A little racing/training and Vegas on my mind....

Got out and did the Superseal olympic tri this past weekend. It was a great workout and a lot of fun racing and running into so many good friends. Races have come to be the norm on the weekends now...it's either a workout on my own or a workout with a "group" aka race. I am opting for the races b/c I go harder then I do on my own and in this case I made some cash (aka rent payment) and scored a sweet Luminox watch.

Managed a 3rd place overall behind good friend and coach Adam Zucco and Michi Weiss, who completely crushed us. I am happy with the effort except for the run...had some bad cramps b/c of experimental nutrition (trying new things for IM), got a little lost on the run (my bad...there were only like 20 cones at the turn:)), which allowed Adam to take over second, and just lacked any giddy up and go. I know my running has been going really well so I wasn't too worried but certainly not thrilled. However, based on today's brick workout (Which we hit out of the park!!) my running is WAY better then ever. So, all is good on that front =)

This weekend I am headed to L.A. for a small Xterra race before Vegas and Texas. It will be nice to get in a hard effort on the dirt before battling the big boys at the first stop on the Xterra Tour. Training is beyond good right now and I am healthy...I'm a happy kid!

2011 Race Schedule

Another week of training is in the bag. Since we are now 3 weeks out from the first Xterra race of the season (Vegas)the intensity has kicked up and volume has dropped a bit. I have done a lot of volume so far, starting in November, so we are backing off a bit to get more race (Xterra) specific intensity in and then after Xterra, Waco we will readdress some volume in prep for Ironman St. George. I think it's a good plan and will work really well.

So, here is the race schedule for 2011...
1. Super Seal Olympic--San Diego, March 27th
2. Xterra Renegade--L.A., April 2nd
3. Xterra West Champs--Vegas, April 10th
4, Xterra South Central Champs--Waco, TX April 17th
5. Ironman St. George--Utah, May 7th
6. Xterra Pacific Champs--Santa Cruz, CA May 15th (Quite certain I won't be able to walk after IM but I have to see this course...basically where I grew up and have tons of friends up there. BTW, thanks Xterra for putting that race there when I leave and taking Temecula off the schedule when I move down to S.D.!!)
7. Xterra South East Champs--Pelham, AL May 22nd
8. Xterra East Champs--Richmond, VA June 13th
9. Xterra Austria--June 25th (2 week stint in Europe after Richmond)
10. Xterra Mountain Champs or 70.3 Racine or just training??
11. Xterra National Champs--Ogden, UT Sept 24th
12. Kona (Hopefully!)
13. Xterra World Champs--Maui, Oct 23rd

So, that's it...lots on the plate but all exciting. The front end of the year is loaded up for sure but nothing I can really do about that since Xterra is "boss." The first two races are pure practice races just to get in some race intensity. So, no stress, just go hard and log a good workout. Similar to this weekend where did the tri club race....got in some intensity on top of a solid week. Things are still going really well and I just can't believe the season is already upon us...crazy!
It's crunch time now :)

Traveling and Training....

Well a lot has happen since my last post since I totally suck and don't have time to blog. I need to get better about it but quite frankly I am just super busy everyday and finding time to do this can be tough even though I really want to track my "journey" this year.
First things first, I got my new MTB rig and I am loving it! Loving it might be an understatement actually....it is pure bliss to ride and I can't take my eyes off of it in all its beauty =)

Now onto the recap from weeks past...
I guess I will start with my training camp in Scottsdale, AZ. I had a blast as usual...going out there is always a great time and so productive. It really jump starts my season and puts me in a good place mentally. I did the desert classic du when I was out there and got royally smacked by some of the best Ironman pros in the business. It was good to knock off the rust a bit and revisit what it means to hurt/suffer. It was a tough, hilly course and it put my HR in places I haven't seen in a while....just what the doctor ordered! I got back from AZ , settled back into San Diego living for a week or so and then went out to St George, Utah for a Trainingbible Coaching camp with Jim Vance and Adam Zucco.

The camp out there was great...a TON of solid training and I got to sell Skinfit all week to the campers. It was a great trip on all fronts. I am pretty beat after this one though as Adam doesn't like to go to bed before midnight! Dude, you owe me some sleep!! The time difference and time change also made things challenging. It's tough too to be coaching and training. It was a lot of me getting in workouts before and after sessions with the campers. All that aside it was great though and I came away with some solid fitness and recon on a course I am racing in May.
I like the St George course a lot (aside from the crappy road surface!). It suits me with all the hills on both the bike and run. It will be a HUGE challenge on race day but I look forward to it b/c you have to be strong on all fronts to do well....that to me is the perfect Ironman course.

--Got Adam out on the MTB with me in Vegas...Blue Diamond was fun!

In terms of training I am really happy where things are at. I can't thank Adam Zucco enough for his coaching! I also have Jim Vance close by to help with things. He is a good friend and excellent coach so hearing his advice and thoughts is priceless as he knows exactly what I am going through and trying to accomplish! The biggest thing for me is that I am healthy for the first time in over 2 years. Also, I have logged consistent training for the past 5 months and I am physically stronger then ever before as a result of the workouts Adam is giving me along with my time in Rehab United. I am excited for the upcoming races...probably more then ever before.

Right now we are moving toward more race intensity as we are only 4 weeks out from vegas. The past few months have been all about building a base. I have a solid one now and it's time to focus on speed and suffering :) It's looking like I will be doing some races in the coming weeks to really get in specific intensity. There is a tri club race this weekend (please no rain!), possibly Xterra Real or Super Seal the following weekend and an Xterra race up in L.A. the weekend before Vegas. Not sure just yet which ones will happen but there will no doubt be some racing in my immediate future. Exciting stuff!

That's it from here. See ya at the races!