I run an SEO firm, and we just launched a little side project creating niche business directories. We just launched two at TriathlonShopDirectory.com and TriathlonStoreDirectory.com. These are national directories where any triathlon shop can go and create a listing for free. So if you own a triathlon shop or store, or if you’re a bike or running store that sells some triathlon gear, or you don’t even really have a physical shop but sell triathlon stuff online, go and create your free listing today.

I started doing triathlons in late 2007. I think I weighed between 220-225 lbs at that time, and I’m now under 200 lbs. Less than a year before I started triathlons I was as heavy as 236 lbs, and that was absolutely no muscle. While losing almost 40 lbs has been a blessing in many ways, there are also some downsides that have come with it, as follows:

1. Many of my clothes are too big, and my belt loops around almost to my back.

2. My wedding ring just falls off my finger, so much so that I don’t wear it any more because I’m afraid of losing it.

3. People I haven’t seen for a few years don’t recognize me (sometimes this is a benefit if I don’t really want to talk to that person).

4. I am no longer drought and famine resistant.

5. People think I’m mean when I tell fat jokes, whereas before it was ok because they figured I was just making fun of myself. I still am, they just don’t think I am.

6. People aren’t as hesitant to ask me to perform physical tasks, like moving heavy boxes.

7. Fat people I used to think were my friends now reject me.

8. I apparently don’t have as much padding on my backside, because it seems to get sore more quickly when I’m sitting down, especially on hard surfaces.

9. If I sleep on my side, I have to put something between my knees because they’re all bony now and hurt each other.

10. I just realized this one while writing this–I don’t get belly button lint buildup anymore, and I kind of enjoyed that. It was always blue for some reason.

Starting with the Boise 70.3 I tried out EFS energy drink (yes, I do mean the first time I used it was on a race day–I know, I know, bad idea). I had some gastrointestinal issues that day, but nothing too big. Just some knots in my stomach, and I felt like if I drank any more I would puke. But I didn’t puke, and I thought the reason I couldn’t drink any more was because I didn’t need any more. In retrospect, I’m wondering if I should have been drinking more, but couldn’t because the EFS was harsh on my tummy. But I only came to this thought because as I’ve been drinking it more and more, I seem to be noticing a correlation between a tight stomach and EFS. Again, it’s not that bad, and I’ve never had that “I’m going to throw up if I drink anymore” feeling (I’ve also never made it as goopy as I did for Boise), but the more I drink it, the more tight the correlation seems to be such that I’m thinking there is a cause and effect situation going on.

Other than that, it tastes fine (very subtle, mild flavors), and seems to work fine as an energy source. But if I continue to have the knotted up stomach, I’m going to have to switch back to Heed or something new.

The Lifetime Fitness in Sandy, Utah has been doing some minor renovations in the locker rooms lately. Specifically they’re replacing the carpet that exists in certain areas with tile (don’t ask me whose idea it was to put carpet in a locker room in the first place).

Now, to fully appreciate how the events I’m going to describe to you could have happened, you have to appreciate how I get to my preferred locker spot in the locker room, which is the group of lockers nearest to the swimming pool. If one enters the normal way, one walks through the gym, enters the front of the locker room, walks the entire length of the locker room past all the lockers and sinks, and only then arrives at the last group of lockers. This group of lockers is more enclosed than any of the others, offering more privacy–not that privacy is my concern, proximity is, but I bring up the privacy aspect because it will be relevant shortly.

The alternative way to enter the locker room is to, instead of walking through the gym, enter the family locker room, walk through it, exit into the pool area, and then enter the men’s locker room. Upon entering, one walks past the hallway of showers (not through it, but past it), and then the last group of lockers is right there. I think it saves me a few steps getting there, plus it’s closer to the pool, as I mentioned, so I generally enter this way, although sometimes I go the other way just to throw anybody off who might be waiting to ambush me, like a terrorist or IRS agent.

Today, I entered in my normal way, that is, the alternative way, through the family locker room and pool area. As I turned to go into the locker room, I noticed a large sign place prominently near the front of the entrance, but I figured it was another promotion for some product or some event Lifetime was having, so I ignored it. Later I would realize I had indeed read it, but just didn’t process it.

I entered the locker room, passed the showers, and went into the last group of lockers. I chose one, undressed, put on my swimsuit, got everything else ready, and went into the showers to take a rinse off. In retrospect, I already felt that something was a bit strange, but my first real clue that something was wrong was when I noticed what appeared to be a woman’s swimsuit hanging over one of the glass shower doors. My second clue was the blurry figure through the glass that did not look very manly. Now what were those words I had seen on that sign outside? I think some of them were “temporary”, “women”, and “locker room”.

I dashed out of the shower stall and quickly exited into the pool area, probably looking a bit pale. A male gym employee happened to be standing there, and as I came through the door he looked at me a bit strangely. I looked at the sign again, which clearly read “Temporary Women’s Locker Room” and something about apologizing for the inconvenience. There was a separate sign in front of the women’s locker room explaining that it was temporarily the men’s locker room.

The gym employee assumed I had just walked into the women’s room after swimming, had quickly realized my error, and had done a rapid about face. I explained that no, I had indeed been in the women’s locker room for a good five minutes, had been naked for at least a few seconds of that time, had entered the shower area where there was at least one woman taking a shower, and only then had realized my mistake and come darting out. He seemed unfazed and not very amused, and expressed some disbelief that I hadn’t seen anyone else in the locker room sooner than I did. I explained that I was in the group of lockers that is more private, right next to the exit, so I couldn’t see anyone while I was changing, nor could they have seen me unless they had walked into that group of lockers. He said he would find a female employee to go inside and retrieve my belongings, which a few seconds prior had been merely a step or two away, but were now completely inaccessible to me.

Long story short, it all got sorted out and nobody will be pressing charges, but a few hours later I’m still a bit jittery.

Now, you might ask why the locker rooms were switched? Because of the renovations. You see, having completed the tile work in the men’s locker room, they had moved to do tile work in the women’s locker room, but I’m guessing the contractor they hired doesn’t have any female tile layers, and since the tile is being laid during business hours (which are 24/7) they had to move the women out temporarily.

This is not the pet peeves that race management has, but rather pet peeves I have about race management.

1. Not listing the price of the event anywhere on the website. I’m not going to name names at the moment, but I’m trying to find out how much a certain triathlon here in Utah costs, and it is nowhere on the website, and the online registration system they are using doesn’t display the price either. Maybe it displays the price at the end, but only after you fill out a bunch of information. Just tell me how much the freakin’ event costs already! It’s not that hard, just look at how US Trisports does it. Easy, right?

Well, I only have that one pet peeve right now, maybe I’ll add more to the list later. I just had to gripe about this one while I was in the middle of it.

I live in Utah, which means I get to train through the winter. And since I’m not a huge fan of the bike trainer or the treadmill, that means running and biking outside in the cold, and that means winter clothing. And as anyone with any sense knows, the best time to buy your winter triathlon clothing isn’t at the start of winter–it’s in the summer. As in, right now. For example, PowerTri.com just marked their winter clothing down by 40%. Well, not “just”, they actually did it a week or two ago, but you don’t think I was going to write this post before I got in there and made sure I got everything I wanted, do you?

So what did I get?

Pearl Izumi PRO Softshell Jacket. Man, this thing just looks so good, I’m not even sure I’ll train in it, I might just wear it to fancy dinner parties. Normally $175, but I got it for just over $100.

Pearl Izumi Barrier Shoe Cover. I really, REALLY needed a pair of these this last winter. But I made do with what I had, and saved $24 off the full price.

Pearl Izumi Softshell Glove. I really needed these too. I’ve been using cheap gardening gloves in the winter. But again, patience paid off with an $18 discount.

Pearl Izumi LS Baselayer Shirt. I wasn’t patient enough to buy one of these. I got one at full price. But I liked it so much I got another one at $24 off.

The only thing that stinks now is that I have to wait six months to use any of it.

It’s not Christmas yet, and Father’s Day and Mother’s Day are long gone. But maybe you know a special triathlete who has a birthday coming up, or maybe you’re one of the seven people in the United States who plan out their Christmas presents this far in advance. Whatever the case, if you want to get some sort of triathlon gift for that special guy or gal but you’re not into triathlons yourself, you might be a bit mystified as to what to get them. And you wouldn’t want to make an embarrassing or awkward mistake. I mean, you’re probably smart enough to not buy somebody a bottle of “McNett MiraZyme Odor Eliminator“, but what about Chamois Butt’r?

So here’s my list, from the inexpensive to outrageous:

Under $10

Blister Shield. Get them a few of these trial-size packets, and they’ll be thanking you the next time they run hard and don’t get any blisters. Tell them it’s better than Body Glide. Or play it safe and just get them some Body Glide.

Nuun Active Hydration. You know, I haven’t tried these yet, but EVERY SINGLE person I’ve talked to who has raves about the stuff.

Yankz Shoe Laces. A must-have for triathletes, unless they’re using Zoot shoes in which case this type of system is built-in. But if they’re running in Nikes, Saucony, etc. then they need a set of these for fast transitions.

Gu. The easy choice. Does anyone not like Gu? Get them a 6-pack of Gu for $7.

Under $20

Bento Box. One of the simplest, greatest inventions for carrying food on your bike.

Running visor. How about a running visor? Hey, everyone can use more triathlon clothing.

$20-30ish

This is where we start to have some fun.

The Triathlete’s Training Bible. This is THE book on triathlon. If the triathlete you love doesn’t have it, he/she needs it, even if they don’t like books.

1st Endurance Drink Mix. Trust me, this is good stuff. This ain’t Gatorade. Fruit punch is delicious.

Ironman Championship DVDs. If triathlon is half mental, this is food for the triathlete’s mind.

The good thing about buying a gift for a triathlete is that there are so many things they need and want. Most of what they need wears out, so even if you get them something they already have, chances are they’re going to need another one soon. And if they don’t need it, chances are they want it but are spending their money in their “needs” and will be grateful for the luxury of being able to use your gift without feeling guilty about having put off some other priority.

And of course if you don’t want to make a decision, you can always choose the easy route and get a gift card.

I’ve decided to not do my first Ironman event this year, so now what? Should I just workout for the sake of it, or should I plan to race some other events locally? Should I focus on some sprint distance triathlons and improving my speed? Should I just work on personal goals, like riding my bike up Suncrest in under 30 minutes or running a 24-minute 5K?

Who’s got some recommendations?

That’s right, I’m scrapping the plan I put in place almost a year ago to do the Florida Ironman this year. The Florida Ironman 2010 in Panama City would have been my first Ironman ever, and I’ve been pretty excited about it, since this was the goal I set when I started doing triathlons back in 2007. While there are personal reasons having to do with simply having too much on my plate and needing to focus, and those reasons may be more than enough by themselves, for the purposes of this blog the one reason I want to talk about is the uncertainty caused by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Training for an Ironman requires 15-20 hours per week of training (or if not actual training time, then training-related time), maybe more, if you’re slow at the gym like I am and you factor in drive time. It’s an incredible sacrifice not only for the individual, but that individual’s family. Then there is the money involved in getting to the event and back, which is a few grand if you’re taking the whole family as I’ve been planning on doing. For me, to spend upwards of 400 hours on training and a few thousand dollars on travel and lodging, only to end up with the event being postponed or the swim canceled isn’t an endeavor in which I want to participate.

It’s not that the time would be wasted, of course. I’d still have the health benefits of all that training. But I don’t like the uncertainty of not knowing whether the event I’m training for is going to happen. Of course there’s always the risk that an Ironman might be canceled, or that at least the swim portion might be canceled, but generally I’d say that risk is fairly low compared to the risk that Florida Ironman 2010 will be canceled or turned into a duathlon.

As for doing a duathlon, I’m not into it. For me, if I do an Ironman without the swim, it’s not really an Ironman. If I were on the spot and they announced the day of the race that the swim was canceled, I might still participate, even though I wouldn’t go around telling people afterward that I had “Finished an Ironman”. But if I were already there, and had already spent the money and had done the training, then why not at least get a good bike/run brick workout in? But I wouldn’t buy plane tickets to do an Ironman duathlon, even if I had already done the training.

If the folks who run Ironman had already announced a different swim venue, then that might have changed my mind. But with the time having approached for me to start my training in earnest, I feel I need to make a decision one way or the other, and given the uncertainty (and the other personal factors I mentioned at the beginning) I’m deciding to drop out. Perhaps the oil will never hit Panama City, and come November I’ll be thinking “Dang, I could be there right now.” But that really isn’t the point. The point is that right now, in June, I don’t know what’s going to happen, and that’s all I need to know.

Now the question is this–do I get my partial refund now? Do I wait and hope that perhaps they will give full refunds if oil hits the beaches and they cancel the event? Will they postpone the event and give us the option of doing the race in 2011? Does anybody know what they did for participants after the recent cancellation of the Japan Ironman?

What would be really nice would be if they would let me trade my Florida Ironman 2010 registration for the St. George Ironman 2011 in Utah.

The Bento Box is one of those things you wish you would have invented. It’s simple, and it gets a job done that just about every biker needs done–making it easy to carry and access your food on your bike.

It’s nothing more than a lightweight nylon box, with a net on the top that is sewn on one side and velcro on the other so you can open and close it easily. The Bento Box has four velcro straps, two of which go around the stem of your bike, and two of which go around the top tube. Then you put your Gu, Clif bars, Chomps, or whatever you want in there.

I just used it for the first time at the Boise 70.3 (yeah, I know–don’t use new things on race day) and I loved it. I got the small Bento Box and was able to cram three Gus and two packages worth of Gu Chomps in there. I took the Chomps out of the packages and just squeezed them in–I didn’t want to have to deal with opening the packaging during the race. I left the Gu in the packaging for obvious reasons.

My only regret is that I got the small Bento Box. Personally I think it’s a little on the small side, and I can’t see any reason why you wouldn’t want to err on the side of having a Bento Box that is too larger vs. too small, unless the larger one runs into your legs or something. But I don’t think it will.

One concern I had is that the Bento Box definitely affects how freely you can turn your front wheel. I noticed this after I put it on my bike, but while I was riding I didn’t notice anything at all, probably because you have to turn your wheel quite a bit to really feel the resistance, and on a tri-bike if you turn your wheel that far it probably means you’ll soon be flying over the cockpit and have other things to worry about. In that sense maybe the Bento Box is also a safety feature…

Anyway, this is one of those products I would say you’ve got to have if you do longer bike rides. Now that I have it I can’t imagine biking without it.