All is fair in brotherly triathlon competitions...

Being an older sibling has a lot of benefits. We are often thought of as the responsible ones. We usually have the luxury of doing things first. One down side of being the older sibling though (at least in my case) is that all those years you used your size, strentgh and age to your advantage abusing your little brother in basketball, football, video games and just about every thing else in can come back to bite you in the rear. See, while they were getting beat day in and day out, they were also playing against competition above their skill level, thus making themself better. I have always though of myself as a decent athlete that worked hard to become a good athlete. I played basketball and baseball in high school. My brother did too. The difference is he played college basketball. I would like to think that all those whippings a put on him back in the day, contributed to his skills later in life. Often we still wrestle around at family get together (yes we are 30+ and still wrestle) and as much as I hate to admit it, I can't always take him down like I used to.

The point of all this, is that in 3 weeks, we are both competing in the New Orleans 70.3 race and there is a bit of friendly competition going on. He is a faster runner...I am a faster swimmer. Usually I am faster on the bike, but he is quickly closing the gap. I have a year of triathlon experience on him and have the luxury of completing an 140.6 distance event as opposed to his longest distance being an Olympic distance triathlon. I also have to confess that I have been sandbagging a bit about my workouts when we discuss the race. I hope I can beat him next month, but have constantly told him that he is going to win, while secretly wanting to crush his hopes and dreams:) I have new wheels, new Saucony shoes(www.saucony.com), and First Endurance Optygen HP and First Endurance Multi-V (www.firstendurance.com). Will all this lead to a victory for the older siblings? I don't know...but I do know that I will be giving it my best shot. In three weeks we shall see if the older sibling prevails or if youth and vigor conquer all. Just your classic story of good vs. evil...David vs. Goliath...oh you get the picture. Stay tuned and keep training hard!

"I walk slowly, but I never walk backward."-Abe Lincoln

This is my motto when it comes to my triathlon hobby. Yes it is a hobby, an expensive, time consuming, but very fun and fullfilling hobby. I will never be the fastest person on the course, but I will always keep going forward. I work hard to be middle of th pack and if that is what I can do, then I am ok with it. I enjoy the competition within myself and I enjoy the community of great atletes that choose to compete and share in this sport with me. Thanks guys!

Nothin' goin' on but the rent...

Not much to report this week. 4.5 weeks out from New Orleans 70.3. My long run went well this week. I did 11 miles in right at 1:27, which is pretty good for me. My long ride on Sunday was canceled due to rain. These next two weeks are pretty critical as far as I am concerned. I am not looking to PR New Orleans (being tha it is an earlier season race), but I would like for it to be a fun uneventful (i.e. no issues) race that I am doing with my brother and friend. Time to buckle down!

I would like to throw out a quick "shout out" to Saucony for my Paramount 2's. I know I have done a review on them in the past, but the more times I run in them, the more I love them. Tonight a ran a quick recovery run in somewhat chilly weather. It was about 48 degrees when I left, and I was a little cold. My feet on the other hand were NOT! The comfortemp upper liner in the shoe does what it says it does (at least in cold weather...have not tested in hot weather). According to their website (www.saucony.com), when foot temperature drops below 82 degrees, the liner releases stored heat to regulate the temp. It worked tonight. Love these shoes! I would also, like to repeat that since I got these shoes I have n longer been using my custom orthotics....I'm just sayin'! Props to Saucony on these shoes.

Until next week...

Just a reminder to check in and listen to big Matt Reed this Wednesday at 8pm. Go to www.rev3tri.com for information.

Chat w/ Mirinda Carfrae

Rev3tri.com will be hosting an online chat with Jobs runner-up Mirinda Carfrae on Wed., March 10th @ 8pm eastern time.Visit WWW.rev3tri.com for details.

This is normal....right?

What a great weekend! The weather was absolutely gorgeous. We hosted a wedding shower for my brother this weekend, so the house was filled with yummy treats and food. It was good to visit with friends and family and soak in some sunshine for the first time in a while.

Today we headed out for a 56 mile bike in preparation for New Orleans 70.3. As usual, I was running a bit late this morning when my brother showed up. He showed up right at 10am and I had only eaten a bowl of delicious Honey Nut Cheerios. Thinking that would not get me through the ride, I decided to grab two yummy mini Rainbow Chip icing cupcakes leftover from the party. I mean it is carbs....right? I also took my First Endurance Multi-V, which I will talk about in a little bit, but man does this stuff work. Anywho, the ride is going great. I am feeling fresh and climbing better than I have all year. I feel invincible. And then mile 40 hits and a ginormous bear jumped on my back. I hit the proverbial wall. Luckily, there was a gas station about 5 miles away, so I limped into the store and decided to fuel up on what else.....the biggest Rice Krispy Treat I have ever seen. This is normal bike nutrition right? It helped a bit, but not much. I finished the ride and at this moment I am now laying on the couch...5 hours later. Moral of the story...take your nutrition seriously.

I did muster up the energy to take my daughter on a bike ride and dig around in the dirt for some cool (her rules, not mine) rocks. I was also able to help some fellow riders out with a mechanical problem that allowed them to finish their ride. So all in all, despite the not-so-stellar ride, I feel like today was a success.

Now a quick note on the First Endurance Multi-V...the stuff works. At first I wasn't sure that I could tell a difference, but now I am a believer. I have really noticed the past few rides that I stay stronger longer than before. If you haven't heard about the stuff, check it out at www.firstendurance.com If you have heard of the company, but have yet to try any of their products....WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? If it is good enough for me...oh who am I kidding? I eat Rice Krispy Treats during my long rides. But seriously, Contador uses first Endurance...Cavendish uses First Endurance....the Lovato's use First Endurance, why aren't you?

Have a great week everyone and remember to laugh and smile each day...it will make you feel better.

Online Q&A with pro triathlte Julie Dibens

Julie Dibens will be online answering questions tonight at 8pm eastern. Go to rev3tri.com for details.