A Day Off?!?

I don’t want to lie. Even though we have the entire afternoon off from training, there is never really a full day off. It is already early March and I have taken 0 days off from training. It is also important to point out that today is the FIRST time during a training camp that we have done just one workout in a day.

We started our “day off” with a short 5500 yard swim including 3 x (5 x 100 on 1:25 descending 1-5) and finished the workout with 2 x Chorizo Burritos from The B-Line and 3 x Cups of Coffee; a perfect way to finish any set.

2011 has already been the year of BIG changes. The biggest change has been leaving the guidance of Northeast Ohio legend, Jim LaMastra. It was a difficult choice to make, but Jim and I both thought that it was time I moved on and pursued other opportunities. During the transition between triathlon seasons, I started training under the guidance of world class triathlon coach, Paulo Sousa. Paulo has created the first ever elite training squad in North America. There are plenty of other triathlon teams, but we are the first team to spend the majority of the year living and training with each other and our coach. The basic change in training from 2010 to 2011 is volume. Previously, I was under the impression that two workouts a day was the standard. This year, I’ve quickly learned that 3 workouts a day (roughly 20 workouts a week) is, in fact, the standard. So what type of training volume does that entail? We swim 30,000 – 32,000 yards (17 – 18 miles), cycle 300 miles, and run 50-60 miles. This sounds like a lot of training, and I am going to ensure you, it is. So what am I going to do with this blessed day off?!?

Sit on the couch, update my blog… and eat.

For anyone who is interested on keeping tabs on me, my schedule is as follows. And please, only stalk me if you are an attractive female… or a potential sponsor than wants to give me money ;)

Present time – April 9^th in Tucson, Arizona (Training Camp #2)

April 9^th – April 15^th in Las Cruces, New Mexico (Training Camp #3)

April 15^th – April 18^th in New Orleans, Louisiana (Ochsner Ironman 70.3 New Orleans)

April 19^th – May 8^th in Las Cruces, New Mexico (Training Camp #3)

May 9^th – June 5^th in Houston, Texas (Racing TBA)

June 6^th – July 3^rd in St. George, Utah (Training Camp #4)

July 4^th – July 8^th in Cleveland, Ohio (To Celebrate America!!!)

July 9^th – July 12^th in Providence, Rhode Island (Amica Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island)

July 13^th – August 7^th in Cleveland, Ohio (Racing TBA)

August 8^th – September 4^th in Mammoth Lakes, California or TBA (Training Camp #5)

***This is all subject to change at any second***

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks of training in Tucson, Arizona. Enjoy!!!

Cruising out on McCain Loop with Yoder.

Out for 2 hours after a solid swim session. Heading towards Gates Pass. 

Bike Skills and Transition Clinic with the Squad. We only got yelled at twice by Mall security.

Training at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center in Tucson, AZ

Excited to get in and start some quality training

What would we do without Krepster's (aka Pedro Gomes) underwarer camera

I assure you, we trained hard before this. I think we did 7 x 400 as the main set.

Ummmmm... Me being freaking awesome before a swim workout.

Jersey Shore has T-Shirt Time. We have Hot Tub Time. This is some of the crew after a swim.

Our view of the man in black... Johnny Cash. Er, I mean Paulo Sousa. He's like Cash minus all the style and musical ability.

Me pulling a few people down Kinney Road on the other side of Gates Pass.

I.T.W.N.P

The optimistic yet straightforward tone in the room was convincing. We all stirred in our chairs easily portraying the sixty hour training block that now lived deep within our muscles. Our brain, world class triathlon coach, Paulo Sousa, stood towards the front of the New Mexico classroom. We reflected on the two weeks of training that was in the midst of completion. Gracious “pats on the back” were forfeited for a hard-nosed lecture on accountability. Races wouldn’t be won and careers wouldn’t be made on a successful two week training block. Regardless of effort, these two weeks were trite; far from extraordinary. Success comes neither from days, nor weeks, nor months… but years of dedication. Listening intently, we all understood that notion. Just as quickly as we accepted this concept, the tone shifted. In true Klep fashion, Pedro Gomes, an accomplished Portuguese triathlete, strolled to the front of the classroom and took over the meeting. Intrigued and sitting at the edge of our seats, we watched as Klep asked for chalk and started writing the acronym, I.T.W.N.P. Fittingly, acronyms are commonplace within The Triathlon Squad. Phrases like G.T.W.D. (Get The Work Done) and D.Y.J. (Do Your Job) and have seen the surface of the workout white board many times. Today, we sat in anticipation as Klep turned and faced the room.

In broken English, he proclaimed, “I tink. We need… PAINTBALL!” The tone of the meeting was immediately changed as the room broke into laughter. Klep, notorious for lightening the mood of any training session, spun off into a story about his hesitance to leave his Portuguese training center in search of another elite training squad. Although the speech was slightly mushy, we all shared in his general feeling of total approval. His newly crowned acronym may have been a joke, but it pointed towards the idea of building an even stronger unity between the squad members. At that point, it was easy to see that although the training squad was filled with a hodgepodge of individuals, we all meshed in our quest for excellence. 

The City of the Crosses

It’s already been eight days since my arrival in Las Cruces, New Mexico. This is the first of many training camps for coach Paulo Sousa’s Training Squad. It may be early in the season, but like many athletes, we have started getting into shape early. Without going into too much detail, here is a glimpse into our first week of training.

Swim – We are lucky enough to get some pool time (I mean A LOT of pool time) at the New Mexico State University pool. I believe we totaled around 31,000 – 32,000 yards this first week. That is roughly 18 miles in the water. Most of the workouts have been between 5k and 6k with one longer swim set over 6k. Some of the most notable sets, for me at least, were 12 x 200 hard, 30 x 100 (every 3^rd hard) on 1:25, and 8 x 100 best average.

Bike – Since IM Cozumel, my bike mileage has been pretty low. This has been the first week back to some longer intervals and longer days in the saddle. This first week has brought just under 15 hours of ride time. Besides the more traditional 3-4 “long” rides, we have been doing a fair amount of threshold and V02 max intervals. Some of the key workouts this week have been 4 x 10min @ threshold, 5 x 4min uphill @ V02 Max. Last season during my peak training, my threshold was just over 300w, allowing me to push 4.3 watts per kilogram. Right now, I am pushing around 280w at a slightly lower weight, allowing me to push about 4.1 watts per kilogram. Although this number is slightly lower, it is very acceptable my first week back to solid bike training.

Run – This has been my priority ever since breaking my heel back in April of 2010. After 2 years of disappointing run training, I am very eager to make this discipline my strength again. My running this season has been VERY steady and I am starting to feel fit again. I have officially run 42 times in 42 days. Since arriving in New Mexico eight days ago, we have run around 70 miles with 99% percent of running on soft dirt trails. The key to our run training this week has been a few 90min progression runs where the last 5 to 6 miles are done slightly faster than marathon pace. For this time of year, that pace has been between 5:50 – 6:10 per mile. Another good session this week was 20 x 30sec hill repeats. 30 seconds doesn’t seem long but the last 5 repeats left us all pretty broken.

Overall, this first 30 hour training week has been very challenging but will eventually be rewarding. The whole crew has worked together very well, and I can honestly say that everyone here is working incredibly hard. I can’t wait to see some of the results that this squad will produce by the end of the year.

For those who aren’t familiar with the training squad check out http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Triathlon-Squad/183206021698840

Here is a list of athletes -

AJ Baucco, 24, Tucson AZ
Amanda Felder, 28, Cupertino CA
Andrew Yoder, 21, Lancaster PA
Chris Coble, 28, Fremont CA
Greg Billington, 21, Winston Salem NC
Heather Wurtele, 31, Kelowna BC
Ian Mikelson, 30, Torrance CA
Janelle Morrison, 33, Penticton BC
Jennifer Spieldenner, 24, Findlay Ohio
Kate Ross, 20, Doylestown PA
Pedro Gomes, 28, Lisbon Portugal
Kelsey Withrow, 28, Park City UT
Trevor Wurtele, 31, Kelowna BC