Chuckie and Steve-o at the top of Tepusquet Rd.. It was a blazing 95 degrees at Blazing Saddles drive. We rode for 5.5 hours but I was suffering early due a hip that has been bothering me of late. Hopefully I'll be able to get it under control by the time Ironman rolls around. For now it will be a lot of ice, yoga, massage, and plently of vitamin advil.
I managed to snap a pic of my buddy Fred at Wildflower a couple of weeks ago. Fred has been racing really fast of late. Some say it is his new aero helmet, I say it is his clean shaven face. But I miss Fred's 'stache. If there was one person who could keep the '80's alive, it was Fred.
This was one of the more awesome pictures I have found of the fire. And no, that is not my house.
This is one of my favorite WWF ads, somewhat appropriate as we Santa Barbarians clear the smoke from our lungs after a horrendous week. Ironically, investigators seem to think the origin of the fire was a result of using power tools to clear brush as a fire prevention measure. They have not identified the responsible party but I have the feeling if they do, their punishment will play out in one of two ways: 1. if they are volunteers from the Montecito Trails Association- a stern talking to by mayor Marty Blum, including some finger wagging , or 2. if they are some poor Hispanic immigrants working for minimum wage- jail time and a demand to reimburse the county for the 3 million fire fighting cost.
We received the final call to evacuate around 10pm last night. The streets were absolutely crazy, largely due to all the looky-loos parked along the street, running around taking pictures. Frigg'n idiots.
Yesterday afternoon from my office
While Santa Barbara burns, Morgan and Lilo still expect their evening adventure.
Nascar fans like to shave too.
We saw Floyd Landis adopt a similar position a few years ago at the Tour de California. It looks a bit wanky and probably won't catch on until someone sets a course record at Hawaii or Lance embraces the change. Until then, it is yet another thing roadies will mock tri geeks for.
"They butchered my haircut" complains Lance Armstrong after an unannounced drug test at his home in France. Armstrong continues to have a contentious relationship with the French doping authorities. "This is just another example of the improper behavior by the French laboratory and the French anti-doping organizations,” Armstrong said. “I am sorry that they are disappointed that all the tests were negative, but I do not use any prohibited drugs or substances.” More on the drama HERE.
"Make sleep a part of your regular training regimen" That is one of several recommendations taken from research presented at the SLEEP 2008 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) in Baltimore, Md. It seems rather obvious, but who am I to argue with science.
Alaska's Mt. Redoubt
Nothing better than a little Santa Barbara springtime. It is definitely a dog's life.
Dehydration is the bane of the endurance athlete. Unfortunately this is my cross to bear. I sweat. Not a little perspiration on the brow. I'm talking crazy sweat. Drenching head to toe kind of sweat. Just ask my running partners what I look like after a workout. With sweating comes dehydration. With dehydration comes cramping. I specialize in the simultaneous hammy and quad cramps. It makes running the marathon in an ironman race quite interesting. I am the Tin Man after a rain storm. Besides logging the miles to prepare for an ironman race, I train myself to drink. Thirsty or not. Cold or hot. So raise your glass with me. Have a drink.
This is my fixey. I bought it a few years ago, a novelty to tootle around town. A fixey is a fixed gear bicycle. One gear. No free wheel. No coasting. To go, you spin. To stop, you stop spinning. A true fixey has no brakes, making it quite exciting if you find yourself careening towards on coming traffic. A fixey is not for the faint of heart. This is why I was quite surprised to find a fixey descending the Harris Grade at this weekend's Solvang Century. As I started my decent down this 6%, 2 mile stretch, I noticed a man furiously pumping his legs. As we approached 40 mph, his legs were a blur, an out of control egg beater. My God, I thought, he is on a fixey! I was mesmerized. Will he crash? Will his legs fall off leaving him a just a bloody torso? When we reached the flats, I pulled up beside him. "I salute you Mr. Fixey of the Solvang Century." That was the most impressive athletic feat I've seen in a while.
Chinese artist Li Wei does some pretty interesting work. He does not use any computer manipulation of his images. All his shots are accomplished with mirrors, hidden wires, and his athletic skill from being a former gymnast. You can check out his web site HERE.
My buddy Cookie just missed out on the glory taking 2nd place in the Amgen time trial last weekend. Cookie, playing Mr. Mom since the birth of his son, Braedon, shows that pushing a baby jogger can be pretty good cross training.
Tour de France veteran Michael Rasmussen doesn't look like he does much cross training.
Vince hopes for a big harvest from his plum tree. "It just needed a little trimming."
Vince developed a new variety of tomato called "pea tomatoes".
He keeps everything thriving by liberally spreading around his special "compost" which consists of random pieces of vegetable matter, egg shells, and just about anything else he scraps off his dinner plate.
Vince controls weeds by using this old shower door. He moves it around his backyard smothering out those nasty invaders.
These trash cans collect rain water for plant irrigation. During the summer, they serve as mosquito farms. If there is an outbreak of West Nile virus in Santa Maria, you'll know why.
Another record setter. 56 year old Jennifer Figge becomes the first women to swim the Atlantic. Figge left the Cape Verde Islands off Africa’s western coast battling 30 foot waves, swam 2,100 miles, reaching a beach in Trinidad in 19 days. 19 DAYS?! I'm sorry Ms Figge but that is impossible. You're telling me you swam 110 miles a day? Did you use some crazy current like the turtles used in Finding Nemo?
Day 44 of Ironman: Easy Swim
In honor of the newly passed stimulus package I had to break out this classic Calvin and Hobbs.
