Arizona Training Report

I've been in Tucson and training for three days now and it finally feels like I'm in Arizona! The first two days were cold and rainy and I was beginning to think I wasn't going to be able to escape the weather of Oregon!

For Monday’s workout, my two friends from the UO Cycling Team and me jumped on our bikes in the early afternoon when we saw a break in the clouds. The weather held up and it was a good 3 hour spin over rolling hills getting familiar with the area. One nice thing about being down here is that it seems that every road out of town takes you through a National Park. However, cacti and other thorny bushes crowd the edges of the road in the parks, basically you have to have your attention on the road at all times with traffic left and cacti right. After the ride, I took my usual recovery shake and started a new recovery method recommended by Gilad, a 30 minute nap regardless of whether or not I'm tired. It's so nice, I suggest you all try to work that into your workouts! Feeling rejuvenated, I grabbed my things and headed for the Rec Center at the University of Arizona. I needed a sponsor to get in, so I didn't get to swim.

My goal for Tuesday morning was to find a sponsor to get access to the gym and I found a student walking to school for a final, problem solved. The pool there is so nice and it's huge! I don't care much for splitting lanes and considering the weather was overcast and rainy, I figured not too many would be at the pool and I guessed correctly. The lone lifeguard sat on their perch and watched me swim 10 150's. Being in the water felt great considering I hadn't swam since my test set with Gina last Thursday. Overall, I feel like I’m getting much more consistent in the water and that my stroke is getting a lot more powerful. I can tell cause my shoulders and triceps don't fatigue as soon as they once did. After my swim, I headed back to my apartment and made my usual shake and took a quick nap. Outside it was beginning to pour and my two friends were keeping a close eye on the radar to see where we could ride to avoid as much rain as possible. After a few miles into the ride, we all realized staying dry was going to be impossible as the streets of Tucson have poor drainage. After what seemed like hours, we made it out of the city and were on better, less crowded roads, but it was starting to pour. About 2 hours into the ride, I started having problems with my bike, at first they were minimal, I couldn't shift into my big ring, and then it progressed into a ride debilitating problem, my crank fell off. I have no idea how it happened, but it did...and now I've officially hitchhiked. A guy in a truck was kind enough to drive me to a bike shop in town. Within minutes the bike was in running order again I headed home and decided to call it a day.

Wednesday’s workout consisted of a 40 minute run and a 4 hour ride and finally the weather was as expected, warm and sunny. For the run, I headed out around campus and for the first time I was able to keep my heart rate under 140 for the entire run while maintaining a cadence of 90. Running with an ipod has really helped me keep a slow tempo for my base miles. When I got back, made the usual shake and took a nap and ate once again. Then it was time for the ride. I went out on through the same National Park I rode through on Monday, but this time I was much slower through the area. My triathlon coach, Matt Lieto, is having me focus on keeping a low heart rate and consistent cadence throughout my rides. Usually, my heart rate spikes on hills and gets up near 155 or higher depending on my exertion. Matt is having push a bigger gear and keep a lower cadence and it has really helped keep my heart rate down. Instead of being in the 150's I was staying right around my target hear rate of 135. This makes my legs burn a little more than usual, but I know it will only make me a stronger rider. After the rolling hill portion was over, I had nothing but flats ahead of me for the next 2.5 hours. I kept my ego in check and made sure to keep my heart rate below 135 for the rest of the ride. Overall, this ride was one of the best I've had this year, I had great stamina and good focus throughout.

As the weather continues to improve, I'm hoping I'll continue to stay well rested and keep having rides, and training sessions, like the ones I had today. In the mean time, I'm going to kick back, watch a movie, and keep resting. I'll keep you guys posted...