Thursday January 21, 2010
First of all I can't beleive its 2010 already, time is really going by fast isn't it? I am working on my application to medical school tonight. I should be finished up with almost everything soon and after I take the MCAT in April I will be all ready to start at Harvard in the fall!
Today before school I went by the gym and swam for 500 warm up, 250X4 fast, 50x15 fast, and 25 X 4 as hard as I can, 500 cool down.
Next I changed clothes and went upstairs to the cardio room and ran for 80 minutes on the treadmill. I did 10 minutes warm up at 6.5 mph, then 4 X 10 minutes at 9.0mph with 5 minute breaks at 7.0 in between, and a cool down on the spin bike.
I feel great running, actually better than I can remember! March 6 is the test of my manhood and I hope I can be ready for it.
Saturday is a workout I am really looking forward too... 6:15 with 4X8 minutes in there of crazy fast kick ass pedal mashing. I know it doesn't mean anything to 99% of people, but my power goal for the intervals is 300 and average goal for the entire ride will be 210-220. After I get off the bike around noon I will have to run for another hour. Ideally I would also swim for a half hour beforehand, but there is nowhere to swim near the start of my ride.
I have lost about 6 pounds total in the last 15 weeks since I started running and now that I am swimming more I am really feeling good about everything.
School is hard again, I am taking Physics, Microbiology, labs, and Caribbean history. I don't really need to take any of them but physics is fun, micro is interesting, and I have always wanted to know more about the Caribbean ever since last semesters class on African History and all the time we spent on the Atlantic Slave Trade... Did you know that the USA and capitalism as we know it was founded entirely on the plantation system set up by the early settlers to the Caribbean? ... Here is your history lesson everyone...
In 1493 on Columbus' second voyage to the new world he brought with him cattle, horses, pigs, chickens, women and children, and most importantly---Sugarcane... Sugar was to be the great crop that would make the European powers all their money to build their nations with and evolve from middle/dark age states, to the great colonial powers that they have become. Sugar was the crop that required alot of labor to grow... The natives of America worked at first, but they died off from overworking, bad nutrition, and disease mainly... so after the Europeans wiped out the millions of natives, they decided to enslave millions and millions of Africans! A man named Las Casas was a Friar that helped the natives gain favor in the Euro's eyes. He believed that they were not savages after all and that they simply hadn't had the chance to accept Christ! So he convinced the powers that be not to further annihilate the natives (who were pretty much wiped off the earth completely) and use real savages--- Africans! After all, Africans had at one time been strongly christian from about 200 AD to about 850 AD when Islam swept through Africa converting many (except Ethiopia)... So he and the Euro powers agreed that African would be the new worker!...(slaves).. Hence the Atlantic slave trade changed from shipping Indians to Europe, to shipping Africans to America!
In order for the sugar plantations to run smoothly they used slave labor, and basically worked the slaves to death...literally. The fact that the Caribbean is still populated by African descendants is testament in itself that they beat the colonial powers. I am fascinated by stories of slave rebellions in Haiti and on other islands (Maroons). Brothers who had been stolen from their families and homes in the motherland, uniting and fighting the euro's who had stronger powerful weapons, money, etc.
Anyways I will stop here as I have probably lost the majority of readers after the first sentence of this blog.
D

I just wanted to post some of the pics from my phone, Melia in the diaper box, Robyn praying for the cowboys (eating mexican food) and the best is the one at the top, Melia took it of herself with her hair all crazy.

Busted

I was climbing mariners ridge in Hawaii kai at the top my chain just snapped! I have to find a ride now...
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

I got my bike back ! Will tell the story tomordow, its awesome !
D
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

I just wanted to write about a few things.

First of all yesterday was fun,
I got home from school late at night via my freind Casey, and Everyone was waiting for me with a candy lei, balloons, and a cake. Melia had already started eating the cake... the candles were trick candles and wouldnt go out. it was really cool, I have always wanted trick candles!
Then we went out to outback and I got a new york steak and a baked potatoe... I got the blooming onion, and the free ice cream desert with the awesome well sung jingle.
IT was a good birthday and I guess I can embrace turning 30 instead of hating it. When Casey turned 30 he said he went surfing, and hurt his knee... took like 6 months to heal. Funny thing, I crashed my bike wednesday and I am now paranoid my leg will take a long time to heal now that I am so old and withered! lol
Thanks for the fun night Robyn, Melia, Troy, Nana, and Casey... and thank you Patty, Karyn, Libby, Jeni, Grandad for calling/texting me... I left at 7 am and didnt get home from school untill 6:15pm and wished I couldnt have spoken to you all when you called or msg'd me...

Wednesday night update:
It was the 3/3 cross race at Sand Island state park. I won the first two, but the 3rd was a little different. They added three or four more 180 degree turns, another dismount hill climb and some difficult sections that weren't there last week... Also the compitition was great!
This week was the Halloween race and we all had to wear costumes. I was Ironman because it was a great movie, (and one of my favorite songs). I got a 12 year old boys costume at party city and stretched it over my gut... it ripped all over, I guess it was like the Hulk more? anyways we all dressed up and raced. The start this week involved sprinting 100m to our bikes and then we were off. I was up at the front again for the first lap and everyone was really pushing hard. I felt really out of shape from the last two weeks of not riding too much. So my HR was really high and my legs were not very powerfull and my team mate Carl seemed to be riding for the win. behind him for most of the race was Hawaii cycling legend Ray Brust, and I was on his tail. On the second lap we had to go over two hills in a row that were very steep and at the bottom of the 2nd hill was a 90 degree turn. I went down on my side and scraped up the side of my leg, and ripped my shoe. Within 5 minutes my shoe had fallen apart and I was forced to rip off what was left of it and ride 1/2 barefoot! So bloody and barefoot I remained in my position untill we dropped the other 35 or so riders and were alone with a minute lead on the next group. We stayed like that for about 5 more laps when Carl who was looking really strong flatted and started trying to get someone to help him out with a bike change... Ray took off--- I was redlining already and just kept going, not knowing what Carl was up to behind us. I fought hard to stay with Ray for the last lap and my foot was hurting so bad, and I couldnt pedal with my leg very well. With about 1/2 mile to go some idiot on his derelict bum bike and shopping cart started running at me with a loud alarm ringing from behind the toilettes/shower area. I had to swerve hard to miss him. We made it to the sand pit and dismounted and started running with our bikes through the sand and I almost fell over again ( I tripped and fell twice earlier that night). I got back to the grass and jumped on the bike and smashed my foot onto the pedals and went hard... a minute later I was looking back and Ray who was 100 meters back and I crossed the finish line... The Tri Race winner!!!!! So now I have won three races in my life! Felt good untill I had to shower my leg wound... anyways I am sore today and hating school...
Here is a link to some pics... my crash is on there

link to pictures.... click here... click here...

D

So I just got this emailed to me... Its an article posted about the first cross race here. My name is mentioned and a picture too. !!! Cool, just thought I would post the link if anyone is interested.
D



http://cxmagazine.com/cyclocross-goes-hawaiian-style-cristina-begy-races-men-for-nats-training#more-5848