Seven for Seven and Saying No to Sponsorship

Well, as much as I like to think I am invincible, I was unable to stave off the stomach flu. It started with Luca and worked its way through the family. A perfect seven for seven. I thought I was good. I woke up yesterday morning, got to the gym and did 2200 yards in the pool. The night before, Luca accompanied me on a 10K loop. When I got home from the pool yesterday, I sat at the piano and was writing some music when all of a sudden I started feeling terrible. I will spare you the details, but the whole ordeal lasted about 12 hours. I went to bed at 7:30 p.m. last night and slept 12 hours. Wow!  I have not done that since the fourth grade. Even today, I was a bit tired and had to lie down for a couple of hours. No training today. As I laid in bed rehydrating with some Gatorade, a terrifying thought came over me:

What if I get this sick right before the Ironman?  An acquaintance of mine was on his flight over to Ironman World Championships in Kona when he came down with the stomach flu. He said he had to walk the first nine miles of the marathon. Of course, I will just be thankful if I could walk at all after that bike. What if I trained all summer, ran a bunch of half, sprint, and olympic distance events leading up to Ironman, and at the last minute I fell really ill? I mean, it could happen, right? Better not to think about it perhaps.


Saying No to Sponsorship:


A few days ago I was contacted by a marketing firm who does work for a sleuth of different companies. I applied for sponsorship with one brand that I could have endorsed whole-heartedly, but they asked me if I might be interested in considering sponsorship with another one of their clients, because I fit their demographic and I lived too far out of the main market area to be considered for the sponsorship I was after. The sponsorship they offered would have been with a large domestic beer company. I was flattered that they they said they liked my sponsorship letter, but after giving it some time, I just decided I could not do it. Here's the skinny:

If I receive sponsorship from a product, I have to believe in the product. It is not like I do not imbibe from time to time in the occasional beer, quite the contrary. When I do, I prefer hand-crafted beers, rather than your grandaddy's pilsner, regardless of how many carbs they have, or the alcohol content. The truth is, I can drink a beer. Two, and I am ready for bed. More, I just think the whole idea of triathlon and beer seems a bit, I don't know, incongruous. Yes, triathletes drink beer and wine (and I have met a few that could put Norm to shame,) but I cannot personally drink more than one when I have a heavy volume of training to do the next morning. It makes me feel sluggish. Maybe it is psychosomatic. I also think it might send the wrong message to my children. I can just hear my children at school "My daddy is sponsored by BEER!" Wonderful.

Beers I drink: Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Sierra Nevada Kellerweis, Lion's Stout, Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout

H2Owesomeness

I waited all week in anticipation of my H2O Audio Interval 3G Waterproof Headphone System for my fourth generation iPod Shuffle. I do not want to say I was overly anxious—I mean what—just because I copied the FedEx tracking number and would check its whereabouts at least three times a day. Not to mention the 20 minute trip I made to the local FedEx ground center to see if I could pick it up directly form the warehouse before it got on board the truck to be delivered.

In short, the wait was well worth it. This is one of the coolest pieces of gear that I own. Will it make me as fast as Michael Phelps? No. Will it make me faster? Sure. Look, as a composer, I understand the Doctrine of the Musical Affections and the physiological, psychological and kinesthetic relationship that music has to our psyche and bodies. The Doctrine of the Affections stems from the Baroque era. Composers and theorists believed that certain musical parameters: key area, tempi, consonance and dissonance, and dynamics would elicit a particular involuntary response from the listener. For instance, a quick tempo in a major key would elicit joy, a descending chromatic line would elicit grief. There was no way to measure this this c.1600-1750, nor is there really any concrete way to measure it now. However scientists do study brain activity and measure the performance of athletes who are subjected to different types of musical stimuli. Think about it: are you more likely to be given a shot of adrenaline for that last 200 yard surge by listening to Burt Bacharach singing "What the World Needs Now," or the The Who's "Baba O'Reily?" I will not judge you. Whatever moves you. For me, I love the fact that I can listen to music and let my form happen, instead of being overly conscious of it all the time, not to mention bored to tears watching the bottom of the pool for an hour or more. More, those tunes stimulate those affections and get me energized just a tad more.

The information that came with my H2O Audio Interval—instructions for use and care of the product—were some of the most clear and thorough I have ever seen with any product. I remember getting my cycling computer and thinking I needed a secret decoder ring to decipher the hieroglyphics on that sheet of instructions. Not to mention, I needed a magnifying glass to even read it. The H2O Audio instructions were clear, concise and laid out in an organized manner. The directions ask that you submerge the unit in water for thirty minutes prior to the initial use (without the iPod inside) to test the watertight seal. The verdict: As watertight as a naval submersible vessel. The big test came around 7:30 last night when I brought my Interval to the pool. I have to admit, I have been rather slow on the take the last couple of days and it took me a while to figure out the best configuration for me, but it is really quite simple. I put the top band of my goggles through appropriate slots and slid them on. Then, I looked at my swim cap on the pool floor and decided that it should probably go on before I put the Interval on. This way, I can place my swim cap over the ear buds to help keep them in place, which the instructions suggests. I placed my iPod inside and within minutes, I was doing laps while rocking out to The Flaming Lips, Led Zeppelin, St. Vincent and Prince. I did not measure the exact specifications, but I would estimate the whole unit is approximately three inches long and weighs... I don't know... next to nothing. I did not feel uncomfortable with it on as I was swimming. H2O Audio designed the back of the Interval curved to fit the contour of you head. Honestly, I would have forgotten it was even on if it were not for the earplugs and the music. When I finished my workout, I dried off the Interval and opened up the water tight seal. Sure enough, not a drop of H2O! I had a short workout last night. Luca came to the pool with me, and of course, he also needed to put his stamp of approval on the Interval. He says it is "So cool," and "I should use it when I train for my triathlons."

Okay, you might disagree with my playlist, but if you are spending countless hours in that pool and you would love some company—check H2O Audio and all of their cool gear. The Interval goes for a cool $99 and comes with a reassuring 2-year warranty if you register with H2O online. It fits conveniently into a stocking—nudge nudge,wink wink—for all of your swimmers.

Thanks again H2O Audio for the wonderful sponsorship opportunity. I hope I am able to spread the word about this great product for triathletes and swimmers.

H2O

When I started swimming two years ago—I mean really swimming—I never thought that I would enjoy it as much as I do now. I look forward to getting in the pool and training. The great thing about my swim workouts is that every time I train in the pool, I feel like I am still making significant gains with my form, rhythm and breathing. I even spent about 10 minutes working on my flip turns last night... and they are actually improving! Now my swim workouts will be so much more enjoyable thanks to the very generous sponsorship that I received from H2O Audio. Swimming 3000+ yards and spending over an hour and a half in the pool in preparation for an Ironman will be a little easier knowing I can rock out to my favorite inspiring tunes while I am doing it. I will be posting a review of their Interval 3G waterproof system for the iPod shuffle shortly after I receive it sometime next week. Thanks again H2O Audio, I am looking forward to a great season using your gear!