Jet Settin' Jodi departing for Whislter Canada

She has trained properly. Tapered correctly. I just packed her bike. It's off to the airport where I will drop her curb-side. It's all good. It's just that 99.9% of the time we travel and race together.  With us down to one lab from the last of three we can not leave our little 'ol girl Roxy without one of us here. Having her failing sucks 100% more than me not going on this trip. Jodi is a great traveler, experienced world wide competitor and will be just fine. And ready to rock the Ironman course. Go girl. We will be with you the whole way.

Hotter Than Hell Mt. Baldy Time Trial his morning

That's one demanding climb. Very much so with the words Time Trial attached to it. Just as long, just as steep as last year. 2012 I took  1st place  category with one hour 16 minutes. This year one minute and 36 seconds faster ( I attribute it to the cooler temp albeit hot as hell still)  Good stuff. Done in my 11-23 cassette. A glutton for punishment yes. Racing attendance seemed double in size. Yet I seen VERY few locals. Wonder why that is? Can't seem to quite figure that one out. Show up. Clip in. Head up the mountain. See what you can do. 

                                                                   Nice going David Robertson. Nice going Scott Palmer. Thanks Robert L and thank you T. for the awesome moral support and pics..and ice freeze down the back of jersey 

Mt. Baldy Time trial: Ironman warm up

This is Jodi just ripping Mt. Baldy TT up last year. If you are familiar whatsoever you know any and every segment is brutal steep. May be the toughest climb in Cali. At least one of 'em. The TT is again happening this Saturday. With Ironman Canada up for Jodi in two weeks she will actually race her TT bike up it this weekend for kicks. Certainly not a TT bike course. But after hammering up this this beast, Whistler will certainly feel a little tamer.

Xterra Duathlon Snow Valley

Gary and Carla McMurtrey and their whole team from Inland Inferno put on the one of the best races in California. They offer the longer tri race, the shorter race, trail run races and the off road biathlon. Biathlon like mid 80's biathlon: Run/bike/run. Only this is off road. At 7500' elevation.

           Thanks to all the crew, volunteers, new friend Paul Hubbell  (dude built like a tank on the left) who made it one heck of a fun and challenging day. He and I battled from start to finish.

           Great to see long endurance/athlete/guru Paul Romero today also. You rocked it. Jodi rocked it. The Carnahans rocked it. Jeff Henley rocked it. John Skelton won his division. Anyone and everyone who did this monster of a course rocked it today. 

           The McMurtreys put a huge amount of love and effort into this event.( the awards must have taken a week each to make)

 Because that's who they are and what they are all about. Only wish it was more common these days..

         

Ironman coming up for Jodi

Banged out well over a half dozen races out of the gates so far in 2013. Mountain bike races. Some Xterra off road tri's and a handful of road tri's. But as I as I have always said: There is no better training than racing itself. It's just another training day with that 10% extra effort. And we love to train. Hard. In the heat (5 hour day today in 105 degree furnace like air). On the most challenging terrain we can find around here. And we have some the best. The gnarlier the climbing the better.Yep a little nuts. Maybe a screw loose. Or maybe we just like going fast no matter what the conditions.

   Jodi has Ironman Canada in Whistler coming up. It is an inaugural. I think she may hold a course record for her age group from this Ironman when it was in Penticton, B.C. That was five years ago. She is now in a new and older age group. And she is faster and stronger than before. That's pretty cool. Yep. I think she will rock Whistler. We have been training big, long, hard and in the heat. Why?  Because that is what we do. Makes most any race course almost feel tame.(with exception of Kona and Maui) we do not wish to upset Pele'.   : )

Los Angeles Triathlon Series final

Race # 3 and final of the L.A. Series over and done. This event has grown dang big in the last couple of years. Saturday the park ran out of parking and had to steer athletes to outside on the public streets. Both Jodi and I went undefeated in category for the series and also placed top three overall series open division. Not too shabby for a couple of 50+ year olds. Train hard. Race harder. Be safe. Have fun. Thank the volunteers. Repeat.

One scarey fast little wahine

2nd place in Jodi's division went 6 hours and change @ the challenging and highly competitive Wildflower half Ironman triathlon yesterday. That is very a respectable time.
             Jodi finished in 5 hours and twenty seven minutes. That is a nutty fast respectable time. Looks like she set the course record in her division. And this race has been going on for 31 years.  She then hopped in the car and drove home. Didn't even stay for the awards. Arrived home @ midnight. Safe and sound. Thanks Alex and Lizette for your off the charts graciousness towards her.
            Jodi knew Pavel was meeting me in O'Side this morning for some manual labor and aloha giving towards our little nugget by the sea . Day after a pretty darn demanding race and she jumps right in the trenches. That's Jodi.  I talked her out of swimming around the pier with us though. There will be plenty of warm, calm, clear days coming up for that. So she took a few shots of us from above. Oceanside pier is the longest pier in the U.S. We think that is cool. We felt macho. No other nuts out there battling the rough seas with us today...........But all along knew the little wahine above us just schooled most men the day before. And probably would have done the same to us today.