Sliver of White

Sliver of white on the underside of the moon.

Running south, the breeze picks up.

Kona jumps in and out of the pond, then leads the way.

http://www.movescount.com/moves/move2669409

Podcast - Swimming Across Lake Tahoe

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Join me and swimming superstar Jamie Patrick as we swim 22 miles across Laket Tahoe! We have audio clips from the swim, a review of all the tech that went into the event, and much more.

This was a truly incredible swim.  The lake is one mile longer than the English Channel, at 6,300 feet elevation, and chilling at around 62 degrees.  I became the 24th person ever to complete the crossing and the first Texan as well!

Miss the videos of the swim?  Find them here.

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Back in Texas

In Vermont, the cows are really pre-fab ice cream sandwiches!

Racing Nationals in Vermont was truly kick ass.  I wish I had more time to hang out in Burlington, too.  It was an amazing time in an amazing place.  Let's check out the hit list from last weekend -

• Yeah, there were no pros in the race, but it was still ridiculously fast.  Everybody was lean and quick.  "No pros" doesn't mean no ex-Olympians.
• The course was spectacular.  Hard to believe this was Burlington's first major tri.
• I'd post pictures of Vermont, but it's exactly like just going to a Google Image Search of the place.  It was all just like a postcard, complete with those Oreo cows.
• Bill with Suunto took the time to show me around and it was great!  Thanks, Bill!
• Mother Nature took a dump in my Wheaties during my return trip, forcing me to sleep on the floor of the Philly airport on Sunday night.  I tweeted my whole adventure, complete with pictures, so go check it out if you haven't seen it yet.
• I secured a little time to finish editing the Tahoe Swim podcast and it should be out on iTunes soon.
• Congratulations to the fine folks that live in Burlington.  You really have made an amazing place for yourselves.  It was such a great town with people truly living on the stoke of a well-rounded life and plenty of outdoorsy fun.  Hell yeah!

Podcast - Interview with Angela Naeth in Boulder

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Angela just won Boulder 70.3 and she gives us a great interview about what it takes to get it done. We sit down and chat with her from her place in Boulder, CO. as we talk about a variety of topics.  We cover training by feel, living in Boulder, cramping, and trying to stay stress-free.  Join in as we watch this rising star soar!

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What is Your Limiter?

We can get lost in all the numbers of heart rate, mileage, wattage, hours per week, and more.  Eventually, you can't see the forest for the trees.  You can train like crazy to improve one aspect of your abilities, but if it isn't what's holding you back, you're actually wasting your time.  

It is to your advantage to take a step back and do a quick assessment, no matter what your skill level.  Here is how you do it: 

1. Go for a typical workout.  Warm up, and then get settled in.  For this test to work, you need to be a nice and ready, aware of your body and ready to listen to what it's telling you.
2. Gradually push yourself to the breaking point.  Slowly increase your effort until something finally keeps you from going any faster.
3. What was it?  If you couldn't catch your breath, then you need more aerobic work.  If it was muscle failure, then you need strength-increasing gym work.  If it was overall weakness, then it was fueling.
4. Now fix it!  Spend time working on the issue that needs the most attention and you. will. be. faster.

Remember - You should do this test for all three disciplines.  You may have strong running legs but weak biking ones.