Thursday morning, three days before the ride, I called the Kuanyun Youth Hostel. They said they had a place for me to stay on Sunday evening so I reserved some floor space. Dinner, breakfast, shower, and extra comfy futon – all for 650NT – can’t beat that. When I hung up the phone I knew I was committed to this ride. I did it last summer and I knew I was in for a big ride. Friday afternoon I had some errands to run in Taipei so I stopped by Taipei Main Station and picked up a ticket for the Sincheng train station. I was able to get a ticket for a train that departed at 7:10am and arrived in Sincheng at 9:35am.

Sunday morning I was very lucky – amazing weather the entire day! I started my ride around 10:00am. I will let the pictures do much of the talking. This year I did not have to wait at the road block, actually I think because it was Sunday there was no road block. However if you are planning to do this ride you might want to check on the road conditions. I was in Tiansian before noon – I was making great time, however I was just spinning up this big hill. I was carrying a lightweight backpack – around 3kg. The ride up the Hualien side of this mountain is one of the most beautiful rides in Taiwan, if not the most beautiful ride. The climb to the youth hostel the grade of the mountain is about 4% to 7% – a couple steep moments, however overall it is pleasant climb. Sunday afternoon I arrived at 4pm – a 5.5 hour ride, stopped to take a lot of pictures and bought a peach. Showered, dinner, chatted with a couple university students and hit the sack at 8:30pm.

Monday I was up at 6am. Breakfast was pretty simple – however my least favorite thing showed up on the table – hairy meat! I was on the road by 7:30am. The big hill – what a climb! From the hostel to the top, man this hill will rip your heart out of your chest and feed it back to you. Gruesome as it might sound, it is a beautiful ride, painful, and unforgiving. Not to mention the low levels of oxygen – at 3000 meters above sea level, even the plant life has adapted to live at such a high altitude. At the top of the mountain it was around 15 degrees, however clear skies – the entire trip I experienced zero rain. The downhill ride was plenty of fun, around Puli temperatures climbed back to 30 degrees. In Guoxing it was around 35. I arrived at the High Speed Rail Station in Wuri around 3pm. Awesome solo ride. I will do it next summer. Why don’t you join me?

Day 1:

Day 2:

Photos:

During July 4th – 19th 2011 I spent the entire time in a small Amis village on the east coast of Taiwan. I crashed at my wife’s parents place with my 4 year old daughter. The first ride was from Hualien to Changbin on July 5th. It was perhaps the hottest day of the summer. Temperatures at 11am reached the upper 30′s – maxing out around 37 degrees.

My objective during my trip was to explore more of the roads on the east coast and do a couple long rides. Nearly 90% of my riding was completely solo. I tried and tried to get a couple cycling friends to come down – however was unsuccessful, man I gotta change my deodorant.

In this post I want to share 2 or 3 specific rides. The first ride is one I have ridden nearly a dozen times. One landmark on the east coast that most folks might know is the Tropic of Cancer monument. Near the Tropic of Cancer – coming from Hualien at the 70km mark you cross a fairly nice sized red bridge, at this bridge is the beginning of Hua 64 – one of the most beautiful roads in Taiwan. Hands down. Majestic views of a river that empties into the ocean, white water, rock faces the shot into the sky, green lush earth – breathtaking to say the least. Here is the Garmin link:

I took Hwy 9 home and found the downhill to be complete bliss. 193 is also a great ride.

The second ride I would like to take a minute to introduce is the Donghe Loop. Hwy 23 from coast to Fuli is around 45km topping out around 700 meters above sea level. From my start point (Changbin) it was a 50km ride down to the mouth of Hwy 23. This road is complete genius! For around 15km you are climbing at an easy 3%. Totally beautiful, totally untouched. There is a bit of tough climbing for about 8km or 9km – nothing too extreme, but some steady 8% to 10% moments that can be a bit unforgiving. At the top of this hill I was saying – man, I want my downhill. I want my downhill. And what an awesome downhill – nearly 30km of downhill, Christmas in July for sure. From Fuli I rode down Hwy 9 and then headed up Yucheng Hwy – into the tunnel and then more downhill, to the Changbin 7-11, picked up a couple beers and headed home. Big ride, and was happy with my pacing. The numbers:

The last ride I would like to introduce is a no brainer. It was an out and back ride from Changbin to Taidong. Don’t be deceived by the flatness of Hwy 11 – trust me, plenty of rolling yumminess in the sun on 11 – just awaitin’ you. A tad under 150km and 870 meters of elevation gain. Saw a lot of touring Taiwanese on mountain bikes, heavy gear and totally covered head to toe in lycra – I imagine they were doing that infamous and actually hair-brain ride around the island. Notes and notes:

After I returned to Taipei I was a bit nervous about running a half-marathon – however I ended up doing just fine. About 6 days before the race I did a 7km run at 4min/50sec – completely flat run, a real good confidence builder. Here are thoughts about the race:

Well, first of all – what an amazing race! I entered this hilly half-marathon as a challenge. I am 84kg, so running up a hill is like pushing an elephant up a flight of stairs, and running downhill is also rather tough. I was surprised with the first four kilometer splits, all over 7 minutes, but I didn’t let it freak me out. The Garmin was giving a 10% to 13% grade reading – I thought it was suppose to be around 4% to 6%. Around the 5km mark we turned onto the military road and headed higher up the mountain. Turned around at the 10.5km mark. Amazing weather: hot, sunny, cloudy, windy and shade 85% of the run. Would have been nice to go under 2hr – however I am really satisfied with my time and felt great during this race.

Numbers:
10 Rides
925km
8220meters of elevation gain
37hr36min in saddle
max speed 63.6km/hr
beers drank – dude Garmin totally lost count…

Ok – enough lip smack – some tasty pics:

May 7th 2011 Balaka Hill Climb – TUAA
This was a cycling race on May 7. 2011. The race started in Jinshan at a fishing port and then went along a flat section of road for a good 22km. Great weather and high speeds. I rode to the race which was about 38km. I got up at 4:30am and hit the road at 5:15am. It is a nice ride. I was in the 35M category. Fast race on the flats. Average speed was 39km/hr. I had a lot of fun, however a lot of dangerous moments. Thank goodness there were no crashes in our race, however I did see a couple guys down in the other age groups. Around the 22km mark we started climbing up 101. The first climb I felt strong and stay near the front however at the entrance to the Balaka section of the race my thighs started to cramp up a bit. I had to slow down. I am happy with my race I made it to the finish line without cramping to the point of stopping.

May 21st 2011 – 5km Road Race.
The City of Taipei put on a 5km road race along the river. It was a simple and free event. There were no age groups, time chip or prizes. It was a flat race with about 700 people participating. I had a great race. I went out a bit fast however held it together pretty well. My average kilometer was 4min21sec – I finished in 21min49sec. Really happy with this. Lots of room for improvement however it is a great start.

June 4th 2011 – 22km Hill Climb/10km Hill Run – TUAA.
What a race! A challenge as well as a performance. Friday afternoon Marty and I set up for the race – we drove over Yangming-shan, massive fog in in the windshield, arrived safely and dropped off our shoes and then I left Marty in Jinshan. Saturday morning I was up around 4:45am – I drove from Danshui to Jinshan. A bit of chit-chat before the race then we were off! We had great weather – a bit humid and some mid-high temps, however great morning overall. I had a decent race, however cramped up a bit on the run. It was a challenging race. I finished in 2hr10min. I am not sure of my placing at the moment – however I know Marty had a great race. I think he finished 6th in his age group. Way to go Smarty Marty! I think I was in the top 20 of my age group.

June 18th 2011 Dongshan River Sprint Triathlon – CTTA
YES! Even though I felt a bit under the weather I still had an awesome race. I finished 13th in age group and most of all raced smart! It was hot, max temperature was 38 degrees! The sprint race started at 1pm on Saturday afternoon, blue skies, mild wind, and hot hot heat! I really dig the heat, even in the river the water was around luke-warm bath water temps – nuts! I had a great swim, great bike and probably my best sprint triathlon run yet. I didn’t get any pictures during the event however I imagine in the NRG2 Perform photographer got a couple. I finished the race in 1hr16min30sec. Considering the heat and the course – great time for this course. Extremely happy.

Other news:
Accidents! During a bike workout I witnessed a nasty car accident, then the next day I crashed. I hit a stray dog going downhill. I flew over the bars and then had a classic land and slide on the asphalt. Lots of road rash – however no broken bones and no head trauma! HELMETS ROCK! My bike is fine as well.

Some pictures:

The History:
I grew up in a sleepy little town in eastern North Carolina around 5pm every night I remember my father would run 3 miles. It was like clockwork. Sometimes I would follow him on my bike, as I grew older I joined him. My teen years I quickly came to understand I really disliked long distance running. However my sophomore year at a Kinston High School track meet early in the season I asked my coach to put me in the 400 meter race. From that race on – I was Kinston High School Track & Field Team’s 400 meter man. I anchored the 4×400 relay for three years and went on to win the open 400 meter event at regionals. I didn’t fair very well at State Championships however I was scouted out by a university and ended up running for UNCW for three years – an amazing time.

The summer of 1999 I graduated from UNCW and within six-weeks I had a landed a job in Japan as an ESL teacher. I was 22 years old. Thus the start of the long and unforgiving blur. For almost 10 years I did not really exercise. I ate and drank plenty. I gained a ton of weight. I have no regrets, it was a fun ride, made some life-long friends. Summer of 2005 I saw a road bike at a friend’s place. Later that summer I would return to the US and buy first bike.

The riding I did in Japan was completely recreational. I would do a 50km ride and honestly I would think I had ridden to the end of earth and back. However in retrospect – what a great way to break into cycling.

October 2008 I left Japan and moved to Taipei. Wow – what a great decision. Little did I know come August of 2009 I would start riding 800km a month. My love-hate relationship with long distance sports would soon come to an end.

Ok – the running. I started running in May of 2010. I would go out for an occasional 5km. Due to all the cycling I was doing my overall fitness had improved. I found I could run 10km without much fuss. I even did a 20km run for fun in October of 2010, however it really wrecked my legs – I had a cycling race the following weekend. I didn’t performed, cramped and actually fell off the bike, almost rolled down the mountain it was a sight I am sure.

December 18th 2010 I ran in the Fubon Half-Marathon. It was a great experience. I ran a great race, finished strong and felt great the entire time. I was hooked. I finished in 1hr51min.

Since December 2010 I have upped my running mileage. In April I ran 86km. I imagine I will hit 90km to 100km this month. I am comfortable at 5min/km now for a 10km. Did a track mile last week at 6min35sec. I think in the near future I should be able to click a couple miles at 7min/mile pace – it is all coming together.

As for Sunday’s race – the report is pretty simple. I went out a bit too fast and paid for it around 6.5km mark. Here is the Garmin Link:

Some pictures – thanks to my brother-in-law. He got up at 4am to make it to the race with us, my sister and me.

I made it down to the village for three days of great riding and some quality time with my daughter. The ride report is pretty simple:

Day 1: Hualien to Changbin 91km
Day 2: Ride with two Hualien guys 127km – a bit of racing. Jerry Chen and Yongge, those two guys are top notch cyclists. Check the photos. Thanks Jerry!
Day 3: 8km run. Cold and windy.
Day 4: Semi-epic-windy ride from Changbin to Hualien train station – sitting on 20km/hr was a task – a four hour workout in unpleasant conditions. 85km

The riding on the East Coast is always a blast – there is no doubt, if you are looking for something to shake a stick at, take you and yours to the East Coast of Taiwan. “It” will be found.

Moving right along – Here is my quick report of my second sprint triathlon race. The 2011 Miaoli Sprint Triathlon:

Man, the hills were alive. Honestly, it was a beast of a course!

I rented a car and drove from Danshui to Sanyi – West Lake Resort with a good friend. We arrived at the race venue around 10:45am. The athletes were checking in, setting up for the race and soaking up the lovely atmosphere. It really was turning out to be a perfect day. Little did I know we would be suffering up a couple 18% grade hills on the bike as well as in our running shoes.

At 1:08pm I jumped into a cold, yet refreshing lake to swim 750 meters. The swim was actually faster than I anticipated. I felt I was swimming zigzag, I was called down at the turn and told to make a hard left. Before I knew it I was out of the water in 15min 30sec – I thought it would have taken me around 18min or 19min. Happy with the swim, however plenty of room for improvement. No wetsuit, 400 meters above sea level, small fresh water lake, in Taiwan in April after a cold wet winter -to say the least, the water was cold.

From the swim to the bike – I lost a ton of time putting on my socks, who would have known! Well perhaps my 3 year old! I have seen her put on socks. Wet feet + tight running compression socks = time vampire. Lesson learned.

The 18.2km bike section was fun. Fast downhill. Windy. My only complaint – two guys sucked my wheel all the up the hill. No drafting rule? Anyhow – it was great cycle. There was a silly steep section of road – curious how they got the asphalt to stick to the mountain. I made it up without much fuss – however it was tough.

On to the 5.4km run. Man oh man! There was a hill that really tested everyone. It was around 15% for around 40 meters or so. It turned even the best runners into walkers, yours truly included. I finished the run without falling apart, however at the finish line I was toast. Amazing race, really glad I did it. Learned a lot. Triathlon – What an interesting sport.

The results are up: I finished 19th in a field of 195 folks in my age group. 1hr 30min 38sec. This was my second sprint triathlon.

Garmin link:

Photos from the East Coast riding and the Miaoli Sprint Triathlon April 2011.

Saturday March 19th 2011 Taoyuan Duathlon 5km Run/20k Bike/5km Run:

I got up at 5:30am and drove to Daxi. It was about an hour drive from Danshui. I made it to the race event without any problem, checked in and set up my bike. I was surprised and a bit disappointed because they did not use a time chip. The race started at 8:00am. The first 500 racers started then the second group of racers started 5 minutes afterwords. I was in the second group.

We ran 300 meters around the track and then did a good 4.4km on the Army University campus. It was a beautiful campus. It was not raining however the road was very wet. It was actually a pleasant but fast paced run. I was comfortable at a 4min30sec pace for this first section of the race. Maybe comfortable is not the right word – I was working.

On to the bike. I didn’t waste any time, I was out of my running shoes and on the bike in a matter of seconds. The first couple kilometers I spun at a high cadence to get my legs ready. The road was coned off, we had an entire lane to use for the race, however cars were still on the road. Danger did lurk however I didn’t see any accidents. I passed a lot of guys on the bike. In retrospect perhaps I should have worked a bit harder. I really had a good time on the bike, however the entire ride I was thinking – man, I gotta run 5km after this!

The last section it was around 4.4km. I held it together! I averaged around 4min40sec/km. Only one guy passed me. Crossing the finish line felt great. I ended up in 17th place in my age group with a time of 1hr26min.

I was back in Danshui by 1:30pm and spent the rest of the day with my daughter. I think I hit the sack around 9pm.

Strava Link:

March 20th 2011 Taipei Freeway Marathon 10km

Well I was a bit worried my legs would be toast. There isn’t much to say about this race other than WOW! I had a great race. We ran on an elevated highway. It was an honest run. No crowds to cheer us on, no barking dogs, no funky Taiwan smells – and the weather was awesome.

I probably went out a bit too fast however I was able to keep almost every kilometer under 5min. I won’t lie at the 7.5km mark I considered walking however I am glad I finished the race. I ended up in 105 place overall and 18th in my age group – 48.27.

Strava Link:

I had a great racing weekend. As for the coming two weekends – gonna spend them with my daughter and put some time in on bike.

Next race: Miaoli Sprint Tri April 9th 2011.

Well, I finally participated in a true cycling road race. I have owned road bikes for the last six years, so I guess it has taken me ‘years’ to finally step up and race. Sunday morning I got up at 5am, my bike was already loaded in the car and my gear was all set up and ready to go. The drive from Danshui to Jinshan was kind of chilly, the windshield kept fogging up, it was a bit troublesome, however I arrived at the start with plenty of time to spare – I got a great parking place! By 7:30am the Jinshan fishing harbor was packed with cyclists. I got my number, helmet sticker, and time chip. My race RM35 started at 8:15am – 240 racers in my group.

How it went down:

From the start we rolled over a couple small rolling hills and then a hard right turn to the official start. From Jinshan to Baishiwan we raced in a massive group at 40km/hr hitting 50km/hr at times. It was great fun. I stayed up front, to stay out of trouble. I was very comfortable with the pace however in retrospect and looking at the results we could have gone faster, especially during the return. It seems at the 25 minute mark the group slowed down. I am a very inexperienced racer so I too slowed with the group – perhaps that would have been a great time to attack. However it was a packed race and the two lane road was jammed side to side with cyclists. You had to be at the front of the pack if you wanted to attack. I was near the front however it seemed everyone was nervous and no one made any commitments. At the u-turn near Baishiwan things slowed down even more.

The return:

The group seemed to ride in spurts. They would pick it up and hit 43km/hr and then drop down to 35km/hr. I thought I will hang in the mid-front and let everyone do the work, there was a mild headwind. Perhaps that was mistake in retrospect. We rolled into Jinshan and had to make a hard right turn into the hills. In my group this is where the race and placing was decided. Marty, my cycling mentor and good friend gave me some great advice about the race the day before. About 2km before the turn I did try to get closer to the front of the group however like I said it was sardines! I fought a bit for a place up front but before I knew it we were turning to head up the hill. Please note this next sentence: Thank god there were no accidents!

The hill:

I had a great hill climb. I didn’t blow up. I didn’t soft pedal on the flatter sections. And I didn’t let the skinny lightweight guys get to me. Actually only a couple guys passed me on the hill. On the steeper section of the hill in the beginning I powered up it and felt great. It was an awesome race.

I finished 49th in my age group – racers placing 35th to 61st all finished in 1hr25min. I was 379th overall – 1500 racers.

Things I think I did right:

1. I stayed up front but did not attack and take off and blow up.
2. Found good placing during the windy sections of the ride.
3. Drank and managed endurance.
4. Practiced safety and didn’t yell at anyone.

Things I should have done:

1. Attacked about 3km before the hill turn.
2. Attacked somewhere.
3. Rode faster during the slow down moments.
4. Attacked.

The pics and Garmin link:

On February 27, my sister and I woke up at 4:30am for a 10km road race in Taipei. It was not raining, it was not windy, and it was not that cold – awesome running conditions! We took a taxi to the Zhishan Park and waited for the start of the K-Swiss 10km road race. The first 5km of the race are up a hill, we covered about 180 meters of elevations from 2km to 5km. It was a tough run however I had a great day and felt really good. The Garmin report is below. I finished 197th overall and since this was my first 10km race – a PR! Official time was 49.09 – also the course was 10.4km. So really happy about this race. My next 10km is March 20 – on the freeway, it will be flat, I think.

In other news school is back in session. The life of working at a university is all that I thought it would be. I am really happy with my new gig. I have time to ride on Tuesday and Thursday – both solid 3hr to 4hr rides if I want to do some big rides. However getting up early and climbing a gradually 3% to 5% hill near my place is also an option. Today I got up and did the 136 hill, I think I have ridden it 3 or 4 times. It is a challenging hill, I dig it and now that I have a compact crank on the Selene it is not so extreme. Going up the 136 with a standard crank is a challenge.

This weekend will be a big weekend on the bike. On Saturday I will be part of a 9 or 10 man team time trail. We will be rolling at high speeds on flat land for 25km. I am really looking forward to the ride. On Sunday I will ride in my first real cycling road race. The race is 55km – a good 48km of mostly flat fast riding then a 7km hill climb. I am looking forward to it. Words and thoughts to come. Enjoy the pics.

About two years ago I rode this hill (many times) to get in cycling shape. Strava gives it a grade of 7.7% over 2.7km. I will disclose my thoughts about Strava in a later post, however after using the web-based program for two weeks: I am very impressed. Denggong Rd is a solid climb, there is a good kilometer at 12% then you get a 4% 500 meter section and then back to 12% to 15% for another kilometer. It really is a power hungry hill. At 85kg I fight a good fight up the thing.

There was a bit of traffic on the road today and yesterday because the plum trees that line the road are in bloom. People are coming from everywhere to take photos of the flowers. Check my quick pics – hmmm I need to take some better pics.

The Central Weather Bureau in Taiwan calls for rain for most of the next 5 or 6 days in Northern Taiwan. I am happy I got out today. Hopefully I will be able to ride more later this week – if not I will do some long runs.

Well – three days just seemed to slip by.

Day 10 – I woke up with intentions of riding however my father in law was set on sending me to a wedding. I didn’t know anyone however I quickly found out that I was a close relative and needed to attend. I had a great time and even sang a Japanese song in front of 400 Taiwanese folks. Most of the older folks understand and speak fluent Japanese. I saw a couple other people sing Japanese enka songs so I thought – ok, why don’t I surprise them. I got 400NT in Hongbao cash. I drank a ton of beer at the wedding however when I got home I decided to go for a run – solid 5km up a hill. I did not throw up.

Day 11 – I had to pick up my wife at the Yuli train station so that meant I only had 3 hours in the afternoon to ride. I suited up and headed out. My plan was to find some of other fast riders and ride with them, however I ended up meeting an American who was touring the island. He had already done 90km when I met him and was heading to Hualien. We chatted for a while and then since we were having a big dinner at our house in the evening I invited him to dinner and a place to crash. He thought about it for a second and agreed. Great! We ended up eating and drinking deep into the night. Good times. Got in a 70km ride – legs felt great.

Day 12– got up and had breakfast. John, the American friend I invited to dinner, he had done 130km ride the day before – rolled out of bed and we had breakfast and slowly got ready to ride. I rode with John up to Fongbin – had lunch at a 7-11 and then searched out a new road. Alt. 11 – another awesome and car free road. It gradually goes up to 340 meters or so above sea level. The downhill ride to 193 is short but fast. I thought about riding all the way to Yuli and then up to the tunnel however I didn’t have enough time so I turned at my favorite road – Hua 64. Felt great riding up the hills. I am at 857km for 12 days of riding. Great times on the bike. I need to eat something.

Violent Femmes sang it best “Add it up”

12 days of riding:
863km
36hr34min on the bike
9800 meters of climbing

Garmin Link Day 12.

I was surprised, my legs felt great today. I got some solid sprints in today and some awesome downhill madness.

The Breakdown:
Day 1: 86km
Day 2: 32km (rain)
Day 3: 35km (rain)
Day 4: 111km
Day 5: 75km
Day 6: 102km
Day 7: 84km
Day 8: 68km
Day 9: 78km

The numbers are adding up. Going for 1000km.

Day 9 Garmin Link.

Well – All is good. I have had great weather and no mechanical failure. My Magnus is one hell of a bike. Check out the Velocite site for some of the new products. It looks like a new aero bike will soon be available.

I feel I am slowly running out of gas. A bit of fatigue is setting in however I am still able to hold good speeds in the wind and up the hills. However I don’t feel like a million bucks – I feel like I am working to make it go. Perhaps this is what a cyclist is chasing. I really want to know.

Day 7: I rode to the Tropic of Cancer and then down with the wind to Sansiantai. Great ride, fast and fun, I think I sat on 38km/hr on the flats without any problem – heart rate was around 128pmb. It was fantastic.

The return in the wind wasn’t that bad. It was a solid 25km ride. I felt good and pushed through it without much fuss.

When I got home – after 84km of riding – 40kms of it against the wind, I decided to run 5km. 2.5km of it was uphill. It really did me in. It was the first run since the half-marathon in Tainan. It was ugly slow and I felt like a raw cut vegetable out there – naked, alone, and struggling (waiting to be eaten up)…It was urgh.
But I managed to make it home.

Garmin Link.

Day 8: Hills. Why did I do hills today? My legs were tired. I should have gone for long flat ride in the afternoon. I went into the wind then up into that mountain. It was awesome. I made it to the small Amis village called Chimei and decided to head back to Changbin. It was a solid three-hour ride.

Plenty of photos – all taken with my Motorola Defy. Lots of food pics, my daughter, and some awesome scenery.

Garmin Link.

Day 5: It started off with a drive from Changbin to Yuli train station to pick up my wife. This meant I would only be able to do a 2 or 3-hour ride in the afternoon. The drive from Changbin to Yuli is about 35km – over a 400-meter hill and through a tunnel. In Yuli I hunted down a Giant shop and was surprised to find a rack of Nalini clothing on sale for half-price! I bought a kick-ass black windbreaker jacket. The owner of the shop was quick to tell me: “Made in Italy.”

When we returned home I got dressed and headed out for a 3-hour ride. It was not raining however it was a bit chilly. I headed south from Changbin towards Taidong. At the Giant shop in Yuli I accidently left my prized baseball cap at the shop so of course I had to return the same to pick it up – on my bike. The Nalini windbreaker jacket was awesome. I hit 64km/hr going downhill outside of Changbin. I am not much a speed demon going downhill however I am building up a bit more confidence these days.

One note I was mulling over today – after owning road bikes over the last 6 years:

1. I feel like a cyclist. (2010 – I rode over 10,000km)

2. If you are new to the sport I would say don’t spend a truckload of cash on a carbon frame buy an aluminum frame and ride it. After a year if you are in love with cycling – think about dropping some cash on a nicer bike. I rode aluminum frames for 5 years. I own an amazing aluminum frame now and love it, but I am would much rather be on my Magnus, carbon frame, fork, and carbon wheels.

The ride out to Yuli and back to Changbin was smooth, hilly, and a bit chilly. I finished the day at 75km. Later that evening I had dinner with my wife’s family and drank a bit much and even smoked some funky homemade aboriginal tobacco. Actually it wasn’t tobacco nor was it Maryjane – it was more like dried broccoli. Check the photos.

Day 6: Finally awesome east coast weather! I did the same loop I did on Day 4 minus a bit of highway riding in the beginning. I am sold on both Hwy 30 and Hau 64. These two hills are awesome. Hwy 30 is a great uphill climb and then some fast easy gliding downhill turns. Hua 64 is a bit more technical and requires more braking but still a spectacular ride. I finished the day at 102km.

I am a bit frustrated with Garmin Connect. I cannot seem to link up with the site. I can do most anything else online however Garmin Connect just will not go – urgh.
Photos taken by Motorola Defy, they will tell a different story. Photos of daughter and wife, in-laws, cycling, etc.

Me: Well, it isn’t raining today, but it looks like it might.
Her: Oh, it won’t rain today.

(She is almost 80 years old and has lived here (Changbin – small village east coast of Taiwan) her entire life.She nailed it right on the head, other then a bit of mist in wind.)

It really looked risky out there. Serious cloud cover and dark clouds out at sea, I was a bit worried. However I was determined to ride today so I got dressed and headed out. The first 5km were into the wind and the minute I felt a bit of rain I turned around and headed into town. Town, perhaps I should elaborate. Changbin is located about 80km south of Hualien. There is a strip of shops where you can buy everyday commodities, food, gas, etc. and there is a Taiwanese breakfast joint. I did some shopping and then returned home. I unpacked the stuff and the headed back out.

My intention was ride with the wind on my back down Hwy 11 and then climb up Hwy 30 to the tunnel at the top of the Fuli. It is about a 400-meter climb. I made it up without any problem and the weather was behaving. I decided to ride through the tunnel. This is a rather friendly tunnel, however it is long – 2.6km. During the tunnel ride I told myself, if it is raining on the other side I am turning back. Well it wasn’t raining, however the road was wet. I started to descend and to my surprise the road showed patches of dryness. I decided I was going to do the entire loop rain or shine.

I stopped at the 7-11 before the getting on 193. I ate a sandwich, an Energy gel and a bought of bottle of cheap 7-11 sports drink. From Yuli I took 193 to Hua 64. The 20km ride on 193 was great, no big headwind, no rain, and relatively car free. The ride was turning out to be great.

Hua 64 is hands-down the business. This road is 22km long, it packed with majestic scenery and it is nearly car free. Actually there isn’t much of anything along this road until you get to a little speck of a village called Chimei. Today I saw a black monkey run across the road and some grazing cattle off in the distance. I imagine I will ride this road again tomorrow and take some more photos.

Overall if you are looking for a ride where can roll along some amazing flat coastline, climb a 400-meter hill, do a bit more flat riding and then head back into the hills I would recommend this ride. Don’t let my use of the word flat deceive you; total accumulated elevation gain is over 1500 meters. It is a great mix and I give this route an A.

Garmin link here.

On Friday after lunch it was drizzling so I thought I would be able to tolerate a bit of rain. Well, with sideways rain coming at you as you are riding at 22km/hr into the gusting wind in 12 degrees of cold – gotta ask yourself – is this worth it? I was able to take 40 minutes of those conditions and then I turned around and headed back. With the wind on my back it wasn’t so unpleasant.

Today (Saturday 29th Jan. 2011) the roads were still wet however it was not raining. It was a bit colder so I took that into consideration when I got dressed to ride. This morning I headed into Changbin town to buy some meat. I was surprised at how much pork 300NT can buy from a local butcher shop. However I wasn’t too happy to hear that a dead de-feathered chicken cost 500NT. I bought half a chicken – 250NT – she chopped the bird down the middle and then diced it up without thinking twice. I returned to my wife’s parents place to drop off the meat and then I headed out to do some riding. As soon as I got 1km from the house, guess what – rain, sideways rain.

They are saying tomorrow it will rain and then on Monday it will clear up. I like the sound of that. I can handle the cold, and some wind, however man, oh man – the rain really has to go.

In other news I was able to link my phone to my Macbook to get online. It is something called USB tethering. Seems like you could eat up a bunch of data if you are not careful. The connection is rather slow however it works.

Garmin Link here.

The Ride:

I set up the bike in front of the station and then went to the nearby Giant shop to change into my cycle gear. The shop is very close to the station and I would recommend using their facilities over the Hualien station’s bathroom. I was on the road by 1:40pm.

I was blessed with an amazing tailwind today. The first 23 kilometers were awesome. I was effortlessly rolling at 38km/hr – it was a dream. Around 23km mark – the four section tunnel that is a bit of a joy-sucker. In the tunnel I slowed down a bit, since it is an uphill grade of a mere 3% – however in the dark, in the cold, and with a couple large vehicles coming and going in a tunnel – I take all precautions. Making a split decision at a high speed in the dark is not my cup of tea – Anyhow, after the tunnel – the roads got a bit gnarly – which is going to force me to give this ride a grade of a B. I am not a fan of grinding my carbon frame, forks, and wheels over dirt, stones, and mystery potholes.

The hill section up to Niushan is under construction at the moment. Be warned – (Jan/Feb -2011 – when will they finish?) – it is ride-able, however there are a couple unfriendly sections.

After that little hill – a 230 meter elevation climb – the downhill was smoother than the uphill. With the wind on my back it was smooth sailing for the last 50km. I sat on 40km/hr without much effort – it was a blast.

Overall great ride. Looking forward to my next ride.

On Saturday evening we arrived in Tainan around 7pm. From Taipei to Tainan it is about a 2 hour trip via MRT and High Speed Rail. We didn’t have a hotel reservation so we hunted down a hotel – even after 2 years in Taiwan my Chinese is still pretty terrible, however we found a place near the race venue without any fuss. We walked around a bit – picked up some bananas, water, a couple other snacks and then returned to the hotel for an early evening. The race was to start at 6am, which meant we would need to get up around 4:30am to prepare.

The Breakdown:

It was windy and chilly waiting for the start. I was wearing a black Nike tight lycra long sleeve running shirt and a pair of high cut Nike running shorts – it was cold. At least it was not raining. We arrived at the start around 5:25am – it was still dark, actually we started in the dark, no fireworks – that would have been a great idea. At 6am we started running as scheduled. There was a lot of people in this race however not as many as the Fubon race.

Going into this race I was not feeling that great. I don’t think I have totally recovered from an illness I had two weeks ago. The first couple kilometers I felt great, the pace wasn’t that fast however I was glad I felt good. Around the 6th kilometer I picked it up and stayed around the 5min10sec mark, risking a bit – actually too much. Around the 17th kilometer I ran out of gas. The last couple kilometers were painful. I finished and I am glad I did this race. My Garmin clocked me at 1hr52min47sec – a bit slower than the Fubon race. I imagine the official results will be online soon.

Here are a couple thoughts about cycling and running opposed to cycling versus running.

1. Running will pound your body, muscular skeletal system, toes, Achilles tendons, knees, hip flexors the list endless. Both cycling and running require a lot of attention, patience and hard work – that is if you want to actually enjoy the sport. It doesn’t get easier you just get faster – not sure where/who but read that quote somewhere.

2. A 45-minute progressive tempo run for me is about the same as a 2-hour hilly ride on the bike. This goes to show that cycling requires more of a time demand however the beauty of a ride in the hills is well worth the time.

3. Nothing is fun until you are good at it. I would argue that most folks could get on a bike and ride at a leisure pace for an hour without much fuss. However to run for 20 to 25 minutes might present a challenge for the same group of people. Take a look at this training program that I have heard a lot about C25K. I found my fitness in the hills on the bike. There were many moments where the hill behind my apartment in Danshui kicked my butt – in the beginning I often took a detour to avoid the steep thing. As for running, it will always be painful however after completing a 20km run and then with ample recovery a 5km run feels so smooth, fluid, and yes even fun.

4. Cycling with a group of people is a real buzz. Running with a group of people is a real buzz. I bought my first road bike in 2005. I was living in Japan and I really regret not searching out more people to ride with. I am now living in Taiwan and know plenty of cyclists. Finding common ground is really easy when you are out on the bike or on a run with another person.

5. Each sport uses different muscle groups. Cycling is low-impact. Running is high impact. During a 4-hour ride my heart rate will be in a state of flux between 115bmp to 175bmp. During a 10km run my heart rate will quickly go from 75 beats per minute to 150 bmp and then climb from there. Here is an article written by a cyclist who occasionally runs.

These are only a couple points. As I was writing this post I came across this awesome article by the 2010 Ironman World Champion – Macca. Because I keep my mileage relatively low I have not suffered any major running injuries. However I have felt some uncomfortable pains in my right leg – IT ban usually around the 16km mark of a half-marathon. I love running just as much as I love cycling, I hope my homemade training plan doesn’t lead to injury or worse.

In other departments – I changed jobs. I traveled a bit, from Taiwan to Japan and Korea. I met a couple interesting people. A big shout out to my friend Marty B. Johna and his family. Scott the amazing uphill machine. Fast Dan C. and his wife. It was also nice to reunite with my friend Gen from Japan, who came to see me in Taiwan. Catching up with T. Cobb and Bill H. in Korea was also something else – good times as expected. A quick ride in Kurume back in April with Paul P. was great conversation. Hanging with the old Kurume crowd – David C. and J. was a blast. Wow really what a great year it was. And last but certainly not least – my lovely daughter turned 3 and has been the center of my life since I moved to Taiwan two years ago.

The 2010 Garmin Report Card:

Cycling: 10,006km, 173 Rides, 449 hours on the bike, 146,519 meters of climbing

Running: 387km, 50 Runs, 34 hours 30 minutes of running

Hopefully in 2011 I will focus more on nutrition. I am not one to make sudden changes in my lifestyle – going to take it one day at a time.

Happy New Year and best of luck in 2011.

It was a bit nippy however tolerable. I was wearing a Nike long sleeve running shirt and a pair of high cut Nike running shorts. I also had my Fubon blue and white singlet on, number attached. I meet my sister at the Qiyan MRT. She was pumped as well and ready to kick butt in the 9km.

We arrived at the Taipei City Hall MRT and found ourselves among thousands of other runners. It wasn’t pandemonium but I’ll tell you what – I had no idea so many Taiwanese people love to run! We jumped in line to use a port-a-pottie. That took about 20 minutes. In retrospect we probably should have headed to the start line. When we finally found our way to the start line it was already 6:55am. Little did I know it would take about 20 minutes to actually cross the start line. I didn’t start running until 7:12am.

The Race
The first kilometer was slow. 6min/km, however I wasn’t too worried. This was my first half-marathon and I wasn’t out to kill it. I wanted to run smart. There were so many people I didn’t want to waste any energy jumping over folks, dodging walkers, or sprinting through gaps. I was able to pick up the pace, however in the first 9km it was really congested. Actually the entire race was congested, packed, sardines. However I loved it! Running with so many people was a real buzz. Granted if I get really serious about this distance I would much rather race in a much lighter crowd.

Back to the race. I felt great for the first 13km. Low heart rate, cruising at around 5:15km/min. I was passing a lot of people and felt strong. Around 1hr10min into the race my heart rate drifted up to 170 beats per minute. The last 8km of the race I was working. I still felt good, however I knew this was where I would need to really step it up and race and mentally fight. This is why I am going to do run this distance again – the last 8km, I loved it. I had a strong finish, there was a short, yet steep hill climb around the 18.5km mark. I ate it for breakfast – well, kinda. I didn’t feel defeated and was able run up it. I made good time up that hilly kilometer. (A lot of folks were walking.)

The weather was great. It could have been rainy, cold, windy – just like most Taipei winter days – but no! We got a golden morning, it really was a treat. I guess Fubon Bank paid the weather god(s) all the appropriate dues.

My official time was 1hr51min16sec. Won’t be too difficult to trim off a couple minutes next time I attempt this race. Here is my Garmin report:

Here are a couple photos taken by a local photographer David Sun:

I am completely aware Sunday is going to be silly painful. When I returned home from the ride on Sunday there was a package waiting for me. It was my race pack for the Taipei Fubon Marathon. Taipei Running Association, wow – what great organization. They sent my jersey, time chip, all kinds of documentation in English and Chinese. I am really impressed!

As for my training, those of you who are reading for the first time. I am an avid road cyclist. I love the hills and as for 2010 I rode around 800km a month – average elevation gain around 13500 meters a month. I don’t race very often however I did a sprint triathlon in September 2010 and a hill climb cycling race in October. I started running again in April of 2010. I ran Track and Field in University however I was a sprinter. Here is my first 5km in many years. I have not done a road race or any organized hash run, I just suit up and run. Here is what my 20km looks like. I have only done that distance one time, Sunday is going to be a science experiment in pain.

1. Probably going to be over 20,000 runners.

2. Must be in control the for first 4km. If I go out to fast I will certainly die the last 6km.

3. Would much rather race the last 8km of the race – not the first 13km.

4. Hoping for good weather – the warmer the better for me.

5. Hope broken toe doesn’t break more.

Sunday’s Ride – Snakes!

Some pictures of my daughter, me and my wife’s sisters.

On the bike I think I got in 350km in 6 days. Felt great. No funky knee or IT band problems. I did get a flat in Taichung and got really lost but overall it was a positive experience. Marty and I did a big ride on Wednesday – 143km, 1900 meters of climbing. Good times and blissful sunshine, wind and what a workout! Good time with Virginia on Friday morning – the 136 in Taichung is a great challenge, looking forward to it as I write this.

Got in two solid runs this weekend. A 5min/km 8km on Saturday. Sunday did a slower longer run. 16km – 5.35min/km – low heart rate and really enjoyed the run.

Workweek approaches at the speed of the clock. Monday, monday…

Ahhh – and got a BBQ in with family on Saturday, and a great Sunday family dinner. So much to be thankful for.

November tally:
Bike: 714km 9800 meters up hills 30hr59min cycling
Run: 86km 7hr55min running

I left the house at 6pm. It was dark. I took a cycling light with me. The nylon loop fit around my middle left finger just right. I felt safer with the tiny light wrapped around my finger. (Thinking the little cycling light would stop a bus, truck, or even worse a drunk – a tiny cycling light, urgh, the places I put my faith.) I also carried my Garmin Edge 305 and iPod. This evening it was cooler so I wore a long sleeve shirt and a pair of K-Swiss running shorts.

The first kilometer felt awful. Little did I know that I had climbed 50 meters up in 1 kilometer and was moving under 6min/km pace. Once I broke a sweat I felt much better, my body realized it was time to workout – no more classroom teaching. The next 3 kilometers were great. The steeper sections of the valley were challenging but fun. At the 4km mark I took a short break and decided I would do 1 of 2 things – return home or run to the crossroads, another kilometer however plus 100 meters of incline.

My heart rate was at 115bpm I took a deep breathe and started to run up the hill. I felt so good. I was running. Climbing this hill on my own power felt so exhilarating.

The last kilometer of Denggong Rd is tough. It is tough on the bike. There are a couple 15% moments. Tonight I found out running up a steep hill it is no bowl of cherries. Running down hill also kind of sucks. However, in the end; the laws of physics really played a great part in all aspects tonight’s run – peep the heart rate info when it comes to running downhill. It looks like my average heart rate for the downhill return was around 144bpm. Garmin link below – Click Details.

The last couple months of running have been nothing but rewarding. I am not doing high mileage, however I can tell a difference in my core – yes I am losing some weight! I only run around 60km to 80km a month, however this December I imagine I will run a bit more. With that said – I am still cycling around 700km a month – plus tons of hills.

I laughed when I found that one. It really is something I imagine someone has done during a race – perhaps not out loud.

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”

Steve Prefontaine – what an amazing spirit.

“If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.”

What a great quote – not only relative to running.

What kind of crazy nut would spend two or three hours a day just running??(This is how Steve reacted in Junior High when he saw the High School Cross country team running)

I think about this often as well.

Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. Japanese Proverb

I agree.

Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. Will Rogers

Great advice for someone like me who continues to do the same workouts over and over.

Good judgement is the result of experience, experience is the result of bad judgment. Mark Twain

Yes!

Sunshine is delicious,
Rain is refreshing,
Wind braces us up,
Snow is exhilarating,
There’s really no such thing as bad weather, Only different kinds of good weather.”

Unlike the bike, running in the rain is actually pleasant.

In May I considered training for the event however after focusing specifically on cycling, the swimming and ammm - running? (back in May) these exercises seemed almost like alien workouts to me. During 2010 I spent a lot of time on the bike, riding anywhere from 650km to 1200km a month. I am not a thin guy – I weigh around 88kg and back in beginning of 2010 I was around 94kg. At 88kg I am not the fastest climber however I must say that climbing the hills is where the honest element of ‘fitness’ was realized. Riding hard in the spring and summer really did wonders for my overall physical condition. Just a few accomplishments – I did a sprint triathlon in September, and set out to run 20km a couple weeks ago (in Oct 2010) – finishing under 2 hours. So my point – anyone who has ever evangelized to you about the benefits of cycling: damn-straight-brother! Nothing but truth in ‘dem words!

So back to my Ironman story, I took the HSR down to Taizhong, the middle of Taiwan and then caught a ride down to Kending. I took my bike because I wanted to check out Kending, later I found myself actually in the cycling part of the race. We arrived in Kending around 6:30pm. My cycling friend Virginia registered and set up her bike and I met the third member of my relay team. At 7pm it was already dark and a bit cold however there was an obvious energy in the air. We enjoyed the buffet dinner at the Yoho Hotel in Kending – Virginia and I each devoured three plates of food in 25 minutes – we were just asking for a stomachache. Hmmm as we wolfed it downed we were thinking what a great carbohydrate meal this is – not sure if my sports nutritional is up to par, but I’ll tell you what the banana bread was excellent.

Finally around 10pm we returned to our hotel to meet Cory the swimmer for Virginia’s team. Jeff who I am not going to leave out had been with us since we arrived in Kending. He had registered Virginia’s team. As for my team, I helped out two Taiwanese athletes who turned out to be in great shape. I think we got to bed around 11pm only to wake up at 4:45am. The hotel we stayed at was only a mile or so from the beach. It was a bit nippy in the morning, around 21 or 22 degrees in the morning. I was bit worried everyone would be in wetsuits and only a few people would be in tri-suits however I was happily wrong. The water temperature was around 25 degrees. The 20-minute walk to the beach wasn’t as nerve wrecking as I imagined. I walked to the beach with Cory a fellow American, and an avid swimmer. For me, this was an early morning ocean swim. Bright sun, blue water, a bit of wind, waves and wow – what an amazing swim it turned out to be.

The individual competitors ran into the ocean at 6:30am. The relay swimmers (me) started 15 minutes later. The course was a simple 475-meter swim out to a buoy and then return to the beach. We had to swim out to the buoy twice making the total distance 1900 meters. The relay swimmers started directly behind the elite group of men that had already finished the first lap.

This was my first time to swim such a long distance in the ocean. It was amazing! For the first 300 meters you could see the sandy bottom of the ocean. The water temperature was just right, and because of the salty seawater I honestly felt a bit more buoyant during the swim. The first 600 meters of the swim were a bit rough. I didn’t get into a groove until I saw the ocean floor on my first return lap. I guess my body is just not used to swimming at 7am in the salty ocean. The second lap of the swim was much more enjoyable. I actually felt like I was racing. The waves were not that bad and besides from the occasional breaststroker it was a great swim.

I finished the swim in 48 minutes and 27 seconds – not bad for someone who has only been in the pool a couple times this year. I think the fastest guy did it under 30 minutes while the slower times where around 65 minutes.

I gave the time chip to our cyclist and then headed to breakfast with Cory. We ate at our hotel and afterwards I took my bike out for a spin. The ride was windy! I ended up doing a one lap around the 45km course. I had a great time. I sat on 34km/hr to 36km/hr when I could – the headwind was really strong. There was a 120-meter hill climb in the course and a couple other small 20-meter climbs. I am really glad I took my bike.

Thanks to the awesome efforts of our cyclist and runner we finished 5th in the men’s relay of 64 teams. I am now pumped and ready to give this race a try. I think next spring I will try a standard distance triathlon. To be honest, after the swim and the bike the 21.1km run still scares me however with the right training I am sure I can finish the race.

We arrived at St. John’s University at 6am. The challenge ride was scheduled to start at 6:30am. Check in was easy, I was really surprised at the great organization. We got our number which was a large sticker that we put on the front of our helmet. We also got a t-shirt, kinda of wish they would have given us the t-shirt at the end of the race but it was not big deal. We started the ride at 6:38am.

I had the best time on the north coast road – Hwy 2. I am not sure how many riders were in the front group. It was my first time to ride in such a large group and it really was amazing. The hills from Danshui to Baishiwan that often slow me down really didn’t seem to slow me down. Riding in a group at 40km/hr to 43km/hr really is a buzz. We finished the 30km flat section of the ride in 49 minutes – average speed was 37.6km/hr. It was a lot of fun and I think I am hooked, however the second half of the ride, the hill really did me in.

At the end of the coastal road we had to stop and get a wrist band. This quick stop broke up the group. I found myself a bit behind the front group. The fun of riding fast in the large group was over. I found myself fighting to catch up with the front group however that wasn’t the smartest idea. When I turned the corner to head up Yangjing Rd I could feel a small cramp developing in my right thigh. After climbing for about 150 meters up Yangjing Rd the cramp was more pronounced and my sunglasses fell out of my rear jersey pocket. A little girl and her father who were cheering on the riders yelled at me in Chinese about my sunglasses. The little girl was kind of enough to run and pick them up and I turned around. This little step back sucked. I could really feel the cramp in my right leg and I was now simply riding up the hill – I got passed by plenty of lightweight guys. By 350 meters I found myself riding up with a Bee Cycling member. I would pass him and then 5 minutes later he would take the lead – it went on like that to visitor center.

At the top of the mountain, honestly I had the worse ride of the year. The last 2km or so, there is an extremely steep hill climb. I made it to the 1000 meter mark, the cramping not only in my right thigh but now my left leg was in a condition I have never experienced. I decided to get off the bike – a bad mistake. The minute my foot hit the asphalt I realized my legs were not working any longer. I hit the ground. I am writing this because I have to liberate myself of this minor defeat. I was on the ground for about 20 minutes. Three people came over to help me. In the end I made it to the top of the hill and crossed the finish line. It took me about three days to recover.

It really is an amazing idea that we may all be random juxtaposed versions of enormous amounts of stardust. Well, honestly I am not sure if I completely buy Carl Sagan’s idea however it is intriguing. (Perhaps he was just hitting the pipe a few too many times.) Anyhow, during my run today I continued to think about stardust.

Today’s run – my first long run in many years. 20KM! First of all I was aiming to go under two hours for this run. I obtained my goal. I was aiming for 6min/1km – destroyed that – averaged 5min46sec/km. This works out to a bit over 9min/mile. Granted this my first attempt at this distance I imagine I could hold something around 8min30sec/mile in a race – hopefully much faster in the future. Ambitious.

Here is my list of points. Once a track star now a re-born pain seeker.

1. Grease up boys. Petroleum Jelly was my lube of choice today. It worked wonders.

2. Gotta keep it positive! Even ridiculous ideas, the first 4km’s I was on a high – I was thinking ok I got these 20 no problem. I felt like a million bucks, but I didn’t push it. Grand ideas of finishing an ultra distance event flashed in and out of my head – something like a 50KM or even something silly like 100km.

3. The last 3km was brutal.

4. Hydrate – this is a no brainer. At the 10km mark I took a break – bought some water, drank and then started running again. My first thought at the 10.01km mark was – I can do this. At the 14km drank again.

5. I did this run solo. Today the weather was great for running. Cool, overcast and plenty of people on the cycling path – great people watching during this run. The looks and hello’s or nihao’s were motivating. Perhaps next time I will do this run with a couple guys from the Taiwanese Military Base.

6. Solo run – iPod is a must. Today Foo Fighters seemed to win the spotlight on the rotation. John Frusciante came in a strong second.

7. Cooler weather means more gear and esp. something for your head. No picture, however I have a product that can be described as a lycra sleeve that has multi-functions – cheap and durable. It kept my cranium covered, protected, and it matched my blue shirt.

8. Recovery – hydrate, dinner, elevate legs, and of course shower!

9. Hmmm – the accomplishment beer. Perhaps this is a two steps forward and one step back equation, oh well – I guess my stardust must have come from some methane gas giant.

10. Just as I thought I am in good enough shape to finish a half-marathon. I would need to train mentally and physically to complete a real marathon. In a 42km race – I am certain the last 10km’s would really do me in. However I think I will give it try in 2011 – hope to go under 4 hours.

The Garmin details:

One notable moment during the ride: Meeting Ben. I was heading up Denggong Rd – a challenging hill, moments of 15% at the top. At the bottom of the hill I rode up on a guy riding shirtless, wearing tennis shoes and a pair of exercise shorts. He was listening to his iPod and just killing the hill. When I rode up he turned off his iPod and started chatting to me in English. He mentioned he was from Hong Kong and often climbs the hill. We decided to push it up the hill and I gotta say Ben did awesome! At the top of the hill, to mark his progress he took out a permanent marker and scribbled a dash on an old metal pole near the side of the road. Perhaps the best part of his ride – you gotta love that moment of accomplishment.

Garmin Details:

Saturday afternoon I gave my brother-in-law a call and within an hour he was over at my place ready to ride. We headed down the Danshui river road, note on a Saturday afternoon this is not the best place to ride a road bike. There are many people and many children on little bikes. It would simply take one wrong turn, and there goes your carbon fork into some kid’s dual suspension Power Climber. So be careful and just ride slow if you are going to spend anytime on the Taipei Cycling Paths.

We crossed the Guandu Bridge and headed towards Bali. I have done this ride many times. It is flat and there is a nice 7km section on the highway where you can do a short time trail workout. On Saturday I average 43km/hr for only 6km, granted I did have a bit of a tailwind. At the power-plant we turned and went up the little hill to Linkou. I was really impressed with my brother-in-law he was on my Selene which has a standard crank. He climbed the hill like a goat! Great job Rick! Here are the Garmin details for Saturday’s ride:

Sunday morning I rolled out of bed at 5:30am and peeped out the window. It looked a bit grim however after talking to Marty on the phone we decided to head out and do the coast road. We met up at 6:30 at the Hongshulin MRT. Gabriele from Italy also joined us. I was really surprised to see so many people out, right at the start of the ride a Taiwanese rider decided to ride a bit ahead of us. We sat on his wheel and followed him up 101. About 2km’s up 101, at a mild steep section for 101 Marty shook his head just as the front rider shifted gears – we didn’t need to expend a ton of energy. We just stayed in gear and rode right by. I am constantly learning something new every time I ride with Marty.

The second half of 101 was pretty uneventful – I did my usually kick to the police station, nothing remarkable, hmmm, I really need to learn to conserve my energy. At about 260 meters above sea level it seemed we were riding into rain so we decided to head down to Hwy 2. One note about Hwy 2, it is not as flat as it seems. The inclines drag on for quite a while. From Danshui to Shimen I think there are 3 or 4 mild inclines that have the potential to break up a group. Plenty of places to attack in a race.

From Shimen to Jinshan we fought a big headwind. It was a great workout and made the breakfast taste even better. After breakfast we went to the local bike shop for a quick chat with Johnny. We were back on road by 9:30am. The return home was fast.

October Exercise Goals Update:
Cycling 348km of 800km
Running 28km of 50km

5km?? – I think the scene in Back to Future 3 sums it up just right:

Doc: And in the future, we don’t need horses. We have motorized carriages called automobiles.

Doc: Of course we run. But for recreation. For fun.

So far this month I have ridden 203km and ran 23km.
My October 2010 goals are: Cycle: 800km Run: 50km.

So this afternoon I put on my running shoes and headed out for a long one. The weather cooperated, overcast, windy, no rain and cool. I have been thinking about running and often compare it to cycling. The two are completely different. Here are a couple observations:

1. Running 5 kilometers is tough. I usually have an average heart rate around 160 beats per minute.

2. Cycling for 25 minutes on flat land is only as tough as you make it. Running slow for 25 minutes is still tough.

3. Cycling up a big hill – for example a 300 meter hill climb is tough and my heart rate will stay around 155 bpm to 170 bpm however there is no constant pounding on my body.

4. Running up a hill is torture. Cycling up one is the reason I ride a bike.

5. Running down a hill is torture. Cycling down one is the other reason I ride a bike.

I will continue this list in the future. There are countless things to compare. One thing I like about running is that it does not consume very much time and is an inexpensive sport. Cycling is a cash-cow.

This evening I jogged 12km. I would like to say I enjoyed every single step however there were many moments of pain. It happens. I think I can do a half-marathon right now, however I doubt I am in good enough running shape to finish a full marathon. Perhaps this should be a goal – something to do before I turn 35 – I got about 8 months left.

Here is the Garmin info:

In the spirit of a weight-loss blog I often read I am going to post this picture. I took this after my run so I guess it is a bit like cheating but oh well. 85.6kg = 188.7lbs. I think I was around 96kg 2 years ago. Notice the purple toenail.

The first 500 meters of this climb are beyond words. However here are a few for the moment – majestic, sublime, beautiful, breath-taking, Taroko Gorge is a must see. The incline of the climb for the first 1000 meters up is not that tough. It is gradual at 6% to 8% – however during the summer the heat and humidity really can squeeze you dry. There are not many places to stop and buy water. However if you plan it right the streams are fresh and the mountain filters the water. We did not get sick, we drank a lot of fresh, cold mountain water.

After the 1000 meter mark the temperature dropped a couple degrees. There were no more pitch-black tunnels and the foliage began to change. There were small waterfalls all along the side of the mountain. Near the end of July and early August the locals were harvesting fresh fat hairy peaches. These peaches were perhaps the best fruit I have eaten in a long time. The peaches only added to this amazing ride – plus we got ours for free! At 1600 meters we took a break. There is a public rest area. We arrived at the stop at 3:30pm – I was a bit worried because I did not know exactly what kind of climbing we were up against.

From 1600 meters to the hostel the scenery is amazing. The trees change, the oxygen in the air thins a bit, the mountain finally invites you in – this is the ride. To the hostel we still had about 900 meters of climbing to do. It started to rain a bit and honestly this really dampened our spirits but we continued to climb this amazing mountain. The last hour and a half climbing to the hostel was tough but we arrived without incident. I think we climbed up the long driveway at 5:30pm. We took showers, ate dinner and crashed. I think we both suffered a bit of hyperthermia – at the hostel it was around 15 degrees Celsius. When we left in the morning it was around 34 degrees Celsius. Plan for extremes if you decide to do this ride: food, gear, and the mental element.

Later Sunday afternoon my daughter and I went to a birthday party. We spent some time in Tienmu and then later we had dinner at a man made shrimp pond. Notice the pics of daughter and those salty shrimp.

This afternoon I headed out for a ride – I took my camera and got a couple pics. Enjoy. I am a fan of this kind of spider. When I lived in Japan, in my backyard they grew to an enormous size, as they do here. Patiences is perhaps a fat garden spider.

Summer is slowly slipping away, cooler mornings and evenings.

Later in the evening I did get out for a short and hilly ride – a little cold isn’t gonna stop this guy.

I arrived at Luodong station at 9:30am. I set up my bike and checked a couple maps. I had no idea where Meihua Lake was – and I ended up getting a bit lost. After riding for around 25 minutes I came across directional flags that took me directly to the race. I think I rode a good 20km. When I arrived at the event, honestly I was really surprised to see so many people, bikes, athletes, tents, and cars. I took a minute to take in the scene and then I located the check-in tent. I got my number – 529. No one at the check-in tent explained some of the more vital details – For example: 1. Put the stickers on your helmet and bike. 2. Your swim cap is color coded for your age group – I think? 3. You need to wear your number for the run – Did you bring a running belt to race?

This was my first race and I really was a bit overwhelmed, however I got it all sorted out. Probably the worst thing that happened all day was after check-in. I put the bag of race goodies over my shoulder and got on my bike. The minute I started to ride the bag slipped down to my wrist and something in the bag got caught in my front wheel and the fork. I immediately thought – Ahhh! There goes my race – broken spoke. However the spoke didn’t break – lucky. The wheel lost it’s trueness, but it was still rideable.

I want to give a big thank you to Craig Johns for hooking me up with an awesome K-SWISS/Specialized tri-suit. It fit great and I felt comfortable racing in this suit. When I get some photos from the race I will post them.

I meet a handful of other foreigners at the race. We all had a bit of a nervous chat before the swim. I was in the 6th wave of swimmers. The swim was not easy. Perhaps the two things that made it difficult were the crowds of swimmers and visibility was zero. A lot of swimmers did the breast stroke and thus they swam much slower than doing freestyle. I got kicked and hit a handful of times. If I swam on the outside of the groups I felt like I was swimming in a zigzag pattern. The swim was over before I knew it and I was out of the water onto the bike. I am not sure what my swim time was. I do not have a water-proof watch.

The bike portion of the race was perhaps my strongest leg of the triathlon. The course was simple. There was 2.5km downhill section with a grade of 2%, then we turned around and rode up the false flat. The wind worked for everyone. We went downhill against a mild headwind and then climbed up with a tailwind. My Garmin split was 34min 05sec for 18km. Room for improvement – next time I think I will participate in a true cycling event. There were a lot of mt. bikes and 20-inch wheel bikes on the course. I didn’t see any accidents however I had a handful of close calls.

The run was really tough. The first kilometer was not that bad. We ran around the lake twice. The course is really beautiful and I imagine if I lived in this area I would go to this park and do this run once a week. The thing about this course is the hill. There is a 25 meter hill climb that we had to run up twice. I guess the only thing I can say is I never stopped running, however I wanted to. I am not sure what my time was – I imagine around 28 minutes for this 5km. Lots of room for improvement. Diet and nutrition, kill alcohol, sleep, watch caffeine intake, stay hydrated – this list really is endless.

All and all I am really happy I did this race. The official results will probably be posted on Tuesday or later this week. I think there were almost 1000 participants in this race. I crossed the finish line at 138th – The chip time I got was 1hr29min05sec. I am happy I went under 1hr30min. I am looking forward to the official results and age group information later this week.

Garmin details – notice I did a little tour of Luodong.

The downhill, Yangjin Rd – nothing too remarkable to mention. I think I hit 65km/hr – recently I have been gaining more and more confidence on the downhill. Anyone who has ridden with me knows I am not a strong downhill rider. We had breakfast at our local Jinshan sandwich shop and then we were off to climb the Daping hill and then up Fenggui. I really really like this climb. It is a challenge. There were a number of cyclists on the road today. We came across a team from Keelung; they were refilling their water bottles at the temple before the steep climb. My camera is in the shop hopefully in the next couple days I will get it back. With that said – the scenery on this ride is absolutely amazing. I will take some pics next time I do this ride.

I have done 5 solid rides over the last five days. Great weather, lots of sunshine. All the rides have been in northern Taiwan – most of them in the Sanzhi area. Lots of hills – but nothing too big. Mt. Datun reaches 820 meters above sea level. Most of the other hills are around 300 meters above sea level. Lots of spinning.

It was cold today – 55F 13C – Windy and roads were still wet but no rain. After riding the newly paved sakura roads I took a different route and found a 20% to 24% grade hill – great for sprint work or a mini time trail of sorts. After climbing the hill I backtracked and found myself on Rd 15 and then Rd 8 – in the mix I found some serious goat paths – gonna have to revisit this ride. A couple savage dogs – unlike my friend Marty – I cannot soothe em with a whistle so I resorted to kicking the meanest one in the face with my cleat. Sorry mean-ass dog.

GARMIN LINK

It was around 75 degrees today. Great riding conditions. Here is the GPS link for today’s ride:
70KM 1300 meters of climbing – Lots of Sunshine!
GARMIN LINK

Long ride today – 100km 2200 meters of hill climbing.

Click the link for the bike details:
GARMIN LINK

Sorry this video is almost unwatchable. 100km 1800 meters of riding. AMAZING RIDE.

Here is the Google Map and all my details for the ride:

GARMIN DETAILS

Here is the Garmin link for this ride.
Click Me!

Beautiful ride.

After yesterdays ride this looks like elementary school – however don’t be fooled – these hills are a workout. There is a solid 630 meters of climbing at a solid 8% to 10% grade incline. Near the end of the ride you can see I did a loop. This is a great 3 minute sprint up 50 meters of climbing. I am considering doing a couple reps next time. I did one today and held about 15 km per hour. We shall see…
Enjoy the video – youtube – my FTP access for my site is fxxked?

Better to be 3 hours early than 1 minute late.
nm

Life is Taiwan has been a real treat. After my nine years in Japan, where I honestly became so comfortable – I consider it my second home. Now, here in Taiwan trying to do it all over again at 33 years old, l have quickly come to understand it takes enormous amounts of energy to take a deep bite out of the culture and language of foreign country. The acid snail from Africa seemed to be doing just fine.

I have found work at a couple Universities, cram schools, and even kindergartens! The work here is fun and the folks in Taipei are hungry to learn and speak English. I hope my efforts to facilitate their English level’s are fruitful. It seems learning a second language as an adult is more about confidence, motivation, investment, and humiliation – unlike the grassroots language acquisition of a child. Speaking of which my daughter is now two and is busting out mad crazy Chinese – urgh, I gotta keep up. (but doing my darnedest to teach her English and even some Japanese)

To those of you who are waiting or who checked back for a video – trust me I will get back in the game. At the moment I have been working on other things – mainly cycling and weight lifting. Since I moved to Taiwan those are my main two releases. I should vlog more about my rides and workouts – I am sure there is an audience out there for those two topics. But for now I will only say – man, it is hot in Taiwan – and giant snails.

Still here – I hope to get another one up later this month. Peace.

I am planning to get back into making videos – gonna try to make one a week – watch out!
Enjoy.

Not much of a ride – 25KM – however got the dead chain link removed and now ready for the spring season of riding…Albums listened to during this ride – John Frusciante ‘The Will to Death’ Jimmy Eat World ‘Futures’ and Dillinger Four ‘Civil War’ – You can capture so much on tape – to ride is to be.
Enjoy.

Here is some footage from the boardwalk near my place. This was taken in Danshui, Taiwan.
Enjoy.

I am listening to Rainer Maria – I knew and listened to this group in 1997 – ??? Greg – hey the music came and went – love it hate it – I still hold this kind of sound dear to who I am – to the bottom of the dirty part of my foot (feet) – Aahoo!

I have to admit I didn’t spend much time on this video – however I am posting it to stay in the game. Trust me – good things to come. The last two months have been a complete crash course in what – wow, can I say something cheesy like – urgh, life. After nine years in Japan the move to Taiwan has been a complete breath of fresh air. I have found I have been able to recalibrate my entire outlook on the human existence – that is a really a mouthful, and perhaps I am only on the honeymoon of moving to a new country – which I would pay any deserving anthropologist/psychologist/MD to research the dopamine levels of an group of folks who move to a new country to live – I am firm believer the wanders, culture thirsty folks – are perhaps chasing this priceless transparent and fleeting experience of forever rotating elsewhere – is this/it so worthwhile?

Dillinger Four.
The girls were selling computers, or were they?
Enjoy.

Here is a quick tour of a couple places in Danshui. Pork!

This was taken from the east coast of Taiwan.
Enjoy the tour!

A trip down to the east coast of Taiwan. Enjoy!

Here is my first video from Taiwan – hopefully more to come!
Enjoy.

This may or may not be my last JPN video for a while. The plane departs on October 6th – Taiwan here I come!
Enjoy -
Music by She and Him

Well, this is a first for me – watch out Micheal Phelps! Enter Meiwanna. We were back in North Carolina for about 3 weeks. We had a great time. I didn’t get much video however I took a million pictures. I hope to get a couple final videos up over the next 6 weeks. It looks like I will be heading to Taiwan the first week of October. Wish me luck.

For those of you who dig my music videos – this will forever be a memory. I ride this green road 4 or 5 times a week. I wanted to share two things – the end of the rainy season and this wonderful Chinese artist – Xu Wei – ?? if you browser reads that – YouTube it or Google it…
Enjoy.

For breakfast I have been eating so much language. Trying to gather up all my tools for the next month. Hello. The world is becoming a tube for transformation – sun to energy to go…you need this in to make it go – and it cost a lot. I just wanna yell at the moon – cause I am sure he is full of fossil fun plunder and run – argh…ok – spill and slid into a bit of reality, ok – Bicycle Sidewalk fans – here is a bit of the conversation I had with tatted new friend. Man, what a night, what a night. What a ride, what a place – JAPAN. Yes, I can use chopsticks – and your toilet holes! I love this place – gonna cry a river in October – Really.

Busy but found time to get this up. Last weekend, a good friend was back in Kurume – he introduced me to all his boys – was amazed by the body art – check it out – didn’t have time to tag this one with any English however I think anyone can get the idea. Ended up getting some great interview footage and will try and tag it later this week(end). Peace across the world and beware of earthquakes, deadly amounts of water rushing toward your abode, landslides, and all the other bad stuff that seems to be eating away at humanity.
Click here for a good time.

I was in South Korea last weekend. Great trip. Music by Blood on the Wall.
Enjoy.

light – good and summer
coming before we know it
speeding from outer space
rays of sunlight will arrive
welcomed and hard boiled
bits of dreamy anticipation
summer – perheps the season
the dream of summer -
the fictions, the spine
bathing suit bikini baby
summer gasoline moment
sweaty sweat sweet summer
all is blue, confident
alien moon sightings
looked like this –
to keep us humans
keeping on –

Part 2 of the Potato Man…Enjoy…I sure did!

Ok, this was recorded about 2 weeks ago. This is a great study in so many things. Linguistics, I make some very obvious mistakes in my Japanese…and the fellow even calls my Japanese broken – this is when they really are talking to you…thank goodness, if I was still hearing something like­ I would probably get a big L tattooed across my forehead. We ended up talking for a good 40 minutes. This is was recorded in Kurume, I was out on a Friday – the weather has been great…
Anyhow…the Yakiimo song is perhaps one of the staple sounds I will carry in my mind til I am six feet under…
I will post part two in a week or so. Enjoy – and excuse the type in the subs…

Here are about 30 pictures from a market in Taipei. I used my iSight to capture the narration. I usually use my 3CCD camera to record the talk. I hate to say it, but I have gotten a bit lazy these days…Enjoy.

I think we all have dreams that our life would be more interesting if we only lived somewhere else – hmmmm – take a step back, there are plenty of folks who are happy right where they are. Pause. Take a step forward, look at where you are and where you are going – From my experience the dream of living elsewhere is sometimes more vivid and real than the actually reality of living elsewhere.
Everything is relative to where you spin on the earth.
Music: Tift Merritt
Enjoy

I am in Taiwan at the moment – I will write more in a bit.
Enjoy.

Well, this is a really short but (I think) has a one tiny artistic moment – I like the twig moment – it seems the music lines up with the sky and the small jutted twigs just right for only a split second or two…anyhow, this footage was taken at the base of Kabuto-yama in Kurume City, I am considering tagging my posts with a Google Earth file so you can get a better idea of where I am coming from, but as for now – if you really want to know – open Google Earth and search for Fukuoka, Kurume – I live near the Chikugo River…The song is by John Frusciante. I am currently in Taiwan – today I imagine I will take my camera out into Taipei…I have taken some great photos and will probably throw something together when I return to Japan. As for now – nothing much else to report…enjoy the video!

Well, it has been over a month since I have made a video. This is something I threw together over the weekend. As you can see – I really threw this one together…I recently moved back to Kurume and I am in the process of unpacking and setting up the new apartment. I didn’t use my normal green background, this video was made with only the mild green background of a bare wall in my apartment – as much as I tweaked it – I could not clean it up…oh well, it is not the end of the world. This video is about 7 minutes long. I walk you through a ramen joint and then later at night in Fukuoka City – they are cleaning up after a long night’s work at a food stall. I plan to start making more videos this spring – if there is anything you would like to see or hear about in Kyushu drop me a comment or an email. Enjoy!

Here is a video with a handful of folks from various Asian countries.
Enjoy.

Quick update – I imagine I will get a video up sometime next week. I have been rather busy over that last week, however I did find some time to take a bit of video…hopefully I can log and capture it later this weekend…until then, have a nice weekend everyone.

Title says it all! Enjoy.

Quesitons from a Japan Blog: Basic Black
1. What’s your favorite Japanese food?

Sushi, Sashimi –

2. What sound in the urban environment do you like best?

Any music/noise blaring from a white kei truck.

3. What part of your daily routine do you despise most?

Parking anywhere.

4. Who is your favorite celebrity?

Sanma

5. Do you speak Japanese?

Yes, fluently.

6. Can you read Japanese?

Yes, perhaps better than I can speak. I love to read.

7. When did you first come to Japan?

1999.

8. Do you like karaoke?

It grew on me over the years. Now I seldom turn down a night out singing.

10. What are your favorite books by Japanese authors?

Want to be orginal with this one, however gotta go with Murakami Haruki

11. What’s the best holiday you’ve had in Japan?

Anytime in the spring – Anywhere -

12. Have you ever been in the media in Japan?

No.

13. What do you think about Japanese Macaque monkeys?

Not sure about these monkeys.

14. Do you bow?

Often.

15. What aspect of Japanese culture has made an indellible impression on you?

Trains are on time, the taxi driver won’t try and rip you off, things usually work in Japan.

Beautiful video – Fukuoka Prefecture – Near Sasaguri Town
This footage was taken at Nanzouin, you can see the Kanji in the video – 南蔵院 – what a mouthful, or should I say eyeful, sometimes the busier a character or set of characters become the easier they are to recognize.
Enjoy.

I asked him about the food at this Korean Bibinba joint…this place is in Fukuoka…He said it was not spicy…and the thing is…man, all spicy, real spicy Asian food gets Japanized when it lands in front of you on your plate…it was a good conversation…I will get the sub version up sooner or later…Enjoy for now…He is not Korean, the owner is Korean…

Notes – sorry about the awful camera work in this video, I was on the verge of not posting it because the Blair Witch effect really engulfs this one…however the commentary actually sounds good, a couple interesting points…(me thinks) Anyhow, I will be back with something from the street in a couple days…as for now, Enjoy – and be sure to check out Japan Podcasters.

This is my first video of 2008. I got some pretty good footage during this Taiko event. This group is from Yufuin, Oita. They are called Genryu. They did three performances on January 2nd 2008 in the ground level of the Mitsukoshi building. Midway through the performance many people gathered to see the them pound out their beats. Something else.

Wow – Perhaps the best comment/link/heads up I have gotten thus far – I have been recognized! Dan, who has commented, however I was totally unaware of his readership/watchership has built and amazing and educational Japanese podcast directory…I love it…his writing has character, class, and most of all voice…what can I say…Dan you are the Man! Read this!

I am thinking of starting a poetry blog…however for the time being I will be posting my stuff here.

train fight

make the loudest noise, she said
into the night and learn morning on the train
push at the back of your jaw
for more pain where the new cavity
drains bone to turn sugar and vein
to something you call “oh I got this problem”
pain she said to me on a cloudy monday,
lousy train ride to an unknown place like -

hello she said to me, and without
a seven second flinch hello I said -
into the morning we rode, elsewhere,
trains, telephones, moments between stop
yet to go and be where we need to be she said -
that was the prime and utmost reality
for everyone she tried to tell me, just
do it, do it, have it, make it, etc…
something like a white piece of white.

White she said is the color of summer
but it was not summer and white was
only as close to us as the cold snow
outside the train, the windows pushing
our noises, like little children waiting
for the slide, up and down, up and down
faster and faster into the next day
until they were older and curious -
what happen, what did the adults tell us -
what is this, where are we?

I will comment and explain why I used this video size and format later. Enjoy.

Been a while since I made a video…Here is something I have been putting together bit by bit…Enjoy.

A mid-week video. The water footage was really taken out in the country, and the city footage was really taken in the city. Enjoy.

Here is a trademark Bicycle Sidewalk video. A bit of commentary on Japan…enjoy the video.

My barely used Japanese cell phone – click me!

Autumn in here!
Enjoy.

I recently finished a DVD project for a friend. I don’t have time to go into the details, however the main theme was, in a word – environment…This video came to me quickly, it is kinda loose, (well really loose) however it works for me – like ticker-tape spinning out of my conscience – Enjoy.
Music by Alexi Murdoch
Ahh…by the way, since the upgrade to Leopard my old video compress mix doesn’t work anymore…this video was compressed using Apple’s H.264 codec…let me know if you are having problems watching this video. I will try and fix the old codec asap.

Ahhh…I will fix this later tonight…there is an offline media box at the end of the video…no need to watch after the www.bicycl-sidewalk.com and the ad roll over…sorry bout that.

What a character.
Enjoy.

Hello. I made this a similar video a couple weeks, it was somewhat a fresh idea for Bicycle Sidewalk, (however I am sure you could something of the likes on Youtube) – anyhow, as an artist, this is a lesson in obedience. Will write more asap. Enjoy.

ahhh…for you jpn language folks…I got one wrong…表示 is actually ひょうじ not ひょうし

This is something I have never understood, and have only taken part in it a handful of times, however these guys ended up with a pretty good picture.
Enjoy the ruckus.

This is a relaxed piece…It takes a lot to tell a good story. And I am by no means saying I have told a story in this video…however when I started Bicycle Sidewalk, I had the energy and vision that I am watching all over Youtube, or basically any video on the net site- however at my start-up time (only 2.5 years ago) it was difficult to convince/explain/spread the word about this type of media…now that it has caught on…hmmm…perhaps it time for me to go back to the drawing board.
Music by Mice Parade. Enjoy.

I have made this video a couple times, however this one really captures just that – the girl, the light, the shoes…
Music by Money Mark – Push the Button – a great album.
Enjoy.

Ok…I really should think a bit more before I do the narration…around 4:27 my brain must have just stopped working? Uh…it’s a rotation motor?…what? Anyhow I am sure I won’t lose any viewers, I honestly started to crack up when I watched it…oh well…Go Internet!

Here is a great chat I had with a good friend. You can check up on David over at Samurai Soapbox.
Enjoy!

I have a lot to say about this video and the shape of Bicycle Sidewalk, however I am dead tired…will comment in the morning…
Music by The American Analog Set. Enjoy!

Well, this is another music video…I think I worked on it a little bit every night for couple evenings. I am in the process organizing all my videos and footage. A bit about my storage; 2 USB 320 GB external hard drives, 3 firewire external hard drives coming to 660 GB…and the 250 GB drive in my computer…however looks like I am running out of room…guess I am going to have to do some housecleaning sooner or later. Anyhow, thanks to the fine folks at Apple, Final Cut allows me organize everything exactly the way I want it…
There are couple outstanding moments in this video, however to degree I don’t feel it carries any enormous weight. However, compared to the stuff I was putting together two years ago I think the last couple music videos have really taken a shape that defines my style and my never-ending ambition to be part of this music scene.
Anyhow…hope to see everyone over the next 100 videos!

Wow, one more video and I will hit 300!
This one is full of great images, I was thinking of tagging a bit of text on this video but after watching it I think the text would only clutter this already busy collage of a music video. In this video I started off with a bit of footage from a pottery classroom, we are thinking of learning how to spin our own pots…so my wife and I went to a really interesting place located here in Fukuoka, I think we will give it a try later next month…The following images of the stink bug and the goya were taken on the same day. That funky vegetable is something else, if you have never tried it I recommend you give it a go at least once…A lot of people in Kyushu associate it with Okinawain cuisine. Anyhow, the video continues with a handful of other images from this summer and even earlier stuff taken in January of this year. As for the tunes, a friend introduced me to a site worth sharing, long live the mix-tape! This song is by Jens Lekman. Enjoy this one, and see you at 300!

Here is a bit of footage from Taiwan. This video is about 5 minutes, You will find a quick tour of a small village, dinner at relatives house and the city/street scene (Taipei)…plenty to see and do in Taipei, if you ever have a chance to visit, Taipei is certainly a city worth checking out. Enjoy.

This one captures the night in two minutes. It is like one of those things, a friend writes a short story, lets you read it and when you are finished, it is unfortunate but it happens – you didn’t understand it. There are plenty of things to say about this, I want to point out two – 1. Most likely the friend who wrote the story would say – ahhh…you gotta read it at least two times to understand what I am saying. (This is absolutely the last thing any writer should ever say or even think.) People read books twice, watch movies more than once, listen to the same album countless times, simply because it is good not because “you gotta read it twice.” 2. This video may work for some people it may not…if you have lived in Japan, are living in Japan, or have ever been an ex-pat, going out with foreign friends is always plenty of fun. This video showcases a handful of people I met that night or have known since I moved to Fukuoka, there are couple folks, the boxer and his crowd who we just kinda ran into (part of any Saturday night) – and I got into an interesting conversation with him…Anyhow I guess what I am trying to say is explaining yourself, your reality to the world isn’t always as easy as all my favorite artists make it seem. Music by Isotope 217. Enjoy!

This was a ordinary moment in a little village by the sea. However after I dropped the Five Style track on this footage, instantly I found myself watching a bit of the Twilight zone. It seems there is almost the bare bones of a story in this one…kinda going out on a limb, however the woman on the motorbike looks to a certain direction, the woman washing the knife also looks at something or someone. I slowed down most of the footage to about 70% – this probably adds to the creepiness, especially the shot of the little boy. Anyhow, that duck was wonderful…something you don’t often come across in Japan. The sushi was something else too…enjoy.

Back in Japan.
Links:
Amis
Music
I have plenty of footage from Taiwan…will be posting it during the next couple weeks, along with moments from Fukuoka as the summer cools down…
Enjoy.

Well, I think a week has gone by and I haven’t made a video…it kinda started to nag at me, Nathan – when are you gonna make another video…which is a bad thing, because when a hobby evolves into a thing you have to do, it begins to lose its fun…yet no need to fear, Bicycle Sidewalk will continue to roll…and in the up and coming weeks I plan to get some great footage from Taiwan. Here is a wrap up of the last couple weeks…some great summer footage. The song in the background is an Okinawain tune…the name of the song: 浜千鳥
and the artist: 川田房枝

Enjoy the video!

Some great stuff I have come across or friends have sent me:

What I am listening to these days: Hello Seahorse!
What I watched and thought: Finally someone told me what has been going on! Zeitgeist
What a great way to listen to music, (yeah Pandora is cool but I live in Japan…and it don’t work here…) Try this!

A great moment in Japanese culture…
Enjoy.
Thanks for Chipping in!