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PMP – Done and dusted!

Posted on February 26, 2012 in General

I seem to have a problem with not adding more things to my plate… Now that I have my Architect license out of the way, and only have my day job, cycling, and Masters to work on, I figured I’d use the few weeks of vacation from my Masters course to cram in some study and have a crack at the PMP exam. What is PMP? It’s a Project Management Professional credential by the Project Management Institute (PMI). Basically, it’s a fairly nasty exam consisting of 200 questions to be answered in 4hrs. A lot of the questions are situational and are a few paragraphs long, or require calculations for financial aspects of projects. I had all the questions answered in the first 3 hours, went over some that I’d marked for review, then checked a few more of my answers to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. At 3.5hrs my brain was over it so I hit the End Exam button prepared to see FAIL pop up on the screen. Alas, I got the CONGRATULATIONS and not a Fail. What a freakin’ relief!

Ride, Ride, Ride

Posted on February 26, 2012 in Training Diary

I’m in full swing tempo / interval mode now so SRM files and excel spreadsheets are once again tools that I’m using on a daily basis. Not much point in drooling over numbers from 7hr training rides. The short painful ones are way more interesting!

First BMX race

Posted on February 25, 2012 in Race Reports

Today was the first races of 2012 at the Sandbox BMX track. After finishing at passing the 4hr PMP exam at a test center conveniently located on Nimitz Hwy, I drove down Sand Island access road to the Sandbox and decided to line up and race. I knew I wanted to race, but I don’t really like going into a race unprepared. Call it my competitive side. The track looked good and the wind wasn’t crazy, so I paid my 10-bucks, did a few laps for practice, then lined up for Moto #13. It was Novice (Hey, gotta start somewhere) and I had 2 others to race against, but a race is still a race!

The first Moto went OK… I managed to get my Sidi’s locked into the clipless pedals, and balance at the gate without clipping out; a small step forward compared to a week ago. I got out of the gate alright, got my nose in front and held the others off to the line. No fancy airtime, just playing it safe. Phew, first moto in the bag!

The second Moto was similar to the first although the 3 of us nearly had a crash after the first jump. Fortunately we all kept upright. I got to the line first again.

After the second moto’s, they were a break where people either recovered or practiced on the track. I rode around, went to manual over the tabletop, but wiped out at the end launching my bike FAAAAR! The crash didn’t hurt that much, but I twisted my back and had some sharp pains (which I still have)… It was sore enough that I could barely pedal and wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to race the Main. I just kept stretching out my back and riding around, raced the Main, and won it… It hurt, but I managed a little jump at the end too. SMALL steps!

It was fun to be at the track, and everyone is welcoming and willing to share their advice – Which I definitely need. It can feel like you’re doing things right, but a seasoned rider can soon tear apart your technique.

Cheribundi!

Posted on February 24, 2012 in General

This drink has appeared on island in Safeway and Wholefoods so I decided to give it a try… I love cherries, and ginger, plus what athlete doesn’t need a dose of anti-oxidant goodness.

Crash and burn.

Posted on February 20, 2012 in BMX, Training Diary

This might look like a nebula viewed through a telescope on Mauna Kea, but no, it’s the result of clearing the first jump at Sandbox but not quite sticking the landing. So far there’s only one thing that I hate about the Sandbox track… Crosswind! Fortunately, the track, although hard, is smooth, so it was more of a slip and burn affair than slip and bleed. Lost some skin on my elbow but it’s already healing fast. The first official practice on the new track is today from 12-6pm so I’m going to head over there and check it out. Fingers crossed for lower afternoon winds!

Valentine’s Food!

Posted on February 14, 2012 in General

I spent the tail end of Monday afternoon at the BMX track working on some sprints and riding the middle section of the course, so tonight I cooked up some dinner for Valentine’s Day. Scallops, mussels, pasta, and a bunch of other ingredients. Actually turned out not bad. So far, no signs of food poisoning!

Moving dirt!

Posted on February 12, 2012 in BMX, General

I went over to the Sandbox BMX track today to try it out… However, when I got there it was still somewhat under construction. I rode around a little then threw on the work boots, grabbed a rake, and help the other guys (Kevin Mokuahi, Jason Chang, Chris Ecclesine, Roland, etc.) groom the track. I figured if I’m not going to ride I might as well get an upper body / core workout in the bag! Plus, a little extra helps get the track that bit closer to completion for the kids to ride / race on (big kids and small kids!).

Just spending a few hours at the track working on it made me realize how much work volunteers put into making this track happen. Pretty amazing and I’m stoked to be a small part of it. The track is looking damn good and I can’t wait to ride it!

Sidi Dragon 3

Posted on February 10, 2012 in General

Ta da! Picked up my new Sidi Dragon 3′s from Island Triathlon & Bike today and I’d say they’re pretty damn cool. Blue / Pearlescent White… Matches up nicely with my BME team colors!

I really like my all white (vernice) Sidi road shoes, but I really like the look of blue / white… Something a little different.

Lots of replaceable parts which is nice to see.

Posted on February 10, 2012 in Training Diary

Training has been doing pretty good so far this week. Lots of climbing done and I can feel form coming around as my legs are transitioning from wanting to grind out squares at 80rpm so spinning with souplesse at 100+rpm. There’s still work to be done, but at least I’m getting stronger, faster, and lighter.

Thanks to some TT bike issues (cracked frame), looks like I’ll mod definitely not be lining up at any of the early season TT’s this year. Bit of a bummer, but there are always other fish to be fried.

Today I get to pick up my new Sidi’s so I’m hoping to get out on my BMX and also make a trip to the Sandbox is they get it all finished this weekend. From the photos I’ve see online it looks pretty cool.

Sandbox

Posted on February 8, 2012 in BMX, Training Diary

Photo: Jason Chang (mahalo!)

Just as I was starting to find my feet on the BMX at the end of last year, the Sandbox BMX track became out of action for some reconfiguration. In the past week a few photos and videos have appeared online showing what we can expect and it looks great! It’s amazing how much time people have put into this track and I can’t wait to ride / race on it. Perfect
timing as my new Sidi’shave arrived! Hopefully riding a BMX with clipless pedals isn’t going to feel too weird.

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