Calm before the Storm

Imagine 2000 triathletes packed on this beach race morning.

Three to go

-- Post From My iPhone
They are predicting cloudy with a chance of showers. Perfect race weather! Arrived in CDA this afternoon and am settling in with a cold brew.

Four to Go

Old age has not dulled my buddy Cook's sense of humor:

Good luck, remember a few things:

1) Be sure to pack two of everything, knowing that one of your bags will not make it.

2) Wear running shoes on the plane, just in case your connecting flight is in a different terminal and you have to piss.

3) Keep the room hot and stuffy so not to get sick.

4) Eat at places where the servers are missing teeth, it says a lot about the food.

5) Olive Garden pre-race meal is a must.

5) Swim fast, don't get a punctured ear drum. And, don't focus on the fact that Duncan is a better swimmer.

6) Ride smart, don't puke or stop in a porta-potty at mile 56. And, don't worry that Hazards tuned-up your bike.

7) Run/Shuffle, same as number 6 just substitute mile 1. And, be sure to raise your hands when crossing the line as this will block the picture of Madonna Butter finishing behind you.

Four to go- AM: Masters Swim, PM: short jog

Five to Go

5 days til Ironman: AM- 40 minute run, Yoga, PM 90 min bike

Six to go

Note to self: pack sunscreen

11 days to go: Masters swim, Nite Moves
10 days to go: 40 min run
9 days to go: Masters swim
8 days to go: 1:20 run, masters swim, 2 hr bike
7 days to go: 3:30 bike, 40 min run
6 days to go: Masters swim

12 days to go

Morgan awaits her bath at the Arroyo Burro Beach dog wash after rolling in a dead seal during our morning walk. Lilo gave Morgan a run for the money, but Morgan is slowly regaining her title of "the bad dog".
12 days to go- Stair workout- 1:10 and plenty of sweat, yoga

Bike Bling

I think this would be a perfect accessory for my fixey. You can check it out Here.

18 days til Ironman- AM- Track session, 2 mile warm up, 6x1mile at 140 HR, 1 min rest, 1 mile at fastest split, 1 min rest, 1 mile at fastest split, 2 mile warm down. PM- Masters Swim
17 days- AM- 1:20 run, with 3x12min at 150 HR, PM- Yoga, 1.5 hr bike
16 days- AM- Masters swim, 2 hr bike
15 days- 4 hr bike, 40 min run brick
14 days- 2:20 run, easy spin
13 days- Masters swim

The Taper

With 2 1/2 weeks until race day, people are asking, " Have you started your taper?" Well the answer is yes... and no. I certainly won't be doing any more super bricks like last weekend, but my training volume will remain fairly high up until race week. The biggest mistake I've made in the past is tapering myself right out of shape. Chuckie V has just posted a great article on his take on the taper. Check it out here.

19 Days til Ironman- PM- yoga, 40 minute run, still a little tired from the super brick.

Dirty Laundry

What does it take to do a Super Brick? A lot of gear for one. After the completion of each leg, I stripped off the sweaty stuff, suited up with dry gear, leaving at the end of the day quite a pile of smelly spandex.

24 days til Ironman- AM- 2hr run, PM- yoga, 1.5 hr bike
23 days- AM- masters swim, PM- 2hr bike up Mt. Fig
22 days- Super Brick- 2.5 bike/10k run, 2hr bike/10k run, 1.5hr bike/ 5k run
21 days- REST
20 days- masters swim

Super Brick

The SUPER BRICK. Probably my favorite workout leading up to an ironman race. The day was planned as such- 2.5 hr bike/10k run, 2hr bike/ 10k run, 1.5 hr bike/ 5k run. Aerojonny and BKO joined me for this crazy day. Jon and Brian rode well, and I hung on. The run was slightly faster than race pace. Ten hours later we celebrated with a cold beer and pizza. That was definitely a long day training...

Time Flies

Cook admires himself during his 40th birthday party

Time flies. I remember when Cook was a young smart ass fresh out of USCB, life guarding at East Beach. Cook once confided in me, " Being so good looking has been a curse."

25 Days til Ironman- AM Masters swim, 1 hour run, PM- Nitemoves swim /run

I see the Light

I'm a bit of a skeptic. Especially when it comes to fringe medicine kind of stuff, but that doesn't mean I don't like to try crazy things. Have an open mind, I say. Acupuncture, aura adjustment, strange vitamin concoctions, you name it. Once a massage therapist cupped her hands and sang into my back. That was pretty weird. Usually I am disappointed. Waving that crystal above my foot didn't cure my plantar faciitis. What a rip. Aerojonny is recommending laser light treatment for my ailing hip. I'm game for just about anything, as long as it doesn't involve singing.

27 days til Ironman- up in the Valley- 6+hour bike, 2 mile run
26 days- 3 hour run
25 days- masters swim
24 days- 30 minute run, yoga, 1.5 bike

Burnt Out

Morgan and Lilo survey the damage to their favorite stomping grounds.
-- Post From My iPhone

Approach with caution

I'm going to have to get me one of these helmets. Probably not too aero, but it sure would keep people from crowding me.

31 days til Ironman- AM- easy swim, PM- the dreaded Yoga, 30 run
30 days- Masters swim, 2 hour bike
29 days- 2 hour run, Yoga
28 days- Masters Swim

Blazing in the Valley

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.

32 days to Ironman- easy swim and jog

Fred, P.I.

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.

Magnum says, "Bring back the 'Stache!"

More Fire

This was one of the more awesome pictures I have found of the fire. And no, that is not my house.

Breathing easier

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.

Evacuated

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.

Jesusita Day 3

I managed to get in a quick workout yesterday afternoon doing a series of bike repeats up Old San Marcos Road. The fire has been relentless. A couple hours later Hwy 154 and Old San Marcos was closed, thousands evacuated.