Happy New Year

Well, today marks the last day of 2008 and what a year it was. Perhaps the biggest year of my life in terms of change. 2008 provided some struggles but, in the end, Jess and I came out on top and are moving closer to our dreams. Bring on 2009...it's going to be a great year, I have NO doubt!

Training has been going well. I got in a masters session, a trail run and a trainer session yesterday. Today I logged another masters workout (up in north county b/c UCSD is closed) and got in a fun mountain bike ride. It felt great to be back on the trails as I have been away from my mountain bike for almost two weeks. I am actually feeling pretty good in the water...let's just say that I am swimming faster now then I did all year last year and I haven't even done that much intensity in the pool (I am doing some different things this year and they are no doubt helping, the results have been rapid and obvious). Some good'ol hardwork in the pool in 2009 and we will see what kind of times I can post...I just can't keep swimming the way I have been for the last couple years (ie. way too slow!), change is coming =) The next few days involve some longer rides with Luke, a buddy of mine down here and some runs. UCSD opens back up this saturday so I will hit the pool over the weekend

The rest of the day is all about enjoying this great S.D. weather with Jess and the dog. We are heading to the beach and then we will find something exciting to do close to home.


--I have had some questions about wetsuits recently. I am lucky enough to be swimming in an Xterra Vendetta, which is the fastest, most flexible and most boyant wetsuit I have ever worn. If you need a new wetsuit or just want to swim faster contact Xterra and pick one up!

--Oh, we are making bread these days with this breadmaker...amazing! It is my new addiction =)

Have a good one everyone and have a good 2009!

Quick update

We are in San Luis Obispo right now and have been for the last few days. We are heading back to S.D. today...I really can't wait to get back home.
I have been gone for a couple weeks now and I need to get back to a normal routine. My 9 day "isolationist" training camp went well. I got in some great swims, rides and runs and my motivation went through the roof. After my training camp Jess and I went up to Sacramento for Xmas. We had fun with family and, overall, it was a pretty mellow holiday. On the 26th we cruised down to SLO to spend some time with my family. Now, we are on the road again, this time back to sunny San Diego.
My training last week was pretty light and unstructured. I did get in some workouts but nothing too serious, which is fine as I think it will serve me well as the season progresses.

This week I will be back at it with some higher volume...can't wait!
Hope all is well. Have fun out there!

--She is ready for the beach!

Day 7 and 8

--Winter riding gear...no fooling around, it's cold up here!

Sunday I started out with another Stanford masters session. It was a challenging set that included 17x100. 5x100 at base +5, 100 easy, 5x100 at base, 100 easy, 5x100 at base -5. I felt decent as the session went on. Swimming meters is getting much easier (relatively speaking), which is a great feeling b/c the first few workouts were rough! After swimming I rested up a bit and then head out for my long run in the afternoon. I got in 1:25 of hilly running.


--Sans pelo. This is my christmas present to my family, they love it when I cut all my hair off ;)

Today has been a lazy day and will be a day off for me. I logged almost 20 hours of training last week and, while I feel good, I am certainly tired so today is a good day to take off. This week will be challenging from a training standpoint just b/c of the holiday. So, I will get in another masters session tomorrow morning along with a trainer workout. Then, it is up to Sacramento to spend Christmas with family.
I will have my running shoes and that will likely be the only thing I will get in as pools will be closed and the roads will be wet.
This week is a great time to relax and be with family so I am going to enjoy it and get back to structured training after Christmas.
Hope everyone is getting that shopping done. Have a good one and thanks for reading.

--Passed out...rest is key!

Day 6

The day started early with 6 am masters practice. It was freezing this morning so it was a little rough making the dash from the locker room to the pool. We warmed up with some 50's and then had to swim 2 k straight alternating free/back by 50 and descending the free so that by the end you are really pushing it. Surprisingly, it went by pretty quickly and it felt good to really work on my stroke, making sure I am really "catching" the water. I am starting to feel so much more powerful in the water, much more so then ever before =)

After my swim I cruised back to the casa for some breakfast before my big adventure in the Santa Cruz mountains. I met up with my buddy Paul Roach (fellow Xterra athlete)...it was great to have company! We got in just about 4 hrs and 10,000 feet of climbing. I love the ride we did b/c it includes 2, 45 min climbs and the route runs through some amazing terrain. Today was gorgeous! The views were unbelievable. Some of the best riding in the country really is in Northern California. Of course, I didn't bring my camera so you will just have to take my word for it. It turned out to be one of the best rides I have done in a very long time. It was cold but I dressed appropriately this time so I stayed fairly comfortable despite the massive climbs and descents.
Tomorrow will be another masters session and a long run.
I think I am going to kill this entire pizza I just made and I am beat so I am going to cut this one short. Thanks for reading. Time for some recovery and then let's do it all again tomorrow! Yeahhh boyyyy! Thanks for reading.

Day 5

Today turned into a recovery day. I made it to the pool for a noon workout and just cruised it. I had a lot of work to do, the weather sucked and I was feeling tired so I decided to get in some lighter swimming to loosen up my sore muscles and then come back home and knock out some work.

Plus, this weekend I have some serious hours on tap. I will be swimming masters both days and then on Saturday I will head up in the Santa Cruz mountains for a long, hilly ride. On Sunday, after masters, I will get in my long run on some of the local trails. So, today is nice and easy and this weekend will kick my butt! Can't wait!

On another note, Skinfit will be partnering with Christine Jeffrey, stud swimmer and most recently 5th at Xterra World's. Look for her to dominate Xterra next year! The athlete line-up here in the states is looking pretty good with Victor Plata (olympian), Brian Lavelle, Christine Jeffrey, Reto Waeffler, James Walsh, and myself.
Plus, a whole bunch of top European athletes.

Throughout the weekend I should have a lot to report...plenty of adventures ahead!
Thanks for reading.

Day 4

I slept in a bit this morning and then knocked out some Skinfit shipments.
I decided to skip masters today and opted to head out for my trail run around 11. I felt great so I kept running and got in a fairly hilly 1:20. I just love running when the weather is a bit chilly...the air is so refreshing and invigorating. After my run I put in some serious stretch cord time and did core/lower back work. The stretch cords kicked my butt...I love doing these exercises b/c I feel that I get instant gratification in terms of better form, a stronger pull and, overall, just more efficient swimming.
I was going to spin on rollers but the rain was holding off so I hit the road for 1:30 of pure recovery. It felt good to loosen up the legs and get some fresh air before the rain starts falling again.
A fairly uneventful day, especially when compared to yesterday. Tomorrow is more of the same with a masters session (another threshold set that will no doubt destroy me!) and a trainer workout. Sorry for the lack of pictures...I will have more tomorrow and over the weekend.
One announcement is that Xterra released the 2009 race schedule. I will be doing all the cup races (8 in total), which are the races with money and pro points. I will be traveling to some new venues so I am excited about that... Las Vegas, Michigan, Alabama, Vermont, Colorado, Idaho, Utah and they are slated to put two more cup races on the schedule...who know where those will be.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Day 3

First of all, I slept like a champ last night. I was so tired last night b/c I had to be up early two days in a row and, plus, I spent the whole day training. So, in true rockstar fashion I hit the sack at something like 8:15. I ignored the alarm for masters and slept until 7:45...some solid hours and it felt great. I spent the rest of the morning doing some work and then went to noon masters at Stanford.

--Fuel!

Again, a serious slap in the face...warmup, 3x50's all-out for time, then 2 rounds of 3x100 base -5, 100 base +20, 2x100 base -5, 100 base +20, 1x100 base -5, 100 base +20. The good thing was that I made the send off fairly easily. We pulled the second round so the send off became a nonissue. So, some hard swimming and I am much happier with my performance today then I was yesterday. Swimming long course is simply harder...no way around it. If your not swimming long course you are at a disadvantage at the start of every triathlon/open water swim you do (doesn't really apply if your a REALLY GREAT swimmer but it doesn't hurt either). So, if you can get in a 50 meter pool do it! You will be a faster swimmer b/c of it.

--My home away from home...2, 50 meter pools! This facility is awesome.

After swimming I rushed home to head out the door for my ride. I had planned a 3 hr ride but since I slept in I changed things up and set out for 2 hrs. I rode out to hwy 9 and started the 45 min climb, feeling a little unsure if it was a wise move given how cold it has been and how much snow was up top. I forged ahead and really enjoyed the climb. When I was just about at the top I saw a guy sitting on the side of the road and a bit further was a bike on the ground. I stopped to see if he needed anything and when he looked at me he was covered in blood from his head/face down...wow! I stopped to help and just as I unclipped the ambulance/police came flying around the corner. They took care of it and I rode off since he was in better hands. As I rode away he said "be careful, the roads are really slippery."

So, I got to the top and changed my plans, no more riding for me b/c the temperature was only going to get dip lower and the roads were only going to get more icy. I decided to go back down the climb I just came up (the fastest way home). Nine miles later I was frozen! Seriously, my hands were so cold I was actually a bit worried (yes, I did have gloves on). I rode the last 15 minutes as hard as I could to try and get some blood flowing again. I made it back, fired up the heater, turned on the hot water in the shower and tried to get back to normal...it hurts so bad to get blood back into your hands when they are that cold. So, stupid to head into the mountains given the weather? The short answer is yes however, I got some great pics, saw and rode through some beautiful snow covered mountains, which I don't normally get to do, and in true "rocky" fashion I had to toughen up just to get home.


Now, it is time to relax before tomorrow. More training in store with another masters session, a trail run, and core/stretch cord work.