Tucson Winter Training Camp Day 3

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.