Random Thoughts ...

• After yesterday's swim workout I officially entered taper for Ironman Mont-Tremblant which will be happening in 13 days. This means that my mind is pretty much mush so anything written below should be taken with a grain of salt.

• I cannot wait to get to Mont-Tremblant for the vacation. We are going to be there from Wednesday, August 15th to Wednesday, August 22nd. The weather has been ridiculously uncomfortable over the last two months and I am drained. The 72* temps of Quebec are going to be the best thing ever.

• This weekend Jason from CookTrainEatRace.com made the 4 hour drive to Houston from Dallas for what we deemed a mini-training camp. He has a nice write-up about our weekend on his blog (here) and if you want to hear all the details head on over and check it out. We had a most excellent weekend of training and hysterically timed sarcastic one liners (my wife may not agree). 

• So how has Ironman training been going? Overall it has been okay. Aside from last week when I crashed and burned from Heat Exhaustion I have been able to get in every single one of my long runs and long rides over the 24-week training plan. I have missed or modified a few of the weekday rides and runs and have missed quite a few swims. The heat has been the reason for most of my missed workouts as I have found recovery to be very difficult in these extreme temps. The reason it has only been "Okay" is that I am tired. Really tired. And my swim fitness is pretty average BUT my bike and run fitness is much improved over last year going into Ironman Texas.

• Based on this experience it has been determined that as long as we live in South East Texas this will be the last time I train for a late summer Ironman. The Fall and Spring races are going to have to be the focus as training in the winter time is more ideal than sloshing through the summer again.

• Jon and Kevin both finished up the heart of IMMT training this weekend as well and based on their blog posts the three of us are all feeling exactly the same - like we were hit by trucks!

• The Pittsburgh Pirates are 15-games over .500 (61-46) with an 11-game homestand starting tonight. They are 2nd in the Central behind Cincy and first in the Wild Card Race. It has been 19-years since this team has had a winning record and that many years of being irrelevant finds me sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the inevitable collapse. A successful homestand would do a lot to alleviate this sinking feeling - Let Go Bucs!

PNC - Best Ballpark in MLB

• A few weeks ago I made the trip out to Lakeway, Texas to visit blogger Legend Bob Shuler (aka: Mr. OneHourIronman). This is a suburb of Austin butted up against Lake Travis and Bob has recently just moved to the area from Tampa. Bob is training for IMNYC (JerseyMan) which is this weekend. We got in a great ride along the beautiful and hilly Lake Travis Dam area. This place is the Triathlon Mecca - maybe only Boulder is a better place to train! And it is absolutely beautiful - if Annie and I ever move out of Houston this will be where we go. I've known Bob for a few years now and it was a blast catching up with him and getting to see his new home and community. Thanks for being such a gracious host Bob and kick some ass at JerseyMan!

The man, the myth, the legend - IronBob!

Some of the scenic rolling terrain around Lake Travis

• This area is so awesome that Jason and me are talking about putting together a Tri Training/Beer Drinking Camp weekend in February. Jason has found a big 'ole rental house along the shores of Lake Travis that would be the perfect place for a bunch of dudes to s/b/r until our legs fall off.  More details to follow ...

• NEW RACE WHEELS ALERT! Last week I received the much anticipate Flo Cycling Carbon Clincher Wheelset. Pictured below is the Flo 60 Front with the Flo 90 Rear Wheelset. They are the Black Stealth logos. I rode them hard this weekend and they are glorious. Smooth ride and they handle like a dream. If you are in the market for a high quality wheelset but do not want to bust up the bank account check out Flo Cycling.

Flo 60/90 Combo on Kestrel 4000 SL

• For all you cycling purist (and followers of The Rules) this picture is an unfinished view as the bike was going through some cosmetic changes. The bar end tape is now black and the white cable has since been replaced with black and tucked into the tube. The saddle is still white as it matches the paint scheme and seat stay but I am leaning towards getting a black one. I also never wear sleeveless jerseys unless I am racing a Triathlon. 

• Yes, I race Ironman with that amount of drop. The Kestrel 4000 is an extremely comfortable long course frame and because of this I am able to easily "get low" on the bars with great ease.

• I have yet to make up my mind if the saddle bag will make the trip to Quebec? In the past I have been able to tuck a spare tube, 2-CO2s, and a tire lever up under the Adamo saddle with the aid of a some duct tape. BUT ... I have been able to modify the above pictured saddle bag to nicely fit behind the saddle and it is at such an angle that I'd assume that drag would be pretty much negligible. What says you aero-wienies, is it okay or should the spare be taped under the saddle?

• Next post is going to be about my Ironman nutrition plan. This will be a short post (-:

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff