The Adventures of ChiTo and Kgo

Don’t Let Them Win

Posted on April 27, 2013 | 6 Comments

Ten years ago, living in a village in rural Nepal, I learned that a pressure cooker could kill. Instead of explosives, nails, and ball bearings, this accidental bomb was filled with a Nepali family’s dinner. The safety features malfunctioned and with no way to release the pressure, the pot exploded into shrapnel and claimed one mother’s life.

Though accidental explosions are rare, they are frequent enough that the Nepalese Maoists, who were on the US global terror list until late last year, took notice. And then they took to building bombs out of them.

The civil war, and more specifically a direct attack on an American compound in Kathmandu, led to the suspension of the Peace Corps program in Nepal. When I boarded the plane home, my heart pumped a complicated mix of emotions through my veins.

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Those feelings resurfaced when the joy of a Boston Marathon finish line exploded into a pressure-cooked bloodbath.

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The names of the bombers contain letter combinations that are hard for my native English tongue to pronounce. I prefer it that way. In refusing to learn their names, I refuse to dignify their memory.

Instead, I will learn how to say Lu Lingzi. I will remember that Krystle Campbell’s parents chose a unique spelling for their daughter’s name. I will remember Martin Richard’s name. I can never forget his age.

But to me, the bombers will remain Suspect 1 and Suspect 2.

I won’t call them the Chechen brothers. Or the Bombers from Kyrgyzstan. Or the Muslim terrorists. No, to do so would dishonor an entire ethnicity, an entire nation, and an entire religion.

They have no ideology in common with my Muslim friends or the vast majority of the Muslims living in my country. Living in any country. Nothing in common with my girlfriend in Turkey, the first to contact me and inquire about my safety when she heard about the attack. Nothing in common with the young couple in Brunei who, after a chance meeting in the night market, cancelled their weekend plans and toured me—one of the few Americans they had ever met—around their city. Nothing in common with my classmates from Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Orange County, and New York City. These people are Muslims. Suspects 1 and 2 are terrorists.

Like other terrorists, Suspects 1 and 2 want us to fear all Muslims.

If we fear the hijab, if we marginalize based on surnames, based on ancestry, based on skin color, then they win.

In the hours and days following the attack, thousands tweeted and shared a phrase meant to comfort the running community:

If you’re trying to defeat the human spirit, marathoners are the wrong group to target.

It’s sweet. It’s triumphant. But it misses the mark.

The attack wasn’t meant to terrorize runners. It was meant to scare the hell out of all Americans. The bombers want us to cower in the face of Islam. And if we inch away from the brown-skinned man on the metro, and shift uncomfortably in the company of our hijab-wearing sisters, then we hand victory to the terrorists.

The best thing we as Americans can do to ensure that the Boston bombers are not the victors is to judge them for the atrocity they committed and not for the religion they claim to represent.

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Want to read more?

Here are some of the more enlightening articles and interviews I have found since the Boston attack:

The Wrong Kind of Causasian by Sarah Kendzior

Boston Explosions: “Please don’t be Arabs or Muslims” by Khaled A. Beydoun

The Irony of Muslim Terrorism by Mohamed Guilan

The interview with David Rohde, a reporter held captive by the Taliban for seven months.

What more can do you?

Learn about Islam. Attend talks on Islam by scholars on the local university’s campus. Travel to Muslim-majority countries. Foster friendships with Muslims in your community, not because they are Muslims, but because they are members of your community.

→ 6 Comments

Posted in Global Musings, Perspective

Tagged Boston, boston bombings, boston marathon, boston strong, bostonstrong, Brunei, Islam, Maoists, marathon, muslim, Nepal, pressure cooker, run, running, terrorists, triathlon

ChiTo’s Racing Retirement: Oceanside 70.3 Race Report

Posted on April 8, 2013 | 24 Comments

Some races begin long before the cannon fires. Such was the 2013 Oceanside 70.3 for me.

A week before race day, I flew out to visit the fam and train in some warmer weather. Out on a short interval ride with ChiTo, my one and only bike, I mashed aggressively and blissfully on the pedals. In the zone, breath quickening, I shifted to maximize power, and then lost it all at once. ChiTo’s crank arm stopped dead in its tracks, the chain wedging itself mid-mash between the frame and chain ring before forcing its way through the tight spot and ripping open the carbon. (And with it, my heart).

Ouch

Within hours, my dad and I were at the carbon doctor who diagnosed a four-week repair time for ChiTo. Only a few days separated me from the season opener for which I had traveled across the country to race. I was equal parts devastated and distraught.

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But ChiTo’s un-race-able verdict was handed down just hours before I learned that my parents’ best man, a friend to my dad for 60 years, had lost his noble battle with cancer.

The death of my father’s friend and thoughts of the wife and five kids he left behind were poignant reminders that none of us will ever have enough time with our parents. That too much distance separates my home on the East Coast from my parents’ home out West. That our visits are too few and far between.

Because of my dad’s hot chemo dates with the oncology nurses, he is not able to travel to most of my races. I chose Oceanside 70.3 because he, my mom, and my whole family would be there. Not racing was not an option.

But dropping a few thousand dollars on a bike didn’t seem like much of an option either, so I searched for a bicycle to rent for race day.

Not aero enough

No room for a hydration kit

Too Orange

Thankfully, Bike Bling of Escondido not only had a Cervelo P3 in my size, they helped me afford it. Their generosity means so much more than they will ever know; replacing ChiTo with the new racing machine means that once ChiTo’s carbon integrity is fully restored, he can remain in San Diego for me to ride as trips home grow more frequent.

Thank you, Bo! Thank you, Bike Bling.

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I wish the pre-race story ended there.

For obvious reasons, the fit was hurried and imperfect. The aero bars on this new bike weren’t quite right. And 24 hours before the race, I was still making adjustments in my parents’ garage with a ruler and a multi-tool. I feared what Saturday would bring on a bike not yet ready to race.

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Race Day

Freezing in the Harbor

I entered the cold waters of Oceanside Harbor and glided through the swim. The waters were smooth, the course straightforward, and the times fast. I hear the course was even short. But all I was thinking about was the stranger of a bike awaiting me in transition.

Climbing the Hills

Anxiety over racing a bike without a proper fit and with just 15 miles to its name freed me from concerns over the course’s hills and headwinds. I had been too busy driving to and from the bike store and carbon doctor to study the bike course’s elevation chart.

But I LOVED it. Moving north along the Pacific Ocean with the tailwinds, then into the climbers of Camp Pendleton, and finally through the headwinds all the way back to Oceanside pier. I had the second fastest amateur bike split of the day (2:38:04), behind the very strong Sonja Wieck (2:37:40).

Running Around

Out of T2, I spotted Jocelyn Cornman on her second and final loop of the run course. We exchanged words of encouragement and I pushed myself to maintain her rhythm. Jocelyn is a pro, and a very strong runner—I remember clearly when she blazed past me at Kona last year on her way to a World Championship podium finish.

Though out-and-backs can be momentum-busting on tired legs, the layout of this course gave me the opportunity to share cheers with some of the friends I made last year traveling across the country racing triathlon. I am so thankful for the words, smiles, and thumbs up from Cathleen, Sydnie, James, Mustafa, Rene, and my new teammate, Hana.

I ran a patient race, which is all I could do. With just six miles to go, I was still in fourth place, still 5 minutes behind the leader. But I worked to keep the risky pace from my first loop and grabbed a new Half-IRONMAN personal best (4:46), an IRONMAN half marathon personal best (1:29), and a place atop the amateur podium.

My Zoot mates, Chuck (amateur male champ) and Hana (Czech beauty queen)

Last season, in the days leading up to Kona, I had dreamt of carbon damage so extensive that it sidelined me from competition. So it was truly empowering this week when, after my great fear was realized, I realized everything would still be okay.

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In memory of Don Lynn. Sending hugs to the Lynn Family.

HUGE thanks:

To Rybop, Katie, Jenbop, BrotherD, Godmother and Sherpa mother and father:

To my champion nephews:

To my new teammate Hana:

To my Coach, the German Sage.

To Zoot. Hot new kits! Tons of support. Love this team!

To Smartwool. 25,000 more steps. Zero blisters.

The #1 reason to race Oceanside 70.3

→ 24 Comments

Posted in Race Reports, Triathlon

Tagged bike, cancer, cervelo, ironman, multiple myeloma, oceanside 70.3, run, smartwool, swim, triathlon, zoot

What Would You Write?

Posted on March 26, 2013 | Leave a comment

Sporting success rests, in part, with having the mental fortitude necessary to overcome our fears. –Chrissie Wellington, on winning Ironman World Championships two weeks after a serious bike crash

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As the first big race of the season rapidly approaches, race goals begin to congeal in our minds or on our Type-A spreadsheets. Some will set a goal to complete their first marathon. Others will work to break the 6-hour or 5-hour barrier in a Half Ironman. And a few will dream of ending their season on a certain island in the Pacific.

Though logging miles and pushing paces will bring us all closer to our goals, we will never reach our true potential if we are remiss in acknowledging and eliminating our greatest limiters.

Those limited in the past by nagging injuries may decide to get real about stretching or strength training. Those limited by diet may opt for larger helpings of veggies or smaller slices of cheesecake. And whose with a hate-hate relationship with the alarm, may spend less time in front of the tube and more time asleep.

For most of us, though, our greatest limiter is our own fear. Fear of open water. Fear of the pain that precedes personal records. Fear of going out too hard. Fear of holding back. Fear that we overestimated our own abilities. Fear that we underestimated them.

So as you set your goals and face your greatest limiter, I ask: What would you write on this wall?

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Posted in Ironman, Perspective, Triathlon

Tagged bike, fear, ironman, run, swim, triathlon

Bringing Sexy Back

Posted on March 12, 2013 | 15 Comments

First short sleeve day of the spring M-Ko and K-go

Kgo and Ko Celebrate the Sun

This weekend’s 60-degree weather brought the first short-sleeved run of 2013! I wanted to feel every ounce of sun possible, so I left the hat and sunglasses at home. Rocking the bare arms felt soooo right.

But it can be so wrong.

It’s spring now. And before we know it, it’ll be summer. The sun will shine brighter, the mercury will rise, and the layers will come off.

Abs for days (Olympian Kara Goucher)

Well, not everyone can be as sexy as a shirtless Kara Goucher

Running and cycling are about to get sexy again. Very sexy.

But before they do, and before you do, please watch this video. It could save your life. Or your training partner’s life. Or your child’s life.

Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer, and exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is its leading cause. It’s NOT the kind that can be simply “cut out.” It’s the kind that spreads to your liver and your lungs. It’s the kind that takes lives. Young lives.

But there is a lot that you can do to prevent melanoma.

Below, find a list of tips for melanoma prevention, modified for the endurance athlete.

Avoid midday sun. The doctors recommend avoiding midday sun. Whenever possible, get in your long ride or run on the early side to avoid exposure when the sun’s rays are strongest (10am-4pm), even when the sky is cloudy. (Clouds offer little protection from damaging rays.) For those training for ultra-marathons or IRONMAN-distance events, rides/runs/bricks will inevitably spill into that sun window. Simply minimize the spillage by starting as early as possible.

Luckily, sunrise/sunset runs in VA and CA happen outside of the 10am-4pm window. Great running/riding scenery.

Choose shade. For those really long rides that spill heavily into or entirely span that 10am-4pm midday sun window, choose shady routes whenever possible.

We can’t all run under the Redwoods, but search locally for a Redwood substitute

Wear protective gear. Clothes don’t wash off like sunscreen. Look for gear that provides an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of 40-50+. As sexy as a tank top or sportbra may be, opt for the running shirt or cycling jersey that covers your shoulders in that 10am-4pm window. Choose sleeves such as the Zoot Ultra Icefill Arm Coolers and, in addition to blocking UV rays, you’ll cool off with Zoot’s moisture-activated technology. Sunglasses are also an essential part of protective gear. Melanoma can develop on the eye as well.

All-American Andy Lipscomb protecting those guns with arm sleeves in the Kona sun

Apply Legit Sunblock. Sunscreen should be used in addition to, and not instead of the tips above. And it should be applied year-round. Use a broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB protection) waterproof sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. (I’d go for 50+.) Apply it generously, and reapply throughout periods of heavy perspiration. (If you sweat like I do, reapply it every hour.) Use a generous amount; this is not the place to trim triathlon expenses. Big white sunblock streaks are sexy. Own it.

Can you guess which of the anti-melanoma rules this stud violated?

Avoid tanning beds. Obvio. Even if you want to look sexy in a strapless dress. Melanoma is not sexy. Pick a different dress.

Shoulders covered…still sexy

Become familiar with your skin so you’ll notice changes. Yep, I am recommending that you look at yourself naked in the mirror. Frequently. If you have a naked partner, work a skin examination into your alone time. Become familiar with what your skin (or your partner’s skin) normally looks like. This way, you are more likely to notice any skin changes. Examine your face, neck, ears, scalp, chest, trunk and the tops and undersides of your arms and hands. Examine both the front and back of your legs and your feet, including the soles and the spaces between your toes. Also check your genital area and between your buttocks. (There are a small number of melanoma cases that are not caused by UV exposure.) If you notice any moles that are asymmetrical or evolving or ones with notched or scalloped borders, show your doctor.

Catch Melanoma Early

Knowing the warning signs of skin cancer can help ensure that cancerous changes are detected and treated before the cancer has spread. Melanoma can be treated successfully if it is detected early.

Please protect yourself and please share this with your training partners.

Stay sexy.

→ 15 Comments

Posted in Information is a Public Good, Ironman, Perspective, Triathlon

Tagged bike, ironman, melanoma, run, skin cancer, SPF, spring, sun UVA/UVB, swim, UPF, UV protection, zoot

How Perfunctory Becomes Fierce

Posted on February 26, 2013 | 12 Comments

As part of my training to become a high school English teacher, my university assigned me to tutor in a remedial reading class in a low-performing school. Think tenth graders reading at fifth grade levels. Each day for a semester, I would arrive on time, be present the entire period, and then leave. But I was never really “present.” My mind was on the sleep I didn’t get the night before, the breakfast I should have had, or the studying I still needed to do for my own courses.

At the end of the semester, on an evaluation form still sitting in my university file, the master teacher described my involvement in her classroom as “perfunctory.”

Upon finding “perfunctory” in the dictionary, I was ashamed. But I knew it was a fair assessment. I had done the minimum possible to get by, and that in itself shamed me.

That was over ten years ago.

Last month, my friend Maja invited me to her yoga studio. I found all that OM-ing and “centering” to be more along the lines of hippie nonsense than a portal to zen. And, as a result, I adopted a rather perfunctory yoga practice.

Slumped over my knees in “child’s pose,” I heard the instructor suggest that we “set an intention” for that day’s practice. An intention, she explained, is not quite a goal. It is a way to help the yogi connect the “what I’m doing” with the “why I’m doing it.” An intention is a promise the yogi makes to herself about what she intends to do or be in that moment.

I quickly lumped this “intention-setting” exercise with all of the other granola-asana business, until days later I found myself after dark in the cold, pouring rain on a water-logged track.

Six miles of intervals, and some major wind gusts, stood between me and the end of my workout. I ran my first lap in the same perfunctory fashion that I had tutored remedial readers and stretched into down dogs. I was physically moving my body around the track, but my mind was not there with it.

And my splits showed it.

But then I heard my yoga instructor’s voice like a whisper in my ear. Set an intention, she said.

Be fierce, I decided.

Be fierce now, so I can be fierce on race day.

By setting an intention at the beginning of my “practice,” I had a mantra to which to return when my quads and glutes started burning from the extra pounds of water I carried in my shoes.

Be fierce.

The more it poured, the fiercer I could be.

I wonder how setting such an intention could have made the difference in my work as a remedial reading tutor. I wonder how fierce of a tutor I could have been with an intention that aligned my mind with my body’s physical presence in the classroom. I wonder how setting an intention before each training session might increase my fierce quotient on the race course. But most importantly, I wonder how beginning each day, each conversation, each human interaction with a silent intention can enrich my life by aligning the “what I am doing” with the “why I am doing it.”

Woah. Did I just say that? Who’s the hippie now?

→ 12 Comments

Posted in Perspective, Triathlon

Tagged asana, intention, ironman, perfunctory, setting an intention, teaching, track, triathlon, triathlon training, winter training, Yoga

Tips for Cold Tips #9: Out of the Closet

Posted on February 21, 2013 | 8 Comments

Ecuadorian scarf in the Malaysian capital

In this blog series, I offer tips for cold tips. These tips will save all of us from treadmill and trainer imprisonment this winter.

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Within the first two minutes of my arrival in Malaysia, I developed hijab envy. All around me, women coordinated dresses with lovely headscarves. Some solid, some print. Some wild. Some muted. Many held in place by highly decorative pins. The Ecuadorian scarf wrapped around my head wasn’t going to cut it in the modern Muslim metropolis of Kuala Lumpur.

Hiking in Ijen, Java (Indonesia)

I was trekking through SE Asia on a shoestring budget with a small backpack. I didn’t have money or space for any non-essentials. But it only took one stroll down the streets of KL to recognize that a proper hijab was, indeed, essential. With the help of some locals, I selected a black hijab that coordinated well with all two shirts in my backpack.

Looking down on KL from the Petronas Towers

This hijab then paved the way for a delightful trip through Muslim-majority parts of SE Asia. It broke down cultural barriers and began conversations. In every customs line I passed through–mainland Malaysia, Borneo’s Sabah, the Sultanate of Brunei, Indonesia’s Lombok and Java–I was greeted with a smile.

How coconut water should taste

But upon my return to Washington, DC, the hijab ended up in the back of my closet. It stayed there for two years. Then last month, after a few frustrating track sessions where my balaclava impeded my breathing and my peripheral vision, I dug out the ol’ hijab. What was fashionable in the Malaysian summer was now practical in the DC winter.

Aero-Hijab

The same material that makes the hijab bearable in the heat and humidity of SE Asia, makes it breathable for the runner on a cold day. The cut provides peripheral vision far superior to my balaclava, as the hijab was designed for women to wear while working or driving. It covers the ears, neck, and chest, but allows the mouth to breathe freely.

Kgo and Ko, RPCVs

So am I suggesting that you hop the next plane to Malaysia to get yourself a hijab? Not entirely.

Is this post really about keeping my neck and ears warm on winter runs? Only kind of.

The real point here is that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on something fancy to stay warm in the cold. As discovered in a post (click here) a few weeks back, what we do have is much more important than what we don’t. There is likely something in your closet that, with a little creativity, could become your new BFF for winter rides and runs.

When you find it, let us know!

If you liked this post, check out others in the Tips for Cold Tips series:

#1: Armpit Paninis

#2: Take Off Your Teammate’s Top

#3: Skin on Skin Wins

#4: Borrowing Body Heat in Borneo

#5: A Cozy Cabin For Your Toes

#6: Himalayan Lessons in Hydration

#7: If You’re Playing With Fire

#8: Weather and Wardrobe for Race Day

→ 8 Comments

Posted in Adventure, Global Musings, Product Reviews, Tips for Cold Tips

Tagged borneo, global musings, headscarf, hijab, indonesia, ironman, java, kuala lumpur, lombok, malaysia, muslim, runner, triathlete, triathlon

Not Your Momma’s Wool

Posted on February 10, 2013 | 22 Comments

Credit: Georgetown Productions

There is a rushed moment in an IRONMAN competition in which biker becomes runner. It happens so fast that I haven’t time to consider what 2.4 miles of water submersion and 112 miles of sweaty gear mashing have done to my feet. No time to comprehend that a full marathon still separates my water-logged wonders from the finish line. No, in this rushed moment, there is only time to lace up my shoes and take the first step.

That first step of that first mile is followed by 1,780 more steps. And that first mile is followed by 25.2 more miles. So by the time I cross an IRONMAN finish line, my feet have taken nearly 50,000 steps. Fifty thousand steps through sweltering lava fields in the afternoon sun. Fifty thousand steps in sneakers bloated with water originally intended to cool my head.

But it’s what I do in that rushed moment that ensures those 50,000 steps do not become 50,000 chances for a blister to destroy my race: I pull on SmartWool socks.

Four full IRONMAN competitions. Two-hundred thousand steps. ZERO blisters.

So when SmartWool called to see if I’d be interested in “modeling” for their Spring 2013 running line, it didn’t take ~~much~~ any convincing. And that was even before I knew that the shoot would be in San Francisco.

It was obvious upon arrival that SmartWool was hoping some beauty sleep would do me (and their SP13 run campaign) some good.

What followed were 48 hours of fan field testing with a cool cast and crew of characters:

The crew:

Jen, SmartWool’s creative director (Steamboat Springs)
Noah, executive creative director from Victors and Spoils (Boulder)
Kevin, superstar photographer (Whistler)
Sean, assistant photographer extraordinaire
Dan, videographer and surfer (Cardiff, CA)
Ali, on-site producer (San Francisco)

SmartWool Shoot Kevin Stretching Golden Gate

Even photographers need to stretch

Creative Director Jen soaking up the Golden Gate Sun

The cast:

Fynn, Founder of RootsRated
Ryan, Cyclist, runner, and bike commuter
Christine, Ultra-runner and Celiac’s conqueror
Jonathan, Animal Shipper and Ultra-runner
Kristi, IRON(wo)MAN
Tina, IRON(wo)MAN
And Me!

“The Talent.” Photo Credit: Jen

As triathlon season approaches, I look forward to that next rushed moment where biker becomes runner, and runner enjoys a blister-free marathon in SmartWool!

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Check out SmartWool’s line of PhD Ultra Light running socks. This is not your momma’s wool. SmartWool’s merino blend provides excellent temperature control and moisture management, providing hundreds of thousands of blister-free steps, regardless of race day conditions.

Okay, now for some more fun pictures of cast and crew: