Jodi Lynn going for the win!!!

Okay. I really don't care what place she finishes. First and foremost: Jodi completes her races safely. Second: She enjoys it. Third: I don't care what place she finishes(oh, I already said that).
        My wife is a little stud. 99 lbs. of muscle. 100% beautiful human being. 50+ in years. 50+ hours working as a nurse every week. And she still rips up any course there is to offer. Pictured here ripping up the Mt. Baldy time trial this past summer. Yes when most men stayed away from this event. Probably because it is the toughest 15 miles of climbing to be had around here.
        Jodi will be competing in the legendary Wildflower half Ironman a week from this weekend. My bet is she will rip that course up too. Don't matter to me. As long as she has a safe and sound race. And enjoys it.

Thank you to one of my best friends and photographers on the planet who took this shot. Jodi IMO is the female version of you. Fast, friendly and phenomenal.

Xterra La Vegas: Tough enough for an MMA fighter

Pre race briefing Friday they emphasized the bike course was dangerous (even though most courses are you do not hear them say that much}. "Due to torrential rain fall the dcesents are rock strewn and corners are very loose" They actually over-emphasized that. Many pulled out of full Xterra and chose to transfer to sprint distance. Good for them. Not only did someone get Heli Vac'd race day. Apparently someone pre riding the course a few days before.
       Okay so gotta have some fun to calm the pre race nerves. What better way than to dive into the 57 degree water wearing (walking) shorts only and challenge Pavel to a swim to buoys and back the day before race?

        We stayed at the host hotel and race morning we were able to rack our bikes in good spot early. It got L.A. traffic like jammed up in no time. But before that this nice and what I thought maybe a  new- to- Xterra young man asking me for a few pointers on the entry/exit transition. After sharing my thoughts with him and walking back to my spot more than one person stops me saying: "Do you know who that dude is"?
 I replied: "Nope".  "Well  that's Nick Diaz. Champion MMA Fighter" and stating  "Just watched him on pay per view cable last week fighting some French animal named St. Pierre". "That dude is one of the most gnarley fighters' in the world". "He is one bad ass", etc.
     Cool. But I do not watch cage fighting. But had to return for a photo after hearing that. Nick would kick my ass in any arena. Okay maybe not the Xterra arena. But then again, I wouldn't get in any other arena with him. Got home and looked up his fighting stats. Holy tomole'. Freakin' real deal.
    That's good friend Robert Little in H20 about to begin his wave. Mine was 3 minutes after his. I chose to launch off rocks. That's 3 races in 7 days for both of us. Red lining it the whole time. A 2nd place for myself last Saturday , first place Sunday and  4th today with the others in my division just mere few minutes ahead. Often I would ask myself what could I have done to make up those few minutes? Today, nothing. I gave it my all in this 3 hour pedal to the medal  freakin' hairy course of a race. And thank God uninjured.
             Prayers are with those so unfortunate and life- flighted out by helicopter. You never want to hear or worse,  see that. Especially when one is a girl.

Macca races LA Tri Event

So if all the stars are aligned chances are you finish with an Ironman World Champion Pro triathlete. With the two different courses merging on the last 5K of the run Chris McCormack runs up on me with approx one mile to finish. All his doing, he hangs back and paces me stride for stride to finish pretty much talking the whole time (him, not I,= no oxygen) and with 40 yards to go in his thick Aussie accent shouts: "let's sprint to the finish mate". Damn, I thought I was sprinting.

       Keep training. Keep racing. Keep a good attitude. Keep it fun. You never know what an event may bring....................and even more importantly: Thank the volunteers.

Racing back to back (not advised) : )

Off road (and a bit gnarley)  Xterra Renegade tri  @ Bonelli yesterday and then road tri today @ same park but on tame pavement. Top four overall pictured here from this a.m. Lots of youth here (excluding me :). Dillon took first handidly. Speaking of hands here he is shaking my duct tape wrist from yetserdays' ass over tea -kettle- tumble and it really smarts. Probably was not too smart racing today. Adrenaline is a potent chemical (hormone to be precise). Stoked with 2nd yesterday. First place today. Anthony Fogelstrtom here on the right. A real neat young man. Fast, humble and displays great sportsmanship. His father Joe was a good man, triathlete and looks as though his boys are following suit.
                 Jodi raced today as well and did the course with the extra few hundred yard swim an extra loop on the bike, same 5K run. After winning her division went out and ran like a nut for 10 miles as she has Wildflower 1/2 Ironman coming up. Oh and then the full Ironman in Canada. She is on target for some great races.
 Thank you Tri Events for putting on a spectacular triathlon. Your events just keep getting better. And better.

Post Xterra World Championships

Xterra Worlds on Maui last month is still clinging close to me. For one I dug the new course. Two: I just dig Hawaii. Three: Xterra World Championships is just that: A World Championship. This start list of my division just surfaced from Jodis camera. That's some foreign contingent. I dig that even most. Languages not understood. Except while on the race course.
           We are hungry for more. 2013 around the corner. Stoked.

The Maui News

Happiness is waking up in the morning after an Xterra World Championship and seeing your name in the local paper ....on the results front page :)

 Then spending that evening of your 11th wedding anniversary in the same place you got married (on the beach) and buying your wahine something special. Just a mere block from where this pic was taken in the beautiful harbor of Lahaina. No ka 'Oi.

Maui: Rocked it.

Okay. That was tough. Sooooooo relieved it is behind us. I took this race very seriously and trained, rested, worked, trained hard, rested, worked, repeated. And then you have to show up, suit up and hope things go well. The Hawaiian god Pele' was on our side. Freakin' nutty huge tsunami warning with sirens blaring the night before the race craziness. Folks were displaced to rooms above the 2nd floors. If rooms were not available they literally had to evacuate. Many athletes sleeping in their cars in parking lots on higher ground. Word was race was to be cancelled. And understandable. Sounds nuts? It was.The news people and weather "experts" thought that the earthquake in Canada was going to wipe everything out @ 10:28 Friday night. 10:28. They had it down to the minute the tsunami would arrive. And overly emphasized the first wave may not be the largest. Wow. Fortunately that never evolved. We observed from the balcony of  the beach front 12th floor room at the Mahana. 10:26, 10:27, 10:28. It fortunately never showed. But it was crazy. Ca-razy.
         We did not turn the TV on for one second after Friday night and all that hysteria. It was not until after the race and we were eating dinner at a little off -the- beaten- tourist joint  in Lahaina that we learned of the seriousness and destruction of Hurricane Sandy. This one for real. The devistation of yet another natural disaster puts things in perspective. Our hearts go out to those so affected. Very heavy stuff.
      As for our race: I could not be more stoked or satisfied. Neither of us got hurt. My division was larger than ever with over 70 entrants qualified and entered prior on the Xterra website. 64 showed up and were on the start list at race site. 56 on finish results page. Fifth for me with all Europeans just a few minutes ahead.

      Jodi nabbed a 5th division as well. On the only old V-braked (that I could see) bike at the race. She wore  a camel back and from the now available pics from race looks like she was carrying a small child on her back. And I was concerned with the extra weight of my tube and co2...........She has proven again: She can rock on the off road. She is one tough little wahine.
            Yet it is Ironman distance on the road where she she really shines. Speaking of, she is all Ironman focused for 2013 with the new Canadian Whistler course on the radar(and entered).........and for myself in 2013? Who knows. But like I have always said: Will race anything. Anytime. Anywhere. As long as I can anyway............................
           HUGE thanks to Scott O'brien and Safariland. Corey McCroskey and Coates Bicycles. And the entire team from Xterra. Collectively assisted in our successful trip.