TurBaconEpic Thanksgiving - Epic Meal Time

Just the perfect turkey for thanksgiving! Take it down with a nice diet coke!

Pain is Temporary

Love this quote. I can attest to this.....

Time to give...

Thanksgiving is a time when you eat all the turkey, ham, biscuits, mashed potatoes, corn, pumpkin pie.....wow I'm getting hungry!  It is also for some less fortunate people just another day.  For the past three years my brother and his clinic have given away free turkeys for thanksgiving day.  I have been there to help every year.  I usually carry the turkeys from the truck inside.  There are soooo many people that need these turkeys, I was checking the list of the people that receive them and there are families of 8 to 13!!! and not just a few of them  on the list of like 200, there was probably 2/3 of them who had more than 4 kids!  Munch away kids, you have your turkey.  It's good to give.  I am a strong believer in Karma, If you do something good for others good things will happen to you.  That a great way to live.  If only everyone would live that way.

Still working out the kinks...

Since I'm new to this blog thing, I am finally getting rid of the kinks in the design layout of my page. Got my colors down, my top logo up, and a nice clean interface did.  Now that its all cool and snazzzzy, time to start bloggin' away! :)

"RACE ACROSS AMERICA" A Film by Stephen Auerbach ...

This is a movie that I have been wanting to see for a while now. This is dedication, this shows that anything is possible. The amazing feats the human body can do if you try hard and set your mind to it.

I'm gangsta, got myself a teardrop tattoo...

The tear drop tattoo has had many different meanings. When they were first worn they meant that the wearer had been incarcerated and or killed someone while in or out of prison.  As times have changed however, the teardrop has come to symbolize a friend or fellow gang member or family member that has died while the wearer is incarcerated. Now however the teardrop seems to have become a fad, which granted has gotten people in trouble. It has also been used as a gang identifier. If it was on the right it meant you were a Crip or part of the Folk Nation, on the left meant Blood or People's Nation. It also is the mark a guy that face-planted off his bike while acting ruhhhtarded! lol

NEWEST BLOOD MEMBER LOL!

Recovery ride...or not

Some of the greatest rides are the ones where you are out there with a cool breeze by yourself in pure silence. Just the sound of you breathing and your bikes chain being spun can be so relaxing. Today I had about 10 miles of me after my training ride.

  

This morning I had planned on a smooth 30 mile recovery ride to loosen up the legs from yesterdays thrashing but when I joined Mike at Starbucks and he, as usual, had his plan to do intervals.  Doing these intervals with Mike has made me so much faster and an overall better rider.  We set off and did 3 intervals of 5 minutes each doing the toughest gear maintaining a constant cadence of 60-65.  This works out your main cycling leg muscles.  After 5 minutes of mashing the pedals it really starts to wear you down.  Doing this you can actually feel what part of the leg needs work because you are constantly flexing and pulling.  Overall this was a great workout and went home feeling accomplished.  My legs are still sore from yesterday but I know that they will recover so much stronger than before. Total miles today was 29.

Ehh Why not? First 10k ever...

I absolutely hate running.  Running was not made for me.  I don't know why but it has always been my worst sport.  So much pounding, knees feeling the burn, hips being torn to shreds... running is just not my thing.

Earlier in the week I got a call from my friend Cindy telling me that she was going to do the International friendship run on Saturday and wanted to know if Arlene and I would do it.  Of course I quickly said hmmm got to think about it...  Cindy persisted to call me names and poke fun until I said yes... I'm weak.  Well I planned to at least get a few training runs in before the 10k but somehow I always figured to go and do another better activity like cycle.

Well the day came. We woke up early to get out there by 7 so we could catch the bus to shuttle us to the starting line at Anzalduas International Bridge. I have never been to a true 10k race, I realized that there are alot of runners out there, more than 500 people showed up for the event.  We got to the starting line with around 15 minutes left and Billy and Sergio took off on there warm up routine.  I thought to myself if I warm up like them I wont make it the whole way, they are crazy!  So I just stood there and people watched.  There are some dedicated runners out there.  I saw every type of stretch, kick, jump you can do to warm up.  I just stretch my hamstring and I was ready to go.

After a quick interview for the McAllen network we set up for the take off.  The start was pretty cool, everyone took off and just looked awesome seeing so many people running.  Slowly I started to realize that I was being swallowed by the crowd, I guess the slower guys should not be in the front of the starting line. I kept my pace. One of my goals was to finish this 10k without walking so I was determined to do it.  I started using my cycling techniques, I just stuck to a guys wheel, kept his pace and controlled my breathing.  I know that once your heart rate starts to beat out of control you are done.  At every water stop I scooped up a glass and tried to swallow the water down as good as I could, it's extremely difficult to gulp down water while running.  Run run run. The mile signs seemed to never come. The wind blew harder and harder but I kept on. I wanted to pick up the pace but I thought to myself that I must stick to what I am doing and make it all the way.  MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!  Took me an hour and four minutes to finish, I like 64 minutes better, sound a little better.  Felt good to finish a goal I set.  Thats the way it is done, you say your gonna do something and go after it no matter what.  This coming from a guy that could not even run a block a year ago. I got blisters on my feet and feel like I been dragged by a truck on my knees but it was all worth it.  Just got to keep on making things happen.  Thats the different mentality that I have now that I did not have back then.

Pain is temporary, but my accomplishments are with me forever!