Madtown no. 13 best place to live for a triathlete

Triathlete magazine picked Madison, Wisconsin as the 13th best place for a triathlete to live. Here's what the magazine's editors had to say:

"No. 13: Madison, Wis.

Population: 228,775

Median Home Price: $218,000

Why it’s on our list: Wisconsin’s capital city may have truly horrible winters, but the “cheeseheads” make up for it by packing more into summer than just about anyone else. “Mad-town” is a big city and a college town at the same time, which creates a fine balance of work and play. The city is built on an isthmus between two expansive lakes, which means there’s always a place to swim. Madison also has some of the most challenging yet quiet roads in the Midwest just a few miles west of town.

Live here if: You’re looking for Berkeley,Calif., mixed with Chicago.

Don’t live here if: You hate being pestered to sign some progressive group’s petition while you shop for groceries.

See the rest of the list here.

Tough but good week

For the first time in a long time I worked out each day this week. My foot is feeling better and I finally got over my cold/bronchitis. I worked out 45 minutes on an eliptical on Monday, swam on Tuesday and Thursday, biked on Wednesday and ran this morning. Each day was hard, but after taking most of the last two weeks off I could tell that I missed the work.

I gained a few pounds, too. While I'm down to 258, I was down to 255 until the layoff.

This week I'm travelling Monday and Tuesday, which always makes it hard to work out and eat healthy. But most hotels now have a good fitness area, so I'll see what I can do to at least move forward on stamina.

Onward and upward -

An inspirational story

I ran across this story tonight about a gentleman in Texas that just completed his first triathlon. Last summer he weighed 470 pounds - this summer he competed in a triathlon at 220. Awesome.

One thing that he said that I think is very powerful - his goal with his first triathlon was to complete,  not compete. And he enjoyed the journey, even through a significant setback. My goal with my first triathlon is to do the same thing - enjoy the journey. It will be so hard to get there, I don't want it to fly by so fast that I don't enjoy the journey. After I get the first one done, then I can worry about competing.

Onward and upward!

Wisconsin Pride!

Awesome picture of my buddy Lance Fox from Everest this spring. Go Bucky! Go Pack!

Taking a break

This week I've only worked out one day, biking my normal seven mile ride. My cold turned into bronchitis, and I decided that it would be best to get some rest. My son was sick all week, and my daughter actually stayed home a day from school. Now my wife says she's not feeling well.

Must be the change of seasons.

I'm actually looking forward to getting out and working out again on Monday. Until then, rest, rest and rest.

Avoiding the common cold

I've had a cold all week and was only able to work out on Monday and Tuesday. I'm feeling better and looking forward to starting to work out again on Monday.

Here's a great article about how to avoid a cold.

Another great cold remedy is what my parents called a Hot One - here's the recipe:

Cup of hot water
Shot of whiskey
Teaspoon of sugar

Enjoy!

Like climbing mountains

One of my good friends is Dr. Lance Fox. Lance is a veterinarian that works for Alpharma Animal Health, and last spring he summitted Mt. Everest. He did this despite having only started climbing three years ago. He did it to honor his Dad, spreading his ashes at the top of the World. He set a goal, identified his dream, then worked hard to make it happen. It's not like he had a simple dream - he decided to climb Mt. freakin' Everest. Course it's not like he's done a triathlong - but he's an inspiration to me.

He's a little crazy - like taking a cheesehead to the top of the mountain. And he dewormed yaks on the way up.

Here's one of his quotes:

"Dream Big, Pursue Your Passion, Smile Often and Laugh A Lot. Life Is Short So Live It To The Fullest!" - Lance Fox, 2009

Here's a video about a program Lance is working on to take this positive message out to kids.

Triathlon nutrition

Sorry I haven't blogged for a week - I've been at a trade show.

Came across this good video from Livestrong about nutrition for triathletes.