Check It Off - Your Tri Race Day Checklist

As a triathlete and mom of three, a great race day checklist is a lifesaver.

My list includes columns with items like:

pre-race: directions, confirmation letter, warm clothes, money photo ID

swim: wetsuit, swim cap, goggles, bodyglide

bike: helmet, bike shoes, socks, sunglasses, spare tubes, electrical tape

run: running shoes, hat, gels/nutrition

post-race: dry clean clothes, plastic bag for wet stuff, recovery food, massager or rolling pin

How do you organize for an event? Do you also love the checklist? Have you ever had to buy something on site? What's top on your list?

Here is a list of lists to help you prepare for your next event. Pick the list that works best for you.

Have a better list? Send me the link and I'll add it.

Enjoy!
Ironmom's Triathlon Checklist
Sprint Tri Checklist from Active.com
Triathlon Checklist from Amateur Endurance
Race Day Checklist from WhenBigBoysTri.com
Racechecklist.com
Triathlon Packing Checklist
Grant's Grunts Triathlon Checklist

A Trip to Hell (part of Just Go's Blogapalooza)

As part of Just Go's Blogapalooza, today's post features a trip to a strange subtropical land--Hell, Grand Cayman.

We enjoyed a brief stop in Hell. The visit was booked as a shore tour with our cruise.

Our small group also stopped at a turtle farm and fed stingrays at Stingray City. Very fun!

IronMakeover readers and triathletes check out the Cayman Islands Turtle Tri.
Where's the most exotic place you've ever raced? I think the water bottle exchange would be on the left in the Cayman Islands, that would be tricky.

Hell was named for its strange appearance. The black limestone formations are filled with Iguanas of all sizes.

This tiny tourist stop has its own hell-themed post office, so we were able to send some postcards from Hell.

Read more experiences from this island attraction here:

• http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147365-d148099-Reviews-Hell-Grand_Cayman_Cayman_Islands.html
  
• http://www.epinions.com/content_2230886532

Overall, the Cayman Islands were heavenly!

pictures: by Sara Cox Landolt

Shoes That Taste Good

I love my running shoes. (left: my current pair.) It's hard for me to throw them out when I've retired a pair. I try to find new jobs for them, like these will be my gardening shoes or these can be my mowing shoes.

But, I should just let them go. Better yet, I should recycle them. This site offers a list of homes and programs looking to repurpose our dear old shoes.

New shoes appeal to a mix of my senses:

• touch (there are so many textures),
• smell (I like new shoe smell),
• sight (don't step on my new beautiful shoes!).

It seems I should also consider taste, especially when shopping for a new pair. Next time you shop, take note how shoes' colors are described. Some examples:

• Asics GEL Kinetic Blush-Rootbeer-Latte
• Asics GEL-DS Trainer 13 White-Lightning-Orange Popsicle
• Asics GEL Kushion White-Chocolate-Metallic Gold

I once bought a pair of running shoes because I got hooked on its color (a pretty brown and pink). Not a good idea. Now, with shoe colors like rootbeer, orange popsicle and chocolate, I could be in trouble.

Not sure how to choose your next shoes? Read these guides on shoe fit and selection.

http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/shoelabshoefinder/0,,s6-240-325-329-0-0-0-0-0,00.html http://www.asicsamerica.com/sports/running/shoeFitGuide.aspx
http://www.saucony.com/ShoeAdvisor.aspx
http://www.brooksrunning.com/Help/Shoe+Advisor/

Or, if you're a triathlete, you could look to the elite triathletes and see what they are wearing.
(Thanks Active Toby for these links!) Slowtwitch.com recently ran two features:

• Running shoes of the top 10 men in Kona
• Running shoes of the top 10 women in Kona

Tell me:
- What flavor are your shoes?
- What do you do with your retired shoes?