Endurance Corner Tucson Camp, March 2010

Last week I had the chance to go to Tucson for the Endurance Corner training camp. You'll recall that I went to the camp last year and had a great time. There are still folks here in Jackson who can't believe I went to a tri camp. I'll have to admit that, last year, it was a little out of my comfort zone. This year, I wouldn't miss the trip.

Last year, the combination of the first 2 days' riding and the effects of a bout of food poisoning left me some unfinished business for this year. Just thankful that Gordo and JD let me return.

I thought I'd recap the weeks's activities.... I don't have the best collection of photographs--just ones that I took with the iPhone. Sherry was the camp photographer and when she shares her photos, I'll borrow some to supplement mine. Anyway....

Pre-Camp

I traveled to Tucson on Saturday, getting there mid-afternoon. I used American Airlines for the trip, connecting through Dallas. The day started off great, with the bonus of NOT being charged extra $$ for the bike baggage! I rented a car and headed toward Tucson. You realize, from the very outset, that this is the desert. Even the landscaping at the airport includes the beautiful Saguaro cactus.

My first stop was at Trisports....the store, not the website. It's located between the airport and downtown. They were having a packet pickup for some sort of event the following day, so there were several booths set up outside. The store itself was much smaller than I expected, though. It's amazing what a website will do for expectations. I picked up some CO2 cartridges and was on my way.

The home base for the camp this year was again the Hotel Arizona, located in downtown Tucson near I-10 and adjacent to the Tucson Convention Center. Not the fanciest digs, but comfortable and conveniently located for the week's activities.

I had a great corner room on the 11th floor, with views to the west and north.

I headed out to pick up some snack foods for the week....conscious of the fact that there'd be MANY calories expended as the week went by. After stops at Whole Foods and CVS, it was back to the hotel to assemble the bike. I was pleased that the bike made the trip without damage.

I brought my new road bike, a 2010 Trek Madone, complete with electronic shifting. I knew from last year's experience that having the correct gearing would be important (particularly for one of the less capable cyclists!), so I brought 50/34 and 12-27 for the trip. Good choice.

I checked in with JD and Alan, who had made the 2-day drive from Boulder in the SportsMobile. I also met Gail, Brooke's mom, who was along to help Sherry during the week. I couldn't help but see a lot of Brooke in Gail. And once again, I thought it was really nice that JD brought "the family" along.

I went out to dinner with good friends from my days as a surgical resident in St. Louis....Michael and Mary Lee Moulton. He's now a surgeon at the Univ. of Arizona. They also brought along their youngest daughter....an avid swimmer, so we had something to talk about. We ate at the Arizona Inn, a lovely dinner and a great chance to catch up with Mike. I hadn't seen them since my unhealthier days....and both were surprised that I had taken up triathlon.

Day #0--Sunday--Arrival Day

Sunday was the arrival day for the camp, but JD and I were up early for breakfast at the hotel and then a long trail run in Saguaro Park East. This is about a 25-min drive from downtown, but worth it. The weather was nice and cool and the scenery in the park is great for a run. Mind you, I didn't run WITH JD, but just AT THE SAME TIME as JD! Best sight was a desert hare. I was amazed by how large it was....and how large its ears were.

After we got back to the hotel, I drove my rental car back to the airport, dropped it off, and met JD for a ride back to the hotel. We picked up Kevin Boucher (a repeat camper from Chattanooga, TN) and JD's Aunt Sherry for the ride back. Good to catch up with both of them. I was flattered that Sherry pointed out in the first couple minutes that I looked skinnier....true, I was about 8-10 pounds lighter than last year. And that would turn out to be helpful on the bike, for sure.

The whole group met for a welcome buffet dinner at 6 pm in a private room off the dining room. This would be our "evening home" for the week. We would eat at 4 tables set for 9, changing dinner companions each night. Great setting for informal conversation about the day's activities.

The coaches this year included JD, Gordo, Kevin Purcell (KP), Jeff Shilt (Dr. J), and Jonas Colting. A bunch of the campers from last year were back, but the group included about 12 new faces and was about 24 total campers this year. We had the usual introductions, enjoyed dinner and some conversation, and JD and Gordo layed down the rules for the week....starting with plans for Monday's long ride.

Monday--Day #1--Madera Canyon

One workout today. We enjoyed breakfast at the hotel and then assembled into 3 groups (A, B, C) according to self-declared cycling ability. I joined the C group, which included about 12 riders plus coaches. We got our stuff together and headed out for a long ride to Madera Canyon. Coach Alan would later join our group after he drove the SportsMobile to its position at ~30 miles into the ride (he rode back to meet the group). It was a cold and rainy morning....pretty dreary, actually. I was bundled up, complete with rain jacket. The rain let up after the first hour or so, but it was pretty cool for the whole day.

The ride heads out to the south on Mission Road for about 30 miles of gradual uphill to a designated re-grouping point just before Green Valley. After a stop for a Pepsi, a snack, and a bathroom break, we headed out through Green Valley and on to Madera Canyon Park. From this point, there was a moderate grade 7-mile climb to the Park entrance, the next stopping point. Some of the campers chose to continue into the park for a steep 3-mile climb to the turnaround, but elected to turn back from the Park entrance. The return ride headed home along the same route and, for me, it was 92 miles on the day. My best power numbers ever for a long ride. A great start to the camp!

Back at the hotel, the bike mechanics, Scott and Marcus, collected the bikes and would have them cleaned and tuned up for the next day's ride. Doesn't get any better than that!

I had a massage at 4pm on Monday. Each of the campers would have a 1-hour massage appointment on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday afternoon. I think I was more sore after the massage than before.

The group dinner featured a talk by Gordo. I could listen to (or read) Gordo for hours on end. Always interesting. Always insightful.

Tuesday--Day #2--40K or 40-Mile

After Monday's long ride, Tuesday was designed to be a lighter day. After breakfast at the hotel, we all headed out by van to the Oro Valley municipal pool (heated, and open year-round), about a 25-minute drive north of downtown. It's a great pool in a beautiful setting....mountainside backdrop.

After some discussion on Monday, Gordo was elected to construct the workout:

400 EZ (1st 25 of each 100 = back)

4 x 100 (25 back, 25 breast, 50 free)

4 x 50 IMO/free by 25's

Main set (long swims moderate, 100's on 1:20):

500, 5 x 100

400, 4 x 100

300, 3 x 100

200, 2 x 100

100, 1 x 100

I was happy to swim in a lane with JD, Gordo, Nina, and Tony. The water was pretty warm, so I was happy they agreed to 1:20 intervals instead of 1:15. Even at that, I chose to use paddles/buoy. Left to their own, JD and Gordo would probably have chosen 1:05 or 1:10, so I appreciate that they went slow to satisfy the campers! The adjacent lane that included Jonas, David, Max, and Flip used the same intervals, but swam the longer swims even quicker. And I noticed that they included a break on deck between each part of the main set. Me? I just stayed in the water.

We had breakfast snacks in the park adjacent to the pool before heading back to the hotel.

Lunch was served in Room 102 at the hotel, a hospitality room that would be open for use all week long. Morning coffee, mid-day lunch, snacks at other times. Sandwiches, chips, drinks for lunch. Good stuff. Even peanut M&M's!

The afternoon ride was broken into 2 groups: a 40K group and a 40-mile group. I joined the 40K group for an out-and-back ride from the hotel, across Gates Pass to a turn-around point, then back across Gates Pass from the west side and back to the hotel. From the east (hotel side), there is a moderate climb, but from the west there is about a 1-mile climb that is very steep. Out of the saddle for a 400W+ effort to get to the top. Last year I had to walk my bike up one of the small hills on the way to the Pass....but not this year! It was another strong effort.

For me (JD's plan), it was a 20-minute transition run off the bike, along the sidewalks of downtown Tucson. Not too scenic and it took a while to get my legs going, but I was pretty happy with the effort.

The group dinner at the hotel included a talk by Alan Couzens on sport-specific strength training. He talked about use of gear for swimming and big-gear low cadence work on the bike. I was pleased that JD and I had been working on all of these things in addition to our gym work.

Wednesday--Day #3--Mt. Lemmon

Mt.Lemmon day! JD had me up early for a pre-breakfast 30-minute run along the streets of Tucson. I felt surprisingly strong given the previous 2 days' activities. I was a little worried, though, that this pre-stress might affect my ability to get up the mountain on the bike.

After breakfast at the hotel, we got a late start with a van ride out to Udall Park, where we caught up with our bicycles. We got ourselves together and headed out for a 42-mile roundrip ride up Mt. Lemmon. The first 7 miles to the base of the mountain were pretty uneventful, but a couple folks made a wrong turn and took a while to catch up. We regrouped at the base and had sendoffs in groups according to ability. I was one of the first to depart and made a very steady effort of the climb, holding things right at HR=140 and power~195W. At mile 7, I stopped at the van to get a drink and then started up again. We were able to ride only as far as Windy Point, at the 14-mile marker, because of snow on the road. A little sad that we weren't able to go to the top, but I was really pleased about effort on the day. The descent was terribly (and surprisingly) cold and at some point I bummed a ride in the SportsMobile to the bottom.

Lunch was served in the Park and we sat out on the grass in the warm sunshine to unwind.

Back at the hotel, Nina and I headed over to the YMCA for a recovery swim and found David and Kevin Farley there already. Nina and I joined David for some spirited 200's and some IM stuff. It worked out to ~2000 yards for me and felt nice after the morning's cycling.

Dinner at the hotel included a talk by Dr. J about shoulder mechanics and injury, featuring his own problems with shoulder injury these past couple years. Best advice? Avoid injury.

Thursday--Day #4--Big Swim Day

Big swim day! After breakfast we headed back to the Oro Valley pool for a long swim. Today's workout was:

60 x 100 Free on intervals of 1:35/1:30/1:25/1:20, with so-called Monsy 100 pattern....

1111, 2222, 3333, 4444, 5555 of each.

Gordo left our lane to join the faster guys (swimming to 1:15), but Flip joined the lane for extra company. I used paddles/buoy and made it a pretty easy, if long, effort. I swam 5th and JD didn't like me creeping on Tony....but I couldn't help it! When JD hopped out (first to talk with another coach and later, for good), the group slowed down. We needed JD for better pacing.

We had some snacks on the park lawn adjacent to the pool before returning to the hotel.

After lunch, we headed out for a 70K ride loop, south on Mission, then Ajo Hwy, then Sandoria Road, Kinnley, Gates Pass, then back to the hotel. The B group got lost, but we were joined by the A group just before the climb up Gates Pass. JD's offer of a beanie to the KOM resulted in a VERY spirited effort to reach the top. Perhaps less spirited for Larry, but a pretty good effort, nonetheless. Max (25-yr old stud) won the beanie. Enjoyed the downhill back to the hotel with JD and John Fell, another athlete that JD coaches (and also President of Advantage Packaging, Inc., 1 of JD's sponsors). JD once again pointed out that coasting is not cool....must always pedal. You'd think I'd have learned that lesson from Panama City Beach when I was taught the first time.

There was a late-afternoon trail run at Starr Pass. Only 1 vanful of campers went. I went, but walked for 45 minutes instead of running. I don't think I was made to run on rocky trail. The scenery was beautiful, though, and the weather was great. I was thankful I didn't get lost....I kept thinking of Vince, who went on and on and on about how the trails were confusing! Sherry was there to take photos, so I ran for a short distance....you know, must look good for the camera.

At the end of the run we had a chance to watch a mountain biker ride down the side of a large hill and making a big jump at the bottom. Some suggested that we should Tweet a photo of the guy....and show the world what EC camp day #5 was really like!

Dinner at the hotel included a talk by Jonas Colting, visiting coach from Sweden. He's had a long (~20-year) history in triathlon and is a 2-time winner of the Hawaii Ultraman race. Tonight, he talked about his approach to training (and life) that has allowed for such a long career. Totally entertaining. We were introduced to the "primal walk" and learned that "I don't do misery."

Friday--Day #5--Long Run Day

After 4 days of riding, this would be a ride-free day. We headed out before breakfast to Saguaro Park East for a long trail run. Recall that JD and I had run there on Sunday. For some reason, I was 1 of the last to get started with the run and I followed Trip, Laura, and Max. Nina and Gail also followed and soon we were lost....obviously headed the wrong direction. So.......we had a 12-min out-and-back before joining the correct trail for the run. Nina and I ended up running together, using 15 min run/1 min walk pattern for 1 hour 20 minutes total. Got back to the vans running strong. Nice effort. Again, great weather and scenery. No desert hare this time, but the coyotes were howling. Fun!

After breakfast we headed back to the Oro Valley pool for another swim session. Today's workout was designed by Jonas Colting....he promised something different....and delivered:

500 SKIPS (by 100's)

4 x 50 kick 1-2-3 @1:00

4 x (3 x 25 hypoxic/fast/EZ)

8 x 50 1-arm/fist drill by 25's

Main set:

4 x (12 x 25 Free @0:30--targeting 0:15 for swim) with 50 EZ between

Post set:

4 x 50 Navy Seals (12.5 scull/somersault/12.5 free/flip turn/12.5 polo swim/touch bottom/12.5 fly) on long rest

4 x 25 wheelbarrow with JD (1 pulls, other kicks and holds onto front swimmers leg)

Swam with JD, Nina, and Tony. Good crew again. Didn't live up to the 0:15 target, but gave a pretty good effort. Didn't want to give it all at the pool today and have regrets on the Kitt Peak ride on Saturday.

Dinner at the hotel included a talk by Gordo, maybe best titled, "The Best of Gordo." I can totally identify with the Gordo "before" photo on the dock. Still working to emulate the Gordo "after" photos.

Saturday--Day #6--Kitt Peak

Terrific last day for the camp. Breakfast at the hotel, then early rollout for an epic 100+ mile roundtrip ride to the Kitt Peak Observatory. The C group got a half-hour head start. The ride took us ~40 miles out along Mission Road, then the Ajo Highway to the base of Kitt Peak. There was a gradual climb to this portion of the ride, and the elevation gain was probably about ~1000 feet or so. We were caught by the B group and eventually the A group and everybody could re-group at the SportsMobile at the base of Kitt Peak. Gail and Sherry had set up a mini-kitchen, with all sorts of snacks and beverages. They would be sunbathing while the riders headed up the mountain. A couple riders turned back to Tucson at this point, but most everybody made the climb.

The climb up the mountain is just over 12 miles, to a final elevation of 6750 feet. Pretty steep by Larry's standards. I was 1 of the last to depart and worked hard to close up a big gap to John Fell. Coach Alan and Jason were behind, but all 4 of us gathered at the top for photos after a successful climb. I was pretty excited since I could only make it to the 4-mile marker last year. Progress!

I decided to sag down the mountain instead of ride. Again, I'm not much on heights. After a snack, John, Alan, Jason, and I gathered for the return ride to Tucson. We made good time on the slightly downhill return, helped by a tailwind for much of the trip. We stopped at a local convenience store about half-way back, enjoyed a drink there, and John treated me and Alan to lottery tickets (mine was a loser!).

Back at the hotel, I gathered up Nina, Kevin Boucher, and Kevin Farley for a recovery swim at the YMCA. Just 1000 yards for me. A more spirited swim for Kevin F.

Dinner the last night was both fun and sad. Fun to celebrate the day's and the week's accomplishments....but sad that the camp was drawing to a close. Gordo asked each of the coaches to toss out 3 benchmarking ideas....and there were a variety of ideas.

Post-Camp

Sunday was departure day. Up early for a 6:15 departure to the airport. Was happy to ride to the airport with JD, Alan, and Ron in the SportsMobile. We talked about Ironman China which had wrapped up overnight. Sad to see, at the time, that JD's friend, Chris McDonald hadn't started the race....learned a couple days later that he entered the 70.3 instead and finished 2nd. Congrats to Chris.

Sad to be leaving Tucson, but it was a GREAT week of training and fellowship. I'll miss the other campers, but I'll particularly miss the EC coaches, especially JD. I hope that, with a better performance this year, that I'll be invited back.

It was, by far, the biggest week of training EVER for me. For the week:

29 hours, 58 minutes of training

15,900 yards of swimming

298 miles of riding

22 miles of running

So, I'm tired. But a good tired. Until next year....

Natchez Bike Weekend, February 2010

Last weekend we had the 2nd edition of the Jackson-Natchez-Jackson bike ride. It's sure to become a classic.

You'll recall that I wrote about the 1st edition, back in the fall. Bobby S., Brandon W., and I made the trip along with a cheering section that included Lori C., Julie S., and Alisha W. At the time, we were in the homestretch of the IM Florida training and everybody was strong. Well, except poor Alisha, who was hurt and couldn't ride. We had a great time and said we'd do it again sometime in 2010.

Justin Daerr must have been talking to Bobby and Brancon when he visited with us in November, because after that visit, Justin was pretty excited about having us organize the next Natchez bike weekend for President's Day weekend. He couldn't have known at the time that we'd have temperatures 30 degrees colder than normal....and the biggest snowstorm for Jackson in 25 years.

At any rate, we aimed higher this time, and organized the ride under the auspices of the Mississippi Heat Triathlon Team. And there was a fair amount of interest. At one point or another, more than 20 riders expressed interest. The cold weather ended up affecting people's motivation level, I think, and we ended up with a hardy group of 9 riders for day #1: me, Brandon, Alisha, Charlie, Melanie, April Palmer, John Wofford, Martha, and Matt Johnson.

The support crew included my sister, Lori, Bobby (who is still recovering from recent left hamstring surgery), and Colin Blanchard, a mechanic from The Bike Rack. Good company and great ride support.



We awoke on our departure day to several inches of snow on the ground from the day before....and temperatures just below freezing. We decided to delay our start until 10:00 am to allow the temperatures to get above freezing, out of a concern for icing on the overpasses along the Natchez Trace. We sat around my kitchen for a couple hours, telling stories, and staying warm.



Then, after a group photo, it was off!



I've lived here for nearly 7 years now and I've never seen snow on the ground like this before. Amazing. Thankfully, the roads were mostly dry....and the overpasses turned out to be safe. But it was cold, in the 30's for the morning and in the low 40's for the afternoon. There were a couple hours of nice sunshine in the afternoon which made the temperature feel much warmer.

The ride broke up into several groups and people made their way south at their own pace. We had "major" rest stops at Rocky Springs (~50 miles in) and again at Coles Creek (about 87 miles in). I spent the day riding with Brandon, Alisha, and Matt. We put in a solid day's ride, I thought....perhaps a little slower than in the fall edition, but we had a (cold) wind against this time. We pulled into Natchez about 5:00 pm. The other riders got close, but got picked up by the sag vehicles as darkfall approached.

We spent the night at the Natchez Grand Hotel, an improvement over the Eola Hotel from the fall edition. Perhaps not as much character, but better lighting and great cookies in the lobby! It was Pearl Street Pasta again for dinner, where we were joined by April's husband. There was much talk about the day's ride and eager anticipation about the return ride to Jackson.

We were up early for a 7:00 am breakfast at the hotel and an 8:00 (or nearly 8:00 am) departure. Oh, and another group photo....minus Charlie and Melanie who returned to Jackson to get ready for baptism, birthday, Valentine's Day.

We rode back to Rocky Springs before the cold weather (and tired legs) got the best of people's determination. We called it a day there and drove back to Jackson.

We celebrated the adventure with pizza from Soulshine. And there was quick talk about the "next time." We'll see....

Happy New Year 2010

Happy New Year! It's hard to believe that 2010 is here.

It's been a busy few weeks here. Since I last updated the blog, my sister and parents visited for Christmas. I had to work, but it was great to have the family here for the holiday.

This past week was a relaxing New Year's week....a short work week and another long holiday weekend. This time, there was just some unwinding.

People keep asking me when the next race will be. It's only been a few weeks since the last race! But it's nice to know people are interested. I'm thinking the 2010 season will include:

Feb. 6th: Hilton Head Island Half Marathon
March 7th - 14th: Endurance Corner Tucson Training Camp
April 18th: N. Orleans 70.3
May 23rd: Memphis in May Triathlon
June 5th: Heatwave Classic Triathlon
Sept. 6th: Waikiki 2.4-mile Roughwater Swim. I'll be combining this with a week-long Hawaii cruise with the family that includes a day in Kona for a swim and bike at "ground zero"
Dec. 5th: Ironman Western Australia

Looking forward to 2010!

Endurance Corner Swim Camp

It's been 4 weeks now since Ironman Florida and it already feels like a lifetime ago. I've certainly had a chance to rest up a bit and get re-connected with some people and things that were back-burnered during the lead-up to the race.

I had a great time last week, spending the Thanksgiving weekend with the family at Disney World.

I thought I'd write today about the Endurance Corner Swim Camp that finished up today. Well, for me it finished up on Thanksgiving because I got an early start. I'm not sure where the idea came from, but Gordo, Jan, and Scott seem to have been the organizers for the 2-week virtual camp.

About 35 triathletes located all over the U.S., and the globe, for that matter, participated. There was an Internet-based tally sheet for the athletes to report their daily swim yardage, so that all the participants could see how the others were doing. Score was kept as follows:

For each day's swim: 1 point if >=2000 meters or 2 points if >=4000 meters.

1 bonus point each week if >= 5 swims that week.

1 bonus point if >=10 swims over the 2-week camp.

1 bonus point for each of 10 "bonus sets" that could be included anywhere along the way:
1. 5 x 400m on 20 sec rest, descending
2. 2 x 100m, descending, choice of rest
3. 4000m, without stopping, breathing every 3rd stroke
4. 10 x 200m, grouped 4/3/2/1, each group faster, on 15 sec rest
5. 8 x 250, first 25 fly, last 225 choice, choice of rest
6. 2000m, without stopping, with pull buoy and band
7. 2000m time trial
8. 20 x 100m on avg 100m pace from 2000m TT plus 0:10.

I managed to get all 41 points and logged ~69,000 yards at the pool. For me, that was the most ever for a 2-week period, by far. There are still a few hours left today and it looks like ~9-10 people will finish with 50,000+meters. Wow. Gordo promised new EC swim caps to everybody who reached 50,000 meters, so there was some incentive! I'll bet that most folks did 2x to 4x their usual swimming volume during the camp.

Gordo and JD posted the details of their daily workouts at the EC Forum and it was interesting to see how the elites go about swim training. It's sometimes easy to gloss over the various #'s, split times, etc., but they swim FAST and LONG, day after day. Again, wow.

For me, it was back to training this week. It's amazing how de-tuned things become with a 3-week break. My quads have been burning all week from Monday evening's trip to the gym. And the 2:15 ride yesterday seemed like it would never end. Today was an appreciated rest day....and back at it tomorrow.

Thinking about the 2010 season....
February...............Hilton Head Island Half Marathon
...................Natchez bike weekend
March....................Endurance Corner Tucson training camp
April.......................N. Orleans 70.3
May........................Memphis in May
June.......................Heatwave Classic

Ironman Florida 2009

I'm back in Jackson after a long weekend in Panama City Beach, Florida, for the 2009 Ironman Florida triathlon.

Lori flew to Jackson on Tuesday of race week and we headed down to PCB on Wednesday. We picked up Justin Daerr at the Pensacola airport on the way and we were glad that he decided to stay with us at the Creswell family headquarters, as he called it. We lucked out with a great 10th floor penthouse condo with a huge balcony and great views of the gulf. We enjoyed dinner at Carrabas Grill and a shopping trip to Publix and called it a day.

On Thursday, I went for a short ride with Justin, registered for the race, and visited the expo. The family went to the pro press conference to hear Justin and the other men and women pros talk about the upcoming race. Justin and I went for a short afternoon swim in the beautiful Gulf water. The family and I went to the Welcome Dinner and hooked up with Nicholas Whipple, one of our medical students who was doing his first Ironman race. We enjoyed the videos, the music, and the pasta dinner. And we let Justin have some quiet time!

Friday was a pretty uneventful day. Went on another short ride with Justin, did a short EZ run, and then another swim with Justin. We checked in the gear and lounged. Justin's girlfriend, Brooke, arrived in the afternoon and it was great to meet the (better) half of Team JD. She turned out to be lots of fun. Lori and I made a quick trip to visit Alisha, Brandon, Charlie, Mel, and Brandon's parents at their condo at the Shores of Panama. We enjoyed the well-wishing. We had dinner back at the condo and turned in early.

The race had both good and bad. I swam well in rough water and biked steadily (if not fast). But once again, I struggled with the run. It took a rather spirited effort in the last mile to reach the finish line just shy of 14 hours. As always, it was great to arrive to the cheers of family and friends. Justin and Brooke also came back to cheer and it was great to be able to celebrate with them, too.

I think my fondest memories of my two tries at IM Florida came in the same place in 2007 and again this year.....the family and friends cheering at the 13-mile mark of the run.

I thought that training had gone well and so, at this point, I'm not sure what I could have done differently. I'll have to think hard about this before giving it another go. You can't help but be inspired at these IM races.

On Monday, we headed home, bringing Justin for his first real visit to Mississippi. I had the Mississippi Heat Triathlon Team over to my house for dinner and a talk by Justin. Justin offered up suggestions for how to approach the offseason, how to get organized for next year, and how to find and work with a coach. There were plenty of questions and answers to follow....and I think that people had a good time. We all agreed that we should do things like this more often.

It's time for some rest now.....catch up on some things that have been on back burner for a while, holidays with the family, etc. I've been thinking a lot about next year, though, and I'm thinking now about doing the Blues Half Marathon here in Jackson in January, the Hilton Head Island Half Marathon in February, making a repeat trip to the Endurance Corner training camp in Tucson in March, and racing in the N. Orleans 70.3 in April. That's a start....

One Week to Go!

One week to go 'til Ironman Florida!

I see that it's been a while since I've written anything here at the blog. Since the Great Natchez Ride, I've been busy at work, busy finishing up training, and working to get some content up at my other blog, the Athlete's Heart Blog.

I had a good time yesterday morning at the Du It For Heather Duathlon here in Ridgeland. This is the 2nd annual running of this event, albeit with a different name this year. Once again, we had clear, sunny skies and ideal cool temperatures for the race. I was on hand to cheer for George and Stephanie this year....and a handful of others that I knew who were doing the race. Both Stephanie and George had a good race....and Stephanie came from behind to win the overall women's race! Good for her. And on her new bike!

I stood for a long while with Darryl, who is also racing at Ironman Florida next weekend. We shared stories about training and thoughts about the upcoming race. Training has gone well. No significant injuries and pretty consistent efforts, I'd say. There are several people from town who are headed to Panama City Beach for the race next weekend....me, Darryl, Brandon, Mike, Toby, Jim, and Nicholas, I think. And some people to cheer as well, including Charlie, Mel, Alisha, George, Stephanie, and my family.

Lori's traveling to Jackson on Tuesday evening and we'll be driving down to PCB on Wednesday. We're stopping in Pensacola to pick up Coach Justin (and say hello to the parents who are also traveling to Pensacola), then it's on to PCB! We're staying once again at the Grandview condos....this was a great home base for the 2007 race.

After the race, Coach Justin is coming back to Jackson for a short stay. We've planned a dinner and evening of TriTalk with Justin on Monday, Nov. 9th at my place, for the Mississippi Heat tri club. I think this will lots of fun....and probably educational, too. I really appreciate Justin's willingness to do this.

That's it for now. More in the coming days from Panama City Beach!

Great Natchez Ride

Had a great weekend with our Great Natchez Ride. Off and on for the past couple years, we've talked about doing an overnight bike ride to Natchez and back (~100 miles each way) on the Natchez Trace....but like many adventures, it's sometimes hard to get a critical mass together. But it really happened this weekend. We put this on the calendar a couple months ago, hoping to talk a crowd into joining in....but in the end, it was just me, Bobby, and Brandon. Alisha, Brandon's girlfriend was also going to ride, but a nagging foot injury turned her into a support person at the last minute.

We met at my house early Saturday morning....the riders, plus the support crew of Lori (my sister), Alisha (Brandon's girlfriend), and Julie (Bobby's girlfriend). We loaded up Bobby's Tahoe with the luggage and support gear and we were off!

The Natchez Trace is a gem for bicyclists. It's a 2-lane road, entirely through National Park, that stretches from Natchez, MS in the south to Nashville, TN in the north. The road surface is great and there is little traffic. On the stretch between here and Natchez, the road is gently rolling for the first 80 miles or so, then has bigger hills for the last 25 miles. All in all, there's about 2000 feet of elevation gain for the entire route.

Day #1

We had terrific weather....sunny, 70's to low 80's, little wind....perfect conditions for a long bike ride. We headed out from my house for the 3-mile ride to the Trace and the girls headed out in the SUV. We hopped on the Trace and headed south, each taking rotating 5-10 minute turns at the front.

The girls played leapfrog with us, stopping at each upcoming rest stop along the Trace. They'd be there, cheering and taking photos as we rode by.

We made 2 stops on the way to Natchez, first at Rocky Mount (~50 miles in) and then Mount Locust (~88 miles in)....bathroom break, stretching, snacks, etc. The biggest mishap on day #1 came at Mount Locust....but for the support vehicle, not the riders! The girls rode over a metal bolt which found its way into a rear tire, causing a flat. And, interestingly, we had a dickens of a time getting the tire changed. Eventually, a local US mailwoman had to change the tire. Go figure! We turned the girls loose to head for the hotel and be there when we arrived.

We stayed at the historic Eola hotel in downtown Natchez. It is Fall Pilgrimage season in Natchez, so our choice of accomodations was limited, but this worked out pretty well. The rooms were comfortable and had a balcony looking toward the Mississippi River.

I headed out for a short transition run along the River and then crashed at the room for a couple hours. Some of the others made their way to Biscuit and Blues for a snack and libation.

We ate at the Pearl Street Pasta Co., just across the street from the hotel. Good food, good company, and a TV to keep an eye on the Georgia/LSU and then Ole Miss games. Lori and I turned in early (I couldn't pass up the opportunity for 9 hours of sleep....I can't remember the last time). Others headed for the Mighty Martini or a local bar to watch more of the football.

Day #2

We were up early on day #2 to check on the weather forecast. It would be a windy, cooler, and wet day and we worried that rain would get the best of us. As it turned out, there were a couple periods of light rain, but the heavens didn't open up until we were back in Jackson.

For me, the ride was tough on day #2. The first 25 miles of the ride were pretty hilly....and the other guys were feeling too peppy for me. Every time we were headed uphill, I needed to crank out 300+W to keep up....and I knew early on that this was a recipe for failure later in the day. And I was right.

We stopped at Coles Creek (~20 miles in) for a bathroom break, then at Mount Locust (~60 miles in) for another break. I decided to take an hour break and ride in the car, meeting the guys at Battle of Raymond (~80 miles in) and ride to the finish. I felt stronger after the break and it wasn't quite the problem to keep up for the final 20 miles or so....despite the gusty headwind.

Brandon and I went for a short transition run from my house and then we enjoyed pizza from Soulshine. We had a great time this year and are looking forward to doing it again....perhaps spring, 2010. Julie texts tonight that she wants to get a bike. What could be better?

For me, the totals were:

Day #1

110.6 miles (106.3 miles steady on the Trace)

19.2 mph (19.8 mph on the Trace), avg. cadence 89, avg HR 131

power 148W, 173NP, TSS 360, 3061kJ

Day #2

76.2 miles (74.0 miles steady on the Trace)

17.2 mph, avg cadence 89, avg HR 123

power 147W, 169NP, TSS 262, 2620kJ

For me, this was the most-ever cycling over 2 days. And the short transition runs went well, too....providing some confidence for the upcoming IM Florida race.

Next up for me (and Brandon, with Lori and Alisha cheering again)....Ironman Florida on November 7th.