Trips and training

-A glimpse into life in Big Sur

The trip to the Big Sur backcountry was awesome as usual. We got a little rain on Sunday but it just made for some fun driving back down the mountain. Overall, just what I wanted....time away from the "world" relaxing with good friends.

On Sunday I dropped Jess off at the airport in Monterey and then drove down to SLO to meet Slater. We pulled the plug on the Monterey stay and opted for SLO instead since the weather was not looking good up north. I think it was the right call. We have a comfy place to stay everyday and the training here is epic. The pool is at the bottom of the hill, the roads are free of traffic, the scenery is unrivaled, there tons of climbing, and the trails bring a smile to your face. A recipe for a perfect training camp if you ask me.
It has been great training with Slater. He is getting ready for Ultraman (totally crazy!) and it is inspiring to see him put in the work. It's so nice to have someone out there to log the hours with. Can't wait to see what he does in Hawaii!
On Monday we logged 5:20 on the bike. We headed out to the Wildflower course from Atascadero but the wind was pretty ugly so we turnaround and got the extra miles on the twisty vineyard roads. Then we jumped off and did a 5 mile t-run. Was one of the first runs I have done after a long ride so the legs were in some shock for the first bit but they actually came around and I felt good as the run went on.  Today we woke up and knocked out some meters in the pool and then went down to the coast for a run on one of the best trails in the world! The dirt was perfect and the views just breathtaking. If you don't feel good after a run on this trail in Montana De Oro you have some serious issues! =)
Amazingly, I feel pretty good. The shift to true aerobic training doesn't wreck me so I can log the miles day after day. Sure, the hours can be exhausting but my legs aren't trashed.  I am really respecting the zones and I can already see the benefits. The testing I did in AZ was really good for me and I am glad I did it. I am headed in a new direction and I think it will bring about positive results. In addition to the different training stress I am also focusing a lot on my diet. It's not that I don't eat healthy b/c I certainly do but I need my body to use more fat as fuel (as opposed to carbs) and this takes some training. So, things are good and I am pumped about the training ahead of me!

We have a couple more days in SLO. The weather is nice and Slater and I have a massive day planned tomorrow....all three sports and a lot of miles =) Can't wait.