Wednesday, December 8, 2010

12 days of Christmas (my edition)...

On the 1st day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
a Kestrel 4000 LTD (http://www.kestrelbicycles.com/TRI/4000-LTD.aspx)



On the 2nd day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
2 Continental Grand Prix tires
and a Kestrel 4000LTD


On the 3rd day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
3 wild berry EFS shots (http://www.firstendurance.com/efs-liquid-shot.html)
2 Continental Grand Prix tires
and a Kestrel 4000LTD


On the 4th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
4 pair of compression socks
3 wild berry EFS shots
2 Continental Grand Prix tires
and a Kestrel 4000LTD


On the 5th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
5 Cans of Trislide (http://www.sbrsportsinc.com/trislide_products.htm)

4 pair of compression socks
3 wild berry EFS shots
2 Continental Grand Prix tires
and a Kestrel 4000LTD


On the 6th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
6 packs of Foggle
5 Cans of Trislide
4 pair of compression socks
3 wild berry EFS shots
2 Continental Grand Prix tires
and a Kestrel 4000LTD


On the 7th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
7 TYR Swimmask goggles (http://www.tyr.com/shop/swimmask-p-215-c-68_70_75.html)
6 packs of Foggle
5 Cans of Trislide
4 pair of compression socks
3 wild berry EFS shots
2 Continental Grand Prix tires
and a Kestrel 4000LTD


On the 8th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
8 Race fee entries (preferably Rev3 events-www.rev3tri.com)

7 TYR Swimmask goggles
6 packs of Foggle
5 Cans of Trislide
4 pair of compression socks
3 wild berry EFS shots
2 Continental Grand Prix tires
and a Kestrel 4000LTD


On the 9th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
9 Xtenex laces (www.xtenex.com)

8 Race fee entries (preferably Rev3 events-www.rev3tri.com)
7 TYR Swimmask goggles
6 packs of Foggle
5 Cans of Trislide
4 pair of compression socks
3 wild berry EFS shots
2 Continental Grand Prix tires
and a Kestrel 4000LTD


On the 10th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
10 CO2 cartridges
9 Xtenex laces
8 Race fee entries (preferably Rev3 events-www.rev3tri.com)
7 TYR Swimmask goggles
6 packs of Foggle
5 Cans of Trislide
4 pair of compression socks
3 wild berry EFS shots
2 Continental Grand Prix tires
and a Kestrel 4000LTD


On the 11th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
11 spare tubes
10 CO2 cartridges
9 Xtenex laces
8 Race fee entries (preferably Rev3 events-www.rev3tri.com)
7 TYR Swimmask goggles
6 packs of Foggle
5 Cans of Trislide
4 pair of compression socks
3 wild berry EFS shots
2 Continental Grand Prix tires
and a Kestrel 4000LTD


On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
12 EFS bars (http://www.firstendurance.com/efs-bars.html)
11 spare tubes
10 CO2 cartridges
9 Xtenex laces
8 Race fee entries (preferably Rev3 events-www.rev3tri.com)
7 TYR Swimmask goggles
6 packs of Foggle
5 Cans of Trislide
4 pair of compression socks
3 wild berry EFS shots
2 Continental Grand Prix tires
and a Kestrel 4000LTD

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Offseason stuff...

The offseason is here and my annual 3 month fitness decline is in full effect.  Every year, I vow to not let the offseason effect my workout routine and yet every year, I revert to do-nothing mode like a school kid getting out for summer break.  I then act shocked about how far I have to go to get back in shape for the upcoming season.  Well here I am realizing that I need to get my lazy butt in gear before I fall even more behind for next year. 

I am hoping for 2011 to be a big year.  I'll be doing another Iron distance event next year, and would like to be markedly faster than I was in 2009.  I plan on changing my workout routine, diet routine and even some of my equipment (Kestrel 4000?).  I am really looking forward to the Rev3 series next year as well as the changes to my home-town race (Memphis in May triathlon).  Lots of exciting things are in the future!

As far as offseason workouts/training go, I will be starting a weight program at the first of December that will last about 18 weeks.  I will also be playing some indoor soccer and a little rec league basketball.   From there, I will jump into my 16 week program that will lead to Ironman Louisville.  In between, I plan on doing 4-5 other events. 

What events is everyone else looking at doing in 2011?

On a separate note, what has everyone done to get new followers on their blog?  I am looking for ideas (besides writing more entertaining material:) on how to expand my follower base.

Hope everyone has a good holiday season!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

My Rev3 Cedar Point 70.3 Race Report (Finally)...

First off I want to say that the Rev3 Cedar Point race was an awesome venue and was also very well ran.  I am saying that not as a sponsored athlete of Team Trakkers, but as a racer.  My buddy that also did the race echoed the same sentiments. Personally, I believe the race rivaled those put on by Ironman in terms of quality.  But now on to the race report.

Leading up to the race, I felt a little unprepared.  I have felt this way before, but this time I was actually unprepared for the race.  I was confident on the bike, but my preparation for the run and swim were a bit lacking.  I am sure I could come up with a myriad of excuses, but I won't bore everyone here with those.

Day 1

We (my racing buddy Erik and I) arrived in Cleveland late Thursday night, picked up our rental car and headed for Cedar Point.  We arrived about midnight and the place was a ghost town.  Seriously, there were maybe 4 other cars in the parking lot. Friday morning we walked out of the hotel and made the long 50 yard trek to the practice swim about 8:30 and were greeted by some not so fun chop and swell and Lake Erie.  Some of you might be used to this, but in Memphis, TN, we aren't.  The swim was, shall we say, not so great.  It had me worried about Sunday's race.  After the swim, we headed over to the check-in area to pick our bikes up, get checked in for the race and to also get checked in for the volunteering duties Sunday night.  Once we were all checked in, we went for a short bike ride to ensure that everything was put together properly and the bike was running ok.  Great job by the guys at Bike Authority of Cleveland.  Well worth the money to ship it to them ahead of time and have them bring the bike to the race, already put together.  After the short spin, I spent some time at the Trakkers tent with Anne and her husband before a quick change of clothes in order to be back for Robert (of http://www.firstendurance.com/) nutrition talk and a night of roller coasters!  The talk with Robert was very informative...lots of good info that would end up helping me in the race on Sunday (more on this later).  Afterwards a Trakkers group of us headed over to the amusement park to ride some roller coasters.  Needless to say, it was awesome.  This was my first time to Cedar Point and if any of you guys are roller coaster nuts, you have to visit.  The best by far was Top Thrill Dragster.  10,000 horsepower rockets you off from 0 to 120 mph in 3 seconds, then shoots you straight up (and I mean literally straight up) 420 feet from which you then plummet straight down topping out at 120 mph again.  It was awesome!  I will also admit that I realized that I am not as young as I used to because after 6 roller coasters, I felt like I was going to hurl!  After doing 6 roller coasters, my buddy and I decided to go find some food, because we were starving.








Day 2

I took it pretty easy on Saturday.  Went out with my teammates to the practice swim and lubed up some athletes with some TriSlide (anti chaffing spray) and passed out some samples of Foggle (anti goggle fog wipes) (http://www.sbrsportsinc.com/index.html) .  The chop and swell had returned, so the nerves were a little frayed.  After that, I grabbed some pancakes for breakfast and then proceeded to watch football for a while.  Some time around lunch, we took our bikes over to the transition area and then headed back for some rest and relaxation.  A dinner trip to the Olive Garden ended the night.

Day 3 aka Race Day!

The last race of the year was here and I was determined to have fun in this one and not really focus on my time.  We arrived to transition around 6:30 and began setting up.  It was here that I realized that I made my one mistake of the trip (besides riding that last roller coaster)....I had forgotten my bike nutrition.  I had my EFS drink (http://www.firstendurance.com/), but had left my Payday bar back in the room.  Looks like I would be operating on EFS alone.  After leaving transition, we headed down to the swim start to watch a bit of the Full Rev3 participants and to my surprise, the water was actually a lot calmer than the previous days.  My wave went off right at 8:20 I believe and the water was cold, about 66 degrees last I heard.  For you northerners, that might be just right, but this was the coldest water I had swam in to date.  Overall the swim went ok, minus the bloody nose from getting kicked about 300 yards into the swim.  It took me a couple minutes to get my bearings, but I recovered and put in a solid, not spectacular swim by my standards.

Out of the water, I ran up to transition and threw my bike shoes, helmet and sunglasses on.  At the last minute, I decided to put on the arm warmers that I threw in my bag (I already had on my Saucony compression calf sleeves http://www.saucony.com/) and this ended up being a bit more difficult than I had hoped since I was wet.  No worries though, today was all about fun.  I ended up running out of transition with my training/racing buddy, so we chatted a bit for the first 2/3rds of the bike, which also led to my first ever penalty, but it was worth it because the bike went by fast.  About 35 miles into the bike portion, my past stomach issues started to rear their ugly head.  Once this started, I remembered what Robert of First Endurance had told us on Friday night.  He mentioned that if you feel stomach issues starting, to start taking in water only in order to dilute whatever was causing the issues in your stomach.  By continuing to force gatorade/cerrasport or whatever other sports drink the course offers will only make it worse.  I can honestly say this made the difference in making my race being a pleasant one and being a miserable one.  Thanks Robert!  I might have finally found the reason why I have had some issues this year.  In all other races I felt like I needed to keep forcing down the sports drink.  The course was very flat and fairly fast except for the last 10 or so miles that were into a pretty steady headwind.  I wanted top average around 20 mph and came in around 19.5. 

The run was pretty uneventful for me.  I was undertrained (never ran more than 7 miles in preparation) so I knew there would be some walking.  While I did walk some, I ended up being faster than I expected and had zero foot/knee pain or stomach issues.  I talked to a few other racers and volunteers along the way.  The weather was perfect and the course was very enjoyable.  I started getting calf cramps the last mile, but nothing serious.  The finish in the park was pretty neat and I would estimate there were about 200 people lined up to see the finishers.  This doesn't even include the rest of the people that were in the park enjoying the rides.  My overall time was 6:23 and it felt fairly easy and comfortable.  A nice way to end the season.

Nutrition wise, I relied solely on my EFS drink during the bike along with some water at the stops.  I had some more EFS at the run transition and then had a few cups of coke and the rest water during the run.  Doing this race and listening to Robert, I realized that you don't have to have a smorgasbord of nutrition during these longer races to get you through them.  If you are smart with what you eat leading up to the race and then have the right selection during the race, your body can get through it on liquid nutrition alone.  This might not work for everyone, but it worked for me and actually has me excited about next year's race schedule and the possibilities.  Thanks again First Endurance, and if you haven't used them before, please check them out http://www.firstendurance.com/.  If nothing else, their website has some really good information on nutrition in general.

The evening came to an end with me volunteering the finish line of the Full Rev.  I worked from 8-midnight, and it was a blast!  I got there in time to see a few of my teammates finish (Anne, Andy and Jamie) as well as seeing the determination of the last few finishers getting in at the cut-off.  I definitely recommend volunteering.  It is amazing to see the determination, pain and happiness in all the finishers faces.

Season Recap

All in all, it was a good season, if not a bit long.  I started in April with a 70.3 event and ended in September with a 70.3 event.  In the middle were various Olympic and sprint events as well as a new edition to our family.  I would like to thank all my sponsors (You guys all ROCK!)....Trakkers GPS (http://www.trakkersgps.com/), Saucony (http://www.saucony.com/), First Endurance (http://www.firstendurance.com/), All3Sports.com (http://www.all3sports.com/) and TriSwim (www.sbrsportsinc.com/index.html) .

Hopefully I will be lucky enough to be back with TrakkersGPS.com next year...It was lots of fun!

I will be working on my 2011 schedule (will include another 140.6 event) in the next week, and then starting my winter maintenance program.  Besides that, there should be some fun mountain bike rides and some leisurely road rides, mixed in with some 5K races, before the heavy training starts next year.

Till next time....

Friday, September 17, 2010

Time to chill....

As most of you know, I recently competed in the Rev3 Cedar Point 70.3 race in Sandusky, OH.  The race was a blast (as was the amusement park)! Everything was well organized and the volunteers and staff at Rev3 were amazing.  I definitely recommend this race to everyone in the future. Great location and event for racers and families. I will be writing a race report soon, including some helpful nutrition tips that I picked up during a Q&A session with the owner of First Endurance (www.firstendurance.com), that helped me get through my race.

In the mean time, my vacation is about to begin. I am off to the beach for a week of rest and relaxation. Later!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Racing and Roller Coasters...

I don't have a lot to add this posting, but wanted to show everyone not racing in Cedar Point next weekend, what they are missing:)  Check out these two links. 

www.cedarpoint.com

www.rev3tri.com/cedarPointComingSoon.htm

I'll be sure to report in after next weekend to let you guys know how my race went.  Be sure to check back in because I will be including some reviews of my EFS drink (www.firstendurance.com) and my Saucony compression calf sleeves (www.saucony.com).  Until next week....

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Compression Socks!

Only 4 more weeks until Rev3 Cedar Point 70.3 race!

Now that I have reminded everyone, I want to give a quick blog post to something I had never tried until recently....COMPRESSION SOCKS!  And can I say, what took me so long?  First off, thanks to Saucony (www.saucony.com) for sending me a pair to try out.
Great product from a great company. I have been using these for about a week now after all of my runs. In fact, I have been sleeping in them after my long runs, and to date, I can say that my legs feel fresher than ever the next day.  My run has been lagging this year and while it is still not where I want it to be, I can at least say that for the last week, it hasn't been because my legs have felt tired.  I love the socks so much, that I just ordered some of the compression calf sleeves to wear during the Rev3 Cedar Point 70.3 race.  For those who have not tried out the compression movement, give it a try.  For those that are using them, give Saucony a try.  I don't think they will disappoint!





Until next time....

Monday, August 2, 2010

Heat and training...

Well....there only is one more triathlon race to go in my 2010 schedule.  The Rev3 Cedar Point 70.3 is right around the corner and I am looking forward to it! I'll finally get to meet a lot of my Trakkers teammates and I will get to ride a lot of roller coasters as well.

The training is going ok except for the stifling heat.  I don't think the highs have been below 90 degrees here in something like 3 months.  This week, they are calling for triple digits for 4 of the 7 days.  Thank goodness for my EFS drink to keep me hydrated. This makes running difficult, but it still has to be done, so I have been running a lot at night. Other than the hot weather and training, there hasn't been a lot going on lately.  I am already looking ahead to my race schedule next year and the return of the 140.6 distance will highlight it. Some locations in consideration are Knoxville, Costa Rica and Louisville.

I also am looking at finding a coach for next year. My run has been absolutely dreadful this year and I would really like to get a handle on that for next season. I believe this is the main limiter in improving my times significantly.  Any of you guys use coaches and have any suggestions on what to consider when hiring one?

Off to do a run!  Stay cool and hydrated out there (EFS helps www.firstendurance.com)!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Another great product that you should try...

First of all, no one wanted free stuff?!?!  I did not get one comment on my TriSwim give-a-way post, so I will not look to Facebook to see if any of those people want to try it.

Now onto the another product I just tried and think you should know about. This past weekend, I tried Scape Athlete Sunblock fr the first time, and let me tell you, it does exactly what it says it does.  You don't always get that these days.  Scape claims to be a sunblock for athletes that allow them to apply in the morning and not have to reapply for the rest of the day.  It is sweat proof and waterproof.  Scape was started by Dr. Nic Martens who has a PhD in Biochemistry and spent 13 years developing products for Neutragena. He partnered with Craig Alexander to introduce the product to the public.  This past Saturday, I went for a 40 mile ride in 75% humidity and 85 degrees at ride time.  Usually, I am plagued my burning eye from sweat pouring into them.  This past Saturday, that did not happen.  I used the Facestick application and it worked great!  It went on clean and allowed my skin to breathe throughout the ride, yet I was left reassured that my skin was protected by 50 SPF protection.  I like to judge how well a product is made by whether or not I would purchase it again.  I will be going out purchase more Scape, specifically the Sunblock Spray, which would be a welcome addition in my race bag.  Great job Scape! Check them out at www.scapelabs.com!


The Full and Half Rev triathlon at Cedar Point is around the corner.  Are you registered?  I am.  Hope to see you there!  http://www.rev3tri.com/.

Keep training and keep smiling!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

First things first....do you like roller coasters?  DO you like triathlons?  If the answer to both of these is yes, you need to sign up for the half or full distance triathlons offered by Rev3 in Cedar Point, OH on September 12th.  Check them out!




Now comes the other fun part...being a part of Team Trakkers, I have had the opportunity to use some pretty cool products.  Some of my favorites are the products offered by SBR Sports Inc. which include Tri-Swim, Foggle and Tri-Slide.  I use the Tri-Swim shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion every single week after swimming.  It definitely gets the chlorine out of your hair and off your body and keeps you from smelling like a walking swimming pool.  The Foggle is simply the best goggle defogger I have ever used!  It comes in a towelette form.  All you do is wipe goggles with the Foggle and let dry.  The great part is after you use it, store the Foggle wipe in a air tight bag, and you can re-use the wipe up to 8 times. Voila...no more goggle fog.  Back to the fun part...I have been given some (ok, actually a lot) samples to give out for others to try, and now, I am going to give those away to those of you who read my blog.  In order to win, you only have to do two things....1) Be a follower to this blog.  If you are not, simply sign-up and you are on your way to being eligible. 2) Leave a comment on this blog.  That is it.  Follow me and leave a comment.  I will pick a winner on July 10th and post the winner on that weeks blog.  Winners will be selected through a random number generator to keep it fair. 

Good luck! in the mean time, go check out the products that SBR Sports Inc. has to offer!



Keep training hard and see you in Cedar Point!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

These are a few of my favorite things....

Since there isn't a lot going on right now (besides some training for Rev3 Cedar Point...www.rev3tri.com), I thought I would compile a simple list of some of my favorite things.  These are things, not necessarily triathlon related, but just some simple things that make me smile.  So here they are in no particular order:
  • Anything that makes my daughters smile
  • St. Jude Hospital...I have been a member of their Heroes program for awhile, so if you are looking for an organization to ever raise money for, check them out at www.stjudeheroes.org
  • Vacations
  • My wife...I have known her for over 20 years, been married for 10 years and still haven't figured out how I got so lucky
  • Friends
  • Grilling
  • Riding my bikes
  • Will Ferrell movies
  • Bookstore's...I often spend a lunch break browsing the local Border's
  • Facebook and Twitter...what's not to love?
  • Christmas
Keep training hard and remember to smile while you do it...it may give someone else the push to start training themselves!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Hospital visits, training and the importance of it all...

It has been 2 weeks since my last post, but there has been plenty going on.  This past week end, we had the pleasure of an impromptu trick to Lebonheur Children's hospital for my 4 week old daughter.  Apparently 101-102 degree fevers and infants don't mix to well and medical personnel tend to freak out (as do the Parents;).  It ended up being a pesky virus, but we ended up spending 2 days in the hospital watching our little Stella, get IV's, x-rays and spinal taps.  NOT FUN!  IT was really hard watching them prick and prod her.  It probably was worse on my wife and I than it was her, since she won't remember it. All is well now though, and I hope we don't have to do that ever again.

Not much to report on the training side.  Been taking it a bit easy the past couple weeks with some short runs and some weekend bike rides.  That all changes today, as I start to ramp up again for the Music City Triathlon at the end of July and then the season ender in Cedar Point, Ohio with the Rev3 Triathlon people (http://www.rev3tri.com/).  Also, sometime this week, I will be placing my order with www.firstendurance.com for my race and training nutrition supplies so, I can dial that aspect of the race in. 

Now time for some triathlon retrospect....I have decided that I love this sport!  Now matter how bad a race I have, or how miserable I feel after a day of long training, I look forward to the next day of it.  There is a real since of accomplishment in it all and then to be able to try new products and learn from other experienced triathlon'ers...it is wonderful.  Thanks to http://www.rev3tri.com/, www.saucony.com, www.firstendurance.com, http://www.all3sports.com/, www.kestrelbicycles.com, www.tri-swim.com, and most of all to www.Trakkers.com and all my teammates.  Can't wait to meet you guys at Cedar Point!

ps....I am also seriously considering doing the Rev3 event in Costa Rica next year...it looks AWESOME! Check it out http://www.rev3tri.com/!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Cedar Point, here I come...

Well, my race this weekend was a mixed bag of results.  I was faster on both the swim and the bike than the previous year and was well on my way to meeting my goal of 2:3x.......until I got to the run:( Make no mistake, there were no GI issues to blame this time.  Just good ole' plain hotness!  I was over 13 minutes slower on the run this year, due to the fact that heat indexes were 100+ during the run.  I ended up walking which was not my plan, but I had plenty of company out there on the run.  Lots of people walking, struggling just to finish.  The pro's winning times were almost 7 minutes slower than last year, so I guess I can take some solace in that.  On a good note, I really like the direction that my swim and bike are heading.  Now I just need to get the run going in that direction.

Now that Memphis in May is over, I am in full training mode for the Cedar Point half.  I will be drastically changing up my run training over the next few months in hopes of posting a decent time come Sept. 12.  I have a new canister of grape EFS drink that I will be working into the program.  I also have a new pair of Saucony Rides that will get there initial voyage tonight (I will be giving a review on these in a couple of weeks).  No more excuses...time to get to it.  Can't wait to meet my Trakkers teammates at Cedar Point!  I hate that I have missed the first two parties of the season.

Train hard and keep smiling!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Race weekend anticipation....

Ladies and gentleman....start your engines! Race weekend is upon us! I love the feeling of race weekend. You get to test your meddle and the hard work you have put in over the course of your training and see if you can accomplish your goals. It is my favorite part of this whole triathlon game. This weekend is Memphis in May Olympic distance triathlon. It is going to be wind with a heat index of 97...BRING IT! I have a goal to finish in 2:3something. Can I do it? Will it be too hot? Only one way to find out...gotta toe the line:) I will be there in my Trakkers gear, with my Saucony Fastwitch 4's (www.saucony.com) with my EFS drink by First Endurance (www.firstendurance.com). Check back next week to see what happened.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

New addition

For those who haven't heard, we just added our newest addition to the Scobey family...Stella Claire was born on 5/4/2010! She weighed 8lbs and was 20.5 inches long. She will one day team with her sister, to dominate the triathlon scene. World championships are definitely in their futures. One can dream right?!?! It is amazing how much you forget or maybe even block out about life with a baby when number 2 arrives. The sleepless nights, zombie days and mountains of diaper changes should be things that you don't forget, but somehow, I did. Maybe it is the adorable faces and coos they make that erase the minor inconveniences from your mind. Being a dad is awesome. For the most part, anything do or say, is the coolest thing in the eyes (at least until they hit the teenage years:)). How awesome is that!


Anyways, the training is going ok. I have the Memphis in May Olympic in 2 weeks. I have missed a few days recently, but sill expect to have a pretty good race. I feel pretty confident about the bike and the swim, and I am determined to kick the runs butt. After Memphis in May, I will turn my focus on to the Cedar Point half in September (http://www.rev3tri.com/). I will start a new (and hopefully one that works) nutrition plan, consisting mainly of grape EFS drink and EFS liquid shot (http://www.firstendurance.com/). So lots to come in the near future. I will keep everyone informed of the goings on. Until then, me and my sweet Saucony's are going to hit the pavement while everyone else in the house is napping!

Monday, April 26, 2010

My To 10 favorite training/racing items plus 5 that I am looking forward to trying...

My top 10 favorite training racing items (in no particular order):


1.) My new set of Zipp 404's - So fast!

2.) Saucony Fastwitch 4's - Light as air and fast as heck! (http://www.saucony.com/)

3.) Saucony Transit Short Sleeve shirt - Like the Fastwitch 4's, light as air.



4.) Foggle by TriSwim - Eliminates foggy goggles. (http://www.tri-swim.com/)




5.) First Endurance Multi-V - first multinutrient vitamin clinically proven to enhance endurance.
(http://www.firstendurance.com/)

6.) TriSlide by TriSwim - Spray on lubricant.

7.) Aqua Sphere Kayenne Goggles -Most comfortable goggles I have owned.


8.) Beaker Concepts Hydrotail rear hydration system - Holds 2 bottles and all my tubes, etc.

9.) DeSoto Sports Seat Pad - Gives 5mm of extra padding for those long rides:)


10.) My trusty Sony Walkman mp3 player - For those long runs




5 Things I am looking forward to trying this season:


1.) EFS Grape Flavored Drink by First Endurance - Hoping to finally find a drink to fuel my
races without causing GI issues.

2.) Blue Bud bluetooth headphones by Jaybird - Ordered these for a birthday present back in
January and the release date has been pushed back until July. Looking to lose the wires
during my runs.

3.) Timex Ironman Global Trainer - Garmin type device made by the people at Timex

4.) Additional Swim Stroke Analysis - Pretty self explanatory

5.) Rev3 70.3 race - Looking forward to competing in a Rev3 event after hearing so many good
things from various reviews on the Rev3 group! (http://www.rev3tri.com/)



Train hard, race fast and do it with a smile on your face:)

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face...

And punched in the face is how Sunday's race started. Looking back, I probably could have trained a bit harder, but I really thought I was ready. I was hoping to finish Sunday's NOLA 70.3 race in a pedestrian 6:15. Not fast by most measure, but a pretty good time for me.

Last year ended kind of bitter sweet for me. I finished Ironman Louisville in only my second year, but ended it by walking almost the entire marathon. The nutrition plan I had been working with all summer, failed miserably on race day. I ended up throwing up 6-7 times in the first 10 miles. Even with all of this, I was hooked. I finished with a smile on my face and a hunger for more.

Back to Sunday...I was in the 3rd from last wave to start. As the morning went on, the wind began to kick up....to the point that when we started to wade out into the water, there were 3 foot swells. I didn't know that could happen in a LAKE! At first, I though it was kinda cool....yeah that ended quickly. I was soon tossed on top of other swimmers and then punched in the face. It was like I had never swam before. I remember my very first race and the hyperventalating that accompanied the swim. Sunday was that times about 10. I actually grabbed onto 3 kayaks to gather my wits. Being from Memphis, we don't get to swim in too many waves. Not the swim I was looking for, but in order to always try to learn from bad times, I now know how to swim in waves. Whatever doesn't kill me, only makes me stronger:)

The bike was pretty uneventful. I was aiming for 20 mph and finished at 19.4. The run had its problems again. Off the bike, my legs felt great, but my stomach did not. I felt bloated and somewhat nauseous for most of the run. This is two straight races this has happened and has lead me to reevaluate my nutrition plan and to also focus more on my running. I have never been a fast runner, but in training, I also have never had these issues. Back to the drawing board!

Despite the issues I had during the race, I continue to be sucked in by the sport. I got to see Trakkers Elite members Dede and Jacqui finish in he top 8 (Dede smoked the swim)! I caught my brother on the bike and was able to do the entire run course with him. I smiled a lot and thanked a ton of volunteers on the course. Overall, I had a fun weekend. And as always, continue to be hooked on this sport....whether I have to go back to the drawing board or not:)

Go Team Trakkers....and down with K-Swiss/Trek:)

Monday, April 12, 2010

Saucony apparel review

I thought I would give a quick review of a recent purchase I made of some Saucony running apparel. In the past, I have held no real allegiance to any type or brand of running shoes. I have tried all brands. I have been fairly loyal to Nike running apparel though...until now! About a week ago, I received my order for a Saucony Transit short sleeve running shirt and a pair of RXT Burn run shorts. They ROCK!


The shirt is a basic technical fiber shirt that is ridiculously light weight. It is as light of a shirt as I have ever worn and yet continues to do an excellent job of moisture management. On top of this, it adds a layer of SPF 50 protection from the sun.




The shorts are great as well. Much like the shirt, they are very light weight. I personally like a longer running short, so these particular ones, have a 7 inch inseam. It has a boxer brief liner, 2 side pockets, and a zippered back pocket.




After having worn these for a couple of runs now, I am officially a Saucony convert and plan on making more purchase from them n the near future. Thanks Saucony! Check them out at http://www.saucony.com/

Monday, April 5, 2010

Deep Thoughts of a 3 year old...

So in the last week or so, I have been asked some pretty interesting questions by my 3 year old daughter that I have not really had an answer for, so I thought I would throw the questions out to the group.

Here they are:

1) Where does the Easter Bunny live? Should be an easy one, but I can honestly say I don't know the answer. Maybe a hole in the ground? Maybe at Santa's house? Don't really know.

2) Why did the Easter bunny have shoes on and walk on 2 legs when he visited my school instead of hopping? Good question actually.

3) If the Easter bunny likes carrots so much, why does he bring us eggs and candy? Because they taste better? I am not sure.

and finally my favorite...

4) I had some bird poop on my windshield and she asked what it was. I told her plainly it was bird poop and she quickly asked me how do I know it wasn't angel poop since they fly too. You know, I didn't actually see the bird do it so maybe...........

Isn't it great to experience the minds of kids!?!?

That is all.

Keep training and keep smiling!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

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!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

"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!

Monday, March 15, 2010

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.

Monday, March 8, 2010

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.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

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.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

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.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Proud Daddy stories, training and of course...product reviews!

So, being a Dad is pretty cool. I have come to the conclusion that your kids will do just about anything that you tell them to and will try to do some things that you do. Recently my daughter has decided to inform people, some random, some not, that I am an Ironman. Despite what my wife thinks, I have never told her to do this. I have a small Ironman tattoo on my wrist, but other than that, I never really mention it outside of my wife and training partners (who did the race with me). Well the other day, my daughter and I were riding bikes and she said that when she got older, she was going to be an Ironman like me...watch out Chrissy! I felt a little emotional:) Now there are things that I do try to get my daughter to do and say for a good laugh. Among other things, she now can do the sprinkler dance move, sing numerous Black Eyed Pea songs on the karaoke machine, and eve tells me "peace out" when I drop her off at daycare in the morning (complete with a fist pound followed by an explosion of course). Well, the newest thing she does now is to tell people that the party doesn't start until she walks in (yes the line from the Ke$ha song). Such a proud dad:) Around the beginning of May, I will have another young mind to mold, when our second daughter arrives.

This weekend has been a pretty good training weekend. The weather has finally gotten above 50 so I did a 30 mile ride Saturday followed by a 10 mile run today. Only 7 weeks until 70.3 New Orleans and I am starting to get excited about it. I am treating this as a "fun race"and not my A race (that will be Cedar Point). I am entering the race with my brother and this will be his first long distance tri, so it should be a good time.

Now to the product reviews. I received some products from the good people at SBR Sports, Inc., who manufacture Tri-Swim hair and skin care, Tri-Slide and Foggle. The hair and skin care are awesome. I no longer have to carry around kids chlorine shampoo in the locker room, thus receiving some strange stares. The products do every thing they claim and remove the wonderful smell of chlorine (not to mention the poison that it is). Their products in the Ti-Swim line include shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion. Recommend it all! But the two products that are my favorite are Tri-Slide and Foggle. Tri-Slide is a spray on anti chafe skin lubricant. Think of body glide in a spray. The stuff is AWESOME! I tried some on my run today by putting it on my feet (have had some hot spots on a few toes lately) and on my nipples (yes I said nipples...it isn't a fetish, just that some of my long sleeve shirts are a bit loose and tend to rub me raw). The Tri Slide worked flawlessly. Foggle has become another favorite. It is an anti fog wipe. No more leaking anti-fog in my gym bag...YEAH! I tried it the other day on my goggles (which claim to be fog proof....FAIL) and lasted the entire swim (1600 meters) with clear goggles. The good thing about the wipes is that you can reuse them. Simply store them in a zip lock bag, and a wipe can be reused about 5 times. If any one is having problems with foggy goggles, pleas give these things a try. Thanks SBR Sports, Inc. Your stuff rocks!



A final random note....I can't wait for Ludacris new album release. How Low has been a recent favorite during training runs, so I am looking forward to see what the remainder of the album is like. That is all. Train hard and have fun!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Shoe review...

First, training has had its ups and downs lately. Two weeks ago, I felt like I was catching a groove on my running. Felt good most runs and was actually posting some faster times. Then last week, I got some sort of stomach virus along with a 102 degree temperature and since then I have been struggling mightily. Rode a somewhat hilly (at least for my area) 32 mile loop and STRUGGLED! Legs felt like they were never there and even though we only rode for about 1.5 hours, I had crazy amounts of salt build up all over my face and body. I also was wiped out later that night as well as today. Not normal:( Hope it is temporary...New Orleans is only about 8 weeks away.

Now to the review. I received a pair of Saucony Pro Grid Paramount 2's as part of Team Trakkers. Before these shoes, I had been using Asic Nimbus for all of last year, including Ironman Louisville. They HAD been my favorite shoes. The Paramount 2's have now surpassed the Nimbus on my shoe scale. It feels light while still providing plenty of stability. The way the shoe is constructed, it almost forces a very efficient heel to forefoot transfer. I haven't even been using my custom sole inserts. Without having any engineering prowess, it almost is as if the shoe cups your heel with support, while giving the front part of your foot the freedom to relax. Hopes this makes since:) The shoe also comes with what the saucony.com website describes as comforttemp, which regulates the temperature of the shoe. In other words, it keeps your foot warm during the cold runs and cool during the hot runs. The upper par if the shoe is mesh while the insert has a few small holes in it to regulate temperature and provide some air flow. All of this and the shoe looks good too! Great job Saucony! You have converted me from my previous brand loyalty. I say this not because they are a sponsor, but as someone that will pay full price for their product in the future.

In the coming week, I will also be reviewing the First Endurance multi vitamin and my Tri-Swim products. Stay tuned......

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Training and goodies!

First things first....the training is going well. I am about t-minus 12 weeks until Ironman 70.3 New Orleans. This won't be my a race this year, so I am not amping up the training like I will for Cedar Point in September. Right now and am on the trainer about 4 times a week (45-60 minutes at a time), running about 3 times a week, and swimming once a week (looking to ramp that up to 2-3 times a week once I get to the 8 week mark). On the weekends, when weather allows, I try to get in 1 longer bike and 1 longer run. So all in all, I feel like I am right on track.

Now to the goodies! As part of Team Trakkers, I have the opportunity to try out products from various sponsors. Two of the products I just received are some Saucony running shoes and a multi vitamin and Optygen HP from First Endurance.

The Saucony's are the Pro Grid Paramount 2s. I just received them today and my initial impression is the look and feel great. I will be testing them out shortly and by the time I write my next blog, I will have some additional feedback. Out of the box, the seem very comparable to my previous par of shoes which were Asic Nimbus. Without having any stats in front of me, they feel lighter on my foot. The Paramounts also seem like they provide a bit more support. For those that care, they also look "spiffy". They are mainly white with some blue and black accent. More on the performance to come. Check them out at www.Saucony.com!

The second product I just received is a multi vitamin from First Endurance. I don't normally train via times or stats, so any feedback I provide in the future will be based on how I feel during training and races. I am hoping to see the training to become easier at the same perceived exertion level as I have been training. Go to www.firstendurance.com and check them out. Lots of good testimonials from some high level athletes (Team Astana and Team HTC just to name a couple). I also received some of their Optygen HP which I will be trying in the near future. This product is supposed to increase your oxygen intake which increases performance. Once I start it I will also be updating for this product.

I am looking forward to trying the products and seeing what improvements they will provide. Off to the trainer! Have fun and train safe.

Josh

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Back in the saddle again...

I am sooooo ready for this weekend. Warmer weather means no more gym spinning bikes and no more treadmills. My new mountain bike is coming in this week, so I will be hitting the trails for some biking and running. On the training front, I am starting to get in the groove for Ironman 70.3 New Orleans. This week, yes it is last minute, I decided to change my training schedule up. Instead of 3 days of swimming a week, I am going to try out 1 long swim a week. I am just ok on the swimming front, but decided that I would be better served working on my biking and running during that allotted time. I'll let you know how it goes. I figured we are talking about the difference in 5 or so minutes during the swim vs. better shape on the bike and run. Anyone else try this out before?

On the sponsor front, I am looking forward to trying out Tri-swim, 1st Endurance and Saucony in the near future. Specifically I am looking to try the Tri-swim shampoo and conditioner to keep the chlorine from eating my hair, the 1st Endurance Optygen HP, and the Saucony Progrid Paramont 2's. If you have a chance, go check all these guys out. I also received some pretty sweet Trakkers GPS hats and visors by Headsweats today. Thanks Trakkers! Hope everyone has a great rest of the week....peace and hair grease!

Monday, January 4, 2010

Baby it's cold outside!

So the idea of doing an April 70.3 race in New Orleans is starting to seem like a bad idea. Coming off my first Ironman in August and the recent holidays, my motivation was already lacking. Add to that my disdain for running and biking indoors, and you can start to see my issues. It was 15 degrees yesterday when I ran. I realize some of you have colder weather, but in Memphis, that is COLD! Road biking is out of the question and even mountain biking is questionable at best. So, needless to say, I need to get with the program. 15 weeks to go, so enough of this whining.

Did everyone have a great Christmas? Santa was good at my house. New bike computer, new cycling shoes, and a new Mountain bike (as soon as I decide which one want). Now I am looking forward to trying out some of my sponsors great gear. I look forward to trying out Tri swim, Saucony, and 1st Endurance!

Happy training to everyone and I am making it a New Year's resolution to post here more often. Talk to you soon!