Camp has been great so far.  Everyone has been a blast to hang out with ... (Kevin B, Danno <whose wheel I held for quite a while>, Gordo, Justin, Anthony,Alan,  Josh, Tim, Chuck and Michelle, Dave and Selina, KP, Richard, Flip and Laura, Scott and Dan of Wheels on Wheels. 

I slept hard last night and work up starving at 2AM.  I ate a cliff bar and then Kevin my roomie got up to make a trip to the vending machine since then back to bed for another 5AM rise. 

One thing I have learned at camp is to not go looking for work, just let the work come to you.   This really applies to climbing huge hills.   Plus, pacing yourself over the week to be able to hit all the sessions will pay off big versus hitting a select few workouts so hard you are torched for the rest of the week.   I was feeling torched this morning before the run.   Danno lead our group on the run for 90 min in the park.   We saw lots of cacti, dirt and views of the valley and mountains and a couple of park rangers.

I ate a ton of food after the run.  Three full plates at breakfast, two glasses of OJ, and a glass of water.  We are talking, eggs, pancakes, bacon, potatoes (multiple passes on the bacon and potatoes).

We headed off the the Oro Valley Pool again.  Beautiful outside pool with the mountain range in the background.    We all sat down in the snack room after the pool and ate and chatted.

Only one more day of camp.   A big ride up Kitt Peak a 12 mile climb at 8% with the final 2 miles greater than 8%.   Bring it on... after I get my recover on today.

Peace out.

I'm feeling tired.  We did a 50min run in the a local park on a trail in the mountains.  Good stuff.  Lot's of rocks on the trails and rocks are hard.  I fell and bruised and cut up my palms.   Nice!  Also a group of campers got a bit sick.  They did oo much work or too hard of efforts.  They are torched for now.  All the Dallasites besides Chuck (former LaSport) are down for the count.  Shreveport rocked Dallas! 

That sucks for them.   It has got to be tough.   Chuck and Michelle have been great to ride with as well as Selina who beat me up Mt Lemmon by 30sec.  Selina mentioned she might Race Rocky Mount.  Game on LaSport.

We swam at Oro Valley Pool, and outdoor pool 25yds by 50 meters.   Lot's of lanes today.  Here is the swim workout.

5x500,4x400,3x300,2x200,100 IM -Total Set was 5500yds. Gordo's big set.

After this major swim, we had lunch under a shade tree put on our cycling gear and rode off.  We road down into the valley and back over Gates Pass.   It was an all out effort for 3 minutes for me.  A lot of huffing and puffing.  It's pretty steep and after a 5500yds swim....  Nough' said.  I'm getting tired of climbing hills at 7mph at this point.

We have a suite upstairs open nearly 24hrs stocked with food.  Lots of support on the road while biking from Wheels On Wheels.  You get a flat and they'll change it for you.  Justin and Gordo have made this camp awesome.  Thanks guys and to everyone who is helping.

I am feeling the effects of the training now.   Tomorrow is a day off the bike.  Just a long run and a swim for me and a huge ride on Sat.

Peace Out!  And I'm bringing it on Sat!

Craig Nicholson

We were up at 5AM and I was not too thrilled.  In Tucson all the local state pools open on April the first.   We got up early to take over the local pool.   I knocked out 2500yds in the pool and started feeling much better.  My mojo was coming back and I felt like I was in a good position this week.  

After the swim we went back to the hotel for breakfast and to grab or gear for the bike today.  Today is a recovery day....but the two rides we had to choose from were a 40K and 40 miler.   Gordo said I should do the 40 miler.  And so it was done.  :(

There were lots of fast folks in the 40 miler group which has been named the "peppy" group.   My tactic was to sit on the back and draft as much as possible.   Well, as soon as we hit the hills up over the gates pass a group of three of us came off the back.   We regrouped at a stop sign after flying down the hills moving around 30mph.  At the stop sign we split into two groups and the first group (my group) took off with a 45 sec lead, and the second group was going to chase us down.  This is not what I call recovery.  We headed out pulling hard and running the pace line and never got caught riding around 28-29mph (tail wind?).  We held off the fast boys.  Oh, you could not drop any riders to win the so the entire group had to be there.

The pace was much friendlier on the way back.   I dropped off the back with Dan P. for the last 4-5 miles to recovery from all the hard efforts during the 40 mile recovery ride today.

After the ride we headed up to the snack room and filled up on chips, salsa, fruit, turkey, and.... all that good stuff.

I’m thinking about running in a few hours.  We'll see.

Craig Nicholson

We rolled out around 7:30AM, and got to the base of the climb around 8:30PM.   After a quick group check we headed up the mountain everyone finding their own pace.  I started riding with Jeff again today, and he gave me a plan of attack.  "Do the first 30min at a heart rate of X (some comfortable value) and try and raise the HR 5 beats every 30mins.   At this point I backed off and tried to keep the HR as low as possible. 

The first 10 miles was spectacular with cacti and rocks, and views of Tucson.  The first 10 miles was also tough.  At 10 miles I was ready to quite.   But there was the sag vehicle and I got a power bar, and was told a few people were just up the road.  We all love a challenge to chase someone down.

The percent grade eased up a bit after mile 10 with more switch backs and I kept pushing forward.  It was around mile 11 or 12 where I finally went into my last gear (39/26).  I do not recommend this climb on a tri bike.   I finally had to put my head down and keep pushing.  I think I quite mentally at mile 10 and mile 15, and at mile 18 the roads got steeper and I just sprinted up one hill.  Bad mistake!   I recovered and kept counting down the mile markers.  Finally I hit mile marker 20 and just kept pushing and made it to the top with a big green elevation sign letting me know I was at 8000 Ft.

The one thing I learned today was let the mountain come to you.  The percent grade will dictate the workload.

After the ride back into town, by myself, I found the park dropped of my bike and me and Jeff S. ran 5K in the park.   I was pretty much shot after this ride and run.  Not enough food.  It's tough to eat trying to ride up a mountain and coming back to town I only had water.   Next time I'll take two bottles with some calories vs. only having one bottle.
I ate a PBJ, drank a sprite and a can of V8 and still felt shelled.

We packed our gear and drove to a pool where I swam for about 30-45 minutes.   I have no idea of the yards.   This was a very tough day for me.   I’m lovin’ it!

Peace out  :0

Craig Nicholson

Well, I was feeling pretty good and fit then I got the camp schedule and now I have a bit of the nerves.  LOL.  I'll probably need eat an entire batch of cookies when I get back.

Monday: Madera Canyon ride. 150K route Southeast of Tucson. The first (and last) 60K is generally flat before a gradual climb of 8 miles followed by 3 miles of a steeper grade (return is a descent; route is an out-and-back). Quicker riders will be swimming before the ride and rolling out at 9:00. Base riders will roll out at 8:00 with a loosen swim to follow in the afternoon.

Tuesday: Mt Lemmon Day (On your left). Be ready with your cycling, running, and swimming gear to depart Hotel Arizona at 7:15 a.m. for Udall Park. We will roll out as a group from Udall Park at 8:00 am. We will regroup at the base of the climb (approximately 30-45 minutes into the ride) and everyone can ascend at their own pace. The climb is 21 miles long with over 6000 feet of vertical gain. The turnaround will be just past the village of Palisade. After reaching Palisade you will descend for one kilometer where you will see the sag vehicle on your left just shy of the 8000 ft elevation sign. After descending, athletes will have the option of running off the bike in Udall Park.

We will provide lunch in Udall Park following your transition run. After lunch, we will travel to the pool for a loosening and/or base swim workout.

Wednesday: The 40 mile or 40K day. Today will kick off with a swim at Archer Pool (depart hotel at 5:45 a.m.; seriously :). Following the swim we will have breakfast at the hotel. There will be two group rides today with a 40 mile or 40K option. The primary focus of today is to allow a bit recovery after two challenging days. Run options will be ad hoc. Afternoon is off with massages occurring from 2-6 p.m. Laundry Day!

Thursday: Oro Valley Day (Big Swim Day). Today we will cross town to the beautiful Oro Valley Pool of the North side of Tucson. The day will begin with group runs in the a.m. prior to swimming (determined the night before). Following breakfast; at 8:45 a.m. have all your cycling and swim gear ready for a 9:00 a.m. departure (by Van) to the Oro Valley Pool. After swimming (and lunch in Oro valley) we will ride 90K back to the hotel via Sandoria Road and Gates Pass.

Friday: Long run in Saguaro East Park. Athletes will depart from the hotel at 6:00 a.m. (or earlier TBD) for a long run in S. E. Park. All run routes will be done on an out-and-back course. Swim will follow at 11:30 a.m after your morning breakfast. Today will be a day off the bike with a free afternoon to lounge and recover. Massages from 2-6 p.m. today. Laundry Day!

Saturday: Kitt Peak (on the right). What we have all been waiting for!!! This is a 170K (106 miles) route that includes a summit of Kitt Peak (12 mile climb to 6000+ feet in elevation). The first and last 40 miles are generally flat and can prove to be challenging (or really fast!) if the wind kicks up. The middle section of the ride is a 12 mile climb with a consistent grade (8%) that kicks up slightly in the final 2 miles. It is best to save something for the final 40 miles in case the wind is not in a favorable direction. An optional swim will be available to athletes at 2:30 p.m. 

Fly home on Sunday with my legs in the suitcase! 

Craig Nicholson

I was out riding late October and snapped this photo while on Robinson Rd, adding in a last few intervals before Ironman Florida.  The sun went down a bit quicker than I thought it would and I stopped to take this quick pic, which turned out good.  I would recommend not putting the digital camera in the bento box on the front of the bike, my camera seems to have rewired itself with the help of my perspiration.  

This year I have put a lot of miles on the bike at Rocky Mount and ERBC to Mansfield.  We even got to see a cougar on the side of the road one weekend out on HWY 1 between Ellerbe and the General Store about five miles out.   The cougar was not alive, ...I don't know if a car hit the cougar or it was killed and placed there.   Jeff and Seth also spotted the cougar but none of us stopped to whip out the phone and take a pic.  Next time the workout will have to stop for a moment to capture the event.  The cougar was gone the next day.

I'm feeling pretty good about IMFL.  The training has been great, and I'm as fit as I have ever been.  I'm ready.  Bring it on.

cn

There is no doubt in my mind nutrition and pace control is a HUGE part of Ironman racing.   During the past seven months I've been training on the bike in a steady zone, slightly faster than an easy pace, building the endurance I'll need to ride 112 miles comfortably and build enough fitness on the bike where I can run great off the bike, and not have a sufferfest on the run.  The heart rate bpm I have been using for my zone was collected from data over several rides and races.   So, I had a question... "Did I correctly identify the zones?"

What I need is validation, before my race, I am training in the right zone for an Ironman distance race.  Jason Hamm had mentioned Source Endurance offers testing, and bike fits, and gave them a good recommendation.   I like Austin, and have clients in Austin, so why not take a trip down there.  How fun would that be?  An added benefit is the guys and gals at Source Endurance come to town and complete in our local events (Brandon Marsh, 2008 Red River Tri and 2008 RCT Overall Winner).

As you can see from the pic above,  I made it to Austin and had the tests completed.  The lactate test is fairly easy'ish to complete.  I'm not getting into the specifics here, but we did the test and got some solid numbers.  The VO2 Max ... is where you have to go all out.  Give everything you have and then push harder when you think you can not push anymore.  The test lasted 7min for me.  When I got to 6min into the test and the resistance increased I had to come out of the saddle and push, grunt, yell...  Brandon, Derick and Kelly were there cheering me on.  And this definitely helped.  At 6min my quads where on fire, and my mind was telling me to stop.  I just pushed those thoughts out, and kept the hammer down.

After a 10min cool down, and a quick change of clothes I started my bike fit.  Source Endurance uses Retul to do the bike fitting. David and Brandon both worked the bike, me and me shoes for the bike fit.  The biggest point I took away is my right leg is 1cm shorter than my left.  We stuffed an extra sole from another biking shoe to make up the difference, dropped the bars a bit more, dialed in the pedals and we were done with the bike fit.

I’m blown away, and really impressed with everyone at Source Endurance.  They helped to unload my bike, had top quality lab equipment, and everyone is super knowledgeable.  They even have coaching services so you can get the most out of your training as possible.  And I think this is very important.  Time management can be a hassle, when family life, work, and training.  If you can train less, more efficiently, in the correct way, and make huge improvements, then this is the way to go.

Right before I left for a meeting in Austin with a client, Derick went over the test results with me and gave me some excellent tips about improving my fitness (getting faster).   Derick knows his stuff.  He was spot on about me being a tad bit lazy with trainer workouts, not pushing up the power when I should have been.  Kinda like touring on the bike instead of training.

I wish I could have stayed a bit longer and discussed my test results more in depth with Derick, but I had to make a meeting.  Thanks to everyone at Source Endurance for providing top quality service and location.  I'll definitely be back.

Peace Out!

Craig