Miscellaneous Things

I know I owe you all Part 2 of my First Tri ever, but I haven't had time to tell the story.  But there are other things going on that I thought I should at least point out:

 
1.  Tomorrow is the Whole Foods Pasadena Reverse Sprint Triathlon and Fun 5K at the Rose Bowl, my old stomping grounds - This will be my first sprint tri which is very short and in reverse order:  3.1 mi. run, 9.3 mi. mash session on the bike, and 150 yd swim.  The run and bike are laps around the Rose Bowl.  Though I won't likely run the 3.1 faster than a 7:30 pace, I'm very cocky about tomorrow...meaning that I'm not respecting the tri again.  I'm mostly cocky about the bike ride. My aggressive goal is to finish the entire race right at 59 min. including transition time, but this is dependent on the types of inclines there are on the bike portion. So we'll see how I report back. 

2.  Sunday is the LA Marathon.  I heard a good 6 months ago that it's a slower and more crowded marathon so I didn't consider signing up back when I was thinking of running a marathon.  Then I made all kinds of acquaintances (@bemadthen, @runwicked, @chicrunner, and others) on Twitter and Daily Mile who are running in it, hooking up at the pre-race Expo, post-partying, etc. that I regret not signing up.  So, I'm considering heading to Santa Monica to watch the finish line and cheer people who I may not recognize simply because they're part of my Twitter/DM universe.  I think this makes me officially a race geek.  The draw there is that there is a post-party involving the beach, volleyball, beer and brats, and what have been touted and posted as the best s'mores in the universe (actual picture, above right...is that caramel?).  Tough to pass a perfect weather day up like that while getting to meet some of my daily fellow fitness nuts in person (this entire experience of "tweeting up" has brought socializing and networking to a brand new level, which I'm sure I'll talk about some other time.

 3.  A new friend from my FB-OC Tri Social group and future triathlete (she's a runner only for now), Sydney, has her own blog focused on running.  I stumbled on it and like the recent content.  Sydney provided a Cliff's Notes version of the movie Food, Inc. which you should read and then followed it up with some useful tips about finding in-season produce (one of the solutions in the movie).  So get over there, read it and follow her.  http://www.shutupandrunwithit.com/ (her blog name is cooler than mine...).  Yes, I will probably plagiarize her synopsis over here (she gave me permission though), but who knows when that will happen so get on it so you can change the way you shop and make sure you only buy produce during their true seasons.

                                                    I have no idea who these people are

4.  I'm excited about my 2010 race season.  I've never had a race season before, and now it's full of mud runs, marathons, cycling tours, and triathlons.  Check it at http://www.dailymile.com/people/Snowsurfer.  Then set up your own skedj.  It's a great way to get you out there more often and if you're on Daily Mile, it tells you how many days until your next race which will remind you that you're supposed to have a weekly training plan (Doh!).

5.  March Madness is upon us.  This collegiate basketball tourney is THE BEST PLAYOFF CONTEST in all of sports and I look forward to it and following my bracket every year.  Sadly, perennial team of awesomeness UCLA did not make the tourney.  But they'll be back next year because Ben Howland is an awesome coach.

The weekend is nearly upon us and the weather is too perfect not to get your butts out there all weekend and enjoy the fresh air.  Whether your training or "cross" training, get out there and enjoy the sun! 


Let's test the Comment section out:  Tell me what you're doing this weekend to enjoy the sun.


Happy Training,


Bill