Vegetarian Porn!

SEE Coach Liz!  I AM eating clean this week!  Notice the distinct LACK of frosting on those portabella mushrooms!  Yeah... I'm SERIOUS!

Breathe...

Heading Into...

my taper for Lake Stephens 70.3!  YES!  I'm glad. You know why?  Because I'm freakin tired THAT'S why!

I asked Coach Liz what I should be eating this week to help my body get ready.  She summed it up with two words: "Eat clean.".  THIS is easier said than done for me!  I am VERY fond of having a couple of packages of graham crackers with a big glass of milk around 9 pm!  I also like me a McDonald's milkshake on occasion... like yesterday for instance... sometimes you just gotta have it!  Don't get me wrong... I love healthy food!  But the thought of not having a Twinkie... or a Ho Ho... or a doughnut?  Well... that repulses me!

This has really got me thinking about next year... yes... already.  The big question is: Do I have to eliminate those sorts of food indulgences in order to put together the kind of race that I think I should have?  I mean... can I nail my splits AND eat an occasional pint of Ben n Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie in one sitting?  Geesh.  

Anyway... the "eat clean" train has come into the station... and I'm going to do my best to get on it.  Like the above picture... there's dinner!

Hope you all had a great weekend!  If you happen to be on vacation this week... perhaps at a lake somewhere? Take the time to sit on the dock... lie back... bask in the sun... read a good, funny book... I'd recommend, Me Talk Pretty One Day, and relax.  Absorb the magic of being disconnected from all the hub-bub!  Maybe hop in the water and do a few 100 meters. Whatever you do... I hope you enjoy yourself...

Breathe...

I'm Baaaaaack....

Geesh.  It's been a while huh?  Lots to catch up on... sorry for the delay!

First of all.  The poll on the RIGHT, (thanks KT), clearly shows that there is a greater appreciation of my clay face than I thought!  Which is good news... because seriously?  I don't think I could NOT do a goofy face if I tried!  It's like oxygen for me.  Besides, how could I NOT share that HUGE vein in the center of my forehead?!

Secondly.  If you've never volunteered at an Ironman event... you need to.  Particularly if you've not done the full distance and are considering signing up.  Here's why: Intellectually, we all know that the race is freakin hard.  As my friend Bryan says, "Of course it's F'ing hard.  Its Ironman."  But to be there and experience the entire thing... sitting on the sidelines... watching every person have their own individual struggles and successes really gives you some perspective.  I was all OVER that course at IM CdA watching all the crazy bloggers and cheering my ass off for everyone!  SO fun!  I also put in a long shift at one of the run aid stations.  Since it's a two loop run, I got to see people at miles 10 and 20 of the... and yes... I was the guy wearing the grass skirt and coconut bra... literally. I'm kind of a softy anyway, but to watch some of these amazing athletes... tall, short, skinny, fat, ugly, pretty, angry, sad, irritated... come through, each in their own head, having their own battles with body and mind... pretty much had me choked up the entire time!  It's an experience that I'm extremely grateful for and will not soon forget.

Hangin out with the Bigun, his fantastic wife, Blink, and his incredible family was an honor and a priviledge.  You all would have been proud of the two Ironmen the morning of the race.  Calm, cool, collected, joking around and laughing at 3:30 in the morning!  They both put together solid races and it was really great to add another two arrows to my quiver of friends.

Third?  I signed up for CdA '09.  It became real for me as I walked up to the tent and signed my name on the dotted line. There's no turning back.  I'm committed.... and I can't WAIT to

experience what that day may bring.

Lastly.  Training continues and I'm finishing up the last biggish week before the taper for Lake Stephens 70.3.  The normal doubts are creeping into my head about the race.  Am I ready? Have I worked hard enough? Did I do the right things?  Yes. Yes. And again, Yes.  I feel like I'm ready to put together an extremely solid race... thanks to Coach Liz... I'm prepared.  So... that's that.

Hope you're all happy and healthy!  Thanks for taking the time to read!

Breathe...

p.s.  You know what I REALLY want to do today?  I'd love to go to a wedding reception... in small-town America... drinking and dancing... and dressed in my finest seersucker suit.  Yup. Doesn't that sound FUN!?  Hm.

I Have Arrived!

7 hours and one ticket later and I'm in CdA!

I had to take a picture of the backdrop of my drive... it was desolate like that for most of the trip! Totally cool! Seriously, 360 degrees... that was the view! Neato huh?

Hangin with all of the other nutty blog types today. Volunteer meeting at noon. 3:15 bike with a 20 min run off the bike out on the course! VERY excited to be here and take in the whole event!

Bigun and Blink are READY! There is a really calm energy in the house... they're gettin ready in their own way. I'll try to be what help I can... but I'll mostly stay out of the way.

Hope you're all well!

Breathe...

Tom Has...

... arrived!

That's right folks... my little fella has graduated from Preschool! Now, I've always thought that having a graduation ceremony for anyone leaving preschool and entering Kindergarten was a bit ridiculous... then I started having kids.  Tom was SO proud standing up there getting his "diploma"!  It's not very macho to cry... but damnit... he's my little guy... and he's growing up... and if I can't shed a tear of joy and let him see that... then ultimately, what am I teaching him?  Anywho, I'm so proud of that little guy... and as this chapter ends... another begins... and I'm THRILLED to be a part of it! 

OH!  Take a look at the side-bar on the left!  I added a poll! Recently, I've gotten some negative feedback regarding my goofy faces... SO... let me know what YOU think.  Your vote counts... and you CAN make a difference!

In other news... I leave for Coeur D'Alene tomorrow!  I'm SO excited I can hardly stand it!  I'll probably be posting from up there... but don't expect any novels.  For those of you that DO have my number... if you want live race updates on the likes of Taconite Boy, Bigun, and Blink... give me a ring!  I'll be on the course all day on Sunday!

Hope you're all happy and healthy.  Thanks for reading!

Breathe...

p.s.  Hidden talents.  When someone reveals one to you... treasure it.  They just gave you something... that brought you closer to them.  Don't waste it.  Thank you PDW.

Would YOU Allow...

... YOUR daughter to play softball on THIS team? Believe it or not... we totally kick ass!

OH! On a triathlon-ish note... I had a retest on my bike power yesterday and guess WHAT? I'm learning how to ride a bike! In the last 10 weeks I've increased my power output over a 20 min power test by over 20%! That's a GOOD thing! There's hope for me yet!

Hope you're all happy and healthy...

Breathe...

The Dude in the Middle...

... graduated from 5th grade yesterday!

Holy CRAP!  Not to make it about me or anything... but that makes me feel very, VERY old!  My baby is growing up... and I couldn't be more proud of the young man he's becoming!  He is wise well beyond his years and is perhaps the most empathetic and insightful 11 1/2 year old you'll ever have the privilege of meeting.  Please give Jack a big "CONGRATULATIONS"!  We're really excited for him to launch into another chapter of his life!

Breathe...

Here It Comes...

... my first "Peak Week" of the 2008 season! YES! This is specifically to prepare for Lake Stephens 70.3 in 3 weeks. So basically, this week will be uh... heavy on the training side... and I can't WAIT! Robby likey da pain.

ALSO, on Friday I'll be heading up to Idaho to volunteer at IM CdA over the weekend! No... I'm NOT doing it to "give back"... I'm doing it to scope out the course AND ensure a slot for myself in '09. I'll have a big fat ride on the course on Saturday followed immediately by a longish run. Ought to be really FUN! The next day my volunteer duties begin... whatever THAT means! I'm hoping to be the "Strip the Wetsuit Off the Studly Female Triathlete" guy. Or perhaps the "Cover the Ripped Female Triathletes in Sunscreen" guy. Actually, I specifically requested to be at the run aid station between miles 18 and 22. This is where I've heard things get hard. This is where I want to be. I want to see it, experience it, and if I can, help in a very simple way... with a big freakin smile and a couple of friendly words. I CAN'T WAIT!

The extra added super-duper bonus is that I get to meet and hang out with the likes of, Blink, Bigun, TriSherpa Di, Taconite Boy, and Trimama! It's going to be a GREAT time!

Big week! Thanks for reading...

Breathe...

Alcatraz...

... Part III... the finale!

OK. So I'm running down the lane just about to exit the transition. I usually start putting on my visor and tucking my gels in the waist of my shorts... then I put on my race belt. I think it saves some time coming out of T2... and it usually does... unless of course you've dropped your number belt somewhere and can't seem to find it! Yeah. Seriously. I'm not kidding. I didn't even drop an "F-bomb" this time... I just started laughing and running back along the same route that I took to get out... head down... running into people... yelling to volunteers to help me find my number! I got back to my bike... no luck... out again... no luck... back to my bike... no luck... back out to the end of my row... BINGO! ARG! Put that sucker on and I'm GONE! Just take a wild guess how long it took me to get out of transition? Go ahead... guess. 2:31! Yeah. Holy CRAP right? But what could I do? I rookied the HELL outta the transition but the only thing I could do was run... so that's what I did! Put it behind me, put my head down, and took off!

After the adrenalin wore off from the number belt fiasco... that's when I felt my legs. Uh. Geesh. The twigs are TIRED! I have to quote Liz here, because her words came right into my head as I ran back out onto Marina Drive, "I'm guessing that your legs will feel like ass after that bike course. Don't even think twice about it, just run." She was SO right. The DID feel like ass... but I didn't give a crap. The first mile or so is completely flat and on a crushed seashell trail... I'm turning my legs over fast, passing people by the dozens and looking out onto the bay on a gorgeous sunny day with the Golden Gate bridge in the back ground. Unbelievable! At this point... I was still able to grin a bit.

Looking up ahead... and here comes Potts... haulin ASS! "Get it Andy!" Yeah... I actually said that... like he's my buddy. He is, he just doesn't know it. A slight variation for Crowie. "Make him earn it Craig!" I rolled my eyes at that one... I'm such a dork!

Once you reach the Presidio proper, that's when you start heading uphill... or rather... "upstair". The volunteers were yelling, "STAY TO YOUR LEFT" on the stairs... but I happened to get behind some people who it seemed were out for a nice Sunday jog. I couldn't handle it! I got to the right on the stairs and sprinted up passing about 12 people. At the top it turns to a narrow dirt trail... hillside to your left... cliff to your right. I looked up and saw Leanda Cave barrelling down the hill, then I saw a AG woman start to try and pass on the right... she shouldn't have done that... her head was down and she was not paying attention at all... I look further up the trail and here comes Becky Lavelle... who politely goes around this dip-shit woman instead of launching her off the cliff. Lavelle was down 15 seconds from Cave at the finish... hm... makes ya wonder doesn't it? Then... of course... here comes Mirinda Carfrae... yeah... mmmmm... gaga... "Get 'em Mirinda!"... yeah... once again... DORK!

Liz had warned me that this run course was NOT a rhythm course. In other words, once you DO find a rhythm and your strides... the terrain changes and you have to adjust. This course has everything: a bit of flats, stairs, big fat hills, a tunnel, sand, AND the "dreaded" sand-ladder! The most frustrating part of the run for me was not being able to pass at will in the narrow parts of the trail. My pacing really suffered in the first half of the run b/c I just couldn't get past some people! AND, everyone was so tentative coming down the trails and stairs. GRRRR! Hated that! Freakin GO man! No matter... worry about what you can control right.

Fast forward to the decent to the beach. This was fun! Basically you got to head down a steepish-wide swath of packed dirt... and I was flyin! SO fun! It was just like high school cross-country... again... I was smiling from ear to ear! Once I hit the beach, the smile faded and I slowed down considerably. Running on sand sucks ass... there's no sugar-coating it. The only thing that was cool about the beach section was the view... gorJesus! Then of course comes the sand-ladder. I won't spend a lot of time on this... it was hard. It was steep. It was long. I walked it. Nuff said.

Got to the top of the ladder and it was back on the narrow dirt trails again! ARG! People were suffering from the sand-ladder so I was passing... on the left... where there was no guard rail... just a cliff. Pucker factor was high... but it was SO fun! After a bit of climbing, the rest was downhill/stair and then flat to the finish! It got pretty hairy on the down-stair parts. Managing a quick turn-over on steep stairs with tired legs was interesting... but I came through it just fine. Coming out at the bottom you're met with an amazing view of the bay! People were really slowing down here and I kept checking calves for people in my AG. I counted 12 passes in the last mile of the run... people were just done! I was getting tired... but I could hear the crowd... and the trail was lined and packed with screaming people! I even got to give the Kool-Aid guy a high five! The next thing I know... there's the finish shoot... and my time.

I swear, I did my best NOT to come across with a frown on my face! I didn't do a very good job of it. I had to have a moment of dejection before I was able to embrace the fact that I had just finished one of the coolest races EVER!

Here's the stats for the run:

• Time: 58:36
• Pace: 7:19/mi
• Overall Rank: 117
• M35-39: 25

Overall I'm happyish with this run. You know me... never really satisfied... especially with the run. But looking back, I'm not sure I could have gone any harder than I did... well... I take that back... there's always more to give isn't there? That's not really the point though. The point is that am lucky enough to have come to SF and race this race to the best of my ability on that particular day.

This is an experience that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life. Will I come back? Maybe. With a vengeance? Possibly. For now... I'm just happy to have been there and to have finished.

Here's the final stats:

• Time: 2:46:48
• Overall Rank: 281 of 1,620
• M35-39 Rank: 64 of 287

Thanks for taking the time to read and comment over the last few days! You know what's weird? I thought about all of you out there on the course! That's just plain WEIRD! Focus problems? I know... shocking. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Breathe...

Alcatraz...

... part 2!

What I first noticed as I started the 1k run to my bike, was the sheer number of spectators! I mean the entire length of that little run was PACKED on both sides with people cheering! SO cool! I was in total tunnel-vision mode though... I could hear everyone... but only just barely. It was an odd sensation... kinda like a dream. I got to my bike without any problems. Shoes off, helmet on, glasses on, GO! My shoes were already clipped in so I ran to the mount line, (hee hee... I said "mount"), and hopped on board.

Here's the stats for T1:

• Time: 6:04
• Overall Rank: 76
• M35-39 Rank: 12

Yeah! That's RIGHT! I had the 12th fastest transition in my AG! I knew I was flying and I was SO excited. Everything felt right. My breathing was calm, my mind was quiet, and I just felt like I was floating. SO much fun!

I started pedaling hard right from the get-go. As you remember, Liz had told me to leave my legs on the bike... and that's exactly what I planned on doing. The first mile or so is completely flat and I was goin at it hard! What I couldn't figure out was that it didn't feel like the asphalt was moving under me. You know what I mean? I was cranking away and it was as if the breaks were on. About a 1/4 mile in I looked down and to my rear... and yes... my rear tire was flat. "You gotta be kidding me." I pulled over to the side, launched off my bike, said one juicy expletive, looked up at the crowd and noticed the old ladies and children, then reigned my emotions in. "Focus. Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast." Never mind the fact that this was the 3rd time i'd EVER changed a flat tire! You know what's really really scary? I almost didn't pack a tube and Co2 on my bike the night before! Seriously. With only one extra tube, and knowing that the course is historically rough on the tires... I took a little extra time to make sure everything was seated properly. While I was changing the tire, in addition to hearing the crowd, "Oh maaaaaaan... that sucks" and "Poor guy." and "Dude... you need some help bro", I was also hearing the whir of wheels flying by me. I'd glance up and see a solid line of blurry bikes 3 deep. I was being passed literally by the 100's of triathletes! I must say that I'm shocked that I didn't completely loose it, curl up into the fetal position and take a nap right then and there! I hopped back on my bike and put some torque to the pedals... and immediately threw my chain! Yeah. Not kidding. Dismount. Set the chain. Back on. Crank... uh... why am I not really moving? Dismount. Laugh heartily. Adjust the rear break. Spin the wheel. Back on. GO! FREAKIN GOOOOOOOO! I can only make a rough estimate b/c I had not hit my Powertap before going flat. But, I'm sure that I conservatively lost at least 12 minutes due to that fiasco. It is what it is. Shit happens.

From that point on, I didn't let up. This bike course is notorious for its hills. To be honest, the day before, when I previewed the course in the car... I was completely freaked out! It looked SO brutal. Once I was on the bike though... nothing seemed that terrible. The worst part was having to pass all of the people that had been passing me by while I was dealing with my tire/chain/break issues! I actually got hoarse from having to yell, "ON YOUR LEFT!" so loudly and so often! It felt good to be passing people going both up AND down the hills. I hurt myself bad on this bike... I wasn't passed... not even once... and I'm very happy with how Erich's bike handled the hills, the technical turns, and the not even close to perfect road conditions. At one point I was bailing down a hill passing a guy on the left, and we were both laughing our asses off at how rough the road was!

As a side-note, while I was out there to compete and do the absolute best I could, I did take the time to look up occasionally and appreciate where I was. In addition to the course being brutally hilly, rough, and technical it was in equal parts scenic, beautiful, and FUN! Also, I didn't meet one single asshole/assholette out there! Really. Everyone I encountered on the course was completely pleasant and just plain happy to be there!

Being only an 18 mile course, it was over before I knew it. I came down the last hill and hit the flats on Marina Drive FLYING by people on their TT bikes. That was an odd feeling. I kept thinking... "Why aren't these people going hard?" No matter... the crowded entrance to T2 came up quick and I slipped my feet out of my shoes and cruised on in!

OK. So. Here's the unhappy stats:

• Bike Time: 1:07:16
• Overall rank: 807
• M3-39 Rank: 179

My PowerTap tells me something different... but that's without the 12 min delay. It is what it is. Subtract roughly 12 minutes and that puts me right back into the top 20 of my AG. Eh. Again, shit happens. I was really happy with this bike... yes... even with my issues. I had a GREAT time out there and I pushed hard, Hard, HARD on those hills. I have absolutely ZERO regrets... about anything. I mean it. Shut up Bigun. LOL! I didn't give what happened a second thought... which is odd for me... I'm a stewer... I like to stew. But for some reason, I didn't waste my time with that... I still had 8 miles of hilly running to do.

I racked my bike, helmet off, shoes on, grabbed my 2 gels, my visor, and my number belt and took off! Then it got REALLY fun...

But you'll have to wait until tomorrow...

Breathe...

Escape From Alcatraz...

... Part I.

I have to do this in at LEAST three parts... I'm so damned long-winded I don't want to put you all to sleep. SO... we'll cover a little bit at a time and be done with it by the end of the week.

To begin with, let me just say that this is an INCREDIBLY fun race! If you EVER get the chance PLEASE do this race. Enter the freaking lottery people! Seriously, I got lucky in that there's a qualifying event right in my back yard. But you wouldn't believe the number of people that have consistently gotten their slots year after year just by entering the lottery! Just do it!

OK... so here goes...

I got up at the very unpleasant hour of 3:30 am. Not entirely necessary considering how close I was staying to transition... but then again, I like to get a full meal in my belly, shower, shave, etc. before taking off... helps me relax. I had packed my transition bag the night before and had also gone over my bike so I was all ready to go! I did a final inspection of the bike, got my warm clothes on and started walking down to transition.

It was SO quiet out! I remember walking down in the dark thinking, "Boy, it's never this quiet in the city... this is COOL!" The morning air was crisp and cool... but not cold... and the sky was completely clear! This was a REALLY pleasant surprise. When you think of the Bay Area, the first thing that often comes to mind is fog... and there was none to be seen. As I rounded the corner at the end of the block, I could see the transition in the distance and FEEL the nervous energy. There were people milling about in various states of anxiety, music was blaring, volunteers yelling, etc... it was a completely chaotic scene. This was my first race of this size, 2,000 people, and I basically kept my head down, walk straight in, set up my stuff, and walked right back out... yes... I focused on my breathing. I will say that I took a moment to stop and gawk at the pros getting set up. I got to see Andy Potts, Craig Alexander, Becky Lavelle, and the ever so dreamy Mirinda Carfrae... she didn't even say "Hi"... totally crushed. I dropped my bag containing my shoes for the 1k run from the water to T1 at the truck and boarded the bus for the ferry.

It was a short ride to the pier and by the time we had arrived, we were greeted by a crystal clear, blue sky. I sauntered onto the pier... floating. Looking out onto the water... I wouldn't say that it was glassy... but it's relative right? I mean seriously, no one could have asked for better conditions! You know the oddest thing... and I just realized this as I'm typing... I had absolutely ZERO anxiety. None. Nunca. Nadie. How nice huh? I wasn't even overly excited. I was just there... and I felt really really good. And happy. And content. I got body marked... all OVER the freakin place... and just kinda drifted around and people-watched. By 6:45 am, they had everyone moving onto the San Francisco Belle. Another thing that I will say about this race... everything was really really smooth. To manage the sheer number of people in an orderly and efficient manner is amazing in and of itself... but to do it with a group of people generally considered, "Obsessive, Type A, Narcicists", is a complete miracle!

On the boat I found a comfy spot right next to the timing mat and the door. It was fun to watch everyone deal with the nerves in their own way. The talkers, the yawners, the jokers, the quiet ones. Again, I was in la la land, just happy. The ferry launched right at 7:00 am and we were off. Sitting right by the door I had an amazing view of the bay as well as Alcatraz itself. In short order we had taken one lap around the island and began to get into position for the start. I watched as the pro's came out onto the deck and get into position. I also watched as the armada of boats and kayaks began to organize themselves... it was really impressive... like they were all of one mind... really cool! I'm all suited up, jumping up and down, flailing my arms about trying to get loose and warm without knocking anyone on their fanny. The next thing I know, the national anthem is sung... of course I freakin tear up... and the pros are GONE! Two minutes later... BAM... the gun goes and I'm shuffling over the timing-mat and to the edge of the deck.

The plan had been to dive. No such luck. It was PACKED and everyone was jumping feet first! I launched into the air to what I thought was clear water, only to be greeted by a red cap popping up under me in mid flight. I raised my legs as best I could but I landed right on TOP of the poor sonofagun. Stopping to help would have caused more people more trauma, so despite my instinct to stop and help, I put my head down and took off. That bothered me for roughly the first half of the swim... but there was nothing to be done. I'm sure that person was fine... but I'll probably feel bad about that for a really quite a while. I was expecting to be shocked by the cold of the water... but I didn't even feel it! In addition to the adrenaline, we had been blessed with relatively warm water... I think it topped out at 57 degrees! It was pretty chaotic... LOTS of arms and legs all over the place... but you get that with mass-starts right? I just kept at it till I broke out and was all of a sudden alone. I sighted every 5 strokes for a bit to make sure I was on track... then settled in. I had to keep reminding myself to pull... I mean REALLY pull! Open-water swimming and I are trying to figure each other out... and one of the things I do is that I drastically reduce the power of my pull... I don't know why... I just do. So... every stroke... in my head I was saying, "PULL muther F-er!". Not nice talk but it worked! The current was REALLY pulling us and the chop wasn't bad until I reached the middle of the bay. At that point... I started breathing only on my right side... b/c every time I took a breath... there was the Golden Gate Bridge! That was SO cool! That AND the helicopter was just off to my right as well... I could actually feel the prop-blast at one point. Neato! Sighting wasn't an issue at all due to the clear weather and I took a gamble when I hit the middle of the bay... I aimed right for the water exit. We were supposed to aim way LEFT of it due to the strength of the current... but I figured if I went hard enough... it would pay off... and guess what? It worked. I really don't know what else to say about this swim. It went really well yada yada yada... but really? I wish I could have had all of you out there to experience it with me. I'm fairly sure that this will be the most memorable swim of my life. It was just plain FUN... and I think that is a BIG reason why it was fast-ish.

Here's the stats:

• Swim Time: 32:08
• Pace (min/mi): 21:32
• Overall Rank: 212/1617
• M35-39 Rank: 41/287

Good swim huh? Keep in mind that the current was running at about 3 mph... so that wasn't ALL me! I will say that I'm REALLY happy with my position coming out of the water in relation to the rest of my AG! I felt like I had just set myself up for a really REALLY solid shot at hitting top 10 in my AG.

I got out of the water... dizzy as HELL! Stumbled to my bag, ripped off my wetsuit, shoved it into the bag, threw on my shoes and was gone... headed for my bike. This was a 1k run and Liz had warned me NOT to redline this run... just get my turn-over high and get ready to ride... so that's what I did.

Tomorrow we'll cover the ride. Just a teaser... Liz specifically said, "I want you to leave your legs on this course. Save nothing for the run." Yeah. Game on...

Breathe...

Nothing Left To Do...

... but "GO!"

Rode a portion of the bike course early this morning... yeah... it's hilly. Followed that with a quick, snappy run and that was that. Ready.

Spent the rest of the day hangin around staying off my feet and hydrating. Packet pick-up started at 11 am and was followed by the athlete meeting at 1:00. After that, put my race numbers in their proper places, gave the bike a once over, got my transition bag together, and that's that. There's literally nothing else I can do to get myself ready. Maybe I could have done more in the previous weeks... but I didn't... and what I have, has to be enough. About this time doubt starts to enter my head. I guess that's a natural process that we all go through... the question is... what do you do with it. Me? Nothing. I let those thoughts sit... exactly where they are... and ignore them. I think about the stuff I can control... and that's it... which aint a whole lot really. We like to think we can control things... but we can't... so... you let go.

I've let go...

Breathe...

ROAD TRIP!!!!

<---- and this is my "Road Trip Face"... of course, it looks like every OTHER face I make... but whatever. I took off yesterday around noon to drive down to SF for Alcatraz! Roughly 11 hours on the road and my buttocks are KILLING me! LOL. Had some good company in Erich who will be racing the San Jose International Triathlon... with the elites. This is his first race at that level and his predictions are that he'll "learn a lot". LOL! I'm sure he'll do better than he expects.

Got into SF last night late and was able to spend some time catching up with Barry, a college friend of mine! GREAT guy! He had generously offered up his place for me to stay over the weekend... which happens to be 3 BLOCKS from the transition at Marina Green! Can you believe my LUCK? SO Cool! Check out he view that I woke up to this morning! That's the Golden Gate Bridge in the background there... and though you can't really see it, the Palace of Fine Arts in the foreground. SO neato!

Plan for today. Liz has given me a complete rest day today and I'm USIN it. Though I'd like to run around the city a bunch... I'm mostly going to stay off my feet, stretch, hydrate... you know the drill. I'll run out to get some food... b/c Barry, being a single dude in the city, had 3 half-racks of beer, and a TON of condiments in his fridge... that's it! Oh... and some old cereal. SO, food, rest, and a preview of the transition area are the order of the day. I'll take the time tomorrow to drive the entire bike course and ride a portion to get a feel for what's in store on Sunday. I'll also head out on a little run on the course and take a look at... the "Dreaded SAND LADDER" and get in the bay for a TINY swim!

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and investing some of your time, energy, and money in worthy charities while wearing stylish sandals that make your calves look good!

Breathe...

Party on Tom...

SO! This has NOTHING to do with triathlon... but its a hell of a lot of fun! Here's a few photos from Tom's 5th birthday party! Can you guess the theme? Here's how the convo went...

Me: "What kind of party do you want this year Tom?"

Tom: "Rock N ROOOOOLLLLLL!!!!!!"

Me: "Uh... ok... rock on."

Yeah... SO we busted out the loud, obnoxious 80's rock playlist, the fake tattoos, the hairspray and color, and the inflatable guitars and got to it! Small party... but yes... it totally rocked.

Enjoy a couple of pictures!

This dude constantly started fights. (not really)

This dude was so high he could barely stand.

The crew. Look at the dude behind the chair on the left! HILARIOUS!

Good times were had by all and it was great to celebrate another year in the life of the legend that is quickly becoming "TOM"!

June 2nd is a day like none other... for many reasons...

Breathe...