Great weekend filled with training!

This weekend I got in some great training with a long ride (mix of road and mtn), an easy swim with drills, a mountain bike race and a hard transition run after the race. Some of my training was done with Greg Heinz, a great guy and a very good cyclist in the area (and a Cal Poly grad...Go Mustang's). I am excited to be training with him as I am certain he is going to get me into good shape!
I got my butt kicked in the XC race but man it was a great workout and I followed that up with a very tough transition run. I am pretty tired today so mission accomplished...feeling this beat means I went hard and that was the goal. I could really care less about any results b/c it is more about doing the hard work now so that I am fit for more important races in August and October.
I am doing some different training during the second half of the season. I think this new approach will deliver some great fitness and good results. With every race and every season I learn more and more about what it takes to excel at a high level in any endurance sport but specifically Xterra. Lately, I have given a lot of thought to my training and racing and, with a new arsenal of workouts, I feel like I am on the road to continued success and breakthrough performances.
Today is an obvious recovery day for me and as the week progresses I will get back into the really hard workouts. It took me about 1 week to get back to "normal." I felt off pretty much the whole week. After a solid weekend of hard training though I feel much better. I can't say I feel 100% b/c of some other things going on in my life but I feel much better, which is good.
I am always a big proponent of life balance and I believe that stress from work, family, etc. needs to be factored into every training plan b/c stress leads to poor training, end of story. While I know this all too well, it still amazes me how much stress can hurt your training and hinder your ability to push hard during key sessions. Most people close to me know that my company is going through a major restructuring right now and I, along with 50% of the other sales reps, were displaced and left without a job (and a car, computer, etc...the list goes on). A bit surprising to me given my track record with this company but it is what it is and I am doing my best to turn this tough time into a positive situation. I also believe that challenges like this one make you much stronger and smarter and it opens the door to bigger and better opportunities. So, take it from me, a lot of stress will hurt your training and needs to be factored in when developing a training plan...lesson learned, again!
Without a job I am left to train, train and train...shoot, I guess I have no choice but to get faster ;) I also get to spend more time getting my coaching business built up and Skinfit operational, which is a lot of fun and certainly where my heart is. I am also looking for another job b/c this thing called a mortgage has to get paid...why didn't I pick another sport like baseball? This triathlon thing doesn't pay much, especially when 15th is your best pro result! =)
Well, thanks for reading and have a good one!

A slight change

So, no race for me today. I was excited to race b/c it was going to be a stress free event on a beautiful course. As the week progressed making it up to Tahoe become very stressful and with the added smoke from the fires up there I pulled the plug. I will stay close to home and log plenty of miles on the bike with a longer road ride today and a mountain bike race on sunday followed by a hard transition run.
Keeping stress to a minimum is important to me. Plus, traveling to races is a lot of work and right now I just can't shoulder the load. I made the right decision and hopefully next year I can make it up there for this cool event.
So, have a good weekend everyone and I will let you know how my weekend goes come monday.

Good video of Xterra East Champs in Richmond

For all those wondering what the Xterra East Champs was all about this year check out the video link below. You get a good feel for this very cool, urban course.
FYI--Anyone in all green is obviously me =)
This video was done by Damian Gonzales and he has been doing a great job with these for a couple years now.

http://www.deltavelo.com/08_race_videos/off_road/xterra_east.html

Moving right along...

So, I have back to training for 3 days now and it feels good. I feel more myself...not feeling so fat and sluggish. I can't say I feel great in my workouts (actually I feel pretty bad) but I don't really think it is from a big lack of fitness but rather a lack of "feel" for all 3 sports. I only took one week completely off but during a taper and race phase I don't get in much training so I tend to gain a little weight and feel a bit off. My "feeling" for all 3 sports will be back after a few more days and I think my fitness will return pretty quickly.
The only thing that is a bit suspect is my hip. It is getting better everyday but it still hurts and isn't firing at 100%. It will fully heal but it is just taking longer then I would like and I would be lying if I said it doesn't bother me a bit when I run.
So, my plan is to race Xterra Tahoe City this weekend and the only thing that will prevent me from doing so is my hip. The only races that matter to me this year are the Xterra National Series races and there only two more left--Ogden August 16th and Nationals in Lake Tahoe October 5th. So, if I am not feeling 100% I won't do the race this weekend b/c it just isn't worth injuring myself further. As much as I love Tahoe and enjoy doing Xterra races it is important to be smart at this point in the season.
So, we will see. I hope things are 100% and I can put in a great training day on saturday. If not, no worries...I will just stick around home and log some quality miles.
Have a good one!

Back at it...

My week of excess is now over and boy does it feel good to be back training! I feel rather plump and out of shape, which is exactly the way I want to feel even though I HATE feeling like this. It was a good break mentally and physically. My hip is still bothering me a bit but i think some light movement will be good for it (since I went to medical school and all ;) ).
I got in a nice run and mountain bike ride this morning and it felt so good to sweat a bit. I will hit the pool for a short swim this afternoon just to get a feel for the water and to prepare myself for the masters sessions to come. This first week of swimming is going to be rough!!!
Oh, I love it though. I realize how much I enjoying being active when I spend time being inactive. I have really enjoyed training and racing this year so I am very excited to start my prep for Ogden and Nationals.
I will be racing this saturday (Xterra Tahoe City) just for fun...I love those Tahoe trails and that beautiful lake! I won't be resting for this race and, quite frankly, I don't have a really good track record when racing at altitude (unless I spent plenty of time training at altitude prior to the race) so it will be a great training day in a beautiful place, which is tough to beat.
Thanks for reading and have a good one!

Checkout a review of a great product from one of my sponsors

http://www.slowtwitch.com/Products/Seeing_Clearly_Sable_WaterOptics_Goggles_397.html

Some news and some pictures

I am lucky to have two new companies supporting my efforts as a first year Xterra pro...
1. Oakley--makers of the best eyewear on the planet, hands down!!!
2. ESI grips (extreme steering Inc.)--makers on the lightest and most comfortable mountain and road grips available.

With the addition of these two companies I have a very strong team behind me...thanks for all the support!!! Where would I be without my sponsors, family and friends?!

On another note, I decided to visit the doctor today b/c my hip is really bothering me (since my crash in Richmond). It has become increasingly sore and is still swollen so I was a bit worried it was more serious then I originally thought. The doctor told me that he is 95% certain that nothing is broken b/c where I have the most pain is on the biggest bone in my body. Basically, he said if it was broken I wouldn't be walking. So, he said that it will be sore and swollen for a week or so more and then I should be fine. I will get an x-ray down the road if things don't get better through the weekend. I was just experiencing more pain then usual (it basically hurts all the time) after a crash so I wanted to get it checked out. I am not entirely sure I trust the guy that looked at it (since he touched it for seriously 10 seconds) but he did make me feel a little better about everything. I just hope everything heals and I can be back training next week as planned. Deep down I think I am fine but it sure does hurt and it probably will for the next week or so. I guess I will just have to spend the weekend wine/beer tasting in San luis Obispo with Jess to dull the pain =)


Some pictures from last weekends race in Richmond




--From here down are some cool pics from our photoshoot in SF (we have hundreds so it will take some time to sort through all of them)