Racing Tip: Pill Pouches

Here's a little tip I picked up over the years.  When doing triathlons (or even some long runs) I like to carry stomach meds, Advil and salt tablets.  I use to carry them in a plastic container but they would bounce around, make noise and it was a pain to open (especially on the bike portion of the race).  After many years I found a much better solution, pill pouches.

Pill pouches (surprisingly enough) were made to carry pills but they can be used for a ton of things.  They are small (about 2in x 2in), lightweight, water resistant and really easy to open and close.  They are also really cheap.  You can get them at Walgreens, CVS, etc for $2.99 for a package of 50.

During my Half-Ironmans I carry one pouch on the bike and one in my running belt.  They are really easy to open on the bike and run.  They are also are also water resistant so my pills do got get wet with sweat or when I pour water on myself on the hot runs.  I usually carry a few extra meds for follow athletes who usually do not think of carrying stomach meds, Advil and salt tablets.  Many fellow athletes have thanked me over the years for saving them by carrying extra meds.

These little pill pouches have saved me many times over the years.  They are an essential piece of equipment in my tri-bag.  Try them out sometime and you will see their many benefits.

Small, sealable, water resistant and easy to open.

Typical contents of my pouches in a triathlon

Orlando Solar Bears Hockey

!!Its a great time for hockey in Orlando, FL!!
(IMAGE SOURCE)

My new addiction during the off season.  Bonnie and I have been going to the Orlando Solar Bears Hockey games.  The Bears are part of the ECHL minors.  The tickets are cheap and the games are a blast.  There are normally around 7,000 - 8,000 screaming Solar Bears fans in attendance at each game.

Yesterday they got shutout 3-0 but the game was still fun.  Bonnie and I were about 6 rows behind the bench so we were really close to the action. 

What was really cool was after the game the entire team stayed for an autograph session.  Earlier in the day I bought myself a Solar Bears hockey sweater (jersey) as an early birthday present.  I also bought Bonnie a Solar Bears baseball cap.  We were able to get both signed by nearly everyone on the team.

I wonder if I could fit this TV in my living room?

 

No fight.

STILL no fight.

Darn it fight already!!

It's not hockey without a fight!

 

In the box after the fight.
Now he feels SHAME!

 

We were really close to the bench last night.

The players standing for the power play.

Bonnie and I enjoying the game

The Solar Bears mascot...
(and a hot dancer)

Tanski and others for the autograph session.

Bonnie's thinks he looks like Brad Pitt
For some reason she took several photos of this
one player.  I wonder why??

More signings

 

Bonnie getting her hat signed.

We got to go down into the entrance tunnel
and be at ice level entrance.

My early birthday present

The signed back

Nearly the whole team

Bonnie got her hat signed

Bonnie posing with the
cool Orlando Magic, Mickey Mouse

Homemade Goggles and Glasses Defogger

Mr Half TRIing's Wonder Defogger
(trademark pending)

For the life of me I could not get my goggles so stop fogging up while swimming in the pool.  I had the same problem some mornings with my cycling glasses.  Saliva sometimes worked for my swim goggles but not always (and not very well).  I don't think saliva would work very well for cycling either.  I would get some strange looks from fellow cyclist if I spit onto my glasses.

So I decided to MacGyver a solution.  Here is my solution: baby shampoo, water and a spray bottle and it works like a champ.  Get a travels size container of baby shampoo (or larger if you have a baby).  While at WallyWart also get a small travel spray bottle. Add about 2-3 drops of baby shampoo into the spray bottle (it does not take much shampoo to be effective).  Fill the rest of the spray bottle up with water.  Shake well (the spray bottle silly, not you).  Dish soap also works but baby shampoo is a little more gentle on the eyes.

Before each swim spray the inside and outside of your goggles.  Rub the lenses gently with your finger. Then dunk the goggles under the water once or twice.  Finally swim in pure, clear ecstasy.

For cycling glasses, spray both sides of the lenses.  Then let dry.  When dry, gently buff the lenses with a soft cloth.  Then ride like Lance (minus the doping agents).

Ordinary baby shampoo

Ocala Half Marathon 2013 Review

Ocala Half Marathon 2013




Nice Race Numbers

* 2012 Ocala Half Marathon Race Review
* 2011 Ocala Half Marathon Race Review
* 2010 Ocala Half Marathon Race Review

Another year and another Ocala Half Marathon.  Ocala was first half marathon race I ever did.  That was back in 2010.  My race time was 2:33:23 and I had no knees left at the end of the race.  Two years later I would PR at this race with a 1:52:44 and felt great.  This year I completed the race in 1:55:17 and won 3rd place in my age group and there were 10 males in my age group!!

The race this year was warmer than normal.  Temperatures were in the 60s which is MUCH warmer than many other years.  It was prefect racing weather.

I always love this race.  It's small, homely and the horse countryside is really pretty (see the 2010 review for photos of the countryside).  The hills are always a pain.




The swag this year was really BAD this year. 
Only a shirt, laundry detergent sample and two Nuun samples



My pre-race meal: Mushy peas, mash potatoes with onion gravy,
two 8oz pork chops covered in a cranberry port sauce and a beer.
!!AWESOME meal!!



Mr Half TRIing after the race.

Awards table.
I love the horse awards. I want one bad.



Clifford the Big Red Dog is
not as big as I remember him.



Dude I actually won 3rd place in my age group.
There was ten males in my age group.
(I'm on the right)



My 3rd place plaque



My 3rd place horse ribbon

The Bling

Volunteering at Disney Marathon

Volunteering at Disney Marathon (Goofy Medals)

My volunteer pass

Bonnie and I volunteering 

This weekend the family volunteered at the Disney Half and Full Marathon. 

On Saturday, Triston and Bonnie volunteered for the SWAG tent where all the people who could not finished the race had to go before leaving.  She said there were buses full of people who had to be picked up from the race and not complete it.  These people could not finish for various reasons (lack of training, injury, time cut off, heat exhaustion, sickness etc).  Bonnie was worried this would be a sad place to volunteer but she had fun and many of the runners where in good sprites after the initial shock wore off. 

LOTS and LOTS of Goofy medals

On Sunday, Bonnie and I volunteered to hand out the Goofy medals at the end of the race.  There were 10,000 Goofy runners.  There were also about hundred "Perfect Goofys" (people who have done the Goofy race all 20 years) and about a hundred who have done the marathon for 10 or 20 years.   

The famous Half-Fanatic Dave M.

I knew several bloggers and friends who were doing Goofy so I was excited to see and meet them.  Bonnie and I saw her old coach and many running friends.  I also got to meet and give my blogging friend Silly Girl Running her Goofy medal.  She was surprise when I called out her name and gave her her medal.  She could not believe I found her in the crowd and said hello.  Silly Girl lives "across the pond" and I thought I would never get to meet her.

Silly Girl Running and Mr Half TRIing

Volunteering for Disney was fun but I don't know if I would ever do it again.  They do give you a free Disney ticket for volunteering a full shift but I am not sure it is worth it.  We started our eight hour shift around 5:30 am.  When we arrived they gave us a brown bag that contained nuts, cookies, a granola bar and chips.  That was supposed to be our meal from 5am till 3pm.  I hate to say it but at the end of the race it looked like the runners got even worse.  We even had to remind our Disney "volunteer team lead" that we had no water in the FL heat.  She acted surprised told us to go and get it.  Then act check out they ran out of tickets and wanted up so stand out in the FL heat for another 45 minutes instead of standing in the tent. I refused and stayed in the tent.

Our friend Trung
with Try With Sway.

One thing I did learn this weekend is that everyone gets a medal at the Disney race.  If you did not complete the 13.1 or the 26.2 you still got the medal.  If you did not completed the Goofy the staff told me they get an "I tried Goofy medal" (which I would love to see because I have never seen one).

The easiest way to get a Goofy medal

Look what I "won"

Anyone want a Goofy

Apparently, she ran the Goofy about
50 times that day.

My best Mr T impression.
Those were heavy.

A crazy Marathon Manic tattoo.

El Chapulín Colorado LOL
(see here for details or search YouTube)

 

2012 Year End Review

2012 Year End Review

Past Year End Reviews
2011 Year End Review
2010 Year End Review

About this time every year I like to look back on what I have accomplished athletically because it is so easy for me to forget. 

At the beginning of 2009 I could not run to the car (nor would I have wanted to).  I hated running.  I thought a 10 mile bike ride was REALLY long.  Swimming over a mile was only for escaping Alcatraz prisoners (and impossible).  I was never been an athletically gifted person.  It is amazing at what I have done in a few short years. 

In 3.5 past years I have completed:

• 18  Half marathons
• 8    Half Ironmans
• 103 Laps a Lucky's Lake Open Water Swim (103 km)
• 1    Century Cycling Race
• 2    Metric Century Cycling Races
• 1    Ultra marathon (30 miles)
• 1    30K run (15 miles)
• 4    Olympic Triathlons
• 10  5K, 10K, 15K runs (217 miles total)
• 1    Sprint Triathlons
• Lost 37 lbs - Burned 129,500 calories (647.5 Krispy Kreme Glazed Donuts)
• Blog had a world record number of spelling errors and grammar issues.

If my math is right that means in 3.5 years of ONLY races (not including training) I have done the following:

• 77.8 Miles Swimming
• 823.6 Miles Cycling
• 630.5 Miles Running

That is a 1531.85 mile triathlon in races.  That's half the distance across the United States (from Maine to California).  I now am going to call myself a Half Amerithoner. :-) 

This year I completed:

• 4 Half Ironmans
• 4 Half Marathons
• Ran an average of 20 miles every week
• Swam an average of 90 minutes a week
• Biked an average of 60 miles a week 
• I now weigh the same as when I left high school in mid 1990's!! 

Merry Christmas

Chewie and I are enjoying a Christmas walk at the park. Hope everyone is having a happy and safe holiday.

Kevin
Half TRIing