2 SOLID weeks in the bag....

The past 2 weeks have been awesome in terms of training.  I have logged some big hours and I am feeling strong...perhaps stronger then ever. All of my training is aerobic in an effort to develop my base fitness, which has been lacking the past few years. This easy training is keeping my motivation high and allowing me to log consistent hours week after week. This consistency is also something that has been lacking over the years. I have found that my training was always a touch too hard, which left me feeling tired a lot and really not motivated. So, this new found approach is really working and I am enjoying the whole process.

It really helps to have the right people around you too. I have been training a lot with Lesley and since we are on the same page it works out really well. The days just seem to fly by...we are logging workout after workout, day after day and it is obvious that we are both getting stronger and really enjoying the hours. I have an awesome crew at Rehab United to training with. They all push me and I can honestly say I have a blast working out with them every week. The workouts are BRUTAL but the sessions seem manageable since we are all there suffering together.

Perhaps more then ever I am excited about my training and upcoming races. I think it has a lot to do with the new training stresses and approach to the daily routine. I know I am doing the right things, I am having fun b/c of it, and I am seeing results.

So, the plan is to keep the hours high and remain consistent heading into Christmas, then a little rest and travel, and then back home to get back to it.  When I am not training I am super busy with Skinfit. Trying to wrap up the year with a strong holiday season and looking toward 2011. I have a lot on my plate right now but, most importantly, I am happy with the way things are going so I am just going to keep plugging away.

Kind of a boring post without any pics or major adventures to share. Truth be told, my life has been pretty steady as of late and I couldn't be happier about it. I travel a lot most of the year so to be home for a while putting in some good work on all fronts has been really satisfying. More of the same this week. I will try to snap some pics to bring some life to these posts!

Enjoy the week!

Going slow and loving it!

I have been back at training for a few weeks now and I have already seen some big improvements. We pinpointed a while back that my aerobic system is massively underdeveloped and the testing in AZ proved this. So, the goal for the past few weeks has been to go slow, keeping everything (I mean everything) aerobic, and to get my body utilizing more fat as a fuel source by being specific with my diet. Even in the pool at masters I am holding back and just swimming steady aerobic instead of ripping off fast intervals with the group. The crazy thing is that my body is already adapting and I am noticing some big changes taking place. I am lucky in that my body responds very quickly to the training stress it's getting so in just a short time I am seeing the benefits of the new plan. This has also given me a lot of motivation and I can honestly say I am enjoying training more than I ever have. It's a comforting feeling knowing that there aren't any races in the near future and I have plenty of time to just focus on my weaknesses. I am waking up excited to get out the door to train and, truthfully, I haven't felt this for a long time.
I am also 100% healthy which is more then motivating, it's inspiring passion, desire, and happiness. In some ways it feels a bit early to be out there logging the miles but, like I said before, my aerobic system is way underdeveloped so I need a lot of time to go slow and develop it. Plus, I am really enjoying the whole process of improvement so I am just rolling with it and not thinking too far ahead.

I am also very focused on strength since this is also a weakness of mine. So, I, along with a good crew, am putting in some serious sessions at Rehab United. The stuff we are doing is soooooo good...we are developing sport specific strength but also doing a lot to help prevent injury. There is no doubt that we are all getting stronger and build a good foundation for 2011.

So, that's the news from here. A few more days in S.D. and then we are up to SLO for 5 days to celebrate Thanksgiving. Can't wait to get up there to enjoy some training on my favorite roads/trails and to do some wine tasting, eating, etc with friends and family. Oh, and maybe some more super secret brewery tours at firestone where we can taste the foam =)

I leave you with this....

Cool pics from our adventures in Big Sur

Trips and training

-A glimpse into life in Big Sur

The trip to the Big Sur backcountry was awesome as usual. We got a little rain on Sunday but it just made for some fun driving back down the mountain. Overall, just what I wanted....time away from the "world" relaxing with good friends.

On Sunday I dropped Jess off at the airport in Monterey and then drove down to SLO to meet Slater. We pulled the plug on the Monterey stay and opted for SLO instead since the weather was not looking good up north. I think it was the right call. We have a comfy place to stay everyday and the training here is epic. The pool is at the bottom of the hill, the roads are free of traffic, the scenery is unrivaled, there tons of climbing, and the trails bring a smile to your face. A recipe for a perfect training camp if you ask me.
It has been great training with Slater. He is getting ready for Ultraman (totally crazy!) and it is inspiring to see him put in the work. It's so nice to have someone out there to log the hours with. Can't wait to see what he does in Hawaii!
On Monday we logged 5:20 on the bike. We headed out to the Wildflower course from Atascadero but the wind was pretty ugly so we turnaround and got the extra miles on the twisty vineyard roads. Then we jumped off and did a 5 mile t-run. Was one of the first runs I have done after a long ride so the legs were in some shock for the first bit but they actually came around and I felt good as the run went on.  Today we woke up and knocked out some meters in the pool and then went down to the coast for a run on one of the best trails in the world! The dirt was perfect and the views just breathtaking. If you don't feel good after a run on this trail in Montana De Oro you have some serious issues! =)
Amazingly, I feel pretty good. The shift to true aerobic training doesn't wreck me so I can log the miles day after day. Sure, the hours can be exhausting but my legs aren't trashed.  I am really respecting the zones and I can already see the benefits. The testing I did in AZ was really good for me and I am glad I did it. I am headed in a new direction and I think it will bring about positive results. In addition to the different training stress I am also focusing a lot on my diet. It's not that I don't eat healthy b/c I certainly do but I need my body to use more fat as fuel (as opposed to carbs) and this takes some training. So, things are good and I am pumped about the training ahead of me!

We have a couple more days in SLO. The weather is nice and Slater and I have a massive day planned tomorrow....all three sports and a lot of miles =) Can't wait.

Quick Update

Haven't been blogging much b/c I have been super busy.
Skinfit is rocking, I have been on the road a lot, and Ironman training has officially begun. So, you can image how crazy it has been around here. The good news is everything is really coming together and I am happy about where I am at on all fronts.
I normally take November off from training but since I didn't race the last half of the season and I am lacking base fitness the plan for 2011 has taken flight. Of course, everything is super mellow but I am training and developing my aerobic base. I did some testing while I was in Arizona and we got some good baseline figures to go off of. It was quite obvious that I need to increase my aerobic capacity. I can go hard for sure but I shift over to carbs as my main fuel source far too soon. So, the diet has changed and the focus is on longer aerobic work in an effort to improve my weaknesses. I am excited about the work ahead and about the 2011 season.
Now, while the training has started up, it doesn't mean I am not staying flexible and having fun with friends. The really serious training is still on the horizon so I have some fun trips planned. For starters, Jess, me and some great friends are going way off the grid into the Big Sur backcountry this weekend. It is a time for us to disconnect (literally), do some soul searching, and relax with some of our closest friends. I am really excited about this trip...being way out there really sets me straight and reminds me what's important in life.
Then next week Slater and I have a big few days planned. He is getting ready for Ultraman and I have wanted to do the Monterey to SLO ride for a while now (It has been years since I have done it and it's one of the best in the world). So, we are riding from Monterey to SLO on Monday, Tuesday we are training in SLO, Wednesday we are riding back up to Monterey, and then Thursday we will do a little training in Monterey before hitting the road back to Socal. Should be an epic few days and I can't wait to show Slater the terrain!
Alright, I gotta go...we are hitting the road for SLO now.
Have fun out there. Peace

Oh, and our camera broke so sorry for the lack of pics. I do have a new Flip HD and we broke out the older camera so I should have some good footage from the Big Sur and out training camp.

Long overdue post...

Well, it has been a busy month to say the least, which is the reason for the lack of blogging. In fact, it has been a crazy year with plenty of exciting times, successes, and even some failures. In terms of Skinfit it has been a HUGE year. Record sales, lots of travel and networking done, and we are positioned well to have a great 2011.  In terms of training and racing it has been a challenging year. I had big goals and high expectations for myself heading into the year since I had missed all of 2009 b/c of injury. Sadly, I didn't achieve any of those goals b/c I was again dealing with injury and just couldn't seem to get my fitness back to the level it has been in the past. The reality is that I just haven't had enough time to build up my base fitness after my year off.  Plus, when your trying to race you have to do hard workouts and my body never seemed to really absorb these and the workouts always felt like a struggle.
I started back with training in January and races started up in May. Not much time when you have been unable to train for an entire year prior. I thought it would just come back but it never really did. Deep down I knew I wasn't ready to race but I wanted to be out there. I missed the Xterra scene, the other athletes, the competition, etc. so I traveled and gave it my best shot. I can honestly say I raced to the best of my abilities given where I was at in terms of fitness. I could handle shorter events but when it came to sustained race efforts or 2+ hrs I just couldn't manage it.
I have never been big on racing when your not fully ready...it just doesn't work well for me. Racing takes a lot out of you mentally and physically so when your not ready it just beats you down. That's kind of how I felt at the end of June, beat down and tired from trying to force everything. I just needed to take a step back, get back to enjoying the training, get healthy, and stay consistent. Starting in August I finally felt healthy without any injuries. So, for the past 2 1/2 months I have been logging base miles and I am actually starting to feel good. I know though that I am still not ready to race, which is why I skipped Nationals and I have decided to skip Worlds. I was planning on going to Maui but, I think at this point, I have to be realistic with myself and accept that I just don't have the fitness to be competitive. I am really bummed but it is a lot of money to get over there and I would rather save the cash and put it toward next season. 
I am in a good place right now with plenty of time to get ready for next year. I can stay consistent and build up slowly. If I can stay injury free going into races next season I will be happy and no doubt ready to give my best. I would just love to get in one year of racing when I am mentally and physically ready to give it 100%. It has been a while since I have felt this way and I long to feel fit and fast.
I am doing IM St George next year and I think this will do great things for my Xterra racing. I have a lot of fast twitch muscle fibers so developing my endurance and aerobic systems will really help me overall. I have learned a lot about myself this year and I have realized I need a different approach to training....more emphasis on slower, longer workouts and strength. My speed is there, I just need to develop the other components like strength and endurance.
So, that's where I am right now..focused on Skinfit and preparing for next season.  I am doing everything I can to stay healthy and get strong. Lots of time at Rehab United doing functional strength classes, running and riding hills to develop sport specific strength, and, of course, enjoying extra time with friends and family (since it is October afterall).Also been working with a Rolfer every week...crazy what he is doing to get my body in balance. Awesome stuff and he is keeping me healthy, which I am pumped about.  Ironman training officially kicks off Nov 1st and it will be game on.
Off to a training camp in Arizona on Friday. It will be a chance to market and sell Skinfit to the campers and I will be doing some testing and video analysis in all three sports with Adam Zucco and Joe Friel. Should be a great week hopefully without any rain=)
Thanks for reading!

My first Cyclocross race and Mission Bay Tri

I did my first cyclocross race this Saturday. It was cut short by a flat but what I did do was fun and really hard! I look forward to more of these in the near future! It was fun to watch James and Ryan tear it up...nice job guys! Also, big props out to Slater for the sweet pics and video!

I followed it up with a 2nd place overall at the Mission Bay Triathlon on Sunday. The race was literally in my backyard so I couldn't pass it up. It was a fast race and a good tune up for Xterra Worlds. I can't tell you how good it feels to finally be healthy and back racing. I could certainly use another 4-6 weeks prep before World's but things are coming together and I am enjoying the road back to fitness.
It was a fun weekend of racing and now I am packing up for a week in Kona. Busy, busy!

Checkout a video that Slater got from the race:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22CEU50o3nE