Finally Here in St. George

/

Before I get started, I hope you've had a chance to read my latest Lava Magazine Online column, "Race for a Reason."  It just came out yesterday so it's still relatively hot off the digital press.

Back to the blog at hand!

I drove 6.25 hours to my third Ironman today and was strangely calm.  I almost got nervous because of how calm I actually felt.  Where were the butterflies?  The nervous energy?  The excitement?!  You'd think it would have hit me after driving through the Arizona gorges that precede the Utah border on I-15, with their ominous towering vertical faces staring down in intimidating fashion, but it didn't.

Read More

IM California 70.3 Recap Part II

/

It took me about a week before I cut off the participants' blue wristband from my right wrist.  I don't have a set amount of time I wait before doing something like that -- usually it depends on the race and my feelings about the experience.  For IM California 70.3, I really basked in the achievement.  Who knows how many races I have left?  Why not soak it all in a bit longer before setting ahead on the next big challenge?

Read More

IM California 70.3 Recap: Part 1

/

Part I: Roll With It, Baby

When I wrote my pre-race plan for this past weekend’s Ironman California 70.3 and included my best-case scenario goal of finishing with a 5:14:00, I didn’t think it really would happen.  Too many things can go wrong in a longer race, or any race for that matter. No, a 5:25:00 would be far more likely, especially considering that teammates of mine whom I consider to be better triathletes finished the race last year closer to 5:30:00-5:40:00.

Read More

My 18 Hours in St. George

/

I participated in a different type of endurance event this weekend.  The first leg involved a 6.25 hour drive in traffic to St. George, Utah.  After a slow 8-hour sleep T1, I rode 94 miles of the St. George Ironman bike course Saturday morning.  I picked up the pace in T2 with a 45 minute lunch at the Pasta Factory in Ancestor Square and staggered into the third leg, the drive to Las Vegas and a bachelor party evening for my future brother-in-law, Craig.  Then I drove home yesterday through a rain storm and snow flurries. All told, I drove around 700 miles, biked nearly 100, spent nearly ... well, a lot ... and learned a number of invaluable lessons for Ironman St. George.  Below are my Top 5 Ironman St. George Bike Loop Lessons.

Read More

Racing for Starlight

/

I'm announcing something special tomorrow to all my friends and family but wanted you to know first.  I'm so excited I just couldn't wait one more day or even one more hour to share.

When I signed up for Ironman St. George a week or so ago, I realized that I had an opportunity to do something special.  Not just for myself, but for others too.  See, all these miles add up, but for what?  So I can be proud of myself?  So that I could prove something to myself?  Maybe at first, but it's not good enough anymore.

Read More

Let it Go, Man

/

As some of you may know, I was in Austin, Texas this weekend for South by Southwest, the annual music, film, tech and gaming mash-up that brings smarties and hipsters together from all over the country.  I spent my time trying to do three things there: 1) Get a sense of which way the marketing trend winds were blowing (answer: user experience is king)

Read More

WTF Have I Done?!

/

I signed up for Ironman St. George this past week. The event is two months away.  Eight weeks. Five weeks of build and peak training left.

When I write these sentences and stare at the screen, I wonder what the heck I was thinking. And how it seemed like such a good idea at the time.

So, what the heck was I thinking?!

First and foremost, Ironman St. George has always called to me.  It's arguably the toughest Ironman in the continental US -- even with the more forgiving run course.  Ever since "tri-asshole" told me I could have picked a harder Ironman when I was getting ready for Ironman Arizona in 2010, I knew I had to prove something more to myself. I knew I couldn't quite feel satisfied with my Ironman accomplishments until I tackled IM St. George.

Read More

Bandit Trail Run Race Report

/

What does it mean to "get better" in triathlon?  Does it mean "go faster?"  I think that would be the obvious response. But there's something else, something deeper.

No, to me getting better in triathlon means being smarter.  By "smarter," I mean developing an innate sense of body awareness that transcends the data we gather on our sophisticated training devices.

Read More

My Summer Winter Camp

/

There was a time in all our lives when we were instructed with nothing more than, "Get out of the house and go play!"  That was the only responsibility we had.  School was out.  We were too young to work.  So, we played.

That time ended for most of us around 12 or 13.  At least for me it did.  Newspaper routes, day camp jobs and ultimately being a cub news reporter filled the rest of my summers until college graduation.

Read More

The Best Tribute I Can Offer

/

My grandmother is sick. In fact, she's dying after a frustrating, heartbreaking battle with Alzheimer's Disease.  She's suffered from it for a few years now, going from someone who didn't need a calculator to maintain the books at my family's business for 50-plus years to not knowing who any of us are. Of course, I remember many things about her, which I shared with her recently in a note I have no idea whether she understood let alone internalized. Yet we do these things not as much for the ill as for the living. Fortunately, my grandmother instilled in me her tough work ethic, never quit, never settle for anything less than the "A" mentality.  That's what leads me to this past Saturday's inaugural HITS series Olympic triathlon in La Quinta.

Read More