Getting old....

Ha, ha not really old but I do turn 31 on Monday and I can tell I am getting older b/c everything takes longer to heal and I move a bit slower in the morning until my body catches up with my mind.

Speaking of healing we made the call to stop running for two weeks to let my shin splint fully heal. The initial recommendation was to back off to 50% and we tried that but the issue still lingers. I can run but I hate having something nagging and holding me back so the decision was made to give it complete rest. Obviously not ideal heading into Texas (the 2nd Xterra series race) but I didn't run much before Vegas and had a decent run. I have increased the intensity in the water and on the bike so hopefully some of that high intensity training will carry over to the run. I have befriended the elliptical machine...I hate being inside on this stupid machine but it does simulate running to a certain extent and will keep some fitness.

--Picture taken by Rich Cruise...I look pretty awkward but in my defense it was a pretty steep drop :)

Drives me crazy I can't go into these important races with some proper training under my belt. Vegas showed some potential for good results since heading into Vegas I had done very little interval/intensity training, just basic strength and aerobic work. I have logged some solid training in the last two weeks and I will carry it into Texas. Really though I just want to be 100% healthy so that I can toe the line without anything holding me back. I will be there ready to race for sure but the question remains, if I wasn't injured how would I really do? Well, I know at some point I will be 100% so I look forward to that day but for now I am still focused on doing well and putting in the hard work. The run in my mind is always about guts and heart anyway so weather I am injured or not it will be all about suffering on raceday. I guess in some respects not knowing what to expect out on the run can be a blessing...just go for it and see what ya got!

I have a lot of training this weekend and we also have some good friends in town so there will be plenty of good times. The padres are in town, good beers will be in the fridge, the BBQ is primed, and I hear the weather will be killer...a recipe for success if you ask me =) All of this will be needed as I age up one more year...31 here we come!

I leave for Austin on Wednesday. Really excited to see this town since I have heard so much about it. I have also heard great things about the trails in Cameron Park so it will be fun to pre-ride the course for a few days before raceday. Well, that's it from here. Have a good weekend and stay tuned!

Hard training is hard and makes me tired =)

The training intensity has gone up and it wears me out! Ha ha I like it though but some days are harder then others. My running is still minimal and has zero intensity. My shin splint is feeling MUCH better and I think we can start to mix in some harder running soon ( I hope!). We are starting back slow but I am actually starting to feel like I have forgotten what it's like to run hard...no bueno!

The swimming and riding are hard though with several interval sessions each week. Times up climbs seem to be dropping and wattage is up, which are all good signs. Lesley and I are finally on the same page so we have managed to get in some good training sessions together...it has been nice to have some company. It can get a little lonely out there when you have a long ride filled with intervals and no one else to share in the pain ;)

So, a lot of training on tap this week and heading into the important races. Managing to juggle Skinfit work, coaching and training at the moment but I notice that if I get one bad night of sleep I am done for a couple days. I have been logging some great sleep lately but I always feel like I could use just a little more time with my head on the pillow (despite 9+ hrs). That's training for you though.

Got a couple new products to tackle the season with...2010 SJ hardtail (thanks to B & L and James!), which is much lighter then my 2009 version (crazy!) and my new vendetta wetsuit from Xterra. The suit fits like a glove...I love it! They are seriously making such nice suits!

It has been really nice to be home and spending time with Jess. We had a great weekend hangout with friends and family. We even hit up Stone Brewery for Mothers Day, which was nothing short of amazing. I want to own that brewery!

So, that's it from here. Back to work I go!

Busy, busy...

-Skinfit booth at Wildflower

Man, the last 3 weeks have flown by. Sea Otter, Vegas, Wildflower, and now (finally!) home at the beach. I had a blast but traveling that much breaks me down!


-Home away from home...sleeping in my Skinfit booth at Wildflower

It feels good to be back in S.D. for a few weeks before heading off to Texas for the next stop on the Xterra circuit. I am ready for some consistent and hard training. Jim has me doing some interval training on the bike, which I am excited about b/c I will need some high-end fitness heading into the next few big races. Before Vegas I had only done a couple hard sessions...I had base fitness and strength but no high-end fitness so these intervals should help. I am also starting back with some light running and the leg is feeling better. We are going to build up slowly but more then anything I look forward to logging some running miles on the local trails. I am hitting masters at UCSD a lot too in hopes of decreasing the deficit out of the water. My pool times are faster then ever so it drives me crazy that I am getting so smacked in the races. I actually consider myself a much better openwater swimmer then a pool swimmer, go figure. Plus, I am at Rehab United pretty much everyday doing strength work, mobility, art, ice, etc. The crew there is amazing and getting me back to 100%

Skinfit has been pumping...I am slammed with work, which is great! So, between Skinfit and training there isn't much free time. I am enjoying it though and, as long as I can get a good night sleep and a nap every once in a while, I will survive :)


- I will leave you with this pic...Avia pulled out all the stops providing endless amounts of booze for the weekend. Plus a full taco bar both nights!

Xterra Vegas race report

My first official race back on the Xterra circuit has come and gone. After a 22 month abscence from racing I was super excited get back but since I have been dealing with injuries for the past three weeks I was really unsure of what would happen and how I would feel.

I woke up feeling positive. I was honestly just so happy to be part of an Xterra event again. The people, the whole Xterra crew, the atmosphere are all things I missed tremendously while I was injured last year. Truthfully, simply starting that race was a small victory for me, which is why I think I was so positive all day. I remember thinking to myself constantly (even when it hurt) how great it was to be back. The Xterra crew was so welcoming and supportive too and I really felt like part of the "family."

As for the actual race...

I feel like I am swimming better then ever before but you wouldn't really know this based on my swim yesterday. I feel like I am struggling a bit in the open water despite my swim times being solid in the pool. I think this will just take a little more time to come around and I think in the coming weeks I will develop some good swim fitness to take into the next few races. So, swim was mediocre but I was still in the mix heading out onto the bike.

It took me about the entire first lap to get my legs firing. I rode my second lap faster and cleaner for sure. The tough thing was I wasn't able to stay on the wheel of some of the top guys as they went by. First Cody went by, and then Nico, and Brian. It would have been nice to latch onto these guys but my fitness just isn't there yet. I tried but I just couldn't do it. Typical Xterra I felt like I was in no man's land since I couldn't ride with the faster guys so I just focused on staying positive and doing my own race. Coming into transition I was told I was in 9th. Honestly, I was kind of shocked.

I went out onto the run unsure of a lot of things...how would my left leg feel, how would I cope with running after pretty much 3 weeks off, would I run out of gas. I remembered Lesley telling me how tough the run is so I was curious to see how it would pan out. I usually race one way and that's as hard as I can go from start to finish but yesterday there were so many things up in the air. So, in all honesty I ran very controlled for just about all of it. I just kept a high turnover on the hills and let gravity help me on the downhills. When I finished I felt like I could have certainly run way harder but, like I said, there was a lot of uncertainty in my mind so I kept it controlled. Turns out I ran okay despite 3 weeks of no running, an injury, and a very conservative effort. Racing conservatively in any sense of the word is not really racing in my mind. I am the type of person that believes in full gas racing with no excuses so it kind of bugs me that I played it conservatively but I think at this stage it was the right thing to do given the injury I have been dealing with. The most important thing to me right now is that I get my leg healthy so I can prepare well for races in June.

Overall, I am happy with my performance. Was it blazing fast and flawless? No, but it is promising in my mind and I think if I can stay healthy and put in some good, hard training in the coming months I can be where I want to be. I left the weekend feeling positive and feeling like I had a lot of small victories.

It was so great having my family there too. I am glad they were there to experience my return to the sport that I love so much. Seeing there excitement made me even more pumped up to race and to enjoy the experience. I learned a lot last year and perhaps the most important thing I learned is to appreciate the WHOLE experience...I can honestly say I did this.

I really owe a lot to Jess too. She stuck with me through all the rough patches last year when I was just a pain to deal with b/c I couldn't train or even exercise. She was there screaming for me during the race and she was right there at the finish line to give me a big hug and a smile when I crossed the line. I needed her last year more then I think she knows so to have here there with me this weekend for my best Xterra performance ever really made it special. She encouraged me to stick it out and get back to racing during times when I wasn't sure I could do it. Thanks for everything Jess!

So, looking forward I am excited about Texas, Alabama and Richmond. I think my best performances are certainly to come. I look forward to banking some consistent and hard training in the coming weeks so I can work toward achieving my goals. Jim Vance has been invaluable from both a physical and mental coaching perspective. I can't lie, the past few weeks of dealing with yet another injury was really tough but Jim really coached me through it and got me to the start line excited and ready to race...thanks Jim! In my opinion, a coach that can get you from completely down in the dumps and unexcited to fired up and ready to race in a short 30 min conversation is a very good coach!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned as I gear up for my next races! Got some exciting adventures on tap!

Xterra Vegas....

--Lucky # 20

Right now I am in Vegas to kick off the Xterra season. It has been great so far...I had Jess to keep me company on the drive out, the house my folks got is amazing and right next to the race site, I am surrounded by family, I am running into people I haven't seen in a long time, and I have checked out the race course. This course, in my opinion, is really hard! The bike has super steep climbs, loose, rocky descents and the run course is relentless with steep ups and downs. Plus, it is going to be hot tomorrow. It should all make for a brutal day of racing, which is why I am here =)

Enjoying some coffee and breakfast now, doing a little work, and then I am heading out at 9 for a lap of the bike course and a swim. Skinfit is going to be well represented tomorrow....Lesley Paterson, Nico Lebrun, Adam Zucco, me, and several others. Excited to get some good pics for the websites and blogs!

My bike is totally dialed thanks to Gordon at B & L. Honestly, I am floored by the level of service the B & L crew is providing...there is no better shop in S.D. So many shops just want your money but at B & L you are part of the family and they bend over backwards to make sure you have everything you need. Thanks for everything guys!

So, everything is a go for tomorrow. It will be a good gauge of fitness for me as we near races in June. We will just have to see how my leg holds up on the run and how it is doing moving forward.

--Even Sophie is race ready!

Sea Otter and this coming weekend

Well, the race itself at Sea Otter didn't go so well b/c of tire/air issues. I mounted some new tires before the race and managed to "burp" about all the air in my front tire about 3 min into the XC race. Okay, I am stupid b/c I didn't have air with me but I have ridden the Sea Otter trails literally hundreds of times and never have I ever flatted or lost air...so, I took a chance. Didn't pay off so I rode the entire first lap (19 miles) on less then 10 psi. Not fun since it felt like my front tire was going to roll off the rim about every 30 seconds :) I finally got a pump at the end of the first lap so I was able to head out on the second lap. Of course, tire burped more air and I was back to no pressure. So, let's just say I didn't race but instead cruised some sweet singletrack all the while testing my handling skills. Oh well, lesson learned and I really did enjoy riding the trails. The conditions up there this year were incredible.

--The best japanese feast on the planet + awesome single-track = good times!

On to this weekend...it is the start of the Xterra season out in Vegas. If you have followed this blog at all you know I have been really excited to get back to Xterra racing. Since my knee is healed and important races are upon us I figured it was time to go out and injure another body part just to keep the pain train going ;) I have been battling achillies issues and shin splints for the past 3 weeks. So, I haven't done any run training for a long while. It totally sucks and I am sure the run on Sunday is going to be tough as all hell but I will be there gutting it out. After Vegas I will be taking some time to let the leg heal so I can get back on track with my other races. I have been working with Rehab United daily and I think things will start to come around. So, not exactly how I would like to kick off my return to Xterra but such is life. I will be out there giving it my best and we will see how it goes. I wish I could say I was 100% healthy and race ready but, one thing I did learn from my knee injury, is that you just have to roll with it and make the most of the opportunities you have. Me actually starting a big race is a small victory for me given the past year. I guess sometimes small victories can lead to bigger ones if you stay patient, focused, and dedicated...I will hang my hat on this for the moment.
Have a good one out there and I will let you know how the weekend goes. I will leave you with this...

Hmmmm...

--Ice Bath in the backyard =)

Been a bit of a tough week with regards to training. Skinfit has been good but training a bit challenging. I am dealing with a leg injury...some shin splints and some other lower leg issues so running has been pretty much nonexistent. I have been doing EVERYTHING to get healthy but these issues seem to be taking a long time to heal up. I did get in some good swim and bike sessions last week, which I am happy about. Really though just been kind of bummed out b/c big races are coming up and I can't really train like I need to in order to properly prepare.
So, just trying to roll with it and hoping things turn the corner soon so I can get back to proper training. I can say that I feel like my swim and bike are coming along nicely and I am starting to see some form. I was running well prior to this set back, which came on a couple of weeks ago. So, I think if I can get healthy pretty soon I can be back on track. Honestly though I have run maybe 4 times in the last two weeks and it has been nothing more then a short 30 min test run to get a feel for how things are recovering. So, not ideal but I am doing all I can right now to get back.

--Found some new trails to play on here in S.D.!

This week I am headed up to SLO and then Monterey for Sea Otter. I love this race b/c it is on trails that I grew up on (and I get to see family and friends). It is very tough racing and great training for my up coming Xterra events. I am always completely wrecked after the nearly 3 hour XC race and I am sure this year won't be any different. On Sunday I will be doing a Skinfit event in Morgan Hill and then I will head back to S.D. to put in the final prep for Vegas, the first Xterra race of the year. So, a bit of travel on tap for the next couple of weeks.
That is about it to report from here. Have a good week out there!