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Showing posts from February, 2013

2013 CEC Pro Camp - That's a wrap!

The last day of camp was a 4.5k swim day that ended with....No, NOT a 1000 or 2000 TT; Cliff was generous and had us do some relays!  My diving was laughable, but somehow we still won. This year was much different for me at camp.  I trained well throughout camp and felt good about where my fitness is and the timing for upcoming races.  I still have plenty of work to do, but I wouldn't be in the sport if there wasn't, right?!?! So now it's time to get back into a solo groove.... That would have to wait a day though, today was a bit of a bust on the training front.  I had a lot of other things to get done, plans to write, etc. So I elected to swap Monday's session with today's.  I headed over to Mt. Lemmon for 3hrs of fun on the lower slopes.  Note to self, do NOT ride up Mt. Lemmon on the weekend, a few days after it snows. It was definitely a superhighway of cars going up. Next up, long run tomorrow.  Followed by a few more solid/big days, before I get

2013 CEC Pro Camp Day 9

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Today, as you may have gathered through social media, it was not very "Tucson-y." However, the training was. Swim - 5km Warm-up: 800 choice 3x 2x50kick, fast between the flags on :60 100 easy swim on 1:45 4x through on 2:45 25 build 25 easy 50 build 100 easy  Mainset: Graduated to Laurel Wassner and Lauren Goss' lane. Just happy to be swimming with the front group. 12x100 HIM pace on 1:15 (1:05-1:08) 400 easy 8x100 on 1:15 (1:05-1:08, then cracked a bit in the last few) Longer easy cd Run - 1:55 - 25km Pretty good run around Reid Park today. This is a flat 2.85mile loop.  Warm-up:  1 loop plus pick-ups and functional work. Mainset as follows each on 21minutes with some active recovery between. 1 loop HIM pace (5:45's) 1 loop a bit faster than HIM pace (5:30's) 1 loop HIM pace (5:45's) CD: 1 loop  Here is the fun in the form of a file for you. Thanks to Cliff En

2013 CEC Pro Camp Day 7 & 8.

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Day 7 - Leg's off!! Today was a great day off the legs, which were definitely thankful. We did get a good 5k swim, which I followed with some quality time at the coffee shop; first for breakfast with friends and then for some plans and a little wasting time. Today's swim: Warm-up: 5x400 mixed :15 Mainset: 3x - 200 on 2:35 (224/223/221) (223/219/219) (217/219/217) - 200 on 2:50 Easy longer cd after. Day 8 - Back at it. Strength swim 4.5k Warm-up: 600 swim 500 k/swim 400 d/swim Mainset: 2x 6x50 band on 50 (:33-36) 2x300 pull with pads on 3:45 (3:20/3:17/3:16/3:18) 300 moderate on 4:00 Easy longer cd after. 3.5hr ride up Mount Lemmon.  It's a great climb that lasts about 25miles (the real climb is only 20.5).  You start at 2810' above sea-level and climb all the way up to 8420. Not bad.  The legs were pretty worked from the get go and I almost got dropped at mile 3 of the climb.  Luckily a few power gels  and some refocusing words fr

2013 CEC Pro Camp Day 6

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Long run day in the bank.   JD  and I usually run pretty well together. Similar thoughts on pacing, similar ability and it makes for good company.  Total run was just under 25km with a good main set of 3x5km on 4minutes recovery. We had a nice descend throughout from about 6:25 through the first mile to 5:50ish for the last few.  Not too challenging, not too easy, a great way to end the first week. Here is a TP graph of the main set if you are interested. The afternoon consists of some easy cycling and swimming, before group dinner.  Then we start things all over again in week 2. I have noticed that this year I am quite a bit more relaxed, confident in my abilities and pretty centered all around. It could be that I am a year wiser, it could be all of the work I have put into the psychology side of things in the last year, or that I am just a bit more fit.  Whatever the reason, it's very clear to me that I love this sport and am thoroughly enjoying the process and meeting

2013 CEC Pro Camp Day 5

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Today was a bigger volume day for all of us.  I was unsure how the legs would feel after a pretty solid week of training, they had been quite sore on Friday. Soon enough we were off and it was nice not having to wear 4 layers of clothing to warm-up. The temps were in the 50's and the forecast was for 75* as a high. The plan for the day was to ride out and climb Madera Canyon.  On windy days like today, it's a challenging ride, so pacing and fueling is very important. For the first 30miles we rolled a double pace line at a fairly steady pace.; 50w under IM was the goal.  Once we reached 30 miles at the end of Mission Road, we rode through Green Valley and got ready to climb.  It was 13 miles up to the end of the road at about 5500'.  This isn't nearly the top of the mountain (that's about 9500), but it's a honest ascent with a VERY VERY steep last 1-2miles. To my surprise, the legs felt pretty good and I was able to build nicely throughout the climb.  I a

2013 CEC Pro Camp Day 4

Today was a welcome day of R&R on the training front.  The afternoon has been great, spent at a U of A coffee shop. With the sun and temps of about 65*, I have no problem working on training plans for 4hrs. This morning we did have a good swim, followed by a better breakfast. So here are the details...hopefully there aren't too many pic's of my amazing dives, floating around out there. Warm-up: 800 choice Transition: 6x25 sprint on :20 200 easy 10x25 from a dive on :45 300 easy Mainset: 3x 400 on 5:10 300 on 3:50 200 on 2:35 100 on 1:15 50 on :20 Easy longer cool down to 5.5km Have a great weekend, everyone! Big day coming tomorrow.

2013 CEC Pro Camp Day 3

Happy Valentine's Day... Today was a bike/run/nap day for me.  The legs continued to feel pretty good and the new large Speed Concept is performing well.  For the past two seasons I have been on a medium frame and have had some terrible handling issues, mostly while descending over 35mph.  I would get a speed wobble that was uncontrollable.  In the short time I have been on the large, I have had it 40-50mph on a few pretty technical roads and have had zero issues. Good to know and to remember for both myself and athletes I work with. Back to the day.  Cliff has been fantastic this week and we are all having a great time...from what I can tell.  Everyone has a different focus, background, goals and it makes for a great environment. Today's set was done out on Sandario Road.  It's a flat road that's about 12 miles long.  Total ride time was 3.5hrs, about 68 miles or so.  Mainset was 30/20/10.  30min at 320, 20minutes at 330 and 10minutes at 340w. All were done on 10

2013 CEC Pro Camp Day 2

Solid day all around today with temps in the 60's. Here is a recap.... Swim 90minutes 5500yards Warm-up: 3x400 easy warm-up w/some kicking and drilling. Mainset: 3x4x50 draft practice alternating formation w/3 others on :45 3x400 drafting practice w/3 others on 5:15 300 easy 10x100 best average on 1:20.  Didn't have my best day here, but still held 65-69. Longer easy cd after. Bike to and from the track. 75 minutes Run at the track. 90min 18km Longer warm-up, then into the following.  Nice descend from 5:20-4:40/mile pace. 2x 1600 on 7:30 1200 on 6:00 800 on 4:30 400 on 3:00 So far so good. Day 3 ahead, along with some warmer temps!

2013 CEC PRO Camp Day 1

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Today was a first good day of camp, though it SNOWED here in Tucson and the surrounding areas.  As a result, Mt. Lemmon was closed, so we improvised today. Here's a recap. 75minute swim. 4500 total 600 choice swim 400 as 25drill/75swim 600 as 150free/50choice 4x25 band on :30 200 ez 4x50 band on :60 200 ez 4x400 pull with pads moderate on 5:00 600 choice cd Then onto the bike for 3:20 through beautiful Saguaro National Park. 5 loops through the park with a solid climb on each loop. As you can see, the ride got a bit hot during the last two times through. Easy 15' run off the bike to wrap up the day.  

Will Cross-Training Benefit Your Triathlon Performance?

When looking at what makes a successful athlete in any sport, there is more than single sport training that goes into maximizing potential.  But how much more is the question, what should we do and how does it apply to triathlon?     First, let's look at single sport athletes. Take just about any sport and look at the top athletes.  Then look into their training programs.  Typically you will find that the MAJORITY of the work is done in their primary sport.  Then the athlete usually spends a much smaller amount of time doing exercises that compliment their sport.  Benefits may help build cardiovascular fitness, improve power, agility, mental acuity and speed.     Examples - Think running for boxers, plyometrics for runners and agility training for football or hockey players.   But what about triathlon?     That statement usually gets a few laughs because most single sport athletes would look at a sport with three disciplines and ask why an athlete would want to a