Arizona Training Update

Hard to believe that the winter training excursion to Tucson only has a few weeks left, it really does seem like I just got here.  It didn’t take long to get into a nice routine of workouts and learning where to ride, run and swim.  Staying at Chris Jeffrey’s place has been great and really made this trip possible.  Hunter King gave me a nice tour of Tucson Mountain Park which is only a mile and a half away and there is access to the new Robles trail system and it is easy to get over to the Sweetwater trails as well.  I have made a few ventures out to the Fantasy Island trails and out to the Arizona Trail thanks to Bryce Phinney for showing those trails.  I am looking forward to venturing out to Milagrosa, 50 Year and Catalina State Park before I leave with fellow Springs resident Russell Finsterwald.

The road riding has been exceptional as well being on the west side of Tucson.  I have frequent rides up and over Gates Pass over to Saguaro National Park, the McCain Loop and Kinney roads which provide some nice uninterrupted stretches for the various intervals my coach James Herrera has prescribed.  The big ride in Tucson is the Shootout, a hard, fast group ride every Saturday morning.  An advantage of living on the west side is its path rolls by the house so it is easy to jump in and not have to head all the way in to town for the start.  With so many cycling and triathlon pros that call Tucson home either year round or just for the winter there is always someone out there that will push the pace and keep things rolling.  My goals for the ride are to stay near the front and out of trouble from potential crashes.  The first couple times I sat in the group pushing as hard as needed to stick in the group, learning the dynamic and route and have slowly progressed in to taking a few pulls up front as my fitness increases.  Its nice having Ben Hoffman, TJ Tollakson, Jesse Vondracek out there as well to mix things up with.  One of the rides in Tucson is Mt. Lemon, 25 mile from the base at 2,500 ft to the peak at 9,300 ft in Summer Haven and the infamous Cookie Shack.  It is a favorite ride for that reason, generous cookie after accomplishing the climb.  Which leads me to probably the only unfortunate thing about a house on the west side, Mt. Lemon is on the east side and is a good hour ride to the base, but it is a nice warm up before the assault, but makes for a nice long ride and good base miles.

Pima Air and Space Museum

San Xavier Mission

Laying watts with Jesse and the "Hoff"

The close access to Tucson Mountain Park lets me get a steady dose of hills and trail running without to much strain.  The Santa Cruz River Path is close by allowing for some flat paved runs as well.  I have been swimming with the Ford Masters Aquatics team for the majority of those workouts at the University of Arizona pool which is beautiful facility.  They offer 3 workout times per day, 5:30am, noon and 6:30pm.  Since I don’t have a car (I am very close though) and it is still chilly in the morning and I would need some serious bundling on the scooter or bike so I don’t frequent the early practice unless absolutely necessary.  I enjoy the later 6:30pm practice but with it being dark, dropping temperature at the end of practice and then needing a good dinner afterwards I haven’t attended many.  The noon practice though is awesome, as long as I get moving in the morning I can get in a bike or run before hand then hit that workout and thoroughly enjoy swimming outside in the sun.

Under the Lights Early

Improving my tan midday

Outside of training I have gotten out a few times to enjoy some fun activities as well.  Attending a movie event benefiting local cycling organization, Team Colleen, going to a panel about the Leadville 100 featuring Todd Wells and Nick White.  After one swim practice as well I stayed around being finished for the day and helped time an exhibition swim meet between the University of Texas, Arizona and a few post grad swimmers.  It was great to be able to be sitting right on deck and watch Olympian medalists Matt Grevers, Ed Moses, Amanda Beard and other NCAA champions mix it up at what they do best.  Something I really enjoy doing is watching the best at what they do and this was a prime opportunity.

I am very lucky and fortunate to have such a loving and supporting family as well behind me, though i do the majority of this on my own it wouldn’t be possible without them.  I just finished up a great couple days in Florida with family celebrating my grandma’s 90th birthday.  She is an amazing woman still going amazingly strong and always with a smile.  Her vitality is a testament to her healthy active life that she lives and helped ingrained in my dad and his siblings.  Thank you grandma, none of this would be possible without you and the work ethic, values and optimism you instilled in all those you have touched through your everlasting life.

6 Cakes 90 Candles

The Grand kids

The Grandsons

Great Opportunity and Starting on the Wrong Foot.

Setting Sun on 2011

As I entered the 2011 season I had a lot of great hope that it would be a great year.  I was the healthiest I had been in the off season and as I started my early season training.  Although the few road triathlons I did were not as successful as I hoped my XTERRA campaign was great.  Top 5 in 5 of the 6 regional championships, 6th at USA Champs, 4th overall in the US Series.  Internationally 8th at the ITU Cross Tri World Championships, 2nd at XTERRA Mexico, 4th XTERRA Canada, unfortunately XTERRA Worlds did not go as well as hoped placing wise but I was closer to champ Michael Weiss than I had been any other year.

I wanted to build on that success and progress in 2011 by focusing on my training and ramping things up going into the 2012 racing season.  In order to do this I decided to head to a location with great weather, a large group of training partners and most importantly an area that has a good mix of good roads and trails to ride and run.  I considered the Scottsdale/Mesa area but didn't know that many people in the area or how the training was and housing was not something that I had set.  San Diego was another option, I was familiar with training, I had a number of friends but Southern Cal is expensive.  My decision was to head to Tucson, a number of athletes call it home through the winter, there are great trails and roads to train on, it is a bit cheaper and fellow triathlete Christine Jeffery has a place that I am very grateful to get to stay at.

My plan was to find a part time job at a local bike shop and come down in early December that way I could learn the roads and trails for a while before getting into the serious training at the beginning of the year.  After a bit of searching and a few things falling through, the trip south was more and more delayed and I made the decision to come down sans work.  The idea for the trip was to get in some great training and that is exactly how I am treating the trip and if I was able to find a bit of work to fill in some gaps.

On the 17th I started my trip down, heading first to Durango to get to spend a couple days with my family.  It was great to spend sometime near the holidays, get some great home cooked meals and we did Christmas a few days early since they were headed to see my Grandma over Christmas.  This trip is entirely possible because of my parents, I couldn't do this without their love and support and I owe them everything.

I continued down to the Phoenix area and stayed with and old college buddy Eric and his family for a night and got in some great training in McDowell Mountain Park.  A close friend was in Mesa for the holidays and she invited me to spend Christmas with her family.  It was great to be around such a loving family since I was not around my own.  Had a lot of fun going to a hockey game, and a few great hikes as well.  I learned some great training areas in the Scottsdale/Mesa area and would definitely keep in in my mind as a place to go.  I was torn on leaving but I needed to get to Tucson since that is where I had things set up and planned on being and headed down a couple days after Christmas.

 

 

On Wednesday the 28th I planned on meeting a fellow XTERRA racer for a mountain bike ride to learn some close trails.  As I was driving over to the trail head, I stupidly looked down at my phone for the directions and wasn't paying attention to the road and traffic and rear ended the car in front of me when the line of cars slowed up quickly for the stoplight ahead.  Both airbags deployed, passengers side destroyed the windshield, the hood is dented up and the right side panel is damaged along with the frame on that side as well.  Needless to say that there is a lot of damage to the car and it will take more to fix it than the car is worth, not to mention the oil leaks that needed to be fixed before the accident.  So it will certainly make things interesting as I learn to navigate a new city without my own transportation.

Thankfully I have some incredible friends, Chris is providing so much already but at least I can get rides from her and be able to get to the store when she goes.  Ben Hoffman, former Durangoan, new Tucson training partner and an incredible athlete, it loaning me his scooter so that I can get places as well.  I am forever grateful for their help while I get my own wheels back under me.

The S Scooter, thanks Ben

Well my shop will approve.

I may not be ending 2011 on the best events right now but the opportunities and possibilities of what lie ahead are very exciting and I can't wait for 2012.  A happy and safe New Years to all.

Lets see what 2012 brings, it looks bright.