuna pouch/crackers, PB&J or AB&J, turkey and cheese sandwiches, chips, almonds, olives, leftovers, pretzels, trail mix.  I bring extra bars as back up since they take up little space and well packaged.

enjoy the journey,
chi

creating a habit...10 minutes at a time

I'm am going to start a habit today...i'm going to write 10 minutes a day, everyday, about something related to training and fitness.

the idea came from my 'accountability club' a group of close friends who meet to discuss personal goals and strategies and we each give suggestions and feedback.  sometimes we need to help shape each others ideas and goals or simply give a clear direction.  one of many of my goals was to get a handle on the pouring in of paperwork on my home desk.  it got to a point that it would stress me out just to look at it.  i brought this concern to the table and the suggestion was to do 10 minutes every day UNTIL ITS DONE!  and it's working.  i've worked on my desk for 10minutes everyday for the last 3 weeks and missed 2 days (but i made up those 10 minutes).  my pile is down and every week i throw a large wastebasket.  i think i have about two more weeks of this and i will have a clear desk :)...sanity back to my life.  it is like have a dirty window and then getting your car wash - you can see so much better.  When i sit to 'clean my desk' i usually have a glass of wine or cup of coffee put on some calm or groovy tones and set a timer.  it is me against the clock and i jam!

so i decided to apply the same to my blog.  i usually try to get myself to write when the kids are asleep, bills are paid, clothes are put away, etc.  and as i see the days go by between post it acutally makes it harder to get back on the horse.  i start to doubt and make up excuses.  i don't have wine or coffee, just some music and i'm in my PJs and the clock is ticking away.

one item of business i need and want to address is the write up for the recent endurance mountain bike race i did about a month ago - the stagecoach 400.  the race starts in Idyllwild (mountains near SD) and drops down to the desert and up the desert (did i mention oven like temperature).  then up some more into the local Laguna/Cuyamaca mountains.  down the mountains into Jamul and Chula Vista until we reach downtown San Diego.  we travel up the coast to Torrey Pines and cross through the trails up to Escondido.  From Escondido it's 100 miles of climbing...about 12,000 feet of climbing.  We had five days to complete and i made it to the last minute.  me and about 25 other riders.  i was one of the last.  about 15 others didn't make it.

oh...there's the 10 minute timer.  so fast....

hasta manana!
chi