Friday, November 21, 2008

A Breath of Fresh Air

Written by felix

Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking.

11. Seeing Less Green

Sunday, 02 September 2007

Ah, the good ol' days.

It's kind of funny to think about 1999-2000 in that way, but after coming back to the U.S. from British Columbia, that is how I felt -- at least in regards to my wallet and purchasing power.

I'm not even talking about how gasoline in, say, Tennessee was under $1.00/gallon. Instead, I was thinking about the exchange rates with other countries back then, when the dollar was relatively strong, and Americans were rich.

Many friends were advising me to purchase rock climbing gear from countries such as Canada because "it's super cheap there!"

Back then, one Canadian dollar equaled 65 U.S. cents. One Euro was worth 90 U.S. cents and was so weak that Great Britain didn't even want to adopt it as its official currency.

Now, one Euro equals $1.35, and a Canadian dollar is worth almost as much as a U.S. dollar. What does this mean? Compared to eight years ago, services and material goods are 50% more expensive for Americans in Canada and Europe.

Basically, the dollar now is crap!

The flip-side is that after spending a week with our eh?-speaking neighbors to the north, I now think that (almost) everything in the U.S. is really inexpensive. Good thing, because the way the exchange rates are trending, I may have to stay here for a while.
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12. Injuries, Bleh!

Saturday, 25 August 2007

The last couple of weeks, injuries have played a significant role in my life. Not that I am injured, or ever have gotten a sports injury in my life aside from the couple of times I have, say, crashed on my bike. But it seems like many, if not most, of my athlete friends are injured!

The latest two to succumb were two good friends whom I accompanied to their respective Big Races of The Year. Last week I went to Leadville with the intention of pacing one of them from Miles 50-100 in the Leadville 100 (a 100-mile run). Unfortunately, due to a pre-existing back injury, he "only" made it to Mile 24 before having to throw in the towel. He also thinks he re-injured his groin during that run, so he probably won't be running the rest of the year. :(

Right now I am in Penticton, British Columbia, offering moral support for a friend participating in Ironman Canada. Unfortunately, she too has had a whole gamut of injuries as of late (back, foot, hip, and shoulder problems!) and will only do the swim portion of the triathlon. Too bad, because she had been looking forward to the race for two years.

The last couple of weeks have given me a chance to reflect upon how lucky I am not to have had a serious injury in my life despite over a decade of doing some rather hardcore athletic events. It's also reminded me about my priorities when it comes to athletics.

My friends who have become injured have mostly suffered over-use injuries. Several of them went from being couch potatoes to becoming over-exuberant about training (often 5-7 days a week). That is often too much.

In contrast, I may train a little less than other people who do the type of events I do, but I also seem to listen to my body better and get injured less. I also am still improving (getting faster or stronger) each year. Continuous improvement without injury is what I strive for.

After all, one of the compelling reasons to exercise is to enhance health, not rack up bills to the chiropractor or sports doctor. When it comes to injury prevention, less is more.
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13. Mountain Avenue Mile

Saturday, 11 August 2007

“The last time I did a mile race was in 10th grade P.E.,” I remarked to my friend Jonathan as we stood around at the start of the annual Mountain Avenue Mile race in downtown Fort Collins.

Considering that was 17 years ago — and my time was just 6:19 — setting a personal record today was as much of a foregone conclusion as Lindsay Lohan landing herself in jail for drunk driving. More on my mind was if I could finish under six minutes, and by how much.

A couple of days ago I even went out to one of my favorite dirt-packed roads near home to do some half-mile Intervals That Were Simply Not Encouraging. This included a first interval of 3:07 in which I was panting worse than a dog that had just chased a rabbit in 90-degree heat, and a second interval in which I paced myself better, but still could only muster a 2:59.

I even told my buddy Nick about this to which he replied, "Based on your two intervals, I predict you will run 5:35. Adrenaline and competition are good for at least 25 seconds, if not more."

5:35… ha! I’d be lucky to do a 5:45, I thought.

As it turned out, I could hardly be happier with my race.

At the start in the Men’s Open wave, I lined up behind a bunch of shirtless guys who were clearly going to be fast. So did Jonathan — whose pre-race strategy was to “run right behind some fast people and get a nice draft.”

Personally, my strategy was to stay on an inside lane (to minimize the distance by a few steps) and keep a steady, controlled pace throughout the entire distance. Before the race started, I counted to myself, “1-2-3 4-5-6″ at a 180 step/minute tempo — a mental chant I’d repeated over and over during the first three-quarter mile.

After the race commenced I still wasn’t breathing that hard after the first quarter. Nor the second.

In the third quarter, other people in front of me seemed to be fading. Unfortunately, despite my mental step-counting, it seems like I also slowed down a bit.

The last quarter, on the other hand, was positively exciting.

Jonathan was a few steps behind me the entire race, but picked it up after the final corner. I could hear his characteristic gait right behind me, and since I knew it would be hard to outkick him (since he has one of the most explosive sprints of anyone I know),I started my own sprint a tad earlier than I otherwise might have, with about 150 meters to go.

Visions of Steve Prefontaine in the Munich Olympics flashed into my mind. At that race, "Pre" knew that he could not out-kick Lasse Viren so he started a desperate, courageous sprint 400 meters out. Pre almost had him until Viren turned on the afterburners in the final corner.

A similar fate occurred to me at the Mountain Avenue Mile. I held Jonathan off until about 25 meters to go when he got a few steps on me. The instant he came around me and was about two steps ahead, I virtually threw in the towel. He simply wanted it more than I did and finished in 5:11.

But I could not be more pleased with my time: 5:12! Actually, I was really surprised. I never imagined being able to finish in the low fives, and I always assumed that doing so would feel more like a leg-trashing, lung-burning suffer-fest.

Maybe I could have run even harder. Next year, Jonathan and I will attempt to finish in under five minutes. In any case, it is good to know that my running has come quite a way since 10th grade phys. ed.

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14. Spanish Conversation Meetups

Sunday, 05 August 2007

This week I thought I'd use this blog to plug an "extra-curricular" activity I've been enjoying for the last year or so: Spanish conversation meetings!

Each week, a group of us have been congregating in Fort Collins (usually at a coffee shop) to talk about, well, anything for an hour. The ground rule, however, is that one can only speak Spanish. This enables each of us to get practice not only speaking, but listening to others in español.

Why is knowing Spanish useful? First of all, after Mandarin and English, it is the third most-spoken language in the world. Just drive a few hundred miles south, and you'll start to hear it everywhere. Every country in the Americas south of Texas, with the exemption of Brazil and a few small French or Dutch islands in the Carribean, has made Spanish their official language.

Since going on vacation in Asia, Europe, Australia, and Africa seems to be getting more expensive all the time, a (relatively) inexpensive trip to one of the countries south of the U.S. border is looking more and more attractive. And vacations are always better when you can actually talk with the natives!

Even in the U.S., Spanish is fairly popular. What country has the fifth-largest Spanish-speaking population in the world? Surprise -- it is ours!

Anyhow, trivia aside -- if you'd like to come practice some Spanish, you can join the Fort Collins/Loveland Spanish Language Group. We post messages about upcoming events and practice writing Spanish there.

Better yet, come to our Spanish conversation meetings at the Bean Cycle at 6:00pm on Tuesdays. We usually hang out towards the front of the coffee shop; for example, on the couches if they are available. It is easy to find us since we are speaking en español. :)

Ojalá que pueda venir a nuestras reuniones, y puedamos conocernos pronto. ¡Hasta luego!
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15. Road Runners vs. Trail Runners

Sunday, 05 August 2007

The other day a fellow running enthusiast asked me an intriguing question: do I consider myself a road runner or a trail runner?

Immediately I quipped, "Well, just a few years ago, I never considered myself a runner at all. I was just a cyclist who was 'faking it' whenever I had to run!" But after that comment, I became a bit more pensive. What do I prefer more: roads or trails?

In the past, I would have picked roads. For one thing, I am certainly faster on hard ground, where foot-striking energy is more readily translated into forward propulsion in contrast to the energy-sucking properties of mud. Secondly, roads lack the rocks, ruts, and uneven terrain of trails that result in altered biomechanics, or worse, sprained ankles and knees.

Recently, however, I have been enjoying running on fire roads or single track more than I used to. Running on roads just cannot emulate the experience of jogging through, say, a pine forest, well away from cars and at one with nature.

Then there is the difference in attitudes. Road runners -- so the stereotypes go -- are more concerned about speed and times. Trail runners tend to have a less competitive mindset and enjoy "just being out there."

Personally, there are times when I do enjoy trying to achieve a personal record in a race, and other times when I just want to get some exercise, breath some fresh air and take in some splendid scenery.

So I'm still not decided whether I consider myself a road runner or a trail runner. Maybe that's not so important, though. At least now I consider myself a bona fide runner instead of just a mere cyclist "faking it," which was already something of a revelation to me.
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