Nuclear Swim 2010 in the books

The final swim of the Triangle Open Water Series is in the books, and all went well.  We had a bunch of volunteers and lifeguards out to make sure everyone was safe.  The course went further into the lake so we avoided most of the weeds that hang near the shallow spots of the lake.  217 finishers.

The men's and women's overall finishes were head to head battles and you can see those videos on the series Facebook page. 

After the swim was all said and done, The Angels (my wife and her friends) and I went for a 50 mile bike ride.  The bike ride was great, it was a nice day, and I felt good.  I  convinced Bri to do a 20 minute run with me through the trails of Harris Lake County Park after.  Please note this trail system is much more extensive than you initially realize.  We wound up running for more than 40 minutes.  Bri kept her cool and did not bash me over the head with a log, though I could see her thinking about it. 

We had a lot of fun with the swim series.  Now we get to focus on two more triathlons - Patriots Half or sprint (for Bri), and USAT Nationals.  I am back into good shape, have shed most of my beer belly, and am looking forward to racing well.  

Triangle Swim Series Awards

In case you need additional motivation to get out and brave the cold waters of Falls Lake this weekend, here is what the age group awards look like.



I had to make sure they work as planned.

The temperature is skyrocketing due to our heat wave, so the water temps will probably be in the mid to high 60s, which is pretty comfy with or without a wetsuit. Hope to see you there!

skipping races guilt-free

I opted not to run the Raleigh Rocks half-marathon this morning, primarily because the weather predicted a nice day today and rainy tomorrow (so riding will be nice today and lousy tomorrow), but also because I didn't give a hoot. My motivation and fitness are fine, I decided a long time ago that if I didn't want to do something regarding racing & training, I wouldn't. Instead of racing today, we'll ride close to three hours and then run 10 miles or so easy tomorrow. I feel no guilt, anxiety, etc. Nothing except the urge to tell you, gentle reader, if you feel like skipping an event, do it and don't feel bad about it.

In other news, the Triangle OW Mile Swim Series has picked up a couple of sponsors - Trysports signed on as the title sponsor, and Cabinet Connection of NC has signed on as the presenting sponsor for the Nuclear Swim at Harris Lake. The first race is coming soon - 5280 Swim at Falls Lake on April 10 - so check it out if you want some early season open water racing.

Poker night

Poker last night didn't go well. I lost my almost my entire investment. Am 80% loss. Fortunately we play for relatively small stakes. Went into a big bet with a 10-A straight, but got beat by not one, but 2 full houses. Ouch. Then I hit an Ace high flush on the river and didn't think my opponent had any of the 4-4-6-6 on the board. I was wrong about that one as well. (Full house beats a flush). Held onto a small stack for the rest of the game so I wouldn't have to go home early. Bah.

In stock market news, weep. Just kidding. I am enjoying FAS (3x financial bull) in particular at the moment. It is basically hovering at all time lows then bouncing up 10-20%. I am in and out a couple times already. You might also want to look at ERX (3x energy), which hits 32 or less every couple weeks then shoots to 37+.

I found a free template and was able to spruce up the Triangle Open Water Mile Swim Series website quite a bit. You should visit the site and sign up for all of the races. Yessss, sign up you willl.