Welcome

Hi there and thanks for visiting the MonkeyClaw blog! I plan on revisiting topics discussed on some of the triathlon bulletin boards and putting an in-depth discussion with references (when possible). Sometimes the posts will ramble a bit, and tangents aren't uncommon. In general, I will do my best to stay on topic and not stray too far.

As this is my first post, I should probably put a little information about myself up. I'm currently competing in triathlons around the South Eastern US. OK, pretty much Arizona right now, but California is pretty close by and they have a lot of races. Eventually I'll probably enter a few there, and add a few destination races because they seem like a lot of fun.

My strength is biking. I rode my first RAGBRAI when I was 10 years old. I completed my first century when I was 11 years old, and continues riding RAGBRAI until I was 15. I also made a pubescent attempt at racing. As my dad would say, it wasn't a lack of ability but a lack of applying myself to the task that did me in.


I'm an adequate swimmer, though I'd like to get better. I was also a swimmer when I was young. Up until around 14 years old, I was swimming competitively as much as I could. My downfall is the open water. Surrounded by people, with everyone trying to go to the same place but taking a different path to get there, and an inability to see where you're going (often unable to see my hand when its outstretched in front of me) it's been a rough road for me. My technique is still reasonable and I manage to finish middle of the pack or better. With more open water practice I should be quite a bit faster.


Running is my downfall. There have been several races where I watch everyone I passed on the swim and bike stroll past me on the run. This is the area I've worked on the most, and it has been getting better with time. Since I don't have a running background, its the area I work on the most right now.

The next question - how good am I, really? I'll admit, I'm not the fastest guy out there. My poor run has lost me several podium spots in the past. My best finish so far is 4th in my age group and 8th overall. Not too bad, but could be better.

So what's this MonkeyClaw thing? MonkeyClaw is my former skydiving team. I'm 'Timmy' in all of the pictures, articles, etc. (which makes sense, since that's my name). We haven't been active for several years, but I left the site up because it is who I identify myself with most. We're all still friends but none of us are active jumpers any longer. We got older, got married, had kids. You know how it is. Some of the best times of my life were with the team though, and I get nostalgic when I look back. Not to say things are too shabby now. I'm loving training for and competing in triathlons, I have a wonderful wife and live in a beautiful part of the country.

Looking forward, I'm hoping to write articles regarding training, racing, nutrition and general issues that vex endurance athletes. I'll use references as much as possible so you know I'm not just making stuff up. The comments section will be open for debate but please keep it civil.

Thanks for visiting!