I'm A BETTY!

My name is Kandi.

I am a Betty!

Well, officially, I am not a BETTY!

But in my heart, I am a BETTY!

So I am keeping it all on the lower-case right now.

 

What's a Betty?

 

 

 

 

Kristen at Betty Designs designs and makes killer triathlon clothes and swimsuits.

 

I want her to make me a design for my Train-n-Tri logo....I got a quote from her and, yep it is kind of pricey, but she is so worth it, so I have been saving up my money.

 

And then I see this.

 

Are you a Betty?

Hell yes, I am a Betty.

 

She is looking for people (I am thinking women) who represent Betty.

 

Here's What the "Are You a Betty?" states:

 

Do you have to get your endorphin rush daily? Love to toe a starting line to see what you're made of? Cycle, run, swim, tri + more? Are you that girl who gets asked about what you're wearing on a regular basis? Have a bit of a fashion eye? Love skulls + butterflies? Then convince us you have what it takes. Put together your best pitch, photos, links to your blog, social media exploits and round up your friends to persuade us as well. This is your chance to brag and show you are a fashionista with an athletic edge.
Race results are great, but you don't have to be on the podium to be a Betty. You do not need to be a supermodel or professional athlete to be picked (although supermodels and pro athletes are encouraged to apply). The girl next door who commands influence and embodies the active Betty lifestyle at her local ride, masters swim, spin class, board room, triathlon, run group, SUP session, climbing wall, hiking trail, yoga studio or wherever should certainly apply.

 

 

So here is my submission.......

 

Yes, I am a Betty!

 

Even if my name is Kandi.

 

I am a triathlete, a personal fitness trainer, a blogger, a SunRype Athletic Ambassador, an Aquaphor Athletic Ambassador, a Tri-California Ambassador and a USA Triathlon Coach, a wife, a mother and a Career Substitute Teacher. But I really am a Betty!!

 

Wearing tight triathlon clothes and workout gear is great, but wearing tight triathlon clothes and workout gear that is cute and functional is the best. Okay, right now I am a fake Betty because I don't have any REALLY cute and functional Betty Design clothing. I am working on it. I am saving up my money so I can get Kristin to design an outfit for me for my Coaching/Training business.

 

 

That's my logo. I have a facebook page and a website Train-n-Tri.com. I also blog at train-n-tri.blogspot.com. I think my logo design would look great with some skulls and butterflies.

 

While I do spend time writing, I mostly spend my time swimming, biking, running, strength training and practicing yoga with friends and clients.

 

 

This was my 27th Wedding Anniversary Bike Ride. The Mayor of Riverside joined in with my friends from Triathlon Connection and from the Riverside Bike Club to ride about 15 miles and then drink chocolate milk. Some of us had some champagne. If I had been wearing Betty Designs I would not have been just one of the crowd. I would be BETTY!!!

 

 

Can you find me?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here I am on the podium at the XTERRA Mountain Bike Triathlon in Snow Valley in July. What was I thinking competing in that race just two weeks after competing at Vineman 70.3? I was thinking I was BETTY!! And yes, I did get first place in my age group and yes I was the only one in my age group because a BETTY doesn't care how old you are. A BETTY stays active because it is freakin' FUN!!!!

 

FYI - I am fifty-free (53).

 

 

 

 

 

These are some of my Tuesday/Thursday cyclists. On Tuesday night I lead a HILLS Yes! ride and Thursday night is my "Only the Road is Flat!" ride. The cyclists in the picture above are from the HILLS ride. More show up for the flat ride, but I am working on getting more of them to ride hills because riding hills make you strong inside and out. Riding hills makes you a BETTY!

 

I also lead a Yoga on the Lawn class...my neighbors think I am crazy. But I'm not crazy. I am happy! I am a BETTY!

If you look closely in the middle of the picture you will see my dog Willie next to one of my clients. Willie's favorite pose is down-dog.

This is the fourth of July ride I led on the Santa Ana River Trail. I am at the end in the red, white and blue stars and stripes because I love to dress for the occasion.

 

I think some of my BETTY is even rubbing off on my son. FINALLY after seeing how much fun I was having biking, he bought himself a bike...and from this picture you can see that his cycling short and jersey match. Now if I could just get him to run and swim, I could make a triathlete out of him.

 

 

 

 

 It's not all swim, bike, run.....

 

I take a day off once in a while. Then the BETTY inside of me tells me to "Take a Hike."

 

 

 

 

Then it's back to work.

 

Yep, this was work....helping one of my clients (on the far right) get through her first mountain bike race at Over The Hump. BETTY loves getting people excited about being active and testing their endurance.

 

My name is Kandi. I am BETTY!

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the fun part of the whole Betty Design thing:

 

 

If you are chosen, you will be outfitted for the year with more Betty swag (cycling kits, tri kits, swimsuits, run apparel, accessories, etc.) than you know what to do with. You will even have an opportunity to get paid (yes really in $$).

What? Get Paid? I don't want to get paid..I just want the sweet, cute, awesome, sick gear. Keep your money $$$$ Kristen and just say I am Betty and outfit me. I'll wear your great clothes and bathing suits everywhere!!!!

 

Okay, so I submitted my submission (that was redundant)...and now I need you, yes YOU!!! to go to the Betty Design facebook page and just write something like.

Kandi is Betty.

Betty is Kandi.

 

Something like that.

 

https://www.facebook.com/bettydesignssickgear

 

Click on the above link, like the page and leave a message why I should be Betty.

 

Thanks Friends!!!

 

 



Never Swim Alone...But Swim!

Never Swim Alone!

That is the safety adage lifeguards always teach to kids when they are taking swim lessons.

No worries here.

I would never swim alone.

I always swim with someone near me and with my swimsafe belt on.

 

http://train-n-tri.blogspot.com/2012/03/my-swimming-security-blanket.html

 

 

But that's not what this blog is about.

It's about the change in my swimming.

 

For the longest time I was a pool swimmer.

 

And that is a joke.

That sounds as if I had been swimming FOREVER in a pool.

Nope, not the case.

I don't think I started swimming until about four years ago, when I was 49. If someone out there (Carolyn) remembers the first time I jumped in a pool and tried to swim 25 yards across the pool and then clung to the edge in disbelief as I sputtered and tried to catch my breath, please comment below.

 

Today Robert and I went to Lake Perris and I swam happily and easily for 45 minutes straight....and it was choppy.

 

Now for some of my triathlete friends,who pile on the miles of swimming, this is not much of an accomplishment. But when I think of how I could NOT swim and now I can swim EASILY and JOYFULLY for 45 minutes in open water, it sure seems like an accomplish me to me.

 

I am not afraid to swim in a lake.

I am not afraid to swim in a bay.

I am learning to swim in an ocean.

 

Step by step.

 

So today Robert and I invested in the California State Park Foundation's Touring Membership. I can now go to any State Park for the next year with my membership and enjoy the park and the WATER they have for me to swim in.

 

So I guess this blog is not just about swimming, but my swimming accomplishments.

 

I looked over my training logs for the past couple of months and while in April I swam 7 miles (almost all in the pool), this month I've put in about the same, but all in open water. Except for one time, I have not touched pool water since the end of June.

 

I love OWS.

 

 

I can't wait until I can write I Love Ocean WS.

 

Step by Step.

 

And - If I can do it...you can do it!!!!

 

Train-n-Tri

 

 

 



Steps for Robert and Stuff for Me!!!

Second year in a row and I am getting stuff for my guy walking/running/biking/swimming his ass off!

 

 

Last year, he put in 1,000,000 steps and I got $100 worth of Sports Authority stuff.

 

Read the link to see that post:

http://train-n-tri.blogspot.com/2012/10/1-million-steps-for-robertnew-clothes.html

 

This year he put in his steps and I got (okay, he gave me his rewards, but I still got it!!!) $100 Amazon.com gift cards.

 

I love having $100 of free money that I didn't have to work or step for.

 

Oh my, what should I order?

 

I'll get back with you.

 

Train-n-Tri  (and shop)

 

 

 

Swimming in a Fog

A goal of mine is to become comfortable ocean swimming.

Living in Southern California, there are a lot of triathlons which involve ocean swimming.

I signed up for one earlier this year, but the waves were so HUGE that at the last minute I switched from the triathlon to the duathlon.

 

 

 

The waves weren't this big, but they may as well have been.

 

(FYI - Lots of other people also switched and many who didn't switch were rescued by the lifeguards)

 

 

I want to be comfortable and skilled enough in the ocean to be able to event in a triathlon that involves ocean swimming.

I have lake swimming down.

Fish don't bother me.

Lake weeds don't freak me out.

Spying the occasional shoe, umbrella or beer bottle at the bottom of the lake no longer sends me into a state of panic.

 

I think becoming comfortable with open water swimming is just doing a lot of it.

SWIM, SWIM, SWIM.

In Open Water.

 

A couple of years ago swimming at Bay Shore freaked me out.

 

 

After swimming here so many times, it now feels like a nice swim in salty water.

 

So I am pretty comfortable swimming in this ocean water, and it is water from the ocean, even though you can't see the ocean since it is a bay.

But you get the idea - it's ocean water.

 

So the next step is to actually swim, not freak, in the ocean.

 

Last year, I went to a beginner "meet-up" and swam for a bit with a group at Seal Beach.

I think I was the only beginner.

It was okay, but I cut my workout short because they were SWIMMING and I was working on just being in the water.

 

Yesterday was round two.

No "meet-up".

Just my guy, and some Triathlon Connection friends.

 

This wasn't Sunday, August 25 - our day was a little gloomy and the sun was not out.

 

There were NO waves!

 

The water temperature was pretty nice.

 

We swam along the pier until we got even with the pier lifeguard tower and then swam left toward the jetty.

 

 

Everybody took off swimming.

Of course, since I am the slowest swimmer, I quickly was at the back of the pack, though my guy stayed with me.

 

We swam along and I kept trying to sight off the jetty, but it was disappearing.

My goggles were fogging up.

Only, it wasn't my goggles.

It was the air.

Within a short period of time I couldn't see the jetty, or the pier. I could make out the beach and I swam toward it.

This is a stock photo, but this is kind of how it looked.

I couldn't see any of my TC friends, but I did see a Stand-up paddle-boarder go by. He kind of looked like this, even tough he was closer.

 

I told Robert that I hoped our friends would be okay and be able to see their way clear to find their way back because it was socked in with fog.

 

Robert and I swam toward shore.

We were pretty close in and I put my foot down.

That's when I stepped on something squishy.

I squealed and quickly picked my feet up.

 

Robert said it was probably a stingray.

The stingray is hiding in the sand.

 

We decided we could still swim using the sandy beach to sight on. We were swimming not too far off from the shoreline and luckily there weren't any waves. The water was swirly though.

After about 30 minutes I was done.

 

We got out and waited for our friends.

 

 

Next time I go for swim at the beach and it is foggy, I am going for a run.

 

 

 

 

• Google
• Bing
• OpenStreetMap

• Map
• Satellite

• Terrain
• Bicycle
• Labels
• No layers available

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Charity Miles - Now It's Personal.

 

I didn't go on the Triathlon Connection Riverside bike ride tonight. The ride leaves from my house and a lot of people came to ride.

I didn't ride.

I was worried I would start crying and crash my bike.

I thought it would be safer if I worked in my garden.

I can cry and garden at the same time.

 

For a while I have been running/walking/biking using Charity Miles.

 

 

 For a while I was donating my ride/run/walk to Wounded Warrior Project, which is an awesome organization.

I picked them because I didn't have anything in my life that was personal that I wanted to raise money for.

 

Feeding America? That sounds good.

 

RED to benefit The Global Fund? That sounds good, too.

 

Pencils of Promise? Love it.

 

The Nature Conservancy? I donated a run to them on Earth Day.

 

VisionSpring....see well, do well. Okay.

 

ASPCA. I donated a walk with Willie to them one day.

 

Wounded Warrior Project just always seemed like the best one to donate my run/walk/bike to...I mean, these men and women gave a lot to protect our country and I wanted to give back to them in some way, so a walk/run/bike was an easy way to throw a little money into the pot to help some wounded warriors.

 

I didn't realize when I started Charity Miles that I was one of the "founding" contributors. It is such as easy way to donate money to a cause. You download the app on your iphone or droid and then you just turn it on when you set out on your run/walk/bike.

 

Charity Miles even did a write-up about me.

 

 http://charitymiles.tumblr.com/post/55721936696/kandi-decarlo

 

I've blogged about Charity Miles before.

http://train-n-tri.blogspot.com/2013/03/charity-miles-donate-without-opening.html

 

A couple of months ago, I changed my Charity Miles donation organization.

 

I changed because my mom was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, aka MDS, which is also know as preleukemia.

 

So I switched to run/walk/bike for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (fighting blood cancers).

 

 

I didn't ride my bike tonight because I wanted to cry.

And crying and bike riding don't mix.

 

I was crying while I was gardening because my mom has had so many blood transfusions I have lost count. She has had so many visits to the emergency room I have lost count. She has been admitted to the hospital so many times I have lost count.

 

Today she is at home.

Her doctor has told her that she can't have any more chemotherapy. What was suppose to help cure her has been killing her. She can't take it anymore.

 

 

She is at home.

She will be on hospice care.

 

 

My sister, my mom and I at Christmas last year.

 

Tomorrow I will swim and bike and run and it will be for Charity Mile's donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

 

Today I just cried.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



I'm Now a Mountain Bike Racer

I raced my first mountain bike race tonight.

 

It was a fun, hard ride.

 

I am sure I came in last place.

But I finished.

 

 

Did I mention it was hard?

 

Look, I have been riding mountain bikes for the past few years, and I even placed second in my age group at the Wildflower Mountain Bike Tri a couple years back. I raced XTERRA Snow Valley a few weeks ago and placed first in my age group (okay, so I was the only one in my age group). But nothing had prepared me for this race.

 

 



 

http://train-n-tri.blogspot.com/2012/02/clipped-in-and-riding-on-dirt.html

The above link is the blog I wrote when I first clipped in on my mountain bike....Feb. 2012.

 

I've been having fun mountain biking.

Even when I crashed at XTERRA and broke the rock with my face....I had a great time on the bike.

 

http://train-n-tri.blogspot.com/2013/07/xterra-triathlon-with-dirt-and-blood.html

The above link is my blog about XTERRA.

 

Tonight was different.

 

There was no swim before the bike. So there was no swim to fret about!

 

There was no run to follow the bike!

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was just biking.

Mountain Biking.

 

We got to Irvine Lake, where the race takes place. early because we wanted to pre-ride some of the course. It was hot and before we were half way through the course it was time to cool off and get ready for the actual race.

 

Me and Jeanne

 

Jeanne and I were in the WB class. Women's Beginners. We should have been in the TB class - True Beginners. A lot of women in the WB class were NOT beginners. A beginner is someone who is just starting something, as in brand new. And really I am not a beginner because I have done some mountain biking and even competed in some events that include mountain biking. But I was a BEGINNER compared to the women riding at Over the Hump.

 

 

Please notice how clean we are. It didn't last long.

 

Here we are all lined up in our classes waiting for the gun to go off.

I was at the back.

At the very back.

I couldn't get any backer than I was.

 

Class by class the gun went off and at last my class - the last - went off.

All the other "beginners" promptly left Jeanne and I in the dust.

Okay, this picture is not exactly how it was, but we were at the back of the pack of EVERYONE and we did eat EVERYONE's dust. It is going to be a while before I get all the dirt out of my nose, ears and eyes.

Some parts of the ride were so dusty and sunny, I could barely see where I was going.

 

Jeanne and I rode our bikes on fire roads, through sandy single track, through rocky sandy single track, through flat hard pack, through rolly single track, uphill on some fire roads and downhill on some fire roads.

 

We pushed our bikes up some big hills.

And we pulled over and got out of the way of the pros as they lapped us and sped by - on single track and fire roads and everything in between.

 

I joked that we were just another obstacle for the pros to avoid.

 

The pro men would ride by in groups of about 10, some saying "on your left" and some saying "on your right."

Every time a group came by I would just hold my line and pray that one of them wouldn't take me out.

Either my prayers were answered or those guys have skills because I made it through two laps of the course without causing one of them to crash, or crashing because of one of them.

 

 

When Jeanne and I started out we made it our intention to finish before dark and to finish together.

The we swallowed our fears and rode out.

 

 

 Tom, Robert, me and Jeanne.

We all finished...and before dark.

Only Tom crashed during the ride.

He thought the ride was going to be a picnic, but found out otherwise.

 

 

Over the Hump is on my calendar for a few races next summer.

I've already got my number.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

National Bike Challenge..Logging Miles

 

The 2013 National Bike Challenge started May 1.

I said I would log 1,700 miles for this year's challenge.

I have logged 1,095 miles.

Last year I set my goal at 850 miles and I did that.

 

(May's Blog about my riding goals...hey, something has to keep me accountable)

http://train-n-tri.blogspot.com/2013/05/national-bike-challenge.html

 

 

At the beginning of this year's National Bike Challenge I looked over last year's blog and said I would ride DOUBLE the miles.

 

DOUBLE!

 

WTH was I thinking.

 

So I now have until September 30 to get in 605 miles.

 

So, if I get up and ride every day for the next 50 days - Yes, I have 50 days to ride 605 miles - that will be 12.1 miles a day.

 

That seems doable.

I am going to give it my best Train-n-Tri.

 

Anyone want to join me?

 

 

 



Healthy Mind Fit Body....It's Worth a Read

 

Kevin Koskella, of Tri Swim Coach, and Wes Bertand, switched some chapters around in their book, and Kevin was looking for some people to read it and review it.

 

Kevin sent me the Kindle version and I read it.

Now I want the hard-copy version so I can hand it out to friends and family. I think this book will make a great Christmas gift. Lots of the information in it has come right out of my mouth to family members and friends over the past couple of years.  I am sure they are sick of it. Now, instead of telling them the same thing over and over again, they can read this book over and over again and maybe they will "listen" to the information.

 

Look, I am not talking about you...I am talking about

 

that person over there.

 

There is a BIG difference between all my good advice that I hand out all the time and Kevin and Wes' book - everything in Chapter One.

 

Healing Thy Inner Self.

The idea is you can't have a fit body until you get your mind healthy - duh....and how do you do that. Well, you are going to have to sit down for a few minutes every day for seven days and do some "touchy-feely" exercises.

 

Once you do the exercises, it will be easier to pick put into effect the lifestyle gems they pass on, such as eat your veggies.

Hey, I bet your mom even told you that!

 

Or how about, stay away from packaged foods and eat REAL food, shop the outside aisle of the grocery store and stay away from the inside PACKAGED-lined aisles.

I know I read that somewhere else, lots of times.

 

Okay, how about this?

Working out 5 days a week, but not losing any weight? Well it could be because you are
"losing unwanted body fat and replacing it with healthy muscle mass!"

Kevin and Wes put it in their book, but I know I read that somewhere else, and I KNOW it has come out of my mouth before.

 

So Kevin and Wes has put together a chapter focusing on the psychological reasons "all of us have felt the tug of inclinations, cravings and urges that we know aren't in our long-term self-interest."

 

Yes, I admit it.

Even me.

I'm not perfect.

If I was, I would be able to see my abs.

And I can't see them yet.

 

But I am working on the exercises in Chapter One.

And while my REAL goal is to stay healthy and fit.

I wouldn't mind seeing my abs, too!

 

Here's my review for Healthy Mind Fit Body: How the Mind Body Connection Can Help You Achieve Your Perfect Weight, on Amazon.com:

 

"Healthy Mind Fit Body: How the Mind Body Connection Can Help You Achieve Your Perfect Weight, has a lot of useful information in it. As a certified personal fitness trainer and USA Triathlon Coach, much of the information in the book is information which trainers and coaches pass on to clients all the time...Except for the integral information Wes Bertrand and Kevin Koskella put in Chapter One, "Healing Thy Inner Self." I admit, some of the stuff in that chapter was a little scary to me. "Ultimately, all the diet and fitness advice in the world won't help you much if you are at war with yourself," they state in the book. And they are right. I plowed right through that first chapter without doing any of the exercises. The rest of the book was filled with great advice and great tips on having a healthy lifestyle. If you aren't a "touchy-feely" person, but you want to integrate one or two new healthy routines into your lifestyle, then just skip chapter one. But if you REALLY want to make some changes in your lifestyle because you want to be healthy and fit, then do all the exercises in the first chapter. After reading through the book, I did go back and start on the Seven-Day Sentence Completion Program. Am I a healthy and fit person? Yes, I am. Could I do a better job of taking care of my body? Yes, I could. And now, understanding why -mentally and emotionally - I may want to eat something I know is not in my best interest, and may keep me from attaining my goals, it will be much easier to continue to incorporate those healthy lifestyle gems into my life. Healthy Mind Fit Body is a book you should read every couple of months, because each time you read it, your healthy mind will be ready for a new piece of information to help make your body fit."

Let me know if you read the book....otherwise, you probably know what I am getting you for Christmas.

 

 

 

 

 

 



Paying for a Thrill

A friend of mine posted a new event on Facebook asking who wanted to do this with him.

 

AND

 

 

Here's why I will NOT doing this event:

 

I do NOT want to ever have to dodge a bull so that I do not get trampled. I certainly would not pay money to have to dodge a bull.

 

 

I weigh 103 pounds. Bulls weigh about 2000 pounds.

I don't even have to do the math to know that I do not want to be anywhere near a bull.

 

I have been known to stumble and fall just when I am walking. I wouldn't want to take the chance that I would run and stumble in front of a bull.

Here are the recommendations from The Great Bull Run: If you fall down, stay down and cover your head until the bulls pass. This isn’t guaranteed to protect you, but it’s your best chance of avoiding a serious injury.

 

Here's my best chance of avoiding a serious injury - DON"T SIGN UP!!!

 

Another reason - it is dangerous and The Great Bull Run people admit it. When asked, "Isn't it dangerous?" they state:

Of course!  Much like rock climbing, mountain biking, skydiving and other extreme sports, running with live bulls is an inherently dangerous activity (which is why it’s so thrilling).  By participating in the run, you accept the risk that you might be trampled, gored, rammed or tossed in the air by a bull, or bumped, jostled, tripped or trampled by your fellow runners.  We do what we can to minimize those risks by using less-aggressive bulls than those used in Spain and allowing runners to hide in nooks and climb over the track fence if necessary, but make no mistake: you could get seriously injured in this event. That’s why there’s a mandatory insurance fee during the registration process and medical staff on site.
Interesting fact: There have been only fifteen deaths in the Pamplona running of the bulls in the past 102 years!  Even so, we’ve added significantly more safety precautions for The Great Bull Run to further reduce that risk (but you could still die).

 

If I really want to run with bulls I would make a trip to Pamplona and do the real deal.

You know, there are probably way more idiots here in Southern California that will go to this event, than in Pamplona, where the running of the bulls is seeped in tradition. But even there people get hurt.

 

According to Wikipedia, about 200 to 300 people are injured each year in the Pamplona running of the bulls, mostly with contusions from falling down. These people did not need to go to the hospital, but last year 50 people did have to go to the hospital for more severe injuries, 6 of them were gored.

I picked the picture that didn't show blood, but you can find a lot of pictures of people being gored by bulls online, with LOTS of blood. Yikes, just looking at the goring pictures online was enough to make me decide not to go to Pamplona this year or EVER to run with the bulls.

 

Okay, so no way would I sign up for the "Run with the Bulls" locally, but what about the Tomato Royale part of the event. Maybe I could just do that part.

 

Sign me up?

 

 

 

NO!

NEVER!!!!

 

And here is why.

I am a mother for God's sake!!!

I have spent years (YES, YEARS!!!) trying to keep my children from having food fights. Sometimes after a meal, my dining room can look as if a food fight happened, even if it didn't.

So I do NOT need to pay to participate in something like this.

 

All I would have to do is give my family permission NOT to have manners at the table.

 

 Another reason I would NOT sign up for this event is the certainty that there would be stains on clothes. LOOK at the pictures above. Just looking at these pictures makes me break into a sweat thinking of how I am going to get the stains out and I have spent the past 23 years trying to get freaking stains out of my children's clothes.

I had to laugh that this was a man trying to get out stains.

HAHAHAHA!

 

And why would I want to pay to have people throw tomatoes at me?

I don't want anyone to throw anything at me.

Especially something that causes stains.

 

It all just seems so ridiculous.

 

But if you are hell-bent on participating in the Tomato Royale, I will make this offer to you:

If you are going to pay($25/$35/$45 depending on how soon you sign up) to participate, you can give the money to me instead to be used as a donation to a charity. In return you

can stand in my front yard and I will serve you a beer (you do get a beer at the "official" even if you are 21 or over, so I can meet that offer). I'll play loud music and serve you pizza. (They are offering great bands and tasty food, but I only have so much to work with.) I'll give you a free-tshirt and write TOMATO ROYALE on it in black Sharpie. I am sure I have a race tshirt around here somewhere in your size. (The "official" event is providing a tshirt).

And I will throw tomatoes at you.

 

I will NOT, however, be responsible for the stains in your clothes. For a little extra money donated, I will let my dog chase you down the street.

 

Maybe not as thrilling as being chased by a bull, but a lot safer.