Waving the White Flag ...

Day 27 Windy Marathon in the South Bay.

The third straight day of carving distance. Was trying to remember what the Trikke Endurance Master, Trikkenut, once told us. "It's all about finding a comfortable pace!" Not having a lot of recovery time from last night's twenty, my foot was still sore. Finding a pace and rhythm was harder to do than I thought. With the winds we were facing, fatigue and pain set in pretty quickly. But for us, it was twenty-six miles or bust.
This is a shot of Way's GPS. I had to add this to my reading of 21.02. My phone had run out out it's battery due to the amount of times I had to stop and rest my foot. 26.34 miles on the day. 953.35 miles for the So Cal Mileage Challenge.

 

Before the day started, I knew I wasn't going to meet my challenge of hitting a thousand miles in September. Even though it's an LSM (Last Saturday/Sunday of the Month) weekend, my days were already planned. Saturday is my friend's Birthday and we are headed to Long Beach for the "Old School Japanese Car Show"! On Sunday, It's Basketball League with my nephews. There wasn't going to be enough energy for me to carve up any of the 46.45 miles needed. The thought of carving all 46 miles on Monday is a little lofty for me to consider especially with my foot not being 100%.

Thanks for every one's support. Hope you Step Up and challenge yourself.
Carve the Day! Thug every Moment!

Day 26 Thug Therapy via LART

Got a late start today. It was windy all day and was hoping for the winds to die down, it didn't. Thought, with the time, had I taken the Southern route, I wouldn't turn back for another five to complete twenty. So I opted to Double up on the Northern route. It was a little scary but fun to carve this in the dark.

Day 25 I break 9

DAY 25, 15.82 miles 1:58:59 Hrs  906.83 Total Challenge Miles
Headwinds along the Freeway were heavy today. Didn't have time to complete twenty. Needed to get back for Dinner and Basketball later with my nephews.
Felt good today. Can't say much for my basketball game though.

The Challenge remains ...Five Days left!

At first, it was twenty miles per day for thirteen days. That quickly changed to two hundred sixty miles in thirty days. Currently at 891.01 miles, It's hard to think I'll cover a hundred and nine miles before the end of the month. Having carved only nine times this month, I'm surprised that I'm as close as I am.

I've got to thank the support I had to get me to get up and out to carve. Way-Chung Wong with whom I carved 25 plus miles on our "Carv-athon" route. Dan Marazon in his Whittier route where we did 16 miles. Since then I have only carve three times, a twenty on my birthday, an awesome buddy ride in the valley/Orange Line Route where we grabbed twenty-five, and a quick six from today.

Sidelined with an injury and some personal issues, I put myself in a position I haven't experienced before. I didn't want to "Step Up"! Let me expand on that, I didn't want to do anything! I pretty much locked myself into my room. I totally forgot what it was that I truly needed to breakout! I needed friends. I needed some fun! And I needed to "Step Up" and Carve!!! I needed my So Cal Carvers.

The "Buddy Ride" we had was a discovery ride for most of us. It is the local ride for two of our carvers,  Debbie Bumgardner and Ariel Jardines. Ten Carvers showed up and it was a super fun ride. It was awesome carving together again!

To be a hundred plus miles off with five days remaining in the month is shocking. When I consider how I was feeling a week ago. Still having some trouble but I'm a lot strong now. I'm amazed that I still have a shot at completing my challenge and reaching my goal. Hitting a thousand miles in my Endomondo Challenge, I believe will set me up for next year.

Will I complete my goal and hit a thousand miles? We'll find out in a few short days. I'm sure going to try. What I did do was rediscover my passion for the carve. I just need to remember this when my world gets shaky, I need to get rokkin'. This is truly my therapy of choice. If you're still learning, I hope you seek out a trainer or carver to help you. If you can't find one, I hope you keep at it. The payoff is too awesome to let your Trikke sit in the garage. As a friend put "get hooked"!

August LSM Community Photo Entries

Wow! We're done with August's LSM. Six months into the contest and the words I keep coming up with is Wow! and Thank you! We have three more months for the contest. It's been an incredible experience for me. I hope you took this opportunity to grow the Community but mostly, I hope everyone is having fun with this. I really appreiciate everyone's participation. The Ping Pong Balls have been issued! Carve safe! Share the Passion. Til we Step Up again next month.
Let's see who's in

   

Chad Guillory ~ MyTrikke.com
Sharon Lee ~ First Coast Trikke
Kim Myshka ~ Ark Carvers
Jim Myshka ~ Ark Carvers
Roger Wildermuth ~ Emerald Coast Trikkers
Cindy Ward ~ Fredericksburg Trikke Club
April Li ~ Trikke Taiwan
Bingo Chang ~ Trikke Taiwan
Lilana Kuykendal ~ Trikke Vegas
Christine Cheng ~ Trikke Taiwan
John Goolevitch ~ VanBC Trikkers
Tom Case ~ Nature Carvers
Daniel Garcia ~ Trikke Vegas
Brion Bastian ~ Cincinnati, Ohio
Aseal Gomez ~ Ark Carvers
Monica Gomez ~ Ark Carvers
Steve Garcia ~ Trikke Vegas
Diana Gutierrez ~ Trikke Vegas
Glenice Swenson ~ Owatonna, Minnesota
Elise Bennett ~ East Texas
Jamie Makin ~ Lehigh Valley Trikke
D Bales ~ Trikke Vegas (pending)

Total Entries for the Month ~ 21 (22) entries
Total Entries for the Contest ~ 153 (154) entries

Journal of a Challenge Day 6 Ride 5

Whittier Trail with Dan Marazon : Night Thuggin'

Yo Double Dub cehcking in
Late Friday night ride had me driving to Whittier. Plan was to meet up with Dan at six, in Double time that meant 7:30. So having carve the route before, we figured we were cool to carve in the dark. With our CV's lit up, we went to take the night. I got to say it, It was a really fun ride! Carving it the dark was an amazing experience. I can't describe how it was, I think Dan said it like we were floating. Being guided by our lights and memory of the trail, we sailed through like a couple of fireflies playing in the meadow.
During the Daylight, I would recommend this route for any skill level but be prepared to carve on the street. There are also joggers and cyclist who use the trail. I believe Dan had a ride out here before. The trail is wide and smooth. Just use caution when crossing intersections. 

Journal of a Challenge

Double Dub checking in
As I start this entry, I've finished my second dub on day two. Although my GPS failed yesterday it did get 14 miles out of it (I'll cry about the missing miles in the end). So, lets call it 34 miles. I started this challenge because I was disappointed with my miles count from August (120 miles). I was hoping to be closer to a thousand. Not only that, I dropped a position (or two) on a miles challenge we set up on endomondo as well. Motivated!!! Yes! Oh, why thirteen days? Yeah, It's my birthday. But after some thought, I was thinking that's a lot of pressure! If I fell short on a couple of rides, I'd have to make that upon other rides. I would've ended up with some 30 - 40 mile rides. That wasn't gonna happen. So, I gave myself the month (but I'm still going to try for 13).

Day 2: Ride 2 ~ The LA River Trail (from Riverside Dr. and San Fernando Rd to Riverside Dr. and Zoo Dr., 7.5 miles) Round trip 15 miles plus an extra loop from Fletcher Dr., 5 miles.
I started about 5:30PM from Fletcher Dr. and decided to head North first. I tracked this to 5 miles to the turnaround. For the first couple of miles, you can still see the beauty of this river. After that you're on the side of I5, yup! Interstate 5! It gets windy and Hot here. And the headwind you get when you come back, forget about it. Cars and Big Rigs, if they're not zooming by, they're giving off a lot of heat! Not to mention a few homeless camps and horses. Uh-huh! It's not THAT bad but thought you should be warned.
The route South is a little different. It cuts behind an industrial area and then into a neighborhood. The LA River, for the most part, is pretty nice! Occasionally, you might see a party of kayaks in the water. On the trail, you'll cross some families out for a stoll, some folks fishing, and up and down this trail, Bikes! To make the miles, I carved the Southern trail twice.

This and the little trip back to my car ~ 20.68 miles

Group Ride?! I don't do group rides ...

Hi Double Dub checking in.
I remembered when I caught the Passion I call Trikke. I suddenly wanted to be with others who enjoy carving as I do. Joining SouthBay Trikke as they help grow the Community has been an adventure to say the least.

This story comes with some reservation because it concerns a touchy subject. I assume Anxiety Disorders affect many people daily. I'd like to share some light on my anxiety. Lately, it's been on the rise, both in intensity and frequency. I know stress has a lot to do with it. My ability to cope has been shaken by Anxiety (panic) attacks. You may find this funny but I don't like crowds. At any given moment I can get irrational fears of being in a crowd. I know, Me? Right?!
I'll get shaky, difficulty breathing, sweaty, and ... well, we won't go there. I've learned different ways to try to handle and cope with these feelings. My anxiety is involved with other aspects in my life as well. This past LSM (Last Saturday of the Month ride) was no exception. As we gathered for an end of the ride Pot Luck affair, I was already shaky. Rather than sharing this experience with the group and expose them to a full blown panic attack, I made a quick exit.
This isn't how I am. I love our group rides. Here in Southern California, our group is so diverse and wonderful, we're amazing! I may not be as engaged as others but it's always a great time sharing the Passion. I've heard of folks using the CV's (Carving Vehicles) to rehab backs, shoulders, knees, and hips. There was mention with exploring adaptive recreation and rehabilitation and I think that's awesome! I have often called my workouts as therapy, it's true! My CV is all things cardio, strength building, weight loss, stress reliever, and socializer. Trikke CV's has helped me with my anxiety with crowds by focusing on sharing the Passion! Sure a person can get something similar by cycling, running, or whatever. It's nothing like our wondrous Carving Vehicles.
I'm sharing my story for various reasons. For one, to help myself. Being open and sharing enough to care. Two, in hopes that I might help others. No, there's no need to share what troubles you. but to know that a little carving workout does wonders. And sometimes with friends, it can be better. Three, To be kind! We may never know what a person is going through. It really doesn't matter whether we know or not. What does matter is we can be kind!
For those who have yet to experience a friendly group ride, I extend an open invitation to join us. The Camaraderie that's shared for the joy of carving is like no other. It's why I think the LSM Movement is so important. To believe in the passion, all the smiles and accomplishments that you've made can be shared. For those new to the sport, they'll be happily surprised with all they'll discover and will be sharing.
Bottom line of what I'm saying here is Get up, get out, and exercise! And no matter what you're going through, you don't have to be alone. As a friend from San Antonio says " Love somebody!"