The giveaway celebration of Healthbolt.net breaking into technorati’s top 2000 isn’t over. I’m giving an Ironman Triathlon 30-lap watch away, because I wear one and it’s the best watch I’ve ever owned.
I’ll be drawing a winner in the next few hours. Post any comment in the original thread before it’s all over. There’s only fourteen entries so far, so those are good odds!

There’s a certain training method for starting tri swim that’s always been dear to my heart…
But if you want some real tips, TriSwimCoach.com (who’d have thought?) comes through with this helpful list:

Expect the worst. Go into the event expecting that the start will not be easy. Know that you will bump into people, others will bump into you, but 99% of the time it is all by accident. Also know that the chaos at the beginning will not last for the entire swim, it will break up quickly as different speed swimmers separate.
Prepare. Learn the course before the gun goes …read more

Spank, is a Monkeroo* that lives with Shandra and Clint Chapman and will be sharing his observations in his column, Spank On…. (musings that will make your triathlon life easier)

Trying The Triathlon…
After just over a year in the sport, Spank is very confident that through his own triathlon experience he has amassed several golden nuggets of wisdom that, in all fairness, should be imparted to the rest of the world. In ALL fairness to the rest of the world, we should note here that, as yet, there is still no official coaching certification course offered for Monkeroos.
This article is …read more

I had the privilege of racing on the Columbia Multisport Club’s Team (we won) last year at the National Triathlon Team Championship in Las Vegas. One of the racers on our team who was way ahead of me was Amy Livesay. 10 years ago, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease. She’s been destroying the competition ever since.
She’s a really supportive team member and was an inspiration to my wife and me as we competed in the event in Las Vegas, this fall. I didn’t even know about the Hodgkin’s at the time because she never mentioned it, she just talked …read more

1) Bring something to put on after the race. It’s tough to look cool in spandex shorts when you’re not busting your ass on a bike and even then, it’s pretty tough.
2) Pre-rolled socks are easier to slip onto wet feet.
3) Ear plugs are your friend in 65 degree water. Cold water in your ear messes with your equilibrium. Plus water sloshing around in your head is one more distraction you don’t need.
4) Tamales are bad pre-race food. I should’ve taken my own advice. It wasn’t a disaster or anything (it could have been) but it wasn’t pleasant, either.
5) If …read more

There was only one post yesterday, because I was busy in or around Las Vegas, Nevada this weekend. I went there to participate in my first triathlon. I was participatiing as a member of Columbia Missouri’s Columbia Multisport Club.
For the un-initiated a triathlon is a race that inlcudes a swim, a bicycle ride and a run all in the quickest succession possible. This race was called The Pumpkinman, and it offered two courses for competitors:
Long (aka Olympic/International): 1.5k swim/ 40k bike/ 10k run
Short (aka Sprint): .75k swim/ 20k bike/ 5k run
Transition times from one activity to the next hover between …read more

No posts today. I was busy in Las Vegas, Nevada helping Columbia Multisport Club win the National Triathlon Club Championships! I was part of a team that beat out L.A.’s tri club and Phoenix’s to claim the title of national champions on an absolutely brutal course. It was also my first triathlon.
My flight just got in and I’m beat; more on this and a return to regular posting tomorrow…

As humans we all have certain small periods of time (I’m talking hours, here) in our lives that are more demanding of our minds and body: ourselves as a whole. These situations are different in everyone’s lives, depending on an enormous variety of factors, but they include such things as job interviews, triathlons, first dates, combat situations, college/professional school entrance and exit exams or public speaking/performance situations.
Whether you’re a soldier, an entertainer or the world’s greatest mom you will have periods of time in your life that you may see as much more critical in the grand scheme of things …read more

Snacking in between meals is a great way to promote cavaties (and extra pounds), but it’s unavoidable for people who exercise or just play hard. If you’re doing any intense physical activity for longer than 30 minutes, you probably need to eat or drink something besides just water. Whether this is a sports drink or a power gel it’s going to be hard on your teeth.
IRONMAN.com has a great write up by two-time Ironman Champ DR. Tom Evans on how to take care of your teeth while you train.
Lots of these tips are helpful for couch snackers as well… Hey, …read more

I got this email from my dad this morning and it definitely touched me. Make sure you check out the video at the end. What a truly awesome story.
Rick Reilly for Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated Issue date: June 20, 2005, p. 88

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.
But compared with Dick Hoyt, I’m lousy.
Eighty-five times he’s pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he’s not …read more