Updated: Just reposting to get us psyched for the race on Saturday. Unfortunately I won't be there this year so watching on the Internet. Enjoy the photos, and good luck to all racing!

2009: It is tough to imagine a more highly anticipated Hawaii Ironman World Championships than this year, although we seem to say that each year!

I am going to be frank with you. In return, I ask you to be frank with me. I have been in the triathlon world, teaching triathlon classes and clinics, coaching triathletes from all ages and abilities, eating and selling triathlon nutrition products and doing triathlons myself for more than five years, so I’ve asked (literally) thousands of endurance athletes about why they do this sport.

Dear Santa, I was bad this Christmas. Despite a pretty good training protocol, I basically ate everything in sight. Now I have a spare tire around my waistline and I’m trying to figure out how to shed it quickly. Any advice? Dear Triathlete,

It is nice to be back home. It has been a long focus and lead up to Kona and not getting the result I was after makes it a little more difficult. I was able to spend the rest of the week with my family in Kona, which was great. Spending time that was lost leading up to the race. I got to snorkel, swim, and surf with my son Kaiden.

The tension and excitement in the triathlon world is beginning to build. We are a week away from the Hawaii Ironman. The World Championships of Ironman racing and a course that provides a huge challenge to any athlete lucky enough to be starting. In order to excel on this course an athlete needs optimal preparation, great tactical execution, a lot of courage, and a little dose of luck.

So here it goes, it has been 2 full years since I started an Ironman and 4 years since my first and fastest at IM CDA in 2004. So I had a lot that I wanted to improve upon, and a bit of nerves since it had been so long since I had done the distance. These nerves where unnecessary due to the great training I had put into this race, so beneath my anxiousness was a new found confidence that would serve me well.

Jet Lag, it's a term we hear a lot, but what exactly is it and how can travelers limit the impact that it's going to have once they have arrived at their new location? Here I will explain some of the strategies that the modern traveler can use to help limit the impact and jet ahead.

Most of you know the race doesn't really begin the morning you enter the water with 2,000+ other athletes. That is the beginning of the final chapter in the journey to Ironman. I won't bore you with all the details leading up to the final day of the Ironman Florida journey, but I will share some details leading into the race.

I am back at home in Danville, and starting to unwind from all the travel. Kona was great this year. The whole experience was awesome starting with training in Hawaii in September to the 2 weeks before the race training in Kona.