Day 5...Mt. Lemmon part 2

When we headed up Mt. Lemmon the first time I didn't know what to expect but once I was done I was really looking forward to attempting it a second time. SV and I were happy with how we had done the first time (I finished about 3 minutes behind him) but we decided to see if we could go up faster the second time... though I had some worries about pushing too hard and blowing up, it would be a really long climb if you pushed hard too early....Barrie split up the group so that the slower riders started at 8am, then a group of us went off at 9am and then the 3 young guys to leave at 9:30am...the goal being that we would all end up at the top of the mountain at roughly the same time.

As we were getting our bikes ready it was colder than the first day and Barrie was telling us that the wind could be a bit of an issue as it was pretty strong head winds...hmmm..that could make things interesting. SV and I started around 9:20 (I didn't think that I would be able to catch any of the people who started earlier and that the young guys would be catching me quickly). As we rode the 4 miles to the start of the climb, I told SV to not worry about me because I didn't want to try to stay with him and push too hard. Both of us were feeling all the training we had been doing and weren't sure if getting to the top faster was something that could realistically happen. We decided to have some fun and do the best we could.

The first 5 miles were good, challenging right from the start but we were chatting and checking things out, there weren't very many people on the mountain but we did see a giant lizard on the road. At the 6 mile mark, I realized we were in for a tough ride...we hit the head wind and it took my breath away. I could not believe the power of the wind and how hard I had to work to keep my bike moving upwards. When we would turn and get a tail wind it was a beautiful thing, unfortunately there were very few times when we had a tail wind. The gusts were pushing us towards the middle of the road at times and then at other times pushing us towards the gravel. I was gripping tight to my bars and scared by the feeling of my bike being pushed to the side...very intense. Close to the 12 mile mark we turned a corner into a very nasty section of wind and climb, one of the ladies in our group must have been knocked hard by the wind as she was trying to get back into her peddles but the steepness and gusts of wind were making it impossible for her, SV and I pushed hard but at times I didn't know if I was going to be able to make it, the wind was brutal.

We stopped at the 14 mile mark (windy point) and put on vests and arm warmers, it was getting cold and we still had 11 miles to climb. I looked at our split and didn't think it was possible to go faster today but with the conditions we didn't care, just getting there was going to be worth it. At no point along this climb did the wind let up...The wind added a great challenge but very exhausting. I was able to stay with SV until the 19 mile mark and then he started to put some distance into me...as we climbed I began to get really cold, the temperature was dropping, I had put some gloves in my jersey and it was difficult to control my bike and get them on but I managed...The last 5 miles were great, there is a section of down hill that I really enjoyed, it was so great to get a break and I worked really hard to catch one of our group members, Bob, who I managed to catch at mile 24. (he outraced me to the finish on the down hill telling me he couldn't get chicked at the end, lol). I caught almost everyone in front of me and the young guys didn't pass me, Yay!

Getting to the mile 25 mark was wonderful, it was so great to be done and to head into the warm cookie shack (they had the fireplace going and it was so warm!!) SV was waiting for me and we both ended up reaching our goal of getting to the top faster, SV took off a minute and a half and I took off just over 2 minutes (and closed the gap between us to under 2 minutes!! which I am pretty happy with to be honest, especially with how difficult the conditions were compared to Sunday...) We split a peanut butter cookie and a cappuccino which warmed me up, we sat in the warmth with the rest of the group talking and waiting for the others....a few people decided to bail on the ride down and I have to admit that I was pretty nervous, the way up had been dicey in sections and I was pretty intimidated by the force of the winds and the decent that I still had to do. SV and Barrie told me to just take my time and I would be alright. I was the first one to head off on the decent, I was dreading going down and I really just wanted to get it over with and I figured that the rest of them would catch me. All I can say about the decent was that it was rough. I think I held my breath for most of the ride and have never hung onto my bike so hard in all my life. I was tense and terrified in sections and have never been happier to be done a ride in all my life but at the same time I am proud of myself for doing the decent even though I was scared of it! None of the other riders caught me on the way down so that was pretty cool too, but I think everyone took extra caution on that decent. SV took some video of the decent that he and the 3 young guys did (they were not as cautious as I was lol..), I will post a link in the blog soon so you can see and hear how insane it was.

I am really impressed with the Mt. Lemmon ride, it is beautiful and challenging....and to make things even crazier they are doing an inaugural Mt. Lemmon Marathon this year...thought I would post the link because I know some of you out there may just be crazy enough to want to give it a go http://www.mountlemmonmarathon.com/

Days 3 and 4

Man, this camp is kicking my butt! Seriously, it has been a pretty intense camp so far, Barrie does a great job of making sure that everyone's needs are met and I am feeling it.

We headed into downtown Tucson to check out the area the other night and we found some great little places.

Day 3 we got to sleep in a little before we headed to the pool...we swam with the young guys and we did a pretty good workout. Caron then led the group in a core/yoga workout on the grass. The weather was insane, when we left to head out for our ride the car read 94 degrees..very stifling..a group of 5 of us headed over to do Gate's Pass while the others stayed around here and did their ride. Gate's Pass was a pretty good ride, but at times I felt like I was in a sauna...it made breathing hard and the last climb was so intense because of the heat. I have been getting my butt handed to me by the guys here, but I am holding my own pretty well I think. At times the testosterone levels get quite high and I get dropped, but never by too much. I am enjoying having people to chase and I know that if I get a flat one of them will be changing it for me, lol! After the ride Barrie had put in an optional run off the bike...I wasn't thrilled about doing it but SV and I decided why not...so off we went...I am really noticing the altitude on the runs here, not sure why it effects me on the runs compared to on the bikes, but add that into the 90+ temperatures and I suffered on that run...but it was a short one, so even though we were pushing hard it was over quickly...Day 3 was a tough long day with over 5 hours of training done...My body was tired and I barely managed to stay awake through dinner.

Day 4...hard to get out of bed...but we had a speed run to do today..I could have gone on a long aerobic run but if my goal is to try my hand at some shorter races I figured I should attempt some speed....man what a silly idea! There were 6 of us that did this run, it was 8 x 600m (with a run back recovery on 6 minutes) Sean and Taylor are these fast running machines, seriously it is impressive to watch! I found this a very tough workout, not a lot of rest by the time I ran back to the starting point and by #6 I felt like I was going to vomit... After the fourth repeat Barrie offered me the option to do 4 x 400m to finish up along with the other girl that was doing that, but I had already committed to doing the 600's....but it was tempting...To say the least I am tired now..speed work is an aspect of running I have never enjoyed, well not true, I really enjoy that it is over now!! We are just about to head to the pool for our swim which Sean promises will be a lot of pull!

So far the camp is great, intense and a great ass kicker for sure. I am tired, hungry and sore...what a great vacation!

Training Camp

My first semester of school is done and I am very happy with how I did. It is a lot of information to get through and to know but I am really enjoying it and am happy with how the first semester went...but now that finals are over I am enjoying a 2 week break before we begin again for the summer semester. On top of studying for my exams this week there was some more drama, you would think I would be used to it by now, lol...anyways all I can do is hope that eventually they will be able to move on from the anger and hurt and realize that things could go smoothly if we worked together and that is what I hope for... the girls and I are doing well and are getting through all the ups and downs of this past year....hard to believe a year has gone by but life has gone on and we are doing well and I know each year will get easier. So we just keep moving forward.

Since I have a break from school we decided to do some training...tri season is fast approaching and as we are working out what races we want to do, we thought it would be fun to get away and push ourselves...we had looked at a few options and decided to try something new. Barrie Shepley, the head coach for the Olympic Triathlon team for the Sydney games does a camp each year and this year we thought his camp in AZ would be a good fit for us. SV knew some of the guys who were going to be at the camp riding and it promised to have some great rides.

Getting here was a little hectic as our connecting flight was pulling away from the gate as we raced up, we ended up having to spend 2 hours in the Denver airport but it really wasn't too bad.

Day one was great, we headed to the pool which was at a resort for a nice little warm up swim, 4 of us did 4200 yards and I felt a little sluggish, SV and I think it could have something to do with the time difference and the altitude...we then headed to the park where Barrie's wife Caron, led the group in a yoga session, SV even gave it a go and said it wasn't so bad, lol! Later in the day we headed out for a ride...everyone was riding at least 70km and there was an option to continue on and do a 12 mile decent and then turn around and head back...we decided to do the extra but about half way down, I started thinking to myself that it may have been silly to do the extra as it meant 12 miles of climbing a 7% grade to get back up for the last 35km...in the end it wasn't that bad, I was tired as we rolled back to the condo's...total for the day was 110km and the legs could feel the climbing but I felt good so I was happy. We found a great little Mexican place and then crashed for the night!

Day 2 started bright and early as we drove over to Mt. Lemmon....I had heard about this ride and knew it was going to be a challenging one but I was looking forward to it...we started 4 miles away from the start of the climb and I was anxious, everyone was talking about how hard it was going to be and I was a little intimidated, but I figured I would just ride my own ride, stay where I was comfortable and I would get to the top when I got to the top. The ride starts at a sign that says mile 0 and ends at mile 25 and a cookie stand (there is an option to do an extra bit to the ski resort but I opted out of this for this ride) it ends up being 5500 feet of climbing and you reach over 8000 feet elevation and once you get to mile 22 there is snow on the mountain..... I ended up loving this ride, it was hard and challenging and at points I was begging for a break in the climbing just to have a minute of coasting but I felt strong and comfortable the entire way. There were tonnes of people out doing the climb and at tough sections I was motivated by the people who were on their way down...it looked awesome.

We got to the top and as promised the cookies were huge. We sat for a bit eating our cookies and talking with the other athletes before heading back down. There are 2 small areas of climbing as you head back out, that after eating a giant cookie and slice of pizza are really no fun at all....but the rest of the ride down was fast and fun and I have to admit at times pretty scary. We finished this ride and I was tired we had done 95km and the legs were happy to be done...and I had McDonald's fries for the first time in years (can't even remember the last time I had McDonald's french fries, but the salt was worth it!) Barrie and SV said that I did a good job and I can tell that all the trainer rides we did have really helped...I'm getting there! Now we are lying around having a beer and trying to get excited to head out for a short run and then head to the pool for a swim (which is going to be ugly but the pull buoy should help, lol) and then a team dinner....So far I am very impressed with Arizona for it's riding, we have done 2 rides and they were great ones! I have a feeling this camp is going to kick my butt a lot but hey that is what we are hoping for!!

Riding

Wow, it has been a great few weeks weather wise...best time of year, everything smells fresh and new and it is getting greener everyday. We had a great Easter weekend, the girls and I hung out down on the dock at the house, Kayla even asked to go swimming...but when we dipped our toes in she changed her mind, lol (the snow on the neighbours rocks should have told us how cold the water was) but we are looking forward to the temperatures rising so that we can play down at the water daily.

SV and I were also able to get out for our first outdoor rides of the season, it was great. We did 3 rides over the long weekend and the temperatures were perfect. We did a good mix of some hard efforts and some social riding...it is great to be meeting up with new people and heading out for rides. I felt pretty good on the bike, it is great to be off the trainer and onto the roads. My positioning feels great and I can feel some of the indoor rides have made me stronger. On our third ride one of the riders decided we should sprint and off we went....well I am not used to this type of effort.. I'm used to getting on my bike and just riding and riding..lol, sprinting hurts, it hurts a lot...felt Quad muscles I didn't realize I had but it was great. I love pushing hard and having fun. We also did our first brick workout and man have I forgotten what that felt like. Last year training for Ultraman, I didn't have to worry about running off the bike, but this first workout opened up my eyes, especially since we did a hilly run, I was so glad when it was all over but I can also tell that I have a different level of fitness than I did at this time last year and it feels pretty good. This past weekend we headed out for another ride with MD and she took me on some roads I hadn't been on before, they were great, hilly but great. We ended up doing a challenging 70km ride with plenty of hills, it is a bonus to be out on the hills this early in the year and I can tell I am a stronger hill rider than I once was, it was a little colder than the week before but the sun was bright and we had a great ride. Hoping to get out a few times this week before the rain comes.

I have had some issues with my tummy over the last few runs, but I think it is a combination of stress and antibiotics, I had a pretty brutal case of strep throat...but I am feeling better now so things should be all good soon! Otherwise the body is feeling great.

I had my first final exam yesterday and it went well, only 4 more exams to get through...So far the RMT course has been great. I am not stressed about the finals because I have a really good average so far so I am reviewing everything but not getting carried away with being stressed. I have enough stress in my life as it is so I am not going to let something that I am enjoying and motivated for cause me even more stress....just getting my studying done and am well prepared. I will be done soon and then have a glorious 2 weeks off before second semester begins...