The last few days training in Palm Springs has been great. The weather turned around and we had a nice dose of sun that is so common for that part of California. Because of the rain prior, I spent a bit of time in the pool and put a few more “K’s” in than usual. Turned out to be 17 in 3 days. Surprisingly it all felt really good. I think I needed that to get me rolling again. All the campers did a hefty load of swimming. We had a few do 6K one day and that was by far the most that they have ever swum. It made me reflect a bit on my own journey in the sport. It was around this time three years ago that I did my first 6K swim. It was in New Zealand at Epic Camp. I remember how it made me feel and I could see that “feeling” on the campers face.
The riding was also a bit more than I had been doing but it was at a very tame pace. Mitch, Mike and myself decided that we would let the campers pull and set the pace for our first ride in the sun. It was just shy of 100 miles. We had started a tad late and I began to get concerned about the amount of daylight we had. The pace out was not that fast. Since the ride was on out and back we had no choice but to turn around and go back. We told the campers that Mike and I were going to go on the front and pull. The pace would have to be picked if we were going to make it back before the sun went down so we made sure they loaded up on some black gold (coke) and got rolling towards home as quickly as we could.
I had the sun go down on me once before when I was training in Kona. I was on the upper highway and got totally screwed with darkness. Scott Jones and Ben Cotter were with me but that didn’t really help since neither of them glowed. Luckily we had Teresa back at the house and called her to come get us. By that time that Cougar found us the sun was on its way back up! Anyway, I’m sidetracking from the fact that all of us were now in this same situation.
Mike and I kept pulling a bit too hard and loosing the bunch. There was one guy there that seemed to be able to hang on. His name was Adam but I’ll just call him the London Dynamo. He was from London and had a KIT that said that and wore it everyday so of course that is what I called him. I am a lot like Sawyer on “Lost” and tend to call people anything but their actual name.
The three of us waited for the bunch and Mitch gave Mike and I the go ahead to take off. LD stayed back with the group and Mike and I went to chase what was left of the sun. Again, it was that time of year when Mike and I seem to get together hammer out miles. It wasn’t crazy, which I enjoyed, and ultimately I pulled hard enough for a while to make Mike feel like he needed to challenge me. Trick worked and I sat in for the rest of the ride and got home faster with less effort! I’m so smart.
We managed to make it back just as the sun took a dive over the PS mountains. The riders made it back shortly after as we not knowingly took a longer way. They were lucky there was a shorter way because they would have been in the pitch black for sure. Not typical camp protocol but Mike and I were ready to do a rescue pick up in the CpC Van. If it had been me, there would have been a call from me saying “You can pick my ass up at Starbucks!”
The next day we did another swim ride combo. The ride was headed up in the Mountains. Palm Springs has got some awesome climbing. One of my favorites actually so I was very pleased that the weather was good enough to do it. Going up would be great but the descent might be a bit chilly so we all packed up like mules. My back pockets were total porn star. I hate to be cold so I had pretty much everything I owned with me.
The climb was tame at first but then Mike took off. I bridged back up to him a while later, dropping my London Dynamo companion, but Mike didn’t like that. He took off again and I had to stay 40 seconds back in order to keep it at a sane pace rather than a race. Fine with me. I was enjoying myself. The mountains were looking alive and we started to have snow on the ground. Pretty, but not good for going down.
We regrouped at the top and then took the crew a bit further along the top where we described it as Kiwi rollers. That is some bullshit because really it just goes up. Rollers, Kiwi or not, need some down hill. I took off on my own for a little bit trying to enjoy the peace up there. Amongst all the snow, rocks and trees without any iPod, what do I have going on in my head? “Let me see that thong. That thong tha thong tha thong.” Really? A sole biker in natures playground and I have the “Thong Song” stuck in my head. Wonderful.
After 20 min of that we made to the point where would turn. I waited for the other campers packing my bike in the snow to keep it up. When they got all arrived I had to give them the good news and the bad news. The good was that we were going to turn around and go back because it was so cold. The bad was that the store on the corner was closed. I was really wanting a coke too. Damn.
The ride down wasn't nearly as cold as I ad planned. However, I figured I would be okay calorie wise and I wasn't. While descending I felt the strong onset of a bonk. I wasn't even really working but sure enough my blood sugar went way down. It was kinda funny to because I seemed almost euphoric. Flying down the side of this mountain totally spaced out not really caring if I just flew off the edge. I think my mind figured I would take off like Eliot in E.T. Good thing that didn't happen!
Once down everyone but me was pretty damn cold. That is very rare. Usually I am the one with my shoulders crammed up by my ears shivering. I decided that we would all just go to Starbucks and have Mitch come get us in the Van. We weren't far from the hotel and the rest of the ride would be traffic ligths anyway. Mich was on the same wavelength and showed up in the van before I could even call him. He turned early and was super cold so he figured we were all screwed.
Having a nice coffee with the campers was perfect. We all got a good climb in and now had some down time to socialize. Everyone seemed very pleased with the day and they effort they put out. I was definitely okay with my ride.
I had to pack my stuff up that night as I am heading to Florida in the AM to meet up with Joanna, Carole and Billy for some warm weather training in Florida. My flight connects with Carole's in Denver so having a buddy to travel with should be fun and filled with stupid shit to write about. Will keep you posted from Gatorland!
Cheers,
bdc
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Bi Costal Training Part Uno: The West.
Well our drive out to Palm Springs has taken place and I am not not in sunny Boulder Colorado but rather in rainy Palm Springs. I tell ya, the cold in Boulder really isn't that bad becasue we don't have the wetness. I think the summer in New Zealand may have actually been more of a challnege than the winter thus far in Boulder. Live and learn....
Anyway, the drive to Palm Springs went pretty quikly. Probably a little too quickly while I was at the wheel since I got pulled over. Luckily for me, if there is anyone that can get out of a speeding ticket it is me. When the cop came up to the window I had to really pinch my wrist had so I wouldn't be tempted to give him a "Sir Sandwich". I served one up on the bike in Kona to a ref and got a yellow card turned into a red card so I figured speaking was not my best bet on this one. "Do you have any idea how fast your were driving?" Of course I did but I waited silently for him to state the obvious. "wow, I really had no idea. These new cars just ride so smooth and we were on a down hill...." *smile* *look dumb* *smile* He went back to his car and took ten years to finally come back and let me know that he was jusst going to give me a warning. Exhale.
I decided to let Sasha drive the rest of the way. Driving 80 on an open highway in a car that can easily go 100 while feeling like it is 55 is just torture to me. So someone else had to do it and I decided to just read and chat with Fiona. I think the mini stress of the possible ticket gave me a headache. Sasha of course had the answer. "Brandon- All good real estate agents have a few nessisary items in their glove box. A flashlight, tape measure, Sharpie pen, marble to test floor level and 800 milligram pills of Ibuprophen becasue almost all clients will give you a massave headeache." It was like a freaking horse pill. But it did the trick and before I knew it I was headache free and less than a 100 miles from Vegas.
We decided to stop just outside of Vegas so we wouldn't have to sell a bike to pay for a hotel room. We all just cramed in one room and I got to share a bed with the lovely Fiona. Now I had to warn Fiona that while on the surface it would seem that she would be safe sleeping with me. This is not entirely true. I let her know that other "girlfriends" of mine that have slept with me have been molested in the wee hours of the night. Cicely and Jessica have both had their asses grabbed in a very innapropriate way while I was long gone in dream land. I told her that she would need to whack me upside the head if I fouund my way on her side of the bed. This wouldn't be hard as they seemed to only be full size beds. I built her a nice pillow wall in the midlle. She told me in the AM that I behaved but the bed was a freaking wreck!. She looked dissapointed haha!!!
The two of us went out for an easy 30 min run. It was so nice to be able to run. Even though I am still "dealing" with issues in my foot I was happy too be out running. I have decided that no matter what happens with my foot there is only so much I can do about it. One thing I can do is not let it affect my mood. I think staying in a good mood about it is part of the healing process. Not always easy for me to do but I am trying.
The run gave me a nice little buzz as well as the tripple shot mocha that I had :-) I am really turning into a caffeine junkie. It makes me so happy! Anyway, we made it to Palm Springs in a short few hours and settled in. Mitch has a nice new house and I am staying there with none other than Mike Montgomery. There must be something about this time of year that the two of us just can't be apart. In the past we have been in New Zealand hammering away at an Epic Camp. I decided that I was not going to be doing anymore camps, Epic or not, unless they were small training groups that I knew or I was one of the people running the camp. I made the exception here because the camp was going to be smaller and Mitch's house is now in Palm Springs rather than Yucca Valley so everything would be really close and easy. He has also been nice enough to have me help out with stuff so I wouldn't have to pay. As well, I can stick to my training and not do anaything crazy that could jeapordize my body.
Today was our first day and we all rode together. It was a nice sane ride of a bout 3 1/2 hours. There were a few small picks up between Mike and myself but nothing cray. I now have an SRM Power Meter so I am pretty excited to start some training with power. I am going to use the camp to learn the device. I know Joanna will be excited to get a hold of the data. She has her theories about me. We shall soon see if they are true.
That's the report from Palm Springs. The camp is off to a great start and there is a nice group of people here. Hopefully the weather will cut us a break so we can get the Idlewile (sp?) ride in on Monday. That is one of my favorite rides of all time. I will make sure to pop a picture or two up when I can get them downloaded.
Cheers,
bdc
Anyway, the drive to Palm Springs went pretty quikly. Probably a little too quickly while I was at the wheel since I got pulled over. Luckily for me, if there is anyone that can get out of a speeding ticket it is me. When the cop came up to the window I had to really pinch my wrist had so I wouldn't be tempted to give him a "Sir Sandwich". I served one up on the bike in Kona to a ref and got a yellow card turned into a red card so I figured speaking was not my best bet on this one. "Do you have any idea how fast your were driving?" Of course I did but I waited silently for him to state the obvious. "wow, I really had no idea. These new cars just ride so smooth and we were on a down hill...." *smile* *look dumb* *smile* He went back to his car and took ten years to finally come back and let me know that he was jusst going to give me a warning. Exhale.
I decided to let Sasha drive the rest of the way. Driving 80 on an open highway in a car that can easily go 100 while feeling like it is 55 is just torture to me. So someone else had to do it and I decided to just read and chat with Fiona. I think the mini stress of the possible ticket gave me a headache. Sasha of course had the answer. "Brandon- All good real estate agents have a few nessisary items in their glove box. A flashlight, tape measure, Sharpie pen, marble to test floor level and 800 milligram pills of Ibuprophen becasue almost all clients will give you a massave headeache." It was like a freaking horse pill. But it did the trick and before I knew it I was headache free and less than a 100 miles from Vegas.
We decided to stop just outside of Vegas so we wouldn't have to sell a bike to pay for a hotel room. We all just cramed in one room and I got to share a bed with the lovely Fiona. Now I had to warn Fiona that while on the surface it would seem that she would be safe sleeping with me. This is not entirely true. I let her know that other "girlfriends" of mine that have slept with me have been molested in the wee hours of the night. Cicely and Jessica have both had their asses grabbed in a very innapropriate way while I was long gone in dream land. I told her that she would need to whack me upside the head if I fouund my way on her side of the bed. This wouldn't be hard as they seemed to only be full size beds. I built her a nice pillow wall in the midlle. She told me in the AM that I behaved but the bed was a freaking wreck!. She looked dissapointed haha!!!
The two of us went out for an easy 30 min run. It was so nice to be able to run. Even though I am still "dealing" with issues in my foot I was happy too be out running. I have decided that no matter what happens with my foot there is only so much I can do about it. One thing I can do is not let it affect my mood. I think staying in a good mood about it is part of the healing process. Not always easy for me to do but I am trying.
The run gave me a nice little buzz as well as the tripple shot mocha that I had :-) I am really turning into a caffeine junkie. It makes me so happy! Anyway, we made it to Palm Springs in a short few hours and settled in. Mitch has a nice new house and I am staying there with none other than Mike Montgomery. There must be something about this time of year that the two of us just can't be apart. In the past we have been in New Zealand hammering away at an Epic Camp. I decided that I was not going to be doing anymore camps, Epic or not, unless they were small training groups that I knew or I was one of the people running the camp. I made the exception here because the camp was going to be smaller and Mitch's house is now in Palm Springs rather than Yucca Valley so everything would be really close and easy. He has also been nice enough to have me help out with stuff so I wouldn't have to pay. As well, I can stick to my training and not do anaything crazy that could jeapordize my body.
Today was our first day and we all rode together. It was a nice sane ride of a bout 3 1/2 hours. There were a few small picks up between Mike and myself but nothing cray. I now have an SRM Power Meter so I am pretty excited to start some training with power. I am going to use the camp to learn the device. I know Joanna will be excited to get a hold of the data. She has her theories about me. We shall soon see if they are true.
That's the report from Palm Springs. The camp is off to a great start and there is a nice group of people here. Hopefully the weather will cut us a break so we can get the Idlewile (sp?) ride in on Monday. That is one of my favorite rides of all time. I will make sure to pop a picture or two up when I can get them downloaded.
Cheers,
bdc
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Are we ever having that damn swim race??!!
Well my flu kicked my butt pretty hard and left me with lungs that made me sound like some 85 year old woman named Hellen that smoked 2 packs a day. I am feeling much better now and back at it but I seem to leave bits of my lung every where I go. So with that, Carole and I did not get to have our SHOWDOWN as of yet. Nor did JZ and Marky V get to have their challenge. However, as soon as I am a little further away from this I am making Sharpie race me. Unfortunately, with out trying to be negative, I think I am going to get my ass handed to me. She appears to be very motivated these days and is flying through the water again. I on the other hand feel as if I have bricks tied to my ankles. But I ain't SCUUURD! I'll still give it my best and see if I can somehow break her!
I think that the swim race may actually end up taking place in Florida. JZ, Billy, Carole and myself are going out to Clermeont for 10 days of training. JZ was going to be out there before hand so we all decide that we would meet her and extend her trip so we could all train. It should be a good time. Although, our housing just fell through so we may be sleeping in the back of a pick up truck. I don't think that would be all that strange for the area.
I am getting a mini camp in prior to the Florida trip in Palm Springs. My good buddy Mitch is holding one of his tri camps out there and asked me if I could come out and help while I get some training in. My friend Sasha and Fiona are driving out Thursday so I am tagging along. We are going to take two days to make the drive and I am really looking forward to the road trip. It should be a blast. Hopefully there will be something funny to write about. I have been sooooooo bored lately when it comes to topics to write about. Well maybe I have just been a bit uninspired because plenty of things have happened that I could turn into a good tale. I can't believe I am not going to write a little bit about Michael "Bong Hit" Phelps. I don't smoke weed (Anymore). But I totally like the guy way more now. And Debbie needs to stop crying!
I'll keep you posted on the travel, training and fun that is to be had in the next few weeks. Side note to anyone that reads this in LA: I had to go to the ER when I got that nasty flu and I honestly think it would be faster for someone in need of an ER to fly out to Boulder rather than going to Cedars. I have never in all my life been seen so fast. The doc even came in and "hung out" for a while. It was brilliant.
I think that the swim race may actually end up taking place in Florida. JZ, Billy, Carole and myself are going out to Clermeont for 10 days of training. JZ was going to be out there before hand so we all decide that we would meet her and extend her trip so we could all train. It should be a good time. Although, our housing just fell through so we may be sleeping in the back of a pick up truck. I don't think that would be all that strange for the area.
I am getting a mini camp in prior to the Florida trip in Palm Springs. My good buddy Mitch is holding one of his tri camps out there and asked me if I could come out and help while I get some training in. My friend Sasha and Fiona are driving out Thursday so I am tagging along. We are going to take two days to make the drive and I am really looking forward to the road trip. It should be a blast. Hopefully there will be something funny to write about. I have been sooooooo bored lately when it comes to topics to write about. Well maybe I have just been a bit uninspired because plenty of things have happened that I could turn into a good tale. I can't believe I am not going to write a little bit about Michael "Bong Hit" Phelps. I don't smoke weed (Anymore). But I totally like the guy way more now. And Debbie needs to stop crying!
I'll keep you posted on the travel, training and fun that is to be had in the next few weeks. Side note to anyone that reads this in LA: I had to go to the ER when I got that nasty flu and I honestly think it would be faster for someone in need of an ER to fly out to Boulder rather than going to Cedars. I have never in all my life been seen so fast. The doc even came in and "hung out" for a while. It was brilliant.
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