Central Coast Adventure Race

Central Coast Adventure Challenge - This was a 12-hour race - with cut offs.

We started with a kayak leg that took us about 45-50 minutes and took us from one end of Santa Margarita Lake to the other. It was about 5 miles in our estimation. We paddles the 3-person Kayak with Randy, Myself and Veronica and Blake was in the solo Glider.

We were out of the boat in good position, maybe 10th out of the 50 or so teams. Next we had about a 2 mile run to the Bike Transition. Unfortunately about 100 yards into this run, Randy rolled his ankle severely spraining it, or possibly breaking it (no word yet).

I hooked him up to a tow system and helped him to the bike TA. We got him mounted and took off on the bike leg. I had made two tow rigs with some PVC and surgical tubing for Blake and I to tow Randy and Veronica. But, we hadn't anticipated Randy's lack of ability to really pedal much at all. One other surprise was a 17-mile fire road climb. YES - 17 miles of climbing - almost non-stop. I towed Randy the entire way except for a short distance when I just needed a break and Blake pulled him and I towed Veronica. Once on top of the Mountain we descended over rolling terrain hitting checkpoints flawlessly thanks to Blake's excellent navigation and pre-scouting the terrain. There was 1 CP that I had to run to in my Bike shoes about 1 mile off the bikes and do a bit of rock-climbing to get the CP. In total the bike was around 30 miles and with all that climbing took us nearly 5 1/2 hours. Still we were encouraged when we arrived and found ourselves still in great position overall, but knowing that our teammate couldn't continue. We'd come in right with Feed The Machine and a few other very well known competitive teams with "kids" (young adults in there mid-late 20's) and we're all mid-40's, me being the 'baby' at 43.

We dragged Randy to the medic who said it was an absolute no-go for Randy. Ice/tape/rest was all he was having. At this point our 4 person team was disqualified - and all we'd earn was a DNF (Did-not-finish).

We decided to go after a few more checkpoints anyway - for the training anyway. We had 3 1/2 hours to get the last points, get the boats and get them back to the start/finish TA. I'll make a long story short, we made a nav error - not Blake's fault, but a team decision, and wasted a bunch of time/energy/water and fuel not getting where we wanted to go. When we did find where we needed to be we had run low on time/water and needed to abandon. We still had to get out to the other end of the lake and paddle the kayaks back.

What should have been an easy task was made more difficult when we ran into a bear cub about my size on the trail. A cub - but with Momma' bear likely close by, we quickly changed course and had to re-navigate our way back to the boats.

At this point the light was gone, we'd been out almost 10 hour and had an hour paddle back to the boats with little fuel/water and no lights. Luckily between Black and I we remembered the layout of the lake and found our way through the darkness and 1/4 moon's glow to find the finish.

Randy was there waiting for us. We packed up the bicycle/kayaks and finally left the TA at around 10:30pm after having arrived at 6am.

So....not the race we'd hoped for, but we learned a lot. I did anyway, and had a great time. Tough? - Absolutely. I was toast!

Can't wait to do it again...can't wait for the Poison Oak to set in. :o)

Outrigger Paddling

My son Dylan started paddling competitively just a month ago. He paddles down in San Diego on a coed team and really enjoys it. This weekend they had their first race since he joined the team. This particular race was not coed and they raced in the all boys division.

It was quite a surprise to my son when he found out the race was 1 1/2 hours long, and just the boys - no adults like practice. There workouts were typically an hour long and were supervised by an adult.

But as it turns out, they did just fine. They got 3rd place overall and as one of the photos shows, they're sporting there medals (turtles). He was proud and tired at the same time. What a great workout and good time. I'm so glad he enjoys the water as much as I always have. Some great pictures below taken by a family friend that actually got him involved in the outriger paddling.

Soccer on the Beach?

If you've read my Blog even a little bit, you've surely heard about my son Jacob. He's quite a little athlete and I'm a proud papa, so I talk about him.

Well a few weeks ago we got a note home from school. I know what you're thinking - same as me when my son told me he had a note from his teacher. But it turned out to be a note from the PE Specialist. The note said that this teacher had "rarely seen this level of athleticism at this age" and since he coached a local competitive soccer club he wanted Jacob to come try playing soccer for him.

Truth be told, Jacob had asked to play soccer, but it had conflicted with his rec baseball, travel baseball or football schedules, and we'd just never made the leap. One other factor was the expense of it. Competitive soccer in our area runs from $1000 to $1400 per year, money we just don't have.

I called the coach and explained our situation and he encouraged us to let Jacob give it a try at least and we'd go from there.

He went to 2 practices before he was invited to play in a weekend Beach Soccer Tournament - one of the largest soccer tournaments in the US. Strangely he was not committed to baseball that weekend and we went to play in the sand. He did fantastic.

Afterwards the coach told us that Jacob was right where the others were after a year of coaching and he'd just started a few days before. I thanked him for the opportunity but told him our time constraints and financial concerns.

He said if Jacob wanted to play, and we'd allow it - he would "make it work" and would cover the cost of the soccer. We couldn't believe it. Was he "that" good? Maybe so, and as nice as it was to hear, and even flattering - it's just too much. The poor kid wouldn't have a spare moment to himself.

We sadly had to decline the invite and told the coach maybe after baseball. He insisted we keep the uniforms he gave us and bring Jacob out when we could and he'd see to it that his skills would improve.

I'm still thinking as a retirement plan - Baseball is where my future is, but Soccer's not a bad backup. :o)

SCRAT - It's all about the acorn - Adventure Racing

Today was the Orange County Adventure Race...with nearly 250 competitors...the largest AR in recent history for sure.

I raced with a team I hadn't raced with before. Team SCRAT (like in the movie ICE AGE "It's all about the acorn").

One guy was a guy I'd seen at races and even talked to a few time, his sister, myself, my friend Michael who I've been doing trail run/rides with regularly and a new guy none of us knew until today.

Anyway, we got together for the 5 person Co-Ed race - the premeir division and....smoked the field! We got 1st place for 5 Person Team, 1st Person for 5 Person Co-Ed and yes.... 1st Finishers overall.

We were happily surprised and felt good about the showing. Details of the race are below.

Ok, the race was sprint distance...it started out with about a 1 mile run to three checkpoints. The first you picked up a paddle 'handle' (4 foot stick), at the second CP you got the blade of the paddle (a 10" x 1' flat board with 2 holes drilled in it), and at CP3 you got 2 zip ties per person. Then back at the staging area you had to construct the paddles by putting the blade on the handle and zip tying it together. While that was going on you had to inflate your raft. As a 5 person team we had a 3-man raft and a 2-man raft so we inflated both and were off to the water.

The paddle was about 1 mile or so - short, but no easy task in a raft with funky paddles. The CP was a floating buoy out in the middle of the lake. We were the first team to get there and return to shore.

When we got back our team had to direct two blindfolded team members through a maze of sorts collecting rocks from buckets and then direct them out of the pen.

Now we were off on the Mtn. Bike section. 6 Checkpoints covering about 7 miles of trail. Not a big deal - nothing technical at all, just fire roads. We flew through it and returned to the staging area.

Upon our return we had to do an obstacle course of sorts - nothing to challenging and then off on the run.

The run was about 3-4 miles of trail running with some fire roads mixed in. We flew through it finding the checkpoints with no problems. We came in just under 2 hours for what was billed as a 4 hour race.

As I said - 1st overall, 1st in our division...1st, Numero Uno, Number 1, Tops, The Best, Fastest...should I go on?!

We had a great time, had excellent teamwork and that's what it's all about!

Ocean Kayak

I've been doing mtn. bike/trail run workouts every other day for weeks now and my legs were starting to feel seriously toasted, so I opted to take a day off both and go for a nice paddle. I usually head down to the lagoon and paddle, but decided to head down to the beach and do some ocean kayaking. I was in for a treat.

I paddled out through the harbor and headed south running parallel to the beach. I was about a mile from shore I'd estimate had been paddling about a 1/2 hour when I saw a few dolphins maybe 1/4 mile ahead of me. I hoped they'd stick around as I drew nearer.

Not only did they stick around, but they were breeching within feet of the kayak. I literally got splashed like a visit to Sea World! I almost rolled the boat. It was absolutely incredible. I've been in the water bodysurfing or boogie boarding when there were dolphins nearby, but nothing like this. I sat and didn't paddle for about 5 minutes while they played nearby. As I began to paddle again, I saw them skimming the water right next to me, below me, in front of me. There were about 7 of them I'd guess.

I continued to paddle South down past the Oceanside Pier and then turned around at 45 minutes. On my way back I saw them playing nearby but paddled a more direct route back to the harbor.

I was out for an hour and a half or so and probably did around 6 miles I'm guessing...no way to know for sure. I'm so glad I went to the ocean today and skipped the harbor. Very very cool day!

Rattlesnake at Calavera Lake

I was mountain biking around Calavera Lake with a friend the other day...look what we came across. This big rattler was close to 6 feet long and quite thick.

Competition And Learning To Lose

There's no doubt I'm extremely competitive. I'm not sure when it started or what made that intense desire to win a priority. But it's definitely there. I hate to lose at anything...I mean it's bad. I hate losing in games with my kids...seriously. How bad is that?

I guess it should come as no surprise to me that my son Jacob inherited or learned this behaviour from me. And while I think competition is a great thing...the overwhelming 'need' to win can have its pitfalls.

If you've read my Blog in the past - you'll remember that he's an incredible, natural athlete - specifically a baseball player. Since he was very young he could throw and catch. He has that natural smoothness to his play. Coaches are constantly telling me - 'he moves well' referring to his plays at second and shortstop.

For the past season Jacob's been playing on a Tournament baseball team - also known as "Travel Ball". It's a team we put together of the best 10 boys of the local league of 150 kids. I coach the team with another coach whom I've worked with for the past few seasons. They're a good team, and they've faired well in tournaments around Southern California.

This past weekend we had a tournment locally and the first day boys lost the first game and won the second game on Saturday. We returned to play Sunday in a do or die situation and the boys rallied in the last inning from being down by 3 to winning by 3 and everyone was pumped.

We advanced to the final Championship game against a VERY competitive team - a team that routinely wins every tourney they enter. It was tough going and our boys were getting beat pretty bad.

Then it happened...Jacob missed a groundball hit to him. Not the end of the world...certainly not for most players. But he'd made probably 20 incredible plays in the 4 game series and he is not used to missing the ball. He let it get to him. I told him from the bench to let it go.

"Don't let 1 mistake become 2" I coached. Let it go...but he was visibly upset. Another ball came to him - this time he scooped it up like a pro and... threw the ball wide to the second basemen allowing the runners to advance extra bases. He was coming apart at the seams now.

We got the last out of the inning and had our at bat. Jacob came to bat, still with tears in his eyes. I'd tried to reassure him and calm him but it hadn't worked and now he was supposed to focus on hitting. He was rattled and backed out of the box repeatedly and watched - without swinging at 3 strikes. Something he hasn't done before. He walked dejectedly to the dugout. It didn't help he was the 3rd out and we were headed back out to the field.

He was standing on the field sobbing and we had to pull him from the game. He was in danger at that point...obviously unable to focus, protect himself or make a play.

I wondered how it had come to this...he felt so pressured that he couldn't let 1 mistake go. No amount of reassurance seemed to help. Of course everyone and their brother reminded him of all his 'highlight reel' plays - diving snags to the left and right, turning double plays that no one at his age makes. But he sobbed on. It broke my heart.

I have to take responsibility for it. I don't know how I did it, but I made it so important to win that my 8 year old doesn't know how to lose. I've always tried to be supportive with the good and the bad. I'm not typically a yeller - certainly not at my ball players. I just didn't see it coming.

Anyway, not a great game. He's fine now and really was better within an hour after the game. Kids bounce back that way. We went to batting practice today and he wanted to stop on the way home and play catch - and we did. Just me and Jacob, playing catch at the park. This was my son, the happy, go-lucky kid. Hopefully we can bring this to the games and still win a few games.

Vail Lake Adventure Race

Wow, I can't believe it's been since January since I posted, almost 5 weeks. Time flies when you're having fun - right?

Not too long ago I had another Adventure Race. This one was up in the Temecula, California area at an area called Vail Lake. It's a private resort actually, but they allowed us to use the facility for the race.

I raced with the same guys I raced the Lake Hodges AR with and we placed then, so we were hoping for another podium finish - and got it!

Well I took 3 full days off...did nothing to try and kind of get my fresh legs back for my race today. It was killing me doing nothing - but I guess it paid off.

The race started at 7:00am with 3 hours of Mountain biking. We had 10 checkpoints to get. You could get as many or as few as you wanted, but each checkpoint counted as 5 points and you got a 1 point penalty for each minute you were late over 3 hours. We got 9 and got back at 2:59...with only a minute to spare. We later found out, not one team got all 10, so we felt pretty good about our bike peformance.

Next we transitioned into the Kayaks. 2 hours, 6 checkpoints and around 6 miles of paddling. We cleared the course with 20 minutes to spare! It was touch because the checpoints were always about 100 yards from shore, so you'd have to get out of the boat, run (which is tough when you've been sitting and paddling) and then get back in the boat and paddle again...6 times!
Last was the run, or as they call it the trek. There were 9 checkpoints, 3 hours and about 8 miles of terrain to cover. We worked well together and pumped out 8 of the 9 and came in with 30 minutes to spare. The one we missed was about 20 minutes away, so it would have been 40 minutes round trip or 10 minutes late, which would be a 10 point penalty to only get 5...so we ditched it.

We normally race 3 guys and a gal, but the gal has been MIA lately so we raced all guys. First it was 3, then 4...then a 5th mate...too many. You can only have 4, so we ended up racing a 3 and a 2. But we stayed together during the race anyway.

At the end of 7 hours of racing you don't really know how you did because you don't know how many checkpoints everyone else has. And if the points tie, it comes down to total elapsed time.
Our team name is "My Kind Of Party", so we had MKOP1 and MKOP2. When the awards were dolled out - we got third place...for the 2 man team and the 3/4 man teams. It was a great day for Team My Kind Of Party and for me!



I love Adventure racing. It is so freaking hard. At the end of the bike leg, I got off to run into this ravine to get a checkpoint. Both my quads immediately cramped. When I got out of the kayak to run up the banks, my hamstrings cramped. And when I ran for 8 miles with a pack all over the countryside, I was fine.

There are so many variable - physcial and mental. For an 8 hour, very physically demanding race you have to remember to eat and drink or you'll seriously bonk. You have to be able to use a map and compass. This is critical as thats how you find the checkpoints. One mistake and you could be wasting time looking for a checkpoint that not's there. You have to stay within 100 yards of all teammates, all the time. So it's a team event - no one wins alone. We towed someone in our kayak because they were tired. We wait for slower runners. I pushed someone up a hill on the bikes...we're a team. I just love the whole sport. I like triathlons, but AR has just taken multisport to a new level for me.

Say it... Ka-Too-La

That's Katoolah, the sponsor of the Snowshoe race I did awhile back in Big Bear. I was sure I'd written about it, and was looking back and realized I never did - doh!

Well, the entire Snowshoe The Bear event was awesome. I went up a few days early to help my friend Peter - the owner of Equada Outiftters get ready for the race. He was one of the sponsors and the event headquarters so he had his hands full.

I spent the days before hanging out at his Mountain Shop, helping stuff the 'goodie bags' with the Kahtoolah rep, and getting acclimated to the altitiude. I was fighting an ever-worstening cold but there was no doing that.

The day of the race I was working the registration table until 10 minutes before the race, and then headed up to the start/finish line.

I was so congested I could hardly breath, but I'd been waiting months for this race and wasn't going to miss it for the world.

I knew the course - I'd been snowshoeing out on the course several times. I knew it was basically straight uphill - and around 1000-1500' of climbing (guessing here). I also knew that all the other 'flatlanders' or those of us from 'down the hill' would start out too fast and too hard.

I decided ahead of time that I was going to race the tortoises' race in the "Tortoise vs. the Hare" story. Nice and easy...

As I predicted everyone took off running like crazy and I quickly found myself down about 30 places out of the 100 or so racers. I wasn't too concerned. I knew other than being sick, I was fit, and doubted that all of them were that much more fit than I was.

Turns out I was right, and within less than 1/2 mile they were already dying. I started picking them off, 1 by 1. Within a mile I was probably in the top 10 and by the time I hit the top of the mountain I was beat, unable to breathe and had moved into 3rd place.

It was now a mile and a half of basically all downhill though through the backcountry, and not on the nice groomed trail. I ran the entire way back and no one passed me. I didn't know I was in 3rd place, so I kept pushing hard.

As I rounded the last corner I was hurtin', but I could see the end in sight. I finished up just over an hour and "4th place". I actually got third we figured out later, but someone from the other race, had a wrong number, or went on the wrong course or something, and somehow their number was in 3rd in my race. When they got called for the awards ceremony and prizes they opted not to mention the error to anyone. :o(

Oh well, I raced well and I think had I had the advantage of living/training at altitude, like all of the winners, I'd be right up there with them. Not too bad for a 40-something vs. the college kids who won. I'll see you all next year punks! :o)

Happy Birthday Bubba

OK, so today is my birthday....43 years of wonder. I slacked off a few days over the weekend and then went for a Mtn. Bike ride yesterday, where I spent nearly as much time in the dirt as I did on the bike. I was feeling pretty beat up this morning.

I planned on my regular Tuesday morning 10k that Nic and I always run...but she let me know last night she wasn't running this morning. She had to go help someone do something...early.

Anyway, I slept in, and when I got up...running wasn't on my list of things to do.
Then I got on the scale. Soon the my running attire was donned and I was ready to go. I doubled up my socks to try and protect my blistered foot, but even walking hurt. 100 yards from the house I almost turned back. Then I thought I'd try jogging instead of walking. Low and behold, it felt better to trot than stroll. I got to our timed 10k course and off I went.

Honestly I felt pretty crummy, and as I approached 1 mile, I was going to turn around and call it a 2 mile warm-up and go swim or something. But I knew the something would end up being TV and Birthday cake. So on I went.

As I approached the turn-around point for my 5k run, I checked my watch. I was actually running pretty well, right on schedule or even a tad faster, and my heel was achy, but not rubbing too bad. I pushed on.

I was planning on turning around at the 1/2 way point for my 5 mile out & back, but I felt OK and when I checked my time I was around a minute below my normal average. I couldn't stop now right?

So I continued on the 10k course, determined to actually run the whole 6.2 miles. I wished for my running buddy...wished I'd brought my mp3 player...neither was going to happen. As I approached the 1/2 way point I was 1 1/2 minutes below my fastest time on this run...time to suck it up.

My heel didn't hurt anymore, my lungs did as I ran hard up the nearly 1 mile stretch of road uphill. I hurt inside as I crossed the top of the hill, knowing I had an equally long downhill. I stretched out my stride and flew. It was one of those special running moments... my legs turning quickly below me, no effort, not really even feeling them. I guess it's the mythical 'runners high' come true. I was in the moment for several minutes, feeling nothing. No pain, no anything really...just floating.

But, as the terrain flattened out, so did my delirium! I had a mile to go...I was feeling it now. My watch said I was minutes ahead of my fastest time on this course and I was looking at sub 9 min/miles (yes - that's fast for me for 10k - so stop laughing).

As I rounded the last corner for the 1/2 mile straight away finish, I picked up the pace. Too much as it turns out, and with 1/4 mile to go I was blowing up. I struggled the last hundred meters and was done. 55.:15. That's 8:55 mile/average for the 6.2 miles. Not blazing, but a new PR for me.

Happy Birthday Bubba!

So you wanna' be a Rock Star?

Well you may not, but I know someone who does...my son. My oldest son Cole - recently turned 17 is just about as close as you can get without actually being a rock star. Check him out with my daughter Teddi.

He's got the hairdo, tight pants, boots...leather jacket, the works. He actually does play the Bass Guitar and plays in a band that changes names weekly it seems with some buddies of his. I'd love it if he took some lessons.

Cole is not necessarily the athlete my other children are, but he is most certainly the artist that the others aren't. He loves to draw, paint, work on the computer and has a unique talent for it. He's always had his own style and never really tried to fit a mold. Now it seems his style is that of the 80's big hair bands, and that still makes him unique now in 2008.

Cole's Mom has a friend that does video production and he and Cole are good friends. Quite some time ago he invited Cole to help out on a video shoot of the Beach Boys, or was it their sons...I'm not sure now actually, but it was very cool for Cole. He like it, they liked him, and he's done some additional 'gigs' for them.

Recently he went on a video shoot for an up-and-coming young Pop Star named Whitney Steele . He was just going to do some production work, help set-up and tear down the stage I believe. He was walking around working and Whitney saw him and assumed he was in the band based on his 'look'. He explained he wasn't and they chatted a bit. Well as fate would have it, the 'band' that was supposed to show up was missing a few guys, and Whitney immediately insisted that Cole stand in at the Base position for the video.

So, if this isn't as close as you can get to being a Rock Star...without actually being one, then I don't know what is. Pretty cool for Cole. Cool for all of us. Now if we can get him into some lessons for Bass, or into a technical school where he can further his post-production skills...Check out the video below. Cole is to Whitney's left (right side of the video) in the top-hat (his previous look).

eBay Live 2008

Whoa - I'm outta' control - 2 eBay posts in a row?


Summer may seem a long way off since we just celebrated New Year's, but it'll be here before you know it. And what comes with Summer? Ebay Live of course!


If you haven't attended an eBay Live conference, I suggest you do.


What is eBay Live? Ebay Live is a once a year convention, held by eBay. The eBay community gets together to network, celebrate, learn and teach. They're beneficial to those new to eBay as well as an experienced PowerSeller. There are hundreds of vendors offering tools to make your work easier as well as sourcing for merchandise. But one of the most popular attractions at the Live conferences are the classes. There are dozens and dozens of free classes on just about every topic from How To List to Advanced Tax Strategies for PowerSellers.


Of course there's the ever-popular closing ceremonies dinner where all of eBay's employees line up to applaud 'us' and there's a great buffet dinner and live entertainment. The two years I've attended I saw the B-52's and Davey Jones (The Monkey's...yes The Monkey's).
There is always a presentation given by CEO Megg Whitman and eBay President Bill Cobb. These are usually a 'sign of things to come' type presentations and are always entertaining if not enlightening.


This year it's being held in Chicago from June 19th - 21st at McCormick Place West. McCormick Place West is a new facility opening this year.


How can you register? Usually registration opens around April of the year. I'll let you know for sure when it's live and give you a link too!

Good News For eBay Stores!

I know, I know - it's been quite some time since I wrote about eBay - the original content of this Blog. But, like the poltergeist...I'm baaaaaaack.


If you've been around eBay for a year or more you may remember when eBay changed the search function so that any items listed in one's eBay Store would not be displayed unless there were less than 30 of the searched term in the fixed price/auction categories.


This was devastating for many eBay Store owners forcing them to pay more for auctions style listings just to get the exposure they needed to sell their wares. It didn't help that eBay raised the fees for Store owners at the same time – but that's another story.


Now, when buyer conducts a search on eBay, at the top left of the page there is a tab named “Stores” (see image below). Previously if you clicked it, it just took you to the eBay Stores Hub where they would have to enter their search term again. But, with the new changes, when the tab is clicked it shows the results based on the search they performed.


The big question is whether or not shoppers would even realize that eBay has added this new functionality.


Regardless, there's no down-side to it, so in my book that's a plus!

These 'aint your Miami Dolphins

I took my car in for service and had an hour to kill, so I headed over to the Coast for a run from the dealership. When I hit the Coast Hwy, I looked out at the Ocean and right there in front of me was a pod of around 6-10 dolphins swimming along. They rolled along at what seemed like my exact pace. I watched with childlike excitement, though I've witnessed this dozens of times, it always brings me joy.

In what seemed like minutes, I was 1/2 hour North of my starting point, and out of beachfront, so sadly I turned around and bid them farewell.



The run South was great, nice surf, nice salty breeze, and before I knew it my hour run was through, but I missed my running companions.

Snowshoeing.."If you can walk, you can showshoe"

That's what I'd heard - "If you can walk, you can showshoe". I figured they were lying and it had to be harder. I envisioned a bowlegged waddle. But what I found was that todays modern snowshoes aren't like that at all. They're lightweight, maneuverible and don't require any huge amount of technical skill. What I also found out, is while it's not extremely technical in nature, it can be exceedingly physically exhausting!

Nicole and I went up to Big Bear Lake, California to check out the course for the upcoming Snowshoe The Bear snowshoe race. We got our snowshoes from Equada Outfitters - an awesome mountain shop in Big Bear. I'm actually making them a website at www.EquadaOutfitters.com but it's not done yet.

Anyway, we got Kahtoola snowshoes, which are a pretty slick system. You just step into them, almost like a ski binding. You can wear your trail running shoes and you put on a hard soled neoprene over-bootie.

Unfortunately my left was a bit loose and started rubbing a bit early into our trek. By mile 2 my left heel was pretty sore. At mile 3 I pulled off my shoe and sock to find a big flap of skin where the 50-cent piece size blister had long since popped. I was prepared with my pack full of adventure racing supplies, so I had a fist-aid kit with duct tape in it. I put a bandage with duct tape over it and it immediately felt better.

But, by mile 4-5 I could tell it had come off and was rubbing badly on the decent. Add to that my right heel was beginning to develop hot spots and it was tough. We were out for 3 1/2 hours total. Much longer than we'd anticipated and it was much harder than we'd thought it would be.

I think it had to do with several factors. First - we were at 7000 - 9000 feet altitude the entire time. Second, the snowshoes we had are made for a light snowfall to pack, not necessarily powder. They had around 2 feet of powder the week before. So as our shoes would break the surface of the snow we'd sink 6-8 inches or so. Not bad, but then you have to lift your foot/shoe all the way out of the hole and drive it forward. It's a killer workout. We had water and some gels, but ultimately, not enough of either for nearly 4 hours of tough work.

But, we made it back fine. Nicole was such a trooper for what was an extremely tough outing. I'm glad she didn't have any issues with her feet or being cold. I had brought gloves and outer shells and beanies. It seemed pointless when we left, but after you begin to sweat and get up over 8000 feet it gets cold quick and by our return we were both fully dressed in all the attire I'd brought.

It reminded me what I already knew (but it's good to be reminded) - you can't mess around in the backwoods in winter. You have to be prepared for anything. If we'd gotten lost or hurt and were not prepared we'd be popsicles by morning. Just 4 days prior an elderly man had gone hiking in this same area. They got a call from his cellphone saying he was lost and then nothing more. They got all that snow after the call and now they're really just trying to recover his body - knowing that without supplies he has no chance of survival out there.

I always carry the essentials into the backwoods - even mountain biking, anywhere even slightly remote. Anyway, I got off topic...sorry.

Here's a picture of my left heel today (2 days after the venture).

I'd love to say it looks worse than it really is - but it actually smarts pretty good. I learned a few things. My feet sweat terribly with this amount of exertion. I need good quality sweat wicking socks - two layers and probably a second set in my pack.

As my feet got wet from the sweat they started not only chafing, but also started to get cold. By the end my toes were pretty solidly numb. Too much longer and I could easily have gotten a bit of frost-nip, if not frost-bite.

I also learned to take more water and more food, and even another under layer shirt per person.

Overall a great trip and something I've long wanted to do. I shot quite a bit of helmet cam video, but the camera was slanted at an angle and it almost makes me dizzy to watch it. So I made a short video with only a tiny bit of Nicole actually snowshoeing, but I thought I'd share it with you anyway. Here you go:

Just like old times

It's been quite a while since I've been on my road bike. I've been busy riding the mountain bike, training for some Adventure Races. I've been running and of course swimming. But I just haven't been riding my road bike lately.

It's strange because everytime I get back on it, after a brief hiatus, I just love that feeling...that 'I'm a kid again' type feeling. I get that feeling everytime I get on my motorcycle too, but it's even better on my bicycle.

I planned on a mtn. bike ride today too - but we've had quite a bit of rain lately, and although I enjoy riding in the dirt, I'm not a huge fan of riding in the mud. So, road bike it was.

Anyway, it was just a great ride. I rode 40 miles, from my home over to Highway 101 down the Coast to Del Mar, California and back. Two hours and 10 minutes - for an average of around 18.7 mph as I recall. Not bad for a month off the bike (road) and the hilly course.

Did I mention my bike is 23 years old? When I was 20, I raced bicycles on the US National Sprint team and worked at a bicycle shop and I worked for a custom frame builder, Dave Moulton. He made me three custom bicycles. A road bike, track bike and a mountain bike. Somewhere along the way I sold the mtn. bike, then years later the track bike, but could never bring myself to part with my criterium frame. I've upgraded the parts, but still ride the steel frame.

When I ride weekly group rides with a local racing team, all the vets look at my ride and say 'wow - nice bike'. All the 20 year olds didn't even know they made bikes before aluminum and carbon fiber. My bike weighs at least 5-7 lbs more than theirs, but it's 'my' bike. Custom made for me. Nothing rides like it.

Tomorrow, back in the pool and then Friday I'm heading to the mountains for some snowshoeing to train for an upcoming snowshoe race.

Adventure Race Training

I've mentioned before that I'm doing some adventure racing - the sport includes trail running, mtn. biking, orienteering/navigating, kayaking, climbing/rappelling and more.

In an effort to prepare for these 6-24 hour long races, I've been doing quite a bit of training trail running and mountain biking, both in the daytime and after dark with lights.

Well, I couldn't resist a downhill video session with my new helmet cam that Santa brought me. :)

It's pretty bumpy and I'm still figuring out what the 'view' of the camera is, so the orientation is a bit low on the horizon, but it's still fun! Enjoy...

Sledding in Big Bear, California

Ahhh, sledding in Big Bear! We've been coming here for years to spend vacation time in our favorite place - Big Bear, California. It's a small mountain community at around 7000' elevation in the Mountains above San Bernardino.

When we first came here, years ago we used to have to hike up the sledding hill. For several years in fact - but it's improved. The first improvement was a rope tow up one side. You'd sit in your tube and grab on to the rope. One year they added log-like steps with hay on them. Then a big rubber mat. Then miraculously one year the rubber mat moved like an escalator. That got better for a few years and then last year, they actually covered the moving sidewalk so you're out of the elements for the 3-5 minutes it takes to get to the top of the sledding runs.

I've combined all the videos I shot this week into one sledding montage put to the music of AC/DC. :o) Enjoy!

Crunch, Crunch, Crunch

That's the sound I hear...crunch, crunch, crunch. I'm in Big Bear, California. My home to be in the next few months hopefully. It's a crisp 38 degrees outside and I'm mid-way through a 7.5 mile run.

There are so many things that go into this run. They seem to all come to me at once. A year and a half ago I started losing weight. When I plateaued a year later, I had lost over 100 lbs. My wife has lost 75. We're the same people with a new lease on life. So here we are...at 7000' altitude, a week before Christmas, running in the snow. Yes - the snow. One of the many reasons I can't wait to make Big Bear my permanent home instead of vacaction destination. I love the snow and I love that crunch, crunch, crunch sound our feet make as we run the Alpine Pedal Path along the North Shore of Big Bear Lake.

The weight loss is one of many things...the next is the running itself. An athlete most of my life, I've never considered myself a runner. But I've run 20-25 miles a week for the past 75 weeks. I'd be lying now if I told you I wasn't a runner. I enjoy it now. It doesn't hurt anymore. I find comfort in my runs. I think better while I run and certainly better after.

Ok, back to Big Bear! It's the small town I love - the community. It's the skiing, hiking, mtn. biking, backpacking, kayaking, running, horseback riding, snowshoeing...jeeesh the list goes on and on.

I don't understand it...evertime I tell someone I'm moving to Big Bear, it's always the same reaction. First they get the dumbstruck look, and then they all say it. "Why Big Bear?". I recite the list above and I guess because none of those things are part of their lives - th lieir expression doesn't change. And I just smile. I can't wait to make it my home.

It's been a goal for years. Slowly working towards it. Getting the ducks in a row, and now the house is on the market. Of course it's an ugly time to try to sell a house in Southern California, but I don't even care. I don't have to make a dime on it. If I can just break even, I'll be the wealthiest man alive! I'll be living in my vacation spot of choice, on the Pacific Crest Trail in the mountains of California, a mile above the ocean, where the air is still clean and I can hear that crunch, crunch, crunch!

'Tis the Season

Wow, Thanksgiving came and went in a flash and Christmas is just around the corner. I can't wait until next week. We're heading to Big Bear, California - our favorite vacation spot and future home - for a week of relaxing and fun. Big Bear got over a foot of new snow in the storm we had in Southern California this past week!

So what's new? Well lots of stuff! Our bicycle clothing has been selling fantastic. We've ordered and sold through our arm, leg and knee warmers, jackets and shorts. We designed a few new short styles and they have arrived and are selling well too!

Most recently I got some of my samples in for my new line of Triathlon clothing. We'll have Tri shorts and Tri-Suits. Probably a few other items, but they samples look good. We're fine tuning the styles and they'll be ready for the early Spring Triathlon Season.

What else...weight loss is being maintained. Freelance eBay and Internet Marketing business is up! I've been doing a ton of freelance work creating listing templates, designing eBay stores and more. Nic is helping out at her old job working part-time after someone recently left with no notice. And with the holidays upon us - it's a good time to make some extra money.

Happy Holidays everyone! Whether it's Chanuka or Christmas, Kwanza or just another time of year for you... it's still the Holiday Season - so Happy Holidays!