Solvang Day Three

Day Three started out early once again. Mat and I rolled out the door to knock out the daily minimum run of 50 minutes before sunrise.

Hold on; before we continue;

There is a "camp within the camp" going on right now. The triathlon gents here at the camp have some scoring going on that is based around the rules for Epic Camp. This means:

one point for a 50 min run (minimum)

one point for 3300 yards (minimum)

one point for completing the day's ride

various KOM and sprint scoring that goes 5,4,3,2,1 (those are set by the VQ camp).

one point for various swim sets within the actual workouts.

Ok; so, when you hear me say the "daily minimum" it refers to the scoring above.

After the run we got ready for an 8:45 rollout on what was supposed to be a 40 mile recovery ride. The only paradox was that Robbie mentioned that there would be a sprint midway through the session that is marked from 2 kilometers out. Hardly seemed logical, but it did sound fun at any rate.

The groups are divided up as A,B,C, and (get this) D. The A group rolled out at a nice leisurely pace and we all chatted for a good 30 minutes and just generally enjoyed the countryside. Then we see Robbie Ventura roll up and tell us that the B group has caught us and that we need to pick up the pace. So much for recovery.

From there the A group split into two groups and started working a fast paceline. I believe that we were theoretically supposed to move at the same speed, but it seems the second 'A' group managed to fall a bit behind and Mat was the only dude in that group. It might not have been a big deal, but with a sprint coming up soon he knew he would have to make a move to be 'in it to win it." Big M made a monster move to bridge to our group and he just made contact when we hit the "2K to go" cone. Unfortunately he pretty much wasted himself with that effort, but he still managed to work hard enough to situate me as the fourth wheel before backing off. Quite the honorable teammate.

The final 2K run up was mostly flat in the beginning, but then it kicked uphill for the final 800 meters. The group began to thin out and only Gordo, a dude named Rod Riley, and myself were left to duke it out. We were absolutely pinning it since there was no draft effect at this point and Gordo just snuck by me to take first. I came through in second and Riley in third. I cannot speak for Riley, but I know it was a huge effort for G and I since we both posted new PRs for our one minute power outputs (526 for G, 523 for me).

After clearing the stars that were circling around my head the group headed back at a nice steady clip and the ride was completed in exactly two hours. Since it was early we headed to the pool to knock out a few sets. Mat, Gordo, and I swam a main set of 12 x 100IM/150free continuous (as in 3K straight) which was tough for me since I "learned" fly late in life. Then Gordo and I tacked on another set of 1000 straight with a band around the ankles for one additional point.

The final session of the day was a Functional Training set in the parking lot led by Mr. America's Gardie Jackson who proceeded to absolutely drill the attendees (or was it just me?) with his challenging session. I don't think my beer at lunch helped anything either (but not too many places serve Carlsberg in the States so you have to hit it when its there).

The camp was a little less uneventful in the evening since there were no meetings or meals so the crew headed off to a steak house to top off before tomorrow's ride (100 miles).

Until later,

jd

Solvang Day Two

The second day of the camp kicked off early since we all wanted to head over to the pool for a morning swim. I was a bit disappointed to hear the alarm at 5:20, but we do what we can to keep each other honest. Gordo came up with the main sets this morning for the amigos. The send offs varied, but our lane (Mark P, Gordo and I) went with (times in yards):

400 w/up
4 x 200 on 2:45
3 x 200 on 2:40
2 x 200 on 2:35
1 x 200 on 2:30
2 x 200 on 2:35
3 x 200 on 2:40
4 x 200 on 2:45
200 c/d

The set flew by and I expected it to be a lot less enjoyable than it actually was. With that out of the way we all headed back to hotel to have a quick breakfast before the 8:45 rollout.

Today's session was not a long ride, but it was still quite a difficult one. It was all about summiting Mt. Figueroa: a 10 mile climb with 7% avg grade (as much as 18%) with rough roads and sections of dirt/sand (4100 vertical feet).

It took about an hour to roll out to the base of the climb so everyone should have been thoroughly warmed up. After stripping some additional clothes and eating a snack we got ready to start the climb.

The rides are divided into four groups (A,B,C,D) based on ability levels, but we had a mass start for this particular section. Things got rolling from the get go and and I knew from the start that I would not be able to hang with the front group today. Mat and Gordo looked to be in the hunt for the KOM points so I wished them well (in my head) and settled into my own pace. From there it was pretty much a solo mission and I spent most of the time wishing I had a 27 on the back (and even a 34 on the front), but I felt good at any rate.. Gordo and Mat took 1st and 2nd place in the KOM camper points and I rolled up a few minutes later to take the third place KOM points. They both rode very, very well and I was really psyched to see the two of them stamp their authority on the day. It was also great to see three_triathletes_take the top three spots for the day. Nice to know we can hang with some roadies.

After a hairy descent we rolled back to Solvang in beautiful, sunny weather. We only covered 50 miles (3:15 ride time), but I still logged a TSS of 200 so it was pretty solid. Mat and I ran about 5 miles off the bike and called it a (good) day.

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Here were the times from Tuesday's Time Trial for our group.

Mark P 17:56
Justin 17:57
Gordo 18:03
Mat 18:11
Alan 20:xx

Wednesday is an easier day before the final two big days.

All for now,

jd

Solvang Day One

I have about 20 minutes (this is Wed Morning) before I head out the door for this morning's swim so I'll give a brief recap of what went on yesterday here at the Vision Quest Camp in Solvang.

Each day has a series of challenges and goals for the campers. The first day included a 5 mile Time Trial after a 30 minute roll out. All the triathletes of the group were seen out very early in the morning logging a run before the 8:30 roll out, but hopefully none of them ran too hard. I know I was keeping things in check since I have had zero intensity lasting over a few minutes so far this year.

The Time Trial was only five miles in distance, but it was longer in terms of time because of the nature of the course. It began with a gradual false flat, then rolling, then finished with about a one mile climb. Everyone on the course had a power meter (supplied by Powertap if they did not bring their own) and we all posted our times and power averages for future placement in group rides.

Mark P, Gordo, Mat, and I all finished within about 20 seconds of each other which was exciting to see. I don't have the official times, but our watts were all over the place and it made for fun comparison. Mat posted the best power-to-weight numbers while I posted the best time-to-watts numbers.

All in all, it made for a good start to the day. From there we divided into different groups and headed out for another 40 miles of riding. The first 20 were pretty chill and then it went full on to the Solvang city limits. Having all those guys around never fails to bring out the best in me. I was gapped at the end and had to put in a monster surge to get back on. Don't think I'd be getting that stimulus on the ol' trainer in BoCO.

After finishing the ride we kicked it around the hotel before knocking out a 3500 yard swim at the Santa Ynez YMCA (as seen in "Sideways").

All in all, a good first day. The Camp that Robbie Venture and his crew are putting on is_top_notch. Everyone from Boulder is certainly enjoying themselves and I'm sure all the Midwest crew is as well.

More tomorrow,

jd

Arizona

I took off to Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona over President's Day weekend to visit Brooke's friends and family as well as have a visit with my coach. My brother used to live in Phoenix (48th and Elliot for those in the know) from 2003-2005 and I spent January-May there in 2004 and 2005. The first night I was there Brooke and I stayed (and went out) in downtown Phoenix. The urban lifestyle is growing down there which is pretty cool to see since I often considered "Phoenix" to really just be a conglomeration** of individual municipalities. It is a very similar situation to the downtown/midtown revival in Houston and, if done well, it can certainly be a lot of fun.

The second and third night we stayed in North Scottsdale near Scottsdale Road and Carefree Highway. It is quite a different setting up there with a plethora** of gated Golf communities and mansions mixed amongst the cacti (I had Showtime's "Weeds" theme song going through my head). The topography of the north valley is quite beautiful, but it is getting more and more crowded every time I go there. Folks have always told me that a lot of the (cycling) rides from Scottsdale go north on Sdale road and then west on Carefree Hwy. That is, straight up, sketchy in my mind considering the lack of shoulder and the double wide 65 mph traffic, but I digress.

One fortunate advantage of being in the ares was the 1) weather, 2) a plethora** of oxygen and 3) a (running) track only a couple minutes from our host. I headed over there on Sunday morning and knocked out a set of 200,400,600,800,1000,800,600,400,200 of I pace (see 'Daniels Running Formula') intervals. It was great to be able to run at a faster pace than 5500 feet allows, but it almost felt as though my legs had been through a race when Monday morning came along.

On Monday morning I went to Breakfast with Joe Friel, Jim Vance (had not met him before; good guy) and Brooke. We chatted about some of the happenings with Endurance Corner as well as what is developing with Joe's company (and my sponsor), http://www.trainingbible.com/. One our conversations (outside of business) addressed susbtrate usage at subthreshold intensities (since this is what we often address with out physiological testing at EC) .

Joe believed there were two ways to improve it: first with diet, and secondly by training at those (sub FTP) levels. I found it quite interesting that diet was mentioned_before_training which might be of interest to those finding it difficult to hold a good percentage of their Functional Threshold Power/Pace for extended periods of time. The simplest advice would be to cut back on your sugar and starch intake and increase your consumption of fruit, vegetables, lean protein, and good fat. Its the same advice that gets stated time and time again, but it never hurts to hear it again and again either. You can read more about changing your diet by reading Paleo Diet for Athletes by Cordain/Friel. I think there are also some good articles out there if you do a google search, but I cannot guarantee that.

Basically: Eat real foods (i.e. not boxed and processed) and you will accomplish 90% of your needs.

After breakfast it was only a few hours before out return flight to Denver. We had a clear day on the flight home which allowed me to view all of Colorado; begining with the Four Corners and Cortez to Durango to Lake City to Blue Mesa Reservoir to Gunnison (where you could see Mt Crested Butte) to Buena Vista to Fairplay to Co Springs and finally to Denver. I think it is fantastic when you get the chance to view all those beautiful mountains from a different vantage point.

Well it looks like Boulder might have nice enough weather for riding today so I'm going to try and take advantage of that.

Until next week,

JD

*Did you know there is a rock called "conglomerate"? I think its the only one I correctly pointed out in my Geology 101 lab.

**I learned that word (plethora) when I was seven years old from El Guapo in the "Three Amigos."

2008 EC Tucson Camps

Endurance Corner will be hosting 2 camps this spring in Tucson, Arizona. The cost is $2250 and includes everything but your airfare to/from Tucson.

Camp 1 March 22-30, 2008.

This will be a balanced training camp with an emphasis on the bike. For athletes racing IM Arizona, we will schedule an "honest" race simulation ride on March 23rd and make sure the rest of the camp fits into your peak period.

Supplemental physiological testing, season planning, and consulting will be available if you arrive early on March 21st. This includes lactate testing for the bike and run. Please contact "Mat" "at" "endurancecorner.com" if you are interested in these additional services.

Camp 2 April 19-27, 2008. (SOLD OUT)

This will be bike focused training camp and the stronger athletes will ride 400-500 miles across the camp.

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Fitness: as a guideline, you will want to have a sub 13 hour IM finish and or sub 6 hour Half IM finish under your belt.

That stated, we will have two riding groups to allow for everyone to train their potential. Everyone will have a map for every ride if you choose to strike out on your own. This will take some of the pace pressure off the groups. There will be a sag vehicle that will provide sweeping and drink support.

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Accomodations are at the Days Inn on 222 S. Freeway in Tucson. This is ideally located for the bulk of our cycling, swimming, and running. The hotel has free wireless internet. I know a few people have requested single occupancy, and that is available for $210 for the week. Please contact Mat if you are interested. These requests must be made by Feb. 18th.

We will also have a central meeting place at Star Pass, where evening meals, massages, training debriefing and "tri talk" will occur every evening.

See you in the Spring,

EC Team

D MEEKER 1

Many of you might have heard me mention Dennis Meeker in my blogs. Sometimes I call him Mayor Meeker; sometimes D Meeker 1; but mostly Denny. I used to think that Mayor Meeker was pretty appropriate, but now I think The Boulder Godfather (TBG) might be a better handle. TBG understands the value of favors and I imagine that everyone in this town is likely indebted to him in one way or another. If TBG arranged a Telethon in one's day time, I guarantee he could generate millions based on the volume of donations from Boulder County only. The difference is that it would be done by reciprocal generosity as opposed to fear (as was the case with Brando).

You see, TBG understands the BRO culture. The BRO culture is based around one dude being there for another dude. Mr. Meeker gets that.

ME: Denny, we are riding 6 hours a day for a week. You in?

D: Ok

ME: Denny, its 5 degrees outside and we are going open water swimming.

D: Ok.

ME: Denny, my leg fell off so I'm going to need to use yours.

D: Ok.

Perhaps you have picked up on a trend here. Denny is there when you need him. He was the backbone to my (and BDC's, and Gordo's, and Mat's) training in 2007. In fact he might have gone even faster in Hawaii had he not been so willing to help us (and everyone else) out, but Denny cannot help that he helps.

So now you'll know who Denny is (or whatever I call him) in future postings.

He is:

The Man.

The Legend.

THE D. Meeker. 1.

jd

TAMU stepped it up this past week by winning back-to-back games against Texas and Oklahoma. They have a couple road games coming up so I hope they can keep their momentum rolling. Keep it up guys. Boulder (or just me) is behind you.

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A little event called the Super Bowl happened this past weekend and it proved to be a great game. I wasn't particularly rooting for either team, but I did think it was unfortunate that the Patriots did not get to realize their pursuit of perfection. Those of us who saw the game took part in a piece of sports history which may or may not be special to you based on your feelings about sport. I personally find it to be very special when you get to view the actual moment/game itself and not simply hear about it or see the highlights.

Some others that stand out in my mind (that I WATCHED):

*1994 Colorado versus Michigan (at MI). Stewart threw a 10,000,000 yard pass on the final play of the game that was tipped and eventually caught by Michael Westbrook. That was the winning touchdown as time expired.

*1996 Game 1 of the NBA Finals; Houston versus Orlando (at ORL). Orlando was up by 3 with a handful of seconds on the clock and XX was fouled. He missed both free throws and Houston rebounded, went down to the other end, and missed a 3-point attempt. Orlando got the rebound and XX was fouled again. He missed both free throws AGAIN and Houston got the rebound and called a TO. With a couple seconds on the clock Kenny Smith hit a deep three sending the game into overtime. The Rockets won comfortably in overtime.

*2000 AFC Championship; Tennessee versus Buffalo (at Buffalo). The Titans returned a kickoff with time expiring to win the game and go the Super Bowl. This was the famous (or infamous depdning on how you view the replay) cross-field lateral pass kick off return play.

*2004 Summer Olympics in Athens 4 x 200 Men's swim relay. The U.S. held off Ausatralia with Thorpe in the Anchor Leg to win Gold. I've never been that fired up watching a swim race in my life.

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This weekend Boulder county started to look a little more like summer; at least in terms of the number of cyclists on the road. It certainly didn't feel that way considering it was overcast and in the 30's, but I guess everyone is starting to anticipate what it might feel like to be too unfit in April. It was one of those "tweener" weekends as my roommate pointed out; you could ride or you could ski. Those that went skiing were clearly smarter than me and slurred speech.

Even my own little crew seemed to be perking up as my legs were starting to feel a little loaded on the rollers running out highway 36 on the Saturday ride. Denny (aka D Meeker 1, aka Mayor Meeker; aka Bossman) claimed he was simply "testing the new guy," but I was probably tested more than anyone else.

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Last Thursday and Friday the Endurance Corner crew hosted a bike fitting clinic with Dan Empfield. Most of you all that read this blog likely know who he is, but even more of you know his website, http://www.slowtwitch.com/, and the company he launched in the 1980s, Qunitana Roo (which he later sold).

I really appreciated Empfield's approach to positioning athletes on a bike because it seems to follow logic and reason and that, in turn, creates a (consistent) science. It isn't a science that tries to impose an inappropriate angle created on a computer or elsewhere. It starts and finishes with the rider and his/her preferences.

Empfield normally hosts up to 15 athletes during these clinics and ours only had five in attendance. As a result it really allowed all of us to address more areas of interest than just bike fitting. We had several interesting tangents which really showed off Empfield's range of interests in our sport and beyond. I get the same enjoyment when I'm around Molina, Friel, etc: anyone who has been along for the triathlon ride since (or near) its inception. These are the folks that had to create their own norms because there were none. Their search for answers is always what I find to be the most interesting and entertaining component of our conversations.

Until next week,

-jd

Be There

A friend was kind enough to send me an email telling me where "Wherever you are, be there" comes from. It is the title of an essay/speech from Jim Rohn: a successful business philosopher. I almost feel a bit foolish having not known that given his extensive success and influence. At any rate, you can find the full text if you do any google search with the title and the author's name. I won't paste it here since I'm not sure if he appreciates that, but here is a direct link where you can read it yourself.

http://www.appleseeds.org/rohn_be-there.htm

Its an interesting (and short, go read it now if you haven't already) read and it can likely be helpful with nearly everything we want do well. I immediately tried to evaluate whether or not I have applied his philosophies in the past and whether I apply them today.

I think its a common misconception to assume that complete obsession is essential to success in athletics or otherwise. I suppose I've known some pretty damn successful obsessive people so I might not always be right, but I've known far more that have crashed and burned from hitting it too hard in their respective fields (mostly in athletics).

I think these burnout victims never had the ability to turn their minds off from sport. When obsession leads to negligence in an athlete's life outside of sport they will feel overwhelmed and, ironically, it will be this aspect, and not sport itself, that leads to their exit.

I believe there have to be moments in an athlete's day, week, month, and year when they allow themselves to just "be a dude" (or dudette). Great athletes need great breaks.

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Another component that Rohn comments on is the ability to focus specifically on the moment and/or task at hand. In sport, this is probably the greatest skill an athlete can possess.

When people ask me what I think about when swimming, biking, or running I simply tell them that I think about swimming, biking, and running.

"Don't you get bored?"

No. Except maybe when I swim 500s.

But seriously, I've spent thousands of hours doing all three so that would be a lot of time to be bored. It has served as "focused fun" for me. (An expression from G Byrn that I have always liked).

This was not always the case and I'm not immune to falling back into seeking distractions.

A few years ago I was dealing with a lot in my personal life while trying to train and race successfully. I found myself with a mind that was working overtime to solve problems (out of my control, no less) in my personal life no matter what time of day it was and no matter what I was doing. It peaked when I was sitting at a convenience store in Whitewright, Texas with a thousand yard stare on my face. I was totally focused on the wrong things at the wrong time. There was nothing I could do about my personal life while perched on a curb 40 miles from home.

For whatever reason I made a deal with myself that day. Essentially the conversation in my head sounded something like this:

"For the next 40 miles you are going to focus on nothing, but riding this bike. When you get home you can worry yourself sick with things out of your control; just not know."

Its impossible for me to completely avoid outside thoughts from creeping into my mind, but I always revert back to that day when they do. I do my best to focus solely on the task at hand and when the session is over I refocus on other aspects of my life.

Be "all there," as Rohn says; no matter what you are doing.

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The warm weather came out in Boulder this past week and I rode outside for the first time since IMFL. Nice to have a break from staring at the wall.

Bring on February,

jd

Read more on Jim Rohn at http://www.jimrohn.com/

Early Season Training

The Aggies lost back-to-back games on the road this week to unranked opponents. I don't have a (huge) problem with that (except losing to TECH), but the average margin of victory for the other team was circa 20 points.

That is not ok when you are ranked 9/10 in the AP/coaches poll.

Mark Turgeon has been highly praised as a coach and as a person after his arrival in TAMU. This will be his first test as a coach (he' s done well as a person). He did a lot with limited talent while coaching at Wichita State so I hope he can fire up a team that likely didn't expect to lose last week; let alone lose in an extreme fashion.

We play Baylor this week and Baylor is the (new) darling child of the Big 12. The AGs can make a statement with a solid victory this week or they can dig themselves a bit deeper. Its on ESPN on January 23 at 8 EST for interested parties.

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Ok, enough on that.

This past week was the first fully structured week of the year for me. I had workouts actually written down in a plan and then I... ...get this... ...did them.

It can be very tempting to try to jump right back in where you left off from last year, but is that really necessary?

Training is placed to take you beyond where you currently are. I would assume that most of you are not where you left off from last season. Your power numbers are low, you feel slow on the run, and swimming just annoys you.

"Wherever you are, be there"

I don't know who originally said that phrase, but I heard it (or read it) from Kevin Purcell some time ago. Whoever said it gave some solid advice. If you are aware of where your fitness stands at the beginning of the season then I think it would be hard to get overly frustrated with your progression.

My HR improved over seven beats at the same power output from one week's session to the next. Don't know about you guys, but that doesn't happen in the peak of my season. Granted, the number are much lower than last year, but it would be foolish to subjectively judge my training based on my peak from last year. All I want is progress and progress was achieved by simply getting the ball rolling again. No fancy overload, just the simply act of doing. Nice to get things so easily for once.

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Heart Rate Caps in the Early Season

I have always used a heart rate cap throughout my early season training. I think its useless to pump out high heart rates when you are not moving very quickly to begin with.

Think about it; if you were running 7:00/mile at 150 HR last year and right now you are running 8:30s then what is the point of pushing the heart rate up to simply run 8:00s. Your body can do it, its just not quite ready to do it yet. Give it a few weeks and see how things are going. If you are improving with this protocol then keep it rolling until you are not.

What heart rate cap should you use?

It really depends.

If you have Friel zones then I would suggest the top of zone 2 for the run and the top of zone 3 for the bike. For me, that equates to 20-22 beats below functional threshold for the run and 10-12 below functional threshold for the bike. It should be a number that makes you feel like you are crawling early in the season, but holding it late in the season would you have you crankin'.

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Steady State Aerobic Threshold Riding

During the base period of my training Joe has me do long steady state rides on flat terrain. He asks me to hold a heart rate of 150-155 (top end of zone 2) continuously for as long as three hours. This replaces the old model of LSD (long, slow distance) riding in the base period that he used to endorse.

We start by riding 1.5 hours and watching how my power fades as the ride continues. If it fades (decouples) by less that 5% then we will add another thirty minutes of duration and move on.

If you are new to this style of riding then I would begin by simply including a 30-45 minute continuous main set to begin with. Download your power file and check your beginning power versus your finishing power. How far off did you fade? What was your average power for the first half of the set compared to the second? If it is within 5% then add time. If it is not, then repeat the same duration for your next planned session. Achieve your goal before you move on.

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Happy January,

JD

The Season Begins

The last ten weeks have been fun, hard, tiring, rewarding, and even sad. I took trips to Michigan, Sweden, Colorado Springs, Crested Butte, Colorado Springs (again), and Breckenridge. I don’t think I spent more than 7 consecutive days in Boulder over the last ten weeks and was gone about 50% of the time. I did spend 120+ hours in classrooms, started working with Endurance Corner, completed a two week course on bike mechanics, and attended a USAT certification course for coaching. I progressed as a person while my life as an athlete was on hold to allow for that.

No worries though; it is a long year and my race season will not even begin until the middle of April. Until then I will be doing what I can during the Boulder winter with some intermittent breaks for training camps in California and Arizona. Next year I will be utilizing the winter a little more for my goals, but this year will be more traditional with less cross training in the snow. (I simply don’t have the gear yet).

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My 2008 season will include the following:

April 13 Playtri Half Ironman (Irving, Texas)

May 3 Wildflower Half Ironman (SLO, California)

May 26 BB 10K (Boulder, Colorado)

June 8 Eagleman 70.3, US Long Course Champs (Maryland)

June 29 Buffalo Springs or West Virginia Mountaineer Man HIM (Lubbock, Tx or Morgantown, WV)

July 20 Boulder Peak or Spirit of Racine (Boulder or Racine, Wisconsin)

August 24 Ironman Canada (Penticton, BC; CAN)

October 11 Ironman World Championship (Kona, Hawaii)

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A few comments on the above:

I will likely race Buffalo Springs over West Virginia depending on the wetsuit ruling for the 2008 season. 70.3 and IM have gone back and forth as to whether everyone wears wetsuits (because of a “mass start”) or if the pros have different rules than the Age Groupers (a la USAT races). The Buffalo Springs swim is WARM and if they allow wetsuits I’ll likely pass on that race. Overheating in the swim is not fun for me and I’d rather race elsewhere.

On July 20th I’ll race Boulder Peak if I’m less fit or Racine if I’m fit. Essentially, if my form is coming along nicely for IMC I’ll go race Racine and I’ll continue training with a moderate approach for IMC. If I’m behind where I want to be then I will race Boulder Peak within a training block with no additional rest. Some of you might ask: why race at all then? I like to support the local triathlon races when it fits into the schedule (especially 5430 Sports) and it would essentially just be a harder training day for me. The race has such a large pro field that you can treat it however you want. I’d like to improve on my finish last year as well, considering the heat pretty much governed my run effort to a hard jog at most.

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Until later,

JD

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Everyone.

Even though the holidays have passed and the new year has come it is still... ...January. I, for one, certainly want to get the ball rolling towards a new fitness level and I'm sure many of you are looking at your frozen windows and_thinking_the same thing. There might even be some extra pressure on those of you with resolutions hanging over your head. Resolutions are difficult; at least the ones that I often created for myself. In the past, my resolutions were often lofty goals or outcomes with little course of action to go along with it. Today, when I make a goal I often establish what outcome I want and work backwards to establish a course of action to make it happen. Otherwise, those goals are lost just as my resolutions of old are lost. Best of Luck to all of you in 2008 (and beyond). Hang in there.

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The Endurance Corner Spring Training Camps are nearly full with a few spots still remaining. These camps are a great oppurtunity for training (obviously), but their real impact comes from the knowledge you gain by exchanging thoughts with experienced athletes and coaches. The downtime on these camps often yields a great return for your future training and racing. It also often lays the foundation for some great friendships. I know I am going to walk away with more than I went in with.

Endurance Corner will be hosting two Arizona camps in Tuscon on the following dates:

March 22-30

April 19-27

Please contact me at justin at endurancecorner dot com or Gordo Byrn at gordon at endurancecorner dot com if you are interested.

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More later,

jd

I hope everyone had a nice holiday this week. I spent a few days in Crested Butte with my family before heading back to Boulder on the 26th. I was fortunate enough to miss the heavy snow on the way home, but I did see a number of folks off the road and I hope everyone managed to make it home safely; even if their car did not.

While I was in CB I was rummaging through a drawer of photos and memorabilia when I came across my training journals from 2002. They contained notes and stats jotted down in those black and white composition books which I often associate with high school science class (Chemistry, I think) more than anything else.

The interesting aspect of the first journal is that it came from my first summer in Boulder in 2002. My venture to Boulder that summer was not for training, but for an internship with Inside Communication Inc. (Inside Triathlon, Velonews, Velopress, Velogear, etc) in the editorial department. I don't think that they, or I, knew exactly what I was originally coming there to do, but I eventually found myself working primarily with Charles Pelkey, and secondarily with Cam Elford (Cam is with Triathlete last I saw. Pelkey still writes for VELO). My primary duties pretty much involved content update on the website, some editing, press release posting and an occasional race report/story/summary written by myself (though that was quite seldom). I occasionally did some stuff on the VELO site as well, but my understanding of bike racing was rather limited at the time (its better today, but there is so much to follow its hard to say that I'm on top of it).

At the time I was heading into my senior in college (at Texas A&M) and I normally spent my entire summers working at Camp Longhorn near Austin, Texas. My decision to not return that summer was a very difficult and emotional one for me. I had been working there since I was 17 and it was more than a job to me since some of my closest friends (to this day) worked alongside me. That, and I loved the job. However, triathlon had a growing presence in my life and I thought that perhaps I could find a career that was related to it. Racing professionally was not on my mind at all at the time, but a job involving sport, I believed, could be.

The internship itself went well, but the entire experience of Boulder was probably the most educational aspect of the summer. I was renting a tiny basement room in North Boulder that had nothing more than a mattress on the floor and my radio. The house did not have cable or Internet either so I had little option other than working or riding my bike. It was fun to look back in the journal this past weekend and read some of the comments and stats I provided. I recalled getting absolutely crushed at my first Master's session, unclipping on some climbs, freezing my butt off in Ward, and totally burying myself on a long mountain ride with Kevin Reinsch (which I still recall as being the most tired I've ever been on one single day).

I still keep a training journal, but its not quite as exciting as the early days. These days they are online (trainingpeaks.com) and involve more numbers and stats so that my coach and I can track progression more closely. They don't include jokes I heard that day on a ride or a line I thought of from the Simpsons when I was bumming around the Boulder county roads. Its just the results of the day now.

I encourage all of you, especially those starting out, to keep a training journal. Its certainly great to look back on your past performances and training numbers (especially when comparing to today), but its even better when they help you relive some memories that you might have otherwise forgotten.

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Additionally, I wanted to mention that I recently did another photo shoot for EAS a week before Christmas down in Denver. The shot is one of me running and I assume it should be out some time this Spring where you normally see the ads run. I think it came out really well and hopefully everyone else felt that same way.

For those that are interested, the company behind the EAS ads is called Mighty Karma www.mightykarma.com.

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See you in 2008,

JD

Our Generation, Mechanics, Kenny G and more.

I wish I could have followed up more quickly on my commentary related to the Millennium Generation, but the Barnett Bicycle Institute (more below) in Co Springs had me slammed for two straight weeks.

However, I should mention a few things.

I got a number of emails and feedback from friends about my blog. In several cases, my buddies gave me specific examples of their own feelings/needs in the working world as well as the vocal opinions of their older colleagues. In addition to that I received a number of emails that asked whether or not I was trying to pass myself off as being "lazy."

First off, anything that I consider to be an achievement in my life has taken a lot of work. In fact, I imagine that anything that came to me easily probably doesn't even make my list of accomplishments. I'm not saying I'm lazy, but I am saying that my outlook on life and goals differ from tradition (as I see it).

Now, that aside; most emails asked whether or not I believe that the "laziness" of my generation will ultimately be met by the reality of the "real world." I suppose most of us believe that idealism is slowly whithered away by the realities of the real world.

Here is what I probably did not quite get across in my last blog. I_believe_that the underlying theme amongst this generation is the pursuit of happiness. Youngsters today are deciding to be more happy than their parents as opposed to just having more "stuff" than them. Its their way of defining a "better life" than their parents'.

Personally, I actually believe that if people can stick to this ideal then they might actually be more financially successful as well. That's an irony that the cynical will not allow as they often believe that money and security work inversely with happiness (in my opinion).

I'm generally an optimist so I'm going to keep believing that our generation will change (the world) for the better by reorganizing their priorities.

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I spent the past two weeks attending a course called Bicycle Repair and Overhaul which was hosted by the Barnett Bicycle Institute in Colorado Springs. The majority of the class was made up of folks who work on bikes, or folks who plan to work on bikes, for a living. I was the only one there who desired this knowledge to try to get the most out of my equipment for training and racing purposes.

Triathlon has always stimulated my need for knowledge when it comes to training, physiology, etc., but I have never been particularly turned on by "the gear." When I started triathlon I had little money for fancy gear, but I had time to train so I felt that investing time in the knowledge of my body (and training that body) was the number one priority. I figured that there was always time for fancy gear, but the engine had to come first.

I still believe this. Good nutrition, massage, etc are always budgeted before investments in gear. Gear will always be replaced.

Nevertheless, the time has come where small percentages of improvements add up to big gains on race day.

And so I spent over 100 hours in two weeks working on bikes. I gained knowledge and respect for the machines that propel me (and for the folks that have worked on them for me over the years).

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Its a week before Xmas.

I think half of the US is covered in snow right now and I doubt many of you are feeling entirely motivated for many more reasons than just that. I found myself at the Manitou Springs pool the other day and the the aqua aerobics class was rocking out to Kenny G's Christmas album.

This is hardly the environment to get wicked fit in.

And that's ok. We all need some down time every now and then, but it is important to keep moving despite all the distractions, adverse weather conditions, etc. I was exceptionally busy for the past six weeks and the only goal I made was to average one hour of aerobic exercise per day per week amidst all the commotion. I managed to meet that goal and even slightly exceed it on a couple occasions. That is only 25% (or less) of my "normal" training load and yet I was totally satisfied.

What I find interesting is that if I trained 8 hours/week when I wanted to train 30 then I would certainly see myself as a failure (in a microcosmic sense). However, training 8 hours when I wanted 7 makes me a success and makes me feel that progress was made.

Its important that we take into account what we can and cannot achieve at any given moment within a day, week, month or season. Its also important that we do what we can with what we have. It should never be assumed that a few minutes of training (or anything else) is ineffective because its so minuscule in comparison to what we want.

It all matters. Every single footstep, pedal stroke, and swim stroke matter.

Move More.

JD