Goodbye, Tucson!

Since my last training update, my stomach has recovered. Thanks to everyone for the great ideas. I'm not sure what did the trick in the end, but I got on the probiotics, upped the electrolytes and tried to cut back on the sugary energy products. 

The 3-week camp has come to an end. I am sad to say goodbye to the warmth, the sun, and the simplicity of a camp environment, but I am looking forward to settling into routine in Vic and moving in to our new apartment. Actually, I don't know how much I will have to actually move because Wendy went above and beyond today: furniture, unpacking, cleaning, groceries, even fresh-cut flowers! The running joke is that I am NEVER around to help with a move (and we move a lot). It is always Wendy, Randy, Adam, and/or my parents who do the dirty work. This time though, I thought I would get the chance to make-up for my absence and excuses over the years (i.e. broken elbow, can't lift boxes :), but by the sounds of it, Wendy did the ENTIRE move today. Wow. Thank you SO much!!

We've had a great last few days of the camp, but, I cannot lie, I am very much looking forward to a few days of recovery. Here's a quick recap of last half of the week:

Thursday: 1 hour run along the river wash. I felt surprisingly good today which is always a pleasant feeling for a base run. 5km endurance swim in the afternoon (with some "steady" bits and pieces)

Friday: 5km hard swim in the morning. Main set was 6 x 200 (150 hard, 50 fast) and 4 x 300 (200 hard, 100 fast). In the afternoon we headed out for a 2.5 hour base ride. This was another WINDY day. Our 2.5 hour loop turned in to almost 3 hours of base (++) riding. I was pooped by the time dinner rolled around that night!

Saturday: We started our ride from Udall Pool. Warmed-up to the base of Mt. Lemmon, then continued up to mile 5. We started our workout here: 3 x 3', 3 x 2', 3 x 1'. Sounds short and easy, right? Oh my gosh, hands down, this was the toughest bike session I've done this year. The wind was GUSTING (for a change....). I'd go around a switchback on the recovery and the wind would hit me like a wall....and then it was time to hit-it again. We re-grouped after the intervals, around mile 14, and finished the ride to the top (26 miles, ~8000ft). It was cold up there and we were all pretty smashed at this point. This was my first time at the summit and couldn't believe the options for tasty treats; there was the pie shop, the fudge shack, and the cookie cabin. We all headed to the Cabin, each devouring a plate-sized cookie of sweet deliciousness. We finished the day with an hour run along the river wash. 

Sunday: Track workout this morning: 4 x 1600m, 4 x 200. We all hit our paces but the fatigue was definitely there. We finished the camp with a 4km easy swim mid-day and then spent the afternoon packing-up and getting massages. 

Our flight leaves at 6:40am tomorrow so I am off to bed!

Some photos from Lemmon:

Clearly before the intervals (still smiling...)

The Saguaro Cactus

This is completely non-triathlon related, but interesting....to me, anyway, and probably other nature-lovers :)

I have been in awe with the size of cacti in this area. I had pictured the desert landscape to be rather barren, but for the most part, Tucson's desert lands are covered in "forests" of Saguaro cacti (pronounced "sah-wah-roo"). 

I decided to do a little research on these massive plants and am amazed with what I have learned.

These forests are actually old-growth, with the largest cacti being up to 200 years old. They grow incredibly slowly, about one inch every year, but up to great heights of 20 to 40 feet. They grow side "arms" to increase the plants' reproductive capacity, but again, this is a slow process (75 years per arm!). The rate at which they grow is dependent on the precipitation, which is why they are so large and abundant in Tucson (apparently they get double the rain here than western Arizona, but I have yet to see even a drop!).

The saguaro flowers are the state flowers of Arizona and they are "night-bloomers," opening in the wee hours from May to July. Their aroma is incredibly pungent, similar to an overripe melon. Here is a disturbing fact: they are pollinated by BATS, hence the blooming during the nighttime (I classify bats in the same category as snakes. In other words, NOT my favourite creatures). So, as much as I love fragrant and beautiful flowers, I am thankful they are not in bloom right now for this very reason. I do not need another animal to be fearful of in the desert. 

EEEEK!!!!!

These cacti tend to be rather resilient to frost, but in severe temperature drops, the "arms" can be damaged, causing them to droop. I've seen a few of these sagging arms while out on the bike, and it can make the cactus look quite pitiful. Occasionally, the arms come back to life and begin to grow upright again. 

Not surprisingly, water comprises most of the weight of these giants. A fully hydrated large stem is more than 90% water and weighs 80 pounds per foot!

Saguaros can provide homes to some desert animals (thankfully not snakes). I often see them with numerous holes, similar to that of a birdhouse, and inside live woodpeckers, pigmy owls, and even lizards. 
If saguaros don't live to their ripe old age, the most common causes of death are lightening, severe frost, windfall, or humans (e.g. target practice!). When the cacti decompose, the woody ribs that store the water are visible.

That's enough of a horticultural lesson for now! 

Tummy Troubles

I have never been one to have a "stomach of steel" (and I am not referring to my abdominal muscles... ). Spicy food is out. Greasy-goodness is usually out. Garlic is out. Bananas are out. Most dairy is out. I'm pretty particular with what I eat, especially during heavy training blocks when I feel my body is more worn down than normal, but, every once and awhile, something sneaks its way in and wreaks havoc on my system.

 

The latest tummy stuff started on Saturday afternoon. I will spare you the details.... But, it still seems to be lingering and I am getting impatient with simply "waiting it out." Anyone have any suggestions for an "upset" digestive system? My appetite is still good and training is going well, so I am hopeful this thing will eventually work it's way out.... 

We've had a couple BIG days this week. The highlight of yesterday was the Kitt Peak climb. The workout was 2 x 20' hard up the 12 mile climb, finishing at 7,000 ft. My SRM has been on the fritz lately so Phil unplugged it and had me ride based on effort. To my surprise, once those (incorrect) numbers were out of my face, I put the focus on pushing myself and had a great ride. 

Today we were back out on the bikes for 1 hour 45 "easy" with a run session off the ride. Well, the winds were STRONG today and I think my training partners were equally STRONG so it made for a tough ride. As much as I tried to find the "sweet spot" in the draft, it simply did not exist today. Just hanging on to the guys was a challenge so when we got to the run, I felt a little more than an easy spin in the legs! We jogged over to a park for 3 x 10' mins, building effort. I love this type of session, building from strong to fast. Basically when you finish, it feels pretty darn close to the feeling after a race. My stomach really wasn't right at this point so cool-down consisted of doubling with Phil on his road bike back to the van. We were so shaky and unsteady that I was certain we were going to crash at any moment, but, I guess Phil felt in control because he casually chatted about the session as he pedaled along.

Only 4 more days in the desert before we're back to Vic!

A few pics from the ride yesterday:

Update to Come

Lazy Sunday night, so just posting a pic from today's track session.

An Unexpected Break

Yesterday I had "one of those days." It was one of those days that I was especially thankful I had a coach because I don't think I would have been able to "pull the plug" myself.

It started like any other day. I was a little sleepy when I woke up, but nothing unusual. We headed off to the pool and hopped in for warm-up. I was feeling a little sluggish but no alarm bells. We got started on the main set and oh my gosh, the wheels did not just fall off, they exploded...immediately! Ok, I am being slightly dramatic, but it wasn't pretty. I came in after the first interval (getting slightly less rest than I had hoped...) and regrouped for the next one. Sometimes I warm-up and can get it going as the workout progresses. Somehow it got worse and what I felt was more than simple day-to-day fatigue. I was thankful coach Phil was on hand to intervene. We had a short but reassuring discussion about taking a little "rest." A clear sign that I need rest is when I don't argue and accept the fact that I need to take it easy. I actually felt a slight twinge of relief when I heard those words yesterday... I guess it was necessary. This camp started incredibly well for me. I had some really solid rides and runs last week and some consistent, strong swims. It was nice to see these numbers (watts, splits and paces) for reassurance that I am in fact rolling along well (sometimes fatigue can play with the mind). Anyway, by the weekend I started to struggle with recovery and never seemed to bounce back. I think Phil observed me a for few days before he decided it was time to make a small change to my program.

I finished the swim yesterday, but on my own pace. The rest of the day was cruisey, with a couple hour ride and 30 minute run.
We decided to take a two-day rest so today was lower intensity again with a 90 minute hilly run and a 5km strength swim. My energy levels were back up this morning but that didn't mean I was good to push it again. I try my best to take care of the details and get the most out of my training, so I figured if I am going to rest, then I need to do that right too and stick to the plan.

Here's a pic from our run this morning on Cactus Forest Trail, at Saguaro National Park. As for wildlife sightings, things were slow, with only one rabbit (but it did have the biggest ears I had ever seen!). Honestly, this creature was straight out of Alice and Wonderland. I saw it run across the road in front of Kyle and I was certain that was the end of him. 

I also discovered a slightly disturbing fact: rattlesnake season starts April 1. I don't know if this means they will be celebratory and out in full-force that day, ready with fully-stocked venom to attack me, but regardless, I am definitely not looking forward to this particular "season." I realize this could also be an April Fool's Joke to see how many people run in long pants that day, with anti-venom-filled gel flasks. Oh wow, the fact that I even thought of that is crazy...

Living the simple life

This is just a quick post because it's Sunday night and I'm feeling a little pooped. 

Great training this past week and I look forward to the next two. We're all feeing adapted to the hot and dry conditions (no more "cactus" mouth while running!) and as long as we don't forget sunscreen and hydrate all hours of the day, we'll continue to roll along. 

 

I think what I love most about training camps is how simple our lives are. Train, sleep, eat, recover, train, etc... repeat. Coach Philippe is doing an incredible job at taking care of the details, whether it's scheduling us bi-weekly massages at the condos or following us on every ride in the van (and keeping the van stocked with extra water, cokes, snacks and spare wheels.) Sometimes I feel as though all we have to do is show up and train hard. Yes, life is good!!

Simon asked me the other day to make a list of the top-1o things I'd like to do that afternoon. I am a little embarrassed how basic and boring this list is, but I think it gives a snippit of my life at training camp:

1: Eat a few more Newman's cookies 

2: Use "norma" (the compression machine)

3: Use Game Ready (the icing machine)

4: talk to Adam

5: read my book

6: fix the TV remote (anyone know any LG remote codes?)

7: watch TV if I can fix this remote

8:.... 

I think my list ended there! LAME, I know! 

Below are a few pics from the last few days.

Back to the icing now!

Kathy and I on the track this morning for a set of 400's.

Gate's Pass intervals.

I'm glad this picture shows it being somewhat of a hill because I remember it being STEEP at this point.

Creatures of the night

My thoughts at 2:10am:

Why did I just wake up? Man, I'm hungry. What should I go eat? Some cereal sounds good, or maybe a piece of raisin toast. Why is the kitchen so far away?! What is that noise? Is it raining? No, of course not, we're in the desert. Maybe the sprinklers? Maybe it's Simon. Yes, it is probably him but what in the world is he doing? He must be in the kitchen getting some snacks. 

2:20am

Is he still in the kitchen? It sure sounds like he's eating potato chips. That's an odd midnight snack. Wait a second, that noise is coming from outside. Let's have a look. What is that out there? Am I dreaming or is there a field of massive pigs snorting and fighting below my window? This is crazy. I need a closer look. 

I took my cereal out to the balcony to watch these intriguing creatures graze, snort, randomly sprint and sniff each other. What a bizarre experience!

I now realize these wild boars, or "Javalina" are as common in Tucson as squirrels are back home. Thankfully they only feast on small animals, grass and grains so if I come across a pack of them on the trail, I should be safe....

The piggies returned this afternoon, in broad daylight and I was able to snap a couple pics to prove to the others that they DO exist and were not pigs "with wings" in my dreams!