Family Tree

Me and Michael (little bro) were talking tonight (Halloween) about how to attract old customers to new technologies. I used the analogy of the tough guy (see Clint in Grand Torino) who bought his Ford Truck in 1976 and still has it. He countered with the fact that the son-of-the-tough-guy doesn't want his Dad's truck, he wants the new, exciting, sexy, sleek, high-performance, head turning, kitten purring, cutting edge, high fashion, ultra-cool, best there is. Or the best he can leverage. Times change.

Then I remembered the new Porsche commercials we saw in Kona and how I somewhat subliminally, opened a critical eye and ear. From the creation standpoint this is classic, superb writing, cinematography and execution, I get it. But I didn't get the main point that Michael did.

They were four seaters. FOUR seats in a Porsche. Sacrilege. Unheard of. Totally Wrong. But.....

They took all the things that they do right, and have been doing right for a long time, and added the one thing that they didn't do, and so created a new brand, attracting the audience that came after 1976. Hello Baby Boomers, remember your 1961 Bathtub? Do your remember what THAT was all about? It is now over thirty years down the line, and we just thought you might want some of that feeling back (with room for the progeny and starting at 100K).

I have one comment:

Fucking brilliant. Pardon my German.

Here it is:

How we go on

All the best novels are about one thing: how we go on. The characters must survive the fallout of their own cowardice, folly, denial or misguided passion. They squander what matters most, and still they pick up the pieces. I've been there and, clearly, so has John Dufresne.

This from NPR about Mr. Dufresne's seminal work, "Love Warps the Mind a Little", a novel I thoroughly enjoyed, although the ending was quite somber. Wrapping up yet another Murakami tome, "Norwegian Wood", before reentering the athletic arena and Born to Run (as recommended by VBAer EJ).

For those of you that are interested, here is the RCVman YouTube link that gives you 90 second video samples from each of the eleven RCVs currently available. If you still want to ask what I have been doing lately, this should answer that question admirably. It is how I go on.

Photo is anther of those days atop Mt. Baker way back in September.

42

I remembered when I was 42.

Thinking about the road today.

What a long strange trip it truly has been.

The choices I made to get here.

The sacrifices, the victories, the laughter, the tears.

And what it all means.

As a result of all this inexpensive introspective analysis, I have come to see that a few elements of this experiment have greater weight than others. Such as:

An ounce or pure honesty is worth ten pounds of brilliant spin.

A hard-effort loss trumps an easy, lopsided win.

I'd rather be good than lucky.

A frown on a perfect shape is no match for a dazzling smile on an "imperfect" one.

Volume is great for Rock 'n Roll, devastating for debate.

I like my truck, but LOVE my bike.

Work is important, play imperative and love impermanent.

I have to accept this, or drink myself crazy.

Technology amazes me constantly, as does our tribes propensity to abuse it.

I told my class Tuesday that sometimes I say to myself "I FEEL GOOD", 40 times a day. Yesterday, I set a PR, hitting 41 as I ran in the park at sunset.

I love my work.

I am a lucky guy.

Sometimes I wish I was smarter. But then I think that feeling good is better than being smarter.

42.

Speaking of IM St. George....The swim venue at Sandy Hallow and Tanya at Tri-Hive magazine showing off her choice of race day fuel from First Endurance on the day of the RCV shoot way back in May (I might have been younger then).

St. George RCV released!

CompuTrainer, in conjunction with RCVman Global, proudly presents the release of their eleventh Real Course Video. Of an Ironman course that has yet to run its inaugural event! The first ever Ironman Utah is May 1, 2010. And that means 185 days to train on the CT or VeloTron for what advance intel is calling the toughest IM course to date. And driving the course for the RCV shoot way back in May, I would have to agree. YOU WILL BE TESTED.

In case you missed it, here is the highlight video of the course.



You may purchase your St. George RCV (and ten others) here. http://www.computrainer.com/rm_inc/IRCVideos.htm

185 and counting down.

Go

Attitude. You had better have one. And a damn good one.

It is imperative that you see things in proper perspective. And here is that POV:

IT IS UP TO YOU.

Nobody else. Not your Mom, or your employer and not your coach. It is not the responsibility of your soul mate to guide you through the tough times. It is not up to your shrink, your financial consultant or your favorite bartender.

IT IS UP TO YOU.

How you look at the challenge. Personal responsibility. You can be the victim of the victor. As in: It's too hard. The road is too long. It's too hot. I am almost 40 years old for heaven's sake! Mercy! Cut me some slack. Lighten up. Back off. Take it easy. Chill out.

Right.

IT'S UP TO YOU.

Go ahead and take the easy way out and retire on easy street. Light the tithing candle to the god of money. Indulge. Waste. Get liposuction and start over. Build walls to keep the riffraff out. Judge.

IT'S UP TO YOU.

An attitude of respect for the process says: I am here. I have put forth effort of noteworthy sincerity. I have worked towards improvement on many levels. I have tested my resolve. I have gone to see Max and I have found both value and reward. I has been fun, I have facilitated my evolution. I have faced my fears and looked deep into the eyes of my demons. I saw them to be frauds. I am now, today, here, ready.

I KNOW THAT IT IS UP TO ME.

To go. Or not to go.

Go.

Photo is from the Fordham campus in NYC . From the moment I saw it until now, it says to me: Go, and go with attitude, young man.

Later

There is another component to the patience theory we discussed yesterday. That of time. Patience is fine if your twenty, you say, but what about those of us who were around to remember JFK (in office), were at Woodstock, or saw Willie Mays hit against Sandy Koufax? Maybe even when John Howard won Kona. Wasn't that long ago. ('61, '69, '63 and '83 to be exact), but it could be, and I love this one,

LATER THAN YOU THINK.

So please, my dear friends, while we keep an eye constantly focused on the here and now, the task at hand, the quality of our efforts and the saintly patience to see the road as the goal, let's keep the other eye seeing the past and its myriad lessons and the future and its hope and promise. It's kinda myopia and 20/20 hindsight through rose colored binoculars. But a whole lot better than cheap sunglasses.

I want you, as I want me, to use what we have while we have it. If there was a race somewhere today that I could just show up, get body marked and hit the water, I would be there faster than you could yell, "transition closes in five minutes". I love racing. It's a test. I love training, it's a test too. The better and smarter your training the better your potential to race well. Cause is training and effect is going faster than 'ya gone before. So make your causes count!

Let's train well. Let's train hard and often. Let's eat good then rest and recover. Let's manage our stress. I don't want to wait until I age up into another category (OMG there will be guys of retirement age there), I want the joy of competition NOW. I say joy because it is a joyful experience to use the fitness and acumen created from successful training on race day. My eyes have seen the glory.

So we will do it all again tomorrow. Another perfect opportunity to do something good for ourselves, and to expand our circles of influence outward where they might fall on someone else's cluttered desk. Oh, but they have deadlines. So do we.

AND IT'S LATER THAN YOU THINK.

Pix: Top, Clock in Prague. Bot, RCV (Canada) CT user in Manchester, UK. Use your time wisely, wherever you are.

Patience

They call them quanta for a reason. Leaps of profound magnitude, in one of the many uses. A quantum leap. Quanta leaps. Like when you went from being a jogger to a runner. From a wader to a swimmer. And my personal favorite, from being a follower to a leader. How about, then, from somebody who rides a bike, to a biker. Big difference.

Why?

Attitude. One day, after many, many hours of training and following, you suddenly decide (or maybe it is decided for you) that you are now (pick one) a runner, a rider, a swimmer, or all three. What a glorious day. You have arrived.

Where?

And pardon my zen. But welcome to nowhere. It only gets harder from here. Because you are not the best yet. You are not even close yet. You have to work even harder now that you are here. OMG, harder? Yes, quite. Lots harder.

How?

Just keep doing what you have been doing and keep your eye on the now. Stay here. Be present. Do what has been proven to work, Dance with those you came with. Enjoy the ride. This is it. You have made it to here. Welcome. IT WILL GET TWICE AS HARD TILL WE TALK OF THE QUANTUM AGAIN.

When?

Dunno. It's up to you. We need some patience here. We need to appreciate where, how, why and how we got to be where we find ourselves today. We need to pat each other on the back, give hugs and constantly praise each other for getting to here. We are the minority. We are the few. It will get lonely as we move towards the pointy part.

We have a long way yet to go.

Hang in there my friends. There is another quantum leap just ahead.

Patience.

TV?

Great workout this morning. I said it live and I'll say it again, that was wicked. Nice work gang. My running seems to be coming around, with last nights 5K jaunt the best of the 10 day block. Sunday's 'Big Lap Deuce' took me four days to recover from. Oh, and the five pounds I packed on in Kona as a result of too much work and too little training? Gone. Musta been mostly beer.

Here are some links to cool CompuTrainer, RCV, indoor training sites. The photo is from Tri Street Blog from one of the guys that rode with us for the St. George IM shoot wayback in May. That, btw, will be the next RCV release fans. I might even have a release date sometime next week.

http://www.triathica.com/2009/10/11/oceanside-computrainer/

http://www.sntriclub.com/tribb/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=618

http://www.impactmagazine.ca/sportperformance/cycling/wintercycling.html

http://santabarbara10.cityspur.com/2009/10/01/trek-travel-santa-barbara-wine-country/


Please keep your fingers crossed that the ptb at wtc like our latest proposal to film and create the all new and exciting RCV2G videos. (second generation). I worked all week on the copy and video and sent it over to HQ about an hour ago. If all goes well RCVman (does the second generation then make me Son of RCVman?) will be shooting the 70.3 Championships in Clearwater, FL on Nov. 7.

And we're workin' on a TV deal.

No big, just NATIONAL exposure. That's all.

Huskies 30 Ducks 24.

Frankie Valli

Workin' my way...



With a burning love inside.

I keep working my way back to you. Has it already been a week since Kona? Goodness. To play the 'busy' card again, this always happens. It is the allure of the Islands, the majesty of the Ironman, the volume of media captured and the new business resulting from all of the above.

Year after year, and this was my tenth visit, I am turbocharged with renewed vigor and enthusiasm after spending time with the best triathletes in the world. I see them swim. I watch them bike. I listen to their comments on training, nutrition, focus. I follow their gait as they effortlessly move along Alii Drive from sunrise to sunset. I tally who is smiling and who seems distracted. I stick my camera in the noses of those who first provide consent. (And use the digital zoom for those that don't). I marvel at their collective state of fitness and need no comparison with the tourists toting bags of local crafts back to the cruise ship. I love the sun, the smells, the hiss of the crashing surf and the event energy that we all help create. Race day is as special as they get. As I have mentioned several times prior, the awards banquet is a special celebration, one of joy, conquest, respect, relief, and satisfaction. Over. Done. Lessons learned. Evolution facilitated.

I am still in the glow. I am glad that again I had the opportunity to represent a company that I deeply care for. Whose products help many athletes attain their goals, and thousands of non-athletes lead healthier and more productive lives. We met with the WTC brass and I am just now rendering the video accompaniment for a proposal that could blow the socks off what we have been doing to date. Obviously if what we have been doing hadn't had been so warmly received by the triathlon community, I wouldn't be saying this, so it is a double happy. One down and one to do. Another first and ten. Success breeds success.

So my time has been spent metaphorically training. Preparing for the next event. Making sure that the things that I can control, I do effectively. Adding what needs to be added and losing what needs to be tossed. Learning from the Pros. Workin' my way.

With a burning love inside.

http://www.frankievallifourseasons.com/

Kona Close

Closing sequence of the 2008 Kona Expo DVD. Hope you enjoyed the ride.

Kona 7 & 8

We' re winding down. Here are the Kona Expo Video parts 7 & 8. Seven is IM Australia featuring some amazing comments from Luis Alverez, the only man to have done EVERY Ironman in the world and how he uses the CompuTrainer at home in Mexico City.



Followed by part 8, clips from IM Louisville, a course that surprised me with its challenge and charm. Karen Smyers tells us how she trains indoors in the cold winters of Boston in preparation for the heat of the US Virgin Islands, St. Croix 70.3.



Just the closing segment to go and then we will return the RCVman channel to its normal eclectic and iconoclastic blogging format.

Either way, we will continue to facilitate evolution, one day at a time.

Kona 5 & 6

Parts 5 and 6. Five is Ironman UK shot in 2007 at the Sherborne Castle. Unfortunately the venue has moved North to Bolton making this a historic course, and rideable only via the CompuTrainer Real Course Video (available at Racermateinc.com).



Part Six in my favorite IM course of them all, Ironman Cananda in Penticton, BC, Canada. The RCV gods were with us last year as the rains stopped just as we began shooting and re-starred just as we were finishing the 112 spectacular miles. Bryan Rhodes, who appeared in the debut Kona RCV, ended up taking the win on this day. Shot on the Super Scooter, all 112 miles in the pack, this sample features a tune I like as much as this course by the Stone Coyotes, Not Right Now.



Parts 7 & 8 tomorrow and the close on Sunday. Then I have to get back to work.

Kona 2009

While it won't garner as much publicity as the annual NBC telecast (Dec.19) this was a fun one to cut. I was especially pleased with the opening sequence where coming out of the underwater bubbles the cannon blast shoots a smoke ring thru the media helicopter. Fun stuff (and why we call it magic). Special meritorious mention to Special Agent Simon Ward of the UK bureau who conducted a series of interviews with Pros and AGers alike all week. We had a 92% finish percentage this year of the 1,800 who started at 0700 Saturday morning. The few that we have shown here are samples of the courage, skill and dedication that defines this race. Somewhere between start and stop lies the story. Here is but one.

Kona 4

Part Four of our week long RCV saga. This one features RCV action from IM Wisconsin and Lake Placid.

Kona 3

Part Three. Hang in there.

Kona 2

Kona RCV EV One

That would be the Kona Real Course Video Expo Video segment One. As linked here. Be prepared for lots of actual course display as that was the prime directive. We will be showing the entire video in segments all week and then the Highlight Video from race week expo and race day 2009 as the finale. So stay tuned. Here is part one:

Kona out

Kona wrap

Hate those words. Last night was the annual post race banquet awards extravanganza. Chuck, Simon, Liz from UK 220 and I shared a VIP table with some very fast folks from Seattle and a gal from Japan. I always enjoy watching the best AGers in the world take the stage and smile under the bright stage lights. And the Pros are always inspiring. As you might imagine, the highlight for me, the proverbial busman's holiday, is the race video, this year cut into two segments, the opener for the pros and the always entertaining 'everybody else' main feature video. Both were a little short on pizzaz. The Pro video contained almost every film, editing and audio gaffe known to post production, including dropped frames, soft focus, sloppy jump cuts, incoherent voice over narratives and weak continuity. Other than that it was OK. The AGers video contained the worst nightmare of any viewing audience anywhere, for any genera: An art film gone off thread. The editors decided early on, and remember they had all week to do the open and build the story as film was being shot race week, to use a choppy, stuttering, time re-map effect that was supposed to be edgy, cool and hip. It was irritating, ineffective and annoying. They kept it up the entire fifteen minutes and by the time the feature had ended, to scattered applause, most were happy just to have the retina water boarding end. The music, although lyrically relevant (distance, go, run, do, rejoice) wasn't exactly top ten material. Given the use of a helicopter, underwater HD, and ten cameras shooting all day, this should be something to leave us with enough inspiration to immediately get back to our condos and start training. All I wanted was a beer.

We are packing gear and making arrangements for getaway. One last interview with Fearless Phil on the way to airport. We had a good show. We met with the WTC boys and are building a proposal and beta video for the 2G RCVs, we are launching an AG promotion to parallel the CT sponsorship of the Pros, we had a good time, recharged the batteries and made a commitment for the future. We met some great new friends. I am happy. I am tired. I have a sunburned neck. We leave for the airport in an hour.

RCVman signing out from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. See you tomorrow, when we start to roll some video. Then you get to be the critic.

Aloha.

A few shots from the afterglow.

The Pro Ladies at the podium. Six of the Ten use CompuTrainer.
RCV in Kona
What 112 on the Queen K will do.

It has begun

It is officially indoor training season. Ironman thirty-one is in the books, ending at midnight, some eight hours after Aussie Craig Alexander and Brit Chrissie Wellington finished with repeat wins in the blistering heat of the Hawaiian sun.

The big stories that we had been following all week melted early. Fearless Phil Graves, although he won the bike preme, was swallowed by the lead group just before the turn at Hawi and ended up slugging out a 9:11, well off the win he wanted, and in 41st place overall. Bella Bayliss succumbed to the heat as well and called it a day early in the run and husband Stephan gutted out the humidity and cloudless blue skies to finish well out of the money and just behind Fearless Phil.

And folks, when I say gutted it out, I mean that. I can remember Ironmans past where the internal conversations got a touch, shall we say, terse. You get in a state of debate, with the legs, lungs, heart and head doing everything possible to convince your soul and spirit that it has been enough for one day and that it is not a felony to stop running and find some shade. Stephan when he passed me at mile 20 of the run was having this conversation with himself. I am glad and happy for him that the good guys won the debate and he got to the line, stronger by far for the effort.

CompuTrainer had a great showing on the women's side with five of the top ten ladies in the CT family:

Virginia Berasatugui, 9:15
Rebekah Keat,
Rachel Joyce
Jo Lawn
Dede Greisbauer

I'll get in another post of the day's events along with additional pix later today, we are meeting with a few athletes to discuss sponsorship, with one being Monique van der Vorst, a immensely talented and personable hand cyclist from Belgium who just happened to smash the existing course record by over two hours yesterday and is now ramping up for an Olympic run. That was no type, folks. She smashed the record by TWO HOURS. And thinks she can get better.

Indoor training season has begun.

Sign announcing the obvious on the Queen K
Swim start
Today I will.......
Cool water
Swim volunteers get the brief from the boss

Let 'er Rip

Day Three II

Nine at night the night before the big event. We're up at 0400 in the morning so I won't be able to fire off a post prior to the Pros start at 0645. Weak I know. It's a long day out there so my next post may not be until late Saturday night after the winners have been determined, fireworks imploded and IVs initiated. RCVman will, however, be capturing enough race footage to supply a thousand posts in the near future, so please be patient with the crew. Even going to try to get some swim shots with the new SurfPro that we sea tested this morning (with great results).

Glad we have a spin class a few hours after touching down back in Seattle Tuesday morning as after another spectacular dinner at the Kona Inn, I am officially five pounds overweight.

Have a pleasant evening and we see you after all the Ironman have traversed the 140.6 miles of the World Championship course.

Let 'er rip.

Simon, our waitress at the Kona Inn, and Ryan. Good Luck to #1048, and the scene at Digg Me Beach this morning. In less than 1o hours 1,800 of this planet's fastest long course triathletes will be here at the start of their IM journey.

And start work

Kona Day Three

It is simultaneously winding down as it is ratcheting up. One more day of Expo, a balmy nights rest and 0400 for the Ironman 31 wake up call.

Had another fantastic day yesterday. Sold a few units, which is never the main objective here, the idea is more promotion and "presence", than sales, opened the door for a new cross promotion with a local coffee roaster (Buy the Kona RCV and get a sample of local dark roast), and conducted a series of successful meetings with the boys from IM. Whatever we would like to do is OAK with them, mahalo. Also had another great day of interviews, visiting with Steve and Bella, Fearless Phillip Graves and Scott Neyedli whom should all be contending for podium spots Saturday.

It is so much fun to have our users actually come by to talk about the CT and the RCVs. Validating to have the number one question be, "What will be the next RCV release", followed immediately by "and when?"

Yes we have created a demand. The entire line will go up on the Ironmanlive.com site upon my return and remix. Plus they want to test a new "athlete tracking" system where friends, family and race fans of athletes wearing an ankle transmitter can "see" video of where they are on the course. Cool Hawaiian breeze, mates. Can do.

This morning Simon and I are heading down to the swim start to shoot some underwater video and then its back to the Expo for one last show. We close at noon today, and then I might even get in a run. Weather has been perfect and looks to hold for Saturdays main event. We scored VIP tickets for the banquet Sunday night and then Monday is reverse getaway day and back to Seattle.

For work to begin.

Pix: Top: Si and Fearless Phil (displaying RCV race sox). New CT owners and coffee roasters with RCVman, Scott (hammering) and Si (coachng) at the booth.

Second Generation

Kona Day Two. A big one. Huge day for the good guys. And that would be US!!! Had a very good launch to the Expo with the sock and headband promo garnering some decent buzz. I will add the footnote here that everybody, professional triathletes included, love free stuff and we were taking full advantage in creating good will in the process. As a good promotion should. We sold a few units, pushed the RCVs via the video (which has some audio glitches apparently caused by the mpeg2 compression codec for the DVD burn) talked to many potential CT users and captured four outstanding video interviews. And that isn't even the big news.

THE BIG NEWS: As you know, loyal VBAers, RCVman has spent a good deal of time painstakingly concocting a marketing strategy to push the existing RCV brand to the next level (as they say). This has included three years of analysis, data crunching, beat testing, video experimentation and the construction of virtual models designed to achieve one objective; TO GET MORE VIDEO TO YOU, and this, whether or not you use, rent, have access to, or own a CompuTrainer.

For thee years the boss has called this heresy at worst and a dilution of the existing brand at best. Monday night I presented the boss with a proposal outlining my ideas (50% promotion and 50% profit) and yesterday we met with Andy and Bill, the two vital WTC players we needed on our side, in our camp and at our party. Both said the idea was (and I quote again) a no brainer.

Resisting the urge to feel somehow insulted that I hadn't included enough high-brow merger-speak in the proposal, Chuck and I were soon exploring tangents and roll-out marketing plans with the "second generation" RCVs. Or, as I am already testing, RCV2g.

Not to commandeer all of your time today (and because I need to get back to the Expo) the RCV2g is all 31 of the IM 70.3 bike courses available as DVDs and downloadable, so that ANYONE CAN WATCH. You don't have to be a CT user to see the bike course of all 31 70.3 courses. And at a terrific price of, probably, $29.95.

Whaddya think?

Day Two pix:

My old pal Sarah Reinersten spent last year writing her book. Available on her site. Simon does the interview. One happy RCV family from Palm Springs. A 'heads-up' for CT schwag, and the view from our condo: Just add people.

Kona One

Aloha. First full day in Kona. The Alaska direct flight from Seattle into the Big Island is fabulous. Got in at noon where I was met by Simon and Chuck. We immediately went to the Expo to start the set up, then headed out for a quick lunch and trip to the condo to unpack. Seems a little slow this year with perhaps the economy keeping many folks at home. Still, the electricity is in the air as we prep for a big expo week and Saturday's main event. Chuck had a lot of good sales news and with my two proposals to extend the RCV opportunity, this could (should) be a big week for us.

We had a great dinner last night at the close of the Expo with Scott Davis, manager for RaceSox (whose handiwork you will be seeing LOTS more of from todays sessions) and Ryan Bowd, IMG publicist and manager for Bella and Steve Bayliss. Oh yeah, Ryan and I have a friendly little wager stipulating that all three of his clients, Steve, Bella and 20 year old phenom Phillip Graves will all finish in the top ten overall. I hated to bet against them but this course is not "just" an Ironman, it is THE Ironman and takes some time to understand, let alone conquer. Bella was seventh last year and Steve was 16th, so they have the horsepower. It'll be Phillip's virgin effort and Madame Pele has a fondness for, shall we say, fresh young blood.

Lot's of details left to manage, but the coffee is beginning to brew on the lanai on a beautiful October morning in Kona. More, much more, later in the day from the Expo. Aloha.

Pix: Two year reigning Women's Champion Chrisse Wellington (UK) carrying her winners bouquet. Simon chats with Jill from the UK as Chuck scans the OZ video and the buzz power of Alii Dr extends even past Lava Java (Simon gawks at the latest from Scott bikes)

Getaway Day

Out this peaceful morning to Kona for IM 31. We have to set up the booth and consolidate all the materials so despite the time change I will be pretty bust till after the parade, expo and dinner tonight. Kona blogging will officially begin tomorrow. Aloha.

Thank you Irish

"Men succeed when they realize that their failures are the preparation for their victories." RW Emerson.

This is a tough one, so please stay with me. I have spend many hours depressed, dejected and demoralized after losing. I have tasted of the agony of defeat. I have failed at many things, many times. To this point it has seemed that the things I most want, I can't have. And although I am happy with the things I DO have, and have learned to control my relentless desire for more, this paradox has always provided more than its share of doubt, curiosity and deep introspection. I have tried many ways of dealing with defeat as have most of us. The old baseball saying that we drink to celebrate our wins, we drink to drown the sorrows of our losses and we drink when we get rained out because we don't get to play, comes as close as any.

Somewhere around the time that I quit team sports, many of the reasons behind all this started to become a little clearer. If I wasn't playing any longer for my teammates, my school, my hometown or my livelihood, why was I still so dependent on the outcomes for my definition of self? It suddenly seemed overly pretentious and overtly shallow to be simply happy when 'we' won and sad when 'we' lost. There had to be something more.

And there is. That something more is the game itself. The contest. The battle. The competition. The effort. And the lessons we can learn from them. Makes little difference if its Ironman or college football. You have heard me say this before, and I will keep trying to say it until I get the words right, that the only real winning is losing. Because we get to grow more, mature fuller and become balanced quicker in losing than we do in winning. There are also time and perspective components involved, but those are sub-categories. Combined, losses allow higher, sweeter and longer lasting rewards than simply adding another W to the left side of the column.

Let's take yesterdays Husky/Notre Dame game as an example. You can say that we (UW) got robbed by the officials, by instant replay, by injuries, by penalties, by TD Jesus or by the rain. Or you could say it was the luck of the Irish. That debate would go into OT as well. Why not take the lessons and leave the rest on the soggy turf of South Bend? The lads played well, with heart, with character and with intensity. It was one of the most entertaining college football games I have ever watched (and I have watched many). Yes, it broke my heart to see them lose, but ya know what? They learned a lot of lessons out there yesterday. We will shortly see these lessons manifested as the foundation of a great team, as personified by the growth , maturation and future success of the individuals.

Here is, then, the simple secret to success and Sark knows this as does Holt and Jake: Pick yourself up off the carpet, acknowledge what happened and why, and get your young butts back to work.

There will be many victories down the line boys. And they will be sweetened by the taste of today's agony. Thank you Notre Dame.

Photo: Jake Locker can play on my team any day of the week.

Final Touches

The final touches: The Kona 2009 DVDs are burned. The labels have been printed. The DVDs with printed labels have been inserted into the 100% recycled jackets. The burned DVDs with the printed labels in the 100% recycled jackets have been wrapped with a CompuTrainer RCV headband. The Kona 2009 DVDs with the printed labels in the 100% recycled jackets wrapped in the CompuTrainer headbands will be hand delivered to Kona on Tuesday. You get the idea. Photos: The labels. The 100% recycled jackets with the CT headbands. Manager of Quality Control, Junior, tests the bands for fit. Now all I gotta do is get 'em to Kona.

The bottom line...

As the G5 renders the final compressor pass of the Kona Expo Video, I have begun the packing process. Three items of special concern have been resolved, with a minimum of time, effort and money. Those items that now have a check in front of the todo list:

1) Needed to figure a way to get some swim video. In the past I have hired divers with underwater HD cams, but I will not have the time for that this year, nor the budget. So, taking a cue from all the guys who have been raving about the sports cameras they "discovered" at Interbike, I ordered one of these puppies from GoPro cameras. Looks like it will do the job - and at a nice price. You will get a full-on, water-soaked, in-the-blue report upon my return.

2) Needed to figure a way to capture better audio at the Expo. If you have been to Kona for Ironman, you know that there are an equal number of marketeers all looking for ways to capture your attention as there are athletes trying to avoid them. This is our challenge. (And I mean that as both a marketeer and an athlete). It has long been expo conventional wisdom that LOUDER is better. If you can't catch their eyes, shoot for the ears. The olfactory is somewhat underused, unless you are at a "Taste of" show. Knowing all this and how I have agonized in years past, wanting to use a clip of, say Bella Comerford talking about how cool her new CompuTrainer is, and not being able to clean it up to acceptable standards (like being able to actually hear what she is saying), I finally solved this problem by getting my wireless Sampson levallier to work with the Cannon XH-A1. My testing in the RCV lab seems to indicate that this will help A TON. I would also like to build some type of a sound baffle at the Expo to help even more, but that will be an on-site addition that we will deal with Wednesday.

3) The 'Heads-on-a-Stick' came out nice. I still need to cut the foam backed 8x10s and attach to springs, but they should be cool and attract some attention (maybe I should soak them in jitterbug perfume for a couple of days, too). And lastly the second batch of headbands showed up yesterday so now all I need to do is cram them into my two cases (this to avoid a third bag fee) and get to Sea-Tac Tuesday morning by 0700.

Here are a few more GREAT (training & racing related) blogs.
http://elizabethfedofsky.blogspot.com/
http://dcrainmaker.blogspot.com/2008/03/review-of-new-computrainer-interactive.html
http://www.angelanaeth.blogspot.com/

I have had the honor of watching some inspiring performances by talented athletes over the years, with one of my fondest memories, captured on Hi8 no less, being Chuckie V winning Ironman Canada in 1999 just seconds ahead of Shingo Tani. Chuckie V's blog contains so many gems, great photos and insights that I kinda lost track of time while surfing. Before I knew it, the smell of my burning soup came calling.

LOUD and clear.

The bottom line is the finish line.

Angela hammering on the CT (at Chuckie V's), and a shot from the Surf Hero GoPro camera.

RCVman picks the Kona Winners

Two OUTSTANDING CompuTrainer opportunities. If you live in the greater Toronto area, by all means check out WattsUp Cycling. They have 28 CTs set up and ready for your commitment. Don't know any other way you could get as close to riding in a peloton than this (although I have some ideas). Pretty cool intro video on their home page as well.

If you aren't lucky enough to live near Toronto, there are three days left to get in an indoor 10K TT and join the CompuTrainer Indoor Race League. This looks like serious fun and if I wasn't putting the frantic final touches on the Kona promos, I would be warming up for my heat.

Ace veteran photog Timothy Carlson has posted his Kona odds on Slowtwich.com. I have to agree with TC for the top Mens & Womens spots (Baring injury, nobody is going to touch Crowie & Chrissy), but after that I have some thoughts of my own. I suppose that is why I do this every day. Here then are my top ten M&F for the 31st running of the Granddaddy of them all.

MEN// WOMEN:
1) Crowie // Chrissie
2) Macca // Belinda Granger
3) Eneko Llanos // Linsey Corbin
4) Andy Potts*// Kate Major
5) Cam Brown // Rebekah Keat
6) Faris Al-Sultan // Bella Bayliss
7) Tom Evans // Cait Snow
8) LVL // Miranda Carfrae
9) Phillip Graves (!) // Michellie Jones
10) Matt Lieto // Sam McGlone

*if healthy

Former Champs Luc van Leirde and Thomas Hellriegel after the Pro meeting in Kona last year. Smarter, Stronger, Faster!