For starters, and the reader’s benefit, write a short paragraph about yourself:

I’m evading reality but painting a canvas with all the colour I can find. There’s a definite lack of technique, more just splashing lines and blobs of colour and allowing them to take on a story of their own. I was inspired, you see, by this blog’s animate owner. So the canvas is life, and the paint is sport, specifically triathlon, mixed with travel, odd characters, brilliant brands and the dream that perhaps, at the end, the canvas will look like a master piece (which it doesnt right now). I’m 24, feel somewhere between 15 and 40, depending on the time of day and how hungry I am. I base in Stellenbosch South Africa, and Truckee in California when over to the USA.

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In search for the holy grail of sports performance, Irish National Team ITU member, Gavin Noble (Dublin Triathlon Champion this past weekend) cranks out the Watts in the lab. This kind of lab testing will give Gav and his coach all kinds of numbers they can play with in training. Tests will be repeated often, charts plotted and if all goes well, high fives given.

These delicious little numbers makes the guy in the sweater with the clip board’s toes curl. Race times can be projected, tactics formulated and athletes can be compared to each other even before the starters’ gun bangs.

Read more about Gavin and Aleksandar and my swim sets on Igor’s blog.

Our other TriathlonTeam.org team mate, Will Clarke (British ITU Triathlon member and National Champion) really winds it up on the track. Looks like fellow GB Team mate and Chicago Tri winner, Stuart Hayes hanging on for dear life.

Bigger than you can imagine group track sessions typically forms the mainstay of their training. (they train up to 40hrs a week) These are blood and guts sessions. Coaches needs to be impressed, fellow athletes intimidated, but most of all, the times they do around the carefully measured 400m serves as building blocks of confidence and self belief to be drawn upon at the next race.

Enter The Caveman.

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My own customization for the muddy ski slopes at XTERRA Vermont

From Triathlon Product Reviews

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Avia Avi Stoltz Xterra Racing Shoe

After the traction disaster that my wife and I both suffered during the Granite Bay Duathlon, we went looking for a shoe with better traction that qualified as a racer. We both have significantly different needs. I sometimes qualify as a Clydesdale as I hover around 200 lbs, but I’m a pretty neutral runner. I usually race in a light weight trainer (like the Brooks Ghost for example) with the green superfeet insole for just a little support. My wife Tatjana weighs about 115 lbs and is one of the fastest 40+ runners in our area. She pronates moderately, but since she is so small, she doesn’t need a lot of support. She usually races in a racing shoe that has some support built in and orthotics or the same green superfeet insoles.

Read on

Photo and camera by Rich Cruse. www.richcruse.com

I met sports photographer Rich Cruse at my 1st XTERRA– Richmond VA 2001.

Since then we have become close friends, but also we managed to do a lot of business together. He would shoot pics at races and make me look good- not an easy task- and I would offer it to the press and sponsors who would buy them off Rich. That way Rich made a living, I looked somewhat good, and the sponsors and magazines got great pics.

I attended Vineman 70.3 this past weekend to work at the Avia stand– my shoe sponsor. We worked the expo and race day, sold shoes and had great meals and wine afterward. Shoe designer Ike and I also brainstormed on the 2010 Avia AVI STOLTZ.

From the AVIA booth I saw Rich sprint across a big field with about 60lbs of camera gear flapping in the wind. I ran over and offered to help him carry. We got to the finish just before Aussie Joe Gambles, the winner. I wanted to give Rich’s camera back but he said:“Shoot!”

So I “shot”:

Thanks for the credit Rich!