Next Tri This Weekend!

Well after much wrangling with my online registration, I am officially registered for the Tri for Your Cause semi-sprint event in Boulder this weekend. Tri for Your Cause is a great event because you get to fund raise money for your registration fee and then get to choose which organization gets the funds, hence "Your Cause." Naturally I am supporting the National MS Society and couldn't be more excited, though I spent more time on hold with active.com trying to get my registration figured out than I will competing in the actual event. If anyone is also doing this event, drop me a line and let's meet up in the beer tent afterwards...

The race is pretty short, and will serve as another tune-up for all the little things that you can only do in a race setting, namely: transitions, nerves, and racing in the crowd. With 500 entrants, I will be able to get more than my fair share of the latter! This will be my biggest race (as far as participants go) ever, so I'm sure the energy and chaos will be very high...

The race starts with a 500 meter open water swim, and I am very excited to try out my new wetsuit. Thanks to F2R for hooking it up and I will post a full review of the wetsuit next week. The bike is 17 miles of rollings hills around Boulder, and should be pretty similar to the course I rode in the same event 2 years ago. I am still going to try and ride the course the day before as a warm up and pysch up. For whatever reason, I have this obsessive need to have every second of every facet of the race planned out in my head in order to feel confindent and relaxed. I don't like having to guess or plan for the unknown. Kind of curious, especially since this feeling of "reacting in the moment" is what I strive for when I play music. The run is a straightforward 5K that is 100% flat on gravel, so definitely no surprises there.

A few great links I've come across recently:

-Tips for a mass swim start. Since this will be my first mass, open-water swim start in a couple years, this should come in handy. Namely, prepare and train for being in oxygen debt for the first 50 yards or so and then be able to regain a normal pace.

-Denver is getting some more bike lanes!

-Happiness is stillness is God-like. Not sure if it's possible to find stillness in a triathlon, but to achieve a more still state of mind surely has to be of help. Your event is a river and you are a drop flowing along...

Thanks for checking in and be sure to check out Amanda's food blog, which is taking shape quite nicely. Some great nutritious and delicious stuff going on over there!

'Til Next Time,
BJ

Making my life slightly less masochistic, 4 steps at a time:

Step One:

Remove wedding band.



I know you're thinking, "In what way does removing my wedding band make my life ANY less masochistic?!?!" Well, I have a loving, amazing, understanding wife and it's really for the greater good. I had been having some numbness in my left foot during longer rides and remembered reading this article on one of my favorite websites, Pro Cycling's Garmin-Slipstream. Tried it out for the first time a few weeks ago. I wear my wedding band on a custom leather lanyard...
...works like a charm, numbness gone!

I'll let you decide whether the solution is physiological or psychological...

Step Two:

Don't mangle oneself while biking...

Step Three:

If I do get mangled by a genius in a 4 wheeled vehicle, or any other such mangling device, I now carry with me my health insurance card. I know this seems pretty obvious, and I was as about as smart as "that guy who wears both headphones cranked while biking on a busy street during rush hour" for not having it before, but I keep it in my bike jersey now and I think we're all the better for it...

Step Four:

Peanut Butter Jelly Time! I have started carrying a half PBJ w/ honey on my longer rides to save money on gels and bars, and to great effect. The honey and jelly are great for a quick boost of energy, the bread keeps me from crashing and the peanut butter gives a little protein boost. I think the fact that it's real food as opposed to some "goo in a pouch" goes a long way too as my body seems to react to it a lot better. And yes, this item existed just to justify running the link above...


'Til next time,
BJ

Thoughts for the week

I followed the return of Lance Armstrong to competition with great interest the past week at the Tour of Gila. He really seems to be doing this comeback thing the right way - using his clout and fame to push his foundation around the world but still putting his training and team first. Good stuff, Lance. He is a twitter junkie, so maybe we can get a shoutout sometime from him to help me promote my efforts raising money for MS research...

A few other links worth sharing:

-Something I live by in my training and we can all get on board with: Training on a Budget!
It's very easy to fall into the trap of "more money spent on equipment and training = greater results" when really it's just an excuse to buy more toys. I pay $12 a month for the local rec center which includes an indoor pool and which supports my community a lot better than any 24 hour fitness-type place would.

-finally starting to work some good climbing into my training. Nice climb and a hell of a descent coming back!

-Congrats to friend Steph for completing the Colorado Marathon in Ft. Collins. Truly an inspiration...I'm still bitter that New Belgium isn't open for tours on Sundays though...

-check out my new music project: Funky Acoustic Duo

A reminder to follow me in tweetville

'Til next time...
BJ

All the little things
that all the people see
as they're going through their lives
on real and borrowed time.

If you take the time
in the course of your life
look and you will see
what I mean by little things.

-from new song "Little Things"