breeze bars

One of my neighbors Breeze Brown has created these bars called breeze bars. This bar is amazing, virtually disappears after eating, giving you energy but none of the other side effects of a bar that has almost 300 calories, perfect for people such as myself that need to fuel up alot but don't want to deal with digestive issues...Healthy ingredients and they taste awsome, like a healthy rice crispy treat!! Check it out @

http://www.breezebars.com/Home_Page.html

more evidence

Was forwarded this article that lends further credence to the notion that Boulder, CO is the mecca of all tri-meccas!

http://ironman.com/columns/barry-siff-offers-another-look-at-the-ironman-scene-in-boulder-colorado?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ironman%2Ftopstories+%28Ironman.com+Top+Stories%29

So because of all the high end athletic talent that seems to be attracted to Boulder like metal to a magnet, so the various industries surrounding sports have developed with a high level of distinction and taste as well. One example of this is "the pros closet", an ebay store that sells sporting equipment on ebay and also out of their warehouse on N. Broadway in Boulder. Because of their most advantageous location, this store gets all sorts of stuff from cycling, running, triathlon, and other pros in town as well as all of the other, regular mortals. They are extremely well organized, and take care of all the cleaning and photos, and questions, concerns for an ebay auction. Of course, they take a cut, but it is fair and reasonable and you pretty much just drop off whatever you want to sell and they take care of the rest...They know the market for your goods and will try to get you fair and equitable value relative to what has sold in the past and/or is selling currently. I feel very lucky to have a place like "the pros closet" that is professional and trustworthy, so check them out on ebay or on the web @ http://www.theproscloset.com/

Secondly, I continue to be amazed at the quality of the people I meet in and around the sport of triathlon. The kindness and generosity of a friend willing to lend you his/her 2000 dollar wheelset so you can have the race of your life (hopes are high), or let you crash on their campsite for a race because you forgot to procure your own lodging, or help you tune a derailleur or switch a cassette out, etc, etc...It is enough to reinstate my faith in the human species!

Lastly, the other day I was in a bike shop checking out and asked one of the guys behind the counter if he did triathlons as well, somehow it can up in the conversation. He said " No, it's the water, you know you could drown in that stuff.." That got me thinking, "yeah, you could drown in that stuff, but you know what, the roof could fall on your head while you sit here in your supposedly safe little shop, far away from water, and you could get hit by a bus while you're in your safe little car, far away from water, or you could drop dead of a heart attack in your safe little home far away from water!"

Consciously, realistically, every human knows that we are mortal, that things can happen, good or bad. As they say, one can make their own luck, you can't just sit around waiting for a bad thing to happen, go make, take, create good for yourself. Without hopping on a high horse, it has become evident to me that triathlon teaches one a valuable lesson in this case. You have to live life, to embrace it, embrace the fear and the worry and the knowledge of your own mortality and turn it to your advantage! You can sit around and let all those negative thoughts paralyze you or you can go out and do things you've never done, take risks, scream at the top of your lungs in the middle of nowhere " i'm free"! Alright, maybe that last one is a little out there, but you get the point. Bad things can happen, people can bleed, things die, oceans dry up, mountains crumble but get out there and explore the boundries, enjoy the journey, the process, be kind, think alot, and life will reward you.

gotta run through the jungle

20% off for memeorial day!

http://www.trijungle.com/

test

Alright, i'm going to try to link this, we'll see if it works...This is a "newsletter" of sorts I get from active triathlete, and always provides some interesting stuff:

http://www.active.com/triathlon/Newsletters/05-26-2010.htm

why boulder is a cool tri town

If your a triathlon geek, like myself, living in boulder is pretty amazing! Coming out of the pool yesterday, and Craig Alexander, 2 time Hawaii Ironman, is walking in, so I introduce myself, feeling like a school girl next to this guy, I mean, he is THE man, you know....Anyways it was pretty cool!

Summer open sprint and other Tri related stories

Well the first race of the season has come and gone, and to my complete surprise I didn't drown, fall off the bike, or hyperventilate on the run! My feet were blocks of wood the entire time, but it was only for 1 hour. I've found you can put up with almost anything for an hour and still live to talk about it...thank you to without limits productions, my neighbors, for putting on a great race, check them out at: http://withoutlimitsproductions.weebly.com/

So the water was cold, colder, in my personal opinion than the advertised 61 degrees, in an effort, no doubt, to keep the panic levels to a minimum. Hands and feet were bricks almost instantaneously, however I finally started to warm up and get into a groove with about 100 yards left in the swim. ahh, the sprint tri is a unique experience...Coming out of the water, feet were blocks of melting ice, heart was racing, proceeded to climb on the bike a little cold but no worse for wear.

With no water (forgotten in the fridge at home), I set out on the bike, a very fast bike! Borrowed a disc wheel and 100mm front wheel from a guy I know here in Boulder, and they were much faster than what I am used to, as well as my new Kestrel which flew along with an ease that was great to discover! Got thirsty about half way through, a little disappointed there was no water out on the bike course, but it's my own damn fault, so drooling and foaming at the mouth I arrive at T2 to get ready for the run...

Putting new shoes on, set out for a fast run, and finally got some liquid about 1.5 miles though and finished strong!

Throw away the watch and go as fast as I could was my motto for the day.

Did pretty well for a first effort of the year. 10th overall, 2ndin age group with a time of 1hr 9 seconds....Very happy with the result and I feel ready to tackle Ironman Kansas 70.3 in a couple of weeks!

Good boulder bike shops

Great Boulder Bike shop: http://coloradomultisport.com/

Have to thank the guys at Colorado multisport for helping me get the bike ready for the race tomorrow. Trying out some tubular wheels and they helped me get a handle on what the heck I am doing, which I still don't really know, I just want to go fast... Anyhow, all the employees i've met there race in one form or another, everything from Xterra to road racing and coupled with the Sports Garage can take care of anything you throw at them...

7 months

After 7 months of waiting the tri season, for yours truly, begins this weekend....Wetsuit, goggles, helmet, bike, running shoes, etc, etc, have all been tested, fitted, refitted...Continual exhaustion is setting in, copious amounts of coffee are being brewed, lbs of pasta are being consumed, sleep is being lost fretting over possible water up the nose, gel leaking onto my new bike as I try to consume it, sweat getting in my eyes on the run....Joints are cracking, muscles are aching, feet are blistering....And yet somehow, despite all this, it's the happiest i've been in 7 months! It must be the love of the game...

Charity work

Had a meeting with a couple of people from the Boys & Girls clubs of Metro Denver today, and it was really cool to see one of their facilities, and see how and where the fundraising dollars go. It really seems like they get to the heart of the problem facing many disadvantaged kids and try to solve it! Please check out the link on the side of this page...

on seperate note: Weather keeps postponing inaugural flight of the new Kestrel, although we might see the sun this weekend...

Been on Erin Baker's breakfast cookie plan for about a week. Energy is good, cookies heated in the toaster are tasty!!

flip turns

I guess I have to learn how to do flip turns while using swim paddles, not to hang on to the side of the pool like I normally do...I managed to snap one right in half, and i'm not THAT strong a swimmer!! To their credit though, the place I bought them gave me a replacement pair for free...I just had to thank them publicly...

test #1

Test Run #1: 1-Erin Baker's Peanut Butter Chocolate chunk breakfast cookie
40 minutes later: 1 hr 5min run

Date: May 9, 2010

Results: Good sustained energy, no digestive issues!

Success!

all set

The seat post on the Kestrel I recently received was cut for display purposes, and no wedge for the post was sent...I think I feel lucky not to have gotten a carbon enima when I was test riding the thing the other day!! No worries though, the guys at Kestrel are sending me the new post so hopefully then I will be all set to rock and roll!!

and....

check this link out: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-440422?hpt=C2

pretty interesting...

went for run in CT this morning, nice to feel humidity!

kestrel

Got my new Kestrel airfoil yesterday!! Huge problem though, there is not enough length on the seat post to work with my set-up, WTF! I feel like i'm riding a BMX bike...I'm hoping kestrel will work with me to get me a new one....we shall see...

1st race

Officially signed up for first race of the season!! May 23rd, SummerOpen Sprint tri in Longmont, CO, Let's hope I remember how to swim, bike and run!!

brendan

changes

my schedule has changed a bit,... not with the major races but with some of the smaller stuff...I am hoping to race in the summer open sprint tri in Longmont, CO as opposed to the barking dog duathlon...

oh, and check out xterra wetsuits if you need a wetsuit, they are offering some great deals on entry level wetsuits, up to 70% off!!