Back to Bike Racing...YET AGAIN

And so, here we are, days away from my first bike race since...since....gosh. It's been a while. I'd say May of last year? Sheeeeeesh! And why the long hiatus? Well, much like Will Hunting [movie: Good Will Hunting] I was 'finding myself'. Asking the deep questions, eating like a walrus doped up on steroids and trying my hand at triathlons with little success. I'll be tee-ing it up in Cantua Creek on Saturday in what looks to be a pretty rainy and overcast day; quite the departure from 'warmish-around78-degrees' that Hawaii is huh??

But rest assured the beat goes on. And not long after that I'll be doing a time trial and then learning the ropes of track cycling - where I honestly believe I have found my calling with respect to racing. One thing that is different from this year as opposed to last year is my approach towards racing my bike. Granted bike racing is serious business and as always, I'll be looking to attack, attack, attack and attack with the intention of challenging myself. Because I've found in my journey that I do much better psychology when it becomes me vs. me rather than me vs. the field; and hence, my love affair with the individual pursuit. I believe there's something to be said when it's athlete vs. athlete, will vs. will where there is no draft, no wheel-sucking or any shennanigans allowed. I'm all for this type of competition.

In other interesting news, I've been eating waaaaay too many bananas as of late and have switched to more strawberries much to my liking. In California, oranges, strawberries and apples seem to in season and that's great news for us weeeeeegans! I've also become a big fan of making my own pasta sauce; something that, until recently, I defaulted to Molto Mario's sauce from Whole Foods [check this out, very clean ingredients!]. Pretty simple stuff and I'll describe it here:
1) Heat lots of EVOO and garlic in a pot.
2) Add strained tomatoes (you can buy these at whole foods too...it comes in a glass jar)
3) add salt to taste. Finito.
Easy as 1-2-3, literally!

HOLY FRITES AND MAYONAISSE!!!!!

HOURS on the bike!

Breakfast of champs!

Wow, I've been gone a long time haven't I. Yes, I know I shouldn't take these 'leaves of absence'..yea I know I left you all stranded, hanging, and feeling like you are [soon to be] President Mubarak of Egypt. Well have no fear, after a nice break from my social life [i.e. blog] I'm back to being a person, finger in-tact. Ms. Denise thought it funny that I show a picture of my bleeding thumb but I thought it best not to. Frankly, I got grossed out just by looking at the cespool of my hemoglobin that was left to be mopped up using medical scrubs. Ugh..enough of that.

Anywho...I've been busy riding the biccicleta on the trackeez and on the roadeez. In short, I <3 the track. Did ya notice that? I just used a 'young persons' emoticon for 'love'. Oh yea. I'm up with the times...are you?! Track cycling is like the first time I ate at Cafe Gratitude and experienced what raw food could be [i.e. more than blended beverages and LaraBars...not that I have a problem mind you!]. I had so much fun I kept going back and back and back. Difference between track vs road bike: No brakes. Difference between track vs. road efforts: Races aint that long...so you better make it count and pick your spots carefully. S*it happens in the blink of an eye on the track and normally that's all one needs to get away and STAY AWAY. Thus far, my favorite events that we work on during the Saturday morning nerd-newbie beginner sessions are: flying 200, INDIVIDUAL PURSUIT [oh yea...putting that V02 max to use!], the Kilo and the Team Pursuit. Essentially, I'm in favor of anything that pits athlete vs. athlete in an endurance event where there is no draft. I dig this. I dig this like the first time I laid eyes on vegan donuts. Like...DIG EM DIG EM.

I digress. Apologies. HOLY FRITES AND MAYONAISSE!!!! I just realized I have to show you what pics of breakfast look like! Okay so the above pics show how you make the ideal breakfast for weegan cyclists. If you follow the instructions of the previous blog, then this breakfast is a whopping 800 calories in one sitting! Love it! Best part: lots of sugar, carbs and fibre [and not that shit sugar Aunt Jemima be putting in her shit pancakes either!]. I argue this is exactly what the racer/competitive cyclist needs before a long training ride or serious effort. Easily digestible food that provides carbs, some protein and puts glycogen into the body. At my hungriest, I can only take down 2 bowls of this and I highly suggest you take down at least one each day. Hell, I've been doing that for so long, I forgot what 'regular' breakfast tastes like. Then again, I am a waskally weegan in the words of Elmer Fudd.

My Routine: Mornings Part 1

One of my silly omnivore friends thought it would be best to keep a food diary and post what I eat for a given week. Most definitely, I will do this but I figured in the meantime, I can give you a rough sense of what my work-week looks like from a food/diet perspective - starting with the most important mealS of them all: upon-rising & breakfast. Let me preface this and say, if you're one of those atkins-dudes who is anti-carb, pro-eggs-bacon-sausage-smothered-in-gravy, you're going to want to look away and take the kids to another room...this could get ugly for ya!

During the night while you are peacefully getting some beauty rest, your body is actually re-charging itself, cleansing some blood and digesting the fatty meal you ate the night before. In short, your body is 'de-toxing' itself for however many hours you're at rest. Have you ever woken up feeling sluggish and tired despite having slept 8+ hours? One of the reasons could be what you ate the night before! If you ate [and look] like shit then your body needs more time to digest the meal and so during sleep, no 'de-toxing' is going on; instead, your body is digesting that gross cruelty-infused meal :-) hint hint.

But suppose you were cool enough to have a lady friend that cooks your vegan meals and you ate at a relatively early hour for full digestion. Then, your body would be in full detox mode whilst at rest. So when you get up some 6.5 hours later, you would have been detoxing for 6.5 hours and you - if you're like me - are probably thirsty for something. At this point, there's nothing in your stomach so let's give it something healthy. BAM! Jarrows Plant Protein shake with one multi-vitamin. BAM! That stops detoxing and gives it proteins from plants that are easily digested and converted to amino acids. That, ladies and gents, is what I consume first thing upon rising...well...that is AFTER I get all the crud outta my eyes!

Typically, I head out around 6 and am in San Francisco around 7am to hit the gym. And by gym, I don't mean weights...hehe...I still got pea-sized arms! I mean to spin the legs out. All I'm doing here is turning my legs for a few minutes to get the lactic acid out from yesterday [to make room for more lactic acid!]. Given the duration, I'm done and in the office by 8am, ready for a hearty breakfast.

Alex's Awesome Vegan Breakfast [not for the faint-hearted].
1/2 cup organic oatmeal cooked in WATER, NOT MILK OR SOYMILK.
1 handful of grapes
2 whole bananas
1-2 dollups of unsweetened plain coconut yogurt.
Nice drizzle of agave nectar to added sweetness.

The amount of fat in this meal is so marginally small it makes you wonder how you can possibly eat and devour all that goodness without feeling bad about ingesting 800 calories or so. To quote the movie Friday [staring film-greats such as Ice Cube and Chris Tucker], "damn, that taste is so good, make you wanna slap yo mama!"
Part 2 of this will include photos but for now, there's the general idea...

I highly recommend you try the oatmeal. you're gunna like the way you look, I guarantee it.
Thank you, Men's Warehouse.

While we're at it: Superfoods

My superfood: oranges, spinach+banana shake.

This is the cacao fruit used to make chocolate. Those pellets are the actual cacao bean.

here's been a growth in number of people that come up to me asking for autographs, holding their children, posing for photos and asking about my wacky and wiley vegan ways. One common question is: "Alex, o great weegan, what does thou think about superfoods? Yay or Nay?" Personally, 'NAY' but let's think about why that's so.

Question 1) What the h*ll is a superfood and why should I give a flying f*ck about it?
In short, a superfood is a food that has an extremely high phytonutrient content [jam-packed with vitamins and minerals] that lead to 'remarkable' health benefits. Sound familiar? Probably because a Mr. David Wolfe popularized it. I got nothing against the Wolfe-man. Nice guy but to live on his diet requires an annual income > $100k; simply put, a vegan utopia where we prance around naked with grape leaves, drinking cacao-maca-goji-berrie-smoothies isn't feasible for most of us. The whole point of me posting results and going vegan was to show that people could make dramatic improvements to their lives via healthful eating which ANYONE can do. NOT EVERYONE has WholeFoods down the street and NOT EVERYONE likes the taste of goji berries - myself being one of them. So as far as practicality goes, I don't think superfoods are economical...YET.

Now, should you care about not getting them? Nah. Not really. You can attain solid and remarkable health benefits just by dropping fast food and all things that come in a can. Do that and you'll see 'remarkable' gains. Want more? Give up meat and dairy and REALLY watch the weight fall off! But I digress from the whole superfood argument.

Question 2) What are examples of superfoods?

Cacao [used to make chocolate. very bitter, very chocolate-ey. very yummy.] Goji berries [small, red berries that look like parrot shit and probably taste like it too]. Maca [a ground up incan root used in smoothies. has a mustardy taste...no mas].

Question 3) Where can I buy superfoods? My recommendation is Navitas Naturals. Not because they sponsor me [;-)] but because they got some high-quality stuff brewing over there. Good people, good ingredients and they even include a booklet for smoothie making. Not shabby huh. WholeFoods sells their stuff and if you're looking to get into superfoods, they got the medicine.

Question 4) What's my superfood?

Well, my superfoods are simply everyday foods that I eat. Bananas, apples, oranges, blueberries, oatmeal, avocado...those are my 'superfoods' despite their lackluster phytonutrient count. Truth is I did the superfood thing for a while and yea, my smoothies were that much more delicious but in the end, I wanted people to see what I was eating and think 'yea, I can do that too and not break the bank.' For that reason, I eschew from superfoods but that is my choice...doesn't have to be yours. My advice: Go buy some, try it, see if you like it and then come talk to me.

Friday Night ER Trip

My second first queen. Allow me to introduce: Miss Samantha

She gets shy around camera's.

She's one cold-blooded woman!

My weekend was to see my first ever action on the velodrome. I was pumped to say the least as I'm looking to get into track cycling this year and for the next many years to come. I went and got the bike tuned up and began changing the pedals off the road bike to the track bike. And like the dumbass I am..my hand slipped and got caught in the sprocket. In short, I sliced a piece of my thumb off to the point where tendon was exposed. Safe to say, I was shocked and frightened. Frightened at the site of my own blood and stunned at what happened. I quickly tell my dad and mom, Ms. Denise heads on down and we take a trip to the ER. Apparently, I'm not the only one that's made this mistake. 1.5 hours and FOUR stitches later, I was done and out at 7:30pm. To make it all better, we got vegan burritos from Whole Foods. Oh thank heaven for those. :-)

This was the first weekend I spent off the bike and it sucked a big one. On the other hand I watched black swan which was DISTURBING to say the least. Currenty, I'm typing with one hand and this hunt+peck thing is getting annoying. However, some good questions were brought up with respect to soy and my views on tofu which I'd like to answer.

Do I eat soy products? Yes.

How often? On Weekends mainly. This is NOT a staple food for me.

What about tofu? Again, on weekends mainly.

What do you think about it? I'm a simple guy that believes in stuff coming from nature as intended. Can I go out to the farm and pull a block of tofu off the vine? Nope. For that reason, I don't eat it as often as some people do. Do I think it's good for you? Yes and no [more on that later]. As a substitute for meat and all things cruel, yes, it does the trick. The obsession with protein is way overblown but I won't get into that right here.

Tofu and soy products are fine foods when TRANSITIONING to a vegan diet in my opinion. Soy hot dogs and tofu scrambles are great but should be enjoyed on weekends. Weekdays I stick to staple foods that can be found in nature. For example, I can go out and get cashews or avocados if I wanted. Catch my drift?

Some things about soy products to consider...

1) Tofu has iron AND copper in addition to being a quality source of amino acids [protein].

2) 4 ounces of tofu = 9.2 grams of protein. Not shabby.

3) Tofu contains Omega-3 fats in them. [good fat].

4) Tofu and soy are a very very common allergenic in people.

5) Like many vegan things with soy, oxalates are present which can cause health problems if TOO MUCH is consumed and in the bloodstream. Exercise moderation and you'll be home-free.

6) Soy can give you hips. FALSE. There is no 'feminizing' effect of soy. You don't see Japanese men walking around with coke-bottle-figures do you?

Trust me, these are false and numerous PhD-whizbang-gizmo-scientists have proven such. True, soy does contain estrogen in the form of isoflavones. However, NO EVIDENCE EXISTS WHERE MEN HAVE EATEN MODERATE AMOUNTS OF SOY PROTEIN EXPERIENCED FEMININE-EFFECTS.

So there. My stance: I like tofu scramble just like my next [vegan] guy but it's a treat for me at the end of the week. Stick to whole fruits, veggies and grains and you'll do fine eating the occassional soy-dog without fear of growing moobs [not a typo!].

Amateur's Corner: Going Vegetarian

So, I have this friend that has taken the first step towards radiant health, ridiculous athletic ability, flawless everything, mental sharpness, fox-like-agility, eagle-like-vision and overall financial prosperity. Okay, I kid about most of those things - you knew that already though. Financial prosperity and flawless everything? Hardly. Everything else? Oh yea. ;-)



Anyways, he has decided to go vegetarian. And while not vegan [yet], it is an important first step. Simply put: how the heck does one do vegetarianism in a healthy way? First off, let me give a disclaimer. I'm no physician. I know a few and I haven't been impressed so far so maybe that's not saying much anyways. I'm no dietician - nope, I leave that job to Mike Ditka and his sales ads for NutriSlim systems. Having said all that, you can take this advice however you want to take it but what I'm going to share with you are some sound principles that I have discovered since going native / vegan.



To start, being vegetarianism does not meant kick-ass in everything. Trust me, I've met fat vegetarians and fat vegans alike. They are out there, trust me. And while I won't pass judgement on them, I will say that some foods - while vegetarian - are actually QUITE bad for you. Like what you ask? Coca-cola. This is entirely vegan and entirely unhealthy for you. Loads of sugar, loads of acid, loads of chemicals = no bueno. Doritos Nacho Cheese chips are vegetarian. Not only are the ingredients shit but they make your breath stink and your teeth turn orange. Who wants to smooch that? Simply put, just because one is vegan or vegetarian does NOT mean they are health nuts. Okay, still reading? Good. On to my founding principles of eating:

1) Keep it simple stupid. When you cook, keep the ingredient list short. The shorter the better in fact. This helps digestion and it eases cooking.
2) Ask yourself..."can I go out in nature and find this?". If the answer is no, then re-think why you're eating it. Favorite example: "sugar." Can I get "sugar" in nature? No. I have to refine it to make white sugar. Agave nectar? You betcha. Open the agave cactus, fill jar. Done.
3) Enough with the 'sugar is bad'. Too much sugar is bad. Okay, my response is the phrase "too much" implies something bad already. Too much of anything is not healthy and is a breach of moderation.
4) Eat lots of fruit. No joke. Eat fruit. I'll say it again, eat fruit. It's filling, sugar-ey and lots of carbs [your body needs this]. It's easily broken into glycogen [again, body needs this] and provides fuel for the brain. The trick is to eat good amounts [again, NOT OVERKILL].
5) Eat a variety of greens. Greens come in all sizes and shapes and not just romain or spinach. Find a green, boil it, steam it, sautee it, blend it, etc. Do what you need to do to get the greens in. I admit, I have trouble with this myself which is why Ms. Denise has to cook some of it for me but when I'm on my game, I feel very good when I'm full off greens.
6) Eat whole grains. This one just makes sense. Instead of empty calorie grains such as white bread or white rice, opt for the more healthful and tastier versions: whole grain bread, brown rice, etc. White rice is white because they have stripped the outside and polished it to make it white. Rice really is BROWN, NOT WHITE.
7) If you can stomach it, go gluten free. Why? Gluten is known to have inflammatory agents that increase the inflammation in the body. This especially sucks if you're active in athletics [cycling? running? you betcha]. Ask yourself this: "who needs more inflammation when life provides more than enough inflammation?!"

There you have it. 7 principles. 7 samurai. Wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am.

The Holidays 2k10

mama tellez labeled this one correctly: Silly Alex

Bobby and I. he has been my close friend for the past 20+ years!

We try one beer / week. This just happens to be Belgian (!) from Wevelgem (!!)..yep, just like the race, GHENT-WEVELGEM! gee whiz. Coincidence? You really think that's air you're breathing Neo? [The Matrix]

There were three wise people, and one vegan...

Hide and seek with William and his mum.

Sigh...another xmas come and gone. 2010 changed to 2011. The Golden State Warriors finally made it to the playoffs. heh. Okay, I kid about the last part...I don't remember when but I think historians have to go back to the late nineties to find when the warriors were a dominant team. I'm talking Tim Hardaway / Chris Mullen era AKA the 'golden years'. I even had the Tim Hardaway Nike shoe too. I equate his killer crossover to whenever I see a steak: JUST NASTY. He'd fake people out of their shoes!

Getting back to the point of this post - Holidays 2k10 - I rang in the new year with some cycling and put together a solid 20 min test. 319 watts to start the year with. Not bad. Not good. Kinda 'meh'. But that's okay because - brace yourselves for ANOTHER TELLEZ CHANGE - I bought a track bike!! I have named her "SAMANTHA", but you can call her "Ms. Sammy" for short! ;-) Yes, I plan to become a trackie in addition to a roadie. Check that. I plan on being primarily a trackie who also races roadie. In particular, the team and individual pursuit totally makes like the fire in my trousers [Ben Stiller, Along Came Polly]!

We celebrated the holiday in Tellez family fashion. Over-indulgence and over-cleaning are the words that pop into my head. We had something like 5 different types of carbohydrate and 6 different spreads! I know, you're thinking...NACHOS!...but no. It was like a shmorgasboard of food, most of which I couldn't partake in [pork tamales? No thank you]. Not to mention the cleaning...the cleaning, the cleaning, THE CLEANING that went along with it. Ugh. You. Cannot. Imagine. Suffice it to say I took the trash otu 3 times within a 30 minute period! And no, this

was not after one of my banana-gorge fests [smart ass] but after cleaning!

Enjoy the holiday pictures, promise to post some pictures of Samantha soon. She's a Felt Tk3, size 52. Whoaaaa shizzz.... :-p

Cat 6 Wattage

Today (12/30) - Total pedal time: 2.5 hours @ 263 watts. Fatty-fat-fat.

12/29 (Yesterday) - My failed attempt at intervals. 10 @ 430 watt FAIL.

12/23, 1.5 hours, 272 watts. Eeks.

Depending on where you live, you're experiencing something called Winter. In Hawaii, this means the weather plunges to 65-70 degrees F. On the east coast of America, this means you're stranded in a hotel room waiting to get on an aiprlane. In Belgium, it probably means you're getting ready to ride some cyclocross race but - in California - it means VERY COLD [my vegan thin blood can't stand it!] and RAIN. Two enemies of every cyclist I know along with: leg hair stubble and flat tires.

The way I see it, it's a great time to justify buying hundreds - if not BILLIONS - of dollars worth of cycling apparel from Rapha and Assos. Problem-o with this is two-fold:

1) I can't afford Rapha and Assos on my statistician salary. No lie.

2) Ms. Denise would murder me for even trying to justify the expense (!!). She wathces the show True Blood for christ sake! A story about blood-sucking vampires disguised as humans! Hmmm....

Having said all that, I've been getting on my bike with decent frequency although the training has been rather lack-luster. Part of the problem is it's difficult to psych myself up when it's raining and cold outside. Then again, my past experiences with dealing with poor weather have ended up poorly when I decide to stay indoors [food, beer = college = 192 lbs. Yea, let's not go there again shall we]. So I've been getting intouch with my inner masochist and putting Cat 6 wattage out there in anticipation of racing and overall tomfoolery regarding all things cycling or as I like to say: "Bi-cling" [bicycle + cycling]. Sigh...

But, like all things in life, there's a catch 22. When it's ass cold outside, if you go slow, you stay cold longer. If you ride fast you get coldER [wind chill + freezing hands + knee warmers!]. In short: you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't. I say to you in the words of my Italian grandfather [holding arms out]: "Ba-ba-da-boo-pee? Bo-ba-dee-ba-pee!"

[youtube: family guy peter italian].

Xmas 2010 - Tellez Family Style

Mama Tellez modeling a new pair of xmas socks. Yep, they're NOT stockings!

Young Willis, hamming it up for the camera and the various papparazzi that were present!

From Left to Right: Katy, Willis and my brother Andy.

The familia, taken at Stanford Court Hotel. Xmas 2010.

I think the best way to start this post is to tell you a little bit about the xmas letters I would write to Santa when I was younger [not too long ago in fact!]. Without delay:

Dear Santa, 12/24/90

How are you? Well, enough chit-chat, let's get down to business. I want:

2 Ninja G.I. Joes

A spitfire airplane used in WW2

Basketball

A football for my big brother.

P.S. I have been a very good boy this year.

Isn't that just precious! Scheming from a young age! Xmas for the Tellez family goes a little something like this: At 4:15pm we leave for church and attend Xmas service at the first unitarian church of San Francisco. We've been going to this church since you or I were both in diapers - not together, you dope! Then, from 4:45pm to 6pm we are gathered around singing Xmas carols, lighting candles for Silent Night and then leaving feeling happy, hoarse [vocals...I'm gnarly at karaoke. Come see me sometime] and hungry.

At which point, the family goes to Stanford Court where we are meeted by the same jolly ole' staff that has been waiting on us since 123 AD. No joke. This year I was happy to be back home with my family - something that if you've been following this blog, I didn't do last year as I was 'stranded' in Hawaii'. The drive back home is accopmanied by taking in the glitz and glamour of downtown SF during Xmas time. Lights ablaze and wreaths adorned from the Macy's storefront and I'm immediately taken back to my childhood. These are the traditions we know and love and hold very true to our hearts. Wherever you, my followers, my friends, supporters and family are...please accept my deepest wishes that you're warm, healthy and happily enjoying this time with loved ones.

And on that note...Happy Holidays everyone. Go ahead, you're allowed to eat an extra 'un-friend' vegan donut today. :-)

The big Deuce-Six!

Oakland Buddhist Church, D-Girls division basketball. We had just won our second in a row!


So I'm 26...which apparently means I've been living on this earth for more than a quarter of a century. Sigh...man that sounds like a while huh!? Remarkable to think that in 26 years my life would be where it is now. If you would have told me that I'd take up cycling, shave my legs and pay top dollar for bike shoes [more than my real work shoes], I'd have called you crazy 18 months ago. And now...psssht....I try and pull all the shinnanigans I can when it comes to blowing $$'s on bike stuff!


The day after I turned 26, I decided to go for a nice and quiet bike ride all to my lonesome. Roughly 3 hours in the saddle, 261 watt average [12 minutes included of 'lolly-gagging' and one flat tire]. Meh. I was happy though. And to cap it all off, I took to the field coaching my girls and we won! And then today...we won [again!]. That means the team is 3-0 with me as Coach~! Scary or remarkable? Your opinion of course...


Coaching has been a lot of fun for me as it involves my competitive side and my schooling side. It's fun to watch my girls compete but let me say...they damn near give me heart attacks each time we play. Oooh good gracious it is so gut-wrenching to watch! I can't help but get up, yell my a** off and stomp on the floor! Okay...not stomping on the floor just yet but it's pretty damn close! As a boy, I used to play for the same buddhist church and so giving back and coming full circle has been really important and nice for me. Without question, this has been a very rewarding and promising experience...and the season is just starting! aiyah!


The OAKLAND RAIDERS WON!!!
yhp

5+ hours until...

The pic speaks for itself...

....I'm 26 years old!!

I'm taking a half day off tomorrow to be with Ms. Denise and the boys for dinner. Goodness gracious, i can't believe I'll be a member of the more-than-quarter-century-old-club. Mama Tellez decided to take me out for dinner at Herbivore's which was really nice...nothing says 'Happy Birthday' like crispy vegan tacos, and 'Cesar Chikin Salad'. That and some vegan donuts certainly helps!

What's interesting about this birthday as compared to the others you ask? Good question Jeeves!

• This is the first time since I left the farm [house] for Brown that I was able to celebrate my bday at home with my family. Almost all the other times I have been away from my family and loved ones.


• This time last year, I was finalizing my new job prospects and thinking about the year to come. What a year it has been too....


• I'll be spending that Saturday coaching girls basketball and riding my bike and being with family. I can't wait.


• This Saturday, Mama Tellez will buy a new car.


• I hear it's a Toyota Prius. Hot.


• Tomorrow, I'm going to suffer doing intervals before going to work on the bike. Why? Because that's just what I do.


• I'm haven't named the bike to be yet...[only Paul has commented you schmucks!].


• Next year, I'm going to get into Track cycling. C'mon, skinsuit, TT helmet and near-black out experiences?!?!?! You gotta be kidding me!!!!


• I don't have a track bike. Shit.


• I'm 26 in less than 4 hours.


• AAAAAACCCCKKKK!

next time I blog...I'll be....TWENTY SIX YEARS OLD!!!

In three days, I'll be 26...

2009 Alex - Killing it and scoring a podium spot in my first ever half - marathon. Throwing the shaka's, reppin the 808. Yea brah!

2006 - Whiskey in hand, Hermes tie and Ralph Lauren suit. Good lord I was one snobby, obnoxious ivy leaguer! Whew, thank goodness those days are all done with.

New Year's 2004. I am afraid to guess how much I weigh in this photo. Let's just say I have that shirt now and it's a size L in mens. My pants from that time were a size 36. I'm currently a 29.

Thanksgiving, 2003. Back from my first tour of duty from college. Bobby, I know you remember how plump I was then. I gained so much weight my first year, it was almost comical. I loved college so much, I had an Abercrombie necklace that had a beer opener on it! Yikes!

26 years old...

More than a quarter of a century of living life and enjoying wonderful times and humbling moments. I guess I'm supposed to sound sentimental about the whole thing...ya know, be exctied about turning a new age, another year of living, and all that other crap.

So, in anticipation of the 'big day', let me spend some time reflecting on what's transpired in the past few years, noting some significant moments along the way.

• I've been a vegan for two years now. Two years without meat, without a single glass of milk, without ever being tempted or swayed. I believe in veganism, I believe its good for animals and for the environment. Cheers for more years to come.


• 2.1111 months ago I was 192 lbs. No lie. Those that follow this blog know what I mean and what I looked like. My closest friends don't have to search far to remember what I was like during my meat-eating-beer-drinking-college days.


• Boy what a change 2 years make.
  
• One of the best decisiosn of my life was to join the Honolulu Club in Honolulu, HI. I made friends, got back in the best shape of my life and decided to change for the better. Joining that gym was step 1.


• My first job after my masters degree was at First Hawaiian Bank in Hawaii. I was living and working in paradise.


• It was also in Hawaii I discovered my athleticism rather by accident. And thank the lord for that.
  
• It's been one year and small change that I've been a cyclist. I picked up the bike by accident...a Specialized S-works from the Bike Shop Hawaii. Since then, i've been shaving my legs ever since.


• Since relocating back to the Bay Area, I currently work as a statistician.


• My nephew, William, was born a little more than a year ago. Now the kid is eating garlic crutons.


• My brother recently got a job. Hooray for him!


• My nickname among the group of roadies I ride with is 'Hawaii'. That's because I wore bib shorts and a short sleeve jersey in January [in California].


• I still love anime...after all these years....


• Little by little, I am forgetting my Japanese that I spent so long learning and busting my ass in college. Oh well.
  

For my birthday, I've decided to buy myself a carbon fibre bike! :-) Can't wait. I'm taking names for what I should call her. So far, the candidates are:

Roxanna [AKA Roxie for short]
Fiona
Shaniqua :-)....still keepin' it hood!
Kimberly

I'm taking ideas everyone so feel free to pitch in!!!!

Bay Area Chill

Young Willis, getting ready to devour a bowl of FRUIT! Yes! That's what your vegan uncle wnats to hear and see!

He is an attention grabber isn't he!

Did you know, that in 10 days, I'll be 26 years old!!!! GOOD LAAAWD!!!

What a cutie and making a mess no less! A wonderful [some might say] Tellez famly trait! The force is strong in this one...

Somehow, I wish this blog post was about the chill lifestyle that I'm currently enjoying in the Bay Area. Somehow, I want to express the small amount of joy I derive from eating chocolate soy pudding and downing it all with a nice Vegan protein shake with BCAA's. Somehow, I believe it really isn't butter.

BUT ANYWAYS!

This is really about the frigid cold that has totally engulfed the Bay Area. What do I mean by frigid cold? Well, let's not get our panties in a wad...afterall, I did spend my college years freezing my okoke off at Brown and the LSE. At least one of them had better food. I'll let you judge which one that is though! ;-) Here's a hint..it's not coffee milk and noodle bar at the Ratty either.

It is so damn cold that in the AM, I cant use my wind shiled wiper as there is frost that has accumulated from the night before. It is so damn cold, I dont even want to ride my bike for fear of frost bite! AND THAT'S WITH BOOTIES and a JACKET. Yikes! Instead, I've decided to take up for the moment the sport of competitive eating and enjoying some wonderful family time and R&R. I've especially enjoyed my nephew, young William. His delight for sticking all things edible [and non-edible] in his mouth is truly hilarious and amazingly cute. The honesty he gives when he eats something sour or bitter is priceless! And, as with all Tellez men, he makes a mess of himself when he eats! That's the dead give away that he's a Tellez kinda man.

This thanksgiving marks year number two that I have gone without Turkey or any form of meat by the way.

Also this November marks one year and 2 months since I have been cycling. My oh my, what a life changer! Cheers [with Vegan wine] to more success and years to come!

Ugh...it's definitely the off-season now in the Bay

So much so, I might have to put on the gloves when I go cycling. Wait. That's even IF I get a chance to go cycling. Right about now, it gets dark around 5:30pm which is no bueno and even more so if you're used to cycling.

As far as training goes...well, helllllooooooo indoor trainer until March! Ouch! Thankfully, I can get in some decent 53 x 11 riding in if ya know what I mean. That, and I can continue my total binge of all juicy fruits in season right now which are: peaches, pears and kiwis. I swear I devoured 6 kiwi AFTER an enormous green smoothie one night. In the words of Dave Chappelle: "cant stop...wont stop..."

Like the new background? I was getting tired of the green one..I think I did it because us weegans are green like that and it seemed appropriate. I like this one with the big mountain because I like climbing those bad mama-jamas on my bike so I figured why not.

Now that the silliness that is known as MLB is done for we can concentrate on the more pressing matters at hand: Jerry Brown whopping Meg 'Lying' Whitman for Gov. of California, the Oakland Raiders's sudden 3-game win-streak, NBA hoops and the serious business of holiday cheer in the form VEGAN EGG NOG. Oh how I like Xmas. :-)

5+ Hours in the Saddle = Whole 'Lotta Chips 'n Salsa!

If you live in the Bay Area and you tried to cycle outside on Sunday you'd find it awfully rainy and miserable. So you're thinking 'well Alex, that sounds right up your alley right?!' Wrong. It was so bad my any-excuse-to-get-out-and-ride played it safe. Now that's pretty eipc no? Thankfully, there was Saturday and what better way to get back into the swing of things then killing myself with 5+ hours in the saddle. Ugh...the final 20 mins I was dying to push 250 watts...yes, it was THAT bad! hahah! But maaaan, that post-ride recovery drink never tasted so good...not to mention the vegan pizza I had that night at Fellinis. Go Me.

Going the last big climb, AKA PineHurst Road [steep steep sections] I was even passed by some triathletes! gasp! They had that 'yea-I-havent-been-in-the-saddle-for-+5-hours' look as they were still smiling and what not. Heh...we'll show em! Embarassing nonetheless, but it's the silly season and training within a prescribed power is okay right? Right? Or maybe I should strap the shoes back on and show em how it's done. :-)

In other wonderful news, the Oakland Raiders beat the KC Cheifs in OT yesterday. Our first 3 game win streak! Amazing right!? Did you know, the last time the Raiders won 3 in a row was in 2002~! I was 18 and a freshmen at Brown! Dios mio! And on that note, my green smoothie calls out to me. tonite's recipe for disaster: Spinach, bananas, blueberries, pears and some raw-nola. Maybe some chips 'n salsa too...ya never know with us silly weegans!

So much for the offseason!

Well, I had had it.
7 days of lolly-gagging, binge eating, dilly-dallying and tomfoolery all added up to one thing: giddiness

Giddiness to get on the bike and burn a truck-load of calories..
Giddiness to get back into my usual skinny self [essentially, shed the +12 lbs] I put on!
Giddiness to feel the burning sensation I get in my legs when lactic acid is free flowing..
...and just the overall sensation of being back on a bike after my 7 day break.

Of course, I'm starting off slow and easy...small ringing...for now! I want to get in some good rides over the next few weeks before the weather becomes REAL SHIT [right now it's just 'shit' in the Bay Area].

One other point worth mentioning: The RAIDERS have won 2 games straight! Over the last two games, they have outscored their opponents by over 30 points! Yikes!

In other...very less important news...I hear the SF Giants won the world series. Hooray. Looking at the 49ers this year, that's probably a good thing.

Gnite Canada!

Getting back to my [green] roots.

Took some time this past week to generally get fat and eat all the vegan deliciousness I could get my hands on. This would include [but is not limited to!]: Eddie's vegan cookies, LaraBars of every flavour, not so many bananas, Daiya vegan cheese on just about everything....and yeah...vegan pizza and vegan burgers. Put it to ya like this...if there was a vegan equivalent of 'letting oneself go', I LIVED IT. And it was equally as wonderful as it was gluttonous. :-)
Heck, it was so epic EVEN MY OMNIVORE FRIENDS were like "holy crap Alex!". Okay, they didn't say that. If anything they're 'excited' to see me eat large amounts of food - albeit, garden food in their opinion.

Nonetheless, I had to get all of that vegan binge eating outta me because this week is:
a) My last week of off-season slacking.
b) I start slowly transitioning to bike training starting next Monday. And oh won't that be a joyous occassion. I've been DYING to get on la biccicletta...

And so, this week's grocery list looked very different form most. If you knew me, you would anticipate that tough training is about to begin. Let's see what's cooking:
1) Bananas [lots of em. Surprised?]
2) peaches - or 'stone fruit'. they're in season and they're delicious.
3) Steel cut oats Oatmeal. Whatdya think the bananas are for?!
4) Box of 20 mangoes. Now those are in season too and every filipino out there is pumped up!
5) Apples - lots of these too.
6) 6-pack of Bass beer. Outstanding stuff!
7) Thai red rice. Much better than brown rice in my opinion.
8) Soy yogurt
9) vegan filipino adobo with eggplant, bell pepper and seitan. Yum.

And so that's the low-fat diet I'm on to prep for some hard hard training. Let's prey for a smooth landing. Good night Canada.

OVERWEIGHT [!!!] + OFFSEASON = [MORE] OVERWEIGHT!

What's that?! an SMS message? Or as the young people say: a "TEXT"?

Young William, sporting a handsome hat from Patagonia. Kid has good taste!

My mom relishing the role of playing grandma or as we say in tagalog: "lola".

It must be the offseason...there I am, all 151 lbs [!!!] of vegan lard. Get up fatty!

As a vegan, there's a certain kick I derive about telling people about my lifestyle and my love for animals and harsh dismay about eating them. There's this stern look of 'WTF!? you don't eat meat, where do you get your protein?! followed by a glance that if loosely translated in Slovakian probably comes out to: "oh, well that would explain why you're so thin and in shape." There are two problems with this:

1) I don't actually KNOW Slovakian...

2) and most importantly, I am NOT my racing weight [140-145ish..]. In fact, I'm no where close! I'm 151 lbs! Holy crap! Okay. Stop. Hold on. Don't get your panties in a bunch.

As it's my official offseason, I am taking 2 weeks off the bike and off of running. Yes, never thought I'd say it myself but I decided to have some rest. And honestly, I'm getting a bit antsy. It's been exactly 6 days and I am itching to get back on the bike and pound myself and my body into submission. When exercise becomes you, not exercising is like saying my name is NOT Alex Tellez.

BUT, I'm okay with that. Why? Because I am now coaching 6th grade girls basketball for my buddhist church. yes friends, this is the SAME buddhist church that I played basketball for and the SAME buddhist church my brother played basketball for. Simply put: this church has been a part of my life since an early age and that of my brother's. As such, I thought it fitting to give back to them and come full circle. And lemme tell ya..I'm LOVING the position of coach. These girls are fun, they laugh a lot [and horse around a lot!] but genuinely love the game. And that's refreshing in this day and age. And so while I have to tell them to silence the cell phones, clip their fingernails, put away the earings, and for gods sake shut that Justin Beiber kid up...the payoff comes in the joy of teaching youngsters about the game I so love. Stay tuned...our regular season begins in December!

Triathlon Hell Part 3

My mom titled this photo correctly: "Thank God it's all over with."

Bananas? Check. Gatorade? Check. Water? Check.

ThAAAR she is! the finish line and the most beautiful sight my sore eyes were seeing some 2 hours later.

Thank god...finally heading home. I am sooooooooooo napping in the car!

Oh. Dear. Lord. Almost. Done. I can see it now...vegan cupcakes as far as the eye can see!

The final episode in the chilling and epic trilogy known as Triathlon Hell.

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---* Some 2 hours later running, swimming and biking

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I cross the finish line tired, hungry and my left foot bleeding [running sockless = bad idea]. My first few thoughts after crossing the finish lines:

1) That wasn't so bad...

2) I could have gone much much faster at certain parts...

3) Where's the water?

4) Where's my family?

5) Where are the bananas?

6) Can we go for vegan burritos soon?

Thankfully, water, gatorade and bananas were bountiful at the finish line and I was more than happy to partake in the gluttony. Ms. Denise and the familia were present and I was happy to see a friendly face. I sat down shortly after I crossed the line and couldn't get up for the life of me...my ass hurt and my shoulders were begging for rest. After taking some celebratory pics, we hopped in the car and went to Cafe Saturn where I ate and drank: 2 cane-sugar sweetened large sodas, 6 tacquitos [vegan], 1 vegan breakfast burrito, part of Denise's salad, part of my mom's salad and then part of my Dad's salad as I didn't want to forget anybody~! :-)

During the drive back, I passed out in the car, mouth open and drooling...almost as if I was cycling! After more calories and 8 hours of sleep I woke up and realized I wasn't that sore and that I could do that again. But the burning question is: do I want to do it again?

And therein lies the rub. I had to ask myself: Do I really love the sport? Do I have the potential to be great in it? What's my time frame? What's realistic? How fast can my swim pick up? Will I sacrifice in other sports to get better at the former? And really...the more and I more I asked myself and of myself the more I realized that which I already knew:

1) I hate swimming. I don't like it and I have no desire to do it.

2) I LOVE to cycle. I LIKE to race my bike [don't do it enough to develop a love yet...]

3) I LIKE to run and I KNOW I am good at it.

Having said that, I think I'm going to give up my tri ambitions - very happy I did one to know this! - and will take up running and cycling. At least this was my train of thought until I came to know the job duties of a DBA...

More on that later :-)

Triathlon Hell Part Deux

Oh yeah..that's the stuff right there! Armani wants me to be an underwear model for them. Okay I kid, I kid. Just a regular old model :-) Okay, I kid again.

T2 running. Just look at those arms! didn't see that before did ya! Well now it's all gone so ha! Oh wait...that's a bad thing huh?

Ms. Denise and I at the beach...moments before hell broke loose, we had some calamity and peace of mind to take it all in. Deep breath....

Dunno how many quarts of Gatorade I dumped on msyelf but the Gatorade marketing team would be happy

Marking...triathletes live for it, white clothes die by it. Not nearly as cool as it's meant out ot be but man look at those legs!

H-O-L-Y S-H-I-T!!!!

it's been a while hasn't it honey? Oh wait...gotta stop addressing the readers as such...:-)

Yes, it's been a while..yes, I left you hanging and yes, I survived. Whew. A cheesy apology won't suffice, so instead, I'll start by saying I've been "busy" reading up on a potential new career path as a DBA [look this one up], riding my bike, NOT swimming [my arms have now retracted to their usual stick-figure shape], running sometimes and enjoying the fruits of chocolate soy pudding. Mm mmmm...just think of a regular ole snack pack sans the cruelty and exploitation!

I was gone for so long, the war on terrorism even came to an end...heh...bad joke. I kid. No but seriously...I was gone so long, JERRY BROWN's lead hit double digits and furthermore, Thor Hushovd won the world championships, The OAKLAND RAIDERS spanked the Broncos [59-14 for all you Donkey fans] AND the SF Giants are going to the world series? In other strange and bizarre news, I need to talk about my traithlon experience.

And so without delay, let's cut to the chase.

THE SWIM - I was positioned in the group of death, age-group 20-29..full of newbies [me], pro's and wise cracking leperchans. yep..that bad. We were set to start at 8:30 but the fog came down on a chilly Santa Cruz morning. Then, at 8:45, we got the go-ahead and get in the water. Gun goes off...let's get this party started. For the next 29 mins, I'm in a washing machine full of men, punching, kicking, gouging and flailing their arms everywhich way in a desperate attempt to swim 1.2 miles around a pier and back to the beach. Somewhere in the middle of all that, I made it to the top of the second group and thought a) I'm not going to drown and b) I'm in pretty good position. Bam, out of the water, half the wetsuit around my waist and I'm off to my first transition.

T1 - FAIL. I forget where I racked my bike. Classic traitha-newbie mistake...I blow 2 minutes just looking for the damn thing. Quickly put on the specialized ass-beaters, helmet, spectacles, testicles, wallet and watch.

Bike - This was interesting. I had a number in mind...I was going to wind it up to 280 watts for the first couple of miles, then ratchet that beezy to 300 and chill out for the rest of the way. Somehow though, I ended up sitting around 280 most of the time and was very very conscious of pacing. Truth is, cycling is only one sport before running. Let's not forget I need to drop the bike and then run my vegan ass for 6 miles at a fast pace. Realzing that I could make up LOADS of time on the run, I settled into a 280 pace and basically lollygagged it in, taking in the sights of Davenport, CA. Interestingly, I saw the same rear ends for most of my ride. They would race past me on the flats [easily pushing over 320 watts] and then slow to a crawl on a hill...this is where I'd catch em...and then rinse wash and repeat. Nice guys, I think?

T2 - In a painstakingly slow 1 hr and 11 mins, I drop the bike for T2. Stupid slow, I know...but I was saving that for the transition and run. I dropped the bike, unzipped the tri-top, threw on the Nike LunaRacer shoe and set out to take names....

The Run - Not ONCE was I passed on the run. Instead, I passed some 30+ people, mostly men in their 20s and 30s who had that 'Im-no-tri-newbie-douchebag' look to them. I kept chugging along and kept passing people, always bowing my head and giving respect to oncoming runners. Around mile 4, things started to hurt...I was tired but most of all, I was hungry. I wanted something besides GU and electrolyte drink. It was hot too..90 degrees in Santa Cruz and of course, I'm wearing all black. Nice Alex, nice. But I do the run in a respectable time @ a 6:14 pace and finish 79th overall, 7th in class for my first Triathlon.

All in all, a gut-bursting experience...very exhilirating at first, my thoughts are that triathletes really really know how to pace themselves well. Because really, it's 3 sports in one event and you need to know your threshold and limit. I had no expectations I knew I couldn't place so I wen't for experience and all I have to say to any triathelte is: "CHAPEAU!"

Stay tuned for the ensuing carnage that happened at Cafe Saturn [vegan cafe] and my thoughts on triathlons in general....thanks for keeping the faith...I'm back. It's the offseason so expect regular posts from me as we head into hibernation.

Much love and respect,

Alex