Back in Texas (and Other Blatherings)

I'm back in good old Texas where the men are men and the sheep are scared.  It's a lot hotter than Oregon, but that's OK - I'm ready for some warm weather.

The problem with blogs is Twitter.  Supposedly, blog postings have gone down in count significantly since you can post most of what you want on Twitter.  But, I don't think that people are surfing the web and looking for something interesting to read any less than before.  That makes the blog postings that do get done a heck of a lot more visible, eh? 

Some news:

• I got an email from Mevio saying that GoDaddy.com is offering a sponsorship.  I've bought domains through them and I have to say their customer service rocks.  I forget passwords and crap like that all the time and they've always fixed my screw-ups.  Good customer service is what sets you apart from competition nowdays.
• My right shoulder is a mess.  If I tweak it really good, I can't lift my arm above my head.  My swim coach says I should go get an MRI.  Then he went into detail about how they rip things apart and weld them back somehow.  Thanks?
• Speaking of swimming, I'm rockin' like Dokken in the pool.  I swam 200 yards in 2:19 today, after swimming 2000 yards of other stuff.  The high school kid in the next lane got me by a second or two.  It was a good race.
• Don't use orange juice mixed with water as an energy drink.  I did that at swim practice this AM and nearly puked.  It's the wrong kind of sugar and can go wild like Ricky Martin in your gut.
• During that 200, things went kinda like this:

1. First 25 yds - "Hmm, too fast.  Slow down."
2. Next 75 yds - "Pace it... Pace it..." 
3. Next 50 yds - "Keep up! You're doing it!"
4. Next 25 yds - "Am I about to puke? Stupid orange juice!"
5. Last 25 yds - "IF I DIE RIGHT NOW, WHAT A GLORIOUS WAY TO GO OUT!!! AAARRRHGHGHGHG!!!"

• My nervous system and whatever else absolutely lit up on that last 25 yards.  I hadn't felt like that in a long time.  It was like fire pumping through my entire body.  It was probably supercharged adrenaline and it felt amazing.  Hells yeah.

Podcast - ZenTri in Bend, OR.

Click HERE to play episode.

I recorded a show while in the multisport mecca of Bend, OR.  Drew took me mountain biking, cross training, swimming, trail running, hiking, climbing, and lots more.  Bend is an awesome place, for sure.  I can't wait to come back!

Here's the link to my twitpic photo stream.

Click HERE to play episode

ZenTri in Bend, OR

I'm in Bend, OR right now and have been for the past few days.  This place is crazy! Drew and I have been documenting our journey using Twitter and pictures, so check out the links to join in on the fun.

Next, I'm moving on to Astoria to hang out with other non-triathlete friends.  They are very active in other ways, so the adventure is definitely going to continue.  Astoria is where The Goonies was filmed, so we should have an awesome time there as well.

Big thanks go out to Drew and his family for an epic time and incredible meals.  We could not have done this without him!

Podcast - Ghost Bees

Click HERE to listen!

 Howdy, fearless freaks!

This episode has us investigating fear in some interesting ways.

First, I dare Emily to go touch the infamous "Ghost House". Will she get out of the car in this scary neighborhood?  Will she touch the house for $20?

Next, I'm biking for 50 miles near Centerville, TX.  I get stung by a bee and decide to "lean into it" and talk about the pain as it goes through my arm.  You can choose how you react in situations, and this one was interesting.

I also talk about how Science has figured out how to "acheive Zen", per se.  Check out the article here.

Click HERE to listen!

Backup Saddle Bag

Sometimes a saddlebag just won't work.  Or sometimes there's not enough room in one.  If you are the resourceful type, you may have figured out that you can store a few items in an old water bottle.

My race bike has an aero seatpost, making attaching a saddle bag nearly impossible.  I've been using an old water bottle for years with pretty good success.  The problem is, that narrowing of the neck makes it impossible to use it very efficiently.  Getting things in and out can be nearly impossible.

I recently bought a carrying bottle from Soma for around 6 bucks.  It's a water bottle with a screw top and only a slight indention to help it stay put in the water bottle cage.  It works great.  I definitely recommend it.  It's the grey bottle on the far left of the photo.

But the real kicker is that I found something that might work just as well for 99% of the folks out there for much less money.  I was shopping for nuts as part of my "Gravel and Rocks" diet (Paleo diet) and noticed that Emerald Nuts sells their goods in a bottle very similar to what I had been looking for all these years.  It fits the bottle cage just fine and is nearly the exact same height as the Soma one.  I usually put a silicone bracelet around bottles that I care about to keep them from bouncing out, btw.

If this is all new to you, you might be asking why not just use a saddle bag.  Here's a list of reasons:

• It's waterproof-ish.  Great for cell phones and the like.
• You can dump out and reload the contents in a flash.  Great for racing.
• Easily move it from bike to bike.  Keep your flat repair kit in there and just swap it between your different bikes as needed.

I'm sure you can find plenty of reasons why you would like to use one.  Go nuts!