EverymanTri.com

Live long and Prosper

In my first career as the manager of a family restaurant in the Chicago suburbs, I had the occasion to host a 100th B-Day party for a octogenarian who didn't look to be a day over 70.

He was a spry and sharp as any senior citizen I have ever met.

We spoke a bit and he confided in me that he was now living with his daughter's daughter.

She herself was well into her sixties.

In fact he went on to tell me that he had outlived all of his family including all of his children.

So when it was time to sing Happy Birthday, I stood up and made a toast in front of the entire restaurant to this man who had seen a 100 years of life unfold before his very wise eyes.

After the song I bent over and whispered a question into his ear.

I asked "What's the secret to your longevity?"

Without blinking and much thought he immediately responded in a very gruff voice, "I drink, I smoke, but I don't eat butter."

So there you have it. The secret to a long life from somebody who should know.

I bring up this story which I may have told on this site before because of two reasons.

1) I've been posting (often daily) on my Blog for over three years now about triathlon and frankly I'm running out of interesting things to say. I have never been one overstay my welcome so that means I have two obvious choices. I can either leave (call it quits) or I can expand my writing world.

I hope you'll stick with me and don't find it too self indulgent if write about matters beyond the confines of triathlon.

Besides, if you really want a triathlon reading fix I now have two well selling books out that you can purchase signed on my blog or get at a substantial discount on Amazon HERE (for my first book) and HERE for my new book "No, Seriously, My Training Starts Tomorrow"

2) My second second reason to retell this story is that for the rest of the year I'll be spending a bit more time and effort over at www.BFitBDay.com

This new endurance community is rapidly growing and I'm certain that by the end of the week, we'll be up to 100 athletes taking up the Challenge.

It helps that recently I've been lucky enough to announced some great news.

Just in time for the summer racing season, the new raceAthlete team sponsor Rudy Project (www.e-rudy.com) has kindly offered substantial online team discounts on their terrific sunglasses, bike helmets, Time Trial Bike Helmets, and even ski goggles to anybody who takes up the raceAthlete B-Fit B-Day Challenge...or to anybody who helps support athletes taking up the Challenge.

FYI: Unlike regular races, the B-Fit B-Day Challenge is completely free and open to anybody who wants to swim, run, and bike their B-Day.

No entry fees needed or wanted!

All you need is a Birthday and the willingness to challenge yourself by going for the Bronze, Silver or Gold Challenge or...the willingness to help support other athletes going for the Challenge.

It is that simple.

Please note that if you have already joined B-Fit B-Day (www.BFitBday.com), you'll be getting an email soon with the team discount code.

So that brings me back to my octogenarian friend all those years ago.

As you may know the B-fit Challenge is to swim, bike and run your age.

You take your age and:

1) Swim the number of miles in the first number,
2) Run the number of miles in the second number,
3) Bike the number of miles in the combined number.

So here's my question to you, what do we do with a 100-old-athlete who wants to take the challenge?

I'm thinking:

Swim: 1 mile
Bike: 0
Run: 0

After all it is the 100th B-Day and that's got to be the most special of them all.

But perhaps you have a better suggestion???

Your Ticket to Kona awaits

Is your life's ambition to race at the Ironman World Championships in Kona?

If so I have great news for you.

I have your assured ticket to race your dream.

Forget about the Kona "Passport" lottery.

They don't publish your odds which can only mean your chances of getting in through the lottery are about as certain as the chances of a goat on ice standing still.

But with just about 50 days left until the inaugural Ironman China, the news is pretty good for all of you Kona types.

So far only 250 athletes are registered for the race which has a full compliment of 50 Kona Slots.

Take a look at the official registration doc Download IMCRegistrants_2.16.08.xls.pdf

So statistically you would think that would mean that if you race and finish IM China you have a 1 in 5 chance of getting a Kona slot.

But it really depends on your age group.

Looking over the current athletes, the news looks especially good for any women who want a Kona slot.

Plus, I bet that for some of the smaller age groups you are virtually assured a slot just by finishing the race.

This same thing happened in Malaysia a few years ago when anyone who simply finished the race got a Kona slot

So for all of you who have dreamed of gong to China and racing Kona...what are you waiting for?

Go register and live the dream.

And remember that you'll need to get a visa to go to China and that takes about two weeks.

Tick Tick Tock!

World's Hardest Sports

Recently ESPN used a series of scientific criteria to rank the world's hardest sports.

These ranking criteria included:

"ENDURANCE: The ability to continue to perform a skill or action for long periods of time. Example: Lance Armstrong

STRENGTH: The ability to produce force. Example: NFL linebackers.

POWER: The ability to produce strength in the shortest possible time. Example: Barry Bonds.

SPEED: The ability to move quickly. Example: Marion Jones, Maurice Green."

I fear that triathlon didn't even make the list as a difficult sport.

In fact, being a Strongman also failed to make the grade.

Now to me pulling a train seems pretty darn hard no matter how you measure it, but the fine folks at ESPN didn't even rate the sport.

I'm happy to report that swimming, badminton, and even fishing are ranked among the easiest sports.

I do believe that the fine editors at ESPN have never attempted to set up one of those Walmart backyard badminton nets with about 15 eager 10-year-old B-Day party rug rats running around whooping it up all too ready to play.

Because if they had, they surely would have voted badminton among the hardest endurance sports on their list.

What is the hardest sport according to ESPN.

Click HERE to find out.

The New Speedo LZR Racer Suite

This clip really makes you wonder if these great swimmers should have spent a few less hours in the pool and a few more in the classroom.

Here's the serious video about the new Speedo LZR Racer suite:

Let Levi Ride...Why?

I'm probably on the wrong side of this controversy because I'm about to do the most unAmerican thing possible...side with the French.

Never mind that without the French, we'd most likely still be singing, "God Save the Queen" It was the French after all who supported and sided with the rebels during the American revolution.Including that most famous of all rebels, George Washington.

So now almost thirty thousand people have signed an online petition at www.letleviride.com to allow team Astana to ride in the Tour de France this year.

You may recall that during last year's TDF team Astana's leader, Alexander Vinokourov, was caught cheating after he won the time trial and the entire team was forced to leave the tour in disgrace.

Feel free to read about it HERE.

Like almost every pro athlete who gets caught with his hand in the doping jar he denied he ever cheated, but eventual he was forced to retire and fade into the steroid using past.

As a product of the old Russian and East German cycling system it should have come as no surprise to anyone that he would be caught cheating.

So fast forward to today. The petition to let Astana back into the tour this year states:

"There can be no comparison between the Astana team of 2007 and the new Astana. The entire organizational structure has been rebuilt under the direction of the team’s new General Manager, Johan Bruyneel, who has thoroughly cleaned house. What’s more, Astana has adopted the rigorous doping controls developed by anti-doping expert Dr. Rasmus Damsgaard, and Astana now spends more money on anti-doping controls than any other team in the pro peloton."

In my opinion the controversy really comes down to the classic tension between what the pros(riders) want and what the sport needs.

And yes of course, the fans want to see a great American rider take on the world this summer.

But cycling, one of the most drug ridden (sorry about the bad pun) sports in all of history needs to make a clean break from its past if it is to remain a great sport.

A price has to be paid.

Lines have to be drawn.

Hard decisions need to be made, and most importantly promises need to be kept.

If team Astana is allowed to ride in the TDF it will loudly say to the world that the powers that be just gave a very stern slap on the wrist to the riders, and now we're back to business as usual.

Sorry Levi but I can't sign the petition. Out of all the bike teams you seemed to have signed on with the one wrong one.

Were you not aware of what happened to them last year?

Are you not aware of how little trust and credibility remains for your sport to spend?

In fact you seem to forget that you have used up all of your trust and credibility with this fan, as well as many other fans around the world.

Instead of spending time and money trying to get back into the TDF this year, why not take your lumps?

Don't just say you've cleaned up on a web site, but really prove it to us by racing and testing and staying clean for a year! And then come back in 2009 and win the tour as the clean team you claim to have created.

Now that would be something I would dearly love to support.

I don't think that's too much to ask, especially after decades of a sport that spent much of the fans goodwill cheating.

And worse yet when caught, lying to cover up the sports rampant drug abuse by its biggest stars.

For some that may be in the distant past, but for me that past was just a few short months ago.

My New Favorite TV Show

Only British Television could creating a new realty hit nutrition show with a focus on farting, belching, and yes... even a scientific examination of pooh.

In the BBC America show, "You are what you eat" the show's host, Dr. Gillian Mckeith, takes pooh samples from your average fish and chip eating overweight Brit to analyze in the lab.

Her conclusion: British pooh has gone the way of the empire; no longer proud and smell free it is now more akin to its American cousin.

Dr. Mckeith also logs everything her unsuspecting fatty clients eats in a week, and puts it on display for them in their living room.

Check out a couple of typical clips from the show below:

The No Ass Challenge

As you can probably guess, I've been doing a lot of thinking about athletic Challenges lately.

Recently Brian Stover, a USAT certified triathlon coach posted this challenge on Slowtwitch.com under the heading:

So you want a challenge? - Half assed or Full on Ass? You choose. Alternate title: Do it right or wasting your time.

"Challenges are great for things like raising money, climbing to the top of a summit of some really tall mountain, hiking a 40 mile trail in under 20hrs. Challenges are not great for you tri training at the end of your season. It's like eating the turkey then trying to make a turkey sandwich. Where is the meat? You can't make a sandwich with just two pieces of bread. It's just bread and mustard, there is no sand in your wich.

If you really want a challenge, I have one for you. One that will make you a better triathlete runner. One that will increase your running fitness and cause you to strike fear into the hearts of your fellow competitors. Starting NOW, I challenge you to really make a difference in your ability to race a triathlon.

My challenge is for you to run 200 miles per month, every month for the next four months. You must run at least 200 per month and you must get your long run up to 2hrs by the end of month 2 and 2:30 by the end of month 4. You must run at least one other run every week at least 60min in length and your average duration can not be below 25min run. You must swim and ride a total of 4X per week and the length of these is not really important. (in other words don't be a dummy and go ride 2x100mile per week or swim 2x9000 The goal is to raise your running to a new fitness level.

If you want a challenge that will make you faster and fitter and carry over into your triathlon season making you a better racer this is it. If you want to challenge yourself in a half ass way that will not then this is not for you.

For those of you who will take the half assed challenges, may this thread run through your head as you read and watch the calfs of your fellow AG competitors run away from you. For those of you who will take the Full Ass Challenge, you better learn to count b/c you are going to run out of fingers counting the people you run past."

If I can get my math straight 200 miles a month, would mean 50 miles a week, or just over 7 miles a day each day, everyday for four months.

That's a lot of running. Stover's stated goal is to raise your running "to a new fitness level" so that you don't have to "watch the calfs of your fellow AG competitors run away from you," and so that your running will "strike fear into the hearts of your fellow competitors."

My gut reaction to the Challenge is that if you run 7 plus miles a day for the next four months, or to be fair to Stover and his advice, you run longer on the weekends and shorter during the week, the only calfs/legs you'll have to worry about are your own as more likely than not, you'll be hobbled by one of the hundreds of potential running injuries before the end of the first month.

But what really got me thinking was the rational behind the challenge. That being to dust your competitors, or as Stover puts it, "you better learn to count b/c you are going to run out of fingers counting the people you run past."

It was exactly this kind of rational that created the B-Fit B-Day Challenge. Or to be more precise my complete lack of enthusiasm for this type of race day bone crushing competition.

My goal in creating the Challenge was to come up with something that has all of the athletic appeal of a triathlon, but with a much more gentle and family friendly atmosphere.

In other words, where a race is highly competitive, stressful, punishing and very public.

You know...a race.

This B-Day B-Fit Challenge is personal, intimate, rewarding, and stress free.

Please note that transition don’t count in the challenge so athletes can choose how quickly or slowly to complete the challenge. Its not so much about how far or how fast you go or how many people you pass, but more of a celebration of your life, health, and fitness on your B-Day.

So I guess I've manged to create the No-Ass Challenge. But I'm good with that.

Very good in fact!

For the records (Guiness Records)

Can you guess who completed the most Ironman triathlon's in one year?

No?

Can you guess guess how many Ironman that person completed?

I'll give you a clue; that person set the record in 2004.

Still don't know?

OK, here's another clue.

Sports Quote of the Week

“He’s about as much an outdoorsman as Woody Allen,” said a longtime collaborator, Dr. O. H. Frazier of the Texas Heart Institute. “He can’t row.”

Frazier was referring to Dr. Jarvik recent rowing efforts in his Lipitor television commercials that you may have seen.

Click HERE to watch the commercial.

Dr. Robert Jarvik is best known for the artificial heart he pioneered more than a quarter-century ago. But since that time hos biggest claim to fame has been his work promoting Lipitor for Pfizer.

As it turns out, Dr. Jarvik, 61, does not actually row, nor does he even know how to row. The ad agency hired a stunt double for the sculling scenes, according to a recent story in the New York Times.

You know, come to think of it at my next race I could also use a stunt double.

Hmmmmm. Perhaps Andy Potts on the Swim, Norman Stadler on the Bike, and Alan Culpepper on the run?

Gentleman thanks for your help, and yes I can handle the awards ceremony all by myself.

Dead Last or DFL to be more exact

Well it shows goes to show that no matter how much I try, I pretty much stink at the aquatics sports.

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, I thought I had done better at this year's Boulder Pentathlon swim meet when I wrote this post, but as you can see I'm still dead last.

I suppose the silver lining to this very wet cloud is that I don't have to work too hard to see my results. No hunting and searching down the rows of times trying to figure out which one belongs to me.

No Sir...just follow the bottom line and you've got easy access to all of my mmmm stellar times.

New B-Fit B-Day Runner's Challenge

A Huge Congrats and Happy B-Day to:

Stronger
Guo-Liang Chew
Jack M
and
TriBoomer

who all successfully completed the Gold Challenge this past week!

You guys deserve a well earned pizza and/or cake..enjoy your special day.

***Popular Demand***
Because of popular demand we've added a new Runner's Challenge. The B-Fit B-Day Runner's Challenge is very straightforward:

Run Your B-Day Age:

So a 45-year-old runner would run 45 miles.

Go for Bronze (7days), Silver (3 days) or Gold (1 Day), the choice is yours.

***B-Day Countdown Widget***
We've added a Birthday Countdown to the home page. This widget lets you upload your photo and countdown to your Birthday.

Your can create it for your own B-Fit B-Day page, Blog or web site HERE.

***New Sponsors Premiums***
We'll soon be announcing a new competition and great new sponsor premiums for anybody who completes the B-Fit B-Day challenge in 2008.

Plus...We'll also be announcing great sponsor prize competition for the Sherpas who help make it possible for the birthday boy or girl to complete their challenge.

See the B-Fit B-Day web site for complete details.

Interesting Odds and Ends

From Cycling News:

"Marathon man' Boogerd

By Susan Westemeyer

Retired pro Michael Boogerd has changed his passion from cycling to running. "I am fanatical for running," he told the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. Boogerd is starting his running season with the City Pier City Loop, a half-marathon in Den Haag on March 15, to be followed by the Rotterdam marathon on April 13. His ultimate goal? "I want to run in the New York marathon this year."

He explained his new interest this way: "After my retirement as a cyclist, I needed a new goal. I mean, a cycling race isn't really a challenge for me any more, is it? For this reason, I am running. But I am not training as much as I did for cycling. It has to be fun."

Boogerd is following in the footsteps of other cyclists-turned-runners like Abraham Olano, Laurent Jalabert and Lance Armstrong. Does he think he can beat the seven-time Tour de France champion? "We will see, but I am not really aiming to become the best former cyclist. However, I know that Lance's fastest time in a marathon is about 2 hours and 47 minutes. As a matter of fact, he is not the fastest former cyclist in the marathon. That is Abraham Olano, with a time of 2.35. It will be hard to try and meet that time."

The Los Angeles Times has put together a terrific online Triathlon Supplement.

It includes a terrific Event Finder for all of you interested in racing in California this year.

Click HERE to check it out now.

B-Fit B-Day hits the ground running, and swimming, and biking!

This week team raceAthlete launched the B-Fit B-Day Challenge.

It took exactly one day before somebody completed the first challenge.

I want to congratulate Stronger and wish her a very happy B-Day!

You rock girl and good work!

Here's what she said about the challenge when I asked her if it was hard:

"Hard? Mostly the scheduling for me because of the kids. The run was a quick 20 degree snow packed run up and down the bike path. I decided to break the swim up: I haven't been in the water since Sept 1 and I couldn't schedule a full 2hrs of pool time around kids and work. Since I don't have a computer on the bike, but I have a good feel for speed/cadence, I decided 2 hours would cover 16mph=32miles. I threw in a little extra for good measure. I believe it was the enormous piece of cake fueling the ride."

Hmmm, the bike was not the most official way to time the distance...but since it was her B-Day, and she is the first one to go for it, we'll let it slide...this time ;-)

She went for the Gold Challenge and set the First Open Challenge Age-Group Record for 32-year-old women at:

Swim: 2:13:42
Bike: 2:06:08
Run: 16:23
Total 4:35

We have two more athletes celebrating their birthdays by going for Gold this weekend.

I invite to join us at www.BfitBday.com by setting up a user account and please come help support the athletes going for Gold this weekend (and I mean you TriBoomer).

We really are building a supportive community of endurance athletes, and we want you to be part of it.

The cost is zero, plus you'll have the chance at some pretty amazing sponsor premiums, and sponsorships for any athlete that completes the challenge as a B-Day present.

What are you waiting for? If not now, when?

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (part 3)

Something familiar,
Something peculiar,
Something for everyone:
A comedy tonight!

Something appealing,
Something appalling,
Something for everyone:
A comedy tonight!

Nothing with kings, nothing with crowns;
Bring on the lovers, liars and clowns!

Old situations,
New complications,
Nothing portentous or polite;
Tragedy tomorrow,
comedy tonight!

PS. Click on the highlighted words for a surprise.

the raceAthlete B-Fit B-Day Challenge: You're Invited

The raceAthlete B-Fit B-Day Challenge is a celebration of your life and
your health on your birthday.

Take your age and:
1) Swim the number of miles in the first number
2) Run the number of miles in the second number
3) Bike the number of miles in the combined number

So a 45-year-old athlete would:
1) Swim 4 miles
2) Run 5 miles
3) Bike 45 miles

The rA Challenge is a simple one. If you choose to accept the rA Challenge you must....

Bronze: Do all three (swim/bike/run) during the week of your Birthday.
Silver: Do all three (swim/bike/run) in the three days before, after, or during your Birthday.
Gold: Gold: Do all three (swim/bike/run) in 24-hours to celebrate your B-Day.

If you choose to accept the rA Challenge team raceAthlete will provide....

-- support, prizes, and a public way to track, record, and celebrate your results for completing the challenge inside or outside,
-- age group records for both inside and outside completion of any of the three challenges,
-- a caring community of endurance athletes to celebrate your birthday and your accomplishment.

Complete details, prizes and your invitation to join and to take rA B-fit B-Day Challenge are now available at raceAthlete.com or join the fun today at www.BFitBDay.com

Underwater no one can hear you scream

I have now gone to the same swim meet for four years, and I remember the painful details of each and every meet like four different root canals.

At my first swim meet I pretty much DQ'ed in every event.

Last year, my only goal was to swim the 5 events (50 fly, back, breast, free and 100 IM without being disqualified in any event.)

I did it!

I also came in last in my age group in every event, including freestyle..which, by the way as primarily a triathlete, I swim a lot.

So this weekend I came to race.

I was ready to rumble as they say.

My son and wife came to watch so the pressure was really on high.

Before I go on any further I have to say that I really, really, really hate swim meets.

I hate watching them, and I hate racing in them even more.

Why, you may rightly ask do I then watch them and race in them?

Why do you get a root canal?

Because you have no choice in the matter.

Let me explain.

My young son is a swimmer so I spend occasional weekends watching him race. Actually I spend occasional seconds watching him race.

I spend the weekend in a hot, humid, smelly, and noisy pool, sitting on a wet rock hard bench, listening to parents scream at the top of their lungs, all the while stuffing myself with crappy cold hot dogs, warm coke, and chocolate chips muffins in a futile attempt at putting myself out of my misery with a diet so poor that it is sure to bring on an immediate swim-meet-ending heart attack.

O yes indeed, I so long for the quiet and comfort of the ambulance.

Let me say this only once to all of you other parents in a similar situation.

Stop making it even worse!

As someone who has swim meet racing experience, all be it limited experience, it is impossible to hear anything but your breathing and heart beat while racing.

So to all of you screaming banshee parents who feel that somehow you can motivate the spawn of your loins to faster and faster race times by the sheer shrill screams of your voice I implore you to...KNOCK IT OFF!

The wee little shite CAN'T HEAR YOU!

But I can and your gut piercing screams reverberate from cement wall to cement wall giving me the Mother of all headaches. Which on top of the Mother of all stomach aches, makes a root canal seem like a short walk in a very sunny park.

But I digress.

Actually racing in a meet for me is not much better. The only peace and quiet I get is when I'm racing and my ears are submerged in the water and I can't hear the screaming. Now I know why Michael Phelps and other top swimmers are always seen at meets sporting an iPod. It is to get a bit of relief and sanity from all of the Helter-Skelter noise.

But unlike me, the pros are fast and they even win. The best I can hope for is to not sucking too much.

And unlike me, most athletes at a masters meet are actually masters of the sport. They have worked hard to develop their swim strokes. They have spent countless hours from the age of negative 1 in a pool swimming, and swimming, and swimming.

I have only spent a few years swimming and the subtle arts of the sport, such as flip turns and dive starts are as familiar to me as the side streets in a Chinese village.

That is to say I am completely and utterly ignorant of these strange ways. There is little to no need for a well executed, or come to think of it poorly executed, flip turn at your average triathlon...because I certainly have the poorly executed flip turn down cold.

So please don't take this as an backhanded insult Kip as I mean it with the most genuine of affection and gratitude.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for racing this weekend. Believe me I know your pain and your courage to come to such an event in the first place.

You see dear reader, I managed to beat Kip, and only Kip, in most of my races.

But that means I was not dead last in my age group like last year, and the year before, and the year before.

So I owe a huge debt of gratitude to you Kip...who ever you may be?

Thank you soooooo very much!

Because of you the meet did not suck, at least not so very much this year!

Please, please, please don't give up. One day I'm sure you'll have your own Kip.