Friday, December 16, 2011

Pico de Gallo 100 we meet again...


How time flies....wasn't it just yesterday that we were riding out from sun up to sun down from a cold morning to a hot afternoon.  Well it's that time again. This year it seems like it is gonna be a wet, slippery, cold, ugly day....perfect weather to ride with 50+ other cyclist in a group.....  We will see how it is tomorrow... I hope for a smooth, accident free ride.  Been "trying" to diet all week "trying" to reduce my calorie intake, not a good way to carb up for a tough 100 mile ride.  Legs don't fail me....better yet, body don't fail me!  

MID VALLEY EVENTS

 Times have been rough the past couple of months but I guess everything happens for a reason.  Next year is going to so much better, we have huge plans and by the looks of it we should be good.   I have noticed so many more people getting motivated to get out there and start changing their lives.  Everyone that I talk too feels that if Eric can do it they can do it... I'm so glad that I can have an impact on others lives just by doing what I have came to love.  Starting back in 09 to getting to where I am today have become some of the best times and memories in my life.  So many thing have happened, met so many people and now we continue to create new exciting things.  The best years are coming.
  
So the continued effort to keep healthy has lead us in a new direction.... Feel so good right now that we have started something big.  We have been working so hard to get our new organization up and running by getting it the right amount of exposure and buzz about our awesome events. Last month we did our first duathlon as MVE and it was a great success, it met all our expectations and everything went well and smooth just the way we had hoped it would go. People loved it! All our work and planning finally came together for one of the best races made in the valley.  We want to make different things, we want to bring fun back to exercise.... Now we start the planning for the next event "The Terra Run"........It's amazing what happens when we get together!  





Sunday, November 20, 2011

Back




Back by popular demand. I will continue this blog. I completely left this blog alone. Hello.

Hello blog




Another chapter must be written.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

MY Solution....

An issue that is affecting today’s society is obesity. Unhealthy eating can cause many problems towards a person’s health and the way a person lives their life. There are many people that suffer with this disease mainly because it is easily accessible to purchase junk food. This can be found in every convenient store and in vending machines that are located in public congested areas. In order to stop the urge to consume this type of foods, I believe we must increase the tax of purchasing junk food, inform people about the amount of calories that are in junk food, and what are the common problems that occur to a person’s body.
We must make a pro active approach at making it known that unhealthy choices are bad to children. I believe that one of the main reasons so many kids consume these foods is because they are one of the most inexpensive foods on the market. We have market that is full of healthy choices like bananas, apples, pineapples and vegetables but those are way more expensive than a Kit Kat bar. Go to any supermarket and grap yourself a pineapple and a chocolate bar. The pineapple will run around $4 while the bar is around 3 for a $1. If I was a teenager on a limited budget of change found in the back of the couch, I would clearly choose the chocolate. A whopping 450 calories in one bar. Give them three to eat, and they will, and they are on their way to being obese.
It only takes 3500 extra calories to gain one pound. A number that seems like a lot but in the world of junk food it is a number that can be taken out in one lunch. Besides gaining weight, these children get into serious health problems. In our area we have a severe problem with diabetes. It's a problem that can be prevented. Being that the Hispanic population is more likely to get diabetes, we have to even try harder to teach our children that making the right food choices is better for them. I say use scare tactics. Every kid can be scared into stopping a behavior you don't want them to do. When I was a kid when I would not want to go to sleep my parents would come into the room and say that the monster in the closet would come out at 11 o'clock if I would not fall asleep. You know what happened, I never stayed up long enough to see if there was a monster. Same thing with the kids. We need to show them what happens if they eat the wrong foods. The food is so highly taxed that they will not be able to buy games, toys, clothes, shoes. We got to tell them if they eat trash they will wear trash. If they are going to eat a doughnut they will die!
I know it might sound a bit extreme but death by diabetic coma is an extreme death. We do not want our children to have a poor quality of life. We want them to be picked first on the baseball team, to be able to run and play with all the other healthy kids. We don't want them to live a sad live because we did not teach them right when we had the chance. At age 20 the gain 40 lbs because of the pizza. At age 30 they gain another 30 because of the beer. At age 40 they get a heart attack. THE END! Our kids should not be brought up that way.
So how much should we raise the tax on the poison that we call junk food? Cigarettes right now are taxed so high that people are finally realizing that paying $6 for a pack of HEB brand cigs is outlandish. That's the same effect we want on food. A $4 tax on junk food. If they want a Kit Kat instead of 33 cents it would be $4.33. Now the chocolate is more expensive than the pineapple.
Not only with the children know that it is unhealthy to eat junk, they will also know that they will shorten their lives. Plus to top it all off, the food will be so expensive that it would not even tempt them to even buy it. Problem solved. By doing this and following it to a “T”, we can single handedly fix all our kids present and future problems. The tax money could be used to give all kid free admission to gyms. Give them a pro-active life instead of a life that will be unpleasant and exhausting.

JUST KIDDING. This is what my sister turned into class and I thought it was funny.




Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Folding napkins....




What is it that makes people tick? What motivates you to get up every morning and do what you have to do? To get somewhere where you want to be. I just finished my ride this morning and am here at Starbucks relaxing when cool old dude shows up and starts to fold napkins. Just folds napkins. That's all. Grabs a handful of them, puts them on table and one by one starts making sure all the creases are perfect. Making sure the napkin is perfectly squared off. Why?


No matter how early it is he motivated himself to get out here at 6 in the morning to do his morning routine. I know it's nothing great, does not make sense to us but to him that is what makes him tick. He has a passion for his napkin folding. I woke up to ride my bike and get my morning workout in, he has the same intentions. He woke up to get things done. Some people live lives to get by. Some people get up and make themselves do something. I like to get something done. It's way to easy to be the type that just gets by everyday, that's why there are many that do. It takes determination and will to get up and change that.


If at the end of the day you can go to sleep and say that you are satisfied with what you have done then all that work you did that day was worth it. You must say that you have accomplished something every single day. Live a purpose driven life even if it is something weird like folding napkins lol and you will find out that you will get more out of it.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

New Goals...

If you have read my blog from the beginning, I have always said to set a goal for yourself..... then figure out how you are gonna get to that goal.  The getting there is what defines you.  Here is a new goal.... You will also remember me saying that I HATED RUNNING!!!! well I still do, but for some reason I feel like challenging myself to go out there and run a half marathon.  I will do it. I believe anyone can run a half marathon if they run/walk it but I want to do it non stop and in a respectable time.  And so the training begins....  I'm starting from nothing. No running legs, No sense of running in a straight line, hunch backed, dragging feet, horrible posture....  I got to work on all these things but I will get there. I've set a goal and now the work has to start.  In San Antonio no November 13, 2011 I will be passing by that finish line knowing that I am great....  Now let me go buy some shoes lol....

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Consumed by work, but worth every minute - Hog Dash...




Hectic. That one word can describe how the last couple of weeks have been. In the span of about three weeks we have created something awesome. Remember when I said we were starting our own little boot camp program to get people into shape? Well it grew. We continued to grow and we started to develop a good following. The way we would structure our workout would be four days of training and on Fridays we would end it with an obstacle course and tug of war challenge. It was fun and challenging. We decided that we should create an event that consisted of running a 5k and put our obstacle course in it to make it even harder. And so the Rio Grande Valley Hog Dash was born. How could three people make something that turned out to be a grand success? I think we just made it at the right time. People are begging for something different. They see these races like tough mudder, spartan race and dirty dash and dream of competing in them. There is nothing in the valley close to what we did. We added the fun and excitement of mud running to our obstacle course bringing that level of race to our area. The rio grande valley does not have a culture based around being active. We want to bring that, to make people notice that living a healthy lifestyle can be fun. It does not have to be that boring jog at the track, those endless hours spent hearing horrible music at the gym looking at your body in the mirror. These races give you something to look forward to, they make you want to train because the ultimate goal is to compete and to do good. Our first race brought in over 300 participants. By far the biggest first race draw in the valley. How did this happen? I owe it all to my persistence in Facebook advertising. Word spread over the internet. The buzz was created and I kept throwing lumber into the flame.




We had media representation, everyone was a photographer, spectators and local celebrities. Look at the picture above... That's plain awesome.  Normal Joe's were hurling themselves face first into the mud.  There was no avoiding the mud, some tried to crouch through but to no avail.  Looking at all those smiles, hearing the grunts and  laughter of the masses combined was truly amazing.


The course was tough. Something people were not expecting because I never revealed a map or actually said what was going to be on it. Not knowing what is next is what we wanted to do. We wanted everyone to have a great time not expecting to come up to a 9 ft wall, not knowing how to get over a muddy steep pyramid or that running through soggy wet mud and suck your shoes right off your feet! People loved it! It turned out to be one of the best events in the valley. I don't think anyone has ever had this much fun at any event in this area like this. This was the first one we had ever done, so I won't say that it went as smoothly as we wanted but we gained an infinite amount of knowledge on what we can do next year to make it even better!






It has been hard work but it is worth it in the end. We gave something new to our community, that's all we wanted to do. I want to make a difference in peoples lives and I know I will continue to do that in my personal life and with my businesses. In this journey I will make a difference and I'm a so happy that Cindy Sergio and I have changed our valley in some way. It's a good start, now let's see where this leads us. I have always believed that you can make things happen, it's not hard, you just have to take that leap and work towards that goal. It's what you do to get to that goal that is the hard part but it has to get done and that is what makes you better.


The best part of it was that we raised money to give school supplies to the needy children in our community. Isn't that awesome? Yes...







Tuesday, August 9, 2011

I'm slacking on this blog...


Been suppppper busy these past weeks that I have completely forgotten to update my blog! Lots of races, Time trials, workouts and other fun adventures.... well life is good so don't be too mad at me lol....

Monday, July 11, 2011

Hitting the hills of Bandera and Helotes...





I never thought that a fun vacation consisted of pretty much the same thing I do everyday. The thing is when you really love what you are doing, you will really enjoy it when you can bring that with you. This weekend we took a quick little trip to San Antonio to relax and see something different for a change. We decided to take the bikes and it turned out to be a great decision. Waking up at 6am on a vacation is weird.... Not when you are gonna go climb some nice hills in the beautiful hill country.



We set off on a nice loop that we had taken a few months back when we did the university oaks crit with Mike and Tom. Trying to figure out the turns and where to go turned out pretty easy. We ended up with a good 35 mile ride reaching speeds over 35mph. Overall it was a good ride and the legs are feeling real good.



We saw a deer napping on the side of the road so we quietly took a picture as to not disturb him. So majestic he is.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Near hard crash...


Still training for our time trial, today we were practicing our team rotations in the group of three. Going around 26mph I notice a red Jetta take the red light. I scream loud and start to slam the breaks. Billy's wheel rams my back rim and he loses control and flips over as he is trying to stop behind me. The Jetta came within feet of ramming us.  Never before have we ever been so close to getting hit.  It pretty much scared the crap out of us.  My rear derailler hanger broke.  Billy was luck that he just came out with a small cut on one finger and that is all... Considering the fall, it seems like it should have been worse....


Now we just have to count our blessings.


You have to thank God everyday for the gifts he gives you.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

On our 4th week...

We are on our 4th week of our Surge Fit Fitness Boot camp and  people are loving every second of it.  It has been nothing but good for our members and they just can't get enough.  This week is the last week of their first month and we plan on making it a memorable one. We are gonna make it extra tough and keep it at a faster pace to make everyone hurt.  This is the week that will make them remember that the reason they are here is to get in shape and lose the pounds. This boot camp has brought together old friends, coworkers, families and new friends all for the sake of getting back in shape.  This is what it is all about, we are helping to make a difference.  On Saturday we helped and encouraged many of our members finish their first 5k. That is a great milestone that they should all be proud of. If they can have it in them to finish the run they can go all the way and get to where they want to be... I'm looking forward to this week and the next because I enjoy pushing my buddies to keep on going.  Results are inevitable.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Our Fitness Bootcamp...

It has been so long since I last blogged, sorry about that.  It is not that I have stopped my ride, it has just gotten better. Sergio, Cindy and I have been working hard on getting people on the right track.  It has been a lot of work and planning but it is a great success thus far.  We would have been happy with 20 members....We have been blessed with nearly 60!!! It's amazing that something small can turn out this big.  Everyone has loved it this far. We offer great workouts throughout the week and on Friday we do an Obstacle Course/Fun Competition Day.  We have already had one person lose more than 20 lbs!!!  
 We are really getting great numbers and the results will speak for themselves at the end of the month when we do the second weigh in.  As for the bike riding, I still keep up with the training.. We are actually training hard right now to do the Texas State Time Trial event in about 6 weeks.  We wanna break the hour.....that is gonna hurt, we would have to average 24 mph for one whole hour.... IT WILL BE DONE!!!  Till next time, got to get on my bike...

Friday, June 10, 2011

Surge Fit...




Me, Sergio and Cindy have been working very hard in getting out fitness bootcamp going and it is booming. We have more than 30 people that show up everyday! It's amazing how we are already changing peoples lives. Feedback is great.


I have been coaching the "Core sculpt" station and have found it very fun.









Sunday, May 29, 2011

Memorial Herman Ironman Texas 2011...








Bored Sunday...

Took my Jeep Wranger off roading on the boring Sunday afternoon. What could go wrong? 

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Morning ride...




Lately we have been on and off on our morning rides. Everyone has had different schedules, different objectives, we just have not been on our bikes as much. Weird how just taking it a little easier on the bikes makes a big difference on the fitness level. I have still been riding a lot but not as intense. My sister bought herself a bike and I have been trying to get her to ride and get faster. Doing 25 miles with her in the afternoon but at a slower pace that I am used too. She will get there and it's good to see that she is motivated.


We have a time trial in about 2 and a half months that we will start training for. We want to do under one hour on a 40k. Train train train. It's gonna get tough but I find it fun and I know I'm just getting healthier. I got to start counting calories again and get focused.....


I got myself some new carbon clinchers. The wheels spin smooth, they are light weight and seem to put more power to the asphalt. I'm happy with this.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Video of last race I did...

This was the Primavera Race where I came out 1st place.  Just a little bit of action shots.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Crit racing is fun...

This is a video of a criterium race we did a couple of weeks ago. I came in second place. Fun stuff.

Weight loss Virus?...

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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Hello there! I'm on a bike...


I was going through my old computer checking out some old pictures seeing how much I have changed... Ever since I got my iphone or any picture phone we have pretty much kept a log of what we do everyday. I go back two years and this is what it was about.  THAT GUY WAS HAPPY! Look at him! That Double Double from In N Out 
        
Pour on the cheeeeese, Double the meat!  Make it three of them!!!! lol

One for later on that night! Ehhh why not on the way to the hotel...

I was in the car audio business and we would go on trips to different expos where they would exibit the latest and greatest in our industry. I would love these vacations, we would get out of the valley and check out awesome cars, go to Vegas, meet celebrities, eat, gamble, and eat some more! Fun times.
We would spend a couple of days out there "studying" the different techniques on how to install things.


After all that we would come back to reality and work hard at the shop.  Every day. 


 Looking back, that was my life. Day in and day out it was about my business. We worked hard every single day.  For 8 years I had my store, it brought many great times, and some scary but all in all it was a good part of my life. It was never about me. It was all about getting things done and pleasing the customers.


Right now I'm on a bike.  Even though it is a huge difference from then and now, I am happy where I am at.  That was a great part of my life, but it only gets better.