Powering Wings Racing

10/31/2022

I know that underwent a very humbling experience recently and sometimes it is hard to vocalize when you do something great for the community around you and are recognized for it. Vice is not a veteran but recognizes the importance of our veteran community and continuous support of our veterans. His fundraiser this year totaled and earned the memorial $5000. Thanks so much to all of his supporters, which comprised of friends and clients and a well connected partner in crime. ;)

Vice was honored with a Challenge Coin from the Kern County Veteran’s board. Challenge coins have become a way for people in positions of leadership to show appreciation or recognize outstanding performance by an individual with the award of a challenge coin. It is a big honor to receive one and you cannot pass it on to someone else. So if you know Vice this gesture was not taken lightly and he was humbled beyond words.

Every year, Vice picks a local charity to fundraise for in his birthday month. This year, we learned about the Kern County World War II Memorial that they are planning for Jastro Park. We talked with the Veteran’s board and that was the one that stuck as the fundraiser of choice. The event we put together was the Hybrid Health Hexathlon which showcased his ability to be both an endurance athlete and strong powerlifter. On Saturday, September 8th, Vice performed 6 different disciplines consecutively. The event included for him: Squat 452 lbs, Bench 353 lbs, Deadlift 551 lbs, 1.2 mi swim, 56 mi bike, and 13.1 mi run.

He made each lift with ease and definitely could have lifted more but with the second half of the hexathlon looming he then completed the half Ironman within Ironman time standards.

Super proud of this Powering Wings Racing Athlete and being apart of race directing and supporting this amazing fundraiser for Vice! Excited for next year’s shenanigans!

08/31/2022

Vice Lujan, local Bakersfield Chiropractor and Powering Wings Athlete, always has something up his sleeve for his birthday month of September, and it almost always involves some crazy endurance/fitness challenge. This year's challenge is like no other. He has always proven himself to be a Hybrid Athlete where he competes in both Powerlifting and Triathlon. His accomplishments in each individual sport has been achieving over a 1500 lb total in Squat, Bench, and Deadlift as a Master's athlete in Powerlifting Events, and he has also successfully completed the very challenging Ironman Tulsa Triathlon (2.4 mi swim, 112 mi bike, 26.2 mi run). So, his brain gave birth to the Hexathlon, after all, why not do both sports and six events on one day!
This year's challenge will be a 450+ Squat, 350+ Bench, 550+ Deadlift, 1.2 mi Swim, 56 mi Bike, and a 13.1 mi Run. The event will take place on September 10, 2022 at both NASPOWER in Bakersfield, Ca and Lake Woollomes in Delano, Ca.
As always, this is not just for his own desire to suffer, he does these crazy things because he wants to raise awareness and donations for local charities that are near and dear to his heart and help those close to home. This year our local veteran community is raising funds for a World War II Memorial in Kern County. The age of our WWII Veterans is between 90-100+ years. Completing this memorial in a timely manner is top priority, in order for them to enjoy this honor. www.kerncountywwiimemorial.com

Go to the Powering Wings Website to make your donation or book an appointment to donate to the charity and Dr. Vice will discount your session!

http://www.poweringwingsracing.com/race-directing

05/21/2022

Almost go time for these awesome triathletes! Super excited that they will be doing Ironman Tulsa tomorrow! So happy to have been a part of their journey. They have put in the work, now it’s time for them to reap the rewards! Have a great day out there on the course!

Help me in wishing them good luck tomorrow!

12/05/2021

Best of luck to Denise Miller at Indian Wells 70.3 tomorrow morning!!! You are an inspiring and dedicated athlete and if you didn’t create some sort of heat wave or bomb cyclone or Tsunami or earthquake or some other natural disaster for Ironman racing this time…you will do awesome!!

11/05/2021

Last night I was blessed to have most of my Powering Wings Racing Crew over to their favorite Sports chiropractor Dr. Vice’s and my house to celebrate the Ironman finishes of Denise Miller and Nicole Giumarra ! These girls are made of pure Iron!

They’ve had to deal with some crazy weather this past year with the heat of Coeur D’Alene. Then they had to deal with the bomb cyclone of Sacramento where the race was cancelled an hour before it started. They put in the work and stuck to 98% of their plan which is absolutely phenomenal as any coach knows! They were ready and even though their race was cancelled, that didn’t stop them! They made the decision to do the 2.4 mi swim, 112 mi bike and 26.2 mi run on their own in Bakersfield with family as support crew.

Doing this on their own is just not the same as having the drive for the excitement of that Ironman finish line and the roar of the crowd. There’s something to be said about crossing under that arch and hearing your name announced as an Ironman. So for Denise and Nicole to do it in Bakersfield felt more like a long, grueling training day.

But it wasn’t just another long, grueling training day. What these two ladies did is nothing short of phenomenal and mind blowing!

It is so mind blowing, that Nicole and Denise’s feat impressed Ironman announcer Mike Reilly! Listen to the video to hear what he had to say!

09/01/2021

Happy Birthday ! If you’re looking for a workout and a potential reward besides fitness. Here you go!

Here’s Vice’s birthday workout challenge! Finish his workout and win a chance to get a complimentary bodywork session with Dr. Vice!

Vice and I did his 44TH BIRTHDAY WORKOUT this morning along the Cumberland River in Tennessee. Awesome challenge that will take you at least 2 hrs. 2:10 is what we finished in but we just had a lot of fun, except I learned that burpees are not actually fun.

Challenge Rules:
1. Do all 44 exercises in one session.
2. Break up the exercises over the course of the day.
3. Break up the exercises over the course of a few days. Example, 11 exercises.
4. You have until Sunday to finish the workout.
5. Upon completion, tag in your post to enter a drawing to win a complimentary 30 minute bodywork session!

06/04/2021

“Did I win?” These are the words that came out of Vice Lujan’s mouth as he exited the water on race day morning. The Volunteer replied, “almost.” The volunteer was right, he still had a job to do before he could fully proclaim he won. Sometimes though it’s a series of small victories that get you to that finish line.

I’ve been working and training with Vice Lujan for over a year now. A year ago, the thought of swimming 2.4 miles, riding 112 mi, and running 26.2 miles all on the same day seemed like a huge undertaking especially when you do your first sprint tri and hang off a kayak, do your second triathlon and get pulled in on a kayak, but then by the third you figure out what needs to be done to conquer the fears, panic attacks, and anxieties of swimming open water and complete without any aid. Recognizing the challenge and not shying away from it, may have been the incentive he needed to say my fourth tri is going to be an ironman and sign up for Ironman Tulsa.

Vice’s only battle was not just with the swim, there were tons of factors that he had to prepare for without the ability to simulate. Things like swimming with 2000 of your closest friends, cycling 112 miles in the rain on crummy roads (a luxury that Bakersfield doesn’t have, and if you think our roads suck, think again, but definitely the ability to train in rain is not something we have) Then there was the time and distance factors with properly fueling and replacing the sheer quantities of calories that Vice was spending. This interconnected web called triathlon that puts all 3 disciplines together and requires one to adjust power output and speed to become a true force on race day in all 3 disciplines but also is sensitive to so many outlying factors. Obviously proper nutrition is a major factor but I’m talking of factors like mental toughness, focus, discipline, grit, and resilience.

Where I had seen breakdowns in Vice’s training days that were not pretty by any means but knew that his ability was there and you can only just show someone that by making them do it again and again. I have always said when describing my own racing style is that you don’t want to be anywhere near me approaching the finish line because my mind will beat you even if on paper my abilities can not. Vice’s mental capacity far exceeded my expectations. When it came to race day, it was on and he was focused and determined. I’m sure he waivered especially when the feeling in his taint was unbearable, or the stomach started to feel off and was tired from a long day, but none of that mattered because he was honed in on that finish line and completing his first Ironman.

Sure sure, Vice can bench 350 lbs, squat 415 lbs, and deadlift over 600 lbs, however all 3 sports this time around meant conquering the Ironman triathlon. Did he win? Yes, he did.



“We should never shy away from the challenges that face us out of fear of failure or an unwillingness to battle the odds. We should confront our problems head on and make no excuses.” - Kyle Maynard

05/06/2021

Sometimes all it takes is a high five from a dinosaur...but Denise Miller really did not need it.

Sometimes you get lucky to have those clients that do everything you ask of them and still want more to the point where you gotta say slow it down there newt! Denise Miller has potential coming out of the w***o and it is her dedication and discipline that fulfills it.

Last Weekend, Denise participated in Ironman St George 70.3. This is a lead up race for her first Ironman at Ironman Coeur D’Alene. Denise rocked it but at the same time still walked away with some lessons learned that we can apply to her fast approaching Ironman.

In St George, Denise blazed through the swim despite having to deal with people and choppy waters. She then held a 20.8 mph bike pace on a 56 mile hilly bike course! After her second transition, she tackled the unrelenting hills and heat of the St. George 70.3 run course. She finished with a solid time of 5:50:47. She did this race in 2019 as well and bettered her time by 20 minutes! This was a North American Championship Event with athletes chomping at the bit to finally have a chance to race, so the competition was no joke and she still ended up 34th in her very competitive age division.

Super proud of her accomplishments! Can’t wait to see where she takes it from here! Congrats for showing how hard work and discipline pays off!

Stayed Tuned for the next installment in about 7 weeks!😬

01/16/2021

Swim Session with Dane! Making my Powering Wings athletes fast!

10/19/2020

Seriously is there anything better than watching your athletes succeed and improve upon their skills? I’m so proud of these two athletes that laid it down on Sunday at Lake Evans. Their last race together was in July at Huntington Lake and although the terrain, elevation, distances, and course in general was not the same. You can still drastically see the improvements!!

Josh was ready to take on this flat and fast course! His swim time improved by 0:43 / 100 yd. His speed on bike by 7.5 mph. His run by 4:20 min/mi. Overall time improvement by 29 minutes in a longer race than the first one. The way he came across that finish line was way different and very determined! 🤩 The first in age group reflects these gains.

Vice, although plagued with a shoulder injury from his powerlifting comp, still improved that swim by moving a little more than twice as fast. 😳 I know he’s capable of way more on that swim when he’s in full health. But the open water mental issues are a thing of the past! His bike speed increased by 5.7 mph and his run speed by 2:43 min/mi. On a longer course, he was 25 minutes faster! He ended up third in his competitive age group!

Awesome job!!! Can’t wait until the next one! Thanks so much to Sierra Cascades for going above and beyond to try to get this 3 race series rolling this year during very difficult times with Covid and Wildfires at the race venue. All the last minute changes I’m sure are very stressful but not reflected upon the athletes!!!

05/06/2020

Great article on working on your pedal stroke! Now is a good time to practice “smoothing” out your stroke. As my friend Jill Gass liked to tell me, pretend like your scraping dog poo off your shoe.

Build your lower body strength to reduce muscle imbalances and shift into turbo mode midride.

04/01/2020

Happy April 1st! Myself and 8 of my closer texting friends are doing this whole challenge for April. I found it on the internet, so completely stolen from someone else. So feel free to steal it from here. However, thought it would be great to get people moving while stuck at home! Modify as you please. You can even get the doggos involved! Comment if you are joining in on the challenge!