Discover the Best Gravel Routes Around the Bay Area: Uncover Scenic Paths and Adventure

Bicycles may change, but cycling is timeless.

Cycling is an excellent way to exercise that offers numerous health benefits. It provides a low-impact cardiovascular workout that helps improve heart health, strengthens muscles, and enhances overall fitness. It is a great way to stay active and improve physical well-being. However, the real gem is the smile it will put on your face.

What’s even better? 
To ride your bike off-road. 

Over the last few years, gravel bikes have become increasingly popular. This trend lets riders experience the best of both worlds – on-road and off-road cycling. It enables riders to explore a wider variety of terrains and locations.

Here are some of my favorites routes around the Bay Area: 

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How To Run Your Next Trail Mararthon

Trail running marathons are a true test of endurance and determination and require careful preparation and planning to ensure a successful race day. 

I’ve been running marathons and ultra-marathons for the past 25 years. Along the way, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from some of the best trail runners in the world and gather insights. 

In this blog post, I’ll share some things that work for me – It will (hopefully) help you prepare for your next trial run.

How To Pack To An Ironman Like A Pro

Preparing for an Ironman triathlon requires significant time, effort, and dedication. As the race approaches, packing is one of the most crucial aspects of preparation.
The other two are: eating and resting, but these are for another post. Properly packing for an Ironman can make all the difference on race day, and a little practice can go a long way.
This Post will discuss how to pack for an Ironman like a pro and share my real-life examples and tips to avoid common mistakes.

First, let’s talk about the essentials. There are several important items that you’ll need to have with you on race day, including:

16 Hour Fasting – Tips And Hacks

Fasting is a popular dieting technique involving abstaining from food for a specific time. 16-hour fasting is a form of intermittent fasting, where you fast for 16 hours and eat during the remaining 8 hours.
This type of fasting has become increasingly popular in recent years, as it can help with weight loss and improve overall health. 

I’ve been doing it for the past ~20 years as it felt natural to skip breakfast and stick with coffee. 
Btw, the information in this blog post is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice.
If you have any questions or concerns about your health, please consult with a doctor.
OK?

Here are some tips to help you get started:

Trail Running 101

Trail running has become popular in recent years, offering a unique way to experience nature while providing a challenging workout. Did you know that trail running has a rich history dating back to the early 20th century? 

A bit of history

Trail running, also known as mountain running, is a sport that involves running on trails or in the mountains, often over rough terrain and steep inclines. The sport evolved from cross-country running, which originated in England in the early 1900s as a way for athletes to train for long-distance running events.

In the US, trail running became popular in the 1970s as a way for runners to escape the city and explore the great outdoors. The sport grew in popularity in the 1990s with the establishment of trail running races and the formation of trail running clubs. Interesting fact: The number of organized trail races grew by 1,000% from 2008 to 2018 globally. It is a popular activity worldwide, with thousands of races and events occurring every year. The sport has evolved to include ultra-distance races, multi-day stage races, and even adventure runs that involve navigating challenging terrain and obstacles.

28km or 18mile at Rancho

Weekend Ride

Gravel is the new thing.

But ignore all the ‘buzz’ – as Lauf coined: ‘just ride’.

The bay area from Block Mountain

The sun from Block Mountain

The fog above Saratoga from Block Mountain

3 machines

just ride…

The ocean from Block Mountain

Going down to Mountabelo

Up west apline

92 and 280 lake

Bella Vista Trails

“Pick three hobbies: One that makes you money, one that makes you fit, and one that keeps you creative”. With cycling, you can have the last two.

Have fun and be strong!

Favorites Books And (Virtual) Ironman 2020

It’s been a challenging year.
A year that caused lots of misery and the long term implications are still going to be discovered in the future. Nevertheless, I’m trying to focus on the hope we see just around the corner.

As for books and running/biking and swimming, it was all ‘virtual’ events. The Ironman race I was registered to do at Santa Rosa was first ‘pushed’ to ‘later this year’ and a after few months it was canceled.
As we learned during this year, it’s best to have patience (and endurance). Looking backward, there were quite a lot of new events that we managed to do. Both Strava and Zwift saw their platform taking an uplift. The new (or old) way to do a group ride: Zwift and Discord is quite cool. It won’t replace the real thing, but with the ‘new norm’, it’s quite a nice option.

Virtual Races

This year moved ‘everything’ into ‘virtual’. Sports events are just one example.
Since all the official races were canceled I did some virtual ones.

Marathon Check List And Tips

Every year (since 2007) I’m trying to do few marathons.

Why?

Well, it’s a long answer for another post. But the short one (and I guess the main reason) is that it’ a lot of fun and a great sense of accomplishment. I’m sure others, have many different reasons.

In this post will focus on the check list. It’s part of an app for the google assistant that I’ve created last week.
You can use this app to make sure you didn’t missed anything, just ask “OK google, talk to Marathon List And Tips”.

Here is the check list(s) I’m using in order to make sure everything will work as plan. It’s important to remember that in such a long race, things will go wrong. So don’t be surprise, stay calm, slow down and think how to solve the issue. In most cases, there is an easy solution and you already being in similar situation in your long training runs.

Nevertheless, we all like to be as ready as possible and a check list is a great tool for that.

Below are 3 lists I used. In your hand bag are all the ‘must have’ things. The other lists, also contain important stuff, but you can send it in your suitcase.