Rainy Day

Today's weather is absolutely stellar....for the ducks, frogs & fish! Mother Nature is dishing up a steady dose of spring rain much to the joy of the local agricultural community. The land is really starting to morph from the winter brown to the spring green as the grass grows and trees bud.

I'll get back on the saddle tomorrow as the sunshine and warmer temps return to Boulder. This morning I enjoyed a therapuetic deep water run. It is something I like to throw into the mix as it lends great opportunity for quieting the body & mind. While it does not replace the demands of running on firma terra, it does mirror the neuromuscular patterns and is great for anyone recovering from an injury or feeling really beat-up.

Have a happy & healthy weekend!

Keep it smooth...

Rolling on the Eastside

After several big weeks I am enjoying an active recovery week and catching my breath. The past few Tuesdays have been my biggest days of training with some long rides and tough runs. Today, however, I was able to take in the beautiful upper 60/lower 70 degree weather while riding my road bike east of Boulder. My last visit to this area was a year ago when completing my prep for IMAZ as the terrain is mostly flat with stiff winds. I love riding out east of town because the traffic is minimal and not too many other cyclists are seen. Funny, after 400 mile weeks with no flats, I managed to get a good one today from some large staples.

Keep it smooth...

Fit to Tri

In June I will be launching a triathlon program for at-risk youth called Fit to Tri. I am super stoked about this program having done one two years ago with a group of kids from Denver. This year I am partnering with my friend Beth who teaches at-risk youth in Longmont. The goals of the program are to engage at-risk youth in alternative sports opportunities, to improve self-awareness through physical challenge and to combat obesity by highlighting the benefits of a fit mind and body. Most importantly, it will be fun :) It is a six week program culminating with the kids' participation at the Boulder Kids Triathlon on August 11th. Each week we will have one group training session emphasizing the individual disciplines of triathlon, including transitions, nutrition and goal setting. In addition, I will design a weekly schedule for each participant. Once the program gets rolling I will be sure to share some stories and pics of the team in action.

Keep it smooth...

New Wheels

I received my new race wheels from Blackwell and they are saweeet! Dave Bunce has been great to work with in educating me about their wheels and what set-up is best for me. This year I will be running their 50mm front and 100mm rear. I originally thought I would go with their disc as well, but after talking with Dave he indicated I would be best served not purchasing the disc and rolling with the 100mm which is just as fast and Kona-legal. Click on the logo to learn more about their products or visit www.blackwellresearh.com

The weather has been stellar the past several days...damn I probably just jinxed myself and it will snow tomorrow. Training is progressing well as I continue my quest to find some fitness and a little speed for the Ford Ironman 70.3 California. It is going to be a great weekend...my Dad is going to catch the race and volunteer, my friend Caroline is going to be spectating and Stephanie & Deborah from Jelly Belly will be on-site for the weekend. Sunday after the race I have a photo shoot with a couple of my teammates for some Sport Bean promo. I may also be catching up with an old childhood buddy of mine. I haven't seen him since elementary school. He owns a killer sound biz and does work for the film and tv industry. You can check out his projects at www.bigears.com

Keep it smooth...

Descending St. Vrain

Today I made my first go of the season with some climbing in the mountains...it was super fun and a focused effort. Only a few other riders and the ocassional car as tourist traffic will not kick in for a few more weeks. The descent down St. Vrain Canyon into Lyons was super smooth...several of the main canyons were resurfaced last summer/fall. It was like water skiing on glass or snowboarding on fresh corduroy. I was stoked to get back on things with a solid bike and tempo run post my ride. Time to enjoy some of my favorite treats...dark chocolate, icecream and homemade granola while putting the legs up and watching a movie...tonight's feature is About a Boy.

Enjoy your weekend and as always...

Keep it smooth...

Down for A Day

I found myself quite ill Wednesday night with some kind of stomach bug and took a day of rest Thursday. Glad to be back on things today :)

Wednesday afternoon I was enjoying an easy, high cadence spin late afternoon. One of the few times I kick it with my music while riding. Simon rode up on me and while passing chirpped something about riding like a girl. I really do not know what he said because I had the music jumping. Anyway, that evening upon checking my email I had a message from Simon reading "What were you doing? Like they say in France, I passed you so fast I gave you a cold. Time to stop listening to music and ride faster." I got a good chuckle from his humor as usual and responsed with "I was counting the newborn calves in the pasture." Well, I did not get a cold, but something did not agree with me on Wednesday night!

Keep it smooth...

Signs of Spring

...the trees are beginning to bud in these parts, a bee committed suicide today flying into my glasses while riding, more calves are popping up, er out, around the pastures, sunny skies and warmer temps, running and biking with fewer layers and Daylight Savings this weekend!

Zane delt me a rather hearty day with long tempo intervals on the bike over hilly terrain and a tough run featuring 10x400 meter hill repeats. Best part...being outdoors for the entire effort :)

Outside of triathlon, I have a speaking engagement 3/25 in Pagosa Springs, CO which is in the south western part of the state and in mid April it looks like I will be traveling to Boca Raton, FL for a talk.

Keep it smooth...

Attachments

If you wish to be happy the first thing you need is not effort or even goodwill or good desires but a clear understanding of how exactly you have been programmed. ~ Anthony de Mello

For the past nine months I have been working with a dynamic performance coach. If you are looking for some guidance in this area I highly recommend my friend Ashley with www.mindful-sports.com She is awesome!! In addition to sport specific skills with goal setting, race prep, visualization, etc. we have been doing a fair amount of work on identifying my "attachments". These are things we all have and "cling to" and they come in both the physical and emotional varities. Through this process I am learning to become more "aware" as both an individual and athlete. For example, most of us have an attachment to comments we receive from people. When someone tells us, "Hey Brad, you look really good today." it makes us feel happy and good about ourselves. When that same person says, "Wow, you look kind of tired today." it makes us feel a bit down or unpleasant. The key is to recognize our society, from the time we were children, has conditioned us to react in certain ways to what others say or think of us. I have experienced a tremendous amount of personal growth in recognizing my attachments and understanding them which in turn has really brought a sense of freedom to my daily life. Within my training and racing I have found a genuine purpose and peace. A super book to read which really acts like a daily devotional with 2-3 page chapters is one titled The Way to Love by Anthony de Mello. I may have mentioned this book in a previous post. It is an easy-to-read insightful piece of writing which I am enjoying for the second round.

Keep it smooth...