After 24 Hours of racing I wouldn’t even talk to people because I would be so drained or almost dead. However, the coolest mountain biker I have ever met, Tinker Juarez, took the time this past weekend to say hello. The most astonishing part to Tinker saying hello, was not just his politeness after racing for 24 hours, but he stopped an interview to look up and wave as I asked to take the picture of the race winner and then he thanked me for stopping by his teams pit area to get the picture.

Tinker Juarez is the greatest! He proved it this weekend as he became the 24 Hours of Adrenalin World Champion.

Look for more on the 24 Hours of Adrenalin Worlds soon on the event coverage page!

-DSheek
Great Event

Dean Karnazes is unreal.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

My next purchase for Master Swim…

Andy B
outsideallday.com

Today, Labor Day 2007, Julie and I ran in the Rancho Santa Margarita 5k. This next statement will peg me as a true old man dad. It was fun to be involved with a community event. Over 1,300 people raced and thousands more were out checking out the booths, eating pancakes and getting sunburned. Julie and I even had our dogs with us as we walked around the booths pushing Carter in the stroller. We are the oldest young couple ever!

Julie ran the race in 22:53, putting her 97th overall and 3rd in her age group of 25 – 29. I ran the race is 22:36, putting me 90th overall and 3rd in my age group of 25 – 29.

What the heck, 2 Brazel’s going big on one day?! We were both totally shocked…

Labor Day Weekend 2007 was a much needed low maintenance weekend,

Andy B
outsideallday.com

A good intereview with John Spurgeon by the people at Competitor Magazine. John Spurgeon is the first man to complete the RAAM ride on a single speed.

To read the article click here.

Enjoy,

Andy B
outsideallday.com

I was flipping through the August 2007 issue of Competitor Magazine and noticed an ad for the Gore-Tex Transrockies Run happening September 16 – 21, 2007. This race takes you from Beaver Creek to Aspen, CO. It covers 125 miles broken down by 6 stages. As I played around on the site I discovered that 3 of the stages are 26.2 + mile days. The real kicker is that the entire event happens at 7,000 – 9,000 feet…what?!

My current physical conditioning is average and my mind hurts thinking about the type of shape you would have to be in to complete an event like this. But, if you ever had the gonads to go for it, the reward upon completion would be like nothing else. Spending 6 days in the rockies racing across some of the most beautiful parts of our country is simply unforgetable.

I realize that I am several years away from something like this but it is kind of fun to dream.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

If you are considering a pass to your local ski resort now is the time to think about picking it up. Historically, passes go on sale in the summer and go off sale by October 1. Many resorts actually offer a limited number of sale passes so the sooner you get it the better.

Mt High is offering their pre-season sale right now.

Please let it get cold soon!

Andy B
outsideallday.com

August has been a hot month in Southern Orange County. The temperatures mid-day range from 88 to 102 degrees consistently. For those of us that want to keep our workout schedules intact but don’t want to suffer from the deadly rage of the sun kissing our heads below are a few techniques I have been using to keep me on track.

1. Drink water all day long and avoid soda - I find myself hydrating all day at the office in order to prepare for my after work, workouts. If you start drinking water 1 hour before your workout time, you are probably waiting too long.

2. Change up your workout times - Often it is 20 degrees cooler in the morning. By waking up 1 hour earlier you can beat the heat and give yourself a charge for the rest of the day. Getting up at 5:30 am for Master Swim is brutal but I feel incredible for the rest of the day. The double that I add to my mocha helps a little also.

3. Drink something different than water during your workouts - I never ride or run with just water anymore. An advanced sports drink is highly recommend. Motor Tabs is probably the best product on the market. I use this product daily and have found it to provide my body with exactly what I need.

4. Take it easy and listen to your body - If you must ride or run during peak heat times of the day, pull back a little on your intensity and listen to what your body is telling you. When I left for my ride this morning at 8:30 am it was already 90 degrees outside. My original plan was to do double the distance I had planned but opted out because of the heat. It wasn’t worth it to push it today.

5. Get in the pool - Swimming is the most challenging sport that I have ever done. Change up one of your work out’s this week with 20 minutes in the pool. Don’t worry about distance your first few times in the pool, focus on your form.

6. Drink every 15 minutes – I have heard all different opinions on this. From my experience taking a sip of your favorite sports beverage during your workout every 15 minutes is a really good thing to keep yourself going.

Personally, I can’t wait until the summer is over. I want to wear my new Patagonia wind breakers!

Andy B
outsideallday.com

This week was an exceptional for me in regards to training. I needed a week like this to increase my confidence and to continue to get my weight down. To date, I am at 186 pounds and by my next race I want to be at 184 pounds. My next race is the Scott Tinley in San Luis Obispo on September 30. It’s an off road course that breaks down like this: .5 mile lake swim, 19 mile MTB ride and a 6 mile trail run. These distances alone don’t scare me but put together they are intimidating.

Saturday - 45 mile road ride to Oceanside from RSM.
Sunday – 6 mile trail run in O’Neil Park.
Monday - 7 mile MTB ride at O’Neil Park.
Tuesday - Day off.
Wednesday - Master swim for 1 hour and an 8 mile MTB ride at Whiting Ranch.
Thursday - 8 mile MTB ride at Whiting Ranch.
Friday - Master swim for 1 hour and a 15 mile road ride in Irvine.
Saturday - 8 mile MTB ride at the Luge.
Sunday - Pre-run of the RSM 5k race course with Julie and Carter.

My goal is to keep up this schedule through the end of September and to now increase my intensity per workout. For the next 30 days my focus is my speed on the mountain bike.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

Pictures from this week:

This article was just posted over at the onion. It’s a good fun read.

Non-Doping Cyclists Finish Tour De France

PARIS—A small but enthusiastic crowd of several dozen was on hand at the Tour de France’s finish line on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées Tuesday to applaud the efforts of the 28 cyclists who completed the grueling 20-stage, 2,208.3-mile…

In 2006 and 2007 I watched every stage of the Tour De France. As a fan of cycling, I don’t know how many more heart breaks I can take before I change my perspective on the sport. One of the major falls outs from this year’s Tour is that team Discovery is breaking up due to lack of sponsorship dollars. It makes me sad that the willing team 2 years in a row will not be represented the following year. I know that Contador will be back but now riding for a different team, so will Leipheimer. As a fan, it makes it difficult to stay loyal with a sport that has so much turn over due to dirty athletes.

Andy B
outsideallday.com