This week has seen me doing a fair amount of travel for a client. I travel a fair amount for work and have racked up my share of airline miles, but I don’t travel nearly as much as others. With my whole family on the east coast and a race schedule that has me on a jet at least annually, there are a few tips to travel that I thought I would pass along– and hopefully get some thoughts flowing.
Year: 2014
Review: The Well-Built Triathlete (Matt Dixon)
If the name Matt Dixon isn’t familiar to you, it probably should be. He’s an exercise physiologist and coach in the bay area. In addition to having an impressive race resume from his younger days (two time Olympic trials finalist, NCAA D1 swimmer, and a win at Vineman 70.3), he’s probably best known for founding and leading purplepatch fitness, which has led to over 150 professional Ironman and half-Ironman championships and podium finishes (including 50 wins). His success is the result of combining and balancing four key elements– endurance, nutrition, recovery, and strength. Get the balance right and athlete’s enter a “purple patch” in which their true performance potential comes shining through. This is the book to help you get there too.
Review: Garmin Virb
I’ve been having some fun with the Garmin Virb that I bought to liven up this blog. It’s been a fun week or so playing with it. This review isn’t really intended as a full product review. For that, I refer my dear readers to DC Rainmaker’s review of the Garmin Virb and Virb Elite. He does a far better job at explaining products and thoroughly testing them than I ever could. This review is intended as a supplement– my thoughts about how I can see using the Virb day-to-day and what I like and don’t like.
Race Report: WA State Time Trial Championship (40-K)
Today, Mary and I were down in Tenino, Washington to race the Washington State TT Championship. This is a great event hosted by South Sound Velo. This is the fourth(?) time that I’ve done this race. For Mary, it was her first time trial. My goal was to come under an hour (I rode it in 58:59) and Mary’s goal was to break 20mph (and she rode 20.6 mph), so all in all, it was a great day. Here is a quick pdf of the overall results. My time was good for 8th position out of 19 in my M40-49, Category 4-5 age group. Middle of the pack– exactly where I expected to be.
Thinking Twice About My Next Hokas
One of the blogs that I love to follow is The Gait Guys. To really dig into their content, you really have to be comfortable with distinguishing the sagital, transverse, and frontal planes, know your flexor hallucis brevis vs your flexor hallucis longus muscles, and a whole lot of other technical stuff. Recently they posted their thoughts on Hoka One One running shoes and other “maximalist” running shoes. Bottom line: think twice before you buy them. Here’s the simplified explanation about why.
We’re on Facebook!
Woot! We’ve just connected up our new Facebook page (pretty sparse for the moment) with our blog site. Wow, for reasons beyond the scope of this post, that took a huge leap of faith– c’mon WordPress and Facebook, that could have been a lot easier and transparent!
Review: Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot
This is a quick review of John Parker’s book, Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot (3d ed. 2009). If the name John Parker sounds familiar to you, it should. He wrote what is perhaps the best novel book on running, Once a Runner. Turns out that Mr. Parker is a pretty good coach too. Here are the key takeaways from my quick read of this great book. Continue reading
To My Friends Racing USAT Nationals in Milwaukee This Weekend
I’m not a triathlete because I have a cat-like aversion to water. Really. If I dip my foot in water, I instantly pull it out and shake it just like my cat. So I haven’t ever been to USAT Nationals for Triathlon. BUT I have been to USAT Nationals for Duathlon a bunch of times. Here’s my advice to Nationals newbies out there– two secret items that all USAT veterans KNOW that they need to pick up.
A Real Pain in the Butt: Hamstring Tendinitis, GHR Raises, and Free Speed on the Bike
2014 has not been a good year for hamstring tendons. So far, I’ve counted three friends (all within a few months of my age) who have gotten bitten by upper hamstring tendinitis. Mind you, I’m an old guy– I don’t have that many friends. When three of them suddenly get hamstring tendon problems, I call that an epidemic. Fortunately or unfortunately, I know something about this injury — I got hit by it hard about 5-6 years ago, figured it out, and fixed it. I’ve also figured out some ways to turn a disadvantage into a way to get faster. Although I may regret it when former victims of this problem start beating me in races, sharing my thoughts on it is probably for the greater good.
Philip Skiba: The Best Triathlon Coach You May Never Have Heard Of
Years and year ago, Coach Tom (one of my former coaches) recommended that I pick up a copy of Philip Skiba’s Scientific Training for Triathletes. Coach Tom described the book as, “the best book on triathlete training that I have ever read.” Coach Tom is not one for hyperbole so I ordered the book immediately by express mail. Continue reading
The Athletic Time Machine 
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