stolen from http://veeg.blogspot.com/

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa.
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer (Are there people who DON'T do this?)
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk.
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe.
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured an ancient site
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played Dungeons & Dragons for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently well enough to have a decent conversation
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds (yes, but not all at one time)
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life
151. Finished a marathon
152. Finished a Half Ironman

Steady pace vs. Run/Walk part 2

Well I got out today in 57F weather for a run. What a beautiful day here in southern Wisconsin too bad it will be snowing and cold by Thursday. After not running in almost three weeks I figured it was about time. Planned on an easy 2 mile out and back. Well let me tell you after not running for that long it was not gonna happen like I waqs planning. I did the steady pace plan at a slower rate but an eleven minute mile? WTF? Now I know I am a painfully slow runner but come on! I figured a bad day would result in a ten minute mile for the slow pace but this is nuts. I guess I know what I have to do now,

Get out and run more fat boy!!

Increased volume (like actually getting out there) would be a good start. A few weeks of "re-base building" will be order on the table now. I will have to put the theory on hold for now untill I am a little more "back in the game". B- out for now....

The road to nowhere...

This is a day I won't forget for quite a while. Thanksgiving day 2006. It was a balmy 60F in southern Wisconsin which is almost unheard of seeing snow and sleet are the norm on this day. I went out for a bike ride on the new Cervelo. About halfway through the 30 mile trek a started to get a moment of clarity. I have really been struggling with a decision I have to make soon regarding my future well being. I came to a fork in the road and just had to stop and think for a moment. What I am doing now, riding is something I really enjoy, I really can clear my head and make some decisions out there not being bothered by any other distractions. I followed the route (not a road I have ever taken on a tri bike) and got to a clearing and it all clicked. Why can't I do this forever and make it my passion? I thought about the family, friends and lifestyle I have now and it all makes this worth it. I have given up the worrying about the bad stuff and now am ready to press forward for the new beginning of the rest of my life. Going back to a "simple life perspective" is what I think I needed. I will now wait for next week for all the confirmations to take place and let the cards fall where they will. It is pretty much out of my hands now since I have accepted the idea and am now ready to roll.

Time off....What a concept

After a month off from the pool I decided to hit it this morning. Talk about a difference a bit of "taper" makes! As they say:

"absence makes the heart grow fonder"

Well after today, "time off makes my swim time faster"

My normal swim distance is around 2000 in 32 minutes. Well this morning after being properly carb'd up and rested, I managed to pull off a 2500 in 34 minutes. I know this is just a temporary thing but knowing it can be done makes me want to hit it harder to get these kind of times consistently.

Life changing event update...

Well it is in negotiation status now. A lot of discussions via email, over the phone. It all started with the meeting on Wednesday. Time was budgeted for one hour and it was to start at 1pm. Well it went pretty well and time went on for a bit. I ended up leaving at almost 4:30! Upon leaving I was told I would hear back that following week. I though it was the nice way of saying thanks but no thanks.

the next morning I sent a follow-up email to the people I met with thanking them for their time and within 5 minutes I got a reply. The group was all in agreement that we did go over the time allotted but it was time well spent. Now it seemed they were interested....hmmm. For the next few hours emails were flying back and forth and now it is just a waiting game. Looks positive for now but that is about all I can say without blowing it and letting the cat out of the bag...

Life changing event??

After submitting this post I will be embarking on a potential "life changing" event. I can give more details when I get back, but rest assured it is tri related for now and for .....

I will let you in on "the secret" in a few hours. I sure got my fingers crossed.

Steady pace vs. run/walk

I got to thinking on my run today. Would I be faster going from point A to point B if I.....

1 - Did the run/walk thing

or

2 - painfully slow steady pace but do not stop

Well I did the 3.1 mile route today using both. I didn't relly prove anything today other than I gotta get out and run more. I figured that if I did the run walk thing that I could go out at the 7 min/mile pace and walk when I was shot, walk to recover the heart rate. Now if I would have just ran constant at say 10:00 min per mile would I have produced the same results?

I am looking for people to chime in with their results doing the same thing. Do the same route once by run/walking than another going at a steady pace with out walking but a pace that it easy. I want to get a broad range of results to come upwith some solid numbers to compare. Help me out if you can :)

The new rig for the upcoming season

Well this past monday I recieved a new bike via the UPS man. I ended up getting a 2003 Cervelo P2k!! I had both kids and my wife was gone that night so I had to wait to put it together. It was about killing me!! The next day I had jury duty and had to sit in on my first "real" trial. It turned out to be a speeding ticket, no murderers or anything fun like that. I ended up getting sick afterwards and I wasn't able to assemble it that day either.

fast forward to thursday night ----->

Eight thirty at night, kids are in bed, time to assemble! Checking it out first impressions are not to bad, a bit dirty but hey, it's mine :) My first real tri bike. I had to do the routine cleaning (well at least to my specs) and get everyting put on. Upon further inspection a few parts are going to be replaced. The drivetrain will be replaced. I try to replace my chains every year on all my bikes. As a bigger rider outputting a lot of power I tend to stretch them in a season. The rear cassette and the big chainring are a bit worn for my liking too. I am considering going to a 55 tooth DA front chainring linked to a 12x25 or 12x27 cassette for the hills of the Ironman Wisconsin course. All cables will be replaced too .The bike was last used at Ironman Frorida in '05 so I know it can do the distance I just hope i can push it to do the same here :) So..... if you have any of the listed parts you no longer need, send them my way (wink, wink).
The assembled ride was done thursday night just in time for a nice friday ride...............



One big problem (other than the seat being too low) was mother nature!

"Damn her!!"

The previous 2 days were in the middle 60's F and sunny. Well friday came here in Wisconsin and snow showed up too.

"I hate snow!!"

I am a very fair weather rider(I am trying to change that, really I am)
I decided to put the ride on the trainer till the snow is gone and go back to the fixie for the winter outdoor riding (this is where I am trying to not be fair weather rider). For now I can just dream of riding the Cervelo on the dry warm roads. Note I will be more than ready to start logging the big mileage in the spring!

Inspiration...Worlds greatest athlete?

After watching Lance Armstrong finish the IMG New York Marathon in a blazing sub 3 hour run I am so in awe of his accomplishment. Not only did he run a great race he raised a lot of money and awareness for cancer. While I am positive cancer has effected each one of us in some way to have someone on the edge of life defeat cancer and win the TDF seven times and then run a sub 3 hour marathon for his first I can only hope to accomplish 1% of what this guy has done. hats off to you Lance! It really is possible for a regular guy to do any of this? :)