Vicissitudes

I've been really, REALLY tired since Holly and I got home from Xterra Vegas. I though it might have been residual fatigue from the food poisoning or maybe the 10-hour shifts I've been pulling at work.

After a Facebook discussion with Allison, James, Steph and Trevor and some texting with Vance, it became clear that I needed more time off so I bagged the big weekend I had planned and shut down the training. As much as it hurts me to do so, I'm gonna have to forgo Maui this year and focus on Nationals instead. If I manage to qualify at MTN Champs, I'll have a go at it, but I had planned on peaking for MTN Champs; not happening.

Then Holly calls me from the kitchen the next morning:
"Um...when did you buy DECAF?!"
Me: "What? You're kidding me, right?"
I moseyed into the kitchen and, to my horror, found THIS! DUM, DUM, DUMMMM!! I had mistakenly bought it before the Vegas race. No wonder I've been so tired! I've been missing my crack! LOL! I chucked the impostor in the garbage and picked up some real coffee ASAP. Needless to say, morning's have been much easier to handle. =D

Anyway, since I'm taking some more time off, I've been sleeping in and heading out for whatever I feel like doing on any given day. It's really been helping my mood and I know I'll be better off long-term with the extra rest. Live and Learn.

So Saturday I headed out to the local trail system (Los Penasquitos Canyon) and just cruised around with a rough idea of what trails I felt like riding and how long it would take. Even on a busy trail day, stopping for, horses, kids, moms, dads, dogs, yadda, yadda. I still enjoyed myself where normally I'd be fuming at the people in MY way. A clear indicator I've turned the corner on the fatigue.

Even double track is getting over-grown! Trails are great right now.

Somewhere on the run down "cobbles" I found my smile. Been looking for that.

...and 1/2 mile from the car, I heard and felt a slight "PING" followed by my saddle suddenly dropping. Diagnosis: broken seat rail. It's not my fault, the seat slides back on the rails, which bend and prevent me from putting the saddle where it should be. Having it slammed that far back weakens the rail and it eventually breaks. A new WTB Silverado is on the way and the saddle on the SS will do until then. =D

Tire review (Conti Race King Supersonic):

They're everything you'd expect from a light XC tire: light, grippy and fast rolling. I like how predictable they are in corners, it's easy to ride them right to the limit of what the tire can do and the round profile make the transitions from straight-line riding to cornering seamless. They're also: expensive, they slide out on you if you push them into a corner even a little too hard, the sidewalls are flimsy the tubed versions pinch-flatted on me and the lugs shred FAST (see photo).

I'm thinking of trying them in tubeless before totally giving up on them. Tough call considering the cost and weight is the same as my trusty Larsen's. The grip might be better, but if they're less-durable that's a wash in my book. I'll let you know.

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In other news, brother Steve killed it at Xterra Del Valle, chopping 50 minutes off his time from last year and nabbing 9th in his AG. Holly ran solid at the Malibu Creek 22K (friggin' STEEP) and finished in just over 3 hours. Great job you guys!

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Last thing. Mom called: my diploma came in the mail. Woot! I'm reeling at the fact that I have a degree from a top-10 University. Whoa!

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Easy training this week, testing this weekend and back to some base fitness work. Stoked I can re-do my base with a power meter. Time to get on it!

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E.

Moving On

I got some tough love about last week's results and I definitely I needed the wake-up call. I put way too much pressure on myself to perform at Xterra West and I absolutely caved beneath it. I didn't handle the food poisoning right, swapped tires when I shouldn't have and stressed out about the heat and the course. Dumb.

I absolutely went into last weekend half-cocked; my easy workouts this week have been nothing short of amazing as I wound up dropping 6 secs per 100 in the pool and running incredibly fast in very easy HR zones. Honestly, I think I dug too deep a hole back in February and never got out of it. Looking back at my training data, I should have recognized it and taken some time off. This is where having someone else coach you helps tremendously. Alas, I still lack the funds to hire a coach. Moving on.

Speaking of moving on, my next planned race is Xterra Tahoe City in June. I had planned on racing Xterra del Valle with brother Steve, but my heel and my bank account are still recovering from the Vegas Race. No worries; plenty of racing left!

The Tahoe course looks steep. Here's the course map from the website. For those of you fuzzy on reading contour maps, the more squiggly lines you cross, the steeper it is. The 22 mile bike course has 2400 feet of gain in it. For comparison, San Juan trail is 22.8 miles with 3700 vertical feet. Actually, looking at it like that makes it seem not so bad. Cool! Mountain champs looks WAY worse: 15.5 miles and 3600 vertical feet. Yeeouch! Looks like a great course, though. I'm all over it. Sorry for the .pdf file, I can't seem to embed it in the 'blog. Computer noob!

http://www.xterrabeavercreek.com/images/xterra-mtb-2010.pdf

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Anyway. Rest and relaxation is done and I'm ready to get back to training. I'm re-visiting some base work and transitioning all my bike workouts to power-based. I've seen some improvements just basing my power zones off my approximated FTP and I'm sure I'll see much more improvements once I get my CP zones all dialed in. I'm excited to see what the rest of the season holds. Off to bed; master's swim in the morning...

E.

Dust, Blood and Snakebites (Xterra West RR)

This past weekend, Holly and I headed out to Vegas for the Xterra West Championship. This would be my first triathlon since I broke my hand last year and my first race of 2010. I had high hopes going into my taper, but came down with food poisoning the weekend before. I barely started eating solid foods Wednesday and still felt woozy all the way up to Thursday. Not good, but I'd paid for the race and Holly scored a killer room for next to nothing; we were going.
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My chauffer, sherpa and photog for the weekend. Plenty of traffic all weekend thanks to the Laughlin River Run and an off-road race the same weekend. There was no shortage of awesome views, however, as the desert is in full bloom from all the rain we've had this year. Green desert? Yup.

We made it out to the race site in time for Holly to sign up for the 10K on Saturday, I picked up my race packet and we headed to our hotel to check in. We were fortunate enough to score a room at the MGM Signature for next to nothing. I didn't go crazy taking pictures of the room, but I think the Jacuzzi tub built for 2 tells you how swank the place is. Bell hops and valets kissed our collective asses all weekend. Is this how "the other half" lives? Pretty nice.

Notice how the bike is upside down? My trusty Larsen's were worn out and I'd always been bummed on how heavy they are. Thursday, I swapped them out for some Conti Race King Super Sonics, which shaved about 600 grams (over a POUND) off the bike. However, they wouldn't hold air for more than 20 minutes. Out of time, I pulled the tubeless set-up out and threw tubes in at the hotel Friday before the race...and crossed my fingers.

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Saturday, we got up early and headed over to the race site for Holly's 10K and so I could preview the course. Holly started well and looked like she cruised the whole thing.

She felt like she had a "bad run". I grabbed her timing card while she got some water in and checked it out. Girl got 2nd in her AG. Bad run my ass!

Ta da!

She's doing great and I she's looking good for the Malibu Creek 22K in May. Way to go, babe!

We milled around until the course opened and I headed out. I wasn't stoked on the course, but it favored solid bike handling skills. It was steep and loose with 2 or 3 hike-a-bikes in a row separated by silty, rocky hairball descents. I was running tubes and all I could think was " I sure hope I don't pinch-flat tomorrow".

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It was already blazing hot and super-dry. I talked to Trevor in the parking lot and we both agreed race day would be a war of attrition: flats and dehydration would be the theme for the race for sure.

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Holly and I headed back to the hotel: I put my feet up and started drinking Gatorade and taking electrolyte tabs. She went down to the pool.

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Race morning we got up super early because we had to do the check out nonsense. Late check-out was 11:00 and there wasn't enough time post-race to get back to the hotel and take care of it.

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I went into pre-race mode and it was warming up fast. I made sure to keep sipping on water, trying to stay hydrated.

Out warming up. The race finishes along this ridge and I wanted to run it just in case it turned out to be tricky. It was fine, but I didn't feel "snappy". Mentally, I just felt like I was there to do a job and that was it. No nerves, no excitement, no butterflies. Nothing.

The swim start was really narrow and they were keeping everyone corralled in a very small area. I spied someone warming up in the pool and joined him. Plenty of room!

The pro wave goes off and I get my spot. Soon after they count it down and fire the cannon: 3...2...1...BOOM! We're off and I'm getting pummeled thanks to the narrow start and the bridge the course passes under. I did my best to avoid the worst of the mess and focused on my stroke and looked for someone to draft off. The swim is over before I know it (was that a pro I just passed?). I glance at my watch as I hit hit the beach (24:11?!? Holy sh!t). A PR by almost 2 minutes. The announcer calls out the guy who normally wins 35-39 (Kyle Stock). I look around and he's just passing me so I get on his heels and hit T1 with him. I smoke him in transition and hit the bike course on fire.

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We get to the first series of climbs and it's hot. People are going out way too hard for how hot and steep it is. I get held up a little through the techy spots, but I'm riding well and picking off riders here and there. We get to a section that basically runs straight down a dry, sandy wash strewn with rocks when I feel the unmistakable sensation of my rear tire going down (F*CK!!!). I stop next to a guy already changing a flat: "Welcome to the club!" he cheerfully exclaims. I change it as fast as I can (back on before the guy already stopped!), but the damage is done as I painfully watch dozens of riders go by with my AG on their legs. No Maui slot for me.

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With the flat fresh in my mind, I tiptoe around the rest of the course begging my tire to hold as I was out of tubes. No bottle hand-off on the bike, only cups of water and only one aid station. I drink as much as I can, but I'm getting chills by the end of the bike leg when the breeze picks up. Not good.

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Charging into T2 here, trying to limit my losses.

I hit the aid station immediately out of T2 and walk so I can get all the water down. I start up the hill and I can feel my quads wanting to cramp. It's hot and I can tell I'm dehydrated. Survival mode engage....

Holly: "Good job!"

Me: " I flatted..."

The run was pure survival. I had no snap and wound up walking the steep climbs. Pro men were finishing up as I was heading out. Demoralizing.

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I recovered some and was able to open it up on lap 2 of the run. I could feel some killer blisters forming on my feet from the steep hills. I sucked it up as best I could and managed to finish just under 3 hours. Weak.

Notice the salt stains on my race kit? Yeah, it was HOT!

Those blisters I could feel? They popped...and bled.

Juicy...

I finished 18th in my AG out of 39 starters; 31 finished.

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So what happened?

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-I gambled on lighter tires and lost. Lesson learned.

-Was I not totally recovered from food poisoning? Maybe.

-Should I have run a hydration pack instead of a 24 oz bottle? Maybe, but hydration packs cover a lot of skin and I over-heat wearing them in hot conditions. Besides, my bike split was only 1:35 WITH the flat, I was well-hydrated before the race started, but dehydrated FAST. Maybe I just suck in the heat. Maybe I needed a salt tab on the bike. I'm a little confused on this one.

-I need new racing shoes. My feet are thrashed and it's gonna be a while before they heal.

-I've got some serious bike skills compared to the people I saw tri-poding the descents. SCARY.

-Best. Swim. EVER.

-Need to run more hills and spend more time on the MTB. Quads were hammered by the end of the bike leg.

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Time for a short break while I figure out what to do with the rest of my season. Onward.

~

E.

All Work and no Play...

...makes "Zippy" not so zippy.



Spring sprung and with it a huge increase in my working hours. Getting paid is nice, but I'd rather be training. As awesome as it is working at the beach, a lifeguard tower or a Jeep start looking like a prison midway through the week.



I took this photo using the timer on my camera. Notice all the people in my water... Tower 15 at Cardiff is there for a very good reason, there's a stationary rip current right where the reef ends and it manages to snag a few people every day. I'm partially blocking the rip in the photo. Notice where the waves aren't breaking? That's where the rip is.

I tried to take some video of the rip, but it didn't come out so great. Basically, if the water's choppy and flowing AWAY from shore, stay out of that area.

As diligent and as fast as lifeguards are, sometimes we can't save someone.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/21/search-continues-for-man-feared-drowned-at-torrey/

I drove down from Cardiff as fast as I could when the call came in, got into the water and assiste dinthe search until the Permanent Lifeguards pulled us out of the water due to darkness. Neither of the two victims knew how to swim and we're still not sure why the girl went into the water to begin with. I've been told there's video and that it's hard to watch...

...I have no desire to see it.

Sorry for the downer post. Jeeze!

Here's Oolong the rabbit that balances things on his head. Whee!

On the training front, things have been hit or miss. I'm sneaking in workouts around my haphazard work schedule and fully maximizing the 30-minute workout. I'm doing what I can and hoping the huge base I built back in February will carry me through Xterra Vegas.

Assuming I can scrape the cash together to pay for the trip. Yeesh!

E.

Fringe Benefits

Let's face it; lifeguarding doesn't pay a whole lot and the forced 3 minths off every year strains our finances immensely. However, every once in a while I get to do cool stuff that people with "normal jobs" can only dream of doing or have to pay a lot of money for the same experience.

Last November was one of those moments when I spent a few days piloting a Jet Ski in the surf and around jettys.

Just over a week ago, I got a call from the boss telling me I'd been chosen for joint helicopter insertion training with County Sheriff's, Encinitas Lifeguards and Solana Beach Lifeguards.

It was as AWESOME as it sounds...

Waiting for the "go ahead" from the co-pilot (I'm the short one with the orange fins and whit helmet). Yes, that's a triathlon wetsuit. Notice the legs are cut for easy wetsuit removal in T1 ;). Loading up

"Thumbs up" to the co-pilot that we're ready to go.

Whee!

Helicopter skids are SMALL when you're standing on them 30 feet in the air.

Out over the water

Cool vantage point because you can see all the bottom features that create the currents and surf. Very cool!

1...2...3...GO!

...and then we did it 2 more times. All that and a paycheck too! Way stoked I got to be a part of that. No idea when or IF we'll ever use that sort of thing, but we all had a blast jumping off the helo a bunvh of times. :D

As for training, it's been very hit-or-miss. Ten-hour shifts make it tough to get up the next day and drag my ass to Master's or head out the door for a run when the sun isnt even up yet. It's seriously making me think I should just race MTB this year; especially given that MTB races are HALF the cost of tri's. So tempting.

I've got a few days off right now so I'm putting some solid training down, but Wednesday I start 9 days in a row. Ouch.

Time to knuckle up.

E.

March in Pictures

I went back to work full-time in March. I'm happy to be making money again, but they've put me on 10-hour shifts 4 days a week, which makes training difficult. On my rare days off I just want to lay in bed all day, stuff my face and watch T.V. I have zero energy for some reason.

Since my schedule is decidedly "non-traditional" I wind up training by myself much the time. The opnly exception being Master's swim. a few weeks ago, I actually had enough gas money to get on the MTB up in the Santa Anas. I pulled the trigger on the Motorway double-dip.

Top of Blackstar. Not working hard, but on a serious PR pace. Way stoked on it.
Snow-capped Baldy made for some awesome views!

A few clouds rolled in by the first Motorway run. Arm and knee warmers all day.

Heading up Maple Springs. You can tell I really love this climb.

Plenty of water running in Maple Springs; more than I've seen in a long time. Made it feel like somewhere other than smoggy So. Cal, which was really nice.

I finished the ride off with a 50-minute PR even though I was short on cals and semi-bonking on the last main divide section. I'm feeling really strong on the bike right now even though I'm swim-run focused. It's either the power meter or the HEED I was forced to buy with my REI gift cards. Who knows.

St. Patrick's weekend I usually run the 10K down in Mission Bay. This year, Holly and I had planned on the Black MTN 15K, but only one of us had the money for it. My turn to play sherpa.

We go there WAY too early and sat in the car watching the race crew set up registration. The time change hurt...a LOT. You know it's early when your'e up before the sun. At least it was pretty.

Yes, she makes that same face in every picture...

Race start. Defending champ Brandon Mills in the red, SkinFit tank top.

Holly finishing up. Poor thing looked tired.

Brandon went on to win in 1:02, breaking his own course record. Which is insane considering the course ran long (9.86 miles instead of 15k). Animal.

Holly broke 2 hours, which made us both happy. I'm pretty sure that's all she had on that day.

As for me, I'm just working a lot and squeezing training in where I can. Sometimes I get in a run or ocean swim on my break at work and sometimes I work straight through. Money's still an issue and it looks like I'll be betting everything on a few "big" races and that's it. The Xterra seson starts this weekend with Xterra REAL, usually my season-opener. Obviously, I'm skipping it since we don't have the cash for the drive and I'm pretty bummed about it, which affects my motivation. My brother, Steve, is doing it and I hope he does well.

Oceanside 1/2 IM is also this weekend. Still debating if we're gonna go spectate: Slater and Monique are racing it as is one of my athletes, but I think I'd rather be training.

E.

Hiccups

After losing my job last month, finances at our home have been tight. Actually, that's putting it mildly. I won't be able to race this weekend, because we just don't have the "extra" cash for my license (Cat 1's have to buy an annual license) and race entry fee($47). I'm sort of OK with that since MTB races are not my focus for 2010, but I was really looking forward to posting up some solid results and getting some momentum rolling before Xterra REAL. Oh well.

I was also planning on doing the Black Mountain 15K (Xterra trail race) the weekend of 3/15, but I have lifeguard requalifying (1000 yard surf swim under 20 mins) and training the same weekend. I took requals lightly one year, misjudged the current and surf (see 2008) and didn't make the bouy. I couldn't work until I requalified somewhere else. I missed out on a lot of work and can't risk losing out on paychecks right now.

I filed for unemployment, but it looks like my coaching business (my teeny, tiny coaching business) disqualifies me from receiving anything. FAIL.

Meanwhile, I've been logging some serious training hours (20+ per week) and building my training plan library for my business. The business continues to grow, but not fast enough that it takes the place of a "real job". Though I would LOVE to coach full-time if i could. Shoulda-woulda-coulda...

So I gotta go back to work. Meh.

E-mails to State Lifeguards went unanswered so early this week I called and left a message where I KNEW someone would get it. Yesterday I got a call and they have shifts for me. I'm glad to be earning a paycheck agan, but pretending I was a pro athlete for a month was really, really cool. *sigh*

So here comes the cold shower that is reality, the cutback in training in favor of earning money. No more time for "living the life"; time to head back to work.

Phooey.