The group has another blog set up at this address
www.arizonatrainingcamp.blogspot.com
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Darkness
how do you know that you just had an epic day of training?
This is how:
Swim am 6km
Main sets as 3x400m and 6x200m Drafting, all at start speed. 1:09-1:10 average.
Eat sleep
Mt Lemmon assault TT snyder and catalina hwy to bear canyon parking lot 54:10 for 12.5miles. Climb remaining to summerhaven (25mile)
Bike home in darkness rolling in at 7:30, tie your shoes and run for 20minutes.
The key to this day is that you finish the run at fast food so you can all the calories back into you that you just burnt doing this ridiculous stuff.
TAco Bell is a savour!
This is how:
Swim am 6km
Main sets as 3x400m and 6x200m Drafting, all at start speed. 1:09-1:10 average.
Eat sleep
Mt Lemmon assault TT snyder and catalina hwy to bear canyon parking lot 54:10 for 12.5miles. Climb remaining to summerhaven (25mile)
Bike home in darkness rolling in at 7:30, tie your shoes and run for 20minutes.
The key to this day is that you finish the run at fast food so you can all the calories back into you that you just burnt doing this ridiculous stuff.
TAco Bell is a savour!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
tucson yip
Tucson training is going along great now. We had a few days of cold weather and rain, but are now back to 80+ temps. We all raced a sprint race here on sunday with some good results by everyone.
Yesterday was a good bike return to lemmon. 1hr steady up to 13mile. Refuel at Circle K and then back home for a 40' run off the bike. Recently my best "feeling" runs have been off the bike.
Later that night we ran for the border to Taco Bell. Consumed 8500 calories in a flash for $30, 285cals/$ good times
today was 5.5km in the pool with 5x500m drafting, good set. Hard not to heat up when swimming hard in that pool though and it is really cholriney. 2hr base ride followed up around sabino canyon scouting out the "perfect loop". This afternoon was a fartlek run at the university.
35min Wu with 10' tempo. Then it was the fartlek as 5/2 4/2 3/1 2/1 1/1 3/1 2/1 1/1
Some good running on the grass by stevo.
PS Mark Bates is making a comeback!
Yesterday was a good bike return to lemmon. 1hr steady up to 13mile. Refuel at Circle K and then back home for a 40' run off the bike. Recently my best "feeling" runs have been off the bike.
Later that night we ran for the border to Taco Bell. Consumed 8500 calories in a flash for $30, 285cals/$ good times
today was 5.5km in the pool with 5x500m drafting, good set. Hard not to heat up when swimming hard in that pool though and it is really cholriney. 2hr base ride followed up around sabino canyon scouting out the "perfect loop". This afternoon was a fartlek run at the university.
35min Wu with 10' tempo. Then it was the fartlek as 5/2 4/2 3/1 2/1 1/1 3/1 2/1 1/1
Some good running on the grass by stevo.
PS Mark Bates is making a comeback!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
The hangover
Tucson training was going well up until yesterday. See thursday marked our first attempt at riding Mt.Lemmon, 27miles, 7000+ft gain. After a short swim in the moring we rolled out to the base where we met everyone else. We started off in a big group, but it took only a couple miles until the group had splintered. At mile 6 i would say stevo took over and went to work. By mile 8 or so stevo had dropped everyone else but AP and I. If not for my new cramerotti scuro i don't know if i would have been able to hang on to his wheel. The bike climbs very well. At 18mile it was stevo and I. I thought oh no he is going to attack any time now, but i think he let up on me. The last 2 miles up to ski valley was definitley the toughest. The climb took right on 2hrs. Stevo doesn't have a power meter but i worked it out that he was probably averaging 320 Watts for the 2hrs.
The climb is engineered perfectly for a rocking descent. No brakes required as you lean into the corners and hammer on the straights. Looking back on this day i think the descent is what did me in. Instead of enjoying the ride down i hammered it as hard as i could.
When we got back to the house for a 30min run off the bike i was started to bonk. We refueled and headed out. The run felt good on the last 15'.
That night though i was in for some hurting. My hay fever allergies combined with a fever made fro a long night. Yesterday was much of the same. Now that i've got some good drugs things are a little better.
Once i get back to 100% i'll be ready for Lemmon again.
The climb is engineered perfectly for a rocking descent. No brakes required as you lean into the corners and hammer on the straights. Looking back on this day i think the descent is what did me in. Instead of enjoying the ride down i hammered it as hard as i could.
When we got back to the house for a 30min run off the bike i was started to bonk. We refueled and headed out. The run felt good on the last 15'.
That night though i was in for some hurting. My hay fever allergies combined with a fever made fro a long night. Yesterday was much of the same. Now that i've got some good drugs things are a little better.
Once i get back to 100% i'll be ready for Lemmon again.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Kill the Banker
Back home to Revelstoke riding the stoke up to 7300ft for some great downhill skiing today. What a blast! This hill is easily my favourite now with the new expansion and several more expansions in the next 3years this place will be the premier hill in North America soon, MOVE OVER WHISTLER!
The Columbia valley in Revelstoke is quite narrow seperating the monashees from the selkirks, and as a result when skiing down some of the steep chutes the valley floor seems to rush up at you in an optical illusion.
I dont know if i'll get up tomorrow as this hill lays the smack down on you very easily. Good strength training for the legs and low back, but not so much fun when you can't move for the next few days.
My favourite run is probably kill the banker. It's right under the gondola and you feel like your getting back at the mountain for your pain as you conqueor its gnarliest features right up the gut!
Trail Map
The Columbia valley in Revelstoke is quite narrow seperating the monashees from the selkirks, and as a result when skiing down some of the steep chutes the valley floor seems to rush up at you in an optical illusion.
I dont know if i'll get up tomorrow as this hill lays the smack down on you very easily. Good strength training for the legs and low back, but not so much fun when you can't move for the next few days.
My favourite run is probably kill the banker. It's right under the gondola and you feel like your getting back at the mountain for your pain as you conqueor its gnarliest features right up the gut!
Trail Map
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Karma
Over the past couple days i have had three seperate events take place in my life that all had a happy ending due to good karma.
1st Event:
Saturday night taking a cab in Vancouver i handed the cabbie $15 bucks. As i stepped out he said that i had given him too much. I had, i'd given him an extra $20. Good Karma
2nd Event:
Driving home from the ferry I rolled thru a stop sign and got pulled over. The cop decided to give me a warning. Good Karma
3rd Event:
Tuesday morning i couldn't find my wallet as i was rushing out the door. oh it'll turn up in my bag or something i told myself. Mid-morning Drew, pac-sport athlete services, told me some guy had called him saying he found my wallet on the pat-bay highway. Drew's contact number was on the back of a card in my wallet. That was the only contact number in there i think. I called this guy back and sure enough he said he had found in near Sidney on the highway. What!? I met him and he told me more about it, that is GREAT KARMA!
With all this good karma though i'm thinking i must have some bad karma coming my way, im bracing for it anytime now.
1st Event:
Saturday night taking a cab in Vancouver i handed the cabbie $15 bucks. As i stepped out he said that i had given him too much. I had, i'd given him an extra $20. Good Karma
2nd Event:
Driving home from the ferry I rolled thru a stop sign and got pulled over. The cop decided to give me a warning. Good Karma
3rd Event:
Tuesday morning i couldn't find my wallet as i was rushing out the door. oh it'll turn up in my bag or something i told myself. Mid-morning Drew, pac-sport athlete services, told me some guy had called him saying he found my wallet on the pat-bay highway. Drew's contact number was on the back of a card in my wallet. That was the only contact number in there i think. I called this guy back and sure enough he said he had found in near Sidney on the highway. What!? I met him and he told me more about it, that is GREAT KARMA!
With all this good karma though i'm thinking i must have some bad karma coming my way, im bracing for it anytime now.
Crash and Burn...but so much fun
When my coach Patrick asked me what the goal of doing a Cross Country Ski Race was I said, "to give it a go and have some fun." But also in the back of my head was my competitve ego saying "me want more sports!" See, all my life i've competed at as many sports as possible. Besides golf, i've enjoyed all the sports i've tried and as a result have taken part in many types of tournaments or races. All except nordic skiing that is...
Sunday i was on the start line of the 30th Whistler Loppett ready to go. Stevo told me it would be a quick start and it was. I got in a good position leading up to the first climb where i bridged up to the front group of 3. I was also told to stay with the group as long as possible due to the gains in drafting. This i did, all the way up to the peak elevation of the course. Then the downhill section began... I put in a surge past the others and got into a good tuck. I figured my downhill ski racing days would start to pay off here, yup i looked over the shoulder and had a gap on the others. Not for long though as soon i ate my own words by succombing to a brutal yard sale on a tricky corner. The guy behind my narrow missed running me over as i got to my feet. No problem i told myself as i collected myself just relax and work your way back up, ok maybe not, my pole was freaking busted! As i proceeded on down the hills i was looking for someone with a spare pole. Maybe 5mins later i got one, but it was useless and kept slipping. Luckily i changed for another and it was alright. By then i was caught by the second group. We climbed up to the peak again and started to head down, i took the decent more cautiously this time but guess what i still bailed. The first thought that came to mind now was did i break the pole i just borrowed? No, pheeew. The second group left me sprawled over the track and i ended up eigth. Good fun and great food afterwards. What is painfull is that i'll have to wait like 10 months till i can redeem myself at another loppett, geeeez.
Sunday i was on the start line of the 30th Whistler Loppett ready to go. Stevo told me it would be a quick start and it was. I got in a good position leading up to the first climb where i bridged up to the front group of 3. I was also told to stay with the group as long as possible due to the gains in drafting. This i did, all the way up to the peak elevation of the course. Then the downhill section began... I put in a surge past the others and got into a good tuck. I figured my downhill ski racing days would start to pay off here, yup i looked over the shoulder and had a gap on the others. Not for long though as soon i ate my own words by succombing to a brutal yard sale on a tricky corner. The guy behind my narrow missed running me over as i got to my feet. No problem i told myself as i collected myself just relax and work your way back up, ok maybe not, my pole was freaking busted! As i proceeded on down the hills i was looking for someone with a spare pole. Maybe 5mins later i got one, but it was useless and kept slipping. Luckily i changed for another and it was alright. By then i was caught by the second group. We climbed up to the peak again and started to head down, i took the decent more cautiously this time but guess what i still bailed. The first thought that came to mind now was did i break the pole i just borrowed? No, pheeew. The second group left me sprawled over the track and i ended up eigth. Good fun and great food afterwards. What is painfull is that i'll have to wait like 10 months till i can redeem myself at another loppett, geeeez.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)