Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting...

After a fun afternoon at the dentist (seriously, I want to know who came up with the "brilliant" idea that Peach flavored fluoride was going to be "Ah-Mazing!"), I got home early only to be informed by J. that our oldest son, R., had a Tae-Kwan Do testing ceremony tonight.  She had some sort of girls outing, so I had no choice but to attend the kung fu event with all of the kids...

The testing ceremony started at about 4 p.m.  We got out of there at 8:30 p.m.  Dozens of kids got tested.  R.'s test lasted about 10 minutes.  That's about all you need to know about the evening....

Anyway, here's a couple of ideas for surviving your next Kung Fu event:

R. doing some sort of Kung Fu kick...but my favorite was his breaking the board in the video up top

1.  Get There Late
I got there about 6:30.  J. was a bit panicked that I would miss R.'s test.  Turns out I had about 45 minutes to kill.  Next time, I need a little bit better intel ahead of time.

2.  Leave Early
Actually, one of my friends did this.  He's the one that told me that he got there at 4 p.m.  Ouch!  He promised his daughter an ice cream cone if she ducked out of the the huge line for pictures following the test.  Best 99 cents he ever spent!

Another good reason to leave early--when the event rolls past bed time...

3.  Bring Your Own Entertainment
I brought a book.  Kudos to the random dude that brought his iPad and had his kid's eyes glued to a movie on that thing.  I really need to figure out how to download movies onto mine!

4.  Get By With A Little Help From Your Friends
Invariably, I always find another dad there that I know pretty well and it's fun to visit and catch up a little bit. I've even made a few new friends of my own with the dads that I keep seeing at these events.

5.  Have Some Great Kids
Despite playing Mr. Mom, tonight, I managed to juggle all three kids while J. was off at her event.  The kids and I really had a great time together...

These kids were great too!

5.  Stop At McDonald's On The Way Home
The boys wanted these fruit smoothies.  I tried the oatmeal.  E. demanded Chicken McNuggets.  When the Chicken Nuggets arrived, she wanted nothing to do with them.  I ate the nuggets and the oatmeal.

No sooner had I finished the last nugget, when she demanded nuggets again!  Tell me this hasn't happened to anyone else????

Ripped From The Headlines

This headline and variations of it have been making late night comedy rounds.  (For example:  "NBA Suspends World Peace" etc.)

Unfortunately, there was nothing funny or "peaceable" about Ron Artest's (aka Metta World Peace) elbow to the back of James Harden's head.

Ironically, Mr. Artest/World Peace actually won the NBA's Citizenship Award for 2011.  Even at the time, awarding a citizenship award to Artest/World Peace seemed about as dubious as naming the country of Libya to be a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council.  So I'm guessing that the award was not for his "lifetime achievements."

This is the same athlete who, after all, famously went after the fans in the stands (literally) in the Pistons/Pacers Brawl in 2004 (see 25 seconds into the video):

Artest/World Peace may be a Laker, but he'll always be a thug to me.

UPDATE:  I just realized that this was my 100th post for this blog.  If you have taken the time to read any of my 100 posts, thank you.  =o)

Don't Follow My (Bad) Example...

Cycling for Dummies...I Could Teach the Class

I'm getting ready for another race in about two weeks.  To finish the race, I'll need to ride a bike for 112 miles. The course has been characterized as very "challenging"--even for experienced riders.  And I'm not an experienced rider.

My fellow participants have probably logged hundreds, if not thousands, of miles over the past year to get ready.  Me?  Not so much.  I've never ridden more than 56-60 miles at one time.  My biggest worry about the race is that I will be able to actually stay on my bike for 112 miles.  That in itself will be a triumph.

"Breaking Away" (1979) starring Dennis Quaid

I imagine that to stay on the bike for that long, I may have to duct tape my feet into the pedals like they did for the bike riders in this old movie "Breaking Away."

Anyway, as part of my "training," I decided to do a ride yesterday.  My ride was miserable.  In fact, it was so bad that when I fell asleep last night, I actually had a nightmare that my bike was stolen the day before my race.  I managed to track it down in my dream, only to recover it to find out that the bike was in pieces and the wheels were gone.  Let's just say that I didn't sleep all that well....

As a public service to my blog readers, I'm going to let you know exactly where I went wrong so that you don't follow my example.

1. Get an Early Start:

I had a commitment that I had to keep early Saturday morning.  Then, when I got home, J. asked me to stay with the kids so that she could go to a shower and do some other stuff.  I waited patiently until she got back and then decided that I had to go.  I got started about 4 p.m.  That's not so bad if you're only going to go for a shorter ride.

I can't "ride" 55!...(so I settled for 50)

I decided to do 50 miles.  That would take at least 3 hours.  By the time that I finished it was dark (and cold).  Last time I tried to ride in the dark, it didn't turn out so well.  I avoided any mishaps, but generally riding after dark is not the safest or smartest idea.  Don't do it!

2. Dress Appropriately:

I wish I could post a picture here of beautiful Southern California and how picturesque my ride was.  The closest that I got to anything picture worthy was a possible shot of a Humvee doing maneuvers in Camp Pendleton.  But the light was terrible--not just because it was near dusk--but because it was cloudy and foggy.  The sun was nowhere to be seen.

De Soto Skin Cooler "Wings"

I was excited to try out my new "wings" but it probably wasn't the best idea to wear something to make you "cooler" when it is already cold outside.  As dusk approached and night fell, it didn't really help matters at all.  The last couple miles featured my visibly shaking/shivering as I "got 'er done" and gutted it out to get home.  I consoled myself with the thought of how much extra body fat I was burning.  I also kept thinking about how great a hot shower was going to feel.

I know that they make all sorts of cycling gear for every type of riding condition.  Do yourself a favor and get yourself some.  You'll be thankful.

3. Eat Well:

Sometimes I get busy on Saturdays and forget to do things like eat.  By the time I left on my ride at about 4 p.m., my nourishment for the day consisted of three slices of pizza and a cup of yogurt.  In retrospect, that was probably not enough food to fuel a 50 miler.  

I did credit myself with throwing an energy bar in my pouch as I cycled off from the house.  It wasn't enough.  The last 10 miles were agony as there was little left in my tank--and I knew it.  By mile 48, I was craving pure sugar.  I fantasized about riding into the grocery store, buying a package of Skittles, and guzzling it in a single bite.

Instead, I did the next best thing.  I threw away all my pride and made an emergency pit stop at Royal and Nicole's house.  Nicole is an outstanding cook and I knew she had to have some sort of treats on hand.  I knocked on the door to find myself staring at their 6-year old son.  I asked if Royal was home.  He wasn't (he was still on his own ride).  I asked if Nicole was home.  She was upstairs putting the kids to bed.  I was shameless and was absolutely prepared to sit on the front porch until Nicole or Royal were available if I had to!

Yum! Yum!

Luckily, Nicole came downstairs right about then and I tossed aside whatever shreds of dignity remained to me and begged for food.  Nicole just happened to have some freshly made homemade waffles on hand.  I smothered those waffles in syrup and inhaled them.  Then I saw another plate and offered to relieve Nicole of the need to dispose of any leftovers.  Only after I had eaten all the remaining waffles did it occur to me that some of those might have been meant for Royal!  Oops!  (Actually, Royal doesn't like waffles for dinner, so it was all good...)

Anyway, with friends like Royal and Nicole, you can't go wrong.  (Thanks guys, you rock!)  But you can't always count on having your biking route go past their house, so you're better off to plan ahead and eat well before you leave.  Also, pack a few goodies on your bike so that you don't "bonk" before you finish your ride!

4.  Be Confident and Finish Strong:

My route concluded with some significant hills over the last few miles.  And by "hills," I mean pretty much all "uphill."  I'm not going to lie, I worried that I was going to finish walking my bike up some hill.  I can't think of anything worse than that.

Fortunately, I was able to finish strong, but I should have been more confident in my ability.  I think that most of us would be surprised to realize that we are stronger and tougher than we realize.  In addition, the power of our mind to exert its will over our bodies is underrated.  I am going to need to remind myself of that before, during, and after my race in a couple of weeks.

5.  Charge Up Your iPod:

Some people don't like to ride with headphones.  I get it.  They feel safer.  But if you like to ride with them, make sure that they are charged up.  Mine weren't.  They crapped out just past the turnaround point of the ride.  It would have been nice to have had some music for the last 24 miles.  =o(

6.  The Buddy System:

Riding with a buddy is a lot safer.  Plus having a friend to encourage you is huge.  Plus it's a lot of fun.  I think I could do just about anything in life as long as I had a good friend that I could share the experience with and to talk me through it.  

Unfortunately, on this ride, I rode solo.  If I had had a ride buddy, at least we could have laughed together about how miserable the ride was.  And, we would have made some fun memories together.

7.  Consider Doing an Organized Ride:

There are some great rides out there.  If you do a group ride you avoid a lot of the mistakes that I made.  For one, there are great volunteers and race organizers to cheer you on.  The route is well-marked and is likely protected (at least partially) from traffic.  There will be aid stations, snacks, rest stops, and liquids to keep you going.  Your friends and family can stake out a spot along the route to cheer you on.  Usually, the course is selected so that you don't get killed with steep hills at the finish.  And the spectators and "race day" feeling will help boost your adrenaline.  

You can also do the organized ride with a friend and if you don't have a friend, you'll probably end up with about 20 of them by the time that you finish just from visiting with your fellow riders.

"I get by with a little help from my friends..."

Seriously, if you are a relatively new rider, an organized ride offers a ton of advantages--with almost none of the drawbacks.  It really is a great idea and an opportunity to challenge yourself to push your limits.  Some day I would love to get some friends together and do a "Century" (100 mile) ride.  And in these types of organized rides, it's often not about getting the fastest time--it's more about the journey.

In Conclusion:

As bad as my ride was, I'm still glad that I did it.  With a little more common sense than I showed, you can easily avoid the pitfalls that I experienced and reap all of the benefits.  You may not be ready to conquer the Tour de France or win an Olympic medal in the Velodrome, but you will have a good time.

And if anyone has any other tips for my upcoming ride, feel free to share them.  As demonstrated by my recent experience, I'm going to need all the help that I can get!

Best Job - London 2012

If you haven't seen this video yet, you need to do so.  I love sports and the Olympic Games, but this provides a refreshing angle on the road to Olympic glory.  As I watched this, I couldn't help but think about my Mom and all the games, practices, and competitions that she drove me to and watched.  I thought it was very touching.

I also think it's a fitting tribute for J.  Our kids may never be Olympic athletes, but J. treats them like they will be someday. She has put thousands of miles on our minivan as proof of what a great mom she is and how much she loves our kids.

Enjoy this short clip!

(and thanks Mom and J.!)

Eight is Great!

S., you were baptized on Saturday...I love this picture of you in your baptismal clothes!
I also love that you asked me to write you a letter on Sunday describing the baptism.  I hope you always keep a
copy of that letter that I wrote to you.

You were so excited to get baptized.
You told me that after you came out of the water, you felt all warm inside.

After you were confirmed, Mom got a chance to bear her testimony.
She did a great job and I could tell how much she loved you by listening to her as she talked.

I still remember the day I was baptized.  I hope you always remember this day and that
you remember how you felt when you did it.  The Gospel is True!

What I'm Pinterest-ed In...

Do you use Pinterest?

Apparently, Pinterest is the new big thing these days.  I really don't know what it is or why I'd ever use it.  I guess the way it works is that if you like something you "pin" it.  Don't ask me how you pin things or what you do with them once you've pinned them.

I don't think I'm necessarily alone, however, at least amongst those of my gender.  I doubt that very many guys use it.  In fact, I only know of one guy that does.  And I don't actually know him--he's more of a friend of a friend type thing.  But I think that I saw some of his pins once and they were pretty cool.

I have another friend that uses Pinterest avidly.  She is an amazing designer.  She has a Pinterest album called "Blue."  I wish I knew how to link to it, because it has some really cool pictures in it.  Of course, I'm a little biased because blue is my favorite color.  I didn't like The White Album as much.  (haha--for all you music fans out there...)

Anyway, if I were a Pinterest user, here's a few of the things that I would pin...Enjoy!

Flowers:

California Golden Poppy

This is the California state flower.  It grows wild out here (like a weed) and it always makes me happy to see it growing.  When night comes, the petals will curl up and wait for the sun to come out the next morning to unfurl and bloom once again.  It's said that when the Spanish explorers first came to California these flowers were covering the hillsides like a golden blanket.

Swimming:

The Vista Hermosa Aquatic Center

This facility is gorgeous.  And it has this awesome playset in the middle of it where the kids can play.  This picture makes me want to dive in and swim!

World's Most Annoying Toy:

I'd be happy to give this away!

This toy always seems to find me at night as I wander through the house in the dark.  I always seem to bump into it which sets off the most annoying tune you've ever heard.  Plus, it's so loud, it seems like it could wake the dead.  We moved a while back and we put some of our stuff in these storage pods.  Since there's no way to apparently turn this toy off, I could hear that annoying ditty mocking me from deep inside the bowels of the storage crates.  

Unfortunately, E. seems to love this toy. I can't wait until she grows out of it!

Sports:

I love these brand new ball fields

I thought that there was a recession going on, but somehow our city came up with the money to build this awesome new sports park.  They put in these two great new artificial turf fields in the park.  It makes me want to take up soccer again just so I can play on these awesome fields.

Minivans:

My kids watching the "in-car" entertainment system...

...they're enraptured!

 To all those parents who claim that they're above ever driving a minivan (ahem...The Mostess!), you may change your mind when you realize how easy it makes driving your kids around.

Home Improvement Projects:

When we moved into our house, it had a hideous door knocker on the front door.  It was a hideous shiny gold color, but looked much like the door knocker above.  And by "much like," I really mean exactly like it.

At first, I tried to just buy a new door knocker, but I realized that I couldn't find one that I liked that matched the holes that had been drilled through the door.  I decided to take matters into my own hands.

I took the door knocker down, disassembled it, and then took some primer paint and sprayed it with several light coats.  Then, I got a can of antique bronze spray paint (to match the new lockset and door handle I put on after we moved in) and did several light coats until it was finished.  Then I put it back on the door.  I'm really pleased with how the project turned out.

My Hometown:

The View from the parking lot of our Stake Center today...

I refer to this view as the "Million Dollar View."  This is why people move to Southern California.  We have actually had people ask if they can have their wedding ceremony in the parking lot of our church so that they have this view as a back drop to their nuptials.

If you look closely, you can see Dana Point Harbor to the right.  I'm sorry, because this picture really doesn't even do justice to the view.  But it's the best I have at the moment.

Sunset...

My Kids:

E. is really into her stuffed animal pets lately...

E., I love you!  =o)

Thank You Hapari!

Sporting the Swim Trunks and the "Captain's Quarters"

I took a marketing class in college as part of my finance degree.  I'll never forget the mantra that our professor repeated over and over.  Great companies find ways to "surprise and delight" their customers.  That is why I think that Hapari is a great company.  They have a great product and they have even better customer service. Color me impressed.  Here's my Hapari story...

My Hapari Experience:
If you're like me, you probably thought that Hapari makes tankini swimsuits for women.  Period.  I had heard good things about Hapari's tankinis, but I don't like to shop and I know next to nothing about fashion in general (except for these tried and true fashion principles for men)--much less women's fashion.  Also, I'm not really in the market for a tankini, so Hapari was pretty far off my radar screen.

One of Hapari's Famous Tankinis - TheZebra V-Neck

Then my friend Brooke did a Hapari Swimsuit Giveaway on her blog.  Brooke is an amazing blogger and her giveaway attracted throngs of entries.  Finally, because of the giveaway, I decided to go to Hapari's website to see what all the fuss was about.  I was shocked to see that Hapari does have a line of board shorts and swim compression shorts.  Given all the good things I had heard about their women's swimwear, I was a little intrigued to see what their men's swimwear was all about.

Red Aloha Compression Swim Shorts

Right about that time, we decided to take a last-minute family vacation to Hawaii.  Now I needed a new suit! I took a closer look and realized that not only were Hapari's boardshorts and compression shorts a good deal--they were also on sale.  I ordered a pair of board shorts and a pair of the swim compression shorts (aka "Captain's Quarters").

Men's Blue Hawaiian Tribal Boardshorts

I placed my order about a week before I was supposed to fly to Hawaii.  After placing my order, I realized that Hapari was having a free shipping promotion that I had somehow missed out on.  I called Hapari customer service to see if they would retroactively apply it for me.  I was surprised and delighted when they did (without giving me any hassle)!  =o)

We were scheduled to leave on Saturday morning.  I dutifully tracked my package all the way to my office building via the USPS's web site.  Then at 6:00 p.m. on Friday evening, I realized that the package still hadn't arrived!  I raced down to the Post Office Sorting Center to see what had happened and to try and intercept my package.  Apparently, my package had made it all the way to my building, but due to a shipping mix-up my package had been sent back to Hapari!  (Somehow, my suite number hadn't made it on the package)

I waited in the bowels of the Post Office Center amidst scores of Netflix returns, orthodontic appointment cards, and various other packages that were leaving that night.  Unfortunately, no one there could find my package.  I would have to fly to Hawaii without my Hapari gear!

Yes, I was disappointed, but I still hadn't lost all hope.  I emailed Hapari Customer Service over the weekend to let them know what had happened and to see if they could help.  Little did I know that I was about to be surprised and delighted for a second time.

I woke up Monday morning in Hawaii to find the following email in my inbox from Hapari Customer Service:

Hapari Customer Service is all over it...

Wow!  How could you ask for anything more?  Not only did Hapari ship it Express Mail--to Hawaii--but they also did it at their own expense!

Needless to say, I was really excited for the package to arrive, which it did two days later.  After the package arrived, one of Hapari's Customer Service People actually sent me another email to make sure that it had arrived properly.  (Thanks River!)

Product Review: Hapari's Boardshorts:

My first thought when I pulled out my new board shorts was that they were HUGE!  Little did I know that instead of a size 36, I had received a size 40!  (Don't worry, Hapari would make it right later on.)  I figured that I was stuck with them, however, because I'd be back home by the time that Hapari could send me a smaller replacement pair, so I went ahead and decided to use them anyway.

My next observation was that the boardshorts felt incredibly soft right out of the package.  I'm used to boardshorts having a stiffer fabric, so I was a little worried at first.  I shouldn't have been.

I quickly realized that I loved the soft feel of the fabric.  It made them incredibly comfortable to wear.

I have no idea what fabric Hapari uses for its tankinis, but if it is anywhere near as good of a quality as the stuff that it uses for its boardshorts, I can see why Hapari has developed such a loyal following amongst its female customers.


I also thought that the shorts looked as good in person as they did on the website. Even my wife was impressed with how they looked.  She doesn't have a lot of confidence in my ability to pick out clothes on my own, so I think she was a little confused that I managed to find them on my own!  (See me attempting to model the shorts in the pic...)

For me, the fact that the shorts are both stylish (at least according to my wife) and comfortable means that I have hit the Holy Grail of shopping.  (Because I hate shopping for clothes!)  I really need to buy 2 more pairs!  I just wish they came in more patterns than just red and blue.

They are so comfortable that I even wore them to the Hawaiian Luau that we went to on Sunday afternoon.  Here's a pic that we got of me taking our three year old daughter up on stage to learn how to do the Hula Dance.  My daughter (E.) is dressed in purple below.  I'm the dude in blue who can't quite keep the beat!  :(

My Hips Don't Lie...The Hapari Boardshorts in Action

When I got back to California, Hapari sent me a replacement pair since the first pair were a little too big.  Again, Hapari did it--no questions asked--and shipped it for free.  They surprised and delighted me for a third time.  Thanks Hapari!  =o)

Product Review: "Captain's Quarters" Swim Compression Shorts:
Hapari has a large selection of these shorts on its website.  But at the time that I ordered these, they were out-of-stock in my size on every single style except for the red aloha version.

But before I continue my review, I must digress for a moment:

I'm sure that a girl named this product.  And it's a cute name, if you're shopping for your kid.  And the name probably tested well with women.  I am just not that big of a fan of the name.

I told Hapari this on the phone, so it's not like I'm afraid to give them my opinion on this issue.  To me, the name conjures up images of "tighty-whitey's" and other unmentionable things that guys would rather not discuss (at least publicly).  I much prefer to call them compression shorts or swim compression shorts.  But hey, this is only a minor nit in the grand scheme of things.

I bought these because boardshorts can be very uncomfortable to walk around in--particularly when they are wet.  It tends to lead to chafing of sensitive areas.  This can be a very painful experience if you spend all day playing on the beach.

I also love wearing compression shorts when I play basketball or run.  Finally, these shorts remind me of the swimming "jammers" that I wear to the pool when I swim laps.  So the thought of wearing these seemed very natural to me.  I also thought they might be kind of fun to have for our Hawaii adventure.  Little did I know that I was going to hit the jackpot by ordering these.  Yes, I liked them that much.  =o)

At first, I wasn't quite sure whether these were strictly for wearing under my boardshorts or whether I could wear them in their own right.  Hapari's web site claims that you can wear them both ways, so I just decided to  go with what felt comfortable.

When I opened up the package, I realized that these shorts looked bright.  My wife agreed and couldn't stop giving me grief about how bright they were.  Little did I know that that was just the beginning of the mockery and grief I would endure from her.  But in the end, it was worth it.  Yes, the shorts are that comfortable!

Hard at "work" on our favorite beach while wearing my swim compression shorts...

Because my boardshorts were a little big, I thought they might come off in the surf, so I decided to wear only the swim compression shorts while in the water (i.e. body surfing, snorkeling, etc.).  My wife is insistent that I post more "action shots" of me wearing only the swim compression shorts, but this is a family-friendly blog, so those pictures have been safely embargoed.  My wife thought that the floral pattern was pretty bright and not manly.  She also thought that the "Captain's Quarters" were a bit...ahem...form fitting.

Well, of course they are!  They are compression shorts for goodness sake.  But if I had to do it again, I would buy the black ones.  Also, I wish that the swim compression shorts were a little longer.  The pics on Hapari's web site show these shorts going almost to the knee of their models.  I'm pretty tall and mine came barely to my mid-thigh.  I'm betting that whomever Hapari used to model these shorts were definitely shorter than I am!

Oops, how did this shot get in there?  The Captain's Quarters are a little longer than these ones are...

But the swim compression shorts themselves were so comfortable to wear that I didn't even mind my wife's teasing or the fact that I wished that they were a little longer.  The shorts have a soft, satin-like texture and made swimming easy and fun.  I also like how the red color complemented/contrasted the blue on my boardshorts.  I need to remind myself to get a couple additional pairs the next time that we go to Hawaii on vacation.

So, in summary, if you're thinking about getting the Hapari swim compression shorts, go ahead and pull the trigger.  You won't regret it.

One Final Surprise:

Hang Loose Hapari

Despite the minor shipping and sizing issues that I had with my order, my Hapari purchases were totally worth it.  The products were great and so were the prices.  The exceptional customer service was just a bonus.

Still, Hapari had one final surprise in store for me.  I received an email just the other day notifying me that Hapari had gone ahead and refunded my entire order!  Yay!

At this point in time, being surprised and delighted by Hapari has become almost routine!

Anyway, if you're looking for some quality board shorts or swim wear at reasonable prices, I'd say you can't go wrong with Hapari's stuff.  Mahalo, Hapari!  =o)

We Love Hapari!

Ironman California 70.3 - March 31, 2012

Team Skil

Two years ago, I followed my brother as he finished the run portion of his Half Ironman.  About a week ago, we started and finished the race together.  I've always wanted to finish a triathlon side-by-side with my brother.  It was an amazing feeling and I'm really lucky to have him as my brother and best friend.

My brother...2010

We've done several triathlons together since.  But usually we start at different times and so we have never been able to finish a race together.

The Ironman California race is in Oceanside, California...practically in our backyard.  So it's an easy one for us to do.

Besides my brother, I also have a group of friends that usually do the race each year.  It is always better to do a race when you have someone to train with and run with.

The Swim - 1.2 Miles in the Murky Oceanside Harbor
Our swim wave kicked off 10 minutes after the professionals at 6:50 a.m.  The water in the harbor was 58 degrees.  Luckily with my wetsuit, it didn't feel all that bad.  My brother and I floated at to the start line.  The gun sounded and we were off.

I lost sight of my brother after about 2 seconds.  Everybody looks the same in the water, so all you can do is swim your hardest.  I tried my best not to gag several times as I took in harbor water while breathing.  I also tried my best to swim as straight as possible, but it's anyone's guess as to how successful I was at that.

Swimming in a triathlon can be a little like a controlled riot at times.  I've heard of people getting kicked in the face and having their goggles ripped off their head in the frantic frenzy that ensues.  Several times during this race, I had someone behind me come right over top of me and take my legs out for a moment.  I tried to fight off panic as I felt myself sinking.  Then I got clear and kept going.

At one point, I felt like one swimmer literally tackled me by the legs in the water.  I sank further than usual and when I came up, I was pretty fired up.  As he swam past me, I seriously resisted the urge to clock him.

I hit the turnaround point at 21:26 and was feeling pretty good about myself and my swim.  Then, as we turned, we started getting rocked from some very large swells from an offshore storm.  The swells were especially bad here because we were at the mouth of the harbor and there was little sheltering us from the swells.

My brother came out first...I was about 6.5 minutes later...
(Apparently, I was swimming with my eyes closed...maybe that's why I was so slow!)

One change from last year was that the volunteers did not help us strip off our wetsuits as we exited the water this year.  It was much appreciated last year!  It can be a little tough to unzip yourself when your arms are tired and your hands are numb!

T1: Rumbling, Bumbling, and Stumbling Through a Costume Change
The next stage of the triathlon is the first transition or T1.  This is where you shed your wetsuit, get your bike gear on, and get back on the road.

The first thing I noticed when I got to my bike on the rack in T1 was that my brother's bike was gone.  I felt like it took forever to get my wetsuit off, but on my socks, bike shoes, helmet, sunglasses, and then pack up all my wet gear.

Team Skil Exits T1 and Prepare to Mount Up

The Bike Ride - A 56 Mile, Rainy Tour of Scenic Camp Pendleton
The weather was cold and rainy.  That didn't matter very much in the water.  But now it did.  I saw a sign during the bike ride proclaiming that the air temperature was a balmy 48 degrees!  Yikes!

The first 24 miles or so of the course are fairly flat and parallel the coast and I-5 as the bikers leave Oceanside and head north into Camp Pendleton.  I got off to a fairly good start.  I caught my first glance of my brother at about mile 10 or so as the course looped back.  I figured I was probably 10 minutes back.

Our jerseys are pretty distinctive on the course which makes it nice for us to see each other and cheer each other on.  I tried to keep up a good pace and was trying to beat last years average pace for the first 24 miles. Last year, I averaged 19.1 mph on this stretch and I was trying to beat that this year.

Let's face it...this form is not going to get me in the Tour de France!

Unfortunately, I soon met my first obstacle.  I couldn't find a pit stop in T1 so I had to get on the bike without heeding the call of nature.  I was determined to through the first stretch without having to stop, but I soon realized that I might not be able to and further I worried that I wouldn't be able to find a pit stip when I needed to stop.

I skidded to a stop at a convenient bathroom along a stretch of San Onofre State Park.  It seemed like the longest 2-3 minutes of my life. After exiting and getting back on the road, I realized that my speed had actually gone up from 20-21 mph to about 28!

I exited the first stretch on Cristianitos Road in San Clemente.  I checked my average speed for the first 24 miles--19.6 mph!  I felt good about that improvement from last years 19.1 and continued on my way.

The next significant part was Mile 28.  The Hill.  Last year, I had to jump off my bike to avoid an accident in front of me.  The Hill as so steep that I couldn't get back on until the top of the hill.  This year was different.  I tried to avoid tipsy cyclists and was able to power to the top.

At Mile 41 I was starting to feel a bit of fatigue and was wondering why I wasn't seeing anybody on the course even though I felt like I was making good time, despite the rain and sloppy weather conditions.  It was a little disheartening.  Just then, I caught a flash of red, white, and blue up ahead!  It was my brother!  The thought of seeing him on the course gave me a second wind out there.

I finally caught up to him at Mile 43 on a short downhill.  As I passed him, I tried to encourage him by yelling: "Only 12 more miles!"  I think I was actually trying to encourage myself as well!

I can smell the finish of the bike portion...

Last year, I remember at about Mile 50 thinking that I wasn't sure that I had a half marathon left in my legs, but somehow I managed to finish.  This year, I felt a lot more confidence as I pushed through the final miles on the bike.

As I hit the Strand, I looked at my watch and realized that I was going to finish the bike in a little over 3 hours.  Deep in my heart, I had been secretly hoping to do the bike in about 3 hours.  (Last year was 3 hrs 26 minutes).  I got more than a little emotional as I cruised down the Strand toward the second transition (T2).  I was glad that I had sunglasses on.  If people had been able to see me, they might have thought that I was in physical agony or that I was happy that the bike was over.

In truth, I was feeling overwhelmed with the realization that I was going to be able to finish and that I would hit my goal time.  That was a huge deal for me.  I had had nightmares about this race all winter.  My nightmare was not that I wouldn't finish--my nightmare was that I was going to do finish, but have a slower time than last year.  I was so grateful that my bike finish virtually guaranteed that I would meet my goals for this race.  It was a brief, personal moment, but I was grateful for it.

I swear I'm going faster than it looks...

T2: An Unexpected Delay
T2 is generally pretty short.  You rack your bike, ditch your helmet, put on a hat, put on your running shoes, and go.  I didn't stumble through this (like I had in T1) and I started heading for the gate to start the run.  Right before the run start was a bank of Biffy's.  As luck would have it, all were occupied!

I never thought that I would have to wait to make use of the facilities, but after my experience on the bike, I wanted to make sure I was really ready to run.  It didn't take that long for a spot to open up, but it felt like an eternity!

The Run: The 13.1 Mile Dash(???) to the Finish
I started the run plagued by cramps in my lower back.  I really need to spend more time on the bike so that the transition from bike to run is a little easier.  It really took about 6 miles for those cramps to loosen up a bit.

My brother attacked the run.

Even with the cramps, I felt like I was making pretty good time.  I don't have a fancy GPS triathlon watch (yet), but by my calculation, I was able to keep up a sub 10-minute mile pace for the first 11 or 12 miles.  I had visions in my own mind of

That didn't happen!  I knew that my brother was behind me, but I wasn't sure how close he was.  Turns out he was close and as I slowed down, he caught up to me with literally about half a mile to go (or less).  This time, it was his turn to encourage me and we entered the finish chute together and finished side by side!  =o)

It was really cool to hear the emcee at the finish line announce our names together and then also announce that we were brothers!

Team Skil finishes in 6:21:57

All in all, I was thrilled with my race.  But for the last mile of the run, I really felt like I exceeded my expectations and did better than I could have expected to do.  My goal was to go sub 06:30 and I did that.  In fact, both my brother and myself set personal records for the race.

Here is how this year's race compared to last years for me:

2011
Swim: 49:47
T1: 9:04
Bike: 3:26:49 (16.25 mph avg)
T2: 4:09
Run: 2:29:19 (11:23 pace per mile)
Total: 06:59:08

2012

Swim: 46:52
T1: 8:23
Bike: 3:06:31 (18.01 mph avg)
T2: 3:53
Run: 2:16:18 (10:24 pace per mile)
Total: 06:21:57


I don't operate under any delusions that I'm fast out there.  In fact, there were over 1300 people that were faster than I was on that day.  But I was excited that I was able to improve in every single stage of the race.  And the best part is that I know I can do even better next year!

I'm celebrating the fact that I'm done!

Special thanks go to our cheering section, who even brought signs.  Mom, J., Nicole, and the kids, you guys were awesome!  (and I promise to post a pic of the signs once I get them!)