Everyone knows that Wildflower is always my big race of the year. This time, it really was THE big race. Not many people know it, but I basically went incognito for 6 months training alone and perfecting my craft. After last year, I realized I need to scrutinize everything I do and reevaluate how I train and how I actually moved. I may not be as good as I thought.
1st of all, my swim was CRAP, and has been CRAP, and (is still CRAP) for the last couple of years. So I set out to fix that to the best of my ability. 1. swimming more didn't help. 2. swimming with masters helped but didn't help that much.
I realized that my technique was probably absolute CRAP(still crap). After a whole summer of drills, and fixing, I realized most of my problem was my right arm. My right arm dropped while its extended in the front, losing a lot of catch. So i fixed that was also able to breath on both side.
2nd of all, I didn't know how to bike. Yes, Yu's a pretty good biker. But he's still CRAP. So something must be done to make me better. What did i do? hint.....pie. or Pi. or march 14th, or simply, CIRCLES.
I started pedaling in circles. And I biked more than ever. I biked to school everyday during the fall and practiced my new pedaling technique. I felt more powerful and rides felt easier. check.
3rd of all, I probably didn't know how to run. Yes, Yu's an okay runner. But he's absolute CRAP. So something must be done. So I changed my stride, from quad dominant to glutes dominant.
HERE GOES THE WILDFLOWER RACE BLOG Pre Race: hanging out with the UCLA tri team camp was super fun. It was great to catch up and hear about untold times that my friends had. Everyone ate pasta out of a cup. It was great to watch. I wasn't feeling that nervous and prepped my stuff and was ready to go.
Race morning, starting at 12am went like this:
0. My buddies, Brian O'neil, Philip Shen, and Cameron Djokovich won't stop talking and giggling the whole night until 12am. Then girls in the bathroom that was right next to our camp site won't stop giggling about their lives. It was a little irritating but I had PLENTY OF PRACTICE IN COLLEGE WITH LOVELY ROOMMATES AND NEIGHBORS SO NO NEED TO FEAR, YU HSIAO IS NOT PISSED. I eventually fell asleep.
1. I woke up in the middle of the night with a sore throat. I was like holy sheeezzzzzz NOOOOO. I calmed down and eventually fell asleep again. Woke up 30min later, the sore throat decided to leave.
2. I woke up race morning feeling like a champion. I actually felt rested. Breakfast was great, had some ballin home freaking baked bread courtesy of my madre. and some home made peanut butter as well. AW YEA. ICE COLD soymilk... too.
3. I found out that my WHEELS ARE OUT OF TRUE. NOOOO. Checked it over and over. Eventually accepted it. and ignored it. But still panicked.
4. Forgot my coke bottles, had to run back up to campground to get them. turned into my run warm up.
5. Checked my wheel another 50 times. Concluded that whatever happens, I'm ride this bike. Ima get it done.
SWIM Surprise motherf**kahs!, like almost any other race, I had a crap swim. Again I was not able to find any draft. There were always swimmers way out to the left of me and way out to the right of me. I never know where the buoys are because of the glare and my terrible Asian eye size and eye sight. But I marched on, or swam on.
Came out of the water, in 30 minutes or more. totally demoralized. But I thought I might as well finish the race, the race is not over yet.
BIKE. The first 20 miles of the bike were pretty demoralizing as well. It was slight uphill and false flat and I felt like my legs just didn't have it. Not to mention the first 3 miles were straight up hill and my gearing were way too big (36x23 was my smallest gear). Prolly gonna stick with a 25 next time.
I kept on passing Pro women, like a lot of them. I usually pass them way later. I began to think that the swim course might have been a little longer for everyone, or just the fact that the pros weren't allowed to wear wetsuit. At mile 24? ish I passed a group of 10 guys and began to have some hope. In the group of people that I knew swam really fast (in the 25s or 26s) and there was no way that I could have caught them this early. I concluded that the swim was longer than usual and picked up some morale points. I marched on.
Everything went well until I bonked on nasty grade. I drank my coke, ate my gels, and ate whatever else in the air I could find. I struggled back into transition, knowing that I had biked somewhere in the 230s. At that point I almost lost all hope of obtaining my pro card. I just wanted to take a nap.
RUN But I didn't. I kept on running. Just as I started to feel kind of good. This fellow racer in the universe passed by me going 540s per mile like a motorbike. I could not hang for no love or money. I immediately began to feel hopeless again. My legs were falling apart. I was cramping in my arm pit, the strangest place of all time. You heard it from me. Since I'm a credible source. The strangest place of ALL TIME.
The hills came and totally just destroyed my legs. I eventually got a hold of myself. I began to think about this whole year. How much I sacrificed and how religiously I trained and followed a strict diet and all the times I had to squeeze in training sessions between classes and work. All the times I went to class half asleep and slept through class to nap. All the time my dad spent massaging me. All the financial support he gave me. All the free food my mom cooked me. All the support from my friends. The fear of failing again got to me and I somehow pushed myself to absolute limit. Sounds real cheesy but I went so deep into the cave that I could barely yell gatorade or water at the aid stations.
I ended up chatting with Ken Rakestraw a local pro triathlete who had a unfortunate mechanical on the bike (seat post dropped 4inches). He was kind enough to pace me and encourage me on. I really appreciated his help.
I jordaned into the finish like usual but this time my body shut down when I landed and next thing I know I was in the medical tent. I laid there in the medical tent thinking that I had failed again. But I couldn't have gone any faster. I checked the results afterwards, and I was third.... WHAT? nah, some age grouper is going to pass me from later waves like usual. STILL THIRD. WHATTTT?? this ain't Shaqtin a Fool, man STILL THIRD.
After a day or two of constant checking of the results. I stayed third. It's been almost a week now, and I'm still third overall in age group. I finally qualified for my professional license. It's unreal. :DDDD
Feb 11th, 2013 Some Thoughts about Training
I started my build up for Wildflower right after finals. The goal was to get 2 weeks of "training camp" type training. With a load of base and a ton of miles. The goal was to build the foundation that was good enough to do the work necessary for the rest of the season.
I swam about 4 days a week, 2 miles each time. 8 miles a week. Biked 5 days a week, with a 4 hour long ride, 200 miles a week. Ran about 5 days a week, about 50 miles a week.
Generally I did 3 sports for 2-3 days, because I can nap and sleep all day.
The third week was a little complicated with new years celebrations with friends but i wanted to take an easy week anyways and i still had about 15 hours of training.
When school started, I tried doing triple work outs but I soon found out that I cannot sustain it, and quality of my work outs dropped. Because it's hard to squeeze in time for naps and work outs. Coffee just doesn't cut it.
I decided to cut back on triple days, and do one to two triple days only, and longer double sessions to sustain the quality of my training. This has been working out pretty well. My performance is still progressive and my fatigue is manageable.
I have done a lot of research on how Sky did their training for the Tour de France last year. They emphasize a lot on adaptation to racing situations. They also do speed work in the earlier parts of the season than other traditional training methods. I have adapted that into my training. Instead of following conventional training plans I've seen throughout the years from different coaches, I make sure my training is simulating racing situations in segments. There were a couple of situations that I distinctly remembered that I was not properly adapted to.
1. My run fitness during late stages of the half marathon. 2. My power on the bike on rolling hills in the aero position. 3. My swim base, swim endurance. 4. My run speed after the bike. 5. My run speed after climbing hills.
I added 2 hour long runs into my training for the past few training blocks. The sensation of that weakness was felt during my first 2 hour long run. On my second one, I didn't feel it. This long run was after my long ride as well.
I added bike hill repeats in the aero position, 4x12-15min to my training for the past 2 weeks. It's really improved my power producing ability in the aero position.
I added long swim session, 4500yard+ to my swim routine.
Nov 7th, 2012. Marin County Triathlon. 1st Overall Win.
This my last triathlon race of the 2012 season. I picked an Olympic Distance race at Marin County. The preparation was just right I think for what I was expecting. I was going balls to walls with this race. I just wanted to see where I was at with the amount of training, and technique work I've done all summer.
The final training block leading up to it was pretty simple. Nothing too special. swim bike run, 4 days a week, 1 long ride, and 1 long run. The training is just under 20 hours a week. I never felt so consistent in my life. I feel like a real idiot with how I trained in the past. But let's not get too carried away here.
I must admit, I could have gotten more sleep. But graduate school wasn't letting up. But, all signs point to a good race.
Thanks for dad, who drove me to the race site on race morning. Race morning was normal. I wasn't nervous. I went through all the shenanigan, OCDed myself with my bike, shoe laces, gels, like a true Pro-phe-tional. I did an extra long run warm up, about 25 minute. I usually only do 15 min, but I decided why not try something new. Swim started, and funny enough, I led my wave. I could not believe myself. But I ignored that and swam hard. I practiced time trialing 1500m to get a feel of what swimming continuously feels like in the long course pool at school, something that I've neglected over the years. So I knew what pace I could go at. I went hard. On the way back, the glares of the water were crazy. I had to stop a few times, but I exited with 21:30, a full minute faster than what I've ever swam for a 1500m. Stoked.
Just a small highlight of the day, I could NOT take off my wetsuit. It's been too long.
After I finally got the suit off, I got on my bike and got to work. I'm not going to lie, the course sucked. It was twisty and technical, up and down, endless. I just focused on putting out a consistent amount of power throughout the bike course. Thanks go Brad Jacobs for letting me borrow his disc wheel. It was fast.
I got off the bike, roared out of transition, pursuit of the guys in front of me. My running training buddy Matt Paquet told me that I should run a 36 min 10k. So i aimed for that. Half way through, I was 20 seconds off pace, I pushed even harder. I drank half a can of coke before the run just to make sure lol. But I ran super hard, crossed the line, and my 10k time was 35:55. a close one.
I was stoked.
Then I found out that I won the whole thing.
I was even more stoked.
I checked the result 25 times. To make sure I got no penalties and there were no mistakes.
I finally stopped checking after I got my trophy.
Unreal.
I want to thank Brian O'neil and Laurence Delisle for helping me out with my swim stroke 6 months ago. I've been working all summer and trying out you guys' tips. So thank you guys so much. My swim is finally up there where I expected it to be.
I want to thank Matt Paquet for being the best running partner ever. Our runs are super fun, super refreshing, and awesome. It's been nice to run with the legend himself. Please don't move away.
I want to thank my dad for financially supporting me still after 4 years. also for driving me to the race. Dad, I told you I would win races. This is no big race, but it's a step in the right direction. We'll get there paps.
Lastly, I want to announce, I am officially out of retirement from triathlon. I am back. and better than ever. See you guys out there in 2013. My next race should be Ironbruin. See you there.
thanks. cheers.
October 5th, 2012
Hello, it has been a while. I thought I would write a blog about how my training has radically changed over the past 3 months and so it is more of note for myself than an actually blog since I doubt more than 2 ppl read this. But if you do read this I appreciate your time.
My overall training intensity has gone down, but average quality has gone up. Since I don't really race seriously until next year, I decided to build my aerobic capacity for 5 months starting in July, but very slowly. (Credit to Ryan who inspired me to do more aerobic work).
Here's a comparison of what I have done differently. I am an engineer, I hate reading long paragraphs. I hate reading. So here's a list to make things easy to read!
Run Training Transformation 1. Always wear a watch. I always run by time instead of miles now. I would aim for 60min of solid running, and 10 to 20min of warm up and cool down. On heavier days I would run 50min and cool down for 5min b/c of busy schedule.
2. Consistent Effort
since this is the aerobic build phase of my training year, all my effort stay consistent, around 150 BPM, and easy. When things get hard, such as a hill, or hot weather, I take a 60 second break to cool down and get my heart rate back down.
3. Never go in the red I never go in the red for anything. Even if I'm running with a buddy. If he takes off I'm not following just to beat him. No more ego contests. It's important, because every deep effort you put out, you're paying for it the next day, or next week. It all adds up to create fatigue.
4. Easy Long runsMy long runs are truly long runs now because I run super easy. My pace drops from usually weekday run pace to 7min to 730 depending on the terrain. If I run a hilly trail with a lot of switchbacks then the pace will be around 730 and 8min per mile. If it's all flat, then it's around 650. I used to run long runs like a race, b/c I want to get a certain distance and boast about my 6min pace. It's the wrong thing to do. B/c I can't sustain that kind of training with my student schedule for more than 2 weeks. All about avoiding fatigue. 5. Consistent routesI run consistent routes now from week to week with little change to compare pace and time. I have mental mile markers for each route I take at home so I know precisely about my pace. This gives me information about my fitness, my response to training from previous week, and if I have any fatigue. A powerful tool.
I also limit my hilly runs to 2 days a week. The trails around here are super hilly, usually having 700 feet of climbing. There's a lot of climbing but a lot less running. So I limit it to 2 days. 6. Stay below 85% I stay below my 85% threshold in energy, pace, and mileage. So I mentally picture where my limit is, and I reduce 15% from that and train to that so I don't get fatigued. It's working like magic. I'm performing better consistently than ever.
7. If there's consistent signs of fatigue, Decrease mileage, volume, intensity for 3-4 days. I now watch for signs of fatigue everyday, heavy legs, a general sense of increased lactic acid, increase in heart rate at rest and training, etc. I cut back my training by 20% and sleep more.
The RESULT: Consistent vibrancy in energy. Able to run 60 miles plus week after week without fatigue.
Swim Training Transformation 1. Consistent Effort/Pace. No random hard efforts. Same thing with running. Pace is easy and consistent. Not super easy but solid pace that don't increase fatigue.
2. Consistently swimming 60min each session. Same idea with running. Making sure enough mileage is there.
3. Specific Focus in training. (High elbow catch) Instead of focusing on many things i.e. kicking, rotation, catch, pace, etc. Each session has a specific focus
4. Swim on consistent interval instead of rest. Sessions are more structured, so no time is wasted.
Lastly, I honestly haven't been biking that much. I took a break from my road bike and have been riding easy on my mountain bike. I commute now to school so I ride 24 miles everyday, 5 days a week. I focus on higher cadence and my pedal stroke. Nothing's really come out of yet. I will keep you posted.
STUFF TO FOCUS ON IN THE FUTURE 1. Weighing myself before and after work out to see how much I need to hydrate. 2. Drink more water. 3. Drink electrolyte drinks during swim work out. 4. Bike more
Hopefully you found something interesting in this blog. I will be racing soon. Somewhere, some place. Not sure. #GRADSCHOOLISCRAZY.
July 6th, 2012. Q&A: How do you have the time to do all this?
A lot of my friends and family frequently ask me how do I find enough time to do triathlons, classes, studying, eating, and everything else and still be able to get everything done at a high level.
My answer is usually consistent daily schedule and "one step at a time". Each day must have evenly distributed weight of a certain project or goal you're trying to accomplish. The short answer is, don't procrastinate. That doesn't mean full throttle, pedal to the metal all the time. It just means little consistent efforts throughout. Just do little bit at a time.
When I have homework due on Thursday, I start at least 3 days before. If I have an exam on Monday, I start studying at least 4 days before. When I only study 1 to 2 hour at a time, my efficiency and memory retention rate is very high. Rather than spending the whole day and night studying, I spread it out through a whole week and get it done fairly effectively. Of course, this is idea. I am like everyone else I like to procrastinate and facebook all the time. But from statistics and comprehensive research, I seem less likely to procrastinate compared to most of my peers.
Another key to my time management is my biggest gift. I suck at video games, therefore I don't participate. It's more like my father never allowed me to play any form of video games when I was young. So I don't participate in any form of video games at all, which saves me hundred of hours per month. Obviously, I am not saying that you shouldn't touch video games. It is your time, not mine after all.
Lastly, I am not addicted to any television shows or movies. That's another handful of hours for me to use for triathlons.
So to sum it up: 1. Be consistent. Have similar daily schedule that allows your to do your work, work outs, hobbies, etc. 2. Don't procrastinate. When things pile up, you stop doing things you want to do because you run out of time. 3. If you play video games, you may play less to see if you get more time. 4. Watch less television. I heard it's bad for your vision. 5. JUST DO IT.
The percentages tell a lot about the importance of each activity. I spend about 41% of the time sleeping which includes napping, and sleeping in class. Time spent in class and studying takes up the second largest, which is 23%. I do socialize a fair share. That includes chatting online, hanging out with friends, time spent with friends after working out, etc. I watch a lot of youtube videos and spend a lot of time on facebook. It's sort of my television time, which should be reduced just a tat.
The amount of time I spend training takes up 3rd most in the pie chart, which makes sense. In terms of my own priority, triathlon training comes after class work and sleep.
Weekly Training Break Down
This is a hourly break down of my weekly training. Obviously, biking is the most time consuming part of the sport. With swimming and running taking up about the same amount of time. I spend a large portion of my time stretching each morning and each night. Lastly, I spend approximately 30 minutes of strength, consisting of roughly 4x(5 to 7) pull ups, 4x(25 push ups, sometimes up to 50), 30 sit ups, 30 crunches, 30 bicycles, etc.
Comparing this analysis to my performance this year, the swim has definitely improved but needs a lot more improvement. I will ramp up my training in the swim to 8 hours per week. I will reduce my bike hours to 10, and keep running the same. But this is the first time I'm doing hourly analysis on my training, and it provides very awesome insight. If you do the same with your own training with whatever sport, you can identify the amount of time you spend on your strengths and weaknesses effectively and adjust the time to get better.
Wildflower 2012 Race Blog. End of an Era.
The picture sums up the day at Wildflower 2012. Going into the race I knew I wasn't going to have a chance at getting top 3 in the open division. I had a lot of health issues associated with chronic fatigue and stress during last fall and this winter. I was not able to get in the training in a timely matter. Like my roommate Joey said it, it's a 2 month crash course. I did the work. Trained about 20 to 25 hours on average on top of school work. Dedicated myself to daily stretching and massaging routines. Did 100+ push ups almost daily. I did all I could to get fit in time for collegiate season and this beloved race. I knew whatever happens, I'm not going to be at 100%.
After a disappointing collegiate season, 2nd place finish at Ironbruin, 15th place at Conference, and the ugly 57th at Nationals. I was losing hope. Two weeks before Wildflower, I finally completed my brick, which was a 2 hour ride at race pace, and an hour run at 6 minute pace per mile. I completed it and felt good. I have reached my target fitness. Though there were plans to go beyond that, I was out of time.
I drove up to the race on friday afternoon with Felipe, Lili and Annie. They were great company. Everyone was very exited for the race. I got to Brittany Day's campsite (THANKS BRITTANY) and ate some food and went to bed after setting up the tent. I slept surprisingly well. The weather wasn't as cold as last year and I felt a lot better waking up. I woke up at 5:30am and promptly prepared for the race. Ate an extra large breakfast, and drove off to the race site. I wanna thank Felipe for helping out with getting my stuff together to the race.
"YU HSIAO, YOUR DEFENDING 20-24 CHAMPION, AT THE STARTLINE TODAY. HE'S LOOKING FOR A GOOD RESULT" I think that's what they said. a lot of ppl looked at me and were like really? this little 5-7 asian kid won this last year? My buddy Nick turned to them and said..uh heck yea.
I was only worried about the swim. I knew as long as I get out the water in under 30 minutes I will have a good rest of the day. The whole swim I was trying to catch a draft. For the first 400m I had a nice draft. But after 500m I lost the group. I had to zig zag back and forth to follow these guys that were also kinda zig zaggin. Negative thoughts creeped in my head. But I knew all I could do is swim hard and not worry about it. I finally caught a draft on the way back and stayed with them. I was swimming hard and couldn't pass them. I knew they were at my pace. There was also a crazy side current that kept drifting me to the left. As I came to shore, I swam as hard as I could, and I looked at my watch and saw 28. I was ecstatic. I had hit my target time set from last year.
I got on the bike, felt amazing and starting pushing. I dont know if the wind was a lot less harsh this year or if I just felt amazing. My legs weren't burning. I was pushing a good gear. The bike was a lot smoother than last year. I caught a lot of pro women. Around 10 I think. I also caught 2 pro men. mental props.
Another plus, i didn't have to pee this year. probably cuz I didn't drink that much water the night before. Onto the run. I knew the first 5 miles were going to be rough, so I took my time to get in my rhythm. I was just telling myself to not fall over. I was really tired. That's how I race half ironmans. Bike like you don't have to run afterwards. And it has worked in the past. The hills came and went no problem. I just had no one to run with. I had Nick hot on my tail for the first few miles, but I soon dropped him after the big hill. I pushed as hard as I could without cramping and dying. The rest of the run was very long and boring. My legs began to feel jello at the last 4 miles and I was begging the finish line to come faster. I finally finished 4:34:19. 2 minute PR at this course, and defended my title. I also Jordaned at the finish.
The season could have gone a lot better. But I learned that a lot of things have to go right for a good season. and this year, almost nothing went right. With a lot of my running partners injured, I was unable to get in the level of training I had from last year. With chronic problems, I was forced to take 2 months off during winter. But I did the best I could. And I will come back next year. Though I am currently retired from this sport.
I want to thank bruinrunners for sponsoring me. They gave me a free pair of stunna shade. I rode with them. They were great and aerodynamic. I want to thank Wildflower for giving me a chance do the thing i love the most. I love this course. It's made for me. I will be back next year to defend my age group title and also win the overall. It will be a hard goal. But I have a whole year to get there.
It's the end of a long journey since Freshman year to become a professional triathlete. Though I did not succeed, I learned more about myself than all the classes I ever took at UCLA. I basically studied Triathlon. I did school because I had to. But I want to thank Brad Jacobs for teaching me how to train for the bike. Brady O'Bryan for teaching me how to run faster, and train like a pro. Nick Handel for being my long course training buddy. David KK for supporting me and being my lawyer and doctor. Alec my former roommate for supporting me and running with me at times. Bruinrunners for running with me all the time and listening to me rant about my girl problems. My parents for supporting me all the way. My neighbor next door for motivating me with their concerns. My friend's dad who I'm not going to name for telling me that I won't turn pro. I basically will Mr. **. I will mail you my license next year. You saw it here. and finally thanks to rest of UCLA triathlon for all the memories. I will race with you guys up north.
For those of you who even read this, I will be back and have a top 5 result at nationals. I will be faster, stronger, and better. Until then, thanks for tuning in. See you next year.
March 12th, 2012 VIDEO TRAINING BLOG. CRAZY SUNDAY
Typical day 6
March 5th, 2012 VIDEO TRAINING BLOG. IRONBRUIN!
Typical day 5
February 27th, 2012. VIDEO TRAINING BLOG EPISODE 4
Typical day 4.
February 20th, 2012. VIDEO TRAINING BLOG EPISODE 3
Typical day 3.
February 16th, 2012. VIDEO TRAINING BLOGS
Typical day
January 8th, 2012!!!! VIDEO TRAINING BLOG DAY 1
CHECK DAILY FOR NEW VIDEO UPDATES!
September 15th, 2011, Big Kahuna Half Ironman Blog
This was my last race of the season. I think... It was another big journey. The day started off with less than 2 hours of sleep, as for some reason or another I could not fall asleep. Drove to the course with my dad feeling like I got run over by a truck. (Thanks Dad for driving me btw!). I prepped my bike and shoes, and nutrition. Warmed up, feeling well, not bad and not great. I slowly gained confidence. The race started with the smallest ever wave in history, around 10 people. I got a nice start but unfortunately I had no draft. So I swam alone most of the way, got out in 27:46, which stunned me. I was not expecting to swim that fast. I took it as a positive and hammered the bike hard. It was an out and back course, and there was a tailwind on the way there, which I didn't realize til the turnaround. I thought something was wrong when I rode 1:06 for the first 28 miles, which is 26 mph. The way back felt like I was climbing the whole way. I wanted to pee pretty bad as well, so it was a little miserable. I also got stung by a bee. lol. again. Anyways, I got off the bike in 2:22, which I was very happy with. Got on the run course, and from the start I knew I was in trouble. There were no drinks with sugar in them at the aid stations. I felt great for the first 6 miles or so, but bonked in and out until 11 mile mark where I really bonked hard. But I soldiered on, being passed by a 47 year old in the process. He was flying. I was also happy because now I know I can do this til I'm at least 47 and at that speed :D. The finish was on the beach. Passed out at the finish, got sent the medical tents for the first time in my life. I was really tired and bonked. But happy to have gotten another half ironman under my belt. 4:23 finish, a new PR in the distance.
Now that the race is over, I'm actually enjoying the down time. Partly because there's not really anyone to run with. I ran with my high school team a couple of times. But I'm just enjoying myself these past few days. It's great not having to deal with swimming in the pee hole that's known as the YMCA pool with a bunch of old people refusing to let you pass. I also don't have to force myself to swim 4 kilometers alone in the pool. But I look back at this summer, and smile because I know I've done a lot of great work toward next year. Signing off guys. Happy racing. and living.
August 24, 2011, Long overdue Wildflower Long Course Wrap Up
Wildflower was my last race of the spring season. My original intentions for this race was win my age group, and possible qualify for my professional license. But 3 weeks before the race I got sick yet again. So my hopes for any good result were kind of gone. I did have a good time trial test on the bike about 2 weeks before, and rode around 53 miles in 2:18. So I guess I had a bit of hope. My hope was dashed again when we camped out at Brittany Day's campground (shout out to Brittany, thanks so much!", and Brian O'neil(our best swimmer) and I got the smaller tent, which was bloody cold. I woke up, f**ked p, ate breakfast, feeling sick and weak, and very cold. Sun finally came up, and my body felt alright. It felt as if it was where it needed to be. I began to calm down and took in the moment, seeing all the flags waving around in the finish chute gave me some inspirations as I've always wanted to run down a chute with all the flags from different countries. Though I must say the Taiwanese flag was missing. Nick and I got down to the swim start, and I took my last gel before the race started. The start was a LOT calmer than all the other races where people tried to drown me, so it was very encouraging. Swim went smoothly. Got on my bike, and there were hills after hills after hills. Windy sections followed by head wind followed by cross wind. The rough road did not help the astringent conditions. But I felt strong throughout and pushed as hard as ever. I was in so much pain the whole way. My goal was to ride Brady(our professional teammate on the team)'s bike time from last year, a 2:35. By the 10 mile mark, I was just hoping to finish in 2:45, because I was going less than 20mph with the gears I had. The wind was crazy. But after 12 or 15 miles there was a massive tail wind and downhill section which I took complete advantage of. It was such an emotional roller coaster, going up and down, balls going numb, inability to pee, it was tremendous. Nasty grade came along, and I thought well it's not that bad. But there were more hills to follow that destroyed me. Again, I fought as hard as I could and I finally made it back to transition in 2:35, in dramatic Yu Hsiao Fashion, which means "I am a man of my words most of the time". I was ready to walk a half marathon, and maybe finish with a 2 hour half. But legs felt better and better. This US army dude caught me and we worked together, but he began drop me and hope starts to fly away from me. However, as the first hill came, I caught him and past him without much trouble. I realized, today's a hard day for every single one of us. I picked up speed, and began flying up an down every freaking hill and gradient on the course. Dad made a surprise appearance as I ran down the finish chute. It was one of the most emotional moments of my life, as I just went through 4 and a half hours of hell. It was almost like my whole life compacted into 4.5 hours. I finished in 4:36 total, won my age group, 6th overall in the open division, beat about 10 pros (who had bad days I know, but just let me brag please), so I was pleased. and I was about 3 minutes away from my elite license, which I will be back to claim next year. It's been an awesome season, more downs than up. But the up turns out to be way sweeter than I expected. It's really the experience that counts. The results will come with the experience, and the journey. I love my life. Race on for Glory everyone!
August 23, 2011, Spring Triathlon Season Wrap Up
Collegiate season has come and gone. I had a decent collegiate season. It's really my debut season since I didn't race last year's season seriously. So after 3 years in college, I finally did the races I wanted to do 2 years ago, Ironbruin, and collegiate nationals. I came in fourth behind all my teammates this year. It was a very tough course. But our team dominated nonetheless. Here on I'm hammering on the bike, trying to catch up to Brad, but never did lol. I had trouble with getting sick a lot the whole season. I would train well for 2 weeks then be sick for 1. The cycle would continue throughout the season. By the end of it I couldn't figure it out. I slept more, ate better, and had more supplements. Nothing seemed to help. So my result at collegiate nationals was pretty bad, though my teammates didn't expect any better from me. We placed fourth nonetheless. I somehow got a drafting penalty. But it wouldn't have made much difference. I had a lot of fun traveling with my teammates. All the crap we had to go through at the airport, packing bikes, and last minute incidences like Brady's ID(or something else) were all part of the experience. And oh, we got burgered hard in Alabama.
Here's us one the podium. A bit of glory, very bittersweet as I got a drafting penalty for I still don't now why.
November 27, 2010 HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Hello everyone, it's been a good second half of this year's triathlon season. Age group wins at Playa Del Rey and an awesome race at the friendly Duathlon -UCLA vs USC has been awesome. My biking has really improved and I feel like I can push the power on the bike solidly.
Happy thanksgiving to everyone, hope everyone had a good holiday. My music ambition has been put aside to focus in school and triathlon. But I will try to finish the album soon. Thanks to all of you who take the time to check out my website and hope you guys enjoy my work.
Chris Fuente, and Me at the 2010 Playa Del Rey triathlon. good job mate.
September 21, 2010 WELCOME!
Hi welcome to my new website. It's a collection of projects, video, and music that I've made over the past few years. Hope you enjoy the site thanks!