Training and training some more....

The lack of blog posting is the direct result of increased Skinfit work and training. I have been busy everyday, waking up to a flood of emails, shipping packages, hitting the pool for a workout, then more work, and then more training. My days seem to fly by and every night I think back on how much I actually got done that day and I am amazed.
To say I a happy with how things are progressing would be a huge understatement. Things are coming together on ALL fronts. Skinfit is picking up with some exciting things in the works and I will log over 25 hrs of training this week. A lot in all three sports and fitness seems to be coming rather quickly. Sometimes it feels as if my fitness disappears but more then anything I am just fatigued from the increased load. My body is still learning to absorb and handle all the new stimulation.
This week I turned to Jim Vance to help me get ready for the 2010 season...he will be coaching me and I am excited about the future. He is a great fit for me on several fronts...he has raced Xterra at a high level, he knows many of the courses, he has raced against everyone that I will face this year, he has coached a couple Xterra pros to very successful seasons, he will bring new training stress (fresh ideas) into my plan, we train together regularly, he is very knowledgable, and he will be more scientific with my training. All in all, I truly believe he will get me to the next level and teach me a lot.
I have been dropping weight rapidly, which is nice to see. I have lost over 10 lbs since starting training and I am down to 153. I perform best between 150-152 so I am close and the rest should "fall" off with the increased training load.
I am still using Rehab United to develop strength, mobility and get my ART work done. The crew there has really done so much for me and I wouldn't be where I am if it weren't for them.

My race schedule in 2010 will be...

April 25 – XTERRA West Championship
(Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort – Henderson, NV)

May 23 – XTERRA South Central Championship
(Cameron Park - Waco, TX)

June 13 – XTERRA Southeast Championship
(Oak Mountain State Park – Pelham, AL)

June 20 – XTERRA East Championship
(Brown’s Island – Richmond, VA)

July 17 – XTERRA Mountain Championship
(Beaver Creek Resort – Avon, CO)

September 25 – XTERRA USA Championship
(Snowbasin Resort – Ogden, UT)

October 25th - XTERRA World Championship
(Maui)

**I will also do some mountain bike races and some local S.D. triathlons in prep for the above races. The seven mentioned above will be my focus however and everything will be centered on these.


So, that is it from here. I am excited for the 2010 season but there is still A LOT of work ahead that will no doubt challenge me physically and mentally...I am ready for it though! Have fun out there and stay tuned as my training ramps up.

Charging ahead...

Things have been good the past week. I increased my training load in all three sports and actually participated in a race of all things. Been a while since I have raced and since Skinfit is a new sponsor of the Tri Club of San Diego and I have been feeling healthy I figured I would go play around at the first club duathlon of the year. It was a 2 mile trail run, 12 mile bike, 2 mile trail run. I think I had a smile on my face the whole time b/c I was just so happy to be out there pushing myself again. I cruised the first mile to see how my knee felt and it felt good so I pretty much built my effort over the rest of the race and went hard (as hard as my body would let me go at least). I personally feel I didn't do half bad (based on my GPS data) considering I took 8 months of due to injury and I have only been back training consistently for 3 weeks. Of course, there are always people out there saying "Oh wow you got beat by a bunch of people" or " you didn't win?" Seriously?? I don't care who you are but if you take 8 months off and you are at the ground floor in terms of fitness you are going to struggle. It always amazes me how people react and what they say. I could personally care less who beats up on me right now b/c I think I have to keep things in perspective and down the road, when I am actually fit and we are at an important race, the story will be quite different, I promise you. The conclusions people draw just baffle me and I am sure this will never change.
Anyway, enough ranting. I am happy to see my progress thus far. I am feeling much better in all 3 sports, dropping weight, and able to tolerate more training per day. For me, it is about gradual progression and getting stronger so that I can tackle hard workouts in a couple months. So, every day is a new day and I treat it accordingly.
With all the rain this week I will be focusing more on my swimming, running and strength sessions. It should be a good week. That's it from here. Have fun out there!

Busy, busy....

Been super busy lately trying to juggle Skinfit and training. Not a ton to report actually. Knee continues to feel good and I am increasing the training load quite a bit. I trained 17 hrs last week and will hopefully hit 22 hrs this week.
I have been in the pool a lot over the last week. Need to find the feel for the water again so I can really handle the hard workouts. It is coming back quickly so I am happy with the progress thus far. Still a long, long way to go but things are coming together. I am also doing some strength sessions on the bike. This coupled with the work being done at Rehab United is making me stronger for sure. I feel like I am able to handle more training now, which I am happy about. The past couple weeks have been rough and, while I am not over the hump so to speak, I can handle more without being so fatigued. I am happy about this.
I have been so far removed from structured training that I think I actually forgot how tired it makes you =) I am often times living in a haze but it truly feels amazing to be back out there training and putting in the work. Plus, seeing all the faces at the pool and out on the roads/trails puts a smile on my face.
Truthfully, that is about it from here. Day by day, logging the miles and building a company. Long days but worth every second in my opinion.
Have fun out there!

Get over the hump....

New Years celebrations were a blast...now it's time to focus on making 2010 great!

Lately I have been focused on two things, Skinfit and training. It feels so good to be back training...can't quite put it into words. I am still skeptical that this thing is healed but I have been progressing nicely and the knee is holding up. My biggest struggle now is just getting over the hump so I can physically handle higher training loads. I am quite literally at ground zero in terms of fitness. Just getting out there in any of three sports is tough from an aerobic standpoint. I know fitness will come quickly for me so I just need to bite the bullet and work hard. I am also trying hard to lose weight (need to drop about 12 lbs) so it won't be an issue in 4-6 weeks and I can just focus on getting fit. This is always hard since my body is used to eating and drinking too much but after a couple weeks the constant hunger seems to subside (or I just accept it and can deal with it.)

Looking forward, I will be focused on the Xterra Cup Series and Xterra Nationals and Worlds. Some smaller races will be added but only as prep for the Cup races. I don't intend to race a lot this year, just target the BIG ones and focus 100% on these. I have a ton going on in my life so I can't be traveling to a lot of races but I will hit the important ones. Plus, I don't believe in racing a lot so focusing on 5-7 races all year is good for me. The good thing is that the Tri Club of SD has a bunch of great events each month so I will use these to knock off the dust and get race ready.

I am finalizing my plans and setting my sites on some big 2010 goals. If I am the only one that believes these goals are attainable then so be it. Athletically, I don't need to prove anything to anyone except for myself. So, I am content with putting my head down and busting my ass everyday to achieve the results I dream of everyday. Truthfully, I have one shot at this so it's time to buckle down and give it a go. I just hope I can stay healthy and give it my best. If I can stay injury free I can close this chapter of my life without regret and a lot of pride in my accomplishments.

So, that is the news from here. Stay tuned and have fun out there!