Grasky Endurance Coaching

Winter Training

2011-12-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

Brrr… It’s coldoutside. You don’t want to get up beforework and train outside. The trainer isonly so appealing, even with the $400 in DVDs and toys you have lying around. Hit snooze and go back to bed?

NO! You can’t. Your competition is training, and sleeping ina few times can become a habit and get you out of your fitness routine. Here are some tips to get out the door andtrain when it’s cold, wet, or freezing.

Do Something

If you’re on a training plan, you’ve got yourinstruction. If you’re not, I suggestgetting one. A coach can help here, oryou can write one on your own. Thebenefit of someone else writing it is that you are accountable to thatperson. It’s the next best thing tohaving a training partner knocking on your door. That voice in the back of your head saying “ifyou don’t get out of bed and train I will know it” is a powerful voice and canbring good results.

Make it Count

You don’t have to go for a 3-hour session to make it count,and many times shorter is better. Ashort duration, high intensity trainer or treadmill session can go a long waytoward fitness and can give you a great workout in 40 minutes. Or a short run in the morning and a short runat lunch can give the benefit of a single longer run.

Be Consistent

Do something every day. It can be stretching, yoga, or a great 3-sport brick, but set asidetime, leave all else behind for a short period of time, and do something foryour fitness goals. Consistency is thekey to endurance training—gains are made over time, not a single day at once,but each single day adds up to produce results.

Make it Fun

We’re in this sport because it’s fun, right? Don’t lose sight of that. You getto train, not have to train. As a good friend of mine says, “train withjoy or not at all.”

Join a Group

Group indoor sessions are great for all of the above. It’s scheduled, so you are encouraged to getout of bed and get there. They aretypically intense and may have the bonus of being just what your fitness needsat this time in the season. Weekly ordaily classes bring the athlete consistency. And the group setting, especially early in the morning when all of youwant to sleep in, can be a fun, energetic start to your day. At the Tucson Endurance Performance Center,we build the cycling sessions to be appropriate for the typical racing season,intense and challenging, and fun. Youcan’t go wrong there.

Now get out and train!

Veterans Day

2011-11-11T15:41:00.001-07:00

Veterans Day 2011.

My Dad joined the Army out of college in the time of VietNam. He didn't have to go, he chose to because it was the right thing to do. He served well. Because it's the right thing to do. Infantry, then Airborne, then Ranger, then Special Forces (Green Beret). He served in Central America in the Panama Canal, swimming with SCUBA gear under the ships as they sunk in and out of the mud, looking for explosives.

I wasn't yet around when Dad was in the Army. But it was and is apparent in how he does things. He does what is right, even when it's not the 'cool' thing to do.

He taught me that things worth doing are worth doing well. He taught me to do the right thing. He taught me that a strong back and a strong mind are equally important. And he taught me that life keeps score--success and failure are up to you and when life seems stacked against you, you just push harder. Whether you think you can or think you cannot, you're right.

It was also fun to play with his Army toys.

This Veterans Day, thank you to all veterans.

Eating my words on -some- MTB 29ers, and my Litespeed Cohutta review

2011-10-04T21:57:00.002-07:00

I’ve been a mountain bike cross country racer for more years than I want to admit. When I started, we were all on rigid forks and steel frames. It was big news when the Scott suspension fork came out. But the fact it was basically a spring left a bit to be desired in the realm of front squishy. Then I got a lugged aluminum/steel bike with a Marzocchi fork. And then RockShox hit the scene and my world changed.

The reason I bring this up is that I grew up learning how to handle a bike—toss it around, lift it over obstacles and avoid the rough stuff. Really man-handle it...with finesse, of course. Now with full boing, tubelss wheels, and long travel you can get away with more mistakes and with a lot less finesse and skill, and the bike can take it without knocking you back or losing your energy too much.
But you still lose energy when you ride through and over obstacles rather than handle the bike around of over them. And this is the mindset with which I write this.

I’ve been a fan of 26” wheeled mountain bikes for a long time. I raced as a pro and elite amateur cross country and XTERRA racer for years on 26” wheels and 4 inches of max-speed-rebound squishy. Yes, 29ers hit the market, and although their ability to roll over the bumpies was promising, the inherent physics of larger wheels, a longer wheelbase, a longer rear end, and a shallower head tube means the bikes are slower to handle. What I saw with very few exceptions were companies taking a 26” frame and making it bigger and slapping on 29” wheels. Fail. I want a bike I can toss around. One I can feel like I can manipulate. A Ferrari, not a Chevy truck. And not just a Ferrari, but a 599 GTB Sport. Ferrarri Red. Black leather. …But I digress.

When the 29er craze hit, I went in with an open mind, but admittedly with a little heartburn from the 650c wheel tri bike craze and a bit of apprehension in what I’d find. So I rode a bunch. A lot. Demos, friends’ bikes, Interbike Outdoor demo. They all felt like trucks. Yes, I could go over the little pebbles and baseballs a bit easier, but acceleration was slower, braking required more forethought, and maneuvering required more time and anticipation (read: truck). I’ll keep my 26”, thanks.

At Interbike Outdoor demo this year (Sept 2011) I again tried a few new 29er bikes. Five more brands. Bleh.

Then I went over to the fellas at Litespeed and checked out their Cohutta. I’d seen a photo but hadn’t seen one. I like Litespeed. I did my first three Ironman races on a Tachyon tri bike, had a Ghisallo, and now ride a C1R. I told them this, but followed it with “I’m going to tell you right now, I’m not a 29er fan but I want to give yours a try.” The rep started to say something, but stopped and told me to go ride and report back.

Result: Ferrari meets Star Wars Land Speeder.

Not only did this bike handle like a dream, but if I closed my eyes I thought I was on my 26. It cornered well. It descended great, and I had to hit the brakes at the top of the short steep climbs to keep from running into my friends. The 29 inch wheels indeed make you feel as if you're floating over the ground, not riding on it. I’m going to need more space in the bike room—and a marriage counselor—after riding the Cohutta.

I’ve always been a fan of Jim Felt, so I went over to ride the Felt Nine carbon hardtail. I was also impressed there. As with the Cohutta, it had a steep front end and a short chainstay and it handled equally well. It was lighter weight than the Cohutta. I did notice, however, the minor bumps and chatter from the fire roads and fast cruising quite a bit more.

I went back to the Cohutta again. This time I got a flat and was running late. I fixed it quick and hammered it home on the fire roads. That was when I decided the Cohutta was a better overall bike even with the weight penalty given the smooth titanium small-bump-eating frame.

Mine’s on order. Don’t tell my wife.

Vineman 70.3 Race Report by Elite Team racer Sylvain

2011-07-23T15:39:00.003-07:00

We arrived at the swim venue around 6am with my wave scheduled to leave at 8:30am, the one before last. Waves are arranged in such a fashion that the earlier your wave starts, the longer distance you will have to get through T1 and T2, which are located in 2 different places. The idea here being that earlier waves have the advantage of cooler temperature (a considerable advantage on the run!), therefore they get the disadvantage of longer transitions. Although this might seem unfair as early waves get to do their run under cooler temperature compared to later waves, every athlete within each age group gets to start at the same time and since transition is arranged by age group everyone within the same age group is treated equally.

Swim (1.2 mile):
After watching the pros finishing their swim and leaving T1 on their bike, I finished setting up my transition before heading for an easy 7-8min jog and with another 1-1.5hr to spare. With water temperature in the low 70s, I chose a sleeveless wetsuit, which was warm enough. I got in the water 8min before, warmed up and off we went. Swimming in the Russian River is as close as it gets as swimming in a pool! You can see the bottom most of the time and can stand up most of the time too; just no line and no flip turns! I was able to draft for the first half of the swim, mostly because I had swimmers all around me and was not able to pass. I think I started to annoy the swimmer in front of me after touching his feet repetitively as he finally kicked me in the face and knocked off my goggles. Good thing I was able to stand up, put my goggle back (I always wear my goggles underneath my swim cap so that I don’t loose them), and was back on track but this time keeping my distance. Half way through, my hands could touch the ground every time I pulled. Next to me a guy decided to stand up and run in the water and I must say he was going as fast if not faster than me; therefore, I also stood up and started to run but quickly realized it was a bad idea. I could feel I was using more energy this way than just swimming, so I dived back in the water and kept swimming. Also I didn’t want to take the chance to step onto a sharp stone or worse. Upon reaching the half way point, a lot of people stood up to run around the buoy. Swimming back downstream was a blast, it felt great. Coming out of the water, I removed my wetsuit in the carpeted area before entering the transition area as each alley of the transition was pretty narrow and covered with stones.

Bike (56 miles):
Vineman has a clean transition. You are required to pack all items in the provided swim bag before leaving transition. After stuffing my wetsuit, goggles and towel in my bag (which then volunteers collect to bring to the finish line), I grabbed my bike and ran to the mount line, which is located at the bottom of a short but steep enough hill. I had seen many people from early waves either running to the top of the hill before mounting their bike or mounting at the bottom. Some were able to gain enough momentum to climb it while others failed and crashed. I had decided to wait to see how crowded it would get by the time I get to the mount line. As I approached the mount line with only 3 or 4 other cyclists, I jumped on the bike, pushed on my left feet a couple of times enough to get me going. The first 5 miles were pretty smooth. The most technical part of the bike course came at 5.3mile with a sharp 90degree right turn followed right after by a very short and steep downhill. Later on that day, we had learned that someone had gone too fast in the turn, went over their handlebar and crashed face first on the pavement. Apparently, this turn takes down a few riders every year, this year was no exception. The following 35 miles was a mix of rollers, hills and turns through many of the Napa Valley vineyards. Starting in the last wave has the advantage that you are passing a lot of people on the bike, which is mentally very motivating! Chalk hill came at mile 43. This was the most challenging part of the ride. About a mile long, this hill is steep enough and long enough to challenge every rider. After that, it’s a nice ride to Windsor where T2 was set up. With a time of 2:27, I knew I was well on time to go sub-5 but was worried I had pushed too hard on the bike to have a good run.

Run (13.1 miles)
Coming on to T2, I quickly racked my bike, pulled out my shoes from a plastic bag I had prepared the day before (T2 was set the day before, meaning shoes are left outside overnight). I put on my shoes, grabbed my visor and electrolytes and started the run. The first hundred yards were a bit shaky as we exited the high school but quickly found my rhythm. I was feeling good, but with my pace 30s faster than what I had planed, I forced myself to slow down to a comfortable 7:15 pace (comfortable pace early on the run often translates to a near impossible pace later on the course!) trying to focus on form and cadence. The run had some nice and long rollers with a few challenging hills. By this time, the sun had come out and temperature was slowly rising, so I took a couple of Endurolyte pill. I alternated at every aid station (located every mile or so) between water and Gatorade, while pouring cold water on my head. The first 5 miles felt amazing. I passed a lot of people; spirit and confidence were pretty high! At mile 5, I started to experience stomach cramps…as usual! I slowed down and worked hard on my breathing for half a mile until it was under control. At mile 6, we entered one of the winery and did a couple of loop around the vineyard, the only time we ran on dirt road. I took a gel now that my stomach was feeling better. At the half way point, I got passed by a runner and decided to pick up the pace to try to stay close. A few minutes later, she was gone! I was now running 7:20, and this was no longer comfortable. Legs were starting to feel heavy. I still felt OK but I could see my pace slowly starting to drop. Around mile 7-8, I got passed by a runner in my age group. I was determined not to let him go and stayed right behind for a mile or so, but he stopped at the next aid station. I grabbed more water and kept going. On the downhill, I let my legs go with long strides, while going easy with short strides on the uphill. At mile 10, I could feel I was now running on a pretty much empty tank. I started to grab cola, Gatorade and had my last gel within the next 1.5 miles. I started to experience blurred vision but the realization that I could finish this thing sub 4:40 kept me going. At this point, I was unable to pay attention to what was going on around me, that’s how I missed the last turn! Finally a volunteer screamed at me and I turned around, wondering how I could have missed such an obvious turn. The last mile lasted forever it seemed. Approaching the finish line, I could hear the crowd welcoming finishers. Entering the high school, I was begging for the finish line to be around the next corner. As I finally saw it, I got passed by the same guy I had chased earlied. I couldn’t believe he waited for the last stretch to pass me, but I would have done the same, he did great. Upon crossing the finish line, I was welcomed by a wonderful 60-year old lady who offered to carry me to an aid station to get some water, that was really sweet. Overall, this was my best race and finished with a 4:39:35, a 24 min PR good enough for a 11th AG and 59th OA place.

Vineman puts on a great race in the beautiful Napa Valley, either you’re looking for your first ½ Ironman or your next challenge, this race will please everyone. Worth making it a vacation away from the Tucson heat! GEC and Tucson were well represented at the race, with Trisports being one of the sponsors. It’s always nice to travel so far away from home to find so many familiar faces! No need to say that the help and guidance from coach Brian Grasky was key to a successful race! Now time for a vacation…

You're an athlete

2011-07-22T08:12:00.003-07:00

You have more bike bottles than drinking glasses. You are never seen without one.

When you buy a car, it's ability to carry bikes is first on your requirements list.

You have trouble paying $30 for a nice shirt, but you'll drop $250 for a cycling kit in no time.

Your only pair of hand made Italian leather shoes has cycling cleats. And you have 2 pair.

Although saving the environment and gas money is nice, the real reason you commute to work on the bike is because it increases your weekly training volume.

You spend more on bike tires than car tires.

Your car looks and smells like a gym locker. Your bike is spotless.

You log it when you climb a set of stairs.

You have a pantry dedicated to endurance fuel. It's categorized by solid, semi-solid, powder, and drinks. By brand.

You have trouble staying awake past 9pm and your non-athlete friends are wondering if you're still alive. But you'll stay up til midnight to watch the Tour de France. For the 3rd time that day.

Your family does not know that vacations don't have to be planned around a race.

Your bike box is standard travel equipment.

Your coworkers are used to seeing the goggle marks on your eyes after lunch.

Your desk drawer at work is packed with recovery fuel.

And you're ok with it all. Press on.

Steelhead Race Report by Elite Team Member Caryn Nath

2011-07-12T13:35:00.004-07:00

Caryn
Steelhead Triathlon 7/9/11

Sometimes how we picture an outcome isn't how it really turns out. That is what happened to me this last weekend at the Steelhead Sprint Triathlon.

The morning of the race I wasn't exactly feeling on my game, as I had been sick the whole week leading up to the race. Despite this feeling, I continued with my usual pre-race rituals. 15 minutes before the start of the first swim wave, I got in the pool to warm up. Lucky me, I got to swim in the last lane, which had the pool slides hanging over one side of the pool. I found out that since I don't flip turn I pulled the lucky card to swim in this lane (Now I MUST learn to flip turn!). During the warm up, I was able to figure out how best to turn around on the side of the pool with the slides, which was good. The first wave started right at 6am, and I cranked out my usual 12 minute ish 800 yard swim.

T1 was pretty fast and I was excited that I saw a bunch of people from wave 1 still in transition. The bike part of this race is deceiving. There is an initial downhill, then some slight rollers, then a false flat for about 4 miles going out. I have done this course before so I knew what I needed to do. At the turnaround, I was paced exactly where I needed to be. Coming back I was flying until I hit the rollers the last couple of miles. At that point, things immediately starting going south. My stomach started to hurt and expand pretty rapidly. I tried to just crank out the last mile of the bike as quick as possible, so I could get on the run. As I got to transition and got off my bike, things worsened. I felt like I was going to be sick at any moment. In the 5 years I have been doing triathlon, I have never felt this bad.

T2 was slower than T1 as I tried to get my mind off my stomach problems. As I started to run, I knew this might be the first DNF for me, but I had to at least try to run before I called it quits. As I shuffled (literally) my way through 1.5 miles, things just kept getting worse and worse. A few feet after rounding the turnaround, I threw up. At first I thought...gross (the girly girl in me), then I thought well maybe I'll feel better now. Well, no. I literally shuffled my way back the final mile to the finish line, feeling horrible the whole way back and wanting to quit. Finally, I finished.

My overall time was one of the worst ever, but I did learn a few things....(1) every race can't be a great race, (2) sometimes our expectations of ourselves are unrealistic, and (3) I can finish a race even if I throw up. Good news is there are always other races, so I am looking forward and not back. :-)

Colorado musings

2011-06-14T19:01:00.002-07:00

I feel like I'm back home.

I'm in Colorado Springs attending an internship at the US Olympic Complex and USA Triathlon. The short stint is a fire hose from the country's top coaches, physiologists, psychologists, and biomechanists. I'm about 1/2 way through and am very impressed so far (and my brain is full).

So far I've gotten lots of hands-on run biomechanic and sports psychology instruction from Olympic coach Bobby McGee, swim coaching guidance from USAT Resident coach Mike Doane, nutrition and eating disorder info from USOC dieticians, and physiology by several of USOC's staff physiologists. To say this program is making me (and thus the entire GEC team) smarter is an understatement.

It's also cool to live on the USOC for the week. Oh, the food is great and the facilities are outstanding!

As for coming home, Jill and I met in this town on a bike ride. And where we went mountain biking together for our first date. I went to school here at the USAF Academy and rode all over these roads. This is where my triathlon and MTB racing careers stated. It's where I learned to fly. And it's where Jill and I were married. It'll always have a special place in my heart for those reasons.

Deuces Wild Race Report

2011-06-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

by GEC Elite Sylvain:

Located in the southern Navajo county at an elevation of nearly 6500 feet, Show Low is the perfect escape from Tucson in the summer with temperature in the 70s-80s. The race takes place at the fool hollow lake recreation area, which is one of the most beautiful race venues I’ve had the chance to compete in. TriSports puts on a great racing week end with an Olympic, half ironman and X-Terra race, not to mention an insane raffle. Clearly, if you live in Arizona, this one is a must-do. This course is perfect for supporters to cheer you on all along.

This was my third time racing Show Low at the Olympic distance. I’ve done my first Olympic tri in 2008 there and remembered how much the high elevation made this race extra challenging. Going too hard too soon on this course can quickly turn into a painful experience. Last year, due to the combination of heat and elevation, many people including myself suffered badly on the run. This year, my goal was to go under 2hr20min.

SWIM (1500m):
Swim was a 1 triangular loop. Water temperature is usually high 50s to low 60s, so wetsuits are encouraged! There are only 2 waves, men first then women 4 min later, so it makes for a rather crowded start. It took me 30-40s to break from the mass and find a “quiet” spot in the crowd. After that, I tried to swim conservatively for the first 2/3 of the swim. Once again, I had to rely on swimmers around me to navigate the course as I couldn’t see the buoys in the far distance. After the last turn, heading back towards the boat ramp, we had some waves making it harder to breathe in. Out of the water, I ran towards the “strippers”, lie down to let them do what they do best: 2 seconds later, I was free of my wetsuit and was running to get my bike.

BIKE (40K):
The bike leg is a one loop with the first half being mostly downhill. However, as soon as we turned onto Highway77, we had strong head winds with some long hills coming up. This is what most people complained about after the race: strong head winds on long hills! The pace quickly dropped to a mere 9-10mph. Once back in Show Low, the ride back to the lake and the transition area was easier.

RUN(10K):
The run is a 1 loop that takes you first on a trail, going around the lake, then through the campground. After that comes a long dirt road and finally back on the road for the last mile. As I was unable to keep up a fast pace last year, I decided to start easy this year with quick short strides. The critical part of the run comes half way when you are running uphill on that long dirt road, at the end of which the turn around point is. At this point, you get a clear idea where you are within the race: who’s in front and who’s behind. Feeling pretty good about my run, I started to pick up the pace. The last mile has a nice little hill that will make you want to slow down but the finish line being less than half a mile away, I tried my best to keep up the pace. I crossed the finish line in 2:19:40, 8th OA and 2nd in my age group. A tough but beautiful race, and having so many friends and people from Tucson doing that race makes it one of my favorite Olympic race.

Duathlon Nationals in Tucson

2011-05-06T17:53:00.002-07:00

by GEC athlete Sylvain...

Not only was the Duathlon National Championship held in Oro Valley, but the transition area was only 5 min walking distance from my house. It would have been a shame to miss such a convenient opportunity. Knowing every corner of a course is an advantage, not to mention that no swimming would be involved! So I signed up for my first duathlon.

I must say that it was awesome to see so many triathletes training on Rancho Vistoso loop the week leading to the race. You could see all kind of people with all kind of bikes, even brave athletes training with full disc wheels when we had strong wind gusts. The wind got so bad on Friday that the mandatory bike check-in had to be cancelled! Yep, Tucson in April can get pretty windy.

Race morning:
I woke up 2.5 hrs before race start. Usual race breakfast consists of a bagel with double Nutella layer (actually, this is my everyday breakfast!) and some juice, followed by a cereal bar 1.5-1h before the start. The 2 min ride to the transition area was a delight, and I must say it was nice not having to fight for the best transition spot as racks were numbered. After setting up transition and chatting with fellow athletes, I went for a ~10 min jog, throwing in a couple of 60s race pace intervals. With 25min to spare before the race started, I doubled check my transition, took a gel, went for another 3-4min jog and headed to the start line.

First run (5K):
Wow…was pretty much how I felt just 60s in the run! The front group took off leaving us in the dust despite what I thought was a reasonable 6:00 min/mile pace on the first portion of the run, which was slightly uphill. After the first U-turn, we headed down on Innovation Park Dr. which has a nice downhill for 1.5 mile. At this point, it became tempting to speed up a bit to lessen the gap with the front group but a look at my heart rate convinced me not to. Although my coach advised me to run in zone 4, I was already in zone 5 with yet the most challenging part of the run to come. So I maintained my pace, slowing down a bit on the climb to reach transition, finishing my first run with a 6:21 pace.

Bike(35K):
T1 was pretty smooth. As I was running out of the transition area with my bike, ready to mount it, I almost passed someone who yelled at me “don’t pass!”. I guess you are not supposed to pass fellow athletes while still in the transition area? I still need to double check that one. Once on the bike, we started with a nice warm up climb going up the first portion of Rancho Vistoso Bld. Following my coach advice, I pushed hard from the start, especially on the hill while using the first part of the downhill to recover. The course consisted of rolling hills, so you were either going uphill or downhill, not many flat sections. Going down fast enough on Bee Canyon allowed you to gain enough momentum to climb the upcoming hill. The U-turn was at the top of the hill on Moore Rd, which was great as you don’t have to brake like crazy to get into your U-turn. After the first loop, I was still feeling good and kept the same power to finish the two loops in about 52min. I had never rode that loop that fast, so although being pretty excited about my time, I was now worried about how this would impact my second run.

Second run (5K):
One of the advantages of a duathlon, I found, is that starting your second run you already got your first taste of the course, so you get a pretty good idea what sections are going to be the most demanding. The first part being slightly uphill but then followed by a 1.5 mile downhill, I decided to start hard on that first part and then using the downhill to “recover”. However, I got passed before the first U-turn. As one athlete passed me, I was struck by how heavy his breathing was and came to wonder if this guy was really faster than me and was he able to endure more pain than me and push himself harder? If that’s the case, I thought he might not be able to sustain that pace all the way through and so I tried to stay on his heels, but he and another guy took off on the downhill section. I guess I should learn how to run downhill?! As we approached the U-turn, I realized there was no way I was going to catch them and my focus then turned to a fast TriCats runner who was getting closer. With the final uphill climb approaching, I started to slowly slip in that infamous state of mind when your brain starts telling you “why are you doing this? Just walk it now, who cares?” At this point, it became all mental and “happy and positive thoughts” are what keep you running. Focusing on crossing the finish line usually works for me, no need to say I did not sprint those last 100 yards! I was done. My second run was 20s slower than my first run, which to me was a satisfying race strategy and result.

As you finish the race, you are welcomed with a wet towel to help you cool down, drinks and food then followed. One nice touch is the possibility to walk to the results booth as soon as you cross the finish line to get a printout of your time and rankings (overall and age group), I’d like to see that at every race! The pros started an hour after we did, so it was nice to be done and be able to watch them compete and finish. This was my first race running with the new GEC outfit and I loved it! It looked and felt great. Thanks GEC and all the sponsors to make this race a successful one. Overall, it was a great race with really good conditions and I will definitely do it again in 2012!

Scott Tri Carbon Cycling Shoes Review by GEC Elite Kim B

2011-04-18T06:45:00.001-07:00

My first thought is that these shoes feel like slippers. My foot seems to fit perfectly and there is no part of the shoe that is uncomfortable.

On further inspection, there are areas in the midsole of the shoe labeled adjustable volume arch and adjustable metatarsal button. I did not take the insoles out and see the underside of these areas until after several rides. They consist of plastic inserts on the underside of the insole which can be removed. The most comfortable set up for me is the default setup with the inserts included. I have flat feet and the raised arches provide good support for me. The adjustable options seem like a good idea to accommodate different feet.
Another feature I was first sceptical of is the small velcro strap at the front of the shoe. My previous triathlon shoe only had one large velcro strap across the middle of the shoe, so I was concerned that I would have to adjust the small strap each time I took off and put the shoe on especially in transitions during a race. However, the small strap is an asset as I can adjust the fit on the front of my shoe but I can take the shoes on and off without touching the small strap. Therefore the shoes are very fast in transition. The carbon fiber base of the shoe provides good transfer of power and the stiffness is not uncomfortable.
The shoe also breathes well and has a thinner mesh on the inside to prevent gravel or other particles from getting into the shoe. My only suggested improvement would be to offer the shoe in a color as the white gets dirty very easily and can make the shoe look older faster. Often when I am riding I forget that I am even riding a bike, which to me says that the bike and shoes fit perfectly.
This is a great pair of shoes that I think will hug my feet for many miles to come! Get yours at Trisports.com and use code GEC-S for 10% off.

Do Not Trust Your Mind by Caryn Nath

2011-04-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

Most of 2010, I was on the "injury reserve list " due to a hamstring injury. What I discovered during that time is that injuries are not that fun and they test your mental fortitude, just like training can. Starting this season, I decided to take things slower to build my fitness back up and do more mid-late season races. During my injury, the one sport I that didn't bother me was swimming. Go figure. As a result, I decided that perhaps this was the time to get some lessons and become as efficient as I could in the water.

In January 2011, I started my first swim lesson. To my surprise, I was not as bad as I thought I was. I was told that I would have to work on a few things, like kicking too much (unlike most triathletes, I love to kick and hate to use my arms) and letting my left arm be lazy, but there was hope. I will not lie, it is hard to correct bad habits. The first couple of months every time I did my swim workouts, I was mentally exhausted. I was focusing so hard on having correct form, I barely could complete the workouts.

When I discussed this with my swim coach, he told me I was analyzing my form too much. My response was, "I feel like I am crossing the center line, that I am not finishing my stroke, that I am not rotating enough, etc." He had me swim a couple of laps and imparted these words of wisdom, "you cannot trust your mind." My initial thought was, "WHAT???!!" Then, I thought about it, and he was right. Sometimes when I make something a focus, like learning to swim efficiently, I add pressure on myself to see results quickly instead of trusting in the process and letting things come together naturally.

Once I really accepted that what I think I am doing during my swim workouts may not be what I am actually doing, it took the pressure off. Today, I noticed that I am more efficient than when I started in January. So, maybe there are other areas of my training where I need to think about not trusting my mind.

Custom Training Camp

2011-04-04T10:57:00.004-07:00

One area GEC is getting into is setting up camps for athletes at whatever their level. I was approached by an athlete who was new to the sport and wanted a private camp for himself and his training partners.

Can do.

Tim, Tamara, and Kathi showed up on Weds night here in Tucson and between then and Sunday our goal was to team them all we know about getting into the sport of triathlon in a healthy, efficient, effective way.

We did a lot of training in the 4 days. We also sis a lot of talking about all aspects of swimming, cycling, running, transitions, nutrition, strength and core training, injury prevention, and about anything else we could think of. We fit them each on their bikes using the RETUL 3D system. We did blood lactate testing on each bike and run, and spend time each day swimming--including video analysis at the Trisports.com Endless Pool and open water training at Patagonia Lake.

Whew. I'm tired thinking about it and they went through it!

The feedback I received was that they learned a lot, got a lot out of the time with the GEC coaching staff, and will go home motivated and physically and mentally ready for a great season in 2011! And we had a great time getting to know 3 more triathletes and friends.

I've got a great job!

Brian G

2011 Litespeed C1R Review

2011-03-14T15:12:00.002-07:00

I received and built up my new C1R a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to rush and get it build before my camp the next week, so I stripped my previous Litespeed Ghisallo—I’m now building that for Jill as it’s a little small for me and a nice upgrade for her.

First impressions: WOW. Very sleek. The combination of sloping and aero tubes, flowing lines, natural black carbon, and bold white graphics is striking. It was light weight—not the lightest out there, but well below the weight of most aero bikes out there.

I built the C1R with SRAM RED, a Rotor 3D crankset, Q-Rings and chain, a Quarq Cinqo power meter, a PRO Stealth integrated stem/bar, Easton EA90 SLX wheels, and white brake hoods and ESI grips to match the frame graphics. I also included my Genuine Innovations Second Wind pump/CO2 inflator and my Zipp carbon cages.

The Litespeed C1R is made of T60 Nanotech carbon fiber. This is the best stuff on the market right now and only used on 5-6 bikes. Read more here.

First ride: Smooth, solid, and fast. Now, I’ve been on nice bikes. I’ve ridden the bikes that won Kona, Giro d’Italia, and the Tour de France. This C1R meets or beats any of them. The ride is smooth and comfortable—even with the stiffer carbon. I expected a harsher ride but I was pleasantly surprised. When I stood to accelerate the bike shot out of the cannon. The stiff and short chainstays keeps the rear triangle tight and responsive. The seatmast is a bit more of a pain to cut and size, but I like the feel being a little lighter and more compliant.

Descent down Mt Lemmon: WOW. Predictable, maneuverable but not twitchy, and very solid at high speeds. I was coaching, so I was doing a lot of riding a bit slower than normal and looking to the side and rearward at athletes—no problems and a very stable platform of a bike. But once in a while I’d stand, accel to max speed and get into a tuck. Also stable, confidence-inspiring, and solid. I went around many of the sweeping turns faster than I have before.

Bottom line: For a $3400 frame, this bike rivals those $1000 more, and in my opinion is better. It is well worth that price. It is a great overall bike—comfy on long rides, stiff in a sprint or acceleration, stable and predictable handling, and good looking. If it’s a bit out of your budget, try out the C1, the C2, or the C3. Trisports University did a great technical writeup here. Use code GEC-S for a price break at Trisports.com

For locals, ask me how to get a BIG discount on these bikes!

Keep the rubber side down.

Brian

Tucson Training Camp MVP Blog

2011-03-06T14:18:00.001-07:00

Everyday of camp has its share of great moments when someone really lays it out there, and plenty of “stupid” moments which are excellent material for dinner time harassment. Well, today was my day (I think Hods just wanted his bike cleaned-another of the MVP honors/responsibilities).

The entire group was outstanding and to me felt stronger than any of the previous camps which I’d attended with EH and/or Brian G. So to stand out or do something worthy of note with this group was something I pretty much didn’t plan on. To be honest I’m still not sure I did anything worthy of MVP status, especially being surrounded by so many other amazing athletes.

Pretty much the culmination of the camp is the Mount Lemon climb. I’d made the climb last year, so I had a good idea of the challenge. The idea of camp is to “build into” the week, with the first day or two being not full out or it’ll be a really long week!

The whole group is broken into a couple smaller groups which leave at different times so that we all get to the top at approximately the same time. As more of a distance guy than a speed guy, I see the Mt Lemon climb as a mental exercise more so than physical. It’s more like an Ironman event where you really need to be able to stay “present” and not think about all the climbing left to do. It’s over 26 miles of climbing with an average grade around 4.5%(I think), so you really don’t get any breaks to recover. I know for me there were a couple points where it can feel overwhelming, and the first one came at mile 4. You’re like, “holy ‘sh--’ I’m only at mile 4, my legs are already burning, and I’ve still got 22+ to go!” You’re watching some of the stronger riders start to pull away, so you want to go harder and try to stay with them, but again its like an IM race in that you need to do your own thing and stay within yourself; it’s a long way up. My biggest lesson learned from the 2010 season was that, for several reasons, I let my training and racing reach a point where I wasn’t having “fun”. HUGE mistake and one I swore I wouldn’t let happen again. The Mt Lemon climb was my first chance to test my new resolution, and at mile 4 I reminded myself of this. Yes I was uncomfortable, yes I was working hard, yes I was being dropped by better riders, and yes I was having fun. Reminding myself that this is what I love to do: pushing myself, testing my limits, being outside, absolutely amazing scenery, amazing people, yes I was having fun!

So I don’t think I did anything worthy of MVP at this camp, especially being surrounded by so many athletes of such amazing talent. However, the Mt. Lemon climb was a great day for me in that I was able to test something inside myself and persevere. Although I don’t think Eric or Brian were aware of this little internal challenge, maybe that’s what makes them such great coaches-- they’re just able to see these things, as they’ve probably been there themselves.

I’m totally blessed to have had this opportunity to train with fantastic coaches and such an outstanding group of people. Good luck to all in your upcoming season, and thank you so much to Eric and Brian for an awesome camp. I’m a better person and athlete now.

Brad

Mt Lemmon MVP

2011-03-05T13:36:00.001-07:00

Hello Tri Friends - here's your "Mayor's" belated blog for Tuesday March 1 - our Gates Pass ride.
I am writing my blog while in flight back to NY. Just to remind you - I was one of Tuesday's MVP's for doing such a great job of nuzzling up to some fresh asphalt. All I know is that I swerved to avoid hitting one of our friends - and that was all she wrote. Funny thing is - the shoulder, elbow, hand wounds hurt much more now (in flight) than they did right after crashing and for the rest of the week. Must be because the pain from being pushed hard by Eric and Brian overrode the dings from the crash pain. Luck was on our side March 1 - we avoided a disaster but most of all I was lucky - I got to finish the ride and most of all I was lucky because I had the great care, consideration and support from you guys.
I learned a heck of a lot this past week, here is your Mayor's top 10 list....
10) My girlfriend Lisa sends amazing care packages!
9) Trail running is much more fun than road running.
8) Sue, Kerri, Tracy, Trista - can kick your ass - at any moment in time.
7) Frosty has calves as large as my thighs and more hair on his chin than I have on my head.
6) Leo has a really "bitchin" RV - but what the heck goes on inside?
5) Steve and Doug (Madoff) are my idols - and the 3 of us AARP members will be back to whip you young, svelte whipper-snappers next year.
5(a) Jim/Tracey and Brian Grasky/Jill- well they just define love and great relationships.
5(b) Kevin's SI joint limp is a sandbag - he can run like a gazelle.
4) The tip top of Mt Lemmon (meaning 2 miles past "your" definition of "top" -- up over the rarely traveled snow/ice covered path) has some really cool observatories and the maintenance guys (and probably you guys too) think I am a nut.
3) Eric has really cool music on his iTouch, can nimbly pick his way through the breathtaking canyons of Tucson but can't do the same on the streets :) ... and he knows my (our) limits better than me (us).
2) Molson - had to have made his money doing stand up comedy - not on Wall St.
1) I met about 20 new friends this week that I enjoyed immensely and that I would welcome the opportunity to train with again. Safe home, fast races and happiness to you all.
From Your Mayor (almost Mr. Roadkill :)

Day 5 MVP Travis

2011-03-05T08:28:00.002-07:00

It's all mental......

Thursday came to a close with a quick recap of Fridays plans and a nomination of the days MVP's. Much to my surprise, Eric was interested in testing my writing skills and I landed one of the days awards. After a climbing up Mount Lemmon, I think everyone deserved the MVP award.

Since Lemmon was mainly a solitary ride for me I will share a few of the high and the low points of my morning. The first revelation came when I rolled out of bed in the morning. The previous days strength session included some leg extensions while balanced on a ball. I should have known from the sneaky smile on Brian G's face as he gave me some pointers that this was going to hurt. It did, My hamstrings were barking at me. My first though was how can I climb like this. It's only 26 miles I kept telling myself. The weather was absolutely perfect and we spun out of town nice and easily. At the start of the climb I looked down and did some quick math, 26miles of climbing plus the 8miles of spinning to get out there. 34 miles would be the magic number to get to the top.

Eric and I chatted a bit up the first bit of the climb enjoying the views. As Sean rolled up almost effortlessly he reminded us to go easy for the first 13miles. I glanced down at my power meter and decided the numbers I was seeing didn't agree with this mantra so I eased up a bit. Kevin and Jim rolled up and we rode together for a bit and then they were off. No victories for me today but it was all about the views. By this point we were looking back down into the city and it was amazing how quickly we had climbed above the city.

Thankfully Eric had given some great pointers on bike fit the previous day and I raised up my seat. Almost a CM. My knee was feeling a lot better. Thanks for that. This was about the time things started getting tough. There's no reason we all shouldn't be able to make it to the top, but the mind can do funny things. As the road snaked around and the others stretched off in front I thought, "this is going to suck if my legs don't hold up, I can't not make it to the top" It was time for some mental trickery..... Step 1, was enjoy the day and look around at the views, no more looking down at the speedo. This isn't a ride where you really want to know your speed or how far you've come. Step 2, set a goal. I told myself, if I kept a good attitude all the way up it was my ticket to to a bike upgrade.

The road wound on and we came into a stretch of trees. The temps, smells, and air changed. It was great. Soon I had gone through my first bottle of Hammer's Mango Fizz. I like that stuff. Luckily Brian G was there for a on the fly water bottle refill and promptly delivered a topped off bottle out the passenger window while driving up the mountain. Impressive.

As my legs tired I took in the panoramic views and reminded my self of my goal to keep a good attitude. Finally we were near the top and Sue offered a bit of encouragement just as the climbing was coming to an end. A group of us rolled into the cookie cabin to realize there were no other bikes there. That only meant one thing. The people out front had gone the last bit up to the ski area. I contemplated for a minute as I stood in front of the cookie cabin, but then that pesky goal popped back into my head. I hadn't made it all the way. Back through town I went, about 1/2 way I did a u-turn and said screw that. But as the thought of no new toys for the bike came to mind I suddenly became motivated and I was off. If it wouldn't have been for the small personal goal, I would have never seen the top.

Special thanks to Scott and the random pickup drive who heard me mention I lost my areobottle on the trip down from the ski area. Their teamwork saved me the search for a new one. Mt. Lemmon tops my list of all time amazing road rides. Great fun, and great people. Camps been a blast, but I think I've had my fill of carne seca at El Charro!

Day 4 MVP Scott T

2011-03-03T22:33:00.001-07:00

Mt. Lemon (AKA The big hill)

With our legs sufficiently tenderized from four days of 4-hour hill rides, mountain trail runs, and long swim workouts (oh, and let's not forget strength training with plyometrics), we launched our assault on Mt. Lemon. The Mt. Lemon ride is 26 miles of up, climbing over 7000 ft. in elevation, on a beautiful winding road that takes you from the parched desert of Tucson, through narrow rocky canyons, up into lush evergreen forest and snow. The winter time road ends at the ski area, however, Mike (AKA The Mayor) ducked under the gate at the ski area and road the additional 1.5 miles to the radio towers. We hear he has photos to prove it, but nobody was paying much attention, because we were all too busy eating the cow patty sized cookies at the Cookie Cabin, just down the road from the ski area.

I now know that the main motivation for riding Mt. Lemon is not for the workout of climbing for 2:15 hrs, but for the 0:45 of descending. What a rush it is to get into a tuck and roll down the road at 40+ mph and not have to hit your brakes. The road is so smooth and the curves are gentle enough that you can just let it rip. Where else can you do this in early March?! It has been the best day of the camp for me.

Scott Tucker

Camp Day 2 co-MVP Tracy

2011-03-01T22:05:00.001-07:00

Toto Too!

Oh great I’m already doomed on camp day 2 by waking up at 3:00 am hungry from not getting enough calories on camp day 1. After a quick slice of raisin bread (or as our family fondly calls it “THE BREAD”) with peanut butter, I was back to sleep for a couple of hours. I was relieved to talk with Kerri later in the day to find out she has a similar nightly routine—perhaps we’ll form a support group.

It was upon descending the steps to meet for our 7:00am run that I discovered that my quadriceps were no longer functioning as they had on camp day 1. In fact there was significant discomfort. Are you kidding me? We hadn’t even been on the bikes yet! Again my only relief was the fact that my husband Jim was groaning only steps behind me.

Mercifully Coach Brian recommended that Jim and I work with him on running form, and drills, on the flat areas of the trail. Since we usually work with Brian remotely from Ohio it was great to have some personal one-on-one time with him. He is an amazingly knowledgeable, giving, and caring coach. The rest of the group was off for their second “trail” run. News from the front varied from fun, exciting, hard, craggily and steep to downright difficult. Sorry to have missed that.

After a quick breakfast it was on the bikes with what Coach Eric described as an “easy spin day”. He noted that the next two days on the bike would be “challenging” so today we would ease into the week. The plan was unfolding well, Sue and I were chatting and laughing as we rode along, until we were greeted by unexpected 30+mph head winds. Fanciful images of a relaxing ride hit the fan. Thankfully Sue and Shawn organized a group of us into a nice pace line with each of us taking 20-30 second pulls up front. Poor Shawn, the tallest of our group, ended up behind me, the smallest of our group. What an incredible pack of strong riders. Unfortunately at a stop the group dispersed. I was left on my own for what seemed an eternity until I saw my devoted husband riding back to help pull me along. Thankfully the return was one sweet ride which had us all smiling again and a bit more positive about the week ahead. Note to self: eat more during the long rides so you know your name when you get back to the hotel and never, at any cost, lose the group.

The afternoon concluded with an informative lecture by Scott Tucker of Scott Shoes. He gave an excellent presentation regarding running biomechanics and running shoes. Scott had previously provided campers with a complimentary pair of Scott shoes. Thanks for all Scott.

As I prepare for bed I’ve placed “The Bread” on the nightstand for a quick transition, I say a little prayer that my quads will be back to normal tomorrow, and the winds will be calm. But mostly I give thanks to be part of such a great group of people.

GEC-EH 2011 Winter Triathlon Camp – Day 2

2011-03-01T21:35:00.002-07:00

Day 2 MVP Dan:

I am honored to share MVP honors today with legendary World Champion triathlete and blogger Tracy DiSabato-Aust. I am no match to her blogging talents, but I will attempt to do my best to rise to her standard of excellence. She did, though, let me quote her for the record: “Today was a hard day.”

If Day 1 of Triathlon Camp was the Ode to the Snowy Cactus, Day 2 was the Tale of the Wicked Wind of the East.

After a exhaustive (and exhausting) first day, the campers all made the 7am morning call with a bit more spirit, and a bit more bodily soreness, than the previous day. Temperatures were still chilly (34F), but a clear sky made for perfect running weather. Today’s run found us at a new place, the Douglas Springs trailhead at Saguaro National Park East. There’s apparently an extensive trail network here and Brian and Eric, as usual, picked the only hilly one.

After a brief jog down the trail to warm up plus a stretching session (which both brought back sensations and memories from yesterday), as well as a surprise (Smile! It’s Jill!), the journey up the hill began in earnest. You just can’t find good, scenic, and challenging trails like this anywhere else, and after a fair bit we were high above the valley floor looking down at the little specks of our vans back at the parking lot.

Another local triathlete sensation, Leo Carrillo, joined the camp this morning. Leo is a superstar talent all around, especially in the pool. Between him, Tall Swimmer Sean, and myself, we are destined to eventually stop perpetuating the myth that good swimmers can’t run. By the end of the week, I am certain that we will succeed, but today was a shining day for the mountain goats of the camp. After a brief rest & regathering, 28 minutes into a planned 35-minute run outbound from the trailhead, Eric and the mountain goats led on up the tallest hill yet for the final “seven minutes”. I got to the turnaround point at what seemed like 15 minutes later.

One thing that I’ll say about Eric…he’s never been anything but truthful and honest in the many years that I have known him. But occasionally his concept of when the hard training session is supposed to end (e.g. he might lose track of time or the number of intervals in the swim set or tell you to expect “rolling hills”) can differ with that of the campers, and that helps keep triathlon camp fresh…as well as a mental challenge!

By now, everyone was running on tired legs, but the downhill return (3.5 miles with 1000 of elevation descent) brought some life back. The fast downhills runs that have ended both of the first two runs of camp helped bring everyone back to the vans with a smile.

After breakfast, it was time to put on sunscreen (for once) and bring out the bicycles for the first ride of the camp. As Brian G noted, we are a pretty compatible group and all of us are comfortable riding in groups. Nonetheless, the first ride with a new group scares me a bit because there’s a little fear of the unknown. (Like when I was the first casualty of the 2009 camp when I locked my wheel spokes into another camper’s pedal.) The planned ride wasn’t much to worry about, an “easy spin” out and back to Colossal Cave. So, as long as we all could avoid colliding into objects and ourselves, there was nothing to worry about, right???

Rolling to the east edge of town, we had one random mechanical casualty but otherwise made it to the open roads unscathed and smartly as a good single-file group of 17. The first open road starts out with a good steady incline, and when I finally took a peek forward from my slot in position #16, some leaders had already broken away by a good distance, with Brian N (and his GoPro camera) pacing the trailers and getting some cool video. It wasn’t an aggressive “breakaway”, and I felt compelled to bridge up to them. I latched on to the leaders after the crest and our flight-of-six (Eric, Leo, myself and three others) built up some momentum on the ensuing downhill.

Then we really hit some wind. One moment it seemed calm. The next, we were in a stiff headwind and shortly after that it was 20 mph gusts. No dust or tumbleweeds flying around, but this was certainly something that can’t be simulated by indoor trainer rides. There’s no such thing as an easy spin uphill into a 20 mph wind, and the only thing that we all could do was to hammer our way through it. It wasn’t that long ago that my power meter was in single and double-digits, and now we’re cranking at least three bills to stay upright and move forward. Colossal Cave couldn’t come soon enough!

After rounding to the back entrance of Colossal Cave, with one more blast of headwind and one more steep climb, we enjoyed a well-earned break at the top, about 1200 feet in elevation above our starting point in Tucson. We enjoyed the great view and took pictures, briefly, before we got blown off the ridge.

The ride back was pleasant (speeds over 40 mph in spots) with the tailwind, and we returned with more smiles and well-toasted legs.

The late afternoon brought out our first taste of starpower…a great presentation / discussion by (fellow camper) Scott Tucker of Scott USA. Scott (person) represents Scott’s (company) line of running shoes and he presented on what running shoes are supposed to do.

We wrapped up Day 2 with the dinner at the best place in Tucson (at least until tomorrow night), and then retired for the evening. After two days of camp, we’ve done so much hard work that we chose to forego the usually obligatory post-dinner gelato…but it’s all worth it to be ready to bounce back and hit Day 3 strong.

Day 3 is planned to bring a morning swim followed by a difficult ride across Gates Pass and the McCain Loop. It should be a challenge again for everyone, and a chance for a few more MVPs to shine. (Don’t worry, us budding swimmer-runners will have our day later…the inevitable won’t be postponed for long!)

Tucson Camp 2011 – Day One

2011-02-28T21:50:00.001-07:00

Tucson Camp 2011 – Day One co-MVP report by Molson.

Well I am back in Tucson for the 5th consecutive year! The winter training camp is something that I look forward to each season and this year is no exception. So with my frequent camper card in hand I returned to Sabino Canyon this morning to kick off this year’s camp with a run through the spectacular trails of this national park. The chilly temps and the light snow from the prior evening did not dampen the spirits of the campers here. It is day one and this is the first official workout so everybody was excited to get going and start the adventure. The group had a great run on the challenging terrain and all the first timers were in awe of the workout. A strength training session and 2 hour swim workout followed. The swim took place at the University of Arizona pool . This was the first time we have swam here and I hope we get a chance to go back this week.

During the run this morning someone asked me why do I keep coming back to this camp. I said that they will be able to answer that question themselves next Saturday when camp ends. The Tucson Tri camp is not your typical run of the mill camp. The workouts are challenging and “off the beaten path”. The coaching is top notch. The energy level is always high amongst all the participants who are here primarily because they have a passion for the sport. Probably the greatest thing about the Tucson Camp is the fact that you surround yourself with people who all share the same interest. As the week progresses all the campers realize that they are being asked to challenge themselves in a way that they never would if they were home on their own turf. When you train as group you are more willing to try new things and push yourself to their outer limits. It is easier to take chances at camp as you have all the other athletes who are going through the same thing – and without fail every year the group bonds and supports each other to achieve success. At the end of the week you are guaranteed to have done workouts that you would never have done on your own – which will leave you with confidence, energy, fitness and just an overall better state of mind. So who would not want to come back every year.

I am looking forward to another challenging week.

Molson

Training Camp co-MVP blog Day 1

2011-02-28T11:43:00.000-07:00

Day 1 co-MVP Sue:

A fantastic, yet snowy, start of camp!

Today's Sabino Canyon run was breath taking - not just due to the challenging and increasing elevation of the trail but also thanks to the beautiful snow covered cactus, Arizona shrubs and all of the other desert plants lining the trail. Just stunning! A reminder for me what a gift running truly is.

Our run was soon followed with one hour of circuit training. Who knew you could push your body to the point of shaking with a common park bench and some TRX straps? A great intro (and workout!) for the time crunched/traveling athlete.

You would have thought the day would be done. Alas, my friends, no. The fine coaches of the Grasky camp shuttled us to University of Arizona for a 'few' laps. Under their watchful eyes we performed numerous drills - working on catch, high elbow and finish in small doses so that when we hit the main set - some 2000 yards later - we maintained focus and 'drilled' new neuropathways for future, improved swimming.

I am not too sure at how successful I was at performing the drills throughout the day but I can say that I learned plenty of new ones and some areas to focus on to help better balance my body and improve my racing. Oh, I can also say with certainty that I'm going to sleep quite well tonight!

Until our morning run...
Sue

Training Camp MVP blog Day 1

2011-02-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

Day 1 co-MVP Doug from Kansas:

At dinner tonight the coaches surprised me by announcing that I was one of the MVP's for day one of the tri camp. While it is clearly a sympathy vote (I am ok with that!) and they needed someone to write this blog, I am honored to share the days award with Jeff and Sue.

Welcome to sunny Arizona! We were greeted this morning on our first day of tri-camp with snow covered cars and a balmy 37 degree temperature. We were summoned to the lobby to convene for a 7am start. We were told we were going to start off camp with an easy run and so we proceeded to a place called Sabino Canyon. We unloaded and Eric, one of our coaches informed us about the virtues of trail running. He explained that trail running is more productive and leads to a quicker recovery due to more up and down terrain and softer impact. What I discovered is that this all assumes the impact is not your face on a rock and the recovery does not occur in the emergency room.

Trails are different in Arizona than they are in Kansas. I was expecting dirt or hard sand trails that you could run at a nice pace. Yes, some elevation but generally even and smooth. What we were greeted with was a narrow, rock laden path that climbed over 1,000 feet into the mountains before descending down via an even worse stretch of terrain. The views were breathtaking but not as much as the elevation and the fear for your life as you worked your way up and down this challenging "trail" which coach Eric (he may have a new name soon) termed as "slightly technical". Yeah, and that Mt Everest is pretty tall.

All told the run/walk/climb/fall took me an hour and 34 minutes. The last two miles were on pavement and when I reached the hard surface I stopped and kissed the ground, thankful that I had reached familiar territory.

After the run it was back to the hotel and an 11am strength training session in the courtyard. We worked through some TRX exercises and lots of core work and stretching. It was a good workout and I have no doubt I will feel the effects in the morning. I know this because I feel them now!

At 1:30 it was off to the university of Arizona swimming pool. As we left the hotel parking lot it began to snow again. Did I mention that this is an outdoor pool? The good news is that we got a little payback on our coaches here because while they were freezing their rear ends off beside the pool we got to basque in the 85+ degree water. Unfortunately they got the last laugh because they made us basque for 2 hours. I haven't swam that much in my life but at least the water was warm!

In all seriousness it was an amazing first day. I am very impressed by the knowledge and skill level of the coaches and I am in awe of the the other campers. So much talent, so much experience and so willing to help. A terrific bunch

Well it's bedtime for Bonzo. Coach Eric says to be in the lobby at 7am to meet for another "trail run". It's supposed to be 29 degrees. Call me crazy but I can't wait!

GEC Winter Training Camp day 1

2011-02-26T22:01:00.004-07:00

Today kicks off the 2011 edition of GEC's "Escape The Cold" winter training camp. We plan a week of solid high volume base training, testing, knowledge, and info, directed by GEC's coaching staff and east coast coach Eric Hodska.

This is year 5 for Eric and me putting on the camp here and every year gets better. This year we have a great supporting cast of sponsors:
- Hammer Nutrition is covering all of our fueling and recovery needs. If Hammer doesn't offer it, you don't need it. Diabetic friendly as well!
- Scott Shoes is supplying running shoes to all the athletes. Scott's e-Ride technology makes their T2 Comp one of the lightest full-cushion shoes on the market.
- Genuine Innovations is supplying powered inflation (CO2 and inflators) to all the athletes. Theirs are the best products you don't want to use. I've never been stranded since carrying GI's gear.
- Fuel Belt is supplying hydration belts to get all our athletes through their long runs in Sabino Canyon.
- Beljum Budder will get us through the tough days!
- Dr Hoy's will get us through the day after!!
- Trisports.com is providing soft goods for all athletes, and a special discount for us at the camp. The coolest thing is they are hosting a social in their store for us! [Use code GEC-S for 10% off your next Trisports order!]

The camp athletes:
- Returning are the walking (like he's) wounded Molson, Brad the nice guy from Ohio, Frosty this time with hair, the understated Steve who drove from Canada, the male supermodel Leo, and Kerri the rabbit.
- Joining us this year are GEC standouts Tracy and Jim from Ohio, long course phenom and Team Timex athlete/coach Trista from Colorado, and Sue who ran with us for a day last year.
That rounds out our phenomenal women's field. Guys, we're going to get crushed!
- New this year are Scott from Maryland, Scott^2 the foot and shoe expert from Idaho, TALL Sean, Mike B, Kansas Doug, Craig from Utah, and Kevin we'll meet tomorrow.
All in all a great group. Very compatible and just a group of very nice and unassuming athletes. I'm excited to be here at the camp this year...this is going to be the best group yet--ready to go, ready to learn, ready to push themselves.

Stay tuned...based on tonight's dinner conversation topics, we're getting to konw each other a little too quickly!

Each night we'll post the day's activities and who stood out. We'll have daily MVPs blog about their experiences and the highlights of the camp. Don't miss this week!

Brian

Kicking off the race season …… the right way!

2011-02-23T20:10:00.001-07:00

Desert Classic Duathlon – The Offroad Version – Bryce Phinney

Feb 20th would mark the start of my race season, with the newly minted Offroad version of the Desert Classic Duathlon. The race was held at McDowell Mt. Park in Fountain Hills, AZ, an oasis of saguaro studded trails set in the AZ desert against the McDowell Mountains. The running portions of the race were trail runs and were shared with the on-road participants, while the bike portion was around the long-course competitive loop … except backwards.

I went up to Fountain Hills for the pre-ride/run of the course the weekend prior to the race. The weather was good, with cool temps. and a little breeze to start. The first run was good, followed by two loops of the bike course. I had planned on running the second run course, but by the end of the second bike loop the wind had decided to join us and the dust was immense. I decided to save the second run for race weekend.

On race weekend I decided to head out to the course the day before the race for a quick ride/run just to get the legs moving. Bad weather had started to move in so I opted to ride the second run course first, just to make sure I knew what it looked like. By the time I finished the short 3.5 mile ride I was wet and cold from the rain. I bailed on the runs and headed to town for packet pick-up and some warm coffee.

Race morning came early but I was wide awake when my alarm went off. This is my first year training under the direction of a coach and I was anxious to get the first race of the season under my belt and see where my fitness stood (previously I was “self-coached”). The weather on race morning looked ominous, with cloudy skies and very wet roads. It had rained throughout the night, and I was hoping the trails wouldn’t be too muddy. I arrived at the race venue to find it was extremely wet, but the race organizers from the Phoenix Triathlon Club were doing everything possible to create a good race experience. Most of the roadies were carrying their bikes...Read More

Desert Classic Duathlon – The Road Version – Kim Beisner

Rounding the corner I see the finish line and my watch says 1:58, can I make it under two hours? Somehow I summon the strength and beat my time from the previous year by less than a minute. I was hoping for more but soon learn that most people have similar experiences or even slower times compared to the previous years due to the change in running courses. Honestly I was most relieved by not getting a flat on the bike. As I unloaded my bike in the morning the back tire was flat...Read More

Group Ride Etiquette

2011-02-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

Riding in a group can be a lot of fun and a great way to train, but it can also be intimidating. Knowing the group and some simple keys to remember can go a long way to increasing your enjoyment and training—and keep you invited back—in the ride.
Aero bars — keep the tri bike at home or, if you must ride it, stay out of the aero position when in the pack or around other riders.
Know the ride – established rides have specific sprints and attack points. Don’t attack on your first or second ride; get to know the ride and where the jumps are before going off the front.
Point out obstacles – when you’re in front, it’s your job to look ahead on the road and lead the pack around potholes, debris, etc. When you’re not in front, it’s still your job to protect those behind you— repeat point outs by those in front, even if you can’t see the obstacle, keep your eyes 2-3 riders in front to spot swerves and potential hazards, and never slam on your brakes.
Never overlap the rear wheel of the rider in front of you with your front wheel.
Hold your line – there are times to move around on the road, but be fully aware of who is around you before moving over. Leaning into or swerving into another rider can invite an elbow or a shoulder coming at you, or worst case can cause a crash. If you see an obstacle and don’t have time to look and assess what’s around you before hitting it, either bunny hop or relax the arms and legs, stand up, and take it. [In flying, we say “don’t hit the big bird (another airplane) to miss the little bird (a feathered friend).]
Learn to draft – don’t string out the group or leave a gap in front of you. Those behind you will get upset and will pass you closely to get back on the pack...you’ll get dropped like a campaign promise.
If you have your separate specific workout to do, ride with the pack on the warm up, but drop off the back when the pace picks up. Don’t try to incorporate your intervals into the group ride. The ride has its own energy and flow…don’t interrupt that. Don’t go off the front for intervals either, or you’ll drag the group with you.
Flats – if you get a flat tire, stay in the flow of the pack and move slowly to the right or out of the pack (look first). Don’t expect the pack to stop, and be prepared to fix your own gear. [See my other post on this topic.]
Take advantage of fueling stops – gas stations and convenience stores are usually fine with cyclists filling up at the fountain drink area, but be clean and courteous. Don’t make the group wait on you. Be quick.
Skills – work on taking nudges, elbows, and shoulders while riding. Do this with a friend on grass first, then learn to keep your balance at faster speeds. Practice picking up water bottles while rolling, knowing how your bike handles at a sprint, and being able to both feather the brakes easily without lurching and stop on a dime without crashing.
With these tips, you’ll enjoy the ride more, you’ll be seen as a competent rider, you’ll help to dispel the myths that triathletes can’t ride in a pack, and you’ll be invited back!
Keep the rubber side down,
Brian

Your flat kit

2011-02-02T06:10:00.001-07:00

This has come up before, so here's my list of what to carry in your bicycle saddle kit and justification of each.

- Tubes – carry 2, and make sure they have the required stem length or extender if you’ve got deep section rims. Roll them up tight and wrap with tape or a rubber band.
- Tire levers – they’re small enough you can and should carry two.
- Boots – cut a 3 inch section of an old tire and cut off the bead. Use these to put between the tire and the tube if you get a slit or rip in the tire itself. I’ve got over 400 miles on one of these (because I forget to change it out).
- Patch kit – I use a glue-less patch kit for those just-in-case moments. I rode last weekend, punctured, and both my spare tubes were bad. This got me home (and I’ll forget to change it before tomorrow’s ride).
- Multi-tool – you’ll want one when you need it. Get a small one with a Phillips head screwdriver and at least a 4 and 5mm allen wrench.
- CO2 – I carry 2-3 CO2s. If you only carry one, Murphy’s Law says you’ll have a problem with it.
- Pump – get a Second Wind Road pump and carry it on your frame. It’s a CO2 inflator and a pump in one. Use the CO2 part when you want air fast, use the pump when you run out of CO2 and you can’t be stranded. A CO2 can be stored on it and acts as the pump handle, opening up room in your bag.
- Copies of your ID and Insurance Card or a Road ID with allergy info, a coffee shop punch card, and $20.
- Cell phone.
If you pack it right, all this will fit in a small bag under your saddle, and you’ll (almost) never be left stranded.

Brian

Restwise

2010-09-09T21:48:00.002-07:00

There's a new program on the market that I'm excited about. As a coach, the hardest part of coaching in understanding quantitatively how you the athlete respond to training and recovery. There are ways to manage this, but since every athlete uses the same words to describe different feelings, it's difficult to get exactly right.

Restwise takes the guess work out of recovery. By answering a very brief series of questions every day, Restwise provides and tracks a Recovery Score to quantify your recovery state. The best part is your GEC coach can then see your score and will adjust your training appropriately. I’ve been using this system for a few weeks and already see how by using this I can make your hard stuff as hard as you can handle and can nail your taper based on how you're recovering real-time!

I’m promoting this only because it works—GEC makes nothing off this except your success. Use code GEC for 25% off…AND get a free pulse oximeter for instant measurement of blood oxygen level and pulse. www.restwise.com When you order, let your coach know and we’ll bring your file into our program so your scores instantly download for our info. If you're not a GEC coached athlete you can still use this program to manage your training and recovery.

Brian

Mix it up

2010-09-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

A buddy asked the other day “I run 2-2.5 miles all the time. Why does it not get easier?” It’s all about the body’s ability to adapt.

When stressing the body repetitively in the same mode, the body can adapt but it adapts in more a survival mode by being able to handle that finite amount of stress. We subconsciously know that the run will be over in 2-2.5 miles so we plan for that and the run gets worse at the 1.5 miles mark as we see that on the treadmill or round that corner. After only a short time of this repetitive training, the body’s adaptation slows and fitness growth is limited.

If we mix things up a bit by varying the speed, intensity, incline, and/or duration, the body will adapt with more fitness and strength than survival methods. As simply as increasing one run a week to 20% more than what is “standard,” fitness will increase faster. If you need to, run/walk by time (run 8 minutes, walk 1 minute, etc) to get to the longer distance. Or vary the speed on one run and doing repeats of 2 minutes faster followed by 3 minutes slower. By mixing things up and varying the induced stress, the body responds by increasing true strength and fitness.

Hope this helps. Go train.

Brian

Exciting News!

2010-07-27T19:40:00.002-07:00

As endurance athletes, we are good at going in a straight line for ever, right? We're not so good at anything lateral or at strength training. Strength training is too important not to do, but it takes a back seat to the many hours of swimming, cycling and running we're doing.

Strength training is too important to neglect because it builds the durability and injury resistance needed for the long aerobic training, aids in maintaining the body's structure when fatigue sets in under aerobic loading, and just plain makes you tough. Triathlon is about strength just as much aerobic fitness.

So...Grasky Endurance Coaching is teaming up with CrossFit Purgatory! CFP is the perfect compliment to GEC's aerobic training. Not only are Tony and Marcy and their trainers effective and proven at what they do and great people, but they understand our priority of aerobic training. CFP workouts of the day (WODs) are time efficient (read: short) and very effective.

From www.crossfitpurgatorytucson.com: CrossFit Purgatory is an elite strength and conditioning facility in beautiful Tucson, Arizona. We use and implement CrossFit classes as our principle training program simply because we have found it to be the most effective way to produce elite fitness. Our goal is to increase an individuals overall work capacity. We progress towards this through many different sport modalities, including but not limited to: Olympic lifting, kettlebell training, gymnastics, running and sprinting, Strong Man training, climbing, rowing, and throwing. In doing so, our athletes become stronger, faster, and mentally tougher. Specifically, we strive to build and improve the following ten components of fitness: cardiorespiratory endurance, stamina, speed, strength, power, flexibility, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. Add all of those components a few times a week in a one hour class each time and that’s how elite fitness begins. Superior strength and fitness allows our athletes to go out and succeed in whatever comes their way, no matter the circumstance or context.

Each CrossFit class is a combination of a warm-up, skill-work, a WOD (workout of the day) and cool down/stretch. You may do a WOD different than the person next to you, depending on your goals, but the movements will essentially be the same as the person next to you. We have the ability to scale workouts to your ability but also to tweak them slightly to get you to your goal (Football player vs. Triathlete, as an example). Your Purgatory coach will be your trainer, your guide, your CrossFit mentor and biggest fan.

We are a family-friendly facility and while we do not provide childcare, we do have a very nice area for kids to stay occupied while you workout. Come see for yourself!

I encourage all Tucson GEC athletes to check out CFP and give them a try. This will be the most effective non-swim/bike/run session you do. My recommendation: twice a week. You'll be a bit sore the first few weeks, so start at least 3 weeks out from an important race and 5 weeks out form an 'A' race. Look for clinics and talks at CFP, and GEC's testing and services will be conducted at CFP.

Brian

Why an LT test?

2010-05-25T16:35:00.000-07:00

The worst thing about triathlon is that there are only so many hours in the day. Most of those hours are spent appropriately on work, family, etc., so that leaves even fewer hours to train. Therefore it’s important to make those few training hours the most effective they can be. Here’s the best way to do just that.

Whether you train with a heart rate monitor or a power meter it’s important to know what that data is telling you. The problem is 150 beats per minute (bpm) to one person is not 150 bpm for another. Training at even 10 bpm too high or too low can mean you’re not developing the system you think you are and can mean wasted training time. This is where the proper training zones come in.

Ok, so how do you find your training zones? Are you willing to bet 600 hours a year and thousands of dollars on “220 minus your age” multiplied by standard percentages? I recommend being more accurate than that. The first step is to find your lactate threshold (LT) and aerobic threshold (AeT) heart rates (and power zones on the bike if applicable). From there we can accurately and scientifically find your unique training intensity zones. Even finding your LT is not enough. You need both LT and AeT to be most accurate.

So how do you find LT and AeT? The best way to do this is in a blood lactate test. In this test, we gradually increase your intensity while testing your blood lactate concentrations at specific intervals. From this data we can determine at which intensity your body begins to accumulate lactic acid and at what level your body is bathed in lactic acid. Those are AeT and LT respectively, from which your zones are anchored. We recommend a test for each the bike and the run as the LT and AeT zones can be significantly different.

So what’s next? Find a reputable coach or physiologist and get an LT test. Then have your coach find your training intensity zones. There are several zone protocols, so be sure your coach calculates your zones or you use the system with which he coaches. We at GEC use a 5-zone system: Recovery, Endurance, Tempo or Extensive Endurance, Threshold and Anaerobic Endurance or Power; and all of our plans and coaching use this system.

Contact any of the GEC coaches to schedule your LT test and get the most out of your limited training time.

Brian

Tucson Triathlon Race Report: Knocking the Rust Off

2010-03-24T22:04:00.000-07:00

The season’s first race is always one of much anxiety and unanswered questions. What's my fitness level? How will I race after a big volume training camp? Will I have any speed? Will a disappear/reappear plantar fasciitis injury rear its ugly head? Well just as Coach Grasky predicted, the fitness was there and the speed was almost there.

Brian always has a way of spinning it. Rather than my 2nd place finish to Mike Montoya being “1st Loser,” he called it a Major Victory. I ran with a runner! Ever notice the difference the way a wide receiver runs versus a linebacker? Well, I'm a linebacker. Brian says by season's end he will make me into a runner. And after seeing what he's done with this lump of clay I've got no reason to doubt him.

On to the race:

Swim- Followed Coach Grasky's advice of using a tight streamline and glide off the wall before starting and maintaining a steady and conservative kick. Saved my legs for a strong bike and run. I was 3rd out of the water and swam a 9:51pr.

T1- Still is a challenge for me. Trying to get out of my speed suit was a bit like wrestling a monkey. I was 3rd out of T1.

Bike- I quickly passed the guy in 3rd and now had my sights on 1st place Mike Montoya. This race was a blast. We had no less than six lead changes. Neither one of us letting the other get away. According to my computer I was off the bike in 27:48.

T2- After a quick transition I was first out of T2 with Mike right on my heels.

Run- My goal at this point was to run with the runner. We ran a dead heat until the final 50 yards. Mike switched gears and ran away. I lost by 3 seconds. On the bright side, I PR'd with a 57:47. Note to self... don't let it come down to a sprint finish if you’re not a sprinter.

Next stop Ironman 70.3 California!

Leo

USAT Level One Coaching Clinic...as a speaker this time!

2010-03-14T19:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was given the opportunity to speak and teach at the USA Triathlon Level I coaching clinic in Tucson. It was a last-minute deal, as the regular speaker was unavailable. USAT trains up new coaches through their 3 levels of coaching certifications, and it was an honor to be thought of as one who could teach the new budding coaches—regular speakers are world renowned coaches and/or those who coach at the US Olympic Training Center.

There were about 40 in the group from all over--everyone from local triathlon standouts to national champions to non-triathlete personal trainers and sports scientists looking for triathlon knowledge. One fella in the class was even in the first-ever triathlon (the year I was born—and the year of the first F-16 flight…’nother story).

I spoke first on cycling training and how to effectively coach to get the most from an athlete and making their training effective and safe. We spoke on some differences between triathlon bikes and road bikes, how to train on each using both heart rate and power, how to manage a group of cyclists from advanced to newbie, and what some typical solutions are for the common cycling training weaknesses.

I then spoke on triathlon-specific training, or how to take a series of stand-alone swim, bike, and run workouts and turn that into a triathlon. As much as we like to brag about having the fastest bike split or T2, the true race is to the finish line and the rest frankly doesn’t matter that much. (You can have a great bike split, but if you fall apart on the run your fast bike split doesn’t mean much.) This was a fun class to teach and really made me think about how to do this most effectively.

After my part, world champion running coach Bobby McGee spoke on running. I sat in on his as I always learn from Bobby’s talks.

I’m into coaching because I love to teach. That’s also why I’m a flight instructor. Teaching the newest USAT Coaches was another opportunity to give info and enable those who will be teaching down the road to do so more effectively, and I was grateful and humbled by the chance to do this.

Brian

Tucson Winter Training Camp Day 6

2010-03-05T07:51:00.001-07:00

Mt. Lemmon had to come sooner or later, and it came at last on Day 5. But with this camp, Mt. Lemmon wasn’t going to be the only activity of the day, and so the wake up call was the earliest yet for Starbucks and swimsuits.
Compared to the previous day’s endless yardage, this workout was a casual couple grand on the yardage log, though the main set was all sprint work. Sprint work, before Mt. Lemmon??? Well, that was the call to get the blood (and caffeine) flowing. By the end of yesterday’s swim, much of the group had problems moving their arms, but I could tell that this was going to be a different day when everyone was hitting their 50s in the 30-40 second range. Gus was even on my heels here, and that made me begin to think that this might be his breakout day here at camp.
That thought gained a little more traction when Eric told Gus to start in the last, and supposedly strongest, of three waves headed up to Mt. Lemmon. There were a few folks who wanted to start out in the first wave for whatever reason, but Gus accepted his assignment without reservation. He was confident that, in short order, the mountain would be his.
Most of you readers are familiar with the Mt. Lemmon climb, with its scenery and difficulty. This El Nino year has brought much more snow to the mountain. We went from 70s at the base to high 40s at the top, but the plentiful snow sometimes made it a little cooler in the shade and also made the road wet (but not icy) in places, spraying a little water around to make things just a little cooler. There was a little wind from the north this time that made the ascent a little tougher in parts and the descent more white knuckle.
The first story of the camp climb up Mt. Lemmon was a non-story. We had no negative drama. No crashes, no flat tires, no bonks and no chains exploding. It was a solid ride for everyone. But the second story was Gus, whose chain I thought might explode when he roared past me low on the mountain. He might be close to Eric’s equal in challenging for the speed record next year.
After a pleasant trip to the cookie cabin, the ride back to Tucson became just that more enjoyable.
The final day awaits the campers. While we all put it all out there yesterday on Mt. Lemmon, there’s still another run and bike planned for today. Will today bring a glorious ending or will the campers finally run out of gas?
Camper Dan

Tucson Winter Training Camp Day 4

2010-03-03T16:56:00.002-07:00

Day 4 Tucson Tri Camp MVP’s Report
The day started off with an awesome one hour run through Saguaro National Park. The temperature was perfect and the sun was bright. Coming from Missouri this was a welcome change. We did our morning ritual of Jamba Juice and Bagels to refuel. We returned back to the hotel to get geared up for our afternoon ride. Brian had some new aero bars installed prior to us leaving, however this was no simple task. All his cabling also had to be replaced. Special thanks to Brian Grasky and the rest of the crew who worked like a Nascar pit crew to get the bike ride ready. This also required numerous trips (5) to the local bike shop for supplies. We loaded the bikes and headed to Oro Valley for the afternoon ride of 60 miles. We did 70 the day before. The ride started with steady uphill grind of about 26 miles to Oracle. The pace was steady and Gus and Eric kept us pushing. The turnaround point was a welcome sight, and the fun descent began. We ended the ride with a loop through a newly paved neighborhood with a few short, but challenging climbs. The final trek took us back to pool for some easy swimming to loosen up the legs.
Brian: The camp so far has exceeded all my expectations. I came with an open mind and ready for change, and man has that happened! My swim stroke has undergone a much needed overhaul by the Grasky/Hodska Endurance Team, so no swim is currently easy for me. But I’m excited about the change and slowly making progress. I also underwent a complete change in my bike position/set up, and already feel much more comfortable on the bike. The back pain that has always haunted me 50 miles into a bike has yet to be felt in my new position. So far, the best experience of my life. (Besides my honeymoon of course honey)
Jeff: This is my second year attending camp. I talked Brian into coming out with me this year and I think he’s having a good experience. I felt good on the bike. I brought my new road bike I got a few weeks before leaving for camp and it has taken a bit to get used to. After a few tweaks I feel great on it. It had been over 6 months since I have last ridden over 60 miles. The day prior I felt wore out, but felt good today. I am constantly learning new things. It is awesome to be training in this environment with such a great group.
After a quick shower and cleanup, we headed to El Charro for a great Mexican dinner and discussion, cervezas, and finished it off with the Frost ritual and then crashed for much needed rest for Day #4.
Tom and Huck (AKA Jeff Del Vecchio and Brian Davis)

Tucson Winter Training Camp Day 4

2010-03-03T16:56:00.000-07:00

Day 3 Tucson Tri Camp MVP’s Report
The day started off with an awesome one hour run through Saguaro National Park. The temperature was perfect and the sun was bright. Coming from Missouri this was a welcome change. We did our morning ritual of Jamba Juice and Bagels to refuel. We returned back to the hotel to get geared up for our afternoon ride. Brian had some new aero bars installed prior to us leaving, however this was no simple task. All his cabling also had to be replaced. Special thanks to Brian Grasky and the rest of the crew who worked like a Nascar pit crew to get the bike ride ready. This also required numerous trips (5) to the local bike shop for supplies. We loaded the bikes and headed to Oro Valley for the afternoon ride of 60 miles. We did 70 the day before. The ride started with steady uphill grind of about 26 miles to Oracle. The pace was steady and Gus and Eric kept us pushing. The turnaround point was a welcome sight, and the fun descent began. We ended the ride with a loop through a newly paved neighborhood with a few short, but challenging climbs. The final trek took us back to pool for some easy swimming to loosen up the legs.
Brian: The camp so far has exceeded all my expectations. I came with an open mind and ready for change, and man has that happened! My swim stroke has undergone a much needed overhaul by the Grasky/Hodska Endurance Team, so no swim is currently easy for me. But I’m excited about the change and slowly making progress. I also underwent a complete change in my bike position/set up, and already feel much more comfortable on the bike. The back pain that has always haunted me 50 miles into a bike has yet to be felt in my new position. So far, the best experience of my life. (Besides my honeymoon of course honey)
Jeff: This is my second year attending camp. I talked Brian into coming out with me this year and I think he’s having a good experience. I felt good on the bike. I brought my new road bike I got a few weeks before leaving for camp and it has taken a bit to get used to. After a few tweaks I feel great on it. It had been over 6 months since I have last ridden over 60 miles. The day prior I felt wore out, but felt good today. I am constantly learning new things. It is awesome to be training in this environment with such a great group.
After a quick shower and cleanup, we headed to El Charro for a great Mexican dinner and discussion, cervezas, and finished it off with the Frost ritual and then crashed for much needed rest for Day #4.
Tom and Huck (AKA Jeff Del Vecchio and Brian Davis)

Tucson Winter Training Camp Day 3

2010-03-01T22:49:00.000-07:00

Ahh the 2nd day of camp and the sun was shining bright, what more needs to be said? Being a first time triathlon training camp participant I must admit I was a little intimidated by the volume of training and the other campers. After today the training is still a bit daunting but the other participants make being here totally worth it.

The day started out with a nice little swim. The rains of yesterday gave way to clear skies but cool temperatures. You know it’s a bit chilly outside when you can’t see the far side of the pool from the mist rising off the water. Everyone pretty much had their own lane except being the new guy I asked to jump in a lane with Leo. 4300 yards later I would question by decision, seriously though it was a great swim. Main set was 5 x 350s with 100 yards easy between each 350. I did my best to hang on as Leo set what was a blistering pace for me. Throw in a couple of hard 100s and round out the work with a series of 50s swum as a race between Leo and I. Leo was kind enough to give me a 5 second head start and I still barely out touched him. All in all a great day at the pool, great company and great views of the mountain as the sun peaked over it.

Normally I would be calling it a day and heading home for a massage and latte, but not here. Time to saddle up for an “easy” ride. We rode out towards Colossal Cave with a stop Saguaro National Park on the way back home. The ride out was a lot of fun with a couple of stream crossings. Guess I missed the memo on bringing the CX bike. The views from Colossal Cave were awesome but the highlight of the ride for me was riding 2 loops through Saguaro National Park. The road was smooth, twisting and hilly. You really can’t ask for a better place to ride. Of course the real fun began after leaving Saguaro N.P. As is often the case, I was riding along, minding my own business when all of a sudden a brick wall jumped out in front of me. Man did I hit that wall hard. I think the exact sequence of events was “Brian, I need some food”, followed by a quick left turn to dive into Walgreen’s for some nutrition. Of course not to be out done Brian, one of the coaches thought it would be a good idea to fuel up as well, with a Snicker’s bar. Good choice, I tend toward Peanut M&Ms myself though. My hat’s off to the cashier and the line of people that formed as I tried to count my change. Just a word of advice, math in public is bad enough add in some caloric deprivation and math becomes downright impossible.

With calories back on board and 1+1 equaling 2 again all was right with the world. It was time to do a nice 30 minute transition run. It was awesome to see Brad on his way back in as I was going out. Then I got to run with Eric and Gus for a bit. My hat’s off to Gus I didn’t think he actually had a small chain ring on his bike because I don’t think I saw him use it once today. All in all a pretty great day spent with a pretty great bunch of guys. Best part is I get to do it all over again tomorrow.

Daily MVP Scott L.

Tucson Winter Training Camp Day 2

2010-03-01T22:44:00.004-07:00

There is a saying in New England that if you do not like the weather - wait a minute. I guess the same is true for Tucson! After a day of down pouring rain and 42 degree temps - we awoke today to sunshine and warm temperatures.

The game plan was to hit all three disciplines today:

90 minute swim
4 hour bike ride
30 minute run

After our morning coffee run we headed over to the Oro Valley pool - which is about 20 minutes from our hotel. Check out this picture I took of the pool this AM.

It is hard not get motivated to swim here. Swimming is right up there with going to the dentist with me. I never swam competitevly as a kid, and only started to swim when I turned 40. Every year I put in just enough swimming to get through an Ironman swim in July. So as of this morning I had not swam since last July. The swim workout started out slow for me, but one of the camp coaches (Brian) jumped in the lane next to me and started to make some suggestions. This was a great day to try some new things and sure enough these suggestions started to work. For the first time in awhile I actually feel like I might have something positive happening for me in the water. The coaches put everyone through a solid 90 minute workout in the pool. This group of athletes has a great attitude and everyone seemd to enjoy the swim.

The temps continued to ride and by 11:30 AM we were in the low 70's. Time to get on the bikes. Today's ride was going to take us to Colossal Cave - which is a nice 26 mile steady climb from the hotel. A few of the athletes were christening their new bikes today - which was very cool. We headed out on the ride and after about 5 miles you are in southwest countryside with city views to your right and mountain views to your left. I have done this ride now for the last four years and I really enjoy it. I know the roads and realize that the hard work is done in the first 90 minutes. Here is the elevation chart for this ride and as you can see again this desert ain't flat.

The group spread a little but regrouped at the Cave - before heading back. The coaches told us that we were not going straight home - instead we would be making a stop at the Saguaro National Park to do 2 loops of the rolling 9 mile road that winds through this beautiful park. I got my second wind on the downhill ride from the Cave to the Park and the miles just clicked away. Once we got to the park we headed out on the loop. This photo shows just how great this park is:

We headed back to the hotel with the entire ride being a little over 60 miles. A quick change into running shoes and we were out for a 3o minute run. My legs actually felt pretty good on this run which surprised me as I thought that after the ride I was done. A good sign of my current fitness level.

I am a good tired right now - a solid day of training in the books.

Heading out to dinner shortly.

Camper Jeff M.

Tucson Winter Training Camp Day 1

2010-03-01T22:40:00.003-07:00

Easy to wake up the first day out west after you travel from the east. Our internal clocks have us thinking it is really 6:00 AM when it is actually 4:00 AM in Tucson. It rained hard last night and showers are lingering here this morning. A coffee run at 6:15 AM to Starbucks was well attended. Tom and Huck from Missouri and Gus all understand that a little caffeine is one of the secrets to surviving camp.

We headed over to Sabino Canyon to run the trails in this magnificent park. This is one of two national parks within the Tucson city limits that have wonderful trails that show off this areas southwest landscape. The idea this morning was to run for 90 minutes on a trail called the telephone line trail. The trail starts out flat and then begins to climb at mile 1. At mile one we were at 2800 ft of elevation. Many people think the desert is flat this park redefines that. From mile 1 to mile 4.5 the trail climbs 1200 ft of elevation. This is single track trail with switchbacks all the way up. The rain intensified on the run and as we gained elevation the temperature began to drop. There a few sections of the trail that are a little dicey with little margin for error and a steep drop off below. The rain made it interesting and you certainly needed to stay focused on the run. At mile 4.5 the trails descends down to a road which is used for walkers and hikers to enjoy the park. I took it easy going up the trail as this type of running wreaks havoc on my back. The uphill is not that bad, but the rock hopping on the descent has me wincing from time to time. After you get to the road the run is a nice 3.5 mile rolling course back to the parking lot. At elevation here in the desert there is plenty of snow. This time of year the snow melts and when it combines with rain - it washes out portions of the road. On the way back we had to traverse through 5 or 6 of these wash out bridges - running through water that was up to our shins. That water had to be about 40 degrees which created a chill to the body.

Here is the elevation chart for this morning's run:

We headed back to the hotel for a quick shower - which took the chill off and then searched for any warm closed that we packed. A quick trip to Jamba Juice for a breakfast smoothie was enjoyed by all. Jamba also makes WheatGrass shots for the true health enthusiast. It has become an annual tradition to down one of these. Gus bought us all a shot. Think of the bottom of you lawn mower after cutting your lawn on a wet day. Now grind that grass up and drink it. Enough said.

Camper Jeff M.

The skinny on compression gear

2010-02-19T23:11:00.001-07:00

There’s compression gear and there’s tight fitting clothing. One is proven to work through medical design and testing. The other may work minimally or not at all. By “work” I mean promote circulation back to the heart to reduce lactic buildup and post event soreness (DOMS—Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) and promote recovery. Tight clothing can restrict blood flow and thus oxygen to the muscles needed for work or limit the lactic recycling out of the muscles for recovery.
First, don't waste money on non medical grade compression gear. Get the good stuff. By that I mean the medically designed gear with specific zones or areas for increased and decreased compression based on your body’s muscle groups and their locations in your body. For the calves, it is preferable to go with full socks or the blood can pool in your feet unless you're actively running. As for tights vs socks, tights are better for full recovery, but can get hot in the summer and after racing causing your body to have to work to reduce the heat, so they can be doing negative work at the same time. The best option is to get both socks and tights and use them based on a variety of factors. The Zoot CompressRX line is medically designed compression gear. Most others are just tight clothing that restrict circulation rather than promote it.
The other reason Zoot gear is superior is that it is designed with circumference based sizing. Most other gear is small, medium, large—not as specific for fitting. Be very specific with sizing. Getting the right size is as important as the gear itself.
If you only get one thing, get Zoot socks. If you have the ability to spend some coin, get a set of the Zoot Recovery tights and a set of the socks--tights for right after races and while traveling, socks while in school and walking around. You’ll also want a Recovery top for traveling and post-race on cooler days. Compression gear while actively training is second in effectiveness than for recovery. If you can swing it, get some active recovery gear. If you can only afford one set, get some designed for recovery.
You can get the entire line of Zoot compression gear at Trisports.com (and use code GEC-S for 10% off).

Brian

Pedaling Efficiency

2010-01-02T01:24:00.002-07:00

Last week I had an opportunity to jump on the CompuTrainer at Coach Grasky's house and do a spinscan. When I first got on and started seeing my efficiency numbers I thought "there is no way my efficiency is that bad". Well it was! I was in the low 50's and good cyclists are typically in the 70 or above. Luckily for me my power was pretty much split 50/50 between my two legs. My cadence for the initial spin scan was in the high 80's low 90's. Which again I thought was optimal for me.

So after some discussion with Brian regarding my stroke and cadence I started back up again. This time really focusing on more of a cross country skier motion. Brian also had me slow my cadence down to around 75rpm. This time my efficiency shot up into the high 70's and I was riding faster with less power than the initial test. I was ready to jump off the bike and call it success :)

We talked a little more and decided that I should take the CompuTrainer home with me and continue to work on my pedal stroke while also changing up my cadence to see how it impacts efficiency.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be spending some quality time on the CT to really get things dialed in.

Based on my recent rides having the SpinScan done has proved highly beneficial. Not only am I producing more speed with less power but my legs feel so much better on my rides.

If you want to improve your cycling I highly recommend having a spinscan done.

Brian Nath
Coach, Grasky Endurance Coaching
USAT Level 1 Certified Triathlon Coach
www.graskyendurance.com

Healthy Holidays

2009-12-14T09:21:00.003-07:00

If there is a difficult time of the year to watch your diet, it’s now. You might still be munching on Halloween candy, the big Thanksgiving meal is still hanging out in you lower GI and the holiday parties that abound in December begin this weekend. Couple that with a slowdown in training and we might just find ourselves five or ten pounds heavier. So, here’s a little damage control. It’s still over 13 weeks till Firebird Triathlon in Chandler and 15 weeks till Lake Havasu Tri March 20th. Spend the next four weeks making informed choices with your diet and putting in some base training. You’ll burn those fat stores for energy and those five to ten pounds won’t seem like such a problem at the start of your 12 week cycle of training for a spring triathlon.

Additionally, put the holidays in perspective. It’s 4-6 weeks out of 52 in a year or about 10% of the year. It’s what you do the other 90% that significantly affects your health and performance. Since we all know the holidays can be a battle ground for the diet conscious, have a plan to stay on a healthy course, e.g., eat salads, fruits and vegetables before digging into the chips, cheeses and heavy casserole dishes. Think ahead and make healthy choices. Do not skip meals in anticipation of a party or large meal. You will be more apt to overeat- this is a bad habit to get into. Continue with at least 3 meals per day plus healthy snacks. Drink plenty of water between meals. This keeps you hydrated, aids in digestion and elimination of waste products. Also, thirst can also be confused with hunger and cause you to drink too much of a high calorie liquid. Eggnog, for example, has about the same number of calories as a piece of pie. Spend your calories carefully. If you are really looking forward to having something that only comes around once per year have it, but avoid something else that may be high in calories and is more common, something you can get anytime. Step away from the food table to visit. It is very easy to keep eating when socializing and thoughtlessly take in too many calories. Find a place away from the food to visit and play games. Get active. Gathering with family, friends and co-workers doesn’t have to be all about food. Try taking a walk or drive around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights; play Twister; wrestle with the kids; organize a comedy club night instead of a large dinner party. Maintain base training from now until the end of the year- don’t wait until January 1st. Incorporate a new food into holiday meals. Try a new recipe this season. Try a new fresh vegetable or fruit salad; add in brussel sprouts, squash, mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes, cut some of the sugar and marshmallows out of the sweet potatoes, make a low fat cheesecake and substitute Splenda in place of sugar. Remember the standards as well: Be Satisfied with small amounts of food. Avoid concentrated sweets and sugar. Appreciate food quality, not quantity. Take your time eating. Chew your food well (approximately 20 times for each bite) before swallowing. Stop eating at the first sign of fullness. Remember to avoid “mindless eating” and make informed decisions. Now is the time to take control of your diet so that you can go into the new-year one step ahead.

Brandon Nichols, RD, CSSD
(Registered Dietitian, Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics) specializednutrition@gmail.com
520-249-1599 for a consultation.

Ironman!

2009-11-25T21:33:00.007-07:00

GEC had a big day this year at Ironman Arizona. Big breakthroughs!

Tucsonans Cheryl Palen, Michael McClure, Sylvain Lebreton, and Joe McNally all became IRONMEN after training on GEC plans and guidance.

Then GEC full-time athletes finished and all raced to new Personal Records at Ironman!
- Scott LaRoche finished Ironman #2 with a breakthrough finish. Scott just returned from Afghanistan (US Air Force Fighter Pilot) where his only cycling was on the rollers, his swimming was on stretch cords, and his running consisted of a single, monotonous road. We spoke before the race about how this was not necessarily going to be his year to PR. He decided to prove me wrong and went 10:40 for a 20-minute PR. I was floored. Impressive.
- Owen Paulus came off a nagging running injury and a severe bout with the piggy fly to run sub-4:00 for the first time and come in at 10:29. Wow.
- Polita Paulus als had some running setbacks late season and was worried going into the race that things weren't going well. She held tough and we built a taper plan to get in some late running, and she performed great on race day! 11:07
- Joe McNally PR'd by one hour! His plan was to break 13:00, so he and Bill put together a plan. Joe was successful and went 12:52! Well done.

Brad Hendron stole the show, however. Brad and I have worked together for a number of years, and have lately really worked hard to get under 10 at IM and get him to Kona. When we started, Brad was a 13:30 IM and a 5:30 Half IM racer. Cycling was his weakness and was making his run suffer, so we put together a long-term plan to change that. He was always mentally tough--a great thing.
He had a great season last year with some breakthrough results at Olympic and Half IM distances, including an age group win at the Trisports.com HalfMax National Championships and an impressive 4:19 at Soma Half IM. But the IM was still eluding us.
We doubled our efforts, get him on PowerTap to really nail his cycling, and away we went. With a tough, high-volume plan and a small run injury to deal with, Brad held tough through some dark training sessions--both physically before the sun came up and mentally tough.
But he did it.

It's bitter-sweet, however. Although a breakthrough race both mentally and physcially, a 1:30 PR, a 9:33 finish with a PR in all three disciplines, and near flawless race execution, that time did not gain him a Kona slot. I couldn't believe it. Still can't. You can't plan on who else will show up and who will have a great day, too, but in any case, Brad had a great race and is already looking forward to taking time off in 2010. Next year, Brad.

Congratulations to all Ironmen out there. Well done.

Late Season Racing!

2009-11-23T11:42:00.003-07:00

Updates from the late season:

Clearwater 70.3 World Champs--

Kathy Rakel killed it at Cleawater. Although she was 11th in her age group, she was 20th overall amateur! Tough age group! And her time of 4:25 placed her in teh top half of the pro field! Kathy will be moving up to the pro field for the 2010 season.

Scott Perrine had a stellar day as well. Scott was training for Ironman Arizona the following week, so went into Clearwater as a "training race." He killed it for a 20 minute PR with a time of 4:26, feeling relaxed the entire time!

Well done in Clearwater, guys!

Soma Half Ironman--

Kathy killed it here, too. SHe took 4th amateur overall, 2nd in her age group. 4:44.

Rebecca Tschider ran to a huge PR of 5:03 for 2nd in her age group as well! This was a great race for Bec and a huge breakthrough! Congrats!

Austin 70.3--

Jim Williamson completed his first Half Iron race! Not a bad time at all, but more a breakthrough in the distance than anything. Huge kudos to Jim!

Blue Water--

Leo Carrillo continued a great season with a 2nd overall at Blue Water!

On another note, 3 good friends took spills in races and weekend of Soma and Austin. Be careful out there. For John, AJ, and Kel: heal up quickly and get back out there!

Brian

Virginia

2009-11-17T18:41:00.005-07:00

I’m in Virginia for a USAF conference. The conference was not why the day was cool, mind you. After the conference I rushed to the hotel, changed out of my uniform and thanked God for my phone-embedded GPS mapping. I just drove. I’ve never been to VA—all over the Pacific rim, but never to VA. Being somewhat a history buff this is a good place to just drive.

So I rambled upon some pretty cool history. Yorktown is most famous as the site of the surrender of General Cornwallis to General George Washington in 1781. The Yorktown battlefield is a spacious expanse complete with the redoubts and encampment areas from 230 years ago. You can almost see the battles, hear the conversations between Washington and his men, and smell the gunpowder.

Later, during the 1862 Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War (1861–1865), Yorktown was captured from the Confederacy and then used as the base for the Union Army of the Potomac under General George B. McClellan. And as the capitol of the Confederacy, more Civil War battles were fought in VA than any other state. I’ll check those out tomorrow. Just up the road are Jamestown and Williamsburg, among the first permanent settlements on the new continent.

And now, some of the newest and most capable military equipment in the world: Naval Station Norfolk and Naval Air Station Oceana are home to the Atlantic fleet of Naval aircraft carriers, destroyers and submarines and half the US Naval Aircraft; Marine Corps Base Quantico is everything “schoolhouse” to the Marine Corps; Langley AFB is home to the 1st Air Force and the F-22 Raptor, and of course, the “5-sided Puzzle Palace” is here (fighter pilots can’t say the word “Pentagon”). There’s a lot here. In fact, this area is the largest concentration of military bases of any metro area in the world.

Interbike

2009-10-08T10:32:00.006-07:00

If you can imagine a chocoholic spending a week in Hershey, PA, that was my experience at Interbike. (Actually, Hershey could be a good trip for me, too. Watch for a blog on that someday.) Not only is Interbike a great opportunity to network, speak with potential sponsors, and catch up with current sponsors, it’s a great place to drool and gawk. And I did my share of all of it.

I flew up on Tuesday with the Trisports.com crew and went straight to the Outdoor Demo. This is where Hershey lines up everything they make and you get to taste it. (Man, I really need to get to PA.) I brought my MTB shoes and helmet and got in a good workout on some of the latest bikes yet to hit the market, including 29er hardtails, 5” travel trail bikes, and most everything in between. I got to join up and ride with good friend and fellow coach Trevor Glavin. I could finally beat Trevor up the climb on our last circuit. Ok, he was on a 9” travel, 40+ pound DH bike, but I didn’t hold that against him. Bootleg Canyon is a great place to ride.

Wednesday was the start of the actual Interbike show at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas. This is where vendors showed off all the new 2010 stuff and the changes in their lines. Lots of new stuff out there: Zipp’s new Super-9 disk yields aerodynamic and stiffness increases over their standard and sub-9 disks. Check out the CycleOps Joule computer that works with PowerTap. Hammer Nutrition is coming out with a new gel flavor—Montana Huckleberry. Wow! Get your hands on some. Litespeed has carbon now! SRAM’s new XX mountain groupset leaves everything else out there in the dust, quite literally. And TYR now has a wetsuit to add to its unbelievable Sayonara speedsuit.

Genuine Innovations, GEC’s camp sag sponsor for CO2, was there celebrating 20yrs in the industry. Marty, the head cheese there, is not only a super-fast cyclist and triathlete, but is genuinely one of the nicest guys in the world. That they make the best inflation products in the world is a bonus.

Jill flew in on Thursday and we finished the week in vacation mode. I needed the vacation after that week, and we had a great time.

Brian

USAT Level One Coaching Clinic

2009-09-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

By Bill Daniell: Associate Coach, Grasky Endurance Coaching

One of the challenges we face in the coaching world is staying in touch with the latest and greatest in the endurance sports coaching world. Science is constantly reminding us that we are still learning a lot about the human body and how to train it effectively. This is especially true in the sport of Triathlon due to the fact that the sport is so young. Fortunately there are a lot of great educational opportunities for endurance coaches and at Grasky Endurance we are constantly looking at ways to improve our knowledge in an effort to help our athletes. Recently, Coach Brian Nath and I attended the USAT Level One coaching certification clinic in Santa Monica and both walked away with a lot of tools that we know will be beneficial to all the current and future athletes working with Grasky Endurance.

The USAT Level One clinic is a three day seminar that involves approximately 12 different sessions which covers topics such as nutritional strategies, strength training for endurance athletes, mental training, and program development for endurance athletes. We were truly blessed at the Santa Monica clinic because we had several presenters who are considered the leaders in endurance coaching and are current members of the USAT National Team coaching staff and members of the United States Olympic Team coaching staff. As a coach with a very strong swimming background I was even impressed by the amount I was able to take away from the presenter on instructing swim techniques. It was just another reminder about how much we can continue to learn, regardless of how much we may already know. Brian and I were both very impressed by Bobby McGee who gave great talks on mental training for endurance athletes as well as a phenomenal session on proper running techniques. We cannot wait to bring this information back and share it with our athletes. In between all the training sessions Brian and I were able to squeeze in a nice ocean swim (the water was nice and toasty but I think the kelp got the best of Brian!!). We were also able to sneak in a couple of runs and got to experience Venice beach from an up close and personal perspective. Let’s just say that there are some things you can only see in LA!!!

Overall this past weekend was a tremendous learning and networking experience for Brian and I. I am already looking forward to our next educational seminar and even more so I am looking forward to working with our coached athletes and our GEC camps for 2010 where we can take this new found information and share it. As I mentioned before, these seminars make me realize how much great information there is that can be found, and I really think that one of the great benefits of working with the coaching staff at Grasky Endurance is the fact that we all are open minded and looking for new ways to learn from our coaching peers. This not only helps us become better coaches but also makes our athletes better which ultimately is our goal at Grasky Endurance Coaching.

Flagstaff Training Weekend

2009-09-04T17:09:00.005-07:00

Grasky Endurance Coaching just got back from a training weekend in Flagstaff AZ. Those who went had a great weekend of training, altitude, and good food; those who did not go missed out.

Friday was when most of us showed up. Jill and I were late for traffic and other stuff, so everyone was already sitting at Oregano’s when we showed up. It was good to see everyone again—all were either GEC athletes or good friends (or both).

We joined the Pay and Take ride on Saturday. The group was large and fit, and filled with a fair mix of both triathletes and cyclists—most of whom welcomed the other. Every group has its guy who jumps to the front complaining about the “twitchy triathletes”…why is it that that guy is always the worst at holding a line and is the most apt to cause a crash? GEC athletes held on and did well, but with flat tires, dropped bottles, and seeing old friends we got split up, then rejoined, then made it to the turn-around in one short train of green and black. Sweet. There’s not much better than being at 7000’ and 80 degrees on beautiful roads overlooking the mountains. It’s even better when it’s 105 at home! That afternoon the group was sprinkled on by rain on a 6 mile run (while Jill and I had our first experience o a Wii) and got in a nice open water swim in Lake Mary. Big juicy steaks at a great cowboy steak house in the middle of nowhere topped the day.

Brian, Taco Bell is not recovery nutrition

We drove out to Wupatki National Monument on Sunday to ride big climbs with no traffic. There was fresh road construction, but it was still good riding. This ride is tough—descend until you can breath, then climb back into the nosebleed area again. We wanted to do a short brick run, so turned around at 45 minutes and a 3000 feet descent. The climb back was fun. And tough. Brad pushed the pace and did well, and we finished in 2:15 after a total 3.5k’ of climbing. Then a short run and we headed back to camp for grilled burgers and pasta salad by world class outdoor chef yours truly. Ok, world class is a bit of a stretch. Well, so it chef. Or even cook. It was all good until Kathy issued an open challenge on the ping pong table and Brian Nath though he could school me in Foosball. Who says triathletes aren’t well-rounded!?!

If it weren’t for a 90 minute dead stop on I-10 on the way back to town it would have been a glorious weekend! Next time I’m flying!

Brian

Time 2 Tri Program

2009-07-30T22:06:00.000-07:00

Some of you may or may not know that Grasky Endurance Coaching is a sponsor of the Tucson Triathlon Club here in Tucson, Arizona. The TTC has started a new program called the Time2Tri program, which is directed at folks that have had a desire to do a triathlon but needed a little direction. The club started signing up athletes in March at TriFest and received a lot of interest in the program. TTC accepted 20 individuals into the program with many more hoping to get in next year. The program will consist of kickoff meeting, run clinic, bike clinic, swim clinic, a 12-week training program, and group workouts. The ultimate goal is to compete in the Tinfoilman Triathlon at the University of Arizona.

On July 5th the program kicked off at the Firecracker Triathlon here in Tucson. Participants in the program attended the race as spectators so they could see first hand what they are getting into. The participants checked out the transition, swim, bike, and run as GEC coaches Brian Grasky and myself along with mentors from TTC answered questions for the participants. Watching the event got the participants pretty excited to be training and ultimately racing in their first triathlon!

The next day we met as a group at TriSports.com retail store for the official kickoff meeting. The kickoff meeting was used to introduce the participants to all the essential gear for training and ultimately competing in a triathlon. It was a great start to the program.

The past few weeks we have had a running, biking, and swimming clinics. The run clinic was held at Fleet Feet where Jeanne Snell spoke to the group. She discussed everything from selecting the proper running shoe to injury prevention and everything in between.

The bike clinic was held at TriSports.com retail store. Since most of the participants are new to cycling we had a lot to cover! We talked about basic bike needs, group riding etiquette, rules of the road, basic bike maintenance, and how to change a flat. I am pretty good at changing flats but when you put me in front of a crowd it got a little more difficult! By the time I was done most of them were ready to buy a can of pit stop…lol.

Day one of a two-day swim clinic was held last Sunday with Geoff Glaser of Dolphins of the Desert. For most of the participants this was the first time any of them received formal swim instruction so there was a lot of excitement throughout the clinic and are all looking forward to day two this Sunday.

Over the course of the program I will be blogging about the experience so check back for updates on how participants are doing!

Brian Nath
Grasky Endurance Coach

GEC Breakthrough!

2009-07-20T21:37:00.005-07:00

Funny that GEC really grew after my crash 2 years ago, but this weekend (after Jill's crash) GEC had a significant breakthrough in our coaching with both the men's and women's overall wins in a race...

From GEC Coach Brian Nath:

Grasky Endurance was well represented this weekend at the 25th running of the Mountain Man Triathlon in Flagstaff, AZ. The race takes place at 7000 feet at Lake Mary just outside of Flagstaff. In the Olympic distance Leo Carrillo and Kathy Rakel both won 1st overall male and female. This was Leo’s second win in two weeks and he is on track to have a terrific race in Tuscaloosa at USAT Age Group Nationals in a few weeks. Kathy continues to add to her trophy case and will also be racing the the win at Age Group Nationals. Beth Andresen took home second place in her age group in the Olympic--Beth has now placed in her last two races. Jarreu Jones who is a recent addition to GEC competed in his first Olympic distance race and will be competing in his first 1/2 Ironman at SOMA in October. Brian Nath PR’d his Olympic distance time by six minutes, Caryn Nath was 2nd in her AG.

Brian G's note: Leo's SMOKIN time of 58:low was the fastest I've seen on that course in a long time aside from top pros, and Kathy crushed it in a last minute decision to race after a move and new job. I'm impressed!

Congratulations to everyone!

Exploring San Diego by bike…sort of

2009-07-19T11:00:00.001-07:00

We spent the first few days in San Diego playing (working) on Coronado and riding down the strand. Then on Sunday we moved up north to Miramar, from where we were able to ride to and up on the coast highway, through La Jolla and the Torrey Pines area. Beautiful areas and great riding!

On Tuesday after my flight, Jill and I were riding along the coast highway in Carlsbad. I’d ridden from the base while Jill had met me up the road. We were having a great ride and enjoying the perfect afternoon weather (while back home in Tucson it was 110 degrees!). All of a sudden I heard a yelp and looked over to see Jill flying sideways through the air while her bike was diving into the pavement. Not good.

**As you recall, two years ago I was in SoCal when I attempted to separate my foot form my leg. Apparently, SoCal is not the place for the Graskys to take their bikes.

It turns out that Jill’s front wheel had gotten caught in a rut between the pavement and the gutter, and as she pulled it out it over-corrected and turned hard right. The bike dove and she fell and twisted. The problem was the electrical junction box and water valve that were in line with her direction of travel. She hit them both, stopping her cold. A 911 call, 2 lifeguards, an army of paramedics, and an ambulance ride later we find she’d broken 2 ribs, lacerated her spleen and punctured her lung. Owwie.

Meanwhile I have the added worry about the several mortgage payments worth of bikes I’d just left with a lifeguard to throw in the back of his pickup, and not knowing how I was going to get them or my truck. Hmm. Back to the task at hand.
When they found the spleen damage, they decide Jill needed better care, so she got a ride in a helicopter to Scripps Trauma Center. Now I’m jealous. Sort of.

Turns out they didn’t need to operate, thankfully, but she won 3 nights in the hospital and a lot of attention with more blood draws, x-rays and CT scans than I could count. I was able to miss the rest of the week of work and stay with her there. On Friday she was able to go home, and we left San Diego on Saturday.
She’s doing better now, but is quite a bit beat up and sore. This one will take a while to heal, and she’ll be sore for weeks. The worst part will be trying to keep her off her bike until the docs allow it.

Thanks to all of you who prayed and continue to pray for her healing, comfort, and quick recovery.

Oh, and I got the bikes. Not a scratch! Wish I could say that for Jill.

Brian

Getting into Fights at work

2009-07-16T22:16:00.000-07:00

Tuesday started out well. I am in San Diego with the squadron flying against Marine Corps F-18s and was scheduled to fly 1 vs. 1 against one of the Hornets. We met in the airspace and had fuel for 2 engagements. It’s good to fight something other than the standard student-flown F-16, and a combat qualified pilot flying an F-18 is a worthy adversary.

We started the fights nose-to-nose at 500mph each. This type of fighting is a great opportunity to know and practice tactics—to capitalize on your strengths and exploit the adversary’s weaknesses. The Hornet’s strength is slow speed fighting as it can move its nose around quite at will. My strength is to stay fast and use a different style of fighting. He who drives the fight toward his strength will win.

The fight went all over…9 Gs level, then into the vertical, then back to level, …. It was exciting to see the F-18 ‘across the circle,’ or canopy to canopy, him doing everything to take shots on me, me doing everything to take shots at him. Simulated missile shots were taken, but the engagement was only ended and a “kill” was called on a simulated gun hit. Trying to hit a jinking and jiving bandit at ¼ mile away is not the easiest thing to do.

But I won. Did you ever doubt? :)

I learned after the fight that the pilot I was fighting is prepping to head over to the Middle East. I know that no matter what is thrown at him, he’s capable and will handle it with success. Good luck Marine, and may God be with you.

Brian

GEC Elite Team

2009-07-06T09:24:00.002-07:00

So far, the inaugural year of the Grasky Endurance Coaching Elite Team is shaping up well. With GEC, Zoot, Trisports.com, Cycleops, Genuine Innovations, and Rudy Project as sponsors, the Elite Team is set up well and flying fast in GEC colors.

The ultimate question, of course, is how are we doing?

Kathy Rakel is our short-course queen. She started out by winning a local trail race series, then won the TX Best of the US Championship and will be representing her second state in the BoUS National Championship this fall. After that she was top 5 in St Anthony’s in FL and qualified for her pro card a few weeks later at . Just last week, Kathy won her age group and qualified for Clearwater and the Ironman 70.3 World Championship at Buffalo Springs Lake Tri.

Brian Barrett is burning up the XTERRA circuit with an overall win at Deuces Wild and an age group 2nd at the West Cup in Las Vegas. He is sitting in 2nd in the 30-34 age group in XTERRA points, just one race out of first. In a rare road triathlon appearance, Brian finished 2nd overall. Not bad for a fat tire guy.

Brad Hendron has been solid. He was 6th overall at Tempe International as a ‘B’ race, then he finished 2nd overall at Deuces Wild Half Ironman. That qualified him for the HalkMax Championships. But that’s not good enough. He went on to finish 5th in his age group and qualify for Ironman 70.3 Worlds at Buffalo Springs Lake Tri. (He missed a Kona slot by only 5 minutes! Grr!)

I’m cycling now, and won the AZ State Road Race champs. It’s a different type of sport, that’s for sure!

These athletes each represent a different aspect of triathlon and sport and life in general. But what do these athletes have in common? Lots. An intense drive and desire for success (podium slots); a desire to inspire others to greatness; and fervor for life in their quests.

Thanks to all the sponsors and their wonderful help. Look for these and all the GEC athletes flying in Green and Black at the local races near you. They’ll be easy to spot…they’ll be on the ones on the podium.

Brian

Arizona State Road Race Championship Race Report

2009-06-16T19:38:00.002-07:00

Now, I’m not a cyclist. Or, at least I wasn’t. My ankle’s been giving me fits ever since my injury and I’ve gone through every doc in the Tucson book with little love, so I’ve finally accepted that I need to lay off it for a while.

OK, so I’m a cyclist now. Let’s race.

Last weekend was the AZ State Road Race Championship in the garden spot of Globe, AZ. I fly over Globe weekly, and I know for a fact there’s not much down there. I mean not much at all. Good terrain for cycling, though. I decided at the last minute to race, and all (both) of the hotels in town were booked, so we drove up the morning of the race. It meant a 3am wakeup, but traffic was light!

The course was perfect! My ideal course involves some flat sections with rolling hills, and a 1500 foot climb either up to or just prior to the finish. This is going to be fun (and will hurt). There were a lot of Trisports.com teammates in the race. Triathletes in the road race…it was good to see. I’m feeling good on my 15lb Cannondale SuperSix and with this climb, I’m loving my Q-Rings. Bring it!

We start. We ride easy out for a while, then one of my Trisports.com teammates starts a tempo effort off the front to the bottom of the first climb. A little early, but we go. We drop the majority of the pack on the first climbs, but most of them catch back up on the descents. Some of the sprinters put in small attacks on the rollers, but no one gets away. This said, we arrive at the bottom of the last major climb in one big pack. Now it gets fun!

We pick up the pace a little and start pulling a few off the back of the pack. By about a mile up the pack is down to 12 and holding steady. I’m riding 3rd, then 2nd. As the leader pulls off, I attack. When I sit back down, we’re 8 or so. So off I go again. And then there were 6. So I go again. 5. Then 4 on the next attack. At what I assess as a mile from the summit, I put in a big attack, hoping to break the group (and trying to not break myself). It works. I pull ahead and ride as hard as I can for the last mile. Nope, it was 3 miles from the summit. Oops. “Owwie. Stay ahead. This hurts. Please let the summit be around the next corner.”

One guy caught me at the top, and it was a good thing so we could work together to stay ahead on the final descent and flat section. We even caught up to the Cat 4 guys who started 3 minutes in front. At the 1km mark, I find myself on Ryan’s wheel. And there I sit. Ryan goes into a sprint at about 600m, I stay with him, then give it everything I have left at 400m to go. It works.

I pull off after the line, stop the bike, and lay down ready to pass out, vomit, go into convulsions, and celebrate all at the same time. I congratulate Ryan and the rest of the guys, go grab some water, and begin to wonder how it is that a triathlete can win a road race. I still haven’t figured it out.

Thanks to Cannondale for the great SuperSix, Zipp for the 404s, Rotor Cranks for the Q-Rings, and Hammer Nutrition for keeping my energy up in training.

Brian

The people you meet

2009-05-31T07:45:00.003-07:00

I'm sitting on the tailgate in Silver City NM. It's a nice day, Jill's riding, and I came back early from a tweaked knee. Up drives a beat up older car. A guy gets out with 2 blue heelers and proceeds up the trail for a hike. Nice guy. Says "hello, nice day out." I agree and wish him a good hike. He's limping quite a bit, not walking too comfortably. The dogs stay right at his heels.

A little bit later, the guy comes back down and sparks up small talk again. Jill says something about seeing him up on the trail, and i hear him say something about having a purple heart medal. I look up and walk over, interested in hearing his story.

This guy who is now hiking daily with a limp and rough gate has quite a history. He was a combat medic in Viet Nam. He was hit 19 times and was awarded the Purple Heart for being wounded in action 5 times. He is credited for saving 119 lives in 11 months and 17 days. His job was not just to administer morphine and patch up a bulet hole. This HERO would walk Into the Mouth of the Cat when a brother soldier was wounded. He would run toward enemy fire, taking some himself, in order to save a life. I was humbled hearing his story.

It's days like this that I cherish life as an American and humbly thank all those who served to give me the opportunity to live where and how I do. My dad was one of those men, and I'll never be able to thank him enough.

And I hope those 119 families whose loved ones are here because of this man understand what price he paid to bring those guys back.

Brian

USAT All Americans

2009-05-27T13:15:00.002-07:00

Congrats to all the GEC USAT All-Americans for 2008:

USA Triathlon awards points for all sanctioned races. The top 5% in their division are chosen as All_American. This year is GEC's best year for All-American athletes.

Brian Barrett #3 in Off Road,
Kathy Rakel #7,
and Brad Hendron, Mike Neighbors, Leo Carrillo.

Honorable Mentions: Dan Perkins.

Congrats all!

GEC's High Endurance Ironman Training Camp Wrapup

2009-05-23T19:19:00.010-07:00

It's a wrap, friends. The 2nd Annual Grasky Endurance Coaching High Altitude Ironman Training Camp is in the books. We had a great group of 5 for this camp who got along and meshed well. They were very close to the same speed, but each progressed a bit differently during the camp. Luc was strong from the start, Shawn was a bit reserved but came on strong as the week went on, Polita showed everyone up on day 6, and Owen and Angie were steady from the gate. I think all of them will go home and (after a rest period) will realize the training this week will make their seasons shine.

Thanks to all the help from Coach Bill and from worker bee Jill. This camp would not have been possible without each of you. Bill took on the swimming and running sessions, and helped in the core strength and flexibility sessions, evening talks, and cycling. Jill cooked, cleaned, drove sag, ran errands, and took care of us while we played....er, I mean trained.

Thanks for the athletes. Awesome job to all of you!

Thanks to the sponsors:
- Hammer Nutrition
- Genuine Innovations CO2 and inflation
- Trisports.com
- Michelin Tires and Tubes
- Dr Hoys Pain Relief Gel

By the numbers:

Total Volume: 25 hrs

Swim: 4:00, 10,000 yds
Bike: 15:30, 300 miles (for those showing up a day early)
Run: 5:30, 40 miles

Rain: 1.5 inches

Flat tires: 1 (yes, only ONE!!)
Water Bottles: 25

Cans of Hammer Nutrition Product: 4
Hammer Gels: 24
Hammer Bars: 14

Some pics from the camp:

See you all next year!!! (Or in September...)

GEC's High Endurance Ironman Training Camp--Day 5 guest blogger Angie

2009-05-22T21:05:00.003-07:00

Editor's note: Angie has been "steady Betty" all week long--solid on the rides, runs and swims, on time for everything, and always ready for whatever we handed out. She wins MVP today for being ready to go on all today's workouts. Congrats, Angie!

Day 5 by Angie...

Another cold and rainy day in Arizona. What’s up with that? I heard the rain all night drumming on the roof of our cabin. It did help make me sleep well, however, there was this prospect of swimming in the lake in the morning. Cold and wet, hmm, I only know that from the California 70.3. Certainly not from AZ.

So, sure enough, when we got started it was still raining. We drove to the lake, got into the wetsuits (which was actually nice as they were keeping as warm – at least for the moment) and then off into the lake. The water was definitely colder than Monday but still quite manageable.

I figured this wasn’t my day to drown in a lake so I opted out of the ~1.2 mile swim and instead worked on swimming straight for 30min. Felt pretty good. Once the others were done with their longer swim Owen and Bill decided to swim without wetsuits for a moment. Crazy Guys!

After that ”cool” swim session we made our way to Starbucks. Glorious warm coffee. So good!

The coffee was topped however by Bills’ excellent breakfast burritos that he decided to make for us once we were back at the cabin. Big thanks to Bill. Those were delicious.

Now, the last half day of camp will be tomorrow so after having all those culinary highlights we had to start packing. Wasn’t too hard for me as I did not have to take my bike apart. It fits very well into the Mini Cooper by just taking the front wheel off. So, I was done with that pretty quickly and hang out reading in my room waiting for our 2:00PM run to start. It had kinda stopped raining sometime between the swim and the burritos but sure enough it started just in time for the run again.

Bill, Luc and myself ran anyway to the Flagstaff Athletic Center . On the way there we encountered two vicious beasts. Well, actually, two Boxers not on a leash and the owner pretty far away. Fortunately, the dogs decided not to attack us after all but it was a bit sketchy there for a moment. The rest of the run was much more uneventful. Just a nice run, no issues.

We met the other guys at the gym to do our, get this, second swim workout of the day. This time in a pool. Let me just say, I enjoyed the run much more than the swim. Nice swim, no doubt, but, boy, I was hurting.

After the little swim session we got a short education in core and stability moves. Ok, so the last part of my body that wasn’t hurting yet, the abs, started burning as well. Nice job, coaches! No, seriously, very useful stuff. I’ll definitely change my core program now. First I have to get one of those funky balls, though.

Finally, we ended the day at Beaver Street Brewery for a delicious dinner. Well, not quite true. The rest of the gang is still at the Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream. Hmm, think I’ll have that tomorrow after our final run.

That’s all folks. Gotta go hit the sack!

Angie

GEC's High Endurance Ironman Training Camp--Day 5

2009-05-21T22:09:00.005-07:00

Guest Blogger: Shawn

After yesterday’s epic downpour, the campers were hoping for some better weather today. Since the lightning cut our big ride short yesterday, the call was to move a little extra bike volume today, rather than having it be a lighter day per the schedule. Unfortunately, the cool and cloudy weather was here to stay. The original plan was to swim early and ride from the swim venue, but the GEC staff made a game-time decision to ride early instead, in an attempt to beat the rain.

We loaded our bikes and run gear onto the truck and rolled out at 7. It was raining a bit and the temperature was about 50 degrees. That’s right, straight up Seattle weather, people. As we drove out of town, the temp continued to drop and the roads got wetter. Campers: skeptical.

Shortly we pulled into the visitor center at the Sunset Crater National Monument and got rolling. Within a mile of the parking lot, the roads were dry and the sky had lightened. The route was an out-and-back, approximately 30 miles each way. The ride started with some steep rollers by a moonscape of 1,000 year old lava flows (they didn’t look a day over 20, btw), then over 20 miles of steady decent down to the valley floor. A drop of well over 3,000 feet over that distance, but on almost perfectly smooth new blacktop and basically zero traffic.

Luc, Owen, and I knew not to pass this up and started rotating, doing well over 35mph for mile after mile down the shallow grade. Soon we discovered that Brian and Bill were attempting to catch us, which just wouldn’t do, so we picked it up a bit and kept our momentum. But each of us was thinking about what the return trip was going to be like after all that descending.

As always, Jill was out covering the route and picking just the right resupply points. We stopped to get more water and Brian and Bill linked up with us about 6 miles from the turn around. Polita rolled in shortly after as well, and Angie had turned back just a little before.

After 5 days of complaining about the altitude getting me down, I was starting to feel better today. One of the things Brian and Bill have been helping me work through is my ongoing saga of difficulty getting calories down on the bike. Bill had the good idea of lowering my sights a bit to 200 cals an hour to see how that went. Brian thought I should try to get more clean water down as well – versus just NUUN water from prior days. This was one of my big focuses today. So some adjustment to the altitude plus a better experience getting fuel in me really made a big difference in how I felt. The ride back up that grade was a lot of fun as we pacelined at 20-25mph into the wind, up a long hill. Awesome stuff, and the ride back went fast, with just one refuel stop.

Brian and I went off the front a bit in the last few miles, where the climbs got steeper. That guy can turn power out of the saddle for what seems like forever. Ouch. Not to be outdone, Luc managed to catch us just before the finish of the ride. What a machine that guy is.

We all made it back to the parking lot about the same time, and it was time to run. Jill had picked out a trail run for us that “started out uphill”. The plan was for an hour run. 25 minutes into it, we had gained 1000 feet on a road that had to be a 15-20% grade in some places, and run-walk was the only way to hold it together. Any energy we had left in us was left on that trail! So we headed back down and got the balance on the run out on the road. Mmmm, pavement.

A great workout and really great logistics on the part of the GEC staff on turning what could have been a rough day into an absolutely great training day in all aspects. Between training out to the Grand Canyon and today’s outstanding workout, we’ve had some great highlights.

This afternoon we went for a swim at the local pool. The pool ended up being an odd length 20ish yard pool, but we did a quick workout and then got a chance to have our swim videoed and analyzed by a truly top notch swimmer, which is a rare opportunity.

It was a great day in Flagstaff!

Shawn

GEC's High Endurance Ironman Training Camp--Day 4...guest blogger Polita

2009-05-20T22:02:00.001-07:00

I was the lucky winner of the 'best in the face of adversity' title today, so I'm today's guest blogger. Hello web-o-sphere!

Tuesday night in the Grand Canyon ended roughly for me; I had an upset stomach that kept me from getting any food down at dinner, and my sleep was interrupted by chills and fever in turn. Wednesday didn't start much better; I was still nauseated but I got a few calories down at breakfast. The plan was to ride from the Grand Canyon back to Flagstaff, possibly with an extra climb up Mt. Humphries for the most hardy of us.

We stopped at the general store on the way out, and Shawn bought more Gatorade than he could carry, but Sherpa Owen helped out. We rolled out of the Grand Canyon together after a quick group shot at the rim. I wasn't sure how I was going to do without much food, but I wanted to try, so I hung at the back of the pack. Our first bike leg was nearly exactly 30 miles to the gas station, and I mentally committed to at least getting there before waving the white flag. It was mostly downhill with some short climbs, so how bad could it be? Twenty miles in, I had lost sight of everyone else in the group and was struggling to make the pedals go around, when Brian returned to help me get in. The company was nice, but I could hear his freewheel spinning when he coasted and figured it probably wasn't that much fun for him. Ten impossibly long miles later, I called it a day at the gas station and loaded my bike onto the Suburban. The whole group was there, and everyone else headed out for the long flat stretch before the climb over the mountains back to Flagstaff.

Jill and I leapfrogged the riders in the truck, with quick stops to get some action shots as they went by. The weather was turning colder, but the grey clouds with smears stretching down to the mountains in front of us were more foreboding. About 20 miles past the gas station, Angie called it a day and climbed in the truck. Owen, Luc, and Shawn were making great progress in their paceline. Brian and Bill looked like twins in their matching kits and were moving quickly, but not quite fast enough to catch the other three guys.

The rain started coming down, drizzling at first, then picking up. A few cracks of thunder and some distant lightning later, and we went to pick up Shawn, Owen, and Luc. As Shawn said "it doesn't seem that bad", thunder boomed above and convinced the Seattleites to climb in the truck. Luc wasn't as easily convinced, and he rode off into the greyness. Five of us in the Suburban headed back for Brian and Bill, who were thoroughly soaked by then. Bill and Brian didn't put up a fight and soon we were seven. We all worried about leaving Luc, the one camper riding a metal bike frame, to ride through the lightning storm.

As we drove on, rain turned to torrents. After driving what seemed like miles without seeing Luc, we had just about decided we must have missed him when we finally spotted him ahead. We parked the truck at the turnoff for Mt. Humphries, ostensibly to help Luc, but really to make sure he didn't make the turn to head up the mountain. Wow, Luc is tough. Brian gave him directions through Flagstaff, and we marvelled at the standing water in all the city streets and the rain that turned into sleet, then hail. Sure enough, Luc pulled into camp not long after we did, and made a beeline for the hot shower. We all have more respect for Luc tonight.

After showers, lunch, and naps (for some of us) and easy runs (for others of us), Jill made yummy soup for dinner. We talked about recovery after dinner and plans for tomorrow. I'm hoping for a solid stomach tomorrow to get through our swim, bike, and run, while everyone else is keeping their fingers crossed for better weather.

Polita

GEC's High Endurance Ironman Training Camp--Day 4

2009-05-20T21:43:00.002-07:00

Today started out as a nice day--beautiful weather at the Grand Canyon made for a nice morning.

We took off toward Flagstaff, but the weather got worse as we got closer. Bill and I found ourselves playing catch up again (Ugh) but we worked well together. From the Grand Canyon, we drop 1000 feet, then climb 2000, before descending back to 7000. Lots of climbing makes for a tough day. Luc does a better job talking about the weather, so read his blog. Basically (except for Luc) this became our recovery day.

Overall, how are things going? Very well. We're having fun with a good group. Tomorrow will be a good day--we'll see how the weather holds, but we have some good stuff planned in all three sports.

Oh, the plugs...
- 6 people on PowerTaps in the rain...no problems.
- Zoot rain shell...awesome.
- GEC cycling gear...top notch.
- Cannondale System Six...fearless.
- Zipp 606...no problems with 200 miles in 3 days.
- Michelin Krylions...no flats.
- Dr Hoys pain relief gel...no sore muscles.
- Rudy Project Noyz and Actyum...solid.
Thanks!

GEC's High Endurance Ironman Training Camp--Day 4...guest blogger Luc

2009-05-20T21:42:00.002-07:00

Day 4: Guest Blogger Luc

Today started out as a nice day. We had a walk along the South Rim at sunrise – sunshine was unfortunately only for half of the day.
Shawn, Owen, and I headed out at a good pace from the Grand Canyon Village back towards Flagstaff. As we got closer to Flagstaff, the weather conditions gradually worsened. Up ahead, we could see a few lightning flashes over the mountains. Fortunately, it was only light rain and some wet roads, things were not so bad.

Eventually, Jill came with the van and suggested we call it a day. I really wanted to finish the ride, was in a good mood to finish and had fresh legs, so I decided to continue on alone for the remaining 30 miles of the ride. As I got closer to Flagstaff, the rain was getting much heavier, and the temperature was dropping, but it wasn’t too bad - I’ve ridden in worse before. In Germany and Switzerland, my wife and I did 10 days of rain riding in a row, so a little while in the rain didn’t bother me.

Things went fine until I got into Floodstaff, I mean Flagstaff, where riding through town was just about impossible. The heavy rains were creating rivers in the roads, and I was forced to ride on the sidewalks, and getting drenched by passing cars.

But finally I made it back to the cabins – wet and cold but having completed the full ride. We even managed a short run after the ride.

GEC's High Endurance Ironman Training Camp--Day 3

2009-05-19T22:11:00.002-07:00

Any day is a good day in my book when a swim in canceled or replaced with a bike ride. Today the weather forecast called for some afternoon showers and thunderstorms, so we elected to skip the swim and ride earlier. We left near 7am and headed north. The scenery in Flagstaff is amazing--pine and aspen forests, snow on the mountain, open meadows filled with wildlife. We got to ride through all of that and some high desert on the way to the Grand Canyon.

On the way, though, we had to endure 85 miles of pain. We started from the cabin and rode together through town, then we split up a bit. Shawn, Owen, and Luc were off the front, Polita was in the middle, and Angie steady at the end of the train. Bill and I rotated through, then decided to catch the leaders again. We put the hammer down for over 20 miles, and could not catch the train on the front. They were flying. We did what we could and got closer, but could not catch up. It was fun to try, though! Luc, the bike powerhouse, won today's MVP award for riding everyone off his wheel at one point or another.

The group rode steady all day. When we reached the Grand Canyon, we were all relatively close together. As we entered the park, Owen and Polita turned our attention to 4 elk grazing just off the road, then we saw deer grazing near our hotel that evening. We went straight to the rim of the canyon, gazed, awed, and shot photos, then went to the hotel.

After a short break to clean up and get some food in, we walked back to the rim. We couldn't check into the hotel right away, so we had some time to kill. Once we did check in, it was run time. I got some down time since my ankle is still tweaky, but the group ran an hour or so along the Grand Canyon rim. After that ride, I was impressed.

Then, dinner and bed time. Strong day for everyone today. The group meshes well and gets along great. It's great when they do. Shawn is strong here and I expect great things. Angie is steady and will get stronger as the week progresses. Owen and Polita are really showing improvement since we started working together and will have great seasons in front of them. Luc is a joy to have at camp, and although an accomplished cyclist, he's relatively new to triathlon.

Tomorrow, we ride back to Flagstaff, stopping along the way to climb up to the ski area (110 miles, over 5000' climbing), then a short brick run. This will be the mental toughness day.

(I've got some great photos. Check back when i have a good connection and i'll have them posted)

GEC's High Endurance Ironman Training Camp--Day 2 by Owen

2009-05-19T05:50:00.002-07:00

Grasky Camp – Day 2

Guest Blogger: Owen

I found out tonight that Brian has a policy of rotating who blogs from camp, and tonight I’m the lucky winner due to my perseverance through some bike “issues”. I brought my Guru on the plane with me on Saturday and all seemed well on assembly. About 30 mins into our bonus Sun AM bike ride to Sedona (camp officially started Sunday PM, but Shawn, Polita, Luc, and I were eager to make the most of our time here), we stopped at an overlook and I took a look at why my front derailleur was rubbing in some gears. Sadly, I realized the front hanger was half broken. We had the bright idea of trying to adjust the clamp over the fracture, but the hanger ended up snapping off completely. Called Brian to see if he had an extra bike just laying around – and luckily he did. At this point, P and I headed back to the cabins to setup Brian’s Kueen K for me to finish the days ride. It’s a nice bike and I got it fitting me pretty fast. Only problem is it had serious shifting problems. Was good for the day, but not great for the big days ahead. As luck would have it, Bill was coming up that day and brought 2 bikes. He was kind enough to lend me his race bike, so 3rd bike in two days! I’m still tweaking, but I think I’ve got it just about dialed in for the big ride to the grand canyon tomorrow. Anyhow, enough about that – what about day 2!?

Breakfast was at 7:30 today, then we were on the road by about 9. We loaded up Bill’s suburban to avoid some road construction and started our ride from Lake Mary. We did the bike from a half iron race in Flagstaff - 2 loops around Mormon Lake and back to Lake Mary. Nice quiet roads, great weather, and good views. We’re all riding power and you can see the impact of the altitude on the power you can sustain, but it seems like the reduced air resistance makes up for it, because we were averaging 20 mph. The group rode well together, tho I could tell Luc was itching to put the hammer down on some of the short climbs :-). Brian was rockin a road bike with Zipps and he really loved those downhills. Back to Lake Mary and we took a few minutes to fuel up and relax before putting on the wetsuits and hitting the water. The water was pretty nice, probably in the low 60s. Did some swimming back and forth along the shore and got out as we heard some thunder (and a few people spotted lightning). Piled in the car and headed back for some down time. Great first full day of camp.

Back for the evening, we had a great home cooked dinner thanks to Jill. Lot’s of time to relax and then we talked swimming with Bill (did I mention that guy can swim!). Tomorrow we get an early start and head to the Grand Canyon. Looking forward to the ride, and I think everyone is excited to run along the rim.

Owen

GEC's High Endurance Ironman Training Camp--Day 2

2009-05-18T21:22:00.003-07:00

Day two in the books.

Breakfast was followed by a 50 mile ride around Mormon Lake--rolling hills, scenic pine trees, 80 degree temps, and good company. There were two stop signs on the route, and I think 3 cars passed us all day. No kidding. Perfect. Owen was on a new bike as his broke on the trip up--he had a great attitude about it and just tweaked Bill's TT bike and rode it all day. No complaints to be on a new bike for the week. I'm just glad we had a bike for him. And on it, we had a hard time pulling him back.

One thing I noticed, was that everyone was on PowerTaps today. Nice!

We followed that with a nice swim in Lake Mary. The water as about 62 or so, so very nice with a wetsuit. My Zoot Zenith is perfect--a great wetsuit and kinda cool looking, if I do say so myself. We did sighting drills and straight swimming drills, but mostly just enjoyed the cool water after the ride. Then the people down the beach with the jet skis tried ruining the day by stealing my Zoot sandals. Those are the best sandals I've worn, so I wasn't about to let that go. I got them back. Some people. Grrr.

We had some down time as the thunderstorm rolled over, then Jill made a great pasta with Butternut squash and shrimp for dinner. After that, Bill spoke on the ebbs and flows of swim training for triathletes. Bill's a life-long swimmer and is the first out of the water wherever he goes, so he's definitely one to listen to.

Those here seem to be enjoying the weather, scenery, routes, and training. You guys not here...you're missing out.

Tomorrow: Ride 90mi to the Grand Canyon and run at sunset along the rim. Where else can you do this and call it "training?"

Brian

GEC's High Endurance Ironman Training Camp--Day 1

2009-05-18T15:29:00.002-07:00

Year 2 for the GEC High Altitude Ironman Training Camp in Flagstaff, AZ. It's only at 7000 feet--no big deal, right!?!?

We've got a great group:
- Owen and Polita are a couple from Seattle. Their 'A' race is Ironman Canada in Aug. They've been GEC athletes for 1.5 years, and are doing well. Their sense of humor is a great asset to camp.
- Shawn is a friend of theirs from Seattle and is racing IM Canada as well. Shawn's coached by a great friend, Jonser, and is a solid athlete.
- Angie is a repeat athlete for the High Altitude Camp. She had a solid week and season last year, and is looking for the same this year. She's being coached by GEC's Bill Daniell and is aiming for IM Cozumel. Talk about a destination race!
- Luc is our Canadian. He's the oldest athlete but that's not fooling anyone. Strong on the bike, Luc is ready for the long days.
- Add to this our coaches: Bill is a solid triathlete and a world-class swimmer; Jill is the camp cook and hostess; and yours truly tries to hang on and act like i know what I'm doing. I surround myself by good people so they make me look good.

The week will include about 30 hours of training, lots of recovery, and a tens of thousands of calories. We've got great support by Hammer Nutrition, Trisports.com, Genuine Innovations inflation, Zoot multisport wear, Michelin tires and tubes, Dr Hoys pain relief gel, CycleOps and PowerTap, and Zipp wheels.

Tonight was simply a meet and greet and dinner. Holy Cow Shawn can eat. Based on his caloric intake, he's going to be on fire on tomorrow's ride.

The Tour of the Tucson Mountains

2009-05-16T08:02:00.005-07:00

One of the local Tucson races is the TTM. Like most tours, the TTM is either a race, a tour, or a fitness challenge depending on your approach to it. My approach? Race. Surprise, surprise.

Equipment: Cannondale System Six, Zipp 808 rear wheel with PowerTap SL+, Zipp 404 front, Zipp Tangente tires. The goal was to make “Platinum.” This allows for a front line starting spot on all subsequent tours and, really, bragging rights. Sub-3hrs for the 72 miles to make Platinum.

Not apparent by its name, the course is mainly flat with a few shallow climbs. It circles the Tucson Mountains on the west side of Tucson from Marana, winding up and over Ajo Way made famous by the Tuesday Shootout ride, out to Ryan Airfield, then north up and through Saguaro National Monument before finishing in Marana again. If you choose to look at something other than the guy you’re drafting, you won’t find a route with more towering and flowering Saguaro Cactus in the world. If you are drafting, don’t look around, please.

I started in the middle after being too much a wimp to stand the cold of getting there any earlier. At the gun, the group moseyed off as I bobbed and weaved more than Rocky to get through the packs of rides and onto the lead pack. In this tour, like any other, if you’re not on the lead pack, you’re out of the race.

For the next 70 miles I sat in the lead pack, moving around here and there to avoid the occasional crash and get around those looking like they’re about to pop off the back. I made it into a good position before the Ajo climb and the turn onto Sandario, the two major breaks to split the field. Looking at my PowerTap files, I was averaging a very sustainable 180-ish watts, with sprints up above 1500+ watts when needed at the corners and accel points. (Yes, that’s approaching 2 horsepower)

Nearing the end, the speed was slowly dialing up. I decided since I’m not a sprinter, I needed a little help, so move out and up toward the front. One more right turn, then 1.5 miles before a left to the finish line. I’m sitting 3rd wheel in the pack with only 2 off the front. All’s good. Just then, a line of others come up the right side, moving me over to the left—slam!—right into a huge pothole. Good thing the Zipp wheels and tires are strong. Rounding the corner, things start to feel squishy, and soon I’m riding on the rim. The pothole had caused a puncture. 1.5 miles; my time is ok for Platinum; I sit up and decide to ride it in on the flat. Being the first real ride on the Zipp’s I’m nervous, but they did fine. No problem. Thanks for making a strong wheel, guys! The Zipp tire is even fine.

I finished 68th out of the 600 or so. Time: 2:47. Platinum. Sweet. I replaced the tube to ride to my car, and found out my spare was flat. Riding it in was a good choice!

Congrats also to GEC athletes Leo (in the main pack, Platinum) and John (3:47, finished) and TriCats Neil (3:05, Gold), Lee, and David.

UA TriCats Nationals Success

2009-04-27T10:04:00.003-07:00

Two weekends ago Jill and I flew out to Lubbock for the USAT Collegiate National Championships and the 2012 Olympic Talent ID race. The trip out was fun—we took a Cessna out there. Quicker than a car and no hassles with TSA. Well worth it. We drove our car to the airplane, loaded up (including bikes) and flew away. No screening, no strip search, no bike fees. Nice.

The prep and race went well. The TriCats were ready. Race morning was cold and the day got windy, but the training the TriCats had been doing covered the wind and hills. This is a tough course, the same course as the Buffalo Springs Lake tri in July.

The water was rough, so the stronger swimmers had a better day. Thanks to the TriCats swim coaches for excellent work all year to make sure we went in as strong as can be. We had driven the course and talked about strategy, so the athletes knew what to do. As the day turned out, all 14 who participated had good races. We had 2 guys and 2 girls in the top 40. Andy and Alex were the top TriCats guys finishing in 36th and 38th overall, while our top women were Nicole and Maddie (30th and 37th). In team points, the TriCats were 12th overall (9th for the guys and 17th for the ladies). This is the best finish in recent TriCats history, and considered a great victory with our young team. Congrats, TriCats!

In the 2012 ID race, GEC athlete Kathy Rakel had a great race. She was out of the water in the middle of the group, but caught up to the lead bike pack at the beginning of the third lap. She came off the bike in the lead, creating quite a buzz with USAT and the spectators. She ran extremely well, finishing 2nd among the tough competitors. This was a draft-legal, ITU-style sprint race to see who’s got the talent to become Olympic hopefuls. Kathy does! Many congrats to her!

After, Jill and I had the freedom to fly over and spend a day in Abilene, then on home. The headwind was tough for the return trip, but it still beat driving. And holy cow Texas is flat from 6500 feet!

Road Racing

2009-04-05T15:23:00.003-07:00

Last week, the doc shot my ankle up with cortisone. (Does this mean I’m juicing?) Then he said, “go forth and see if it worked.” Here’s test #1…

On my ride in to work on Saturday, I remembered about a criterium race going on that afternoon. I commute on my cyclocross bike—not the best for a crit. Thank God for cell phones: “hey Jill, can you meet me at UA with my race bike? No reason…why do you ask?” I ride from work to UA, meet her, quick change onto the road bike and line up.

My previous training, due to the leg and ankle issues, was this: a good off-season/transition period from May 4, 2007 until March 09, then 250 miles the week of my training camp, then 4 weeks of “recovery.” Not exactly text-book. I hadn’t done a crit since college, but it’s just like, well, riding a…never mind. There was screaming, torturous pain, bleeding through the eyes, and wishes for this thing to be over. That was the warm up…then the race started. Normally I’m pretty good about knowing where I am in a race, but it took everyone after the race telling me before I realized I finished in the lead pack. Not bad for my 5th ride in a month, and the 3rd in 2 days.

I always talk about taking the small victories away from any event, so here we go. 1) the rubber side stayed down; 2) I was able to stay in the lead pack; 3) I learned you don’t go off the front when the pack slows up. Take that time to rest. Those of you who’ve done crits are either shaking your head or laughing at that. I’ll sum up the crit this way: Crits are the Devil.

Sunday was the road race. It’s only 36 miles with one little climb, so says the course map. On lap 1 I realize that climb is something Sir Edmund Hilary had trouble on. People were walking their bikes. No kidding. Really. I didn’t bring my climbing legs, mainly because I don’t have any anymore. Lap 1 I’m with the main pack. I’m in the “red zone” but no problem. Lap 2 I’m struggling a bit on the climb but catch back up on the descent. Red zone still. Lap 3 is like lap 2 but I’m a bit further back. I move from red zone to purple. I didn’t know there was a purple zone. Lap 4 I never see the pack again. Where’s the chase pack when you need them? No I’m into the plaid zone (no Oxygen…remember Chuck Yeager’s F-104 flight in The Right Stuff???) Lap 5 I begin to curse the climb and my legs, what’s left of them. I go numb on the climb. Lap 6 I scream “Dear Lord take me now!” in agony all the way up. Ambulances follow me to make sure I make it. I see Elvis.

Victories: 1) The chase pack never catches me and I finish around 8th or 9th. This would put me in the top 10 for overall GC between Saturday and Sunday. 2) Thanks to Q-Rings for giving me the “power” to get up the hills. With my fitness level, I should have joined those climbing on foot. 3) Hammer Nutrition got me through with no issues again. 4) ZOOT compression gear was my friend this afternoon, and the only way I’ll be able to recover quickly.

The ankle? So far, so good. When’s the next race???

TRIFEST and Dave Scott

2009-04-05T14:40:00.003-07:00

TRIFEST was a big hit this year (March 6-8). It started with a ride up Mt Lemmon in Friday, although after a 7-day training camp, I could only muster the strength to hit mile 5. That did cap off 250 miles that week though. It was a good ride--must have been 150 people.

Saturday and Sunday held the conference and expo with clinics. The conference had an 'A' list of speakers, from aerodynamics specialists Steve Hed and folks from Zipp, to professional and Olympic athletes, to the sports best coaches. The clinics on the expo floor held the shorter talks by notables such as, well, me.

Grasky Endurance Coaching manned a booth in the expo. It was a good time to talk with athletes, get out info on our upcoming training camps, and give away goodies. The other expo booths housed the who's who in the triathlon world--manufacturers sharing the new '09 stuff, retailers showing off their stuff, and coaches, races and causes.

Friday night also held the keynote address. Before that, the TRIFEST sponsors were recognized. Grasky Endurance Coaching was recognized as a sponsor of this years' TRIFEST. So far, we've sponsored both years of TRIFEST, and looking forward to the next years and the growth in the sport TRIFEST will bring. Later, I got the chance to briefly speak with Dave Scott, the keynote speaker (and triathlon legend, 6-time Ironman World Champion, and overall nice guy). Dave spoke with my collegiate triathlon team a while ago, when we were both focused on racing--it was good to chat at him again now as we're both on the coaching side.

Rubber side down,
Brian

Whirlwind!

2009-03-13T06:16:00.005-07:00

Another whirlwind these last few months for Grasky Endurance, which included the ICTN Camp in January, the UA Tricats Camp in February, and the Tucson Base Training Camp and Trifest in March. Whew! Time for a break!

For the past few years, Brian and I have volunteered to help organize the International Christian Triathlon Network’s Annual Camp, which was held in Tucson this year. It’s a 3 day camp which brings in triathlete pastors along with several Christian pros, and regular ol’ triathletes looking for Christian fellowship. About half of the day is spent in small group settings learning about anything from bike maintenance to mental focus. There’s also some sort of worship service each day. Then, we train…(ok, not me since I’m STILL injured). Instead, this year I was the photographer. It’s a lot of fun and is great fellowship, and will be held again next year in Tucson. Check back in a few months for more information on our site (or ICTN’s site) about this great camp.

February brought the UA Tricats Camp up in Fountain Hills, AZ. I’d be dishonest if I said that I had anything to do with the organizing of this camp. This was all Brian and it went superb. He’s working with a pretty good group of athletes this year from the UA. The camp was situated around the Trisports.com Desert Classic Duathlon at McDowell Mountain Park. It was the first year I wasn’t able to go ride the trails all day. Instead, I went hiking to help strengthen my vastus medialus in my right leg. McDowell Mountain Park is seriously one of the most beautiful desert parks, especially in the spring. It’s so green everywhere. If you haven’t spent any time there, I highly recommend it. It’s amazing, and has a sweet mountain bike track.

The Tucson Training Camp just finished up with great success. We had 13 campers this year and their ability levels all meshed together well. We had two coaches at the camp, Brian (now a USAT Level II coach), and a coach from Connecticut, and then Bill, who is a Grasky Endurance coach and swim expert, came out for a couple of days. A HUGE thanks to Bill for his expertise! My job was to organize everything prior to the camp as well as take care of airport transport. Again, the annoying knee problem I’m dealing with prevented me from helping out with the rides this year…other than driving sag, which I usually do a great deal of anyway—luckily I really enjoy it! This year I had a helper along with me…our webmaster Brian…yes, another Brian. He was a huge help (and hilarious to hang out with) and took pictures along the way for our new website. A HUGE thanks to Brian as well. Thanks also to all of the campers who gave us feedback about the camp. It is our sincerest desire to provide a great camp, and Brian, Bill, and myself already have several ideas to make it much better for next year. More to come on that…

Lastly Tri-fest. Wow, Oley really worked hard at Trifest and did a fantastic job. Thanks to Oley and all of his work. Our Grasky Endurance booth went pretty well, but I think next year will be better. Each year we’re learning how to improve things and the booth is one of those.

Now that we have a break, Brian and I actually have Brian/Jill time scheduled for this weekend…possibly a hike in Sabino Canyon, or maybe the Titan Missile Museum. It’s nice to relax every once in a while. After 12 years of marriage sometimes we forget about “couple” time, but we’re really enjoying it this week. Again, a sincere thank you to everyone who supports Grasky Endurance. Be watching for some major changes to come about in the upcoming year with the business.

Trifest 2009

2009-03-11T19:02:00.003-07:00

Well it has come and gone and needless to say Trifest 2009 was a great adventure for Grasky Endurance. It was a bit tiring for all of us (especially Brian and Jill) since we were coming off of a full week camp with Eric Hodska. However, somehow Jill managed to keep everything together and make sure that GEC was set up for a strong presence at Trifest. Unfortunately the Expo kept us plenty busy so we did not get much of a chance to participate in the conference but word was that several of the topics were outstanding.

The Expo was actually held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this year and due to tremendous growth it was moved to the Tucson Convention Center. We were fortunate to be set up near our friends from the Tucson Tri Club as well as close to our favorite partner TriSports.com. However, Brian made sure to make his rounds throughout the entire Expo in an effort to network with all of our triathlon friends. We were also set up just across the way from Oasis pools who brought in an Endless pool for anyone to use. We took advantage of this offer by hosting a 2 hour swim analysis for free, on both Saturday and Sunday, for anyone who wanted to sign up at our booth. Oasis loved it because it brought some nice crowds over to their display and we had a great time working with several athletes. We are hoping to set up a Endless pool challenge next year along with Oasis pools so stay tuned for that adventure!!!

One of the highlights of my weekend was finally getting a chance to swim in a Zoot Zenith 2.0 wetsuit. I have been sponsored by blueseventy for the past 2 years and the switch to Zoot was making me a little nervous due to my success with blueseventy. Well, my initial thought is I can't wait for the first tri of the season. The Zenith felt outstanding. It has tremendous flexibility through the shoulders but still provides the buoyancy that you expect from a full wetsuit. My swim was brief but if first impressions are worth anything then I think I am going to be super pleased with the switch to Zoot.

With these fast wetsuits and lightning fast Zoot racing shoes, we have no excuses but to be fast this year (now everyone will know it is because we were too lazy to train-or maybe we can just use the excuse that we were too busy training our athletes to have time to train ourselves!!).

For those of you who got a chance to drop by our booth, thanks for coming by and supporting GEC. For those of you who could not make it this year, put Trifest 2010 on your calendar because this is really an amazing event. We hope to see you soon and remember- Shift Up!!!

'nuff said...

2009-03-11T12:37:00.003-07:00

Seen in the Cookie Cabin on top of Mt Lemmon...

AZ Camp Wrap Up

2009-03-06T22:14:00.003-07:00

The tally:

6 full days.
16-18 hours of riding (based on the optional ride or run Friday am) including over 12,000 feet of climbing. My PowerTap showed about 250 miles.
6.5-7.5 hours running including over 3000 feet of climbing.
5 hours swimming. No climbing.

30 water bottles,
8 cans of HEED,
1 can of Sustained Energy,
a bit of Perpetuem,
3 cans of Recoverite,
5 boxes of Hammer Gel,
1/4 gallon of Dr Hoys natural pain relief gel,
a few Michelin tubes,
a few more Genuine Innovations CO2 canisters,
300 miles on the sag truck.

13 athletes, 3 coaches, 2 sag drivers. 18 people with experiences that will last for a long time.

I'm going to get a massage and take a nap.

Brian

AZ Camp Day 5

2009-03-06T21:56:00.003-07:00

This is one for the books. I don't know about the athletes, but I'm fried.

Today was a great day: the weather cooled off a bit more and we even had some arm warmer sightings; the athletes showed they are getting stronger every day; and the attitudes are remaining infectious.

We woke today to cloud cover and more normal temps for this time of year. The rest of the week in the 90s was tough. We rode out to the west side of town to climb over Gates Pass and hit McCain Loop and Saguaro National Park West. This route was ripe with rolling hills, but also with Saguaro Cactus and desert flora. It’s a tough ride, but a great one. Grasky Elite Brian Barrett joined us for the ride, and GEC’s Brian Nath and Bill Daniell helped lead the groups. This allowed all riders to have locals along, eliminating any possibility of getting lost.

Over 80 miles of steep rollers and the steep Gates Pass the group stayed strong. We cruised out to the climb, then up the east side of Gates. Leo wanted nothing more than to beat Kerri up the climb, so we devised a plan where I hold Kerri back and Leo took off. It started to work, but when I got the brunt of Kerri’s temper (wow!) I let her go. Sorry Leo, but I thought for a minute I’d get a right hook. Brian got up the climb first. We crushed it through McCain Loop, Saguaro Park, and McCain again, stopping only to take in the views of the Saguaro forest and fill bottles. Up the back side of Gates the ascent is only 2 miles, but gets to over 20 percent. I don’t know how, but Eric big-ringed it, so I now owe him Jamba Juice. We cruised back home, took a break, and began the always sad chore of packing up after a great week. We did pause the packing job to take a sunset run in Saguaro Park East. Always a good time.

Leo and Kerri were stronger than normal today, and were two of the three MVPs (they didn’t write their required blogs, so if you’re reading, I’m waiting!). It was a pure joy riding with them…mainly because I had some trouble and they helped me! Jim was the final MVP. His attitude all week was phenomenal. He just enjoyed being here and it showed.

Brian

AZ Camp Day 4

2009-03-05T06:33:00.001-07:00

Dan, distinguished MVP for day 4 (and Naval Officer), says it all. I can't add a thing...

Day Four brought a definitive, though subtle, change to Triathlon Camp.

After three full days of strong efforts, everybody was feeling and moving just a touch slower this morning. Nonetheless, we once again embraced the 0700 reveille call eager to begin our most daunting challenge of the day; a two-hour trail run up to, and beyond, Seven Falls.
Coach Eric would lead the faster “A” group out front, and using his local knowledge, would help mark the trail for those who followed with distinctive pink chalk markings. It didn’t take long for the usual suspects, Kerri and Gus, to bolt out with Eric, and the “B” group to settle into a pace behind me. I felt more “A-“ rather than “B+” today, and thus chose to stay in view of the leaders.

Aside from the Grand Canyon, this is the only place in Arizona to my knowledge where there is year-round, naturally running water. So, you have to imagine that the trail up the creek and the canyon was quite scenic. Our foursome ran, walked, and hopped over a number of beautiful creek crossings, passing many natural pools and scenic rock formations, and we were enjoying our adventure quite well…until we discovered the “B” group high on the canyon wall above moving steadily along. We were faced with a choice, and Eric boldly led the rest of us on an impromptu rock climbing expedition in order to ascend up to the trail from the bottom of the canyon. As dangerous as it looked (and it was!), I think Eric missed his calling as a mountaineer, and we successfully scaled the rocks to the trail above what will forever be known to future campers as “Eric’s Ravine.”

We were well beyond one hour on the clock after scaling Eric’s Ravine, and we needed to get our heart rates back up with a fast-paced climb up the switchbacks opposite the canyon from Seven Falls. After exchanging best wishes and Kodak Moments with the other campers, our foursome pressed on a little further, around the bend into the reaches of the upper canyon above the falls. The trail looked like it could go on forever, or at least to Colorado, and we decided to turn around and save that for next year.

The run back proved to be just as enjoyable as the run up. After spending much time toiling through the creek bed at low heart rates, Gus and Eric were eager to fire up the engines and speed back. Kerri and I turned out to be perfect partners on the return voyage…my longer legs navigated the trails a little better, and her speedy legs pulled me along once we left the canyon and turned for home. Everyone enjoyed the trail run; definitely one of the highlights of the camp so far.

After a late breakfast, we continued on to the day’s other workout at the nicest, largest pool so far. Curiously, Coach Brian started taking over as the pilot of the camp van, and since he normally pilots vehicles that seat only one or two persons, his transition to 15-passenger vehicles brought some immediate, though minor, logistical issues. Nonetheless, we all arrived safely at the pool without resorting to afterburners or breaking the sound barrier.

The recipe for the swim workout called for large portions of yardage, including pulling, kicking, and (surprise!) non-freestyle strokes. Those hungry for yardage were fed a good couple of miles worth, and Bill Daniell came back to shoot underwater videos until the camera batteries died. The campers successfully managed to avoid the dreaded post-swim planking torture by beating Bill in a 250 yard race (Bill doing 1x250 and 10 campers doing 10x25). Things were looking pretty dire for the campers at the outset until the sprinters pulled it out in the end. Bill was a good sport about it, although he spent a good few hours later in the afternoon telling each of us, one-by-one, that we had “interesting strokes” during one-on-one debriefings of our videotaped strokes.

This was the first day of camp without a bike ride. The substitute activity was a field trip to TriSports World Headquarters. For me, I didn’t buy much, but it was great to actually touch and feel all the great stuff that I had only seen before in online catalogues and magazine ads.
Dinner was in Guadalajara, in deference to the Mexican Food lobby that was the #2 choice behind the steak eaters the previous night. But, the food was worth the extra day’s wait…and weight.

What I learned on Day Four:
(a) Never, ever follow pink arrows…even if you think they are right.
(b) You can have spectacular workouts, even if you only feel 95%.
(c) Pilots are deserving of your highest respect, even if they do occasionally try to kill you.

Storylines for Day Five (the LONG bike day):
(a) Kerri has been the superstar on the bike all week. She hasn’t cracked yet, and the smart money is that she’ll be the Queen of the Desert again.
(b) Gus is about to break out and do something ridiculously spectacular. He’s showed strength through the entire week as well. Whatever that something is, it may or may not happen tomorrow…but definitely in the next few months.
(c) We’ve had a mechanical on each camp ride so far (2 flats, one wheel and one chain). Can the campers break the chain of bad luck and make it through the big ride unscathed?
(d) Someone other than the one of the usual suspects will ride a smart ride, with a good pace and a good nutrition plan, and will have strength at the end to finish at the front. Who will it be?
(e) Is there a subtle battle of wills between the Air Force and the Navy? Is Brian getting irritated every time I wear a Navy jersey? Will he make me sing “Wild Blue Yonder” before he lets me into the van again?

Cheers,
- Dan

AZ Camp Photos

2009-03-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

AZ Camp photos are up! Click here.

Zoot Shoes and the El Paso Marathon

2009-03-04T09:26:00.002-07:00

This off-season I had set my goals to work on my run fitness and get in some great marathon training in an effort to run a sub-three hour marathon. Things were actually looking quite good at the Tucson Half-Marathon were I was able to run a sub 1:26. However, things started to unravel a few weeks later as I made the cardinal overtraining sin and tried to train like a 20 year old rather than someone who is knocking on the door of 40. However, even though my goal marathon at the P.F. Chang's Rock and Roll Marathon in Phoenix was a bit of a disaster I was able to redeem myself a bit this past weekend at the El Paso Marathon.

Heading into the El Paso Marathon I approached my training with the knowledge of the fact that I had a great base but needed to allow my legs to rest and it would be better to be undertrained rather than overtrained. I also knew that El Paso was probably the wrong course for running a sub three hour race. I grew up in El Paso and I remember the hills quite well. However, I was more concerned about running a strong marathon where my legs felt smooth and I would let the results come as they may. The El Paso Marathon is a fairly small event that is run with a half-marathon as well as a 5K. The half and the full marathon start together and follow the same course for the first 8 miles. This was nice because there were about 1000 runners in the half and only about 300 doing the full. So for the first 8 miles we had plenty of company. However, at times, the last 16 miles could get a bit lonely (thank god for the i-pod shuffle!). The first 4 miles of the course were the hilliest and then the course was downhill for 2 miles and slightly uphill to flat for the remainder of the course until the last 3-4 miles which were flat to slightly downhill. Overall a pretty nice course until I was greeted with the famous El Paso winds. Unfortunately, the last 10 miles was right smack in the face of a headwind. At times the gusts were so strong that it would nearly stop you dead in your tracks. Well, I already knew that a sub three hour race was long gone but decided a PR could be a possibility at the half way mark (3:09) however once we hit these winds I was really just hoping to finish strong. Ultimately a 3:18 on the day, not a great time but given the course and conditions a great effort. The results led to an 9th place overall and 1st place 35-39. Not bad for a swimmer!!

The other positive was I found myself a new great pair of marathon racing shoes. The Zoot Advantage running shoe performed amazing. I have always had a bit of a history with minor running injuries and have really never had any luck with running in light weight racing shoes. The Zoot Advantage has just enough stability for a marathon while still keeping the weight down so you feel like you are running in a pair of light weight racers. If you are like me and you struggle with the limited support of most light weight running shoes then give this shoe a try. They fit great, have nice support, and they feel nice and light on your feet.

Well, now I just have to take this run fitness and turn it into a great tri-season!!!

AZ Camp Day 3

2009-03-03T21:49:00.004-07:00

What a day!

Everyone was a bit tired off of yesterday's 65 miler including over 7000' of climbing, so we took it easy on them. We went directly to the pool and did a nice set of drills, endurance work and relays while my associate coach Bill Daniell took some aside with the video camera. The water was murky so we didn’t get much video work done, but we got the workout in and did some verbal stroke analysis. After breakfast we grabbed the wheels for a nice tempo ride out to Colossal Cave. The climb up the cave is on somewhat nasty roads, but no traffic and the views from the top are well worth it. After a short brick run we sat in the 50 degree natural running creek in Sabino Canyon and iced down while talking about mental prep and nutrition. Good stuff. Good times.

MVPs were Carla for just having a great attitude and enjoying the day, and Jeff M for rebounding well off a tough day yesterday. Jeff was walking around a bit stiff, but still got it all in. He’s a tough guy.

Brian

It was another amazing day in Tucson! With the weather in the low 90s it's been quite an adjustment for a girl who left Calgary, Alberta with a temperature of minus 5. Today was a 'brick' workout which was a recovery day from Mt Lemmon. Seriously since when is a day that starts off with a 1.5 hour swim, followed by a 3 hour bike, and finishes with a 30 min run considered a REST day. It really was an awesome day though. The coaches, Brian and Eric, are so knowledgeable and encouraging it makes you want to put in that extra effort. Following the swim, Eric took the time to fit me better on my bike. During the ride I was riding along with Rick from Alaska just enjoying the fact we were riding outside in such a beautiful place as Brian Grasky rode up to us providing encouragement and tips. Again it makes me want to try just a little bit harder! We made it to a beautiful spot with breathtaking views for a quick group photo and water bottle refill. Once returning to town, Eric and Brian give us 10 minutes to grab our run gear and off we went to Sabino Canyon for a short run. The run was only 30 minutes but with the heat and sun, it felt like an hour to me. I was ecstatic when I came down a hill and around the corner to see the group soaking their tired legs in the creek! Man did that feel good! It has been a great first 3 days and I'm looking forward to what tomorrow brings. This camp has been challenging which is exactly what I need to take my fitness to the next level, but besides that the people here have made it more than 'just training'. It is inspiring to be training with such a strong and accomplished group of athletes!

Carla

Jeff’s coming soon…

AZ Camp Day 2

2009-03-02T22:30:00.005-07:00

Day 2 was fantastic. The athletes did great on a tough day. It as hot and a bit windy, but the climb up Lemmon was wonderful. Kerri flew up the mountain, Leo ripped my legs off, Steve was his fast-but-humble self, and Carla has her ever-present smile. The clan was a bit toasted from the am run and the afternoon on the Col du Lemmon so we opted for some rest before dinnner rather than the planned core strength session. The athletes found the hotel happy hour during their "rest" time!

Jeff was one of the two daily MVPs for his effort today. He had a tough climb coming from MO, but he held tough. Here's his story...

Day 2 Arizona Tri camp

What a day!!!!!! We started out the day at 7 am with a 1 hr run through one of the local parks. The run was a combination of road and trail. The trail took us across the desert terrain. It was a great way to loosen up the legs from yesterday.

Our big workout for the day was to ride up MT LEMMON. I believed this was planned for later in the week but due to the good weather the ride was moved to today. The temp hit mid 90's. The ride from the base to the top is approximately 28 miles, round trip was 65 miles. It took me almost 3 hours to hit the top with a lot of help from Brian Grasky. It was an incredible ride with fantastic scenery! This was a big treat for me coming from Missouri. This ranks high as one of the most memorable bike rides I have ever had. I have been riding indoors all winter and not acclimated to the heat so I hurt a bit but all I had to do to forget about it was to look at my surroundings.

We arrived back to the hotel and took it easy for awhile and headed out to dinner.

So far the camp has been excellent. We have been blessed with fantastic weather. Our group really seems to get along well and is very supportive of each other. Brian and Eric have been fantastic. I really appreciate their knowledge and support.

Time to get to rested up and see what tomorrow brings.

Jeff

MVP #2 was Rick. He climbed very well despite a bum knee--he not only made the climb, but beat everyone to the bottom afterwards!

Day 2 started off gently enough. Jogging through the Saguaro Park my wife and I, the bad knees pair, were enjoying the wildlife. Obviously, our speed did not startle the family of javelina or the bunnies or the roadrunners. It was a cool morning for Arizona and a mid-summer heat wave to those of us from Alaska.

Not too fooled by the innocent start, I stuffed myself at breakfast, downed some electrolytes, ibuprofen and whatever else I could think of in preparation for Mount Lemmon. I needed it all and some more.

When we got to the base of the mountain there was no fanfare, fans or music. We just started going up.

Cyndie and I paced ourselves and slogged along together, knowing that a 25 mile climb was more than we were used to in our training. We climbed and climbed, were passed by the speedy group and pressed on. I was truly grateful for the break, refuel and recharge at mile 14, the Palisades and even happier to see my fellow campers at the Cookie stop in Summerhaven.

What goes up must come down. In my case what goes up slowly, must come down quickly. Riding that demo Cannondale, a great climber, was a lot of fun on the ride down. I let it out on the long decent and felt great - sweet reward for the trip up.

A group of us met at the bottom and hammered home like a peloton in the tour.

Rick

AZ Camp Day 1

2009-03-02T07:09:00.005-07:00

As we do each camp, a certain individual proves themselves in one way or another and stands out among the group. Today we had two standouts: Steve is a 64-year-old stud who whips up on most people 1/3 his age. Steve earned the Daily MVP Award for not only driving solo from Penticton, Canada, for the camp, but for having a great attitude and solid performance on day 1 and teaching all us youngsters a thing or two… For this, Steve won a gift certificate to Trisports.com…and the honor of the daily blog.

Brian

Day 1 Arizona Camp

The day started at 0700hrs with a nice relaxing drive up to Sabino Canyon for a the start of run. The run in spots required the skill of a mountain goat as the trial wound its way up the side of the mountain. The entire group was moving up the mountain at an impressive pace, some appearing more like gazelles than goats. Reaching the top provided an excellent view of the valley. The stay was brief and the descent was swift making the quads wonder if they had ever done any training.

After a pause for food we were off on the bike and headed for Saguaro National Park. The ride up was again a steady climb and the quality of the riders was impressive. The ride through the Park was awesome with quick downhils and corners. Unfortunately what goes down must go up and we the climbed back up to the Park entrance. A quick discussion and some opted for a second loop while the rest of us wisely decided to return to the hotel for rest and recovery before we headed off for a swim. Rick's dive off his bike was particularly impressive. Fortunately there was not any significant injury.

The swim: Great outdoor pool. Lots of cramping around the pool with some very good tips from the coaches. Wait until they get my age and try and make the suggested adjustments. Post swim was treated with some relaxing stretching and a great food.

Tomorrow brings another hot sunny day and another blogger.--steve

Well the day started off as usual venti Starbucks red eye then we headed for the phone Line to run the trail or should I say run up the side of a mountain. The first rule of camp is no whining ...oh no! I thought to myself as we started to run and I just took one peak to my left and realized that it was a pretty big drop down. I did not want to complain but I was scared and I really didn’t want to have an anxiety attack the first workout of the week so I just keep my head down and focused on the ground not what was around me but as we got into a rhythm I slowly became more relaxed and oh man how beautiful it was. Then we headed back to eat and change and off on the bikes we went for an easy ride. When I ride easy I refer to it as the tea party ride which is very easy - I'm quickly learning that everyone has their own definition of what easy is.... With that said after today’s ride thanks to Eric for letting me ride his wheel I now have a new definition of what an easy ride is and going forward there will be no cookies and tea served on my easy ride.
Thanks for a great day of training and I’m looking forward to the easy run in the am :) followed by MT LEMMON which is not easy!!!--AMM

Arizona--Escape the Cold--Training Camp, 2009

2009-03-01T22:02:00.005-07:00

March always brings my training camp for those in colder climates, where I partner with accomplished athlete and coach Eric Hodska from Connecticut. Eric brings a few of his athletes, we bring some of ours, and a few find us online. It’s always a good mix of great weather, beautiful scenery, and challenging training.

This year’s camp brings a few veterans and a nice share of rookies.

Gus, Jim, Jeff M., and Chicago Mike are a few of Eric’s boys and are veterans of at least one Tucson case camp. Mike brings colorful stories, Jim is good for at least a couple of good, solid bonks, and Jeff is just steady from day 1 through day 7. Gus is fun to poke fun at, mainly due to his innate ability to eat about everything in sight. Eric also brought Ann Marie, a relatively new but powerful athlete from New England, and Dan, a Navy man from Cali. Dan and I have a lot in common. It takes a lot for me to say that about a Navy guy!

Then we have the northern contingent: Cyndie and Rick are in from Anchorage enjoying the 90 degree temps we are having (yes, in March). They are a very cool couple—I caught them holding hands while stretching. Very cool. Carla and Steve come from Canada--Steve from Penticton, home of Ironman Canada, and Carla from Calgary—home of more rodeo than triathlon.

Jeff D.V. is here from Missouri. Jeff’s enjoying this weather immensely—he’s just happy to not be on his trainer. I don’t blame him…that’s why I live in Tucson. Kerri is from Maryland and is a duathlon studette moving into the IM distance game and is as strong as I’ve seen. Huge potential in her. Lastly, Leo is one of my athletes and is enjoying a camp in his hometown. Leo is bumming with Plantar Fasciitis but his attitude so far and not being able to run with the group is commendable.

With weather nearing perfect, a great group of athletes, and workouts planned on Mt Lemmon and Saguaro National Park, this is going to be a great camp. Stay tuned for daily briefs by the daily MVPs as well as by Eric and me.

Thanks to Hammer Nutrition, Trisports.com, Genuine Innovations, Michelin, CycleOps, and Zoot for making this camp World Class!

New ZOOT cycling kit!

2009-03-01T21:56:00.006-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I received my order of ZOOT’s new ULTRA cycling kit. I got the ZOOT ULTRA Cycle Full jersey and the ZOOT ULTRA Cycle short.

Upon first inspection, it’s, well, different. The jersey is a great material with longer sleeves and torso. It’s got a nice low neck in the front, but is tall enough to keep the sun off the back. There’s no bunching of the arms thanks to the clean finish and longer cut. The shorts look completely different than anything else I’ve worn. The pad is not sewn into the short, but is part of the short’s construction. The ULTRA cycling pad feels stout enough to hold up for a nice long ride to Sonoita, but it feels like it’ll move with you unlike the “diaper” pads of some brands. I can’t wait to try them out. I like riding in good quality stuff, so this gear has its work cut out for it.

First ride: wow. The kit is nice, light, very comfortable and wicks sweat very well. I didn’t feel dirty, stinky, or sticky afterwards like with some clothing. In fact, I had the gear on for a good hour plus after the ride, until Jill made me shower. The jersey fit well but tight, so if you’re a loose-cut aficionado then you’ll want to size up. I like the slim racer fit so it worked well for me. There are 5 pockets in the back (2 overlapping on each side, one large pocket in the middle). This worked well to keep my open gel packs off my car keys, and my iPod away from my body separated by one more layer of lycra. The ventilator mesh was great in making me feel fresh all ride, evening the mildly cool temps today. A bargain at $85.

The ULTRA short was AMAZING. Truly. The integrated pad felt like it wasn’t a pad at all. I felt like I was wearing a comfortable short was not a cycling short. The material they used was very nice—comparable to shorts at a much higher price point than the $130 for these shorts. The pad itself felt a bit different than other pads I’ve used. In feeling the pad prior to the ride, it felt like the stiff part of Velcro, but putting on the short it felt nice. It was a stiffer pad that I’m used to, but this means it takes up the pressure of the saddle very well. Even after a couple of hours I wasn’t feeling anything but love. It’s like the difference between the seats in my Subaru (very nice) and those in my friend’s Porsche (ooohhhhhh). These shorts are oooohhhhhhh.

Bottom line: Get some before everyone realizes that these are $250 shorts with a $130 price tag. Go to Trisports.com and get 10% off them using code BGRAS-S. Then go ride.

Brian

Speedfil Hydration System

2009-02-10T13:13:00.002-07:00

As Triathletes and especially as coaches we are constantly on the lookout for products that can help us or our athletes. Unfortunately, with the rapid development and high costs associated with a lot of equipment it becomes quite challenging to get the opportunity to test or review a large number of products available to triathletes. However, one of the great benefits of working with the partners of Grasky Endurance Coaching is the fact that we are often asked to help with the testing of products. Recently I was asked by one of the buyers from our partners at TriSports.com to assist with a test and review of the Speedfil Hydration system.

The Speedfil system is a frame mounted hydration system that mounts directly to the water bottle cage mounts on your bicycle's downtube. However, once mounted this system provides a hands free drinking system that does not require you to pull the bottle from the cage to drink. Basically a flexible straw runs from the bottle and you route it to your liking so that a drinking tube eventually runs between your aero bars. This tube then provides you with hands free access to 40 ounces of your favorite rehydration/energy fluids. If you need to refill the system you simply grab a bottle at the next aid station and squeeze the fluids through the refill port located on the top of the Speedfil bottle.

I found this system to be very easy to mount to the frame. All told it took me about 5 minutes to mount the bracket and then run the tubing along my frame and out between my aero bars. I had to do a little trimming of the flexible drinking tube but other than that no modifications were needed. On the first test ride I did have to make a few minor adjustments to get the tube secured properly and placed in the correct position but once I got the system dialed in it seemed to stay in place and worked very well. Refilling while riding was a snap (actually probably easier than trying to place a bottle back into your water bottle cage on a standard set up) and with 40 ounces of fluid it is not necessary to refill the system very often (even in an Ironman distance event). The system seemed to be well designed and although the bottle is rather large it tucked away nicely within the lines of my frame. I have had issues in the past with aero bottles because I can typically only fit one bottle on my frame which limits the amount of fluids that I can carry in aero bottles on my frame.

My one real concern with this system is the fact that you must commit 40 ounces of the same type of fluid to this bottle. Some of us like to carry only a couple of bottles and use one for water and the other for nutrition. With this system you must still carry a separate bottle mounted somewhere else on your bike if you run with two different fluid types. In addition, I can see where a strong crosswind might cause some handling issues but still this would be significantly less than having a system mounted between your aerobars in a strong wind.

Overall I would certainly recommend this product to those looking at longer distance races who like to have a hands free aerodynamic system on their bikes. This system would work especially well for those of you who like to use a large amount of one specific type of fluid. On the other hand, if you are doing shorter races or like to have a number of different types of products to use that are under 40 ounces then this is probably not the system for you. The system retails for just under $100.00 and is available on-line or in-store at TriSports.com.

Riding under lights

2009-01-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

I’m doing this craziness we call 24Hr racing now…ok, I’m signed up for one…so it’s the time of the season where I begin to hone my night riding skills. That, and it’s just plain good times. So with that, I’m calling a weekly Friday Night Lights Ride. Anyone in the Tucson area can meet us at 5:30pm at the north entrance to Fantasy Island for some ripping around on undulating single track, narrowly dodging the saguaro and prickly pear, the trail illuminated only by our helmet lights and whatever beams reflect off our glowing smiles.

Last week was night 1. Here’s the story of that fateful night:

- While adjusting my helmet-mounted light I accidentally hit the "ON" button in "Brighter than sun" mode. I should regain vision in left eyeball in March.

- I love my Light & Motion Seca 700. It’s a great light—the best I’ve ridden by far—and supposed to be very good for reliability. I bought an extra battery so I’ll have a complete night of LED illumination. Check out their beam pattern—very cool. Get yours at Trisports (and use code BGRAS-S for over $50 off!)

- Later, Kyle and I were cruising when the trail came to a split. I went right; he went left; we sprinted for the confluence at a left 180 degree turn. At the rejoin, with brakes locked up and dust flying, we both, rather late mind you, saw broadside in the trail a very large, very dark, very horn-ed cow and her calf. Kyle screamed like a 10 yr old school girl on a field trip to an arachnid farm, while I, barreling into Kyle's unmetered braking, saw my life and images of an again splintered left leg flash before my eyes. I literally fell off my bike in hysterics. I stopped laughing about 2 hours ago.

- Fantasy Island is great at night. The trail “decorations” are wonderful, and there’s just the right amount of obstacles to keep things interesting. The new Fire Loop is great: Field Goal is a great little section, where you feel like you’re being punted through the uprights; Elbow Slammer is just that; and The Drop has so many reflectors it makes you think you’re on a very steep approach to land an aircraft on a runway (my favorite!).

Twisting, turning, climbing, and descending, all under the glow of 700 lumens of LED and a big ‘ol smile. Good times.

Single Speed

2009-01-04T06:54:00.003-07:00

For years my race bike from college has been hanging in the garage. I didn’t want to sell it—it’s a limited edition ’96 Schwinn Homegrown with the Control Tech rear triangle—but the parts had worn out and I was riding for other manufacturers. So I decided it was time to build it into a single speed for training.

Thanks to Stan www.notubes.com and DeeJay and the boys at Arizona Cyclist for the advice and for building me up a sweet set of wheels—ENO hubs, Stan’s tubeless hoops, and beautiful work. Add to that some parts I had in the garage including the original White Industries crankset and bottom bracket and a Rock Shox Duke that was hanging for about 5 years. I took a set of Michelin XCR Dry2s I had hanging around, some Crank Brothers pedals, and a Fizik saddle. Oh, and the brakes from ’96 are on their last legs…new ones are on order. A new fork would be good, but it’s a beater.

I took it out this week to cruise on Fantasy Island. I’ve never ridden a single speed, and constantly found my thumb reaching for the shifters, but I had a blast. It was fun to cruise on a lightweight bike, not having to worry about shifting. Just ride. That’s what it’s all about. Sweet.

Dawn to Dusk Race Report

2008-12-10T09:07:00.003-07:00

Sometimes you just have to get out and ride. Saturday was the Dawn to Dusk Mountain Bike Endurance Race. The plan was to ride beginning at official sunrise, or 7:19am and go until sunset at 5:20pm. I decided to do this as my first real endurance event, in my prep for the 24Hrs of Old Pueblo in February. I'm still not sure why I'm doing this. Frankly, it scares the daylights out of me. But I digress...

I show up early and got my area set up. I took over a plot of real estate and dumped my bag of extra clothing; a crate with bottles of Hammer Sustained Energy and HEED, Hammer Gels, and some electrolytes; my cooler with water, an extra hydration pack bladder and some backup food--Snickers, PB&J and Red Bull for when/if my body rejects the good stuff; and a spare wheelset. It looked strangely like a garage sale. I got my gear ready, warmed up, stretched, and hit the porta-johns. Ready.

Equipment: 2008 Cannondale Scalpel Carbon with Lefty Speed Carbon rolling on Stan's ZTR Olympics with Michelin XCR Dry2 (regular tires run tubeless thanks to Stan's juice), Crank Bros Egg Beaters. Diadora Team Racer shoes, Rudy Project Actyum helmet and Horus sunglasses. Zoot Cyclefit arm warmers. Chamois Butt'r. Huge Thanks!!!

Here's what went through my mind...

Start: It's 7:15am. Am I really going to ride until 5:30pm??? Goal: 6 laps. That'll be 94 miles. That's enough. Does it matter that my longest ride was 4hrs? How bad can it be? Just start out slow and ease off from there.

Lap 1: This ain't so bad. Just ease into it. Grrr...Why can no one ride in sand? Oh, no! This sand will suck on lap 6. This downhill is fun! What are all these water bars? They're huge! Stopped to fill bottles. Lap time 1:06; Cumulative time 1:06

Lap 2: Easy does it. Get in nutrition. These water bars are getting annoying. I like this track. It's good to be riding again! Stopped for water and new Hammer bottles. Lap 1:09; Cumulative 2:15

Lap 3: This is starting to hurt. What am I doing out here? I can go home and take a nap instead. Sun's getting high...sweet. Stopped to remove knee warmers and vest. 1:10; 3:25

Lap 4: I need food, real food. I also need to train...yup, training would help. Maybe I should take that up. What's up with these flipping water bars???? Stopped to grab a PB&J sammich for the road. 1:09; 4:34

Lap 5: The short break (2 mins) was nice. Just go steady. This saddle is starting to hurt. I wonder if I have another lap in me. Its great to be riding again...I could be on the couch in a cast again...nope, riding is good! Body need real food...stopped to fill bottles and grabbed a Red Bull. 1:11; 5:44

Lap 6: Crap, the guy who just passed me is solo also. That's it...I'm counting these friggin' water bars. There must be 100 of them per lap and they keep getting bigger. Stopped for a Snickers. One more lap...you can do it. 1:10; 6:55

Lap 7: Why do they put the transition area at the bottom of the long hill so you feel good and keep going??? 368 $%^ing water bars per lap?!?!!? What??? Why am I spending every daylight hour today on my bike? Oh yeah...because I can! (Euphoria setting in). Legs getting numb now. This is now my longest ride since the crash. Stopped for water and another Red Bull. 1:12; 8:07

Lap 8: Unless I go under 1:00, I won't make the cutoff for another lap...I'm ok with that. There's the guy who passed me earlier. See ya! Now don't make him think I'm about to fall off my bike from fatigue. These hills keep getting larger each lap, too. Water bar # 2920, 2921, 2922, ... Ah, the last hill. Halleluiah! Good, no one behind me. Smooth sailing. My longest ride ever. Sweet. 1:19; 9:26

Finish: Owwie. I want my mommy. I need a new lower back. And a new saddle. And butt.

Success: 11th of 52 solos. 8 laps; 125 miles. It's the longest ride I've ever done, and the longest amount of time I've been on a bike (for good reason). Only my Ironman races have been longer events. No mechanicals--every thing ran smooth and easy. Makes a huge difference. Lessons learned: I like this stuff! Bring Chapstick next time. I need to train.

It's good to be back on the bike. Thanks for supporting me in my adventures...all it takes is a touch of insanity to truly live!

Off-Road Triathlon Training Camp

2008-11-27T12:30:00.006-07:00

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

2008-11-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-11-21T20:21:00.003-07:00

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

Best of the US Championships and XTERRA Worlds

2008-10-25T21:06:00.000-07:00

The Best of the US Championships are tomorrow. The BoUS is a race series that takes the top amateur, regardless of age group, from each state and pits them head-to-head in an Olympic distance race. It's a great opportunity to see who's who and to race against the best...if you can qualify.

I qualified and raced the championship in 2006, and it was one of the highlights of my triathlon career. The series championship was an outstanding event, and Jerry and his crew do stellar work to make the athletes feel like royalty.

There are two very cool things about this year's BOUS: 1) the championship is in Phoenix, right up the street so I can go and watch; and 2) one of my athletes is on the starting line for AZ. Kathy Rakel has a great shot at placing top 3 in the race but there are some very fast girls here that should not be underestimated. It'll be a fun race to watch and we'll be cheering on Kathy. She's proven herself with a 5th at collegiate nationals, but we're hoping she does better than her coach did at BoUS...I was 20th in 2006 after a terrible swim.

The other thing going on this weekend is XTERRA Worlds. Brian Barrett is there, with a very good chance to take the men's 25-29 podium. The unknowns are the Aussies and Europeans, but he should be one of the top American amateurs. I also did this race in 2006, but had issues with flat tires (4 of them) so, again, hoping Brian outshines coach.

This is a fin weekend for me: two athletes racing at events I have a history at. Good stuff. It's time for the new crew to take over from the old guard. Is this the weekend?

Good luck also to Brian N and Brad at Soma. Brian's due a good race and Brad is on a killer streak. More on this later...

Brian

Cyclocross

2008-10-12T22:17:00.000-07:00

Cyclocross: si’-klo-kros n 1. cycling race involving off-road riding skills and barrier obstacles. 2. the most sadistic among cycling sports. 3. Pure evil.

I decided it was time to start racing again, not because I’m in shape, but because I need a boost and motivator to resume training to get back in shape. So what better way than a marathon MTB race followed a day later by a cyclocross race. Yeah, Jill doesn’t mistake me for being too smart either.

I chose the wrong tires for the marathon. Lightweight tires and the rockiest course known to mankind makes for a poor combination. I flatted out at the half-way mark in the marathon. It’s just as well…I had only just recently realized I had to race CX cat 2 (as opposed to 4) due to my NORBA semi-pro card.

The ‘cross race was 55 minutes. Not too bad, I thought. Yesterday’s race was 1:30a nd I’d been doing some training in the 2-3 hour range. No sweat. I had my new ‘cross bike, a CX frame from Trisports.com that I loaded with SRAM Force and Reynolds carbon. New Michelin CX Jet tires on the Reynolds Solitude wheels and I’m all set. Truth be told I got the CX bike for commuting to work. It works great for that, but I decided to take off the rack for the race.

Cyclocross is a different animal. For one, it’s on grass. Or dirt. Or mud. And you’re on a road bike. Sorta. Second, it’s a good opportunity to bring all the local MTB and roadie pros and elite standouts together for one race. Third, there are obstacles you must get off, run with your bike on your shoulder, and get back on, all while maintaining forward momentum. I thought that as a triathlete I can run and I can ride, so this can’t be too bad. Little did I know that the course was to be lined with pockets of pain you must ride through.

At the start, I stayed with the main group for a short bit, before being dropped like a ProTour rider with EPO track marks. The blistering pace made me see stars, and my lungs and quads began searing as if on a BBQ spit. When I came back around I was glad the warm-up lap was over.

The race started in a narrow alley of cones, just shy of a 180-degree turn and a set of barriers. It was as if they designed the racers to start out in a mass gaggle, accelerating headlong into certain treachery with near deadly consequences. Then it dawned on me…they did. Then we raced in the grass to the first series of climb-sharp corner-descend-off camber sharp turn-barrier-run up the hill-sharp corner-accelerate like your life depended on it-ease off and let your heart catch up. There was a mild reprieve…for me. The rest of the pack continued to accelerate and I was dropped. Then came the next series of climb-descend-rinse-repeat. A discovered two phenomenon with CX: 1) the hills look to be only mildly steep and a few meters tall from the staging area, but are snow-covered and clouded mountains steep enough for ropes and 22-34 gearing when you get to them on the bike; and 2) the barriers get taller each lap, culminating in a leap that Carl Lewis would be proud of to clear by lap 12.

As I got so far behind I could barely see the main pack, I took inventory. My quads were toasted, my lungs searing, my back was seizing, and my heart rate was in the range that I’d never before seen. This was only a 55 minute race, and based on my being covered in sweat, out of energy, on the verge of a bonk that will last a week and being in more pain than after USAF prisoner of war training, I must be at 40-45 minutes by now and nearing the end. I looked at my watch. I’d been going for 4:32. It’s going to be a long day.

I finished. I got lapped by the top 6, but I finished. I ended up 12 out of 18. Not bad for an out-of-shape fish out of water triathlete recovering from injury. And I learned an important lesson: cyclocross is a brutal, masochistic, evil, painful, ugly sport. And I love it! (I’m already sign up for the next one!)

Brian

Refueling

2008-10-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

One of the good things about getting to fly a multi-role fighter is that we get to do something different every day. Last weekend I led a flight in which we fought against other fighters on our way to a target complex, dropped a combination of ‘dumb’ bombs from a dive from 25,000 feet and Laser Guided Bombs, and then fought our way out. Today we refueled in-flight from a KC-135, and then worked some 2v1 air combat maneuvers. It beats having a real job!

On the tanker were members of a Phoenix vocational school’s Junior ROTC corps. These would be high school kids, trying to learn about their possibilities after graduation, while learning about the military and its structure. Today they were learning about the Air Force and its mission, apparently.

As I took on fuel and could see the kids taking photos and waving, I waved back, reminiscing about my own time in JROTC. I was a member of my high school’s JROTC program in order to learn what I could while applying to the USAF Academy. I did get into the Academy, and there did well enough to fulfill a life-long dream of flying. These kids are looking into their future to figure out how to fulfill their own dreams. Kinda brings a new perspective to life, eh?

Now, 15 years later … 15 years??!!!?? Can’t be. Yup, it is. Now I feel old.

Brian

Interbike!

2008-09-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

Hello from Las Vegas! I'm here at Interbike schmoozing with industry folks and eyeballing the latest and greatest of what's coming out in 2009. It's been a blast!

We got in Tuesday late afternoon after a bumpy flight and went straight to eat and sleep. No Outdoor Demo days for us. Wednesday and Thursday we went to the show, Friday fly back. We're stopping in Flagstaff because we have the mountain bikes with us and it's too hot to go straight to Tucson right now.

The show is unbelievable. For the manufacturers and distributors this is their chance to show off the '09 product line. For the retailers, it's the chance to see what they'd want to carry in their shops and get ready for their preseason orders. For the rest of us schmoes it's a way to hob knob and network.

Actually, Interbike is a great opportunity to meet those sponsors who've helped out Grasky Endurance and give them a handshake of thanks, and to talk to other potential sponsors and partners.

So how'd it go? I'll have to tell you later. Exciting stuff indeed, but nothing's finalized yet. Sorry to keep you hanging.

Highlights of the show...

Bikes:
- Scott's Plasma 2 is my pick for the hottest bike at the show. Very stiff, very aero, very beautiful. The Cervelo P4 was the hype, but it looked flimsy and goofy to me.
- For Mtn bikes, Scott takes it again with the Spark. Velo Vie has a cool MTB carbon hardtail in the works, and Litespeed is always a good bike.
- For custom, go Rue Bikes. Beautiful carbon work, beautiful paint, sick light.
- Didn't see Cannondale there. Bummer.

Components:
- SRAM is about the same, Shimano is coming out with a carbon version of Dura-Ace that look nice. I still like the SRAM better. more comfy. I didn't check out Campy. Sorry.

Wheels:
- Zipp has some pretty cool innovations out for '09 like adjustable bearing pre-load, stronger hubs, and color options. It's a very nice wheel for '09.
- Reynolds took the already-lightest wheelset and made it even lighter. Their DV46 is in the realm of sick-light now, at just above 1000gm for the set (yes, for a 46mm rim). Their 32mm rim wheelset is under 1000gm! (Check out the media section of Reynolds' website!)

Nutrition:
- Hammer has a great new flavor in their HEED and Recoverite...Subtle Berry. MMmmmmm!

Stuff:
- Zoot has training shoes now!! The are introducing the industry's best compression gear, and their cycling gear is going to be top-notch. I was highly impressed with Zoot's '09 line!
- Genuine Innovations is always the leader in CO2 inflation!
- ESI Grips is coming out with white and pink colors for '09!
- DuMond Tech has a new "Green" chain lube and grease that's biodegradable and environmentally friendly! Look for this at the '09 GEC Training Camps!

One of the coolest parts was the racing. Wednesday night was a huge cyclocross race. Man, that's exciting to watch. All the names were there, including LANCE ARMSTRONG! He had a rough starting position (you don't get points when you're retired) but moved up well. He finished about 14th or so. Still very exciting to see. Then on Thursday night was the USA Crit Finals. Owwie. Huge pros, everyone there, and tight corners means rough crashes. (Did you know you can smell burning flesh after a crash at 35mph on pavement?) And holy cow to those guys move! I even got Jill to stay up past 9pm for this one!

Oh, but if you want to attend an almost equally exciting show (and one for consumers) check out TRIFEST. TRIFEST will be in Tucson in March and will have all the elements of Interbike's trade show but directed toward consumers, but will have speaker sessions--including top pros, coaches and industry folk--for 2 solid days, training camps, and a bike ride up Mt Lemmon with over 100 riders including big-name pros.

Until next time, rubber side down.

Shift Up!
Brian

Collegiate Triathlon

2008-09-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

The kick off of the school year here in Tucson means the University of Arizona TriCats are getting revved up and going again. This will be my third season as their head coach, a job I look forward to each year. It’s not without its challenges, but I thoroughly enjoy watching the students grow in triathlon and in life, through the challenges that triathlon brings.

I learned a lot about managing a team of 65 my first season. Sometimes it was herding cats, but all in all it was good. Coaching a team was new to me, but as long as the 65 stayed 65 I was fine. The second season started at 100 TriCats. Wow. Now this year it looks like 120 or so. This is good growth—and we’re all growing in our ability and relationships.

The leadership this year is good and motivated. They have some great ideas and look to be working to make them happen. I’m excited to be working with them.

The highlights from last year were the weekend training camps and the USAT Collegiate National championships. The camps were a blast, and a good way for the athletes to learn more about triathlon—and themselves—in such a short period of time than they had all season up to that point. We culminated the fall training camp with a mock race and the spring camp with a real race—the Desert Classic Duathlon. We’re planning similar camps this year.

Nationals were a great time and we performed well. From Kathy placing (read about her on my site) and Alex doing very well, to the other members of the team who all either PR’d big or overcame huge obstacles to finish, I was extremely proud of the team.

We’re also looking into a winter break camp for the collegiate teams in our region. This will be a great opportunity for those schools under snow in January to come to the perfect triathlon playground of Tucson for some winter cycling, running, and swimming.

I’m looking forward to some great performances out of the Arizona TriCats this year. Keep up with them throughout their season here.

GEC Sweep!

2008-08-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

Today, Tucson's Davis-Monthan Air Force Base held an aquathlon today as a memorial to a lifeguard who was killed in a flash flood a couple of years ago. Angela was a sweet girl a fun lifeguard and was missed by the entire base and Tucson community.

The aquathlon is a cool way to remember her--her friends and coworkers put it on and did a great job. The 800yd swim and 5k run were on the base; in te outdoor pool and along the flat empty roads.

I'm glad to report that GEC atheltes took the top three finishing spots overall! (OK, there were only a handful of people there, but that's not important!) I had a decent swim and exited first, about 100yds ahead of second. Caryn was out in third I think, and Brian (GEC webmaster) soon after. When I saw them on the run, Caryn was in 2nd, Brian in 4th. At the finish line, I had won, Caryn was 2nd, and Brian was slightly back in third! GEC on all steps of the podium! This isn't the Olympics, but we'll take it! (Note: I think this makes Caryn undefeated in the season's aquathlons for women, as well!)

It was a fun day and a great time for a little race to get the blood moving.

-Brian

Ahhh, Vacation!

2008-07-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

I’m up in Glacier National Park this week on a family vacation. My folks live up near here and once a year we get the family together (two older sisters, one younger brother and their families) for a shin-dig in Glacier.

We decided to try our hand at fishing today. I used to fly fish quite a lot but it’s been a while. The wind was picking up and the water was too cold to wade out too far, so we took the rubber rafts across the lake to a calmer spot. My brother, relatively new to fly fishing but an amazing athlete in every sense, pulled in a little 10” Rainbow on his first cast—I’m not kidding. Not to be outdone, I spent the next 2 hours casting while the rest of the crew sat on the shore. Nothing. On the way back across the lake I tied on a spinner and trolled. I pulled in a little 12” Cutthroat! Ha! (No camera on the boat, dang it!) Since the mountains are still patched with snow, the water was too cold for swimming. Besides that, I’m on vacation!

Also a few GEC athletes did some fishing this weekend—fishing for podiums and PRs! Bec and Scott P. both qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships at Vineman—HUGE CONGRATS—and Brian and Caryn both PR’d (Brian by 36 minutes!!!) in Olympic Distance at the Camp Pendleton Int’l Triathlon. Congrats!

For me, it’s more fishing tomorrow and I’ll try to bring the camera!

Brian

First Race Back

2008-07-15T15:31:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I was lucky enough to be in San Diego for work—July is a good time to be away from Tucson. It just so happened that Sunday was a day off—and the Carlsbad sprint triathlon was that day. This is one of the oldest continuously run triathlons in the country, and is held on beautiful beach-front roads with nice pavement and a lot of spectators. Not a bad place to make my comeback into racing after 15 months off.

[Note: For you who may be reading for the first time I decided to see how much force it would take to rip one’s foot off their leg in a mountain bike crash 15 months ago. It took 6 months on crutches, 5 surgeries, countless medications and antibiotics, several setbacks, and a few thousand prayers, and only last month was I able to fly again. I’ve been able to swim and cycle regularly since March, and am only now running. This was my first time putting the swim, bike and run together since then.]

The race started in waves, and I was in the first wave with the pros and all the guys in my age group. This is a good place to start! The swim went OK—as good as I expected for not swimming much in the last few weeks--it's been a busy few weeks and the swim lost out. (I guess the once-a-week aquathlon exclusively isn’t the best swim training...who knew?!) I was out of the water feeling good, but was a ways down in my wave. The water was a bit cold, but the Zoot Zenith wetsuit was great!

My ankle was tight in T1, but once I got on the bike I felt great. There was a longish, steep climb right out of T1 and a good descent at the top. I didn’t understand those who put their shoes in the pedals in T1—I passed 5 of them on the climb out before we got up to speed! I immediately passed more people and held a good pace on the ride and pushed for 280 watts on the flats and descents, and going to 300-310 on the climbs and accels. I love the Slice paired with the Reynolds SDV66 wheels—it’s solid and fast. Average power = 274 watts.

In T2 I again had to deal with the tight ankle, and running barefoot isn’t my favorite thing anymore. As I started on the run I twisted my ankle on a timing mat and thought I was finished. It began to loosen up slowly, and by the time mile 1 rolled around I was feeling good and was able to pick up the pace and run well. I left T2 with the top woman and lost quite a bit in the first mile, but held my position after that. I don’t have time splits on the run, but it felt like a 9 minute first mile and 6-flats after that. Surprisingly I was only passed by one guy—a pro. Pace = 6:25. (Oh, if you don't have Zoot Ultra shoes, get them!)

At the finish line I really felt good. This is a good feeling—to be “back into it.” The excitement of the race I hadn’t felt in a while was refreshing and exhilarating. I finished 2nd in my age group with a mediocre swim, a top-10 overall bike split, and a descent run. To have my first sub-20 minute 5k on a rolling course after a hard bike ride was a victory to me. To see old friends on the race course and spectating was sweet. To have Jill yelling and having a good time was wonderful.

I’m back!

Way of the Master

2008-06-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I was flipping channels on the television and came across a familiar face. It was Kirk Cameron, the young actor from the 1980s, who was on the hit sit-com Growing Pains. Remember him? I was in my teens and totally had a crush on him as did all of my friends. Ha! He was on a Christian Network and was talking about the Lord. It was so awesome, his boldness and sincere concern for the unsaved.

Since then I've been doing a lot of research into evolution, and proof that supports a creator, and Jesus as God's son, who was risen from the dead. There's a ton of evidence, and not only given by Christians, either, but by scientists. It's pretty cool.

I just now visited Kirk Cameron's website, The Way of the Master, and listened to Kirk's testimony, about how he became a follower of God and Jesus. I've listened to it before, and it's pretty funny the way he describes it, but smart. Basically, he said that he owed it to himself to at least investigate.

Brian and I have noticed these days, that most Americans are actually Agnostics. It's easy to be one, Brian and I once were Agnostics. Agnostics are people who simply don't care, don't want to be bothered by Jesus, don't want to put forth any effort into discovering truth or making an educated decision, don't want to take time out their busy schedule to think about and dwell on the idea that maybe what the Bible says is true, simply put, just don't really care one way or the other. If the Bible is true, which Brian and I believe is the case, then this life on earth is extremely short. What happens next? Eternity is a loooong time.

Breakthroughs

2008-06-20T18:26:00.000-07:00

Another week of breakthroughs… It seems like it can be a while between improvements with the leg, but then will come a big jump. This week was that jump.

I flew solo again. Usually not a big deal as that’s the way we fly typically, but this was the first time in over a year. Everything came back and I felt very comfortable with the jet, the procedures, and the radios. Then today I had my check ride, and as of today I am again a fully-qualified F-16 pilot!

Cycling has been going well, but last weekend I tried my hand at a 40k TT. It was 100 degrees when we started and around 105 at the finish, but even through that I was able to push a big gear. I averaged over 250 watts and, although not a record, I was very happy with it for being on the bike for only a few months.

(The new Cannondale Carbon Slice was amazing as well. This bike is F-A-S-T fast! There is no flex in the bottom bracket or in the Si SL cranks. I picked up a set of Easton Attack TT bars and Fizik gel pads from Trisports.com; with my PowerTap rear nothing-fancy wheel and my Reynolds DV46 front it weighs in at under 17lbs! Next race I should have my Reynolds SDV66 with PowerTap hub and a Wheelbuilder.com disk cover. I also tried out my new Diadora Infinity Carbon tri shoes and Rudy Project Syton Supercomp helmet and Sportmasks. Ohh, very nice.)

Then last night I went to the local aquathlon. There’s a series here in Tucson that’s very fun and brings out a lot of the local triathletes and my friends. Last time, my 5k time was slower than my best overall time there… This time, three weeks later, I took over 2 minutes off the run…PER MILE!! I ran a 20:20 5k for an average of 6:35 miles. It was a complete surprise, and I felt great!

So, based on this, I have updated my racing plan. Look for me to race in the Snow Valley XTERRA in Snow Valley, CA, in August and to follow that up with the XTERRA Mountain Championships in Ogden, UT. Then, if things continue to go well, I’ll be going to Tahoe for the XTERRA USA championship in October, then the Soma Triathlon in Tempe. Ideally, I’d like to do the 70.3 distance, but I think I’ll settle for the Quarterman.

GREAT JOB!

2008-06-15T17:58:00.000-07:00

I just want to say an overall ‘GREAT JOB” to all of the GEC athletes! Racing is going very well for most everyone.

- Brian B is rocking the XTERRA world with top finishes at the Desert Xtreme XTERRA and Deuces Wild (overall win), as well as at the XTERRA Regional races in Temecula, Pelham, AL, and Richmond (age group win)!

- Brad did awesome in Ironman Arizona with a PR by an hour and a half, then smoked it at Wildflower!

- Kathy has been extremely successful in over 16 races so far this year, including road racing, and finally culminating as AZ’s representative for Best of the US!

- Polita just had her first sprint triathlon of the year where she improved her time from last year by 6 minutes and finished first in her age group for the first time! Her husband Owen took 6 minutes off his time as well!

- Scott is rocking the Xterra world as well up in New England!

- Caryn just wiped up an overall win at one of the Tucson aquathlons…including the guys!

- Matt won his age group in the Tempe International Tri and had a phenomenal race at Wildflower! Watch for him at IM Coeur d’Alene

- Rebecca took an age group win the Tempe Int’l Sprint as well as Deuces Wild XTERRA!

This is just mentioning a few athletes. Again, nice work everyone and keep it up! And a special good luck to those GEC athletes and campers racing at either IM CDA or IM France this weekend—Dan, Mike, Matt, Greg, Scott, Jim, Heather, Chris, Brian C, Karen, Bill, and Lisa.

Feel free to write an update to your profile or submit a race report.

--Brian