Kogi's Korean Tacos

I'm in LA today and the Kogi's truck was parked across the street from our office. For those of you unfamiliar with Kogi's, it's all the rage here in Tinseltown. They serve Korean-infused Mexican food that is absolutely out of this world. Because it was my second lunch I only ordered two short rim tacos (with kimchi). The only way to know the location and timing of the truck(s) is to follow them via Twitter. This adds to the mystique, apparently. Regardless, the food is absolutely delicious - and I'm not much of a foodie (though I am very partial to Korean food).

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Posted via email from Howard Solomon

Must Read New York Times Article for You Runners Out There.

All I can say is WOW. This article is absolutely fascinating. Definitely worth the read. I couldn't imagine being an ultra runner (well actually I could -- because I am!) with severely diminished memory issues. I will say this though: endurance athletes are definitely cut of a different cloth, and they never cease to amaze me. And she is doing Hardrock this weekend to boot; as Payro will confirm that's just about the hardest damn race in the country. That and Leadville.

You go, Diane Van Deren. You just might be my new idol.

Swimming with Sharks

So, I'm swimming my first Alcatraz race this weekend. It's an aquathlon - my first ever race of this sort, too. KInd of like a triathlon, without the bike portion. The race kicks off with 1.5 mile swim in the 57 degree, shark infested waters (hi, mom!) and a 7 mile run through the Presidio. I'll confess to being a tad bit, shall we say "apprehensive" about the swim. I know I'll be stoked when I'm done however; Alcatraz swim has long been on my bucket list. I'm doing this race with my boy Dave who's emerged as a super strong swimmer so I'm hoping I can stay on his toes.
 
Anyway the swim has necessitated a few purchases including a full suit and a neoprene hoodie, both of which I just got tonight. I figure they will get plenty of good use over the next few years.
 
Anyway, here's to hoping that the sharks take a pass on the skinny guy. I'm trying out this ensemble (pictures attached for your viewing pleasure) tomorrow night at Aquatic Park in San Francisco as part of a test. Hope it goes well.

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Posted via email from Howard Solomon

Dusk in Marin County

Sometimes - but not often- I forget how fortunate I am to live in such a beautiful part of the world. These pictures don't do justice to how beautiful the view is at dusk, when the moon comes out in full effect over the Bay. Just incredible and without getting too new-agey it makes one believe in a Higher Power.

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Lance Will Be Wearing Yellow Tomorrow

Usually the first week of the Tour is a bit of a snoozer, the first time time trial excluded. The main objective for the GC guys is to essentially to stay out of trouble and let the sprinters do their thing. The action generally doesn't start until the race hits the Pyrenees. Today should have been a "nothing" stage, but mother nature intervened, a certain 37 year old veteran showed that he's smart like a fox and a fairly significant gap was put on the field. And in my opinion -- and most of the biking cognescenti, too -- Lance did nothing to usurp Alberto. He was simply at the right place at the right time, and when it comes to the Tour, luck counts for a lot.

Look for Astana to put the pedal to the metal in tomorrow's time trial and destroy the field. The only team that could possibly compete is Columbia, who rode in such an intelligent fashion today it is was incredible.

I'd say we are looking at a 70 percent chance that Lance finishes the day in Yellow. And the media will have a complete and utter field day with that. The bigger question is what, if anything, he will do to defend. THAT is where things will get interesting. I'm really curious as to Johan's strategy for the next several days.

Man oh man. I'm a big sports fan as you all know, but there simply ain't nothing like the Tour de France. This is going to be a great month.

Go Julie Go!

Julie Westcott, aka @curesrock was one of my Livestrong teammates at Boston. She and I email (tweet, actually) regularly and I consider her a friend. She is also incredibly inspirational - honestly, one of the most inspirational individuals I have had the pleasure of gettig to know. Shortly after Boston she suffered a bit of a setback, but I know she's going to kick cancer to the curb this time around. Anyway, I was absolutely thrilled to see that Lance dedicated stage two of the Tour to her. He could not have picked a more worthy individual. Please take a moment to watch this video. And go get 'em Julie. Tons of us are pulling for you.

Mount Tam

For the first time, I climbed up and over Mount Tam. The peak was absolutely sensational. You can see tha I was pretty high above the cloud line. Even on an overcast day I was able to see as far as Napa on one side and Mount Diablo on the over. I confess that he "run" up was more like a hike/slog and it just about did me in. My friend Brian and I hen ran all the way down to Stinson Beach where we me our two families for breakfast. A magnificent way to start the day.

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Posted via email from Howard Solomon