Vegas Baby!

I was going to start this blog out with a quote from Swingers, but then I got started thinking about some of the other great quotes from movies set in Vegas, that I decided to compile a list of them modified, of course to be triathlon appropriate. Here goes:

"We had two bags of protein powder, fifteen pounds of bike, five high powered CO2 cartidges, a salt shaker half full of electrolyte mix, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored GUs, tubes, goggles, race belts, and bibs... and also a quart of gatorade, a quart of EFS, a case of bottled water, a pint of raw talent and 70.3 miles to go.

Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get locked into a serious triathlon collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can."
--- Hunter S Thompson is probably rolling over in his grave. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

"I don't know if my wife left me because of my triathlon or I started triathlon 'cause my wife left me."
  ---Sadly, more than one triathlete on their failed marriage –Leaving Las Vegas

"If the syrup is on the table after the pancakes, then it will definitely be too late."
-- Amber(and RAINMAN) on the big breakfast the morning before the race.

"Running a triathlon is like robbing a bank with no cops around. For guys like me, Las Vegas washes away your sins. It’s like a morality car wash."
---Time for a little bath… Casino

"Drafting isn't illegal, it's just frowned upon, like masterbating on a plane. [awkward silence] Errr that is also illegal." ---Triathlete's cheaters' version of the Hangover. 
"No sympathy for the devil; keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride...and if it occasionally gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well...maybe chalk it off to forced conscious expansion: Tune in, freak out, get beaten."
---You can't win the races you don't start. Let's get out there and see what we can do. Fear and Loathing

"Las Vegas. A city built of hot sand, broken dreams and $5 lobster. A city where you can get a happy ending, if you pay a little extra. A city home to a sporting event greater than the World Cup, World Series and World War II combined."
--- The 70.3 World Championships! Or Dodgeball


"I haven't seen a beatin' like that since somebody stuck a banana in my pants and turned a monkey loose."
---My prediction of Amber doing some serious beat-downs Vegas Vacation-style.

Sooo. Now that that unpleasantness is behind us. As you can tell, Vegas is coming up. Amber will be competing against the World's best long-course triathletes at the 70.3 World Championships. It has taken her all season to prepare for this race. Her fitness and race preparation is exactly where it should be and it all comes down to guts.   Unlike when the World Championships were in Clearwater, Vegas promises to be a fair and challenging course. In addition to the heat(and boy is it hot!), there bike ride has many steep climbs on it. St. George was actually an excellent prep race for Amber, as it had a very competitive field and will be very similar in temperature and terrain.   On September 8th, click on the Ironman live coverage link and send Amber your thoughts and support and we may just turn that monkey loose:)  

                                                           A video of monkeys from Costa Rica