Back from the black hole (Our trip, some product news, and getting serious)

Black holes suck in everything around them, and really when you think about it Las Vegas is a lot like that. They even have the saying "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas". That's because it's a black hole. It tries to take your money, your time, and based on The Hangover, your memory. Luckily (I think), I remember the entire experience.

When I left you last, I had just met Mirinda Carfrae and Tim O'Donnell while they represented yurbuds, who are the official ear buds of the Ironman brand.

Gratuitous re-use of this awesome photo

Dan Deville from yurbuds was kind enough to give me a set of their headphones to review, and I've already started the process on that. They're in the same vein as H2O Audio's Flex line, a sport headphone not truly made to be waterproof, but that can sustain through a rainy or sweaty run. At a higher pricepoint (MSRP $49), Mr. Deville said they've got drivers equivalent to $150 ear buds, so it will be interesting to put them head to head to other headphones.

So, here's what happened after that:

1. I lost some money. Really, this probably isn't news for most people when they go to Las Vegas, but I haven't lost in Vegas in several years.
2. I won an iPhone. Technically, I won a $199 Apple gift card, and I am hopeful to put that towards an iPad when it arrives. The contest was from VoxOx which looks to be a Skype competitor/social media client with some legs. Interested to see their project in action.  
3. We had a big dinner at Samba, the Brazilian steakhouse, and it was terrific. But we avoided all the buffets and only had one other breakfast that would be considered a large meal. 
4. I walked over 50 miles in 5 days. My feet still hurt and it's Wednesday.
5. I saw a ton of amazing things, including some interesting innovations in sports technology. 
6. I finally saw a show in Vegas. Rach is a big fan of Holly Madison from the "Girls Next Door" show on E!, so we saw her star in Peep Show, her first Vegas show. It was pretty fun, frankly.

Now that we're back from Vegas, we've ended our off-season training and expected to begin our heavier training today. Unfortunately, Boston has been hit with a foot of snow, and our gym is closed, so whatever training we can do, will happen here inside the house. I'm going to hit the rollers today. 

Also, I'm going to feature a new technology or tool each day. I picked up a review unit for the Finis SwimSense, and I'm getting it in the pool as soon as I possibly can. Hopefully as early as tomorrow. I also have some interesting opportunities I might be taking advantage of, and I'll provide details as I get them. But for now, the big thing is adjusting back to real life, and finding ways to train in snowpocalypse 2011.