Awesome week!

--At the Del Mar races...just couldn't pass it up!

It has been one of those weeks that make you very happy and excited. Everything seemed to fall into place. Jess and I celebrated 5 yrs of marriage, Jess got promoted, training is going well and I am feeling stronger, Skinfit sales continue resulting in our best month ever (and it's not over!), and I had some great times with friends.  I am a lucky guy for sure!

I am off to Chicago tomorrow for my first ever Skinfit sales trip outside of California. It should be a great week filled with meetings, networking events, and training. I am excited to finally get out there...it has been a long time coming since Chicago is one of our biggest markets.  So, if you live in Chicago drop me a line b/c I will have tons of Skinfit gear with me.

On the training front things have been going really well. I am in total base/strength mode and I have seen some good results. Feels good to be healthy and logging some consistent training. I will continue this base/strength phase for another week and then when I get back from Chicago I will start to dial it up a bit with more specific workouts tailored toward the Xterra Worlds course. I mentioned in my last post that I am planning to race Nationals but this week I decided against it. I need a little more time to prepare for racing. In order for me to race well at altitude I need to acclimate at altitude for 2-3 weeks before the race...this requires a lot of time, travel, and money. Since I know I can't be in great shape for Nationals I just can't justify the time and money. Plus, by not going to Nationals I secure myself a couple extra weeks of prep for worlds. If I go to nationals I will have an easy week before the race and will need the next week to travel home, settle in, recoup from the race and time at altitude. So, I figure I will lose about 12-14 days of quality training. Quite frankly, I need every day I can get to be ready for worlds and I really don't want to rush anything. All I have done this year is rush, deal with injury, and race when I was far from race fit and healthy. I would love to finish out the year with a couple months of consistent, quality training and a good go in Maui. It has been a tough decision b/c I do want to race Nationals but at the end of the day I really hate racing when I am not ready physically and mentally. Some people can do this but I just don't really respond well to it so I have made my decision.  My ticket to Maui has been purchased, my sights are set on that race, and I am excited for the day.

So, that's the news from here. Wouldn't mind having another week like the one we just had. It will certainly be a fun adventure out east and I will no doubt have some stories to share. Thanks for reading and have fun out there!

Busy so no blogging...

Life has been insane the past month and obviously the blogging has slowed.  I have traveled the state of CA several times over this summer and trying to juggle Skinfit, training/racing, and a social life is no easy task.  It has been nice to be in S.D. for the past week.  I head to Chicago Monday but the two week stint at the beach has certainly been nice. I have fallen back into a routine and I have logged some consistent training.
I wasn't entirely sure I would go to Xterra Nationals but I think I will give it a go.  It is fast approaching (5 weeks) and while my focus will remain worlds I think I can be in decent shape for the race in Utah.  I have been able to run consistently which is a huge change from earlier in the year.  Sure will be nice (assuming no injuries) to go into a race with some actual run fitness.  I have been doing a lot of long rides with low cadence strength work.  These types of sessions work really well for me and I already feel stronger overall. I am also going to Rehab United twice a week and getting absolutely beat down by the crew there.  These workouts are so important for me and really help to keep me healthy and strong.  It will be tough to juggle them when the intensity goes up but they are so important for me that they need to stay a part of my routine. I am lacking some major fitness in the water which sucks but after Richmond I really didn't swim for a month so it isn't a big shocker that I am slow.  I am trying to work on my weakness by swimming longer sets so we will see how this shapes up over the next 5 weeks.

I did put on some weight during my month of uncertainty and good times so it has been a bit of a struggle to get it off.  It is starting to shed so just need to keep logging the training and hopefully I will be down to race weight by Nationals. Pretty certain it will happen but it is always a bad situation when you are trying to lose weight and train a lot.  This was proven yesterday when I had an absolute meltdown on my ride and run.  So, I will have to be a little more careful moving forward so I can maximize my training but still drop the lbs in a reasonable manner.

On another note, Skinfit is cranking!  Things have been going really well and this month will be our biggest sales month ever!  It is so nice to see the hardwork paying off, especially since I am gone all the time and barely see my wife.  She has been so supportive but it is tough to be away so much.

So, life is good and we just keep rolling along.  Should be a hectic couple of months as I ramp up training, Skinfit continues to blow up, we go to weddings, parties, etc.  I would have it no other way though because everyday shapes up to be a good one.

--a family wedding in mission beach this past weekend...nice to have to close to home

--One of the many events I have been to over the past 4 weeks

Back to work I go.  Have a good one and thanks for reading.

The past week....

Well, finally made in back to S.D.! Feels good to be home but I am hardly settled b/c I will be hitting the road again next Wednesday.  I am headed back to Northern CA first for a bachelor party, then a few Skinfit events and some team meetings.  I will be up there for about 10 days in total.  Lots of work and some good training will be on the agenda but it is always hard to leave Jess.  She has been a good sport but it is hard to always be leaving.  Seems I am living out of a suitcase lately...even at home I don't really unpack b/c I know I just have to get on the road again soon.
Since getting back I have managed to get in some good training.  I have really been enjoying the workouts and I feel motivation coming back.  I even have a bit of a desire to race and go hard, which is a welcome feeling.  It really is all about finding that "happy place" with training.  I have been able to get out there with Lesley, which is really nice.  She is a great motivator and we always have fun training together.  You always needs someone on the same page to help with the daily grind and to put things into perspective.  We share very similar views on training/racing so I think we are able to help eachother excel and really find the joys in the whole process.

My focus is on strength right now.  A couple bike sessions per week doing low cadence work, longer intervals in the pool, and hilly runs.  Strength is a weakness of mine and I am determined to work on it.  I love strength work on the bike....it works, plain and simple.  I can literally feel a difference the next day after I do these types of workouts.  My weakness in the water is my lack of swimming hard, longer intervals.  I can swim fast for short distances but I need to swim a fast 1500 so my focus is on swimming distance sets hard.  Honestly, I have never really done this (b/c I hate it) so I am curious to see how I improve with this change.  My leg feels good (cross your fingers) and my running is progressing.  I am just running, nothing hard or structured.  I am building slowly and will be up to 3 hrs total (per week) next week.  Doesn't sound like much but being able to do this and stay healthy is VERY motivating for me.  I have gone virtually the entire race season without running and I know if I can stay healthy and get in the key workouts I can post a decent run split.  Knowing I couldn't prepare for the run was really hard for me and actually sapped a lot of energy...I mean, if I can't run I am missing out on 1/3 of the sport of triathlon...kind of a big deal =)
I have quite a bit of travel coming up as I already mentioned.  The good thing is that my travel takes me to some AWESOME training grounds.  Between Monterey and the Santa Cruz mountains I will get in some great work.  Then at the end of August I will be in Chicago for a week to do some Skinfit networking and I will be able to log plenty of hours with Adam Zucco...a great training partner.
Overall, I feel good and I am excited to see my motivation returning.  Taking a step back for me was a great thing and has brought back some fire.  I can't say with certainty that I will race nationals and worlds but it is looking like I will.  If I keep on the path I am on I think I will be fit physically and mentally.
Got a good weekend on tap...long ride and swim on saturday with James and Beth and it's Jessica's Bday on Sunday so we will have a fun filled day.
Have a good weekend everyone. Thanks for reading!

Just roll with it....

Since Richmond I have honestly lacked a lot of motivation to train and up until this week I really haven't done much of anything except for some fun casual rides and runs.  It has just been a roller-coaster ride all year with injuries and I have been frustrated that I can't get in consistent training and I have yet to see any fitness close to what I had before my big crash a couple years ago.  In a way, I am just tired of trying to force everything so I took a step back to figure out what I want and to get back to enjoying the sport of triathlon.
I needed the break both physically and mentally but more mentally.  I would be lying if I said I didn't question what I was doing trying to race, if I even have "it" anymore, and if I even have the motivation to chase my personal dreams and aspirations in the sport of triathlon. Let's face it, it is a lot of work (and money) to train and race triathlon and I think the weight of this coupled with my injuries and inability to log consistent training put a lot of stress into my daily life.  When I step back from it all, I just think what's it all worth?
I have obviously done a lot of thinking and I realize the sacrifices I make are worth it in the long run b/c I want to look back at my racing life and be proud that I gave it my best shot.  Whatever results come it is second to knowing that I honestly gave it a shot and tried my best.  I can tell you with certainty that I will not be racing after next season (aside from the occassional fun, local event just to stay fit and active).  Actually, the jury is still out that I will race next year but my gut tells me I will give it a go for one more year.  Then, I am shifting gears to focus more on work and my family life with Jess.  I love triathlon but you can only pour your heart and soul into something for so long before you reach a point of saturation...I am not far off from this point.  Don't get me wrong, I think I still have some good racing left in me but I know it won't go past another full season. To race well you need that fire and killer attitude but we only have so much of this in us during our lifetime....once this is gone I don't really see the point in racing, it becomes about participation rather then winning. For some people this is enough but, for me, it's not and it will be time to pull the plug when the "fire" is out.

Last week I was in Tahoe with good friends and it was really great to be outside riding bikes, running, laughing, and truly enjoying living an active lifestyle.  No thoughts of training and racing, just good fun with great friends.  It gave me some perspective. 

This week my buddy Tom joined me in Monterey and we got in some "real" training.  I wanted to see how I felt with a bit more structure and some longer hours.  I honestly felt good and I enjoyed the training.  I feel motivation coming back and I think my head is in the right place having taken some of the seriousness and rigidity out of it. So, I am going to build back up. My running is going to progress very slowly in an effort to not get hurt and I will start up with lots of strength work on the bike and long swim sets. In the coming weeks I will see if I want to give Xterra World's a go and, if I feel fit as Nationals approaches, I will toe the line in Utah. Nothing is certain but, in my mind, this is the plan. Most importantly, I am getting back to doing the sport because I love it. Fitness will come but I need it to be shared with happiness and passion.

Here are some pics from Tahoe...

--My buddy Matt swore I could ride through the creek...not so much

--Great to see some snow way up top above the lake

--Trying to jump over the log was a bad idea =)

The lack of blogging has been the result of a lot of thinking. I will be more regular about my posts from here on out. Thanks for reading and have a good weekend!

---Make the right choices.....

Richmond RR

I am finally back home to San Diego after what seemed like a long time in the east! I had a lot of fun on the trip but it is always nice to be back home.

After Bama I was pretty bummed out. My flat and lack of fitness just got to me mentally and I really thought hard about calling it quits and flying home early. I am glad I stayed for a lot of reasons...I ended up having a decent race and I had a GREAT time with my family and friends. I tried to focus on enjoying the whole experience and can honestly say I had a blast on raceday.

The swim with pretty interesting as I pretty much swam solo from the start. The leaders had an instant gap and I came out well down on them. I got onto the bike pretty quickly and found my legs a lot faster then in previous races, which I am happy about. I wasn't able to stay with Will when he went by but Cody caught me and we rode most of the course together until I screwed up a technical section and he flowed through it. The trail network is a ton of fun in Richmond and I always love racing there...the new course is even faster and going fast on single-track is just plain fun!

I set off on the run kind of unsure of how it would go since I haven't been running much and it was hot out. In the last 2 months the only hard running I have done has been in the last 3 xterra races and I only started back with consistent running the week of Bama. So, I knew it would be a hard 10k but I wasn't sure if I would blow up. I felt pretty good the first 2 miles but I was a little scared I would run out of gas. I ended up catching Cody before the finish (he was having some stomach cramps) and I could see Will and Brandon right in front of me. Craig was right in front of them and took 5th. So, 5th-9th place were all pretty close. The shorter race distance made the race really exciting and, like I said, I really had fun. I finished 8th and jumped up to 6th in the national series.

Now it is time for me to get back to base building and strength work. I am excited to log some bigger, consistent hours and focus on staying healthy. My leg seems to be good and we are increasing my running gradually. The focus now will be on worlds in Maui. I plan to go to Nationals too but the focus will be worlds b/c it gives me more time to build up and hopefully stay injury free.

I have a lot of travel on tap over the next month...lots of Skinfit events to go to. So, I will be busy, busy but it is all good b/c it is all stuff I love.
Have a good week out there and stay tuned!

Richmond livin....

Got into Richmond Monday night. The weather this week has been nice...not too hot. Of course, tomorrow it is supposed to be upper 90's (a 10 degree jump for raceday...seriously???!). They upped the start time to 8:00 to beat the heat so this should help. Plus, the race is short this year so we will be done before 10. More on the short course in a minute.
Tuesday Cody and I ran the run course, which has now changed. Wednesday we met up with Will Kelsay to get our bikes...Will drove them from Bama, which proved to be a huge help. Thanks Will! Wednesday and Thursday we rode the course (also did some swimming and running) but then on Friday I found out the course is completely different this year. We ride much of the first part in reverse from previous years and several sections have been cut out. The course is super fast and less technical. Not sure how I feel about it. On one hand, the shorter the better for me at the moment but the original course is so cool I hate to see it changed up. Oh well, it is what it is and Sunday will no doubt be fast and furious.
The river current is pretty strong this year and the water level is higher. So, the rocks aren't as bad and we will definitely have to swim "higher" in the river to manage the current. A fast swim for sure that will certainly be interesting like it is every year.
In typical Richmond fashion I have had a ton of mechanical issues with my bike. Every year I seem to have issues here. First, my wheels were completely out of true from wacking the rocks on the course. Then, it was my shifting b/c of a bent derailleur hanger. 3 sports has been very helpful in getting my bike back to normal...such a cool shop!! So, I think I am ready to roll. The test will come in about an hour when I give it a little test ride.
On another note, I have a TON of family in town, which is awesome! Somewhat of a family reunion I would say. Great that we could set up some bday celebrations in conjunction with the race. I have been hanging out with everyone the past couple days and we are having a big BBQ on Sunday. Can't wait!

--Last nights sushi feast!

So, it has been a good week out here on the east coast. It is always tough traveling for so long but having so much family in town is comforting. I am off to do some light training in prep for tomorrow and then I am back to the house to park my butt on the couch!
Have a good weekend everyone!!

Flats suck!

So, the race in Alabama has come and gone and I leave yet another Xterra race quite disappointed. I learned a lot actually in this race and I take those lessons learned with me to Richmond and then back home to San Diego where I will get back to training basics.
First off it was HOT...like 98 and humid hot. Yuck! I had a decent first lap in the swim staying on the feet on Josiah and Melanie and then I just sucked on the second lap. First lesson, I had good fitness in the water for shorter distances but I need to work on longer intervals to make sure I can hold pace on a 1500. This has been a weakness of mine for a while and deep down I know I need to work on it but swimming long intervals is soooooo boring =)

On the bike I tried my best to ride hard and seemed to find my legs on the climb but the reality of the situation is I lack fitness to compete at this level. This isn't to say I am not honestly trying to go hard but in looking back at things it can't be denied that I had to take 8 months off from training (seriously nothing and getting fat) b/c of my knee injury and when I finally returned mid-january I started training but had to get in some intensity pretty quickly b/c races weren't far off. This smaller window left me without time to build my base fitness back up to the level it needs to be. I honestly though, "so what, I have been training for a long time now and I have a base." I think I underestimated this and I have even noticed that doing hard intervals really wipes me out and I struggle to even get through the workouts. This is because I don't have a strong foundation to build off of and my body just can't handle the loads yet. In Xterra it is all about surge, recover (but still at a high effort), surge again, repeat for the entire bike. I can handle some of the surges early but then I really struggle to recover and get back out of the red. Again, my lack of base aerobic fitness coming into play. We thought maybe I could race into shape but it is quite evident that this doesn't work for me =)

--At this point I am telling Trey (with Xterra) "seriously dude, I need a tube!" He just kept taking pictures =) Ha, ha...thanks for capturing this one Trey!

So, found my legs a bit at the top of the climb and then flatted after blood rock. I used one co2 but my sidewall was cut. Then a guy gave me some pitstop, which I couldn't get to work. I didn't have a tube with me so I marched back up to blood rock and a very nice guy gave me a tube. Got it on and was able to get a little air into the tire so I could get down to the road where I found more air. Then, honestly, I started to ride back to transition on the road...I was way over it at this point since I was there for like 20 min. About halfway back to transition I turned around and decided I HAD to finish the bike so I rode back up to the trailhead and cruised the remaining four miles. Mind you, I was really pissed but I tried to just enjoy the single-track and get some exercise. I got into transition and decide I would go jog the course (the top 3 were already done with the race at this point) since I haven't ever seen the run course. It gave me a chance to just jog, think about things, and clear my head. I ended up crossing the line and checked off another Xterra race.

I did a lot of thinking the rest of the day and talked with a lot of people about what was going on. My first reaction was "forget this, I am going home. No Richmond." I would be lying if I didn't still feel this way a bit but I am going to give it my best shot on Sunday and enjoy time with my family while I am here.

Jim and I learned a lot from this experience and when I get back home we are going to get back to basics and start building up my base fitness. I am not even going to think about racing until maybe Maui and, truthfully, if I am not prepared to race there I won't and I will just focus on being healthy and strong for next year. Lesley also helped a lot and made me realize that I am probably being too hard on myself...I just want to race and do well but I forget how long I was out and how much I lost in those 8 months. I thought I could bounce back quickly with some intense workouts but I have been proven wrong.

We are already in Richmond and Cody and I ran most of the run course today. It really is a cool venue for a race! This week I will get in some lighter training, give it a go on Sunday, and then I am head back home on Monday.

Have fun out there!