On Site @ Ford Ironman World Championships with Jessi Stensland

Ten years ago I flew to the Big Island to report on the conference my employer was holding. I stayed at The Hilton Waikola Village. My favorite part was snorkeling daily in the 4-acre ocean fed lagoon - sea turtles!

Of course as a triathlete Kona means something more than an incredible vacation. My husband wants to enter the Ford Ironman World Championships lottery--I'd like to report from it! Until then, I'm happy to soak up Kona's splendid warmth via active.com's on site updates.

Thanks to Jessi Stensland, professional endurance athlete, movement specialist and active.com expert, we can get a taste of the fascinating lives, traditions and radiant energy abundant at the Ford Ironman World Championships.

In anticipation of NBC's coverage of the 2009 Ford Ironman World Championships, I'll feature several of Jessi's Kona video features with bonus material Jessi has graciously added in response to my questions! Thanks Jessi! First topic coming soon!

For now catch the 96-second video preview here and tune in Dec. 19th at 4:30-6 EST for NBC's feature!

Questions for you:

- Have you been to Kona as an athlete, spectator or lucky person on vacation?

- Have you or would you apply for a lottery spot?
- Does the TV coverage make you tear up?

- Aren't turtles the cutest?

photo credit: picture by me, but of a turtle in the Grand Cayman islands, not the Big Island!

My Incredible Tri Shorts: SUGOI

This summer I received an amazing pair of SUGOI Velocity tri shorts. It was my first piece of SUGOI clothing and my first official tri shorts, even though I've been a triathlete for 14 years! Over the years I've worn a swimsuit, bike shorts or plain spandex for triathlons of all distances. Not any more!


WOW - tri shorts are incredible! And these slinky shorts soon became my "Mrs. Incredible shorts" AKA Elastigirl from The Incredibles. The Hydro-Shifter fabric is amazing -- it's made to cut through water and air and it feels awesome against my skin. (Picture: right, me goofing around in May with my new shorts. Left, below, free download from The Incredibles site.)


Recently I applied to become a SUGOI Brand Champion. It made sense. I loved my shorts and Brand Champion athletes receive discounts on special training and racing gear. Hmmm... More tri shorts!! Brand Champions also receive support at major running and triathlon events in North America. I was happy to find out this week that I'm on board with SUGOI Brand Champions -- thanks SUGOI!

SUGOI's roots: SUGOI is a Japanese word that means incredible. !!!
SUGOI's mission: to Fuel Personal Bests
SUGOI Brand Champions program: "is geared toward supporting athletes who choose to wear SUGOI and inspire others on a daily basis."

Other SUGOI Brand Champion Athletes:
KatRunsAntarctica
Kelownagurl
This Runner's World
Checkout the complete blogroll for SUGOI Brand Champion runners and triathletes @ the SUGOI Brand Champion site. Or add your link below in the comments! Meet SUGOI's own Incredible Jane and apply to be a SUGOI Brand Champion here.

Questions for You:
- Did it take you 14 years to discover tri shorts? :-)
- What is your favorite piece of tri gear?

Photo credits: Free download from The Incredibles official site.

The Pomegranate Experiment!

Cut, scoop, soak & strain! Cutting a pomegranate is easy when you know how to do it!

I should have done my research first--this morning I guessed wrong. I sliced my pomegranate in half and then bit into the membrane - YUCK!

Since that bitter mistake, I've learned a bit about pomegranates including:

- How to correctly open one. A chef demonstrates here.

- You eat the little seed-type things inside (arils.) You don't eat the white stuff around the arils...

- At the store, choose a pomegranate by weighing it, not by its color. Pick the heaviest one, it has more juice inside.

- Whole pomegranates can last "up to month on the counter or two months in the fridge." And frozen arils can last for months. I'd been worried that my pomegranate was going to rot. I'd only had it a week!

Recipes from the POM Wonderful web site:

On my list to try:

Grilled Portobello with POM Mustard Vinaigrette & Garden Greens

Crimson POM Jelly & Cream Cheese Sandwiches
POM Banana Freeze

Pan Toasted Brie with a POM Reduction Sauce

I should note, I was motivated to try an actual pomegranate after tasting juice samples from POM Wonderful this fall. They sent me a case of 100% Pomegranate Juice (Thanks!). The bottles are adorable! I tried my first taste after finishing a local tri.

Questions for You:
-What's something new you've recently tried?
- Do you like pomegranates?
- Have you tasted a sample from POM Wonderful? If so, give me the link to your review.

Other POM Reviews:

http://chasinbunnies.blogspot.com/2009/10/this-post-brought-to-you-by-letter-w.html
http://rockstartri.blogspot.com/2009/10/brilliance-of-pom-wonderful.html
http://www.codegeekstail.com/2009/10/wonderful.html

http://cdnrunnergal.blogspot.com/2009/10/wonderful-pomegranate.html

http://meyrickjones.blogspot.com/2009/10/pom-wonderful-review.html