Off-Road Triathlon Training Camp

For the last week I’ve been gearing up for my winter Off-Road Triathlon Training Camp held in Tucson, and I’m really getting excited. I’m partnering with XTERRA pro and coach Trevor Glavin as the other coach, and bringing in XTERRA Regional Champion Brian Barrett, Ironman swim champion and Kona qualifier Bill Daniell, and NORBA pro Jill Grasky to lend a hand.

The camp is going to be a blast. While the rest of the country creates pools of sweat under their Computrainer, it’ll be 60-70 degrees in Tucson. We’ll be riding among towering saguaro cacti, dodging the occasional javalina or coyote, and running the canyons Tucson is famous for. We’ll have an outdoor pool for our swim sessions including video swim stroke analysis, and as much technical riding, climbing, and twisting on the courses as you can take. Put that with a great group of people, great coaching staff, and great food, and you have a time in Tucson you won’t forget. Oh, and the training and knowledge learned will set your season on the right track.

I don’t run my camps as purely training camps. We learn a lot—we talk about stretching, strength training, core training, aerobic training, season set-up, building power, racing, recovery, injury prevention and rehab and a slew of other topics as much as the attending athletes desire. I know I don’t have all the answers, so I bring in the other coaches and pros to help out. And we have fun. Work hard, play hard.

This year's camp is also held in conjuction with TRIFEST. Show up a day or two early and attend the best expo, trade show, conference around, including some of the industry's top people speaking on everything you can think of. TRIFEST is like Interbike for the normal person, only completely triathlon-related! Campers get a discount to the conference.

If you’re interested in checking out this camp or any other I put on, go here. I guarantee you will gain confidence and fitness, learn a ton, and have fun here. Everything (except travel to Tucson and a few dinners) is included in the price. We've got some great sponsors signed on as well, so athletes won't go home empty handed!

And you can’t beat Tucson’s Mexican food!

Committed

I'm not sure if this means I am committed because I signed up, or I should be committed for signing up. I'm entered in the 24Hrs of Old Pueblo in Feb 2009. This race starts noon on Saturday, 14 Feb and finishes at noon on Sunday, between which I'll ride my Cannondale Scalpel mountain bike on the 16 mile loop course as much and I can (or desire to). Jill and some friends will be my support crew, and other friends and sponsors will be out to help here and there. Wish me luck. I've never done this before but am looking forward to it. If you've never ridden at night, give it a try. There's nothing like it.

Free at Last!

For those who haven't been up on the situation, I broke, no, shattered my leg in May of 2007 in a mountain bike crash. I was racing in the NORBA National XC race in Fontana and took a spill on a corner and my foot got trapped in the pedal, resulting in my toes pointing north and my knee pointing south. Not good in my book--generally on the bad side of the "Good-Bad" scale. Through the process I found a great surgeon and physical therapist, who, along with all the kings horses and all the king's men put me back together: 5 surgeries, 23 pins and screws, 2 plates, 4 infections, a picc line, one subsequent fracture, 15 pounds, and a partridge in a pear tree later I'm in one piece and training again. Good stuff.

My surgeon took a look at the x-rays the other day and came back with good news. I'm all clear. There's some nerve damage that will most likely be permanent that will bring some pain and soreness, and the ankle is still tight, but no the pain brings no damage. No more visits to my favorite surgeon! It's a bit sad, really...going to the surgeon's office got to be somewhat like Cheers. Everyone knew me...I'm not sure that's good.

Anyway, I'm out training and will be racing full-up again in 2009. First step will be the 24hrs of Old Pueblo. See you out there!

Brian