RICE and Racing

That little incident I mentioned in my last blog (about crashing on the Mesa Trail) has turned into a bit more of a nuisance than I originally anticipated. Apparently breaking my fall with my knee on a Boulder has consequences that have to be faced. After battling a serious virus, several days of food poisoning, and this bruised knee (in the past five weeks); I'm ready for some good fortune. Coincidentally, I tend to race Half Ironmans quite well when something unexpected happens the weekend before, so perhaps that will be the good fortune I seek. We'll have to wait and see. More later this week,

jd

Thursdays are dumb

Unfortunately my well-thought-out blog post somehow got lost. Not surprising, given my IT skills, but I still thought I had the whole blog process under control. Instead of sharing those thoughts I'm going to simply complain about how Thursdays have it out for me. Yesterday while running on the Mesa Trail (which is really more like power hiking) I ate s**t and crashed both knees into two ridiculously big boulders. I spent the rest of the evening icing my knees and this morning they are very stiff (but not 'worse' thankfully).

Last week, on Thursday, I had the pleasure of dealing with some sort of stomcahe ailment that was likely food poisoning. Several weeks before that, I went out for a run and got caught in a drenching downpour when it was 39 degrees. Three days later I began my miserable May illness which I believe I contracted on that particular Thursday when my immune system was depressed.

So 3 of the last 6 Thursdays have tried to take me down, but I'm still standing. I might not leave my bedroom next week. Fortunately I'll being rest up for Buffalo Springs by then so at least it won't affect too much training.

I love Fridays though,

jd

Rediscovering Fun

I enjoy all three disciplines of my sport, but I have a passion for riding a bike. Going places, riding fast, climbing mountains... ....these 'things' make riding a bike truly enjoyable. However, the athlete in me is primarily concerned with riding a bike from point A to B faster than everyone else. Having that goal sometimes turns cycling into a means to an end, but that is not the way cycling was introduced into my life.

When I began riding 100+ mile rides outside of College Station, Texas I saw them as adventures. I knew more about the surrounding areas and the countryside than all my non-riding peers. Even if they drove the same road a thousand times it would never look as it looked to me on a bike. The world slows down a bit and you notice what might otherwise go unnoticed. Sometimes when you pull over to fix a flat, and the wind no longer fills your ears, you can hear just how quiet some areas of the world are. That was always a bit relieving to me in world with a million mediums of information and noise. Every now and then I found an escape standing next to a watermelon field near Millican, Texas.

All those long rides certainly made me more fit (and a better athlete), but I did them because I wanted to and not because I needed to. I love to ride my bike, but these days I often saddle up with an agenda at hand. I don't often find myself saying "I wonder where that road goes?"

Well, I've decided to bring back some fun into my training. After my Monday morning workouts are completed I embark on "Mountain Monday." Basically, I will find a new route that goes over some of the gnarliest, steepest roads (paved and dirt) in the Boulder area. Every Monday will be somthing new that I have never done and I will go to some place I have never seen.

My buddy Chris McDonald is one of the most dedicated long course athletes I know, but even he admits that he has to have sessions that are simply "fun" for him. Otherwise, he reckons, he would just go crazy.

I think he's absolutely right.

Bring on the fun,

JD

Training not "Touring"

A few years ago I was sitting in the backseat of a friend's car driving to Miami for a race. We were talking about everything we could think of (its a long drive from Orlando) including the normal training blah blah blah. At one point my friend was telling me about someone she knew who claimed to train "10 hours a day" while getting ready for an Ironman. My Response: "That's not training, that's touring."

To this day that one expression seems to ring a lot of bells in people's heads when I mention it. I hear about BIG training all the time (i.e. more hours than I train), but it has never been overly concerning to me. When I hear that someone is training a ridiculous number of hours I rest easy knowing that they are ultimately having to go "slow" to accomplish it. I can also bank on them most likely being exhausted on race day (when it actually counts). (And keep in mind that I train with a solid amount of volume; 27-30 hours when getting ready for IMs)

I think I can confidently say that many people hope that hard work will be rewarded fairly. Unfortunately working lots is not the same as working effectively. I always remember hearing people complain about how much they studied for a test, but ultimately scored poorly on the test. Clearly they put in their time observing the material, but perhaps they did not engage the material (and sometimes the test was just stupid hard).

Tying this back into triathlon and training hours is easy.

If I cannot train at an intensity that creates a training stimulus (steady and above) then I am doing nothing more than burning calories and making myself more tired. Do not confuse this with allocated easy training; i.e. recovery swims rides and runs. I am speaking in terms of easy training replacing quality training based on the justification that one's training volume is high therefore easy training is OK.

The next time you find yourself in a position where you are forced to go easy you should ask yourself this:

Is this the best session for me or my training log?

jd

p.s. I'm finally over my illness and I am building my training towards Buffalo Springs at the end of this month.

Boise will have to wait as well

Unfortunately pulling out of races has been the trend in the last two blog entries. I am finally recovering from my illness, but it took quite a pounding on my body. Sometimes I don't hesitate to race regardless of setbacks, but in this case I have decided it is best for me to pull out of the race. My next official event will be Buffalo Springs 70.3 on June 29th, but I could possibly have another event pop up before then depending on my training. Illness can be tough to handle. As an athlete, I have never banked off of anything more than the previous day's work. What I mean by saying that is I believe I am only as good as my preparation. This is not to say that other athletes roll with nothing other than their natural born talent. It just means that my ability to prepare and execute is what I believe to be my strength.

Illness, injury, and offseasons all pretty much set us up to improve over the long term (assuming neither of the three becomes chronic). Once we bounce back and move forward we usually surpass the last height of our progression/fitness, but its crucial to patiently wait its return (in my opinion). Forcing old fitness will only make you as good as you were, and not as good as you could be.

Its also naturally frustrating to find yourself ill or injured. Often times it comes at a point when you feel unbreakable and unstoppable. Two Sundays ago I finished my long run along Magnolia Road and consciously acknowledged my good form. I was looking forward to hammering it out at Ironhorse and Boise, but 12 hours later I had a bloody nose and a fever. Breaking through and breaking down are sometimes separated by a very thin line.

To good health,

jdb

�

Ironhorse will have to wait

Well I have had to make (actually my body made it for me) the decision to not race this weekend in Durango. I had planned to take on a three day omnium competition (road race, criterium, and time trial) over Memorial Day weekend before heading to the Boise 70.3 on June 1. Unfortunately I came down with a nasty little virus that has had me log my fourth zero (aka 'day off') in a row. I would describe the illness as either 1) a severe cold, or 2) a light case of the flu. Either situation is completely lame, but I am forced to be reminded that I'm not invincible from time to time. Each time I get sick I usually have a sense of optimism on day one. I often think that it will only be a 24 hour bug and I can be back on the wagon in no time. Then day two comes along and I give in and lay in bed for 23 of 24 hours. On day three I'm usually frustrated and bored. Today is day four and I am still bored, but a little more optimistic. I was actually able to sleep through the entire night for the first time and that greatly enhanced my recovery, though I'm still hacking like a champ. Tomorrow is an exciting day because it_might_involve a 45 minute bike ride....

...Living the dream...  ....on the couch!

At any rate, once I get over this I am sure I will find good form as May's training has been solid. I cannot guarantee on my start at the Boise 70.3, but if I feel healthy by Wednesday of next week then I will at least make the trip, if not the start line.

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend for me. Race hard if you're racing.

Healthy Training,

jd

Magnolia Road

There are plenty of famous training routes in Boulder, but the one that I appreciate the most is Magnolia Road. "Mags" was probably always famous to some, but it received a lot of attention (on my end at least) after Chris Lear wrote Running with the Buffaloes. Lear documented the University of Colorado's Sunday long runs up and down Magnolia Road. Magnolia starts as a paved road rising above Boulder Canyon, but 4.5 miles up it turns from pavement to dirt and continues for another 7.5 miles to the Peak-to-Peak Highway above Nederland, Colorado. From there you can cross the highway and run another 3K to the the turnaround, but most folks choose to turn around once they reach the Peak-to-Peak highway.

The topography of the run is quite challenging. You begin atop a hill at 8200 feet before descending down to 8000 feet (the lowest point of the run). From there you stair step up to 8700 feet to the highway. If you run from the start of the dirt to the highway and back you will have run 15 miles with 1200 feet of ascending and descending; all of which will be above 8000 feet.

I first started running Magnolia Road in 2005 when I came to Boulder and it became a weekly staple throughout the summer. I often get a strong sense of "supposed to" when I go up there.

Huh?

There are times when I train when I feel as though I am doing exactly what I am "supposed to" be doing to improve. Mags is one of those sessions that only requires that you show up. From there the road will give you the stimulus you need. Should you decide to go out too hard it will send you home humbled, but if you complete it you will ultimately become a fitter athlete.

I have never considered myself to be overly obsessed with data, but I have every split from every run on Magnolia recorded in my log. Yesterday I ran Magnolia for the first time this season and PRed the session by more than three minutes. More importantly, I did it by 'just running' and not by hammering. The splits are only relevant when you have a lot of data to go by (because of the climbing and elevation), but after four years the splits are actually starting to resemble ones from a 'real' run. Hopefully we can expect to see more where that came from as the weeks roll by towards Ironman Canada.

Summer is almost here,

jd

Early Recruitment

This past Friday I ventured to an elementary school in Louisville (right outside of Boulder) to speak to a group of fourth graders about triathlon and health. I was not sure how interested 10 year olds would be in triathlon, but they were very engaging and, honestly, insightful. When I asked them to help me list off a number of factors that contribute to success in sport and life they left me with littles else to add. Their understanding of hard work, nutrition, and health seemed well beyond my own understandings at their age ( and I considered myself to be more conscientious than most as their age). I tried to keep my presentation educational, but more importantly, fun. I was secretly trying to recruit a couple athletes, but I didn't want to come across as pushy!

I mention recruiting because my house recently added a new resident, Australian Triathlete Joe Gambles. Joe is a 26 year old professional from Tasmania who is stateside for six months to race in North America. When he arrived we spent some time asking questions about each other; sports and otherwise. We are still in the process of getting to know one another, but he did tell me a bit about his background (read his website for more info from the link above).

One fact I will pull from his bio is that he raced his first professional race at 16.  I might be one year older than him in human years, but his athletic lifespan makes me look like a little pup. I spent my teen years getting to know Mr. Marlboro.

At any rate, his athletic lifestyle has not deterred his motivation and its pretty exciting to see that someone who has been racing for more than half their life is ready to tackle his training (he puts in 30 hours while working in AUS) and racing. Sport is the life he knows. I'm sure he will continue to do well and hopefully I can learn some things from him while he lives across the hall.

Back to the kiddos...

My hope, current and long term, is to grow the participation of triathlon with America's youth. I'd like to see 26 year old Americans mention that they have been racing for ten years (and still love the sport).

Check back in 30 years and see how that is coming along.

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The Jouney of JD Part Two is now live on Xtri here.

Its May 13th and its snowing in Boulder.

jd

New Website

If you have ever been to this website before, you probably have noticed a few changes since the last time you logged on. The folks at the o2 Group out of Golden, Co are responsible for all the changes. If you have any web needs I would get in contact with them. You will not be disappointed. I know its been a long time since I wrote the first installment of "The Journey of JD" and I apologize for not getting out the second installment in a timely fashion. I got caught up with all of our training camps in March/April and neglected any writing assignments I had given myself.  I received a lot of postive feedback from the first artcile and I promise to have it finished this week. You can probably expect to see it by Wednesday or Thursday on Xtri.

More later,

JD

Tucson Camp Wrap Up

The second Endurance Corner Tucson Camp has come and gone and I felt it was a great success. We had a wide range of abilities at the camp, but everybody stepped up and made it happen for themselves. All of the athletes extended themselves, but none of them buried themselves. Perfect.

A quick recap of the days since last post:

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Wednesday: Oro Valley Day

Athletes ran in the morning and were then transported to the Oro Valley Pool where they were given the swim set of:

5 x 500
4 x 400
3 x 300
2 x 200
1 x 100

Gordo cracked the whip on me and made me swim:
400 easy
60 x 100 on a 1:30,25,20,15 pattern
200 easy
200 IM
200 easy

Both sets proved to be challenging, but achievable. Once again, we had several athletes say that this was the longest swim of their lives so far. Pretty cool to see what people are capable of in a group atmosphere.

After swimming the crew had lunch in the park and then headed out for a solid 50 mile ride back home which finished with a summit over the east side of Gates Pass.

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Thursday was the key run day of the week. This camp is primarily focused on cycling and swimming since we feel those are safe ways to overload yourself aerobically, but we still believe in maintaining a long run (even if shortened).

We headed out to the east side of town to run the Cactus Forrest Trail; a rolling trail with great views on either side. Most of the folks opted for one loop of11 miles, but several logged 2:30+ out there in the morning sun.

After running we had a shake out swim and then an afternoon off to regroup.

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Friday was an easier day for the campers aside from the morning swim. I'm pretty sure we doubled the lifetime volume of butterfly for several of the campers.

After finishing the day's workout the camp decided it would be a good idea to race Gordo and I (I had a 10 sec head start) in a 400 IM where they each served a 50 yard leg (8 x 50) on two teams. Given the fact that I have never done a 400 IM I tapered for the event by showing up late and only warming up for 500 yards. The campers put together a strong team and beat us both. Good on them.

This particular moment of the camp made me very happy. When you see everyone get excited over friendly competition it really brings you back to the core of sport. Its a "race you to the flagpole" type of moment. Quite special.

The campers rode and ran easily after swimming and then lounged for the afternoon. Before dinner we had the pleasure of listening to a presentation by Robbie Ventura about time trialing, triathlon, cycling, pro racing, announcing for Versus (formerly OLN), and many, many other things.

Robbie is a true professional; from his time as a pro bike racer to his time now as a coach and founder of Vision Quest Coaching in the Chicago area. I want to publicly thank him for taking the time out of his busy schedule to head down to the EC Camp to present and train a little (he is racing Ironman Canada). Thanks Robbie!

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Saturday: Kitt Peak Day.

Big Day. 20 miles flat; 20 miles false flat; 12.1 mile climb @7-8%, descend, 40 miles home the same way with less than favorable winds.

The day opened up with a solid handful of flats along the Ajo highway, but Mat and I were keeping up with everyone and swapping out wheels as fast as we could. Things kept rolling and soon enough the campers were approaching the base of the climb. Robbie was leading a solid group of athletes with Gordo soling a few minutes back. It had the excitement of a bike race and everyone was quickly filling bottles at the aid station in order to hold their gap.

Things became much tighter at the top, but Robbie showed everyone a thing or two with a MONSTER descent. Then it became a chase to catch Robbie with a group trailing behind. Unfotunately a flat ended his attack, but I know everyone had a lot of fun working to make up ground.

The second group of riders summited successfully and then regrouped at the bottom for the return trip. From there they worked together in style cruising home in a pack along the Ajo Highway

A big day and a successful day for all.

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I am going to send out a second public thank you to all the campers, coaches, and the amazing support crew for helping us make this such a special camp.

We are working to finalize dates for next year and we will be adding a second camp in a different location which we will announce in the near future.

I hope familiar and new faces can make the venture next year. We all had a fantastic time.

Until next year.

Thanks,

JD

Endurance Corner Tucson Camp #2

Endurance Corner is back in the desert Southwest helping another group of athletes "live the dream." Its the morning of Day Four of the EC Tucson Camp and everyone has excelled when given their challenges on Days 1-3. Once again, we have the privilege to work with competent, driven athletes that understand the 'work' component of success. No one here wants a shortcut.

Day One was the same as the last round for those following along. The route headed South to Madera Canyon and back. It essentially breaks down into 60K of flat(ter) riding, 7 miles of gradual climbing, and 3 miles of rock star, rough road, steep grade climbing to 5400 feet. Then you turn around and do everything in reverse order. In our case, the final 60K also included a tailwind so everyone rocked it back home (Ryan more than anyone). After riding most athletes headed to the pool for shake out swim before hitting dinner at the Endurance Corner Headquarter (ECHQ).

Day Two started early with a swim at Archer Pool at 6:00 a.m. (Jonas would not have approved of such an early time). The main set of the day was:

500, 5 x 100
400, 4 x 100
300, 3 x 100
200, 2 x 100
100, 1 x 100

Gordo saw my swim time at Playtri and said "enough of that young man" and slapped a 1:15 base on the distance intervals and 1:20 on the 100s and told me to get to work. I made it.

After swimming the group had breakfast and headed (in a car) across town to Udall Park to get ready for a ride up Mt Lemmon. We all rolled out together and had a mandatory regroup at the Mile 0 Marker of Mt Lemmon Hwy. Everyone proceeded to get their mojo together and then attacked the 21 mile climb summiting at 8000 feet. All the campers summited with style and returned down to Udall park for a quick transition run (in this case, quick also means "fast" as some folks were definitely getting after it). After regrouping we headed back to the mainland of Tucson for another stellar dinner at the ECHQ.

Day three served as a regroup day for some; a shorter day for others. The crew headed to the pool for another early swim and then it was back to the hotel for a 9:00 a.m. rollout. About half the folks headed out on a 40 mile route which included several handicapped 'races' along the way. Our group took a mellow venture up and over Gates Pass, returning via Ajo and Mission road. The afternoon was a bit of a lounge fest at the ECHQ, but everyone still got out for a pre-dinner run.

Today we are headed to Oro Valley for a BIG swim (the 'biggest' in the case of some). It looks like its going to be another stellar day here with plenty of sunshine for everybody (KP would approve).

Until then,

JD

Playtri Race Report

Friends,

Many of you have not heard from me in quite some time as I have been off the racing radar for over five months. My offseason passed nicely and I have been building into the season ever since the new year in January. This past weekend provided my first opportunity to get a glimpse of my race form. Ahmed Zaher and his crew at Playtri (www.playtri.com) put together a great Half Ironman last year so I felt it would be a good choice again for an early season marker.

The race takes place in Irving, Texas on an urban circuit very closely situated to the Golf Course used in the Byron Nelson PGA event. Race morning was clear and cool, but the wind was already starting to pick up. Last year's event was no stranger to wind and I expected little else this year. It is simply too hard to avoid on the Northern Plains of Texas.

The swim start was too quick for me to latch on to any feet and I ended up cruising along solo for the most part. I definitely lacked the 'hurry up' for the swim start and found myself FIVE minutes down on Brandon Marsh and James Cotter who exited in just over 22 minutes. I knew Marsh was a great swimmer, but thatwas a bit ridiculous of me to give up time like that.

Nevertheless, I thought I could work to chip away at their lead and after that you never know what could happen. The course suited me well with more technical turns and lots of wind so I did my best to take as much time out of the leaders as I possibly could. Around mile 40 I got a split of just over two minutes and so I kept things rolling.

I managed to come off the bike around 2:30 down on Marsh and Cotter, but considering their run skills I was not holding my breath on a comeback. I settled into my own tempo and made sure I was running quickly enough to hold off a fast-paced Brent Poulsen. I held my position running a 1:21:31 and finished up in4:07:xx.

I was satisfied with my day and my effort. I am glad I had the chance to go up against some quicker guys as it gives me a better understanding of where I stand at this point in the season.

Until next time,

JD

Racin'

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I'm pretty sure I picked one of the better weekends to leave Boulder.

I'm headed down to Texas this evening to race the Playtri Half Ironman on Sunday in Irving. I'll be speaking at the expo around 3:00 on Saturday if you happen to be around. It should be a fairly informal session so if you want to come by and chat please do so.

Off to the races,

JD

Still snowing

My folks came from Crested Butte to visit me this past weekend and they told me that Crested Butte had received 399 inches of snow as of last Friday. I just checked the onthesnow.com report and CB received 8 inches yesterday; bumping them over the 400 mark.

Apparently even the hardcore of the hardcore are priming for summer and have had enough of this winter.

Its amazing how there can be such discrepancies from season to season. Last year the resort barely had enough coverage to make to closing ski weekend and this year they could keep it rolling to Memorial Day from the looks of things.

Its snowing in Boulder today as well. That is somehwhat annoying, but fortunately I will be racing in Texas this weekend (www.playtri.com) so my training will be on the lighter side. I'm looking to get a good snapshot of my fitness this weekend so I'll be incorporating plenty of rest and recovery all week long. I am probably going to need it after my three day crash course in (hard) training over the weekend. Sometimes I need a strong push to get my body and mind ready for the demands of racing again. I've been on the sidelines for almost six months so my race readiness might not be in line with my actual fitness. I guess we'll see.

More in a couple days,

JD

Tucson Camp and April

I apologize for a lack of correspondence via blogging for the second half of the Endurance Corner Tucson Camp. I was busy making sure everyone was logging 30+ hour weeks and recovering well. I am confident that everyone got a nice overload from the training camp and can go back to their respective areas of the country with a slighlty higher level of fitness and a recharged passion for training and racing. It cannot be easy for some to go from sunny Arizona back to winter (I drove through snow coming into Boulder yesterday afternoon), but maybe spring will be just around the corner and the training can step up a notch.

Now that the first (of two) camp has passed I have had a little bit of time to reflect upon the athletes, the camp, AZ, etc.

I think the athletes that attended the camp probably do not give themselves nearly enough credit. The speed of the athletes encompassed a rather wide range, but the fitness to maintain their speed was a constant among them all. As Mat and I sagged the final ride (100+ mile Kitt Peak ride; including the summit) we mentioned that everyone finished, not only the day's workout, but the entire week, strong. It can be a dauntly task to ask an athlete who is accustomed to low double digit weekly volume to knock out 30-40 hours of training, but they all rose to the occassion.

One of the catalysts behind the execution of said volume was the cooking support that we had. More than half the campers mentioned to Brooke and Russ that they had "never eaten so healthy before." Its amazing what you can do with your body when it is properly nourished and its unfortunate that so many of us can overlook this. I think many folks see food and exercise as cancelling one another out ("exercise to eat"), but as athletes we need to keep a better perspective. Quality nutrition nourishes and fuels us for the demands we repeatedly place upon ourselves. Investing in better food choices in an investment in yourself (in life and athletics).

Additionally, it shouldn't be assumed that healthy food cannot be tasty as well. B+R assured us all of that!

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April is finally here and hopefully so is the wamer weather. I'll be kicking off the season in less that two weeks at the Playtri Half Ironman in Irving, Texas (April 13). I raced this race last year and finished second to Todd Gerlach of Austin, Texas. I found it to be an exciting early season race so I'll be returning for another round. I hope to see some of you there.

All the best,

JD