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?

Taste Triathlon with a Relay

As a kid in gym class you most likely ran a few relays. You and your teammates may have passed plastic batons along a track, raced scooters around a gym or dribbled soccer balls across a field.

If you're curious about the sport of triathlon, then consider the triathlon relay to be your next assignment. Go ahead, recruit your own team and line up for your first triathlon relay. It will be lots of fun!

In a relay, typically one person swims, one person bikes and one person runs. This is great news, especially if one segment of the race gives you trouble. Simply assign that portion to someone else!

If you're curious about triathlon, a relay can give you a quick taste. And you don't have to commit to a full race on your own. Many triathlons offer coed relays and mixed generation relays.

Several years ago, my parents and I ran our first relay. I swam, my dad biked and my mom ran. It wasn't an easy race course. And, the weather wasn't super, but my parents hung in there. I'm still totally proud of them.

I'm so glad we had this family experience. How cool.

Go team!

Go to Active.com to search for a triathlon relay in your neighborhood.

p.s. Did anyone else hate the shuttlerun relay in gym class? I had problems grabbing that tiny block of wood.

Pictures by Sara Cox Landolt: My Dad has always enjoyed running, but he took the big leg of our relay. My mom started and ended her run segment with a burst of speed. It was very cool to compete together.