Done before the gun

I was really disappointed. It was bound to happen one day. Warming up on my bike before last Sunday's Breath of Life Triathlon, I heard the dreadful hiss from my rear wheel. Not to worry, I'll use my trusty PitStop.
Well the PitStop shot out of the hole like a piece of silly string and the leak continued unabated. Without a spare sewup my race was done before the gun. A little bummed, I was back home by 7:30 am. Ellen barely knew I was gone.

Enough Already

Some how I envision a boardroom full of men, rubbing their hands together, smiling contently. I'm glad I have a bicycle to ride around once in a while.

Do it

First of all, I do not do it. I think it is due to the lack of testosterone. Most guys do it secretly. I know women like to do it in the shower and are much more open about it. If you are doing it you might as well do it correctly. Read about it here.

Smooth Road Ahead

There is nothing better than riding on a nice, smooth, fresh stretch of asphalt. On Hwy 192 in Carp there is a newly paved straight away where you can really air it out. How much do you want bet the road will be torn up in a couple of weeks to lay a utility line.

Another Ironman

My buddy Vic Birtalan does Ironman races with the frequency I do 5k's. Last weekend Vic finished Coeur d'Alene in 13:07 winning his age group by almost 3 hours! I think this will be Vic's 10th (correction: make that 11, thanks Fred, the supreme knowledge base of all of Vic's accomplishments) consecutive Kona appearance.

That Hurts

Check this out from the Tour de Switzerland. Unbelievably he had only a few scrapes and cuts and a bruised ego.

Cyclist Rolls Off Side Of Bridge - Watch more free videos

This is Ridiculous

You know the economy is going bad when you see things like this. And of course, it comes from Florida.

Jalabert Update

Laurent Jalabert finished Ironman France in 9:14 including an amazing 4:45 bike split. That was good enough for 12th place overall.

Camel Toes on the Beach

I saw the strangest thing while paddling at Leadbetter today. Seriously, you would never see surf like that at Leads. This photo is from my friend Tryge's blog during her latest adventure to Oman. Tryge travels the world searching for essential oils for her store in New York city. She has done some absolutely wild things like racing an old Volvo in a car rally down the coast of Africa. Tryge is my modern day Stanley and Livingstone.

Roadie gone bad

Tour de France veteran Laurent Jalabert is continuing his journey into the dark side by competing in this weekends Ironman France. Since retiring from professional cycling a few years ago, Jalabert has raced Ironman Switzerland in 9:15 and the same year completed Ironman Hawaii in 9:19. He is hoping to qualify for Hawaii again this year. Not too bad for a roadie!

Little Person

Here is a pic of me and my buds at Honu. Lest you wonder, I'm the midget on the right, or little person as I prefer to be called.

A cup of Joe is a go

It is well known that caffeine may help the endurance athlete, but now there is a study that coffee may help promote a longer, healthier life. Drink up, but remember: friends don't let friends drink Starbucks.

Weekend Pick me up

How does this sound.
1. 14 mile Saturday morning run with my running buds.
2. SUP with Ellen
3. Dinner at Supraricas
4. Sunday morning ride
5. UCSB graduation of my assistant
6. Tri tip BBQ
7. Laker Victory!

Life is Good!

Fatigue

After the Honu Triathlon I was totally fired up to pick up my training but I can't believe how much I have been dragging over the past few weeks. I guess being sick, racing hard, and ahem, being OLD maybe a factor in my less than speedy recovery. This morning I did manage to pull off one of my favorite master's workouts: 30x50 fly

V

Chuckie V mentioned this subject on his blog yesterday. Here is an article from Fox Sports.

I see you

As triathlons have become more and more competitive I have noticed an disturbing trend . Drafting has always been a problem, but now I see an increasing number of people using a little rear view mirror to watch out for draft marshals. I first noticed it at Ironman Florida a few years ago. I saw quite a few mirrors at Wildflower this year. At Honu, an age group winner and Hawaii qualifier used one. So is it still cheating if you don't get caught? Apparently some people think so. Bad karma I say. I use a mirror. Only to make sure I look good for my finish line photo. Good karma I say.

Perfect post race food

The spam musubi is a perfect combination of carbs, protein, and fat, plus plenty of sodium to replace those electrolytes. I contacted Power Bar to see if they they would add this to their product line. I haven't heard back from them yet but don't be surprised if you see them on your grocery shelves soon!

Race within the Race, Part II

In the all important battle of the speed suits with Duncan, I once again tasted the fruits of victory. Or should I say Mai Tai of victory. We celebrated with post race Mai Tai's and I have to admit, victory tasted sweet!

Scary

This unbelievable photo was taken from a bike race in Mexico via AP News. Scary

A path well chosen

For a thousand years, native Hawaiians traveled along the lava fields creating a well worn path. Petroglyphs tell the story of their journeys. It is a great piece of human history. Today, much of this path is covered by golf courses and rubble from construction. Unbelievable.

The Honu

All I can say is, Thank God for pharmaceuticals! I have discovered a wonderful mix of advil, day quil, mucenix, and zicam that works miracles to get you thru, or at least most of the way thru a half ironman. The Honu is a great race. It has the craziness of a mass start, big howling winds on the bike, and oppressive heat on the run. I faded a bit on the run, was passed by many people, finished in 5:26, 8th age group, and you know, I couldn't be happier! Back to Santa Barbara tomorrow.