Saturday, March 13, 2010--First Open Water Swim

So, there I go to Shadow Cliffs, Pleasanton for our first open water swim! We also get our new wetsuits. Coach Cindy has recommended that we wear two -or three- swimming caps because it is going to be very cold......my God, I am used to swim in the nice calm and warm waters of the Mexican Pacific ocean....

So, I get on my wetsuit....I look like a skinny sausage (I promise to upload a picture later) and start walking towards the lake/pond.

When my feet touch the water I cannot beleive how cold it is. As I go in my whole body starts getting really cold......until the water reached my waist....oh yes, a little pee works wonder! (actuallt, everybody does that, so don't think I am some kind of nasty human being)

Now comes the moment of truth...open your suit at the neck and let the water actually flow through your chest and back.....my god, it feels awful, awful, awful. As a reference, a hot tub temperature is around 40 degrees celcius, a regular swimming pool is heated at around 28. The water at Shadow Cliffs was around 16-20 degrees.

By this moment I cannot feel my feet and my hands are absolutely numb. We get the instructions from the coach and start swimming. I feel some anxiety because I cannot see anything underwater, the water is completely opaque. Also,the coldness of the water makes me feel confused, like I didn't know where I was.

After a couple of minutes I actually started feeling much better, got warmer and actually enjoyed the training. Cold water has this effect on a person's body. At the beginning you really hate it, but after you get use to it, it becomes quite an enjoyable experience.

After finishing the swim workout and taking off the suit we went for a quick 20 minute run. While changing in the bathroom I was talking to one of the coaches and he told me that the water was incredibly cold, more so than the San Francisco Bay! (the guy has done the Escape from Alcatraz Tri a couple of times)

The run was quick and easy. However, I didn't put a jacket or sweatshirt after finishing and on the wya home I started feeling some discomfort on my throat.....yes I am getting old. I actually missed Sunday training because I got a cold after swimming in a cold pond.

Monday, March 08, 2010--rest

Today, thankfully is rest day. After yesterday's brutal climb and Saturday's not-so-nice swim and run my body feels a bit "tense" -to say the least- My right butt hurts more than my left one (that tricky bike....), my neck is as stiff as a pencil and my legs (chicken, of course) tremble when walking up the stairs.

Couple of donations today. Thanks to tios Sergio & Chiquis and to Jana.

Sunday, March 7, 2010--Captain's ride

Wake up at 7:20 after Lola's birthday party and Saturday's hard workout. Drive again to Orinda for Sunday bike ride.

We went to the Redwood Regional Park, which is on top of Oakland hills and has one of the most beautiful views of the Bay Area. The ride was quite steep at the beginning, but totally worth it. Here is the total mileage and inclination. Make sure you click on "view elevation" link so you can see how steep this ride was.



This route is the most beautiful bike ride I have ever done. You ride along huge redwood trees so dense that block the sunlight (yes, it is cold) in a quite narrow road with beautiful views of Oakland, Berkeley and San Francisco.

Saturday, March 6, 2010--Swim and Run

Wake up at 6:45, grab quick breakfast and drive to Orinda for Saturday workout. Saturdays are always tough because you are carrying the work from all week plus is the day the workout is tougher.

The pool was not as warm as the TNT coaches made us believe, but anyhow, couple of swims and you start getting warm. The swam around 1500 meters, some at level 3 effort (mild) and some at level 8 (can u pick up my lungs please?).

After the swim we went for a 5 mile run. Five miles is not that bad, except when two of those miles are quite steep......bu the time I finished, my two powerful chicken legs were trembling like crazy....and on Sunday I had to go biking.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Wake up at 7:00 am on a Sunday... you have to be kidding me. Another 20 minutes, please... I have Matias (my cat) on the head, Lola (my wife) completely asleep , the bed is really warm and outside... its raining. "Cycling probably is cancelled on rainy days, I thought"... I got off bed had a quick breakfast, put on my super Peter Pan tights and drove to Tilden Regional Park http://www.ebparks.org/parks/tilden

View Larger Map

The TNT group met in the parking lot at the very top of Skyline Blvd on the beautiful Berkeley/Oakland hills It was indeed raining and quite cold. After some inicial instructions we went on and started biking towards Berkeley. During the first 25 minutes the inclination was quite moderate, with almost no palpable discomfort in the legs.

After Skyline Blvd makes a sharp turn to the right, things started getting a bit more complicated with the inclination increasing constantly until it comes to a quite uncomfortable point. However, this only last for 10-15 minutes. Once we get to the intersection with Highway 24 we make a u-turn and enjoy the lovely downhill run.

One hour after our departure from the parking lot we come back with our bodies completely wet and cold, but very happy of having conquered the always challenging Berkeley hills!

First group training (that I attend)

Saturday, February 20, 2010

I thought: "I learned to swim in Acapulco, just like "el mismisimo Santo" (yes, that is a very local Mexican joke), my technique is perfect, I am such an accomplished swimmer". Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. At the first "hey Adolfo, you really open your legs wide open when you breathe (no adult jokes here, please)" I realized my technique was not as pristine as I had thought and that in the pool I probably looked more like an overweight chicken than a triathlete....

Now, one thing I want to ask is, why do architects in Northern California think outdoor pools are a good idea? This is not LA or San Diego where warm weather is the rule. In the mornings and at night it's always cold in the Bay Area. This means you always freeze your ass off when you get out of the pool. If anybody knows the answer, please let me know.

Out of the pool and on to the running. Before we went for the 3? mile run, we had the pleasure of meeting a lovely kid who had leukemia but was now fully recovered. Her mom told us her story and everything they went through. You kind of feel bad about complaining on cold water and wind when you hear these stories.

So, off we go for our run. Very similar to the Wildflower course according to the coach. It was a very, very nice experience to run beside so many people cheering you up. The picture you see up here is me trying to catch up with coach Cindy.

After ~3 miles of going up and down the workout ended. I must say I felt pretty damn good of having done all that before 11:00 am on a Saturday!