Pittsburg Twilight Criterium

Yesterday afternoon Matt and I headed out to Pittsburg to check out the pro races at the inaugural Pitt Crit. I'd heard about it through an Active Schwaggle for a discount on the related run, but I had never heard of a crit. Since my sister has become a big fan of cycling since living in Europe (or maybe before that; I can't recall), I asked her about them. I guess she'd never been to one, but she had heard they are fun because the racers go round and round the same course so you can see them frequently. Apparently they are also often staged.

Anyway, the event was free and offered a free shuttle from BART, so we figured we could check it out. We arrived at the Pittsburg BART station around 5:50pm and saw no sign of a shuttle or even a sign telling where the shuttle would be. Eventually a school bus pulled up, but it didn't pull into a loading slot until 6:15 or so. At that point we finally noticed two haphazardly taped Pitt Crit posters on the back of the bus. There had been no markings anywhere else - on the sides or front. We asked the driver if she was headed to the Pitt Crit and turns out she was. At 6:20 we took off, Matt and I being the only two passengers. We made a drive-by of the municipal parking lot and found no other passengers to pick up, so proceeded on to the event. We were dropped off at an unmarked, nondescript residential corner, although within hearing of the race; the pro women had just started at 6:35.

(The women in the daylight)

Well the number of passengers on the shuttle turned out to be indicative of the number of spectators at the event: not very many. The course was in no way lined with spectators - there were spectators in the tens around the start/finish line, so we popped right up to the fence and checked it out. I should mention that we had no idea how long these races lasted; I assumed that because some of the earlier races were only 30 minutes apart, they must not be that long. After standing at the fence watching for 20 minutes, we learned there were still 50 minutes left, so we decided to walk around the course and check out Old Town Pittsburg.

(Notice the utter lack of spectators)

I should also mention that these ladies were going fast! They appeared to be practically sprinting and would be doing so for 1:15 total. One racer had broken away from the pack and was leading by around 15 seconds for a long time, while the rest of the racers were in a pretty good pack. However, apparently the officials remove laggards at their discretion, so the main pack generally gets smaller but without leaving stragglers. We saw a lot of drop-outs in the women's race.

I am baffled by the sport in general. Apparently the race is totally based on time until the last 8 laps, so in theory it doesn't matter how fast the race is; the race is all based on strategy. The people at the front of the pack are always talking to each other about how or when they should go after anyone who has broken away from the pack. And of course it is polite to take turns leading and drafting.

At any rate, we started walking around Old Town Pittsburg, which was a sorry sight. We eventually found an over-price Italian restaurant with a patio overlooking the race course, so we stopped there for dinner. There were so few people around that when a crew member figured out that the speaker in front of us had not been plugged in, he turned around to ask us if we wanted it on or not. Yes - it was apparently our own private speaker.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the race. The break-away lady was eventually swallowed up by the pack, but at the very end of the last lap, she and her teammate busted toward the finish-line for a 1-2 finish (the break-away lady finishing 2nd to her favored teammate). Definitely could have been staged, but still fun.

Well the women's race was only a taste of what was to come. The men's race was crazy! There were so many more in the field, and it was going so fast that the pack was often strung out single-file, reaching at least 1/4 way around the 1k track. (Well maybe not, but pretty far.) Two of the favorites eventually pulled way out front. They were caught for awhile but eventually re-emerged, finishing about 1/2 a lap in front of everyone else. There was a pretty crazy race for 3rd-5th place though. The announcer (the new voice of the Amgen Tour of California) noted that they were probably averaging 30mph and at some points were doing 40 mph. Such a difference from the women's race. They were going so fast you could feel the wind run off of them, and when they came close to the fence, I became worried for my safety. Crazy athleticism.

(The men flying by)

At the end of one of the races, the announcer noted that you could not have scripted a better race. Well maybe that's because it was scripted so well to start with, but I definitely had fun.

I still can't get over the sheer sadness of the attendance though. It had been set up for "thousands" of spectators, and I think we may have been the only ones who did not know anyone in the race. After the men's race ended, we headed back to the nondescript corner and waited in the dark at 9:30 pm for the shuttle to show back up, hoping it would. Again, we were the only passengers on the trip back to the BART station. I'm not sure what happened in the marketing department, but I'm not sure there will be a 2nd Annual Pitt Crit.

Check Out My New Ride

Mine's a darker silver color, but otherwise looks the same. 58cm frame actually fit me without putting my seat post super high above the handlebars. And it didn't break the bank either. Looking forward to some weekend rides. (Although I guess to be a biker I'm going to have to learn to ride mid-week as well...)

I should also give a shout-out to Tip Top Bike Shop who found me a bike that fits and were generally awesome. And despite not having a bike that worked for me in the end, Montano Velo was also fantastic. I love finding great local shops!

I Will Not Be Buying a Bike on Craigslist (And I Blame My Parents:) )

I've decided that I want to take up cycling and maybe do some more triathlons, so I'm in the market for a road bike. My 15 (+?) year old Trek mountain bike just isn't going to cut it on anything longer than a sprint tri.

I went to the bike shop down the street awhile ago where the guy who helped me told me I couldn't spend less than $1000 and told me he would pull a bike down for me without ever measuring me. I left.

After much Yelp searching, I decided to head to a bike shop called Montano Velo a couple of miles away. Yelp was right. The guy who helped me at this shop was phenomenal. He explained the pros and cons of triathlon bikes versus long ride bikes (one is steel and one is aluminum; I can't remember which), recommended the cheaper one, and proceeded to take my measurements to fit me.

Guess what? As if this would be a surprise to anyone, I am rather oddly proportioned. I flummoxed this man, as my leg measurements put me at a 61 cm frame, while my torso measurements put me at a 55 cm frame. This means that in order to get a bike that properly fits my legs, I would be overextended toward the handlebars.

The salesman pulled down two frames for me to see what he could do. After determining that one of the Bianchi's (61 cm) just might work, he actually put it on a trainer and then replaced the handlebar stem with a shorter one to see if it would work for me. Turns out it will do, although the handling of the bike becomes a bit more touchy, because the handlebars aren't really out as far over the front wheel as they should be. In addition I will be overextended on aerobars. He said that to get a bike to truly fit me, I would likely need to have one custom built.

At any rate he decided that the bike fit me well enough that I should go out for a test ride. About half way up the hill, I realized I had no idea how to shift a road bike. I found some triggers that did the trick, but turns out they only go one direction. After getting myself cross-chained, Matt and I stopped for awhile and examined the bike and tried to do some internet research to try to figure out how in the world to shift the other way. I was loathe to go back to the shop and admit that I had no idea how to use this bike and that I had gotten the chain crossed, but when we finally did, the salesman was so nice about it. (Who knew you would push the brake lever sideways to shift? That just seems ridiculous.)

We went out for awhile longer and I really enjoyed the bike. So much easier to ride than the Trek! I could get up hills and felt like my legs provided more power.

On a secondary note, the salesman also told me that aside from needing a custom built bike, I was actually built to be a cyclist. Apparently having really long legs and a relatively low weight is an ideal situation. So now I have something to live up to. Great.

Anyway, back at the shop, the guy actually recommended I not buy the bike, but recommended some other shops and brands I should try out before deciding on a bike. He told me to come back anytime, and we could even take the Bianchi out for half a day for a test ride. So amazing! I really want to buy his bike because he's so awesome (and it's only $600!).

Anyway I was too lazy and depressed about my foot today to hit up any of the other bike shops, but I have a feeling I will have to buy a bike at one rather than going for Craiglist. Apparently some of the frames will be better suited to accommodate my weird proportions, and I probably need a bike guru to help me figure that out.

So the quest continues. I figure I have about a month if I actually join TNT for the summer season. Maybe next weekend.

Oak-Ness Monster

Last night I went to happy hour with my old co-workers at the Lake Chalet on Lake Merritt. We were out on the dock talking, when all of a sudden bubbles started appearing in the water. Eventually what appeared to be a dragon head arose, as well as some bodily humps. We all turned and stared for it, and after a few moments, it bubbled back down under the lake.

I don't actually believe that a monster exists, as the head looked very much like a flat sheet of plywood or steel, while the body looked very much like tires. But I'm so intrigued. Who created this monster? How do they make it rise and sink? Does it move around the lake?

I tried to do some internet research, and there is very little out there, although it appears to date back until 2006. But no one has claimed it as their own. And there seem to be even older tall tales about actual monsters or mermaids in the lake.

As I said - intriguing.

My favorite part was that we told one of our coworkers who came late that we had seen a monster in the lake, and she said, completely non-skeptically, "Oh wow." Later I went home and told Matt, and he also said something to the effect of, "Huh," and started doing internet research. I really thought no one would believe me - I hardly believe myself.

Running Oakland

I'm cross posting today's training log entry on this blog because I had such a unique experience today:

This was a big one - 18 miles! The longest I have ever run (again, not counting that time I ran-walked somewhere between 18 and 19 miles). I had been planning to head out to the canal paths in Walnut Creek (where I worried I would die of boredom), but then I discovered that the Oakland Marathon was in town - and it went right by our house! So after battling a fierce case of Catholic Guilt, I decided to jump in. I joined slightly before mile 5, the closest point to our house, and followed the course to mile 23.

I loved it! Oakland came out in force to support the runners. There were so many different people in so many different communities. I saw so many parts of Oakland I had never seen before - didn't even know there was a Hispanic section. There was no shortage of volunteers, and they were all super friendly. People hung out in the towns, in their front yards, at the corners. Some communities were less involved than others. In one, some young men on the street asked, "Is this for breast cancer or something?" The lady in front of me responded, "No, it's for Oakland." This made their day, I think: "Fuck yeah, for Oakland!" they repeated a few times. It was great to see the community pride.

I of course continued to feel guilty the whole run as policeman stopped traffic for me and the residents cheered me on. So to return the favor that Oakland paid me, I decided I would make a donation to one of the race charities. I figured there would only be one, but it turns out that besides TNT and DetermiNATION, there are EIGHT local charities that all had fundraising programs and came out to volunteer at the race. Talk about community support! Now I have to figure out where I want to put my money.

I also ran into the TNT cheering squad at my mile 14.5 or so, and they were fantastic as always. They gave me so much encouragement and showed me to the food table where I suddenly discovered how hungry I was and devoured a chocolate chip cookie. I'm so honored to be part of the TNT family, where they don't forget you no matter how long you've been away!

After that I plowed on through my last 3 miles and ended my run along a familiar stretch of Lake Merritt, by my old employer. 18 miles down! It certainly wasn't easy, but I made it through. And I learned that I need to eat more on these long runs to keep my stomach happy. Only one more long run (that is, more than 13 miles) until the Marathon. I realized again that perhaps I erred in choosing a marathon where there won't really be spectators and community support, but hopefully the scenery will make up for it.

Anyway, my NikePlus tracked 17.5 miles, but I trust the race, and figured I hit about 18.2 in 3 hours! Whoops - that is much faster than my training pace goal of 10'22". I blame my NikePlus which was showing me slow times since it didn't think I had run as far. Oh well. I could barely walk after I stopped running, and my right foot has developed a mysterious pain, but all in all, it could be much worse.

Thank you Oakland!

Being a Nicer Person

This evening Matt and I were in downtown San Francisco waiting for a BART train. Several homeless people had walked by asking for money, and has become my custom, I said "Sorry." In my younger days I used to dig in my pocket for change, but it seems lately I either don't have cash or my wallet is buried in my purse and I am reluctant to go digging for it. Both really just terrible excuses.

Today as one of the men moved past us to the next waiting passenger, she said, "Let me see if I have any change." And proceeded to dig through her purse. While doing so, she struck up a conversation: "How long have you been homeless?" "What have you been doing in terms of looking for shelter and a job?" "That's good, you've got to keep trying. Don't give up. That's very important." And then she handed him the money she'd found and he moved on.

I immediately felt like a terrible person. Although I give limited money to charities working with the homeless or people in danger of becoming so, it's a tiny part of my income, and well less than the money I give to other causes like cancer and the environment. And then I choose not to give money to people on the streets. So heartless. I was so impressed with this woman.

Then we got on the train, and an elderly lady with a dog asked if she could sit next to this same woman, who of course agreed. She proceeded to carry on a conversation with this woman the whole ride (while her dog yapped behind them and was entertained by other passengers), then helped her get off the train at her station - heading out to tell the conductor to wait, and was walking slowly with this woman through the BART station the last we could see.

I hope this woman knows how amazing she is. I will make an effort to be kinder to both strangers on the street as well as people I know.

Dear Southwest

You may have just lost a customer. I have always loved flying you, even back in the day when you had to camp out in line to get a good seat. Now I am a master of the 24 hour check-in, so that is not a problem. Although you usually have the cheapest tickets where I'm going - PHX, LAX, DEN, SAN, etc., I have also been willing to pay a little more because your Rapid Rewards program was awesome. So simple to use. Fly 16 one-way trips or 8 round-trips, get a free flight. Fabulous.

Now you have gone and screwed everything up. I had 13 credits in the old program before you switched to the new program. Since you have decided that 1 credit = 1200 points in the new system, I have to earn 3600 points to get my free flight. Already flew one round-trip to PHX, which under the old system would have gotten me 2/3 of the way there. But in the new system, this earned me a whopping 587 points, less than 1/6 of the way to my free flight. I would have to fly six round trips to earn what I could have gotten in 1.5 round trips under the old system. Ridiculous.

Apparently the new system is based not only on distance, as I believe most frequent flyer programs are, but also how much you pay for your flight. So if you get a flight deal as we did on our PHX trip, you earn few credits. If you take the last flight of the day with terrible hours so that you can get a cheaper ticket, you also earn fewer credits. This is crap. You are supposed to be the airline of the masses. Suddenly you are the airline of the elite, the person who can pay an egregious amount to fly at prime time. And you're trying to justify it all with the whole no black out dates thing. I never had an issue using my credits before. But now I will, since I'll virtually never earn any!

See you later, Southwest. It was nice knowing you.