LA Marathon Race Report

This is the official race report following the format of my prior race reports. I will add the official race photos later, and hopefully, some of them will turn out well.

The event itself: Where? How long? When? Weather?

This course started in Dodger Stadium. From the stadium we went over to Chinatown. Past Olvera Street and the Courthouse. Past Echo Park Lake. And a long straightaway on Sunset. Through Sunset Junction and Silverlake. Onto Hollywood Blvd, past the Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood sign. Past the Walk of Fame. Along the Sunset Strip, through West Hollywood to Beverly Hills. A fun jaunt through Rodeo Dr. And a long straightaway down Santa Monica Boulevard aka historic Rte 66. Past Century City. Past the VA hospital. Through Westwood and Brentwood. You get to see so much running a marathon because it's incredibly long, and if you're me, you're not going all that fast.

Race day was March 16th. Although we had a lot of rain the week before, the weather on race day was nearly perfect. It wasn't too windy, and it didn't even sprinkle. I felt like it was sunny the whole day. I brought a ski hat and gloves, sweatpants, and a sweatshirt, all of which I left behind at the starting line. I had a great experience with my race day outfit and would not have changed anything about it.

Course description and evaluation of event logistics

I do not think that I over-prepared for the marathon. I am glad I made a route sheet, which I used at several points during the race. Knowing when the hills were coming and how my fueling plan lined up with the elevation changes was helpful. I am also grateful that I had a bathroom plan. The restrooms at the early aid stations were absolutely swamped. And I overheard people saying that the toilets at the starting line were horrible. 

I don't know the price of the starting line hospitality, but I did enjoy it. I used the private toilets twice. I used the private gear check. I used the foam rollers and yoga mats. I ate the bagels, drank the coffee, and grabbed two extra Gu's. It was hot and cozy in that tent. They let us in at 4:30 a.m. And I stayed there until about 5:15 a.m. I could have stayed longer but it got increasingly crowded the closer it got to the start of the race. I appreciated sitting in a chair, staying off my feet, and not having to sit on the ground. 

The perks of being an LA Roadrunner were also great. Our pre-race loge level at Dodger Stadium was something that really pumped me up. I used the restrooms there twice and they were nice, clean, and well-lit. It wasn't warm there because it was outdoors, but there was good company and I really enjoyed Coach David's pre-race pep talk. It gave me a feeling of continuity to see Coach David at all training runs, on Thursday zoom calls, before and after the race. I would 100% recommend joining the Roadrunners.

How did you train for the event

I ended up following the LA Roadrunners level 3 training plan. I squeezed in my weekday runs either early in the morning or midday. I did not do any runs in the afternoon or evening. I got a Planet Fitness membership to use the treadmill, which I've written about before. 

Gear and Nutrition

I will do a separate post on gear, but let's say I found a way to fit everything in my shorts pockets and hydration vest. I was actively bleeding (menstruating), so I had to carry tampons and wipes. One Gu exploded in my pocket, so I just ate it in the corral before the start of the race. I wasn't planning on doing it, but I don't think it hurt.

The goal was to get 30-60 grams of carbohydrates per hour for the first three hours and then increase to 60-90g of carbs per hour afterward. It was good that I had each time and a place marked down to eat, roughly based on my estimated pace. I didn't look at this plan every mile, but there were some times when I did look at it, and it helped me feel calm and situated. I didn't rely on the aid stations for food, water, or electrolytes, but I did take them when it felt right. I didn't take any food or drinks from spectators. Most of the water I took from the aid stations was dumped on my body to cool down. Even though I trained with Stroopwaffles and Fruit strips from Aldi, I didn't end up bringing those on race day. I was trying to keep the simplest possible race day strategy. And Stroopwaffles take too long to eat. 

I made my electrolyte plan the morning prior to race day. I wasn't sure I needed to do this, but also I wanted to make sure I had enough salt tablets. I put them in bags. 4 bags with 6 tabs each. Since I ran a bit slower than I had planned, I almost ran out. But also there was a stretch there where I didn't want to eat anything. It was a good thing I brought the Biscoff cookies. That was something I was considering skipping but at the last minute, I threw them in. And that was a good decision because as some point, that was the only thing I could tolerate, and they helped immensely.

The other items I had in my vest were (1) sunscreen, which I did apply at mile 22 when we turned around and had the sun at our back. (2) a chapstick with SPF, which I did apply several times. And (3) Her chamois butter. I didn't use the anti-chafe but possibly I should have each time I used the restroom. I did get some chafing from the tampon string, which I could have put lotion on. I didn't practice that.

Specific experiences

It was pretty special meeting up with my husband around the half-marathon mark. I think he had to pay $3 for parking. We chatted for a bit and he took a video interview of me. I was so flustered I forgot to include him in my Instagram story. My aunt wanted to be there but I thought logistically it would be too challenging to coordinate. She encouraged me to take lots of pictures, which I did. It did slow me down to get my camera out and pose each mile, but now I can look back and see exactly how I was feeling. 

Finish and associated emotions

I felt like I could still run across the finish line. I didn't start crying until I saw Coach David. I almost feel like it hasn't hit me yet that it's over. My legs are still sore, but also I don't feel injured. I feel there's just a lot of trauma there. Kind of like how you feel after giving birth. Everything is a bit swollen. My body feels like it went through something intense, which it did. I might lose my left big toenail.

Overall evaluation of the event 

Overall, I might do this event again. Others said that this year we had the best weather ever. It's a toss up in the spring whether you might have cold, hot, rain, etc. I didn't know how I would feel. As my friend Yahaira pointed out, doing the same race again helps give you a comparison to know if your fitness is trending up or down. What's funny is that even the list of landmarks ends at mile 21 as if the last 5 miles don't exist. I think most people agree that the last 6 miles was the worst. Partly because that's where people hit the wall, but partly because that part of the course was mentally difficult. 

It would be fabulous if the race could have gone to the ocean. But as I understand, the city of Santa Monica was asking 5x as much as every other city for permits. And I didn't particularly enjoy the Santa Monica Classic. It would have been a full-circle moment to start and end the race season in Santa Monica. 

This season was so impacted by climate change it's actually nuts. The mid-season race, the Rose Bowl Half, hasn't even happened yet. It's been rescheduled for April, so there will be a forthcoming race report for that event. I felt it was insincere to hand out the challenge medals at the marathon for doing all three races when one hasn't even happened yet, but it was easier for the race organizers logistically. They decided to give the medal for the races people were registered for, even if the participants chose to skip the race.

Pregnancy Part 10

Today dear husband is at a conference. I am at work and grateful to be busy. If I were sitting around at home, I would probably have more time to obsess over symptoms and things that could go wrong. Instead, I am keeping on top of my work and enjoying working with students.

Here goes the symptom roundup:

Week 16 - Sept 23-29 headache, neckache, shortness of breath, abdominal/pelvic discomfort, joint pain, leg cramps, increased thirst
Week 17 - Sept 30-Oct 6 heartburn, nipple soreness, shortness of breath
Week 18 - Oct 7-13 backache, headache, neckache, bleeding gums, tender breasts, increased thirst

We had our 18-week and second trimester screening appointment with the OB last week, everything went well. We had a list of questions that were answered. We heard the baby's heartbeat on doppler, but there was no ultrasound. I gave another vial of blood for AFP testing. I got the insurance stuff all straightened out with the State of CA screening program.

I wrote about the "babycentre" diet in previous posts, part 4 and part 5. I will admit that I have been following it loosely. It does help me see how many times I am eating fast food and not healthy food.

Week 12 - 49%
Week 13 - 26% (one fast food)
Week 14 - 28% (four fast food)
Week 15 - 28% (four fast food)

Week 16 - 26% (three fast food)

Week 17 - 31% (three fast food)
Week 18 - 37% (three fast food)

I don't feel good about these numbers, and I want to get the percentage of "following the diet" up higher, but it requires planning and shopping and with "pregnancy brain" I am really struggling with having the energy to actually sit down and decide what groceries I would need for a week. Then once the groceries are purchased, it is hard to get into that kitchen and cook all of those meals.

Regardless, I am still within normal for weight gained, but I'm starting to be afraid of a 9 pound or larger baby. We have been doing a good amount of walking. I've been monitoring the macronutrients and micronutrients on MyFitnessPal to try to get 40% carbs and 40% fats and 20% protein. More often than not, I end up with 50% carbs, 30% fats and 20% protein. But I am getting all the calcium and Vitamin A that I need.

This weekend we went back to La Quinta in Santa Ana. It was great to escape the smoke from the Saddleridge Fire (thanks climate change). We took our dog to Huntington Dog beach on Friday morning. It was absolute paradise. We went to my nephew's football game at Newport Beach. We went to Crystal Cove State Park on Saturday afternoon with my in-laws. They were escaping some fires that were set in Riverside. It was super to have two beach-walks in one weekend but it did get a bit hot at the end. The baby was kicking on the way down from the parking lot to sea level, but he calmed down once we got out to the area where the water meets the sand. On Sunday, we got to see some old friends from graduate school and spend a bit of time with their two daughters. 

Since I kept track of the items I had wished I had from our last trip, packing for this trip was a breeze. We had a wonderful time away and it was hard to come back. We put down a deposit on our prenatal classes in the Bradley Birth method, which will start around end of October. Tonight is my first prenatal workout class at Bini Birth center in Sherman Oaks. I'm excited but also nervous. I want to be strong when I am in labor. I'm afraid that if I don't work out, I will lose all my muscles that I will need to push this baby out and carry him around both before and after he is born.

Central Coast Trip

We had a wonderful 5-day (4-night) vacation in Grover Beach this New Year's.  My panniers weighed about 26 pounds.  The raingear was not used, but rain was in the forecast so it was good we had it just in case.  The most valuable items were the windbreaker, yoga pants, and a zip-up hoodie.

It was easy to catch the Amtrak from Glendale.  The Holiday Inn Express provided continental breakfast, of which we used to make lunches of peanut butter & jelly sandwiches.  This helped keep the cost of our trip low.  Our walks and bicycle rides were completely free.  We considered seeing a movie, but there wasn't anything we could agree upon.

I am providing our modest itinerary and detailed packing list for our own documentation, but also I would hope it would help you consider what you would bring if you had to carry everything.  There are things I missed, but I used everything I brought.  It felt really good to simplify our lives if only for a week.

It was really fun to be able to take the bus.  The 5-cities transit was awesome!  We bought a $5 all-day pass for the day we went to San Luis Obispo, since we took two different bus lines.  Even though we were early for the bus (which runs only once per hour) we took the opportunity to do some "Bus Stop Calisthenics." Analogous to my favorite passtime, "Train Yoga."  When you consider the urban landscape one big playground for adults, and stop caring what people think, life can be more fun!

Itinerary

Day 1: Fri. Dec. 30

Boarded train at 3:17pm
Arrived at 7:54pm
Biked to hotel
Dinner at Carl's Jr

Day 2: Sat. Dec. 31

Bike ride to Grover Beach beachfront
Viewing of Monarch Grove
Bike tour of Pismo Beach downtown
Walk to 5 Cities Center, Branch Street
Bus ride back to K Mart
Dinner at AJ Spurs

Day 3: Sun. Jan. 1

Bike ride to Avila Beach
Walk to Grand Avenue
Dinner at Round Table Pizza

Day 4: Mon. Jan. 2

Bus ride to San Luis Obispo
Tour of Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
Shopping at Phoenix Books

Day 5: Tue. Jan. 3

Lunch at Station Grill
Boarded train at 1:55pm
Arrived at 6:50pm
Biked home

Packing List

Outerwear Raingear + Stocking cap Light jacket + Windbreaker Sun hat + Cycling cap Scarf + Headscarf Bicycling gloves	Underwear Undershirts (1 camisole, 3 t-shirts) Long sleeve cycling jersey Boxers or panties (5+ pair) Socks (5+ pair) Bras (1 sports and 2 regular)
Tops Hoodie (zip up) Sunglasses + case + cleaning cloth Bicycle helmet Safety vest	Bottoms Hiking pants (Convertible) Yoga pants Dress pants Cycling shorts
Toiletries Face wash, lotion, eye cream, serum Toothpaste/toothbrush Contact lens case/solution Chapstick, face SPF 50, body SPF 30 Comb, headband, tampons, medication	Electronics Phone + Charger GoPro + Charger Lights + Charger Computer + Charger Music player + Charger
Other Swimsuit Resort Dress	Footwear Cycling & Walking shoes  Flip-flops

Doheny SB ~ Packing List

So, we're doing our first bicycle camping adventure!  It's not a full-on wilderness campsite, being just 1 mile away from the urban center named Dana Point, and less than 4 miles from Laguna Niguel, San Juan Capistrano, and San Clemente.  I wanted to write about what we plan to take in order not to over-pack.

1) tent
2) sleeping bags
3) yoga mat
4) cycling shoes
5) swimsuit?
6) long underwear
7) matches/lighter for starting fire
8) towels
9) camping lantern/headlamps
10) bike tools (pump, tire irons, patch kit, etc.)
11) reading materials (coloring book, colored pencils, journal, yoga poses)
12) hat/sunglasses/sunscreen

It's hard to bring many electronics that would need to be recharged.  Obviously we need to bring our Metrolink Monthly Passes.  Our plan is to take the Ventura County line train 104 (departs 7:37am from Glendale, arrives 7:50am at LA Union Station) and Orange County line train 600 (departs 8:00am from LA Union Station, arrives 9:23am into San Juan Capistrano).  After the train trip, we will ride 3.7 miles from the station down the San Juan Creek Trail to our campground.

Loaded with Christmas Cheer

We did a big Christmas ride loaded down with gifts to practice riding with loaded bikes.  It was a great way to explore the Pacific-Electric trail.

IE Metric Century: total ascent of 2600 ft 

It was also fun to ride Historic Route 66 through Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, and Claremont.  We picked up the trail at Monte Vista Ave.  It ended at Cactus Ave where we dropped down to Rialto Ave, cruised by the Rialto Metrolink Station, and dropped into Riverside on Riverside Ave.  The journey took us 9 hours and we never stopped to have a sit-down meal.  We did use the restrooms at the Taco Bell (140 W Huntington Dr, Monrovia, CA 91016) which were clean!  That was about 17 miles into our trip (2 hours) and we got a burrito and a Dr. Pepper.

I definitely don't want to bring a camping chair strapped to my back to Doheny, we will have a picnic table for sitting.  There are areas to explore, well described here.  We have all day today to pack and get the house in order so we can come home in the new year to a clean tiny house.

Edit this

“Editing is the very edge of your knowledge forced to grow--a test you can't cheat on.”
― S. Kelley Harrell

I've been up to so much since my last post, and the more time that passes makes it more impossible to summarize everything I've learned in one post.  But procrastination is the enemy of productivity and I may have to go on a ramble to get caught up with myself.

November almost didn't exist.  I was so focused on the activities of October.  National Chemistry Week (Oct 18-24, 2015), for example.  We went to San Diego Miramar College.

"Chemistry Colors Our World"

I still need to do a write-up of all the hands-on activities visitors to our booth were invited to interact with.  Many of the items involved recycled materials, we really kept our costs down this year.

After the ChemExpo, we headed to Downtown San Diego for the bike summit (Oct 25-28), which I did summarize in a previous post.  What I didn't discuss was my play-day in the bay.

"Cat" Niki de Saint Phalle (1999) 

I have always loved the Niki de Saint Phalle's work and it was a real treat to walk along the bay with my dog, Edna.  I had an idea to walk to Cabrillo National Monument, which I didn't quite make.  I got as far as the USS Recruit and hopped on a BikeShare bicycle to ride back to where I started.

After that, it was time to prepare for the American Chemical Society Western Regional Meeting (Nov 6-7, 2015) in San Marcos.  It was a real treat to visit another CSU campus.  I saw a handful of friends, old and new, and it was a good retreat from the everyday teaching life.

Mission San Juan Capistrano

After the meeting ended, I drove up the coast to Dana Point.  While waiting for the check-in time for my hotel across from Doheny State Beach, I visited the Mission San Juan Capistrano.  It was gorgeous!  I had made it a goal to see the California missions in a previous post.

It looks like camping at Doheny State Beach costs $35/night for up to 8 people, 2 vehicles.  The campsites are right on the beach.

Pedestrian Overpass (33.458311, -117.672942)

There are restrooms and showers and a place to get firewood.  This is definitely something to consider for a bicycle camping adventure.  There's a Ralph's grocery store in Dana Point.

I wanted to start this post off with a quote about "editing" because I feel like that's what my life needs right now.  There are so many opportunities to "say yes" to various activities.  Just like with one's wardrobe, it can be tempting to put on every neckalace, bracelet, watch, ring, and pair of earrings but good outfits need editing.  The same is true with writing.  The same is true with life.  I feel like my New Year's resolution this year will involve editing.  Learning how and when to "say no" to various activities will prevent me from feeling overcommitted and exhausted.

CalBikeSummit

Breakfast Plenary Session

Tony Dang, California Walks
Michele Hasson, Counsel for Justice & Accountability
Chanell Fletcher, Safe Routes to Shool National Parternship
Estuardo David Mazarigos, TRUST South LA

TD: We have to remove the financial strings attached to getting involved in advocacy
Case in point: I had to pay $200 for a one-day attendee registration fee!

MH: There's no data to use in proposals b/c safety issues are not accurately reported

Lead Organizer Estuardo Marzariegos

TD: Walking plans are in place for only 50% of communities, plans should be community-driven rather than consultant-driven.  Residents should define where they want to go.

EDM: Create a community that can stand up for itself.  Host bike rides.  Survey at the street level.  Recruiting people in this way will empower them.  Collect their stories.
Hold press conferences.  Visit Councilmember's offices.  Make inequity clear.
Out of 123 surveys, 38% of people have been in accidents, 67% use a bicycle as a primary form of transportation.  Collecting the voices of constituents (mothers, workers) has been convincing.

CF: Complete streets need reporting; climate health, equity.  If the project doesn't collect data the funding will be pulled.  The new idea of "Low Carbon Roads."

MH: When a continuing dialogue is ongoing with politicial leaders, it's easier to push when the time is right.  Continuing education at every interaction.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best Marketing & Promotion Practices

Cory Wilkerson, City of Santa Ana
Ryan Johnson, Alta Planning + Design
Nathan Wheadon, Orange County Transportation Authority

CW: $150,000 grant for direct education (school assemblys, bike rodeos), marketing & design

RJ: Community surveys conducted including key stakeholders (police, engingeering & public works, city staff, Spanish language translators)
8 month funding cycle, which took 3-4 months to secure contracts
Survey results were translated into word clouds (Wordle): the prompt was
"How would you describe Santa Ana in 1 word if it were a person?"
Goals of the image campaign: not graphically violent, not humorous b/c humor can be lost in translation, more simplistic/positive/uplifting, the expectation is "Travel Safely"
How a single person in a single day can be all 3: pedestrian, cyclist, driver

Outcomes: 12 bus stop posters (3 months, $17,000)
36 pole banners placed in areas of high bike-ped collisions
Printed brochures, safety sheet, webpage http://www.ci.santa-ana.ca.us/bike/

jenny@graphikdeziner.com

18 school assemblies during April/May

"Safe Moves" coordinated the bike rodeos

10 new League-Certified Instructors were inducted in an LCI seminar

1000 helmets were distributed

NW: A SWOT analysis is a way to begin a project, decide what/when to say something, choose a relevant/topical message, the audience is educating drivers

The best teachers use humor, voices, antics! If you can come up with a campaign and get the support of the more conservative board members, then it may eventually be approved.

Next campaign [B]right... be safe, be seen.

The video should be less than 60 seconds, educational, entertaining, positive, funny/creative.

The video should NOT be inspiring fear or victim-blaming.

The video can be distributed using social media (digital), at events (face-to-face), through email marketing, through print media (magazines, local newspapers) through a formal press release, and through your own network of contacts (city staff and bike advocates) ask them to share it!

It takes 2 months from the concept for a video to a publicly posted video, 2 weeks of filming

5 videos were made at a cost of $20,000

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the Cutting Edge of Quantifying the Public Health Benefits of Bicycling

Dan Gallagher, San Diego Association of Governments
Sherry Ryan, San Diego State University
David Flores, Casa Familiar
Peter Jacobsen, Public Health Consultant
Sean Co, Toole Design Group
Carla Blackmar, Public Health Alliance of Southern California

DG: The built environment effects community behaviors, correlations between the geographical environment and health factors were calculated and used to prioritize infractructure projects
Active Transportation (trails, parks, sidewalks), Injury Prevention, Nutrition, Air Quality
all granular data fed into the model... Compared San Ysidro versus all San Diego County
Partial Correlations Analysis used to determine which factors had the most impact on health
http://sandag.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/?appid=fc149b3233eb48e796dd8e40d7e6eac4

SR: the percent difference between San Ysidro versus San Diego city was used to identify ramps and lighting, landscaping, traffic calming, new parks, wayfinding, crosswalks, bike lanes that could improve the health of San Ysidro

http://www.sandag.org/uploads/publicationid/publicationid_1933_18945.pdf

DF: promotoras are community leaders of health that volunteer to boost community awareness
they receive in exchange for their leadership training in first aid, zumba, which builds their skills.

PJ: He was a contributor to the Bike Plan for the City of Pasadena and noticed that the amount of cyclists in a city actually decreased the risk of injury (collisions b/w cars and cyclists)
If you double the # of cars, you double the # of collisions b/w cars but the same is not true for cyclists/pedestrians "Safety in Numbers"
The reasons for this are twofold 1) physiology 2) psychology
Physiologically we evolved to understand a 15 mph pace, beyond that our minds simplfy situations and ignore some of what is going on.  This is a learned behavior
Psychologically, rare events are hard to detect.  When there are fewer cyclists, drivers simply don't recognize them or "see" them.  If cyclists are commonplace, they're easier for drivers to "see"
Driver education alone is insufficient/unsuccessful, it's better to encorage more people to bike/walk

SC: Montlhy pass riders in Washington DC choose to take BikeShare instead of walking (35%) or taking public transportation (45%), but ~13% of them would have otherwise taken a car or taxi.
The motivation was for time savings (73%) and exercise (41%) even though 23% admit the BikeShare is more costly than other means of transportation.

CB: Public health benefits are important to measure and will be required as a part of future proposals for funding.  Active Transportation has a greater impact on quality of life benefits when compared with "Low Carbon Driving"  Water infrastructure should be a part of complete streets plans

Active transportation accounted for a 7% reduction in depression and 5% decrease in breast/colon concer, a 13% reduction in cardiovascular disease and diabetes, a 9% reduction in dementia

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Modeling Benefits & Costs for Equity & Connectivity

Sherry Ryan, San Diego State University
Laura Cohen, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Michael Jones, Alta Planning + Design
Eric Anderson, City of Berkeley
Brett Hondorp, Alta Planning + Design

We rode past this counter on Wed 10/25/15

SR: $300,000 investment to monitor 37 sites in San Diego County
24 bike-only counters (in street) Class II, III bike infrastructure
9 bike/ped counters for Class I bike infrastructure
4 ped-only counters (sidewalks, urban)
Goal: track trends over time as the bike network was built out

SR: when a buffered bike lane opened, the # of cyclists per month jumped from 1000-1500 to 1800-3000 per month, which is roughly double.  On a scatterplot this data looks awesome.
New "rules of thumb" found that 16.5% of cycling activity occurs between 4-6 pm regardless of whether the counts were done in San Diego or Maricopa counties
http://www.eco-public.com/ParcPublic/?id=681 is the link to live count data
Class I bike paths were more used on weekends, whereas Class II and III were used on weekdays

LC: Trail Modeling and Assessment (T-MAP) tool
3 year $1,200,000 effort to collect data, model the data, and disseminate the info to the public
"Trail Score" likened to Walkability score.  The question is "What % of the population can get to a majority of their destinations using a low-stress route?"  The goal is that by 2020, 90% of Americans will live within 3 miles of a trail system

MJ: National Bike & Pedestrian Documentation (NBPD) recommendations stipulate that if you do a bike/ped count only once per year that it happens on the 2nd week of September.  You may consider 4th of July the peak and try to count on both weekday and weekend.
Rather than choosing random placement of counters, consider relevant places within your transportation network. http://bikepeddocumentation.org/
Key Findings: 76% of walking trips and 29% of biking trips are for work or essential activities
70% of respondants biked once per week

MJ: Alta Benefits Cost Model (ABC) takes into account reduction in greenhouse gases
Property values (of real estate) increased $2,200,000 within 500 ft of bike/ped projects

BH: Strong & Fearless = will ride no matter what; Enthusiastic & Confident = need bikeways; Interested but Concerned = the majority of people; No Way, No How = won't ride anyway
To reach all people there was a random sampling by zip code and a door-to-door survey on a tablet showing streets in their community with either: no markings, sharrows, bike lanes
The streets shown in the mock-ups were residential all the way to arterial streets
A segregated cycletrack was preferred and least desirable was a 4-lane arterial with fast traffic

Note: this graphic was re-created in Google Sheets based on percentages presented in the session

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Coronado Bike Tour

Mariah VanZerr, City of Coronado Transportation Planner

John Holloway, KTU+A Planning + Landscape Architecture

Met some good people on this outing!

http://www.recreation.ucla.edu/bike-shop-routes

If you ride from Los Angeles to San Diego, it can be done in 2 days, camp at Doheny!

Freedom Ride ~ Report

This ride was designed to liberate participants from their cars, instead riding bicycles through Los Angeles and Orange Counties, returning via Metrolink train.  We accomplished this goal with a small group of riders, which was good since it was our first time planning and leading such a ride.

We prepared for the ride by, of course, riding.  We rode ~40 mile rides many weekends in May, and ~50-70 mile rides in June, to be ready for this ride.  We started discussing it in March and set the date about a month ahead of time with a few of the riders who were really dedicated to riding it.



We planned a good amount of water/bathroom stops and regroup points, even adding one at 301 East Coast Hwy, Newport Beach, CA 92660 (Chevron/Subway) which had a very clean restroom and a great soda fountain with water/ice.

We cut the trip short of the routeslip by catching the train at Tustin instead of Irvine, but it worked out perfectly.  We learned that there's a Jack-In-The-Box and Subway/CircleK/76 to get snacks for the train.  We were only about 10 minutes early, but the train was a little late.

We met some new "bike people," other folks who enjoy freedom on two wheels as we do.  Altogether, the trip was inexpensive ($10 day pass for the train) especially since many of us brought our own snacks.  We got someone riding Metrolink that had never done it before.

Summer Lovin'

I had a flashback yesterday jumping in my car.  It's hot and humid here in Southern California and I felt like I was 17 years old again.  I felt a rush of excitement when I realized that I could just drive straight to the beach and enjoy the waves all day.  Then I realized that I'm a grown woman and I should instead go to the store and return home to analyze some data.

It was interesting to entertain the idea for a moment and to contrast what was going on in my head 17 years ago with what is going on in my head now.  I just realized in the process of writing this that I had a flashback to half my life ago.  I used to absolutely LOVE summer.  I used to love waking up early and going to work at a telemarketing job (indoors) then heading to the pool to "lay out."  To me that was the epitome of summer.

Now I think about SPF 50, large hats, and polarized lenses before what bikini to wear.

I guess some things don't change, I still like my frames to have a cat-eye and tortise-shell.  I still like the color blue.  I still like to prevent chapped lips.  But instead of trying to get bronzer, I'm worried about sun spots.  Instead of laying around listening to the FM radio, I'd rather run in the sea and sand and try to tone up my tush.

We're biking from Anaheim to San Juan Capistrano this weekend with a large group.  The event is called the Metrolink Metric Century.  I've done enough biking events that I will not wear a sexy little tank top.  Instead I will wear something sensible (with sleeves) and my arm coolers (providing SPF 50).  I guess that's the difference between 17 and 34.

SF to Salinas Century

My California Coastal Bicycle Adventure will have to be continued... at least I made a century!

Day 1 (5/28): The route through San Francisco was facilitated by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, we took the wiggle. The ride through Golden Gate Park was scenic. We ended up on Lincoln Way, which wasn't great. We took 28th Ave nearly down to Sloat and followed Hwy 35 to Skyline through Daly City. We paralleled Hwy 1 via Palmetto and Francisco/Bradford before finding a bike path along Caldara Creek which led us into Pacifica State Beach.  We rode up and over Devil's Slide and down Hwy 1 to Half Moon Bay. We stayed the night at Americas Best Value Inn and Suites, eating dinner at Asian Kings Kitchen. The hotel offered continental breakfast, including hard-boiled eggs!

Day 2 (5/29): The second day of our trip we followed a bike path out of town and stayed on Hwy 1. A fruit stand in Davenport was a life-saver.  We arrived in Santa Cruz and stopped at 'Another Bike Shop.' Our hotel for the night was called Hitching Post Studios Inn.  They had laundry machines, a swimming pool, and a full-sized kitchen.  We rode to the boardwalk and out to the end of the pier.  We had dinner at Taqueria Agave, which served fantastically large portions.

 Day 3 (5/30): We had breakfast at Subway and made our way out of town on Soquel.  This portion of Hwy 1 does not allow cyclists in the roadway, so we took San Andreas to Beach.  The road labeled McGowan is called Thurwachter Rd.  Other than that we didn't have any problems navigating.  After taking Trafton/Bluff/Jensen back to Hwy 1, I noticed signs for a bus to Salinas.  Instead of riding by myself, it was eaiser to put my bike on the bus and get a ride straight to the Salinas Amtrak station.

When I left the house on Memorial Day (from LA to SF via Amtrak Coast Starlight) my panniers weighed about 15 pounds each.  I felt like they got heavier each day of the trip.  By day 3 I was bearly crawling, but I kept moving forward singing to myself "Takin' my time, gonna take my time."  I went through all the stuff I brought and didn't think I could have done without any of it.  In fact, I would have added a sewing kit.

One important thing I did forget was shoes. I ended up buying a pair of Specialized Cadet from Valencia Cyclery.  They worked out splendidly.  One thing that happened that I didn't expect is that my thumbs started getting blisters from the gear-shifting levers.  Also I wore a hole in my long-fingered gloves.

   

Mark Growden - Takin' My Time | Listen for free at bop.fm

SF to LA packing list

As much as I hesitate to admit, I am undertaking a bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles.  The reason I am not keen on bragging about it is that I don't know for sure that it will happen.  The forces of the universe are going to have to sing in harmony for everything to work out.  Regardless, as I pack my bags, I wanted to document the items that I will bring.

Starting from my Top 10 List, I have a bicycle, water bottles, safety flag, helmet.  Said bicycle has been cleaned and tire liners have been installed.  The brakes and shifters are in working order.  I have added a second water bottle cage.  The rear rack has been used to mount panniers.  I bought this bike in February 2010 and named it "mi corazón azul" because it reminded me of Côte d'Azur (the French Riviera).  My husband and I were living 90 miles apart and I was struggling with being separated from him.  My heart was broken, since I had always wanted to live in San Diego (La Jolla) and I couldn't.

SONY CYBER-SHARE DSC-T10 Digital Camera

KODAK EASYSHARE M530 Digital Camera

I am ready to retire my Kodak digital camera.  The things I don't like about it are numerous (1) it takes poor pictures in low-light (2) the compartment where the battery and memory card are stored keeps coming open (3) when the battery is jostled out of its position because the compartment is opened, the date and time have to be reset before you can take a picture.  As a result, there are some pictures that have incorrect date/time stamps because I was more excited to take a picture immediately than to reset the date and time to correct settings.  I will probably bring one of our Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T10 cameras instead.  Those also have a slim profile, and we own two of them.  That means twice the batteries, twice the battery chargers.  Twice the cables for downloading the pictures.  The reason for duplication is the aforementioned 90 mile separation.

The important tools to bring, to keep it lightweight, are: a pedal wrench, a link breaker, a multitool for allen wrenches, tire irons, a patch kit, spare tube, and a pump.  Logan (on pedalingtonowhere) suggests extra rack bolts, zip ties, nuts, and a few chain links. Some of these tools fit in my seat bag, others will have to go in the panniers.  I don't think I would bring extra spokes, but I have located a handful of bike shops along the way.  I should bring bicycle lights, possibly spare batteries or the USB charging cables, and a headlamp for camping.

This tent is over 12 years old... and weighs ~14 pounds

I know it's not a great idea to add new items at the last minute, but I might go buy a new tent today.  The one I have is pretty big and pretty heavy.  There are Memorial Day sales going on, which may bring us a small discount.  I got a 1-person tent for $35 at Big 5 Sporting Goods.  I practiced pitching it twice so I think I'll be good with it.  I'll go to the storage unit today and pick up my sleeping bag.  Don't think I'll have room for a tarp or a yoga mat.  The weather looks good (for San Francisco at least) and hopefully we will be blessed with low winds and no rain!  I'll probably use spare clothes for a pillow.

The outfit I'm wearing above is part of what I will be packing for clothing.  I'm definitely bringing my Adidas track suit.  I will bring a windbreaker jacket.  I will bring about 4 pairs of cycling shorts, my legwarmers, and 2 pairs of arm coolers (to prevent sunburn).  I will bring about 4 pairs of socks and probably 4 sportsbras.  I will probably bring only 2 jerseys, with sleeves.  I will bring 2 t-shirts (one short-sleeved, one long-sleeved) and about 4 pairs of regular panties.  It will be good at the end of the day to change into something clean, dry, and absorbant.  2 pairs of gloves (one full-fingered, one fingerless), and a long-sleeved winter jeresy.  I'll bring my cycling cap and maybe also a hat for wearing around camp.  I want to bring a pair of sunglasses for sure.  I will also pack a reflective vest for safety.

The toiletries that I'll bring include: face wash, face sunscreen, body sunscreen, chamois butt'r, toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo/conditioner, and cooling foot creme.  I hope to have room for the addaday roller and possibly a racquetball for self-massage. J/K no room for those. A clothesline is a good idea, along with laundry soap that could be used for washing clothes.  I will also pack a small towel or washcloth.  I added contact lenses, contact lens case, contact lens solution, glasses, glasses case, sunglass case.  I added body glide, a hair comb, and face lotion.

For food, I'm stymied.  We had originally planned on having a chase vehicle so I bought a bunch of gus and gels.  But carrying 15 pounds of Clif bars and blocks seems a bit ridiculous.  I have been pouring over a book, Bicycling the Pacific Coast, that details where you can find bike shops and grocery stores along the route.  I'll probably just load up my panniers with the essentials and weigh them.  Amtrak has a 50 pound limit, which I hope I won't get anywhere near, per bag.  I'll just add/subtract until the bags are balanced and reasonable.

I'm reminded of scenes from the movie Wild where Cheryl Strayed thought she had it all and she learned along the way what was necessary and unnecessary.  I packed a mini-first aid kit with different shaped bandaids, sterile pads, athletic tape, triple-acting antibiotic oitment and Aleve.

Christmas in Death Valley

This year's winter vacations were EPIC to say the least.  We spent time with family in the great outdoors, which gave me perspective and filled me with gratitude.

I took the train to see my sister at Cal State Fullerton.  Her team (NDSU Bison Women's Basketball) played against the Tritons of CSUF.  I got a bit lost coming off the platform at Fullerton and ended up on a big horseshoe to get to the hotel.  A 3 mile bike ride quickly turned into an 8 mile tour with 400 ft of climbing, but it was a great way to become familiar with the area.  Bastanchury Rd was not the best choice but it was pretty to pass by Vista Park and fly down State College Blvd.

My sister and I also went for a run, which was fantastic!  We ran along the south edge of campus, through some really cute neighborhood and straight up into the foothills.  It felt really good to strap on my running belt again and climb a steep hill to get a great view.  It's always awesome to run with a buddy, to have a conversation, and to go somewhere together.  On the way back to the hotel, we snagged an orange straight from the tree.  We did a bit of a walk through campus and some yoga on the hotel lawn, which was a great way to get grounded and lengthen our muscles after our little jaunt.

After seeing my sister, I got picked up in Fullerton by my husband and we drove down to the beach to see his family.  We parked the car (and bike) and walked around Balboa Island.  I found a great hat for hiking that has 360 degree coverage, a wide brim, and it is 100% cotton (washable) in a soft yellow color.  Hey, there's nothing wrong with looking fabulous while preventing skin cancer.

We headed back to our house in Glendale and loaded up the car for our camping trip.  We used the same packing list as the previous trip.  We have a long list of items that we would add to the list for next time, but we had a phenomenal experience.  We left the house in good condition since our friends were coming there to stay while we were gone.  Sadly, we took our dog Melle in to the vet and found out she was suffering from kidney failure and possibly a cancerous growth on her eye.  Bless her heart, she spent 12.5 good years protecting me and although it was difficult, we had her put to sleep.

Heading out to the desert, with our bikes and our dog Edna in our old car was the only way to distract ourselves from the pain of being separated from old Mel.  We arrived too late to check in to our campsite, the guard shack closes at 4:30pm.  But our names were listed on the board of late arrivals, so we set up our tent and went to buy firewood.  Our first night in DV was horrible because our air mattress had a slow leak.  At some point in the middle of the night, I felt like I was sleeping in a giant egg crate.  I had Edna stashed in my sleeping bag and it was very uncomfortable to move around.  Lesson learned!

Day 1 of DV was a sweet bike ride.  We climbed for about 5 miles to Zabriski Point, which had just closed for repairs on December 1st.  It was a bummer not to be able to climb out on the overlook, but we decided it was enough adventure for our first day and turned back to camp.  We went for a short walk along Airport Road and near the visitor's center before returning to the store for more firewood. My aunt and cousin arrived and set up their tent, which doubled the fun!  Our second night was better because we slept on top of the deflated air mattress, a thick Mexican woven blanket, and used an extra-thick yoga mat to pad below our shoulders & hips.  Basically we slept on the ground.

Day 2 of DV was a SUPER SWEET bike ride.  We rode across the valley toward the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.  The majority of the ride was below sea level with one long gradual climb to just above sea level around the base of Tucki Mountain.  It was absolutely peaceful riding single-file (because the ranger told us we had to) on the shoulder of a recently resurface highway.  There were so many miles to cover and so little daylight.  We did a little yoga at the turnaround and ate some POWER NUGGETS!  This batch was made using a roasted, mashed Carnival Squash and a cup of Chia Seeds.

http://www.everytrail.com/guide/golden-canyon-and-gower-gulch-loop

Day 3 of DV (Christmas Day) we opened gifts around the morning fire.  We packed up and hiked from Golden Canyon, around Manly Beacon, and through the Badlands towards Zabriski Point.  We didn't hike up to the point this year and we avoided hiking along Gower Gulch, going back to Golden Canyon the way we came.  It was stunning and there was no need to go a different way back because the changing angle of the light changed the way the canyon looked anyway.  I believe we turned back at the far end of the Badlands Loop.  It was so fun hiking with family, and although it was windy, the canyons provided both shade and a wind-block.  We also learned (I think) that no dogs are allowed on this trail.

Day 4 of DV the winds were so bad and the blowing sand and dust reduced the visibility to the point where we decided to leave one day early.  It wasn't so difficult to make that decision since everything was covered with dust, we couldn't keep Edna's food and water clean, we couldn't sit down to a nice meal, and our tent was shaking all night long (and not because of us).  We pulled out of Furnace Creek around 10am and drove through Trona. I've always wanted to go through Trona, named after the mineral Na5(CO3)2(HCO3)×2H2O, which is a source of sodium carbonate. Lucky thing we were able to get there, we almost ran out of gas! Note for next trip: When you are sitting at a gas station (Panamint Springs) for 20 minutes doing nothing, just pump some gas into your car even if you still have half a tank. Cities in the desert are very spread out!

Instead of going home to Glendale, we took the 118 to the 23 (Moorpark Fwy), cut across the 101 in Thousand Oaks for just one exit, and cut through the mountains on the 23 (Decker Rd) to get to the 1 (Pacific Coast Highway). We were using our Rand McNally Road Atlas (very anachronistic I know) to navigate, which I found to outsmart the digital Garmin GPS when it came to locating campsites. We arrived at the first campground on the right side, Leo Carrillo State Beach. Campsites were $45 per night. Firewood was $8 per bundle. Each campsite had a wooden picnic table and a tall fire-pit.

We realized quickly that our equipment was lacking. We had propane and a camp stove, but no pots and pans. We had food and instant coffee, but no silverware or dishes. We had a tent and sleeping bags, but no camping chairs to set around the fire. I want to use the word pathetic, but I don't want to be too hard on myself. We were so happy to be out of the wind in DV, we staked our tent and headed to the nearest grocery store (Vintage Grocers) to see if we could buy any cookware. Unfortunately they didn't carry any so we decided weakly that we would return in the morning to the nearby Starbucks for our morning meal. That sounded better than using the dog's water dish to boil some water.

Not to be forgotten, the winds picked up overnight in Malibu. Looking back at the weather reports, we survived 34 mph gusts. In the morning, we woke up and went for a walk after breakfast. The campground has beach access through an underpass and one of the beaches is completely dog-friendly. This was great news and Edna Jo was in good company. We scouted out campsites that we might like to visit again. We even proposed the idea of taking the train to Ventura on a Friday night and biking in to Leo Carrillo for a night. We could ride home all day Saturday or Sunday. Definitely keeping this in mind for 2015.

Another great thing about Leo Carrillo, even though they are not cheap, is that they have showers (for a small cost) and you can have 3 cars (8 people) per site. Due to the winds, we decided to take one night in a hotel. We returned to a Residence Inn we had been before in Camarillo, so we knew it would allow dogs. They have bathtubs, a pool and jacuzzi, it is near a large park (Pleasant Valley Fields) for recreation. We took a family shower to rinse off all the desert dust that wasn't blown away by the winds in Malibu. We slept well and ate the continental breakfast at the Inn. Again, this stay wasn't cheap. The room rate is $150 and there is a one-time pet fee of $100. That would make sense if you were staying for a week but for one night it was kind of a bummer.

Now it's back to business as usual. I will try to make a separate post with our revised packing list. For now, it's time to focus on the new year ahead. We'll ring in 2015 by riding our bikes to the rose bowl parade. Happy New Year!