Unbelievable Crash Photo of the Day

It's something nobody likes to talk about, but everybody has at the back of their mind. As the saying goes, there are two types of cyclists: those who have crashed and those who will crash. If you're lucky enough to be in the latter category (as of today!), go knock on wood or rub your bald uncle's head for good luck, or something.

The non-drafting rule of most amateur triathlons eliminates a lot of potential crash situations. So count yourself lucky you chose this sport instead of road racing like these guys:

Is that a flying bike?

Warning: Don't do this at home...or ever!

Birthday Ideas for Your Favorite Tri Geek

Picture this: It's the middle of your favorite trigeek's season. They've been training really hard. And uh oh, tomorrow's their birthday! Your first instinct is to take your trigeek out on the town for a night of birthday revelry. But he/she'll have none of that! "Alcohol! Staying up past 9pm! You surely weren't thinking of me when you made these plans!" the Trigeek screams. So what to do?

Here are 5 ideas to make your trigeek's birthday extra special--and that'll have 'em in bed with the rest of the 6 year-olds in America.

1. Make a nice meal. Yes, nice meals can be done without wine. Something with their favorite protein/carb/fat ratio. That'll show you put some extra special thought into it. Try this Roasted Salmon with Spinach and Figs recipe from Chris Carmichael's cook book. Yummy and perfectly nutritious. And don't skip the birthday cake! It's still fun to blow out the candles, even if your trigeek will be finiky about eating it (tell them you found the recipe in Runner's World or something. Then maybe they'll dig in!)


2. Give them a sensual massage. (You can even say it like Austin Powers.) Or a sports massage, if you're related or something. Ask where they need the most work--you can even ask ahead of time and brush up on some techniques to help with specific problem areas like ITs and hamstrings. And foot massages are always awesome!


3. Give them home-made coupons that'll help get them through their tough training. Like a coupon to take out their trash every Sunday for a month. Or to vacuum their carpet. Or to do their laundry once, or twice. Or clean their kitchen. Or walk their dog. (Just make sure they're something you will actually do!) These little acts of kindness will be a super help to your pooped out triathlete who doesn't have enough hours in the day to take care of things like housecleaning when they get home. Print these coupons out and fill 'em in--easy!


4. Put all of those tri pics you have of them and their friends together in a collage. You can even get pillows made with their pictures on them!Check out this website--you can make a photo pillow case, so they can dream about their past and future accomplishments!


5. Make a CD of all your favorite and some of their favorite psych up songs. Or songs that get them rarin' to go out and train. Pick stuff with a good tempo and strong beat. Hip hop works well for training. U2's Where the Streets Have No Name, and Springsteen's Born To Run are always awesome.

So there you have it. Triathletes tend to be the types who appreciate knowing that people still love them, even though they dedicate so much of their time to training, and act like grandparents when you ask them to go out for a night on the town with you. Gifts from the heart that show you really thought about them are perfect.

And if they've been mentioning some gizmo they just have to have, like a Garmin, or a fancy skinsuit, you can always throw that into the mix if it's in your budget. But never underestimate the power of a card from the heart and a thoughtful gift. Yes, it now sounds like all trigeeks are moms or something, but thoughtfulness is always good! Happy Birthday to your Trigeek!

Hilarious Tri T-Shirts for the Ladies

Maybe it's not enough that you get to flaunt your sexy toned arms at every social function. Maybe you'd like to share exactly how you got those arms...and that fabulous derriere, and have everyone know just what went into making you into the fine specimen that you are. For the racy racing ladies out there, look no further! There are t-shirts made to do just that. Check these out:

Well, are ya?

That's right! And there's probably no "u" either.

And there's nothing wrong with that!

Oooo, no she didn't!

It happens.

It happens, too.

For more funny tri tees, and some pretty offensive ones you DEFINITELY should NOT wear to the office...or in an area where the general public doesn't like to go on long runs of 3+ hours on their Sunday mornings, check out this site. Happy racing!

What to Do On Your Rest Weekend

It's finally here! The weekend you don't have to ride at least 100 miles or run until your brain becomes numb from bouncing around so much! But the thought of all this unstructured free time is giving you the heebegeebees! What to do!?

Here are some suggestions to get you all excited about your weekend of rest and relaxation (while your muscles are all excited to build themselves up and make you stronger):

• spend time with your neglected pets. Take Fatso on a walk. Start him on his tri regimen. Go to the park. Let him meet a little lady. Play fetch. Have fun!

• spend time with your neglected family. Take your spouse / kids for a walk. Go to the park. Set you kids up on a date. Play frisbee. Go rollerblading. Lie on the beach (or, if it's freakin freezing in your neck of the woods, build a snowman!)


• watch the Super Bowl!!! And have some pretzels and chips and beer while you're at it. You deserve it. Paint yourself the colors of your favorite team and gloat when they show the dudes on TV in the stadium who wrote "Go Team" on their stomachs. It looks much better on your 6 pack. Your abs, that is.


• Read a book. A fiction book. A book that is non sports related. A trashy romance novel. A thriller. A political satire. Anything! Exercise your brain!


• Propose to your significant other. Hey, if you've been thinking about it, now's a good time. You'll even have time afterward to, you know, do something with him/her like go to a movie or out to the clubs to celebrate. Because next weekend, and for the next 3 weeks, it's all about you again...


• Sleep. A lot. Like at least 10 hours every night, or if that doesn't fit into your crazy social lifestyle, take a nap. That's right, they're not just for kindergarteners anymore.


• Go see a movie. In an actual theatre. Heck, stay for 2 or three. It's about time you caught up with what's hot in Hollywood and added some more memorable movie quotes to your repertoire. Check out "Smokin' Aces" with the boys or gals, then see "Because I Said So" with your mom.


• Clean your place. Hey, it doesn't sound like fun, but wouldn't it be nice if that perma-sweat mark under your trainer finally disappeared? You're probably not the only one who would appreciate that!


• Check out a local car show and marvel at the fact that these people opted to spend their money putting TVs in the headrests their '85 TransAms when they could've bought a new carbon fiber frame!


• Go shopping! Rules: No spandex. (Unless it helps with the fit of say, a nice sweater...) Nothing you would ever wear to workout, swim, or sweat in intentionally. Buy a new date dress, or a nice spring colored collared shirt. You'll really impress your sig. other if you show up at his/her door in something other than that stained team sweatshirt from your glorious college XC days.


• Volunteer at a soup kitchen. You'll be doing something sweet for other people for once, and probably walk away with a free meal yourself. Good karma and free food. Not a bad deal.


• Go to church. If you're religious, chances are you've become a solo practitioner. Heck, you've gotta be on your bike by 7am Sunday morning every other weekend! God will be with you as you ride. Besides, you pray to Him all the time during your ride that you won't get hit by a catering truck. He'd probably appreciate it if you'd visit Him once in a while and say thank you for not letting you become road kill after all those years and all those miles.

Just remember: Relax and have fun! It's only 2 days, then back to the beat-yourself-up, no-time-for-you, it's-all-about-me building phase again. So go party like a rockstar! Even if it means falling asleep by 8pm and dreaming about partying like a rockstar...

Sick Sucks--When to Train Through or Take it Easy

Being sick sucks. Chances are, if you've got a big race coming up, you won't let sickness stand in your way of your scheduled work-outs. But when is working out just wearing you down, and when is it still going to be beneficial?

Here are a few completely non medical guidelines to help you decide if your 4:30am ride in the rain is going to kill you or make you stronger:

Symptoms you could train through and still benefit from the workout:

• a runny nose (perfect for snot rocket practice)


• a small cough (small like when Derek Zoolander claimed he might be getting the "black lung" and coughed like a baby)


• feeling a little tired (don't you always from training so hard?)

Symptoms telling you to cut it out and rest!

• your throat is swollen to the size of a grapefruit


• walking to the bathroom makes you tired


• you have a fever


• your lungs hurt


• you're achy all over...and it's not because you lifted yesterday

So there you have it. If you're sick, your body is trying to tell you something. Like BACK OFF. So leave those intense interval sessions for another day. If you still feel good enough to move, do something easy. Like spin easy for an hour.

It'd be much worse to work out hard now feeling poopy and miss key workouts in the future than to take a few days off and return healthy, fresh, and invigorated.

And for gosh sakes, if you've been sick for ever, go to the doctor! And make sure to finish your antibiotics. You don't want some super strain of grapefruit-throat inducing virus to hit you harder later!

For further reading with the advice of real doctors, check out this article from CNN.