The anti-aging picture process

Bri and I compete in a lot of running races and triathlons, as most of you reading this already know. One of the many things we get a kick out of is checking out the race pictures after. They can be good or bad and sometimes you get a doozy.

At the Gasparilla 15k a couple weeks ago, I went into the race after riding and swimming a ton in the previous few days. So not at the top of my game. Here is pic #1:



I dunno about you, but if you ever see me looking much worse than this, call a doctor. Gravity and time are having their laughs.

A bit later on I am looking slightly more lively:



As we approach the finish line, the idea that I'll soon be done fills me with great joy, which also apparently makes me younger- and happier- looking:



And at the finish:



Super geeked-out for sure, but I don't appear quite as dead on my feet!

The point of this blog post is simply to fill your vacuum of boredom at work today.

pictures from training camp 2010

A few pictures from our winter training camp 2010 in Treasure Island/St Pete:

one sided vs bilateral breathing in freestyle

I have posted a new short article on one-sided or bilateral breathing.

florida travels

Been visiting family and friends the last couple of days. Spent some time with my sister Anna and my niece Cate on Monday and Tuesday, visited my sister / brother in laws on Tuesday, and about to go back to St Pete to pick up Bri at the airport tonight. The weather here has been less than pleasant, sunny but windy and cold. Still running and swimming. Planning on the Belleair Classic 5k on Saturday morning and swimming and riding with Bri tomorrow (Friday). On Sunday we will head home, hope to catch up a bit with my mother and sister again. March and April will both be busy months. Time flies. I would post pictures but am not smart enough to hook the camera up to my mac laptop. See you somewhere!

Florida camp update

We have been having a nice time here on Treasure Island. The weather has been on the cool side but all in all very pleasant. This morning we all ran in the Gasparilla 15k (except for Bri who wisely chose the 5k). Afterwards we had a big breakfast at Dave's restaurant and then swam 3,000 to 4,000 at Northshore pool. Tomorrow we have a 50 mile ride and a short run to wrap things up. My camp stats so far:

Tuesday - 40 mile ride, 45 minute (5m) run, swim 3,000
Wednesday - 30 mile ride, swim 3,200, 8 mile cross town run
Thursday - swim 5,000, 40 mile ride, 20 minute run (2.5), swim 2,000
Friday - ride 40, open water swim 40 minutes (2500)
Saturday - run 11 (Gasparilla 15k), swim 4,200

total: run 26.5m, ride 150m, swim 19,500 yards.

I'll post a few pics when I have a bit more free time.

Chilly Willy Duathlon

I wrote up a Chilly Willy du race report for the TAF running team blog.

busy times

The past few days have been jam packed with exciting new things people and places. I prepared for and then presented a Powerstroke clinic in Fort Myers for the Island Coast Triathlon club on Saturday morning. That went well and it was nice to meet some new triathletes. On Saturday night I met my mother in law and her fella out for dinner at Jorge's seafood grill in Clearwater. Try the Amberjack, it was good and you don't see Amberjack on the menu too often.

On Sunday I dragged myself out of bed and headed over to Fort Desoto to race in the 6th annual Chilly Willy Duathlon. This is a relatively low key event but it has grown into one of the largest duathlons (if not the largest) in the United States. Fort Desoto is a nice place and the mid-west coast of Florida has a ton of triathletes and runners. They like to get their groove on early in the season. I was pleased with nearly even 5k running splits and a solid bike split on a borrowed bike. Finished 13th overall and 2nd in my age group.

This week will be spent burning DVDs for the past clinic, and preparing for one more Powerstroke clinic this weekend here in Cary. I am debating running a local 5k on Saturday morning but I may opt for a long easy run in the park and then a good breakfast somewhere.

On Sunday I take off for Florida yet again, and our winter training camp starts Tuesday morning. We are all looking forward to a few days on the beach in FL. I am going to hope it warms up slightly as this winter has been quite brutal here in NC as well as for most of the east coast states.

Not much TV or reading lately. I will be blogging only sporadically for the next 3 weeks. Let's all pray for springtime, world peace, financial stability, and a few miracles in Haiti.