Dr. Livingstone, I presume?

I never knew much about that famous phrase. Now I do. Back in the 18 and early 1900's explorers and adventurers were the international superstars of the day. Stanley and Livingstone were about as big as you get. They were two gnarly dudes.

Race within the Race

It pays to be fast. Especially if you are Duncan Thomas. Duncan just told me he received a sponsorship offer from Blue Seventy so he'll be sporting the new swim skin and swimming really fast at the Honu Half in a couple of weeks. You see, Duncan and I have an on going battle of swim splits. What usually happens is I swim like mad and try and hold off Duncan on the bike as long as possible until he sign posts me on his way to some record setting race. At Wildflower, I was victorious at the 1.2mile swim/ 2 mile bike race. I won a bowl of Duncan's wife's, Terry, famous shortbread cookies for that effort. So Duncan receives sponsorships, and I get cookies, and to tell you the truth I think I get the better end of that deal.

Don't be this Guy

This is T Motion's new T- Zero jacket with a handy zipper to make body marking a little easier. OK, I'm sorry, but if you wear this you have reached a new level of geekdom. It will totally go with your Ironman ankle tattoo.

Macca Attacked!

What is awesome about this video is not Macca's surge to victory at this year's 08 Wildflower Triathlon, it's the woman mountain bike sprint finisher trying to run him down while he is celebrating down the finishing line. I think she would have got him if not for a race official pulling her aside. She was really going for it. Also, another moment of awesomeness is you can see my silver truck parked on the side of the road at minute 3:15.

Mr. Wizard

This just goes to show you how screwed up the State of Florida is: A teacher preformed a magic trick for his class then was later fired for practicing wizardry. After reading this I had to go for a long run. People are idiots.

Vittoria Pit Stop

I got this tip from cagey veteran Duncan Thomas. Vittoria Pit Stop seals punctures and inflates all in one step, eliminating the need to carry a spare tube or sewup during a race. This is great for me since I have found it near impossible to remove a flatted sewup from my race wheel during the heat of competition. Both a time and weight saver. Can't beat that!

Big Cookie Award

I decided to create a new award for Wildflower for those foolish enough to big ring it all the way thru the bike. And the winner is ... Me!

Big Ring Madness

My finely tuned machine was as tuned as I expected when I found I couldn't shift from my little ring to the big ring without getting off the bike and using the old finger shifter. After climbing beach hill at yesterday's Wildflower long course I decided to see if I could big ring it thru the entire bike. There were times I thought I was really doing some damage to myself, but I managed to finish and hobble thru the run. Next time given a choice I think I stick with the little ring.

Ready for Battle

I think I set a record for most accessories attached to a race bike.

Off to Wildflower I Go!

Off to the Wildflower Triathlon tomorrow . Wildflower was my first triathlon in the early 90's. That is when the long course had a whopping 300 entries! Over the years it has grown to be one of the largest triathlons ever. It has lost much of the appeal for me and I have not competed for several years. Duncan Thomas talked me into it this year. I've raced Wildflower when I've been in tremendous shape and have really suffered. Today, not so fit, so I can only surmise it is going to be utterly ghastly. Pray for me.

Eat Well

"You eat like you are on chemotherapy!" That's what Ellen always tells me, probably due to my penchant for pounding down a liquid meal or eating some sort of bar in lieu of eating real food. So in an attempt to improve my diet, I am now under the care of Besty Markle of Sunshine Wellness. I'll let you know how it's going.

George Costanza Cyclist

Not everybody knows George Costanza is an avid cyclist. Fortunately he was packing his wallet on his last ride. I saw this new story in today's LA Times:



Wallet Protects Cyclist in Drive by Shooting

A bullet fired at a man riding in South L.A. is deflected, but a second cyclist is fatally shot.

By Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
12:28 PM PDT, April 29, 2008

A wallet in a man's back pocket shielded him from injury early this morning in a drive-by shooting in South Los Angeles that left a 37-year-old man dead, authorities said today.

The uninjured man, whose name and age have not been released, was riding a bicycle alongside Travon Lee Gentry, in the 200 block of East 52nd Street about 1:40 a.m. when a blue Chevy Malibu pulled up alongside them and two men inside began shooting, said Los Angeles police spokesman Richard French.

Gentry was shot in the back and neck and died at the scene, Los Angeles County Coroner's Capt. Ed Winter said.

The other man was shot in the buttocks, but his wallet stopped the bullet, French said. Authorities did not immediately have further details about the type of wallet or how it deflected the shot.

No arrests had been made this morning in connection with the shooting, and police had not released descriptions of the gunmen.

Oklahoma!

Fred M. recently flew to Oklahoma, picked up a new BMW, then drove pretty much non stop back to SB. That reminded me of a website, If Celebs Moved to Oklahoma.
I thought it was pretty funny.

Long Hot One

We've been having a bit of a heat wave in SB over the past few days so for today's bike ride I chose between the cool breeze of coastal ride or head up into the hills of un-godly temperatures. I ridiculously chose the later and suffered plenty. Here's a pic from the ride in honor of next weeks Wildflower triathlon.

The Chuck

I really enjoy reading Chuckie V's blog. His training is very scientific. A lot of adaptation, sub threshold, threshold, lactate tests... All sort of stuff I don't do. My training has been a bit willy-nilly. I blame that mostly on work and life in general, and perhaps a tad of just being lazy. So now I live vicariously thru Chuckie, thinking yes, I could do that too. But then again, being willy-nilly has advantages too.

The Summit

The Summit is on top of the Ojai Valley or coming from the other direction, Santa Paula. From Santa Barbara it is a great ride up the Casitas Pass, thru Ojai, up the Dennison Grade to the Summit. You can then drop down a nine mile descent to Santa Paula and then on to Ventura and back home for about a 100 mile loop. I turned around at the Summit, discouraged I wasn't able to get my double cheeseburger and fries.

Daily Observation

Have you ever noticed that guys who ride recumbent bicycles all have beards and are probably engineers?
Mike T. once told me during a Lance Armstrong press conference a gentleman asked Lance why he didn't ride a recumbent bicycle in the TDF. Lance politely answered the question. Mike didn't say whether the questioner was bearded or not.

Ironman SUP

Here's Paula Newby Frasier leading out the swimmers at last weeks Ironman Arizona. Everybody's getting into SUP. I heard its Scott Tinley's new sport. I guess its the new thing for beat up old triathletes

Reality Check

As I struggled thru last nights track workout I came to the terrifying reality that Wildflower is a mere two weeks away. This morning at Masters swim workout, Duncan Thomas was bemoaning how out of shape he is for Wildflower. Of course, Duncan, who is a freak, will breeze thru the race, easily winning his age group, while I'll be curled up under some bush half way thru the run.
Last night's track strugglefest: 10 x 800 @ 3:15

Busted!?

Buster Martin pauses for a smoke half way through the London Marathon. Buster finished the marathon in a little over 10 hours however there is a bit of controversy. Apparently race officials say Buster is actually 94, not 101 as he claims. Never the less, that is still pretty incredible. Just like Vic.

Mr. Incredible

While I was cruising around this weekend doing a little biking and running, my buddy, Vic Britalan, easily won his age group at IM Arizona. So now Vic qualifies for Hawaii for an amazing 11 times in a row. Incredible!

Good Luck at Boston

This is dedicated to my friend, John Nelson, who will be running Boston this week.

Another Brick in the Wall

I've been taking a liking to heading out to the Valley for my major workouts . Today, my first brick, cycled 70, ran 9 miles. It was also the first warm day of any note so heading out for my run in 80 degree weather was a bit refreshing. Tomorrow is the London Marathon. I'll be pulling for my friend Buster Martin to finish.

Way cool

Check this out from the Honolulu Advertiser. I'm heading over to the Big Island in June for the Honu Half Ironman but I think this looks way more fun.

Squeaky Wheels

One thing I've noticed as I have gotten older is my legs have become two squeaky old rusty pegs. Maybe I need to drink more water or do yoga. But I find yoga is so damn boring.

Shadow Divers

Another book that shows you are not as tough as you think you are and getting the bends sucks big time.

Picture Perfect

Ellen asked me the other day what the heck I think about when I'm riding my bike all day. I told her I take pictures. I guess this shows the level of intensity of my rides lately. Here's one from Drum Canyon.

Big Valley

It was off to the the S.Y. Valley today. I wanted to see if I was fit enough to ride 100 which was probably a bit delusional. I finished, which is all I have to say about that.

Top of the World

Or at least Santa Barbara. It was foggy all day in SB, but bright and sunny on top of La Cumbre Peak. Great ride today.

We are people too

Funny Nike SB commercial - Watch more free videos

Question of the day

How many people would have an Ironman tattoo if you also had to tattoo your finishing time? Brian Cook and I often ponder this question and have decided this is the ultimate in geekyness. Enjoy your Ironman, but please, no tattoos.
Last night at the track: 4x1 mile @ 6:36

Be Like Mike

No not that Mike, I'm talking about Mike Smith. Smitty raced as a pro triathlete in the early 90's and all these years later shows he still has it by winning overall at this past weekend's UCSB Triathlon. I asked him after the race how he keeps motivated. "I love triathlons. I'll do this forever. It's in my blood."

AeroJonny!

Jon Martin is coming back in style! A VIP transition rack at this mornings UCSB Triathlon.
The water was a brisk 52 degrees and my toes were still numb after the run. That along with the frantic pace of the first triathlon of the season made it a memorable day. A heart attack in spandex, I call it.

Batter Up

I have seen many SC football games at the LA Coliseum, but baseball was a first. My buddy Mike T. and I headed down to LA to watch the Dodgers and the Red Sox play an exhibition game last nite. The Dodgers basically sucked and lost 7-4. 115,000 people packed the stadium. I think that was some sort of record.

Daily Inspiration

They say if life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Some people are obviously better at that than others.

Arigato

Great sushi at Arigato. My favorite Santa Barbara sushi haunt. Spent a great evening celebrating my friend Mary Lu's birthday.

That was Unpleasant

I decided to run my track workout early this morning with Rusty's group. As I feared, Rusty had a torturous 3 mile time trial planned. Fortunately Kim and Maggie pulled me thru the workout. During the run when they asked me to take a turn at the front, all I could do is spit up a few times. 20 minutes of hell. I curse you Rusty Snow.

The Lake

Anyone who has cycled at all in Santa Barbara knows this ride simply as "The Lake". The lake is Lake Casitas and the ride is a combination of hills, flats, and coastal headwinds. Its about a 65 mile loop and is a staple among my two wheeled friends. Its Easter morning and all I can say is wow!

Explosion

Here's me at mile 9 of a 10 mile tempo. Ran with Jenny and my good friend Gary, who is visiting from up north. My last mile was a stellar 9:50. Sometimes I wonder why I do the things I do.

Santa Barbara Awesome

The other evening when jogging back from track workout I am reminded what a fantastic place Santa Barbara is to work, train, and play. It doesn't get better than this and I feel fortunate and privileged to live here. Runners, cyclists, and swimmers are welcome, knuckleheads please stay away.

Bike Friendly

Here are a couple of my favorite bike paths.
Tonight on the track: 6x 1200, 2 minutes rest on 5 minutes. Ran with Claire who is getting pretty fast!

Sac Town

Been out of town visiting my friend Nelson in Sacramento for a few days. Got some nice runs along the American river. Its a nice run as long as you don't mind the homeless encampments.

Swimming Secret

Many people have asked me how to become a good swimmer. Here's my secret. Don't tell...

No Manzier for Me!

Smog Alert

World marathon record holder, Haile Gebrselassie, is pulling out of the marathon at this summer's Beijing Olympics. Gebrselassie is fearful Beijing's notorious smog will affect his asthma. Upon hearing of this news, 101 year old Buster Martin commented, "Use your inhaler and quit being a friggin wimp!"
Tonights track workout at beautiful UCSB: 1.5 miles, 6x400, 1.5 miles.

Beach Weather

We've finally hit a stretch of awesome weather in SB. Time to hit the beach!

101

Meet Buster Martin. He just ran a half marathon in a little over 5 hours and is training to run the London Marathon next month. Nothing too spectacular except this guy is 101 years old! Check out his story here. Wow.
Today's run: 4 miles warm up, 8 miles tempo along the Goleta Bike path, 2 miles cool down. Ran with Maggie, Kim, Jenny and Phil. I would tell you about how my foot cramped up but that seems a bit silly after reading about Buster.

Calm before the storm

Finally had a chance to take out my SUP today. Great relaxation before tomorrow's run torture session with Mike and Rusty.

Rest is Good

After a few days rest I had a nice 10 mile run this evening. Felt pretty good, imagine that.

Beluga

I was raised by a pod of beluga whales. Only my closest friends know that. I've been resting for the past few days. Just plumb tired out.

Missed it by that much

My friend Brian Cook came so close to winning this bike race.

Mt. Fig

Here's a picture from yesterday's ride up Mt. Fig. Today I ran up another mountain, well, not exactly a mountain, a hill, Pebble Hill to be exact. My workout with Mike Swan:
5 mile warmup, 2x4 mile tempo, 3 mile cool down. Ran with Lauren, Claire, and Jenny and was totally schooled the last 2 miles.

Home Sweet Home

I'm glad I live in Santa Barbara! Today I went to the valley and rode Mt. Fig. Beautiful day!

Surfs Up

The surf was huge over the weekend. I am hoping it will calm down a bit this weekend so I can take out my SUP.
Today I actually felt like I did some damage:
Morning Masters- butterfly day!, lunch time at the gym for some core and leg work, evening 10 mile run. Hopefully I'll be able to move tomorrow!

Back on Track

I learned at an early age I sucked at the hurdles.
Last night at the track- 10x800m with 1 min rest. I ran with John Nelson, who is training for Boston. We ran at 3:20ish pace and it seemed a lot harder than it should have been.

Teddy was a stud

I really did not know much about Teddy Roosevelt but after reading this book I will never complain about being tired or hungry. It is a great read about an amazing adventure.