Keeping Busy

It has been an interestingly busy few weeks. In some ways, I have felt scattered, with my attention focused on myriad projects. Time usually spent training has now been filled with making dormant ideas come to fruition.

For the first time in decades, I have no set training schedule. It has been impossible to predict from day to day how I will feel and what I will be able to accomplish training-wise. I wake up with some idea of what I would like to do, and then if my body is feeling capable, I try. Some days, I succeed in completing a workout and others I have to stop early due to lingering discomfort (it appears that there is still some significant scar tissue and resulting compression between some ribs).

An Olympic Memory: 10 Years Later

It is hard to believe that a decade has passed. On September 16, 2000, triathlon made its Olympic debut in Sydney, Australia. The spectacular backdrop of the Sydney Opera House and the sport-crazy Aussies lining the streets made this an event to remember.

Non-Traditional Race Tips

JZ @ IM AZ '05. Flat #1 of 2. No valve extender. Eventually DNFed.

Every season, articles appear in the popular triathlon publications and online proffering a variety of tips related to having your best race ever. These articles offer up tips relating to the weather, nutrition, transition and the swim. How many times have you seen this title, “13 weeks to a sub 13 Ironman”? I have come up with a whole new set of items related to racing. It is not what you think. My tips are how to best DNF your next Ironman. I have DNFed a few Ironman races in my career and know many other athletes who have as well. I have amassed this list from my own arsenal and from the experiences of others I know.

Are You Happy?

What is happiness? It is a subjective emotion that Wikipedia has defined as “a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy.” The other day, while shopping at Safeway with a friend, I asked him if we polled everyone in the store, how many would say they were happy? When I got home, I looked online to determine whether people, in general, are happy. Polls indicate that Americans are 49-81% happy (Who are they polling? That is a huge margin).