Travel Bombs

First introduced to this recipe by my Sister, as she is always looking out for my calorie intake, I have begun to consistently travel to races with 'Travel Bombs'

I'll often find myself in a jam on the plane these days as free food is non-existent and sometimes the 1hr drive from the airport to the hotel can be agony. This is where having a couple of these in my carry-on can be the difference between feeling good and having my stomach digest itself.

I just made a batch of these 10mins ago. The recipe is from the White Water Cooks - at home Book with an adjusted title.

1 C Sunflower seeds
1C Sesame seeds
1C Rolled Oats
1C Choc Chips
1C Raisins
1C Dried Cranberries
1/2C Cocoa
1/4C Cinnamon
2C Peanut Butter
1/2C Honey
1C Coconut toasted

Makes 26 golf ball size

Simply put everything in a big bowl, mix, roll into small bombs and roll in coconut.

I was interested to see how many calories get packed into one of these guys, so I went onto FitDay.

Per Ball:

300 Cals as: Fat (51%) Carbs (40%) Protein (9%) % by calories

18g Fat, 33g Carbo, 8g Protein

At a avg. Volume of 4.19 cubic inches these boys pack 72 cals per cubic inch.


Bomb Silo


When baggage security asks you what the hell is that? Tell em they're the BOMB!

Tartan Tripping

On Wednesday I'll hop aboard an Air Transat flight from Vancouver and, permitted we can find some holes in the Icelandic VOG, travel over to Glasgow, Scotland to race in the Strathclyde ITU European Cup May 23rd.

Long way to go for race you say, so why would I? Something new, something exciting, challenging course, challenging field, cheaper than Ixtapa (believe it or not), and an overall good excuse to visit my land of birth.

The winter in Scotland has been harsh. As a result the water temperatures are quite frigid and the swim may be shortened to accommodate, we will see. Yesterday a few of us hoped into Thetis lake with Phil and Jasper following in the kayak, warmer than usual for this time of year.

Our training has been ticking along with a good four week block that Phil has challenged us with. The progression seen in similar workouts, has been encouraging.

After the race i'll have two days to do some lighter training all the while checking out Glasgow and the Ayrshire Coast.

I haven't been as excited for a race like this in a while. Off WE GO!!



Studying up on my Glaswegian (have to watch it on youtube)



Song to travel with

The Generations

Nothing beats trying out a new pair of shoes for the first time. And when those first steps in the shoes are at 3'/k pace it feels even better....

At todays brick I got to have a rip in some fresh Saucony Type A4's. This is the new race flat for 2010 from Saucony. I have raced in three generations of their Flat (A2,A3,A4) and have seen the shoe progress to what it is now.

The A4 has some improvements that i found add to its overall performance. The heel cup has two added pads that fit nicely on either side of the achilles making for a great fit. The heel cushioning is thinner, this i like as I feel it promotes a better mid-strike. The grip on the shoe is the best array i've seen on a flat on the mid to fore foot. Add a bunch of drainage holes (so important for hot and sock-less triathlon) throughout the sole and you have a nice all round package for a flat.

GET SOME!

Been a believer for 3 generations A2,A4,A3

Public Swimming

Spurred on by past experiences and a recent post by Andrew Hall i thought i'd write a little bit about public swimming.

Swimming with an organized group with swimmers your level, with a coach on deck is the perfect world. Everything flows well, no hold ups and we can get through a workout quite efficiency. However some may feel this is perhaps a little too much like a laboratory setting. World Champ Alistair Brownlee swims a lot of time in public lanes, sighting it is more 'real world' like. I believe he has a point to some extent.

Organized lane space undoubtedly has its purpose and without it you just simply cannot do the key tough sessions effectively. However, when you have that rolling/recovery swim on your schedule perhaps it is better to go during public times. Choose the time when most people will be out too, like lunch hour. This is perfect as everyone is in to get a workout in 30-45mins.

Here are some advantages i've found with public swimming:

- Develops sighting skills

- Acquire coping strategies to contact

- Forced rhythm changes/surges when passing

- Decision making skills enhanced

Swimming rage however can sometimes enter the picture in public lanes. According to this article it is a growing concern. I really like the identification of the different water species, pretty accurate! As bystanders it must really give lifeguards some amusement and material for conversation pieces.