June 7 The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah... If anyone gets that archaic reference to the weather, their childhood is showing. We couldn't help but make a few comments about rather wet conditions the KC area has been experiencing. The sheer volume of rain we've received lately has the meteorological department here at SBR wondering if perhaps we should commence building an ark and gathering procreative couples of triathletes, duathletes, marathoners, swimmers, MTB'rs, roadies, and so forth. While not given to complain about the weather, since we still can't control it, we find it amusing when swimming on suddenly becomes a preferred means of commuting. Fortunately I don't make that drive, but speaking of driving, I did leave my bike up on my Yakima while I tooled about town with the hope of getting in a ride later in the day. While that effort proved futile, I did manage to transform my bike into the cleanest it's been for weeks. Guess I'd better stock up on White Lighting. We'll chance one last "too much rain" observation before your itchy trigger finger mouseclicks us away, but I recognized that it was raining way too heavily when the walk (run) from the Y's front door to my car door left me equally as wet as the swim session I had just completed.

May 18 The Terre Haute triathlon took place in Indiana over the weekend. had local triathlete Amber Mounday of St Louis followed up her win at Race For Sight in Columbia with a second place finish to pro IM triathlete Heather Gollnick. Mounday out-swam her, then averaged 22 mph on the bike to stay even, but Gollnick's 6:24 pace on the run proved to be too good. The men's race had 2003 QuarterMax champ, Barry Knight from Kentucky, finish just one second behind professional, Chad Hawker. The sole local participant finished 143 overall. Good job Matt Douglas of Kansas City.

May 10 Perspective Way back in the multisport dark ages, there was the fringe sport of triathlon.  Sure, the Olympics offered hybrid and combination sports for years with ski/shoot biathlon, heptathlon, and decathlon.  I don't know about you, but I don't pack heat and never pole-vaulted before, plus those events seemed like television sideshows every four years anyway.  Before triathlon arrived, endurance athletes checked one of three boxes : swimming, biking, or running.  When Ironman burst upon the scene, triathlon at any distance was soon embraced as the new benchmark sport for cardio fitness.  It also spawned a brave new world of alternative sport. Before long, duathlon (at first called biathlon and later renamed to eliminate confusion with the Olympic sport) evolved and appealed to land-based athletes who yearned for variety.  It took on three incarnations,  initially run-bike-run, but later run-bike and bike-run, depending on the race director and other factors.  There were even a few swim-run events.  At one time rare, these aquathons have lately seen a resurgence of interest with run-swim-run being the sequence of choice.  Triathlon saw an offshoot as well with Xterra events capitalizing on the wide spread popularity of mountain bikes. So it was that triathlon and duathlon reigned supreme.  They gave athletes new frontiers to conquer, equipment manufacturers a proving ground for technological development, and the Wide World of Sports an annual television spectacle.  The only problem was that the restless human spirit stirred..  Not content with merely three sports, some athletes looked to other avenues for challenge.   Adventure racing was born.  Whole new sets of skills were necessary to participate  though.  It wasn't just a matter of having a higher VO2 max.  Could you ride a horse, rappel down a cliff, navigate watercraft, orienteer, and  manage to operate on minimal sleep?  Even these races mutated as urban survival events appeared exploiting downtown concrete mountains and borrowing stair-master skills from the gym as skyscraper stairwells became race venues. Just when you thought we had run out of ideas, television producers took it yet another step, though most would question whether forward.  Reality shows pitted contestants battling one another in harsh conditions around the globe.  At this extreme end, alliances, consuming all sorts of nasties, and backstabbing  replaced speed, strength, and endurance.  This was so far removed from the epic day when Julie Moss wobbled and crawled to the finish line in Kona as to be absurd. Where is all of this taking us?  The growing re-interest in iron-distance triathlon leads me to believe that we may be doing the full-circle thing.  On the other hand, I give it until next season before ESPN2 televises a street luge-BMX half pipe-roller blade triathlon brought to you by Mountain Dew.  It seems inevitable but unsustainable. Swimming, biking, and running are still the core activities of the multi-sport world.  Will that change?  Who knows, but I sure hope not.

May 3 The Race For Sight in Columbia went off yesteday in what began as a chilly spring day, but the clear skies overhead let the sun warm the racers and heat up the finishing times. The mens Formula race boiled down to a couple of out of towners ripping the course. Adam Zucco (left) of Chicago ceded Delbert Marriott (right in photo) of Jacksonville, North Carolina a few seconds after the first pass through the course, but the second time around Zucco took them back and put time on Marriott despite dropping his chain on the bike leg. The womens race witnessed two St Louis powerhouses face off out without the benefit of seeing one another. Amber Mounday missed the elite wave and consequently had to swim her way through the crowded age-group lanes. Haskins, who started with the smallish womens elite wave, was well in front of that pack and was perhaps running too tactically with Mounday out of sight. In the process Haskins gained a school of hard knocks lesson in time-trialing as the "out of sight, out of mind" Mounday bested her. Nice work to Bob Schloegel of Overland Park on his top ten finish in the Formula Divison and to all of the Kansas City area athletes who particiapted

May 2 SBR thanks go to Tim Sandfort for letting this weary traveler be a part of his triathlon commune in Columbia last night. With eleven triathletes building nests throughout the house, we created our own indoor version of the famed Wildflower Triathlon simultaneously held this weekend.

May 1 When triathloning, I often find the whole people-experience to be at least as interesting as the race itself. True, the race is the intended focal point of the weekend, but it's the personalities who comprise it that provide the real entertainment for me. When you assemble a colorful group of type-A's, the result is usually never a dull moment. Occasionally it's the antics but mostly it's the conversations– dinner time debates, pre-dawn confessions, transition area whispers, endorphin-fueled chatter, post-race recaps, just to name a few. The event is for the athletes but it's really about them that counts.

April 26 It's not news to KC area triathletes that the metro has been chosen to play host to the newly created Half Triathlon National Championship. This event, held jointly with the UltraMax Iron-distance triathlon, promises to deliver large. Beyond the obvious positive financial impact they will produce, the events will bring both prominence and prestige to the metropolitan region. As most locals know, St Joseph was twice the site of USAT Nationals in the recent past. Kansas City, with its convenient central location and hopefully strong local support, could well become the permanent home of what should evolve into an ever-larger and more-prestigious event. The Half Triathlon Championship and Ultramax have as dynamic a race director and staff as you'll likely ever see, so we know that the details will be handled efficiently. It's up to the local denizens and KC triathlon community to show that they want this event and want it to stay.

April 18 Our online shopping helper, My Simon, found the Timex Time Speed Distance system Model #T53501 for $138.86 at Walmart.com. Granted, this may be "old" technology but it still represents a very good value. A recent email advert from Active.com informed us of a promotional sale on the Timex BodyLink system. This set-up adds a heartrate monitor and data recorder, and PC upload capability to the GPS system. With a $300 retail price, it can be had for $240 at timex.com with the promotional code "SpringTraining." Click on the relevant image for link.

April 17 Admittedly SBRKC has a near-fetish tendancy to keep its content as fresh as reasonably possible, but it still mystifies me how many websites remain stuck in 2003. Perhaps I should extend them the benefit of the doubt. After all, the year is only approaching half-over. This is particularly disconcerting with event-websites. Nothing instills confidence in an athlete, when making that 50-mile dawn drive to any-event, like seeing its race information page still proudly bearing 2003 the night before. There are many potential justifications for this tardiness. Perhaps the site lost its webmaster to family issues or the demands of the working world. It happens. Maybe the remaining 364 days simply flew by, though I am less inclined to believe this, especially during leap years. The whole scenario grates me as much as some event-sites that wait weeks to post their race results, but that's a completely different rant. One man can't change the world, or the world wide web for that matter. Maybe I'll just cut back on the soy lattes.

April 16 If your name didn't come up in the Ironman lottery, and assuming that qualifying is beyond your physical limitations, there is still hope, Ironboy. The World Triathlon Corporation is reprising last year's Ironamn Hawaii auction by offering ten slots on eBay. Granted, the $10,000 minimum bid puts this out of the reach of most household budgets, but who says you have to use your own money? 100% of the proceeds will again go towards construction of a YMCA in Kailuna-Kona and are therefore tax-deductible. Individuals may use the fund-raising aproach to accumulate funds from individuals and corporations with which to bid. And you thought peddling three dollar boxes of your daughter's girl scout cookies was tough. The kicker is that the bidding starts this Thursday.

triathlon (tri·ath'·län) entomology: tri-athlon (latin, three-pain) 1. Athletic endurance contest most often consisting of swimming, bicycling, and running which are performed in sequence. 2. In the general vernacular, a term often substituted for any endeavor involving massive amounts of sweat and discomfort. Commonly mispronounced (tri·ath'·uh·län) with an inserted extra syllable, the three-vowelled word is sometimes misused as a synonym for the proper noun, Ironman. noun. plural triathlons, verb forms tri, tri'd, triathloning

April 15 The Ironman Passport Club decided to make a splash about enhancing its member benefits. They now include a unique Ironman ID#; a personalized Ironman ID card with your Ironman finishes printed on the back, complimentary subscription to Inside Ironman, World Triathlon Corporation’s newsletter (three issues), Secure Ironman ID account accessible at www.ironmanlive.com/id and www.Active.com/ironman, streamlined online event registration process at Active.com, 10% off certificate valid for 1 year at www.ironmanstore.com; 5% discount on Ironman merchandise at the Kona Ironman retail store; and exclusive access to Ironman Message Boards coming soon. The ever-opinionated SBRKC thinks these "benefits" may offer marginal value. We'd be happier if they "enhanced" the number of people they draw for slots.

April 13 Thursday will become life-altering for some athletes when the Ironman Hawaii lottery slots are chosen. With the very daunting task of qualifying being beyond the reach of most triathletes, the general consensus is to just get there any way you can. Good luck to locals in the drawing

April 12 Scholarships- USA Triathlon and the U.S. Olympic Committee have two scholarship opportunities for up and coming young triathletes. Complete Details are available in PDF format. Program 1- The USOC Scholarship: Attend school at Colorado College, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, or Pikes Peak Community College. This scholarship covers up to $15,000 of school expenses per year, meals and housing at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The student-athlete will train with the Emerging Athlete Resident Program. Program 2- The USAT Scholarship: Attend any accredited school while full-filling the requirements below. Student-athlete receives $1000 per semester, upon proof of full-time enrollment and paid fees. Coach receives $250 per semester, upon submission of annual training plan and first month's training plan to USAT. This scholarship will not renew automatically each semester, though may be renewed for up to eight semesters. The scholarship may be terminated if student athlete and/or coach do not stay in good standing with USAT, the school, or the club.

April 11 UltraCycling Going long on the bike implies an entirely different connotation to the members of Randonneurs USA. This group has begun the Kansas City chapter's ACP Brevet Series. The April 3rd 200k ride may have already passed, but the 300, 400, 600, and 1000 kilometer rides still remain. information. What is it like to ride in a Brevet? Read a first-person account of a 300k effort from last season.

April 7 Perspective Last year on my other website, I heartily recommended the mountaineering book by Joe Simpson entitled, Touching the Void. This non-fiction work recalled the story of an ill-fated mountain climb in South America and the utterly amazing events surounding it. Without much commercial splash, the movie was recently released to positive critical reviews. I bee-lined to the cinema to view this film and found it equally moving as the book. Of course the cinematography delivered a better sense of the mountain's magnitude than my imagination could ever conjure. Both its exquisite grandeur and abject harshness were successfully conveyed. The film was a clever blend of documentary and accurate re-creation. True to the book, it will impart a powerful emotional stamp on those who invest their time and hearts in it. It is terrifying, at times perversely ironic, and above all inspirational. We triathletes can wait fo the sag wagon if things get too tough. In Joe Simpson's sport, he played for the ultimate stakes.

April 2 It's a fact that the Kansas City area was home to dozens of bike brands near the end of the 1800's. Bikes with names from Alert to Westland supplied a ready-buying public afflicted with bicycle mania. Kansas City wasn't alone. Nearly every major metropolitan area witnessed high wheelers and bikes of many other sizes and configuarations rolling along. A few hardy souls even managed to complete rides from coast to coast. An excerpt from a historical society document (letter written by late actress EJ Philips in 1895) gives us a picture of the manic interest in bicycles a few years before the introduction of automobiles... "Men, women and children are all riding bicycles in every town. No business being done anywhere in any line save bicycles! There never was such a general craze before. About 8 men and two women in our Company have their bicycles with them, and ride from 10 to 20 miles a day. Gustave Frohman is an enthusiast on the subject, and I think will kill himself overdoing the thing."

Alert - John Deere Plow Company, Kansas City MO, 1896 Avery - Avery Planter Company, Kansas City MO, 1895-1898

Belle - Missouri Cycle Company, Kansas City MO, 1896 Carthage Clipper - Wheeler Company, Carthage MO, 1898

Carthage Star - Peebles Cycle Company, Carthage MO, 1898 Central Special - Central Cycle Company, Kansas City MO, 1895-1896

Constellation - Midland Cycle Company, Kansas City MO, 1895-1896

Despatch - John Deere Plow Company, Kansas City MO, 1896

Flyer - John Deere Plow Company, Kansas City MO, 1896 King of Diamonds - Central Cycle Company, Kansas City MO, 1895

King - John Deere Plow Company, Kansas City MO, 1896 Leader - John Deere Plow Company, Kansas City MO, 1896 Lorenzo - Lawrence Brothers Cycle Manufacturing Company, Kansas City MO, 1898 Mikado - Midland Cycle Company, Kansas City MO, 1896

Moline - John Deere Plow Company, Kansas City MO, 1896 Monogram - Lawrence Brothers Cycle Manufacturing Company, Kansas City MO, 1898 Pallas - Central Cycle Company, Kansas City MO, 1895-1896

Petite - Wyeth Hardware & Manufacturing Company, St. Joseph MO, 1896 Pittsburg Belle - Missouri Cycle Company, Kansas City MO, 1895-1896

Pittsburg Special - Missouri Cycle Company, Kansas City MO, 1895-1896 Pittsburg - Missouri Cycle Company, Kansas City MO, 1896 Queen - John Deere Plow Company, Kansas City MO, 1896

Query - Avery Planter Company, Kansas City MO, 1896

Rinaldo - Midland Cycle Company, Kansas City MO, 1895-1896 Rochester - Lawrence Brothers Cycle Manufacturing Company, Kansas City MO, 1898

Scorcher - John Deere Plow Company, Kansas City MO, 1896 Special - John Deere Plow Company, Kansas City MO, 1896 Standard - Standard Cycle Works, St. Joseph MO, c1904

Sylvan - John Deere Plow Company, Kansas City MO, 1896 Talisman - Midland Cycle Company, Kansas City MO, 1895-1896

Westland - John Deere Plow Company, Kansas City MO, 1896

March 28 Pro-triathlete, Andrea Fisher from Austin, Texas has indicated that she will participate in the HalfMax Triathlon at Innsbrook Resort just outside of St Louis. She is one of the premier swimmers in the sport but will take on a half-iron course that in just its second year has garnered a reputation for its brutally hilly run.

March 27 While the US Postal Service and its pro cycling team continue negotiations for a contract extension, a lively editorial war is being waged regarding the merit of this sponsorship arrangment. Depending upon which side of the fence you sit, the $50 million over 7 years spent supporting Lance Armstrong and his team has been called everything from a boondoggle to a gold mine. No doubt, most reading this would probably agree with the second characterization. The following is an excerpt from a letter of rebuttal to a columnist who strongly proposed severing the tie..... "First lets put the $10 million dollar deal into perspective: The total advertising budget for the USPS is over 300 million dollars. The USPS pro cycling team at 10 million dollars is but 3.3% of that total budget, yet is obviously the most noticeable piece of advertising they have. The total revenue of the USPS for 2003 was 68.529 billion dollars that makes the $10 million dollar budget for the USPS bike team 0.01459 % of the USPS total revenue. Understand that if the positive effects of sponsoring the USPS bike team increased revenue 0.01459% then the sponsorship deal would pay for itself. The total operating expenses for the USPS were 63.902 billion dollars in 2003 - that makes the $10 million outlay for the USPS 0.0156% of total operating expenses. The USPS made 1.6153 billion dollars from international mail service. Even if the USPS bike team only had an impact outside the US, which it obviously doesn't, the budget for the USPS bike team is only 0.619% of total international revenue. This is an organization that has liability of 218 million dollars in outstanding money orders. Far from an organization wallowing in massive bureaucratic debt, the United States Postal Service made 3.868 billion dollars last year.

March 26 Perspective It seems to happen every year. Someone forgets to turn their clock forward Saturday night and misses a race start on Sunday. As a public service announcement, SBRKC reminds you not to be a Daylight Saving Time casualty. In the interest of preventing unnecessary embarassment and frustration, we suggest that all weekend racers move their clocks ahead one hour today. Not only will this alleviate the chore of remembering to do so on Saturday night, more importantly, it will deliver you an hour early for work all week, duly impressing your boss. For some of us, it might actually get us to our appointments on time. Imagine arriving a full-hour before a race without an elevated heart rate and with no wasted adrenaline. Spring forward now and change your life.

March 25 Perspective Even the the oldest, most-overused truisms still seem to ring true on occasion. Case in point? The "dark cloud/ silver lining" adage hit home with me lately. I don't pretend to ride a solo breakaway with adverstiy. There are many, many individuals who have had their life interrupted far more jarringly than I. After my car wreck derailed a fitness program that had put me in the best cardiovascular shape in 6 years, I had a dark cloud of questions, doubts, and despondancy. But after a subsquent healing process jumpstarted by a two-week escape to Southern California, I can hosestly say I see silver. I think its the traveling that has that effect on me. Getting out of town for a race, training, or in my case rehab, wipes my mental slate clean. It matters not whether it's a sand beach in Kona, a mountain top in California, or simply Small Town, USA. For me, looking homeward from a distant perspective adjusts my focus. It motivates. It enervates. It clarifies. One of the cool things about multisport is its endless potential for travel. The choices abound. Swim oceans, bays, lakes, and creeks. Cycle mountains, deserts, forests, and urban scenes. Run trails, beaches, backwoods, and city streets. There's a world of unique choices but still a thread of commonality runs through it all. Regardless of where I go to do this multisport thing, the more I travel, the closer to home I get.

March 24 Triathletes are generally type-A, goal-driven people. Most often, the will to knock out those daily workouts comes from a strong inner drive to perform and succeed. But being human, we all need to resort to an occasional motivational technique to keep the momentum going. Below are a few time-tested methods for keeping the drive alive.

Set Achievable Goals: Putting in an Armstrong performance is a noble aim, but begin with a more reasonable and achievable goal. At first start with a goal you know you can meet. Make that goal and feel good about it, then set another. Reward yourself each time you reach your goal with some thing you like. Visualize Your Success: If you find it difficult to start your program, imagine how you will look and feel upon meeting your next goal. Picture yourself having made that achievement and then get to work. Alternatively visualize how you may look if you don't stay with the program.  Mind-games can be powerful motivators. Monitor Your Progress: Keep a training log.  This will serve as a record of your successes and shortfalls. Seeing it in black and white reinforces good habits. Find a Workout Partner:  There is nothing like having some peer pressure to help keep you going. Find some one who is fun to be with and has their own fitness goals. Together you can enjoy some quality time and help motivate each other. Someone whom is fitter than yourself will generally be more motivational as you will try and keep up with them. Play Your Favorite Music:  Listening to music while you workout can help keep it interesting, relaxing and fun. Workout tempos are often easier to maintain with music setting the pace.. Get Some Focus Reminders:  Psychology 101 taught us to place daily reminders in places we see throughout the day to reinforce goals and motivation.  Using pictures, notes, mementos, etc. work well. Work Out on A Set Schedule:  Haphazard training will net marginal results.  Set a schedule and stick with it as best you can.  Obviously be flexible to life's demands but stay the course as much as possible. Even a small step in the right direction beats standing still. Change your Vocabulary: Eliminate the word "tomorrow" from your vocabulary and replace it with "today. Nothing short of injury or illness can halt your progress as much as procrastination. Review Your Priorities: Take time out to look at your daily activities and priorities. Are they what you want? Is improved quality of life one of them? How badly do you want or need them? Create Variety in Your Training:  Specificity of training is important but always be open for a little diversity.  It will add some spice to your routine while keeping your objective in focus. Avoid Over-Training:  There is a time to go long and there are weeks of heavy exercise volume.  Proper recovery, however,  will allow your body to reap fitness gains and prevent your training from becoming drudgery.

March 23 T-Shirt Etiquette In the triathlon community, wearing race T-shirts has become a sign of accomplishment and fashion. Choosing just the right T-shirt for that special occasion can be a daunting task. The following thoughtfuly conceived and elaborately detailed guidelines have been compiled to assist the responsible T-shirt wearer avoid potential embarrassment and/or elevate his status. OK, here we go. A shirt cannot be worn unless the wearer has participated in the event. (crew and volunteers are exempt). Wearing a t-shirt within 30-days of the event demonstrates lack of experience; it says: I don't have any other t-shirts, ergo I'm a novice! Any racet T-shirt, less than a Olympic distance, shouldn't be worn to an half or full-Iron event. It simply doesn't represent a high cool factor and sends a red flag regarding your 'rookie-ness'. If you finished any half or full-iron race, definitely wear that shirt whenever possible. When returning to a race in which you previously finished, wear the shirt from the first year you completed the race. Don't short change yourself by wearing the shirt from the year before. It doesn't adequately display the feat of accomplishment or the consummate veteran status that you are due. Never wear a race shirt from the race you are about to compete in. It displays a lack of integrity and tempts fate. Wearing a T-shirt of the race, while currently running said race, is discouraged. Never wear a shirt from a race that you did not finish. To wear it is to say I finished. A DNF'er may wear a race shirt if... the letters DNF are boldly written on the shirt in question. It is also acceptable to have a large-X across the name of the race on the t-shirt. While an X on your race number typically indicates a drafting penalty, it will stimulate discussion and allow you the opportunity to explain why you DNF'd. During a race, wearing of shirt from a previously completed year is acceptable. Wear the oldest T-shirt you have. This is probably a good practice because you now have no excuse to drop out since you've done it before. Volunteers have full T-shirt rights and all privileges pertaining thereto. No souvenir shirts! Friends or anyone else not associated with the race may not wear a race shirt. If your 'partner' thinks that the UltraMax sweatshirt is great, tell them to send in their application early for next year so they can earn their own. Not withstanding guideline #2, wear the race shirt of your last race at the current race pre-race briefing. The more recent the race the better. This is a great conversation starter. However, avoid the tendency to explain how the race was training for this, or that this is just training for the next race. It sounds like you're rationalizing mediocre performances. Sometimes it's best to live in the here and now. ("I've never been more prepared for a race! This is the big one!"). The T-shirt must be clean, but dried blood stains are fine. If you don't know what things like DNF, T1, T2, and brick sessions are, then you shouldn't wear any race shirt until you do. T-shirts must be used sensitively. Worn responsibly, they can help expand one's consciousness and immerse you in a great conversation with your triathlon brethren. They are great for stimulating conversation with the opposite sex at the gym. Worn stupidly, they can cause vacant stares and social anxiety. Publicly these guidelines will be denied and possibly ridiculed by triathletes, but when discussed privately, they sing a different tune.

March 9 Mr. SwimBikeRun has begun his pilgrimage to triathlon's birthplace and training-nirvana, San Diego, California. I suppose this Perspective segment will morph into some some kind on-going travelogue as I spend time here recooperating from that unpleasant little auto-accident. As a side note for any interested parties, my health situation is improving daily. I barefoot through the beach-sand rather well now as opposed to when walking was unthinkable a couple of weeks ago. Perhaps the bikini-clad scenery has provided sufficient incentive for my re-hab sauntering. The master-plan is to stay on for a couple of weeks, but the longer ones stays out here, the increasingly powerful the Pacific Coast's magnetic pull becomes. SBR-SD has a comfortable feel to it. Well, maybe all of this is so much unbridled day-dreaming, but sun and sea seem to have that effect. Being two laid-back time-zones behind Kansas City, SBRKC updates will appear a bit later in your day than the 7am CST target time I've tried to maintain in the past. So, for you morning-coffee-surfers, you should probably think in terms of a lunch-time SBR fix. Keep the training hammer down. As for me, time for fish tacos and a Corona. Out.

Calling All Mountain Bikers The Midwest Mountain Biking Advocacy Summit takes place the weekend of March 19-21 in Blue Springs, Mo near Kansas City. This gathering is all about rolling up one's sleeves and getting down to work. It’s also about having fun and creating friendships with trail stewards, land managers and outdoor enthusiasts. The Summit will provide a forum for these like-minded groups to exchange ideas, develop action plans and create solutions, all geared toward enhancing the outdoor experience and increasing the number of singletrack trails throughout the Midwest. Everyone who signs up online gets a custom printed T-shirt, a custom printed pint glass and various other goodies that total well over the $20 entry cost. Throw in four live bands, guided rides and a raffle and you've got an event. Meet Friday night at the Independence Fraternal Order of Police Hall 18300 E. M-78 Hwy, Independence, MO 64057.

Life is an Adventure The Southern Tour of 2004 Adventure Race Series makes a stop in Kansas City on Saturday, August 7. At 9am, male, female, coed, and masters teams will congregate at Smithville Lake for a 7-12 mile MTB ride, 1- 2 mile kayak, and and mystery events. The estimated time of completion will be 2- 2.5 hours. Teams need 2 off-road bikes and helmets- kayaks, paddles, and life jackets provided. Teams must bring all food & water. Fee includes: Micro-Poly race jersey, 100% Cotton T-shirt, and land use fees. The event offers qualifying slots for the USARA national championship.

Online registration opened March 1st for the 5th annual Ozark Greenways Adventure Race. This event is slated for Saturday, May 22 in the Mark Twain National Forest near West Plains, Mo. The 8-14 hour race is designed for coed teams of four who compete in running, mountain biking, orienteering, canoeing, and mystery challenges. In 2003, a whopping 90-teams battled it out for qualifying slots in the USARA National Championship. Proceeds benefit the Greenways Trails in and around the Springfield, Mo area.

Last year's Midwest Monster Adventure Race drew 48 coed, four-member teams to Quincy, IL to compete in biking, running, canoeing, orienteering, ropes maneuvering, and a timber transport. The Quincy fire department team kept the title trophy in their home town by a mere 10 minutes, completing the event in 5:26:39. The 2004 race is scheduled for September 18th and looks to be even bigger and better. Proceeds benefit the Quincy Regional Crimestoppers. While not currently accepting online registration, the event website indicates they accept telephone resistration, but oddly displays no number.

The Berryman Adventure Race drew nearly 90 teams as well as individual racers who competed across four categories, 4-person coed long-course, 2-person long course, solo, and short course. The fastest time of was put up by a long-course solo competitor who finished the grueling two-day event in 16:16:00. All information should be available by early May for the September event.

March 6 Much like watching the early signs of spring, I am noticing small indications of the wonderful recovery powers of the human body, namely mine. While convalescing from my automobile accident and recognizing the longish road that still lies ahead, I'll accept these little victories for what they are, and as they come. It's not unlike that phenomenon in training, when you suddenly come to the realization that you just had a break-through. It's a satisfying, heady little rush that annoints your efforts with meaning. Wholly personal and completely arbitrary, these little progressions keep us positive, help us grow, and move us forward. The multisport world has its fair share of big, bigger, biggest, but sometimes though, it pays to think small.

On a less philosophical note, next week I will attempt to update the website from sunny, southern California, when I make a pilgrimage to triathlon's birthplace, San Diego. I am relatively certain that I've got the logistics adequately figured out to get this done, but won't be completely sure until I get there. We'll see. Never-the-less, it will be very strange making my way through the SD airport without my bike box in tow.

March 5 Successful training is a science that most of us try to learn through the unfortunate old school of trial and error.  That needn't be the case these days when a wealth of opportunity and education is simply a mouse-click away.  The following short list of coaching programs is by no means complete, but comprises in no particular order some of the more popular ones.  I encourage your to check them all out....  Carmichael Training Systems has recently launched a brand new web.  Their site makes it easy to perform side by side comparisons of their various coaching packages both in terms of pricing and options.  Even after enhancing their reputation by coaching Lance Armstrong to his TDF successes, CTS still lends itself to the beginning multisport athlete as well as the intermediate and advanced, with several affordable training packages.....  Multisports.com provides online coaching but of equal interest are the live training camps all around the country.  Added to equation is the star power of pro triathletes Heather Fuhr, Paul Newby Fraser, Greg Welch, and others to give insight and instruction at all ability levels.  The site goes beyond solely being a selling site by regularly publishing articles on all matters triathlon.  Definitely worth a look.....  National Triathlon Academy also performs double duty by servicing triathletes with online coaching and by making the rounds with triathlon training workshops and camps all over the country.   Troy Jacobson has a solid background and strong racing resume.  He oversees a stable of 34 hand-picked coaches.  The website itself is comprehensive and interesting with many training articles freely available for reading.....   Ultrafit  is author and coach Joe Friel's organization.  Like the other webs, online coaching for connected athletes is a mainstay of this site.  Triathletes seeking hands-on assistance can attend one of their many clinics for face time and feedback.    The site itself focuses mainly on selling their services with no apparent training articles accessible to visitors..... For those athletes wishing to train with a tri-legend, Mark Allen Online offers e-Grip services that are custom-tailored to your needs.  One certainly can't dispute the training advice of one of the greatest triathletes in the history of the sport.  The website itself is strictly a marketing tool with programs starting at $15 per week.....   Wes Hobson Performance is another of the pro athlete coaching sites.  This one is run by the successful long-time pro, author, and TV commentator of the same name.  The site goes well beyond the solicitation-only approach and provides ample reading fodder both on-site and in the monthly newsletter.  In addition, Wes offers the personal touch with training camps geared towards all athlete levels.....  These are just a few of the many coaching services available for anyone seeking tri-guidance.  If you merely want to begin your triathlon training on the right foot or if you are an elite athlete wishing to take it to the next level, a modest investment in yourself may be just ticket to realizing your goal.

March 4 Last weekend's Sunday's Froze Toes bike road race in Columbia, Missouri experienced temperate weather with the thermometer reaching into the 60's. Consequently, 300 cyclists showed up to test the result of their off-season training or simply enjoy a spin outdoors. While the race didn't live up to its name, at times the riders may have felt frozen in their tracks by a vicious headwind that delivered warm air from the south.

March 3 Proposed Law Will Make Missouri Roads Safer for Bicycling and Walking - Many Missouri pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers believe that Missouri road users are not as safe and attentive as they could be. Unsafe and aggressive driving is particularly discouraging and dangerous to pedestrians and bicyclists, who are among the most vulnerable road users and account for a disproportionate amount of roadway injuries. Except when intoxicated driving is involved, drivers causing such injuries are rarely or never charged with more than minor traffic infractions, even when drivers are clearly--and sometimes grossly--at fault. At a time when public health authorities across the country are vigorously promoting walking and bicycling as an antidote to a rising epidemic of obesity and inactivity, this situation must be improved. These proposed highway safety laws are designed to make Missouri roadways safer for all road users by holding road users more accountable for unsafe actions that may injure or kill others.

What will these laws do for Missouri bicyclists and pedestrians?

The new law creates tougher penalties for people whose bad and dangerous driving injures or kills. Let’s face it--one reason people drive dangerously is because they know they can get away with it. Under the new law, they won’t. This law makes recklessly or knowingly injuring or killing with an automobile a criminal offence. Common-sense standards allow these provisions to be applied against drivers who habitually or knowingly drive dangerously or illegally, when their dangerous driving causes injury or death. At the same time, poor drivers will be required to take a driving class demonstrated to be effective in making them safer and more responsible. Examples of consequences under old and new laws:

A woman sped through a School Zone, illegally changed lanes to pass other cars stopped at a crosswalk, and then ran over UMKC student Pei Chen in a crosswalk, killing her.

OLD LAW: Misdemeanor charge, a slap on the wrist. 4 driver’s license points (same as driving through a stop sign twice).

NEW LAW: 2nd degree involuntary manslaughter, a felony. Automatic 2 year license revocation (possibly longer). No "limited driving" allowed during revocation period. Required driver’s ed course, targeted at improving aggressive drivers, before driving again

A bus driver, drove through a crosswalk while turning through an intersection. The bus struck Susie Stephens, who was crossing in the crosswalk, knocking her under the rear wheels of the bus and crushing her to death.

OLD LAW: Failure to yield, $500 fine. 4 driver’s license points

NEW LAW: 2nd degree involuntary manslaughter, a felony. Automatic 2 year license revocation (possibly longer). No "limited driving" allowed during revocation period. Required, tough, driver’s ed course before driving again.

Day-to-day safety

The proposed law has a variety of provisions that will increase safety in day-to-day situations:

It requires all drivers whose license has been suspended or revoked to participate in the National Safety Council's twelve-hour "Attitudinal Dynamics of Driving" course with substantial emphasis on bike/ped/motorcycle awareness. Research shows this course leads to a 77% reduction in accidents and over 70% reduction in traffic violations.

The law specifically requires drivers to exercise the highest degree of care to avoid colliding with pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists. This will not only help educate people to drive more safely, but also will help those injured recover damages from unsafe drivers.

The law specifically requires motorists to pass bicyclists and pedestrians at a safe distance, and in no event closer than 3 feet. Drivers who deliberately or threateningly pass too close can be charged with assault. If a driver hits a cyclist, this gives prosecutors a specific offense to charge the motorist with.

Right now Missouri law adds only two additional driver’s license points to those whose bad driving injures or kills. This law proposes serious additional driver license points in cases where traffic violations lead to injury or death. It also adds a point for any traffic violation in a school zone.

The law establishes a state-wide uniform school zone speed limit of 20 MPH and increases penalties for traffic violations in school zones.

The law clarifies the definition of bicycle; clarifies legality of bicyclists riding on road shoulders.

The law establishes rules for motorists crossing bicycle lanes; establishes that motorists crossing a bicycle lane must yield to bicycles in the lane; prohibits blocking bicycle lanes.

The law allows bicyclists to carefully roll through stop signs when safe.

The 2004 bill is sponsored by Sen. Joan Bray in the Missouri Senate and Rep. Cynthia Davis in the House (SB1031 and HB1122). More details, a bill summary, and complete bill text http://www.house.state.mo.us/bills041/bills/sb1031.htm

March 2

Newton's Laws of Masters Swimming

Law of Competitive Gravity- When left unattended, a swimmer will gravitate to the worst technique possible until such time as the coach reappears
Law of Inertia- A swimmer at rest will tend to remain at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. A swimmer in motion will tend to rest as soon as possible unless acted upon by an outside force.
Conservation of Matter- Matter or mass can neither be created nor destroyed, except by masters swimmers, when it can matrialize in the most inopportune places and quantities imaginable.
Opposition Principle- When asked to kick rapidly, swimmers tend not to; when told not to kick, swimmers tend to kick rapidly.
Space, Time Continuum- When swimming breaststroke or butterfly in practice, swimmers hands acquire an unexplained magnetic attraction to the turning wall, each hand at a different speed, at different times, at different points not in the same plane.
Laws of Acceleration & Momentum- The law of acceleration may only apply for 3 minutes after coach reminds a swimmer it is important, then the law of Momentum becomes dominant soon to be replaced by the law of Inertia.
Law of Static Levels- Swimmers automatically gravitate to their own comfort level and tend to attract others to so the same.
Mind over Matter- The mind can overcome many obstacles during competition but the same does not usually apply during practices.
Law of Finite Attraction- Even after carefully explaining the efficiency and effectiveness of an ideal stroke rate, within 3 minutes swimmer will invariably lose the ability to count strokes and think about any related concept. Similar anomaly under Law of Acceleration.
Relativity- The position of the swimmer’s body in relation to the position it is supposed to be in, may vary up to +or- 100%.
Vertical and Horizontal Telemetry- When rotated 90 degrees from the vertical to supine or sublime position, the brain loses most of its ability to function.
Historical Principle of Babylon- Within 3 minutes of the of coach speaking, the swimmers begin hearing unrecognizable tongues. Similar anomaly under Law of Finite Attraction.
Fluid Mechanics- The amount of fluids the bladder can retain is directly proportional to the difficulty of the middle of the current practice set. The same principle seems to apply to ripping caps and broken goggle straps, but no scientific evidence connecting the 3 has been documented

Feb 29 Kailua-Kona, HI- Thu, Oct. 20, 2078. Here on the Little Island, the excitement continues to build for this 100^th Anniversary of the Microsoft Ironman Triathlon World Championship. Nostalgia reigns as the athletes continue to pour into Kona Interplanetary Airport to take part in what has become one of the last sprint triathlons on Earth. With the advent of 5 day and 10 day triathlons over the last 50 years, the shorter Iron-Distance events have all but vanished. The Ironman Hawaii has carried on perhaps because it was the first of its kind.  Year after year it has resisted efforts by youth-orientated marketing groups to force additional disciplines like pedal-kayaking, human-kiting, and wind-luge.  An obviously exasperated Ironman race director once replied during a hologrammed press conference. "What do you think this is, the Anti-Gravity Z Games? Hey, I wish you expletive deleted droids could count.  Tri means three, not six."

Most of the elite European athletes will take the 30-minute low-orbit shuttle flight and arrive later today. While many of the Germans have openly stated that they’ve reluctantly departed from their ultra-long-extended-stage course training to help celebrate this historic retro-event, some have privately admitted that the billion dollar prize money was their real motivation, and as usual, they intend to win the race on the airbike. The AussieKiwi National team has remained a non-factor since the early 2000’s leaving the Chicago Cubs as the only global sports team with a longer streak of non-championship seasons, now at over 200 years. The American contingent is led by Spencer Smith III, who still lives and trains in the 55^th state of Britain instead of at altitude in the 51^st state of Mexico with the rest of the US squad.

The list of entrants reads like a veritable who’s who in triathlon. The great-grandsons of their namesakes, the long-ago stars Mark Allen and Dave Scott, will likely duke it out on the Queen K for the 20-24 age group title in a remake of their forefather’s historic battle. Of particular note is the sentimental favorite, a reconstituted Tim DeBoom who benefited from the boom in anti-aging research in 2020 and is now seeking a record 44^th IM title as he ages up to the 100-104’s. Sarah Bowden-Reid-Newby-Fraser looks primed to repeat as the women’s overall champ before the approving nods of all 8 great-great grandparents who will be on hand. Her fiancé, the German National Champion, Dieter Zack-Hellrigel promises  he will win a podium spot,  take his vows with her at the finish line, and drop a few surnames. The men’s title will likely go to one of the many Kenyans who have dominated the sport since the late 50’s.  They became proficient swimmers when they were forced to sink or swim as global warming brought the "10 Year Rain" to their homeland.  Four have managed sub 2 hour Ironman marathons this season.  Kip Keino, the prohibitive favorite, should go under 6 hours again.  The Confederation of China will send its sole representative, as usual.  Most in the sport are still perplexed how a country with 3 billion people can produce only one triathlete.  Legend has it that he wouldn't even be here if it hadn't been for his unknown American pro-triathlete father's illegal indiscretion with a Chinese volunteer during the Ride The Great Wall Bike Race.

A bit of debate has been stirred up with the admittance of cloned team-entries into this year’s race. Despite objections by Traditionalists, lamenting a loss of the now nostalgic human-only ideal, the Technoids won on an appeal to IM-ITU-USAT-USOC czar Les McDonald IV. Clones have long been banned only from individual entry at Ironman but the three-person team entries are comprised by them almost exclusively. McDonald made the call, it was later revealed, after repeated surreptitious attempts by the Gen-Clone Conglomerate to transfer 1 billlion credits to his personal debit account for a favorable decision.  One resultant storyline of his decision is that of the dred-locked triple-clone team, Cam Widoffs 5, 6, and 7 who are managed and coached by Cam 4 (non-clone).  The foursome was seen yesterday during the Underwear Run down Alii Drive wearing "Will race for Chromosones" t-shirts.

The individual entrants have tolerated random clone-testing for years by a series of militant race directors who have vowed to keep this event pure. It has been suggested that race officials were also influenced in no small measure by pressure from Traditionalist HVN President Roone Arledge VI and his hundred-trillion dollar broadcast rights. The Hologram Vision Network broadcast will reach 5 billion homes this weekend. Those who may still using the old  high-definition TVs will be unable to descramble the three dimensional signal. With state of the art broadcast company HVN,  viewers have always been able to keep tabs on any athlete’s heart rate, respiration, and core temperature, but for the 100^th, the network will reach the cellular level with brainwave, oxygen uptake, lactic acid, and ATP monitors for the viewers as well.

In last year's scandal-marred swim leg, three athletes from the recently independent country of Atlantis were disqualified when changing room officials found small, subtle gills on the swimmers during an inspection. They may have gone undiscovered if not for the suspicion the athletes aroused by posting 20 minute swim times in the 2.4 mile leg. Race Director, John Collins III insists no mermen will slip through this year and sully his race.

Hardcore fans will be able to live the race at any of the MDot Gym locations. Race Simu-Rooms will fully recreate the environmental conditions, complete with currents, sun, heat, humidity, and wind for these virtual racers who will compete with each other around the world in real time using CompuPools, CompuBikes, and CompuTreads.  One long-time user of this interface remarked, "I've stopped trying to qualify for that race atomic time-units ago.  The Simu-Room delivers me to my pod in time for 1800 hours nutrient ingestion."

Demand for entry has been so high, that it set off a flurry of auction activity on both Yeeha and GBay. The practice of selling one’s slot, once outlawed, was reinstated after litigants successfully sued for the right. They eventually conceded though, to retinal scanning, which allows race officials to confirm the identity of all participants and weed out race bandits.

We'll be there Saturday for the pre-dawn dermal-electrode implants.  It is said that some athletes may bring ink dispensers to more fully recreate last century' curious race routine of marking their bodies.  In any event, good luck to all the racers. end of report

Feb 28 Bike Friendliness There are timeless rivalries all around us, man vs. dog, man vs. machine, the battle of the sexes, etc.  None strikes fear into the heart of SBRKC more than bike vs. car.   The League of American Bicyclists honored thirteen communities with its Bicycle Friendly Community designation.  Factors considered include the physical environment for bicycling, education to promote sharing the road, initiatives to persuade people to ride more often, enforcement of traffic laws for motorists and bicyclists and plans to improve conditions.  Portland, Oregon won a gold award. The city has extensive bike parking, trails and bike lanes.  It boasts the nation's second largest community bike ride and has a "Create a Commuter" program that gives those interested in commuting a free bike, light, locks, fenders, toolkits, pump, raingear and a bike rack along with a five-hour safety class.  Bicycle trips have increase in Portland by 130 percent over the last ten years.  In Folsom, California, which won a silver award, 95 percent of arterial streets have bikes lanes or paved shoulders.  The city's bike to work day event is well attended and creates competition among employers to be designated the most bicycle friendly employer for the year.  Children in Folsom sign a bicycle contract stating they understand and will follow all safety rules and municipal laws related to bicycling.  Law enforcement officers help to reinforce this safety effort by paying special attention to bicyclists' behavior at the start of the school year.  The rest of the list includes Arlington-Virginia, Bloomington-Indiana, Boca Raton-Florida, Brentwood-California, Brunswick-Maine, Chattanooga-Tennessee, College Station-Texas, Gilbert-Arizona, Mesa-Arizona, Miami Beach-Florida, Washington-D.C.

Repair Tip When mounting clincher tires, strive to orient them on the rims exactly the same way each time.  Align the tire label with the valve stem and position it on the right side of wheel.  Keep the quick release levers to the left.  The rationale is that when you flat from a glass shard, wire fragment, thorn, or any other small sharp embedded object, you can more easily locate the section of tire that corresponds to the hole in the tube.  After partially inflating the extracted tube to find the hole, retain the left/right tube orientation and place it next to the tire.  It's a potentially less painful method than running a finger along the inside of the tire.  If additional incentive is required to align the tire labels, well, it looks cool too.

Changing the World Perhaps endurance athletes can't change the world, but they still project a shining lifestyle image that most Americans will never approximate.  Twenty-five percent of Americans still smoke, sixty-million meet the medical definition of obesity, and nearly half of the 250 million citizens suffer from some preventable chronic condition, many of which could be avoided by simple changes in behavior.  Those health problems account for 70 per cent of all deaths in the country and nearly 75 per cent of healthcare costs.  Reflecting on these brutal figures conjured up the "R" word.  As fitness enthusiasts, do we have a responsibility here or is it sufficient to simply mind our own business?  I believe that the least we should do as fitness-lifestyle advocates is affect our spheres of influence.  Whether by osmosis or persuasive methods,  the best holiday gifts we can offer our families, friends, and workmates are the means to longer and healthier lives.

Feb 24 If you're looking for just the right words to get yourself or someone else going, check out our compendium of Motivational Quotes from athletes of all ilk.

Good Reads I recently picked up a copy of 25 Years of the Ironman Triathlon World Championship, by Bob Babbitt.  If you are a triathlete, this is a must-have book.  A year by year account of the big dance and the accompanying photographs give the reader a real sense of the history and the lore that surrounds this event.  I paid the regular retail at Borders to take it home and read that night, but if you are the patient sort, you may find it online at Amazon for $20 or so.

Outside Magazine recently published a story entitled Drug Test,  which is a fascinating first-person account by Stuart Stevens of his "research foray" into the world of performance-enhancing drugs.  This middle-aged cyclist hooked up with a cooperative physician who administered a controlled concoction of steroids, testosterone, and EPO.   All of this was done in conjunction with the author's training, leading up to his ultimate performance-litmus-test, the 750-mile Paris-Brest-Paris ride.

Feb 22 Bikesport published an enlightening article about Early Season Errors and how to avoid them. However, I do take exception with one sentence written by Tom Demerly. A $1000 bike is not the equivalent to a $100,000 car, but a $10,000 bike may be. A $1000 bike is more like a stock Civic before you make it 2fast and 2furious.

UltraMax Productions first renamed their spring duathlon and now have found a new and improved venue for it as well. The MaxTrax Duathlon will move to Oakland Park, located in north Columbia. The park setting and flat, fast bike course will be a stark contrast from the somewhat urban and rather hilly setting of previous years. All we need now is for the weather to be a little more cooperative. The MaxTrax Duathlon will put a new spin on the team competition format by requiring all team members to complete the entire course. This may serve to eliminate the track team and cross country team runners who can't bike as well as the Cat 1 riders who struggle on foot. It would normally reduce the number of team participants, but this format recognizes the winning teams as those who can bring the most members across the finish line, without limit. The speed factor can be outweighed by sheer numbers. This will make the team competition more of a social event, but the end result will be to introduce more people to multisport in a kinder, gentler fashion. We like it.

Over 450 athletes have already registered for the 2004 HalfMax/QuarterMax weekend thus far. It appears that more out-of-town racers have signed up for this year's race too. Following the 2003 HalfMax, there was a post-race tsunami of racer reports that touched both coasts and told tales of a real tail-kicker run course. An outsider would expect such publicity to deter potential participants when in fact it increases the appeal and draws triathletes to the challenge. This phenomenon extends to extreme, endurance, and survival sports as competitors are less willing to settle for gimmie courses and demand tougher and more rugged conditions to push their limits.

Athletes wanting a pre-duathlon taste of north Columbia, can get it on February 29th when the Froze Toes Road Race will be held, that is unless it snows. Last year's event felt the brunt of winter's wrath and was set back a week. In a previous year, the thermometer approached 70 degrees, so it's anyone's gusess what to expect. Considered a "training race" by most, it's a good opportunity to stretch the legs a bit after what has been for most, months of indoor spinning.

Worthy Cause Other news out of Columbia takes a sadder tone. The Mark Reynolds Memorial Ride will take place April 3.. Mark graduated from Mizzou and was an active member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. He was recently killed by a mountain lion in California while on a morning training ride. Terri Reynolds has formed a memorial ride and silent auction in his honor. Terri is looking for cycling clubs or individuals that would like to ride, possibly sponsor a portion, or donate merchandise for silent auction for this very worthy fund honoring Mark.  All interested people should contact Terri via email as soon as possible. Please be sure to include your name, number and other vitals. www.markreynoldsfund.com

Perspective In an e-mail, one reader raised a reasonable issue with the current USAT ranking system. Why are Sprint and Olympic distance athletes in the same mix with the Long and Ultra course athletes competing for national rankings? Wouldn't it make more sense to have some distinction between them? Perhaps a ranking system for each? The scoring system itself is imperfec, but the distance values are skewed towards the long and ultra courses (92%) over the shorter races (90%), and all IM qualifiers have a 98% distance value. So, the USAT does recognize and take into account the longer formats. Some athletes focus exclusively on the longer stuff while others are sprint specialists. Some do a bit of both. There aren't many triathletes who gear their season towards ITU Worlds and the Ironman World Championship because the training is so vastly different. Karen Smyers won both in 1995, but I think she is still the only one to accomplish that. Few try. There are many "what if " scenarios one could create in order to reveal inherent weaknesses in the system. But with all of its shortcomings, it's all we've got for now. Perhaps the new USAT president, when elected, would consider revamping the judging process. But that issue will take a backseat to the many others that will fill his or her agenda. It was obviously never intended to be the "national rankling system" which it has become for some, and probably not enough "victimized" athletes have screamed "bloody BCS" alluding to another flawed mathematical model. For 2003, the final quotients were an average of three races and then ran four-decimal places deep. Lance said it best, "Every second counts."

Feb 18 Perspective Well, yesterday was my birthday and I normally don't get too excited about them anymore, except when I move up an age-group. This one, however, did hold a bit more significance for me. I was happy just to be celebrating it. A few of you have already learned that I was in an automobile accident last week. Without delving into the facts and reliving the horrific memory too much, let me capsule the incident by saying I suffered no broken bones, but sustained enough muscle tears to prevent my walking for the near future. I was reluctant to even write this as it may appear I'm fishing for sympathy, but it struck me that being straight-up with the readers was the right thing to do. I've stopped asking myself why; why it happened, why I didn't die in an utterly destroyed car, and why me? I've started asking myself what; what am I to make of this and what am I intended to do? Those answers haven't found me yet. I suppose I'm still floating somewhere between the randomness theory of life and the all things happen for a reason philosophy, trying to make sense of things. It's not exactly the birthday I had hoped for, but through it all, a lungful of air has a nice feel to it these days.

Feb 16 Paceline Basics Our actions on the bike affect everyone behind us, especially when we stop pedaling or hit the brakes. When we halt our pedal cadence, it causes the riders behind us to brake. Finding just the right gear to keep the cranks turning is best. Overlapping wheels is a big no-no. It's an accident waiting to happen. It is definitely unsafe to ride on aero bars in the paceline, regardless of how experienced we are. Many riders will not come to the front of the paceline. If you can hold the speed of the paceline, it is best to stay in the rotation all the way to the front. If you do not want to pull, maintain the pace for a second or two, pull smoothly over, and then slow down to drop back. When the group is going downhill, the riders behind will always roll up on the riders in front because of the drafting advantage. Feather your brakes lightly and try not to overlap wheels. This will avoid a dangerous situation and will help maintain the paceline rotation once the road flattens out. If you want to pass riders to come up to the front or you want to initiate something like a sprint or breakaway, look behind you and move smoothly out of the paceline. Make the move smartly, try to accelerate slightly as you pull out, and then accelerate to the speed you want to ride. This will prevent any problems for the riders behind you. When you are in a paceline and want to get out of the saddle for a butt break or to get more power climbing, signal the riders behind you by sticking out your right hand and giving a thumbs up signal. This will alert them that you intend to come out of the saddle. When you come out of the saddle, try to increase the power in your pedal stroke. If you don't you will actually slow down and cause a problem for the riders behind you. When your turn comes to pull at the front and you want to pick up the pace do it in single digit increments (i.e. don't surge). This will allow a smooth acceleration at the back and also make it easier for the rider who just pulled your butt to get back on. If you are leading, point out gravel/potholes/bumps to those behind you. Hold your line and maintain a straight course, don't weave or make any sudden moves. Hold a steady, even pace. Don't "yo-yo" (slow down and speed up). This wastes energy and forces everyone behind you to waste theirs as well. When you are about to finish your pull, flash your hands, check over your shoulder for traffic, and smoothly move to the left and drop back. If you see a rider ahead pointing or calling out a hazard, pass it on to the riders behind. They may not be able to see or hear the rider ahead of you.

Perspective Some persons are idea-people while others may be action-people. I'd like to think of myself as a gourmet blend of the two. The creative juices flow with some degree of regularity, but it's the taking action part that poses the challenge. Objectively determining which concepts to scuttle and which have merit has always been the hard part for me. Those plans and schemes and dreams become like children. You cherish them and believe in them, but that doesn't guarantee their success. Case in point, I conceived and constructed a diferent web site and it found a modest niche. By the same token, just when I knew a paper version of it would soar, it emulated a flightless bird. Was it a case of a good idea gone bad, or merely self-illusion? Who knows? I think the key is to be like someone training for their first Ironman race, definitely push the cozy bounds of one's comfort level but with a image of the finish line in synapse screen-burn. "Okay," you say, "That sounds ever so poetic, but what does that rambling have to do with me?" "Okay," I say, " here it is." Triathletes as a whole, tend to dream big, bigger, biggest; as in, sprint, Olympic, Iron-distance. If you've made that progression, try thinking outside of the transition area. What fresh goal for 2004 will ignite your flame? What challenge will take you to new inner depths? What endeavor will make you feel like your first tri all over again, awash with excitement and doubt? There's nothing wrong with more of the same, but I say make this year the one where you try something new. Adventure racing, a cycling trip, ultra-marathon, masters swim meet, 24-hour race, Xterra, cross-country skiing, the options are many. I say, be an idea-person then take action. Have a vision and go for it.

Feb 11 Products YFUSO is a revolutionary bibshort that brings the pad to your body without stitching or encumbering seams giving a completely uninhibited feel. The YFUSO name is derived from the famous Castelli "Y" shape, fusion for its blended material, and fused for its unique method of application This short offers a rider greater freedom of motion and has been tested for thousands of test miles over the past two years. It is a slightly smaller pad that utilizes ComfortTech foam and our VT technology for greater comfort. The pad is fused to the short or bib, without sewing, to the Power Lycra® for a short that has unsurpassed comfort, support and performance.$190 retail

Feb 10 Good Reads The links following the excerpts will take you to the articles and some interesting reading material for training and inspiration. ...."The most important thing you can do now is train your body to do more off of less effort (improve economy and efficiency) and at the same time develop a training resiliency that will allow you to enjoy faster recoveries from intense training sessions later in your season".... more ...."By the light of the full moon, Karnazes checked his watch -- 3:30 a.m. He finally realized what had happened. He'd fallen asleep while running and veered into the center of the highway. Shakily, he stood up. Karnazes was near the end of the 2002 Providian Relay, a 199-mile footrace from Napa to Santa Cruz that's normally run by teams of 12 people. But as he had for the past seven years, Karnazes was running the entire course by himself, as what he wryly calls "Team Dean." When the horn jolted him awake, he'd been running for more than 50 hours, without sleep, and had covered 160 miles".... more

Feb 7-8 Nutrition As athletes in training we tend to burn a lot of calories, and in doing so it's easy to become complacent about our dietary habits.  How much harm can those Twinkies do when it's interval day at the track or when 6000 yards await us at the pool?  Perhaps we can be less rigid with what we ingest than the average sedentary citizen, but to optimize the training effect, or for just good health, it pays to be diligent about what we put in our  stomachs. The following are some good eating habits to blend into your day to day.  While you have probably heard some of these a hundred times before, this time get serious and watch your performance ratchet up.  1.  Incorporate fish into your diet at least once or preferably twice a week.  The beneficial properties of omega-3 essential fatty acids have been clinically proven time and time again as a tremendous weapon against cardiovascular disease, cancer, and arthritis.  Go for fresh or flash-frozen instead of processed. 2.  Turn to whole grains for bread and pasta.  Replace refined white flour as much as possible in your diet.  Whole wheat and spinach pasta noodles are great choices.  Buckwheat pancake mix is a good option.  Read bread packaging carefully before you buy as it can be very misleading. 3.  Learn to love olive oil.  Use it for your garlic toast, vinegar and oil dressing, and just about anywhere you use butter.  Contains monounsaturated fats (the good kind) which reduce LDL (low density lipoproteins) in the bloodstream.  This in turns keeps the arteries cleaner.  Olive oil has other health benefits   such as a mild laxative characteristic and antioxidant properties.  It makes artery walls  suppler and increases skin luster.  4.  Replace canned with fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables.  Fresh is always best with frozen being a close second for retaining nutrients before consumption.  Canned vegetables contain inordinately high amounts of sodium. 5.  Buy a juice extractor.  Making your own fresh fruit and vegetable juices is easy and fun.  The versatility of these machines goes well beyond juices.  The lower priced versions are noisy, less convenient, and have shorter life spans.  When you get hooked, you can always step up to the Champion model for $200 found at health food stores.   It's a quiet, powerful dream machine that will last a lifetime. 6.  Try rice or soy instead of cow's milk.  Check out the health food department of the grocery store for non-refrigerated boxes of these products.  They are great for mixing with protein and meal replacement powders.  They are available in regular, vanilla, and chocolate flavors. 7.  Water, water, water.  OK, we all know what percentage of water constitutes the planet and our bodies.  That alone should intuitively tell you how important it is.  If you don't have a large bottle of the stuff by your desk to sip on all day, you're missing a great opportunity to stay properly hydrated, particularly during the warmer months. 8.  Minimize diuretic drinks like coffee, tea, soda,  and alcohol.  These have the propensity to dehydrate.  If you must have your java jolt in the morning, it won't cause irreparable damage, but avoid over-consumption.  Green tea is 20-30 times more powerful than other individual antioxidants.  As much as I love Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, and the rest, I don't think much good can be said about any flavor of sugar water.  Daily consumption of twelve ounces of dark beer or four ounces of red wine can reduce risk of coronary heart disease by 30-50%.  What better reason do you need to have a brewski?

Feb 6 Perspective If you've been a triathlete for any real length of time, you've experienced the "moment."  It's an inevitable rite of passage, or so it seems.  I've captured several in my time and yet another T-bone me on the road of life yesterday.  Walking purposefully through what shall remain a nameless electronics consumer-goods store, I was focused and feeling good about myself, mumbling the model number of my infirmed neighbor's printer over and over again in my mind. Peering ahead, I spied the gauntlet of blue-shirted lackeys through which I'd have to run, stationed between myself and the ink cartridges.  Well-seasoned consumer that I am, almost hypnotically I fell into my store survival mode: avoid making eye contact and acknowledge the rehearsed chorus of "can I help you's?" with a smile and the finely-scripted "no thanks, I'm good."  Just about the time I approached escape velocity, I heard something behind me along the lines of  "mutter...garble...garble....Ironman?"  That froze my step.  I turned. "Huh?"  One particularly attentive blue-boy must have listened during new-hire orientation and made note of my cap with "Ironman" emblazoned on it.   I beheld an eager, grinning face and a frame that could, shall we say, comfortably bear significantly less weight.  My mind was rolling, trying to determine what level of conversation to engage him in, when he asked again.  "Ironman.  Did you watch it on TV?"   By then I already had a pretty good idea of where this conversation was going.  Sensing that this guy probably never set foot in Hawaii, I replied somewhat sheepishly, "Well, actually I viewed it live last year."  A pause, and he remarked, "Yeah, I watch it every year.  I really liked the part where they towed that diesel thing."  At first I thought "what the hell is he taking about" and then I nearly choked while trying to stifle my laughter.  He was obviously alluding to the Strongman Competition.  It was then that I realized I'd just had another "moment."  Most often, these sightings are characterized by the non-cognoscenti referring your next triathlon as a marathon, the Babler Beast as an Ironman, or some other such incongruity.  It's probably not unlike the technologically-challenged customers who visit their store spouting pseudo-knowledge buzzwords.  It's the same but different.  Well, back at the scene, these thoughts flashed through my brain between echoes of "HP-832-C."  That's when I looked to him and enthusiastically responded, "Yep, you're right, that was really cool."

Feb 4 This is a great time to be a triathlete living in the greater KC region. The sport has taken a giant leap foward here with the addition of, not one, but two half-iron distance races to the calendar. When you throw the relocation of the UltraMax Tri to Kansas City with its full-iron disciplines, then these are definitely heady times. Over the last several years, the Midwest in general has become an increasingly desireable region for the sport to stage some high-profile races. Travel issues are obviously mitigated for both east and west coast athletes. One need look no further that the USAT's decision to award St Joseph, Mo the National Championship race for two years as solid evidence. The ensuing years ushered in Missouri's own iron race, a highly successful half-iron across state in St Louis, and the 5430 triathlon if you still want to count that as a Midwestern event. Bringing KC to its present healthy status as a premier tri-town is the creation of both the Midwest Meltdown and the Half-Iron National Championship. As far as the bottom line on the pulse of Kansas City multisport, it's a matter of four words, get ready to rock..... The metro area now has a new multisport team that appeals to all ages and ability levels. KC Multisport offers an opportunity to train and race as part of a close knit organization without losing your individuality. You receive a team jersey, have access to merchant and race entry discounts, and become a part of their training and social calendar. You receive these benefits and more for the low annual membership fee of $50. For more informataton and an application, link through to their website.

Perspective I have taken a new interest in "going clubbing" these days, though it's not what you may think. I'll take a pass on the buffalo wings and smoky bars, thank you. "Health clubbing" is what I'm talking about. Its being transformed into the new happy-hour of choice, at least judging by the packed parking lot. The post-workday gym crush is not a particularly new phenomenon, but its taken on noticeably larger proportions. Maybe it's the new years resolution people still resolutely reducing, or perhaps it's any of a hundred other individualized justifications for being there, like mine, but whatever the reasons, it's definitely a scene now. Many friends tell me they purposefully avoid that time of day, its crowded locker rooms, and bustling workout floors; then, sagely draw the meat-market analogy for my edification. My response has become rote by now. I go first and foremost to workout, I tell them, but if Cupid's arrow somehow finds me, at least the key "do you workout?" compatibility issue has been answered. Actually, I find it a fascinating place to people-watch, but this kind of people-watching has a strange magnetic pull on me like some kind of road-side accident. You want to look, but sometimes you're afraid of what you might see. For every hard body on display there seems to be a counter-balancing apparition of terror, like the retired guy in circa-1970's basketball shorts flaunting legs fresh from forty-years of inactivity; or the lady with a stylish sweat suit, impeccable hair, perfect nails and make-up, wrapped in a cloud of Channel, trying mightily not to break a sweat on the elliptical trainer. I take these sights in stride as I recall my first humbling day at the gym long ago. After devoting many consecutive years to the "other" happy hour, I determined it was time to get in shape. Naively over-dressed in a double layer of tennis outfit and warm-up togs, I began the personal-trainer assisted workout at a fever pitch and ended it by opening my eyes to see him looking down at me, vaguely recognizing him mouthing the words "Are you alright sir?" I'm certain there was a wise, old health clubber watching my ordeal that day with an inward smile as he reminded himself, "Yep, that was me once."

Training There's an old football adage that says games are won or loss on the practice field. This saying has decades of proof supporting it. The concept adapts equally well to multisport events in which proper training leads to success on race day. The cliche we prefer says "there's no faking it in the race." You've either put in equal doses of smart preparation and hard work or you haven't. Part of being properly prepared for your first event of the season is understanding the cyclical nature of training. To that end, we've prepared a mini-primer on the training cycle.

Feb 3 We're not certain just how many female triathletes subscribe to the immensely popular Atkins dietary philosophy, but if you are a low-carbohydrate proponent, the new Luna Bars should be appealing. Each bar offers a miniscule 2-3 net carbs and 8g protein packaged in 140 calories. Bon Appétit.... An excerpt from the Lynne Cox book, Swimming to Antarctica, details an interesting childhood swim practice incident that provided early inspiration, eventually leading her to long-distance swimming greatness. Among her achievements was swimming the English Channel in just over nine-hours at age 15, breaking both the men's and women's records at the time.... Cycling just one time with the big boys is something that we as triathletes all long to do. Age-grouper Tom Demerly did just that and wrote an interesting narrative about riding on Norman Stadler's wheel during a "casual" training session.... On whose tires do you ride? If the answer is Michelin, then don't miss out on an opportunity to earn while you burn, the road that is. The Michelin Grassroots Bicycle Racing program applies to pro and amateur, cyclist and triathlete. Anyone in the U.S. who races a bike with Michelin® bicycle tires is eligible. In order to confirm eligibility, the cyclist must first purchase at least two Michelin bicycle tires from a bicycle retailer in the U.S. Proof of tire purchase (receipt or photo) will be required upon enrollment. The 2004 program begins February 1st.

Feb 2 Subscribing to the the many e-newsletters that I do, they always seem to provide something interesting. Many are information-only and others understandably tout products to varying degrees. I don't take exception with that because SBRKC is likewise an information and marketing machine. Plus, we want to hear about all of the special promotions, new products and limited offers so we can pass them along. Many of you may have received the same active.com-->training bible-->sportsexpress newsletter I did. The latter company provides shipping for your bike, thus disencumbering your airport strolls and making your race travel less toilsome. Personally, I've never shipped my bike. I've talked to people who have and they say having your steed waiting for you at the hotel is a great way to go. Alas, I've always been the guy towing a sticker-laden Ironcase to the airline check-in, half-expecting them to refuse my bike pass and make me pony up the $60 or more. Maybe it's time to give this shipping idea closer inspection. Clicking through the link landed me on a quick-quote page where I plugged in some cities. All quotes Fed Ex, 3-day guaranteed, one-way. Kailua-Kona, HI: $141.93 Panama City, FL: $55.42 San Diego, CA: $73.51 Lake Placid, NY: $56.42 St Louis, Mo: $43.34 Lubbock, TX: $55.42. Their quote mechanism disappointingly didn't show out-of-country destinations, which would have have been useful. And of course, you still have to break down and pack your bike down yourself, but they do sell bike boxes or cases if you need one. It may be time to leave the grunt work to someone else, and save my energy for the races.

Perspective Time is a concept that is so utterly simple yet so completely complex. We'll ironically invest weeks, months, or even years of it, to save minutes and seconds. Purely arbitrary amounts of it take on significance because of their roundness: four-minute mile, forty-minute 10k, three-hour marathon. The way we relate to time shifts with our perspective. In times of physical or mental duress, it stubbornly stands still, while when we've discovered the zone, it sails effortlessly by. We spend a third of our given time in sleep and a third making money, leaving precious little time to allocate among family, friends, training, and racing. We kill time, spend time, leave time, take time, put time in, and take time out. It's here today and gone tomorrow. It's fleeting, it's precious, it marches on, it waits for no one, and it's all we've got. As athletes, we are most often defined by time. I think the next time someone asks me what my time was at a race, I'll say, "I finished just in time."

Television Our favorite TV channel, the Outdoor Life Network will begin broadcasting in high-definition on April 29th. That would be great news in and of itself but OLN will kick-off this transition with its first installment of a 13-part behind-the-scenes documentary on five-time TDF champ Lance Armstrong and the US Posal Team. It will chronicle them from early season through Le Tour. The show will provide viewers with unprecedented access to Lance and the team. It will not only focus on the competition, but will take viewers behind the scenes showing them what transpires when the team members are off their bikes. Once the Tour begins, cameras will take viewers on the team bus for daily team meetings, to team meals at the hotels, on team cars, and on top of the bikes. We thoroughly enjoyed last year's TDF coverage, but this will be unparalleled. How much does that wide screen cost again?

Generally Useless Facts ABC's Wide World of Sports originally aired the Ironman World Championship back when it was considered a novelty event. In it's heyday, WWOS was the top rated weekly sports show on television. Here's a slice of the show's broadcast history.

March 23, 1980 The first telecast on Wide World of Sports of one of the most grueling athletic competitions in the world, the Endurance (now called the Ironman) Triathlon World Championship from Oahu

February 21, 1982 Ironman triathlon race leader Julie Moss collapses just 440 yards from the finish of the marathon run. She struggled to her feet and wobbled to within 100 yards of the finish where she collapsed again. She started to crawl, but was passed by Kathleen McCartney only 10 yds from the finish. Moss and McCartney appear in the WWOS studios the following week to discuss the finish.

April 17 & 23, 1983 The Great American Bike Race from Santa Monica, Calif. to New York, which later became the Race Across America and a Wide World of Sports institution during the mid-'80s.

January 17, 1987 Dave Scott shatters the course record en route to his fifth victory in the Ironman Triathlon, while Paula Newby-Fraser of Zimbabwe wins the women's division, also in course record time

March 1, 1987 Pete Penseyres wins the Race Across America in a record 8 days, 9 hrs, 47 mins.

May 16, 1987 Western States Endurance Race from Squaw Valley to Auburn, CA

January 23, 1988 Dave Scott wins a record sixth Ironman Triathlon.

April 15, 1989 "The Hell of the North": Paris-Roubaix

July 1-22, 1989 Greg LeMond starts his first Tour de France in three years and battles Laurent Fignon in the greatest head-to-head race the Tour has ever seen. Among the Wide World highlights is LeMond taking the yellow jersey for the first time in the individual time trial from Dinard to Rennes during the first week of the race.

February 24, 1990 Mark Allen passes seven-time champion Dave Scott during the marathon to win his first Ironman Triathlon World Championship, shattering the course record. Paula Newby-Fraser dominated the women's race as well, destroying the course record. But the most moving story of the competition is Dick and Ricky Hoyt

July 21, 1990 Greg LeMond takes the lead from Claudio Chiappucci on the penultimate stage of the TDF, a time trial.

July – August 1992 WWOS cameras follow Dick and Rick Hoyt as they bike across the country. The father and son team begin their trip in Santa Monica, Calif. and end it in Boston

Feb 1 First of all, we'd like to welcome you to this newly launched site. We are a sister-site to the popular cross-state web, SwimBikeRunStLouis.com. Our mission here is to create a multisport portal for the Kansas City metro area. We intend to maintain a comprehensive site that provides what we hope is useful, interesting, amusing, and educational content, along with some of our own commentary. Our express intention is not to supercede any existing club sites, but rather to compliment them with a consolidated resource for the KC multisport athlete. We will effort to appeal to all ability levels from beginner to middle-of-the-pack through competitive and up to elite. We are eager to hear from you, whether to voice an opinion, offer a suggestion, or simply say hello. We sincerely hope you make us a part of your daily web surfing routine. We invite you to join us as we build-out the site and promise you won't be disappointed. Matt Cazalas, webmaster....

Sponsors Instead of the usual word from them, we'd like to say thanks to them for making this site possible. Their support is crucial in making this web a viable entity. We urge you, the readers, to follow their banner links and explore their websites and learn about their products. We strongly feel that these companies manufacture some of the finest athletic products available today, and of course have displayed excellent judgement in backing us.