Tripped and Grounded

There was something in the air. I had to go west.

"Took a bead on the northern plains and just rolled that power on.

And I was singn', roll, roll me away, won't roll me away tonight."

I know I'm getting close to home when I cross over the Little Missouri and the Yellowstone River. Just a few more hours now and I'll be breathing the rarified air found at altitudes above 6,000 feet. My asthmatic lungs will finally get relief from the exhaust fumes and city smog.

The familiar signs tell me I have arrived. Grounded again in the Gallatins, my back yard.

I met the girls for lunch at 7,000 feet a couple miles up the Deer Creek trail.

Did a late afternoon swim at 7,500 feet at the pool with aspen leaves drifting along the bottom.

Steaks on the grill and smores for dessert.

Happy children make me happy.

And there was fresh snow beckoning me to carve surpentine lines...and I obliged.

Montana is a place where I feel I belong, and I like it that way. If dogs don't go heaven it's because they're here in Big Sky Country.

Vernal Equinox, the first day of spring

The first day of spring in the northern hemisphere and the first day of fall, autumnal equinox, in the southern hemisphere.

Let's think spring, shall we?

Equinox "equal night."

Egyptians built the Great Sphinx so that it points directly toward the rising Sun on the day of the vernal equinox.

Ostera or Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. In Germany, Ostara, this comes from the German word Ost: “east,” which is the direction of dawn, the place of awakening, of birth and of spring.

Daylight hours now begin to grow longer than nighttime hours and triathletes embrace the prospect of early morning workouts and long evening training sessions OUTDOORS!

We are solar powered gods and goddesses aren't we? There is something about the dawn of a day when most mortals are asleep that we rise with the sun to ply open water, to ride to the crest of a hill to meet the rising sun, and to run as the sun casts our first silhouette as a long shadow on the ground. We are vibrant and alive like no other creature on earth.

Triathletes, the crazy people our parents warned us about.

Have a beautiful and uplifting day. They only get better.

Beannach tai na Feile Padraig

pronounce; bann/ockt/tee nih fail/eh pawd/rig.

Translation;

HAPPY SAINT PATRICKS DAY!

Sla`inte chugat, saol fada chugat (good health to you and long life to you).

Four-leaf Clover Poem. Author: Ella Higginson

I know a place where the sun is like gold,

And the cherry blooms burst with snow,

And down underneath is the loveliest nook,

Where the four-leaf clovers grow.

One leaf is for HOPE,

and one is for FAITH,

And one is for LOVE, you know,

And GOD put another in for LUCK

--If you search, you will find where they grow.

But you must have HOPE,

and you must have FAITH,

You must LOVE and be strong

-- and so --If you work, if you wait, you will find the place

Where the four-leaf clovers grow.

In Irish tradition the Shamrock or Three-leaf Clover represents the Holy Trinity: one leaf for the Father, one for the Son and one for the Holy Spirit. When a Shamrock is found with the fourth leaf, it represents God's Grace.

My great grandmothers' clan are from Northern Ireland in the districts of Antrim, Derry, and Tyrone and it is from there, over the ocean to you, that I wish you all the luck of the Irish and many blessings to you and your family.

Sla`n go fo`ill (goodbye for now).

"All because of you bud"

Me: "Hey Jer, you've lost some weight."
Jer: "Ya, I thought about what you said and I told myself I'm gonna lose 25 pounds."
Me: "So how's it going?"
Jer: "I did it, I'm down 25 pounds and it's all because of you."
Me: Big grin on my face, gave Jer a high five, and went into a meeting.

I hadn't seen Jer in about 2 months so when I bumped into him, I noticed his belly wasn't hanging over his belt and his profile looked svelter. Jer is in his early 60's and we've known each other about 2 years. Jer always asks me about my triathlon and ski races and what my next race is gonna be. I told him about all the different types of people of all shapes and sizes that I see at the races and kinda joked to him that he should do a sprint tri sometime just for fun. He hasn't done any races yet but he's looking better than ever and I hope I see him again soon...at one of the races.

You know it's almost springtime when...

1. Nighttime temperatures stay above freezing and 50 deg. F feels like t-shirt weather.

2. The snow gets too slushy to xc ski.

3. Five-month-old dog poop becomes visible as the snow melts from the yard.

4. The Chinook winds blow across the alpine snowpac.

And finally, the geese return to the river as the current swells and the ice begins to break up.

I do sooooo love the change of seasons in the North country. Except the dog poop part. And it seems that this change of season happens overnight. It's been a few days now with temps in the 40's and 50's and I feel like a caged animal that has been released from capture. I put the splash fenders on my old mountain bike and went for a cruise on the wet and sloppy roads. Like a kid again, I purposely splashed through the puddles and pot holes and sucked in the balmy air to fill my lungs like manna to my soul. The dirty splatter freckles on my face were so cool. I am 10 years old again, pedaling my metallic blue schwinn stingray around the old neighborhood with my pals and kicking up rooster tails of muddy water and slush in each other's faces as we ride like a breakaway pack from the Tour peleton. It's a good day to be alive.
My tri bike is all cleaned and tuned and ready for pave`. I'm twitching like a horse kicking at the stall to get out to the spring pasture.
"hak, turn me loose, I got ta go, I'm doctah feeeel good." James Brown.

"Dolphin-Human" is not just a myth

This question was asked to the Nutrition experts on the Powerbar Feb. Newsletter.

Q: I am a 35–year old Master’s swimmer who swims 20–25 miles 6x per week with five dry sessions. I wish to improve my recovery, especially muscular pain. What do you advise?

I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy!

Whatever this person is eating, I want some. Sushi?

I had to break this down for myself. I average about 3,000 yards for a 1 hour swim session including warm up and cool down. If I attempted to match this super human/dolphin feat, I'd be in the pool about 11-12 hours a day even with one of those 'fast skin' swim suits. I'm pretty sure my general appearance would not be like the cute marine mammal Tursiops truncatus unless during that time in the pool, I went through an evolutionary time warp and grew a dorsal fin, a fluke tail and a single blow hole. My skin would not feel like wet slippery rubber, I'd be "Raisin Man."

I had to check the link to see if this was for real.

http://mail.powerbar.com/Key=44405.C1N.K.l.Lg1vMc