noel alanguilan

2.5 kilometers. this morning. i know its not far by my normal standards but its far enough for me today. its the first time i’ve been out on a bike on the open streets since april last year and my cycling skills are a bit rusty. this ride was meant to familiarize myself with the road and the traffic and to tell me what my body can do and where my skills were at.

i didn’t fall. that’s one good thing. i can really still balance the bike. that’s another good thing although i found out that i am more stable at speeds faster than 10 kilometers per hour–a strange but welcome thing. i weave at lower speeds which i do not like and i would have to work on that skill. i can clip in and out easily enough. my hands got tired halfway through the ride which means i have to do more hand exercises.

today, i accomplished what i set out to do for myself. i think this is good. its a great short ride. thanks to gerry, lito, felix and al for the encouragements–it helped a lot at the start. i’ll probably do a longer ride next sunday but for now its time to rest.

its been almost 10 months since i got out of the hospital. i’ve followed the doctors instructions, sometimes to a fault. i do not smoke anymore. i’ve gone through physical and occupational therapies. i’ve religously continued my exercises on my own and i have felt the improvements flow and then creep in. i have tried riding the bike a couple of times within the shaded confines of the empty first floor of the house just to get the feel of the bike and how it feels to be on it again. the first floor has become my safety net where i can make mistakes and crash without hurting or embarrassing myself too much. i think and i feel that i can ride out there again beyond the walls of my safe zone. i think i’m ready.

a couple of days ago i took my bike out from storage to clean it. i made a few adjustments and lowered the seat a bit to make dismounting a little easier. early this morning i pumped up the tires. and then i got too lazy to get dressed. and i wasn’t able to ride. i hit my head onto a virtual blue plank of wood. stupid. idiot. stupid. what am i scared of? am i scared of crashing and making a fool of myself in front of strangers who doesn’t even know me from juan? am i afraid of the eventual scrapes and bruises i’ll get if i fall? or am i just paranoid that some universally stupid driver sent from hell will run me over? or that i will have an attack in the middle of a ride?

i know i’m not fully recovered and i may not get to be 100% the way i was before the strokes but that’s always something to strive for, as my girlfriend always says.

and now my bike — kikay — is just standing there at one corner of the dining room looking all shiny, sad and abandoned. sigh. this can’t happen. 20 years from now i know i’ll be banging my head on a real wooden plank, regretting not taking that risk and do that first real ride. i’m not really afraid of the scrapes and bruises (although the scrapes really sting) and i know i’m sensible enough to stay clear of any devil drivers. i don’t really care if i embarrass myself in front of total strangers in the unfortunate event that i fall from the bike. and i know my angel will be there to guide me.

so this weekend i will take a ride — barring unforseen acts of god.

i have been preoccupied with my recovery lately. that’s the main reason why i haven’t been posting or writing anyone for the past few days. i have been walking, exercising my arms and legs, stretching and doing more walking — just about everything to get some improvement however small it may be. i got myself (and robin) a rubick’s cube so i can exercise my fingers and wrist; i have a rubber stress ball so i can make my grip stronger and, these days, you can see standing on one foot at a time like a pelican to help improve my balance. that last one is actually a very good yoga tip from bernard (my thanks). i think and feel that all these things are doing some good. of course, i have been working also — bills to pay and debts to settle.

during the past week i saw my physical therapy doctor and my neurologist — both saw good improvements i think but i still have to see them after two and one month, respectively and my cardio in three months just to make sure. yup, i’m getting there.

and yes, i can solve the cube.

for reasons that are almost entirely my fault, i could not join the 10th tour of fireflies. i was under the weather — of sorts. fortunately, other pinoy roadies were there and they took a handful of pictures!

i wish i could’ve attended the event but maybe next year. i even went to san pablo the week before that event to fetch my bike.

ah well, c’est la vie.

that my heart is actually in good condition. it was the cholesterol and slightly elevated blood pressure (140/90).

that getting confined for a week in a hospital is a great way to start the “i quit smoking” plan. going on 10 days already. i’m getting there.

that there is such a thing as a stroke in evolution.

that life goes on. people will give pause but life goes on regardless.

that i don’t have to give up chocolates as long as i stick to the dark kind (thanks to christine for this tidbit).

that i can still bike but that’ll come later. there is hope (al. felix. bohol. 2009.)

that as the days pass it gets easier for my body to follow my brain.

that maybe i should take up yoga (berta’s suggestion).

that medicard philippines was not able to help me in my hospital bills even though it was an emergency in a “medicard-accredited” hospital. zilch. nada. nothing. your mileage with medicard philippines may vary but philhealth was a lot more helpful to me. don’t get me wrong. medicard was useful for that yearly physical but not for my emergency case.

from the pinoy roadies forum:

the Tour of the Fireflies (ToF) is an annual 50-km bicycle ride through seven cities to promote the use of the bicycle as an alternative means of transportation that is cheap, efficient, environmentally sensible and good for one’s health.

This year, synchronized bicycle rides in Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Baguio, and Tarlac are being organized by supporters to drum up more support for sustainable transportation and livable communities.

When: April 20, 2008, SUNDAY; Early registration starts at 5.30 am

Start: 7.00 am
End: 12.00 nn – Short awarding ceremonies follow

Where: in manila, the tour Starts and end at Tiendesitas, Pasig
The colorful mardi gras on wheels for clean air will go through through the cities of: Pasig, Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasay, Manila, Quezon City, Marikina.

Registration:
php 50 peso donation serves as registration fee
php 200 reg fee w/ Tour Shirt
php 350 reg fee w/ Jersey
php 500 reg fee w/ Tour Shirt & Jersey

Kindly bring your registration stub on April 20 to make you eligible for Tour Day Fun Raffle and Surprises!

PRE-Registration: April 1-12, Saturday, 5 pm (Pre-registration in Bike Shops listed below)
On-site PRE-Registration: April 19, Saturday, 10 am – 4 pm at TIENDESITAS
On-site Registration: April 20, Saturday, 5:30 am – 7 am at TIENDESITAS

Note: Children below 13 should be accompanied by an adult.

10th Tour of the Fireflies Registration Form is available online at the firefly brigade site.

Pre-registration Centers:

1. All Terra – Club 650, E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, Libis, QC – Tel. 638-2075
2. Bike Town Cyclery – 2240 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati – Tel. 387-2173
3. Bombproof Gear – 3rd Level, West Lane, Robinson’s Galleria, Pasig – Tel. 634-1760
4. Cycle Shack – SM Megamall, Lower Ground Floor, Mandaluyong – Tel. 687-4504
5. Cycle Shack – SM SouthMall, Lower Ground Floor, Las Piñas – Tel. 802-1769
6. Dirt Dawg Bike Shop – 13 Visayas Avenue, VASRA, QC – Tel. 928-0962
7. Extreme Bike Shop – 88 Panay Avenue, South Triangle, QC – Tel. 373-7100
8. Gran Trails – 401-B West Gate, Filinvest, Alabang, Muntinlupa – Tel. 772-1225
9. Joven – Amang Rodriguez Avenue, Santolan, Pasig – Tel. 645-6029
10. King’s Bike Shop – 622 Quezon Boulevard, Quiapo, Manila – Tel. 734-0052/734-0069
11. Newton Multi-Sales – 689 Del Monte Avenue, QC – Tel.731-4495
12. Power Bikes – 38 Rockwell Drive, Makati City – Tel. 898-0377/898-1536
13. Ross Cycle Center – 2195 Leveriza Street, Cartimar, Pasay – Tel. 832-7478
14. Speedy Bagal Bikes – 21 Kamias Road, QC – Tel. 0920-9115872
15. BrightMinds Tutorial Center – 169 Kamias Road, QC – Tel.922-5616

Organizers: Firefly Brigade and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in cooperation with Tiendesitas, MMDA, Philippine National Police and the Local Government Units of participating cities

Co-presented by: Firefly Lighting

Major Sponsor: Spyder Optics

Media Partners: Philippine Daily Inquirer, Men’s Health Magazine, THE RADIO PARTNERS, Ad Farm Audio Productions, Campaigns Social Response, 99.5 HIT FM, MAXFM 103.5, WAVE 89.1, JAM 88.3,
MAGIC 89.9

Also supported by: 7-eleven, Ericsson, Deuter, Aktivade, Julie’s Bakeshop Nueve de Pebrero, Unilever, Targa Communications and Aeromed

i was in san pablo the weekend of the 22nd to the 25th of february. i brought kikay along so that i can get some riding done and maybe practice on my climbing skills.

i set out on an unusually warm saturday morning as it has been very cool everyday for the past week or so. the roads around san pablo are generally hilly and going to the place i want to practice is no exception. it was slightly uphill most of the way. and then something strange happened. i decided to stop to take a picture of one of the short but very steep hill around the area. don’t let the picture fool you. when you’re there and facing the thing you’ll realize its much steeper than is shown. once i stopped i had to pause a bit to catch my breath. and as i was taking a drink my vision started to darken around the edges. uh oh. not good. fortunately, i was able to relax and things started to feel better.

a friend of mine said its a sign of aging. that is likely because i did this climb with ease several times before. i didn’t do the climb anymore for fear of pushing things too far and decided to head back.

lessons learned. i really should do some serious warm up before heading out for climbs. i should practice more often so that the fitness and edurance from the previous rides doesn’t fade out.

getting old sucks but i don’t mind it now. all i can do is ride and enjoy it.

“why do you do this to yourself?”

she spoke in a voice of genuine concern and looked at me a bit worriedly. but she didn’t say anything else. i haven’t seen her for years.

i was in a middle of what was to be a long bike ride. i ran out of water along the way and i swung by her place to ask for some. i looked all sweaty and grimy and i was panting my lungs out. i looked pitiful.

my answer was a weak shrug of the shoulders in between gulps of water and gasps for air. after filling up my bottle and a short rest i offered my apologies, gave my thanks and went on my way.

that question was asked when kikay was still new which was about a decade or so ago. i never had the opportunity to answer it for me.

i do this to myself because i like to ride my bike. i like the way the wind rushes up to meet me and makes me work harder. sometimes i run with the wind and i go faster and i like that too. we play. i like the way riding makes me see the same old things in a new way and i like to see new places that the bike brings me to. i like the freedom riding offers me however short-lived it may be.

i like the way riding makes me comfortable with myself.

12km to moa (mall of asia) from the house. at the moment, the cyclocomputer is a distraction.

i have to maintain 25kph.
what?!? i’ve only ridden this long?!? this far?!?
wow. look at the time. i’m late.

its a small distraction but i’ll keep it on because i want to know how far i’ve gone after every ride. i know i will eventually get into that habit of ignoring it.

i have ridden for years without having the need for one until now. still, i just want to ride.

i rode to moa (mall of asia) this morning for a little meet up at seattle’s best. there were a lot of cyclists along roxas boulevard as well as walkers and joggers as is usual for a sunday in manila. the drivers were happily accomodating. its only on sundays afterall.

unfortunately, also saw an accident at tm kalaw and roxas. a motorcyclist was on the ground. he was still moving. i didn’t see blood. people were milling around and trying to help. i saw the police assigned to the us embassy coming. i hope he’ll be okay.

seattle’s best opens at 8am and i arrived early so while waiting for people to come i got to see a lot of really nice bikes. i even saw that guy with the argon18 again. i even saw a group of four cyclists all of them sporting shaved heads on low riders. one of the most interesting things i saw was this recumbent. everybody thought it was pretty darn cool.

unfortunately only armanjr was able to come. but that’s ok. i got to ride, met a new face and made a new friend which is always a good thing.