In Twenty Ten, Turn it Up to Eleven

Thanks Nigel, for that "extra push".

2009 was certainly a successful "transitional" year! In my inevitable Ironman triathlon relapse and myriad other challenges such as solo cycling and swimming events I rekindled my PASSION for racing. While not all of my racing goals were achieved, I was able to spend hundreds of hours training with my good friends: doing the activities I love most while "sharing the passion".

That is success! That is Victory! That compels me to jump out of bed at 4:30 on a Saturday morning to meet the gang for a 7 hour ride in the Santa Monica mountains with 14,000' of elevation gain or perhaps the classic Henshaw Loop in San Diego when it is 100 degrees. Try doing that alone! Not as fun or fulfilling... It is so much better to share that type of torture/fun, as an opportunity to share stories while creating new ones.

These hundreds of hours invested will pay dividends in 2010 and beyond, in many ways, just as my nearly 20 year old aerobic base does today. Only half of the equation is fitness-related. The mind-bending experience of pushing your body to extremes-with a view-provides lifelong memories. I am extremely fortunate to have like-minded physically and mentally strong friends who just happen to share my passion for the lifelong path of discovery that is endurance sport. I am confident as we roll into TwentyTen that the best is yet to come.

This is not a dress rehearsal. One of the benefits of training for triathlon or any other endurance sport with specific goals is the daily reminder to Carpe Diem, putting the day into a reality-alarm context.

2010 will see a bit more variety, but an even sharper laser-focus on a couple "key" races. In 2009 I trained specifically for only one "A" race: Ironman Coeur d'Alene. While 9:51 and 54th overall out of 2,600 is a respectable result, I needed a ~9:20, top-20 performance to qualify for the Hawaii Ironman World Championships. The game has changed. I plan on raising my game and applying the tough lessons I learned from that experience and racing to my full potential in the future. With better planning and execution I know I have that performance in my legs and look forward to letting it rip in 2010. While reaching full potential and tearing a race course apart is extremely fulfilling, at the end of the day it's all about the journey and sharing it with others. That said, sometimes it takes a heart-breaking failure to light a fire under your butt to re-evaluate and redesign your strategy for the next go-around.

I raise my glass high (of West Coast Green Flash!) to TwentyTen being a RIPPER of a year, the best year of our lives. The only way to make it happen is "turning it up to ELEVEN" to make the most of every day.

I can't settle. What was good enough is no longer sufficient. No more sleepwalking. As far as resolutions, I plan on chiseling away the time and productivity-killers and focusing on what matters in the moment. I know I could have done a better job of that in 2009 and the mountain of lost moments wasted haunts and motivates me. I want those days back! I'm getting more organized and taking that time back in 2010 and taking this game of life to the next level.

No Opportunity Wasted in 2010!

Cheers,

Sean

Thailand & Japan

Merry Christmas everyone!

While I am a warm weather person, the Christmas season is truly the most special time of the year for me. I hope you have had a fulfilling and rewarding year with positive momentum into Twenty Ten!

I am headed to Cleveland to visit Lisa's family for a week. No trip home to Vero Beach, Florida this year.

Looking back, this was certainly a transitional year...more on this in my next post.

Things have been quite crazy here at Casa Clancy. I have balanced a rigorous job search, run/bike/kayak/strength training for the upcoming North Georgia 24 Hour Adventure Race, and a quick trip to Thailand and Tokyo!

Some highlights from Thailand were:

Having a drink at a bar that hangs off the edge of the top of a 64 story building in downtown Bangkok at night, with panoramic views of the 14 million person megalopolis, with an old friend who was actually one of my sales reps when I managed a fantastic sales team in 2002 in San Diego...

Several interesting runs with Lisa through Bangkok's neighborhoods near Rama IX park...

Coasteering around Krabi's Railay beaches, including fending off aggressive, kleptomaniac monkeys...and avoiding sea urchins!...





Spectacular rock climbing at Railay...




Longtail boat transportation...yes, that is a car engine hanging off the back...




Walking to an island, buying Pad Thai and a beer from a Longtail boat, sitting down in 85 degree water eating my lunch...

Hiking into the rain forest via Ko Phi Phi's Tsunami evacuation route...

Ao Nang Cobra show...







Riding elephants through the forest in Krabi, barefoot, toes rubbing against the ears while I rode on the massive head...








I have over 100 photos posted on Facebook as well. We took a total of over 1,000 photos on two cameras and still need
to sort through the memory cards...

Tokyo (Harajuku and Shinjuku Christmas shopping) photos will be up later...just need to download. I did manage to see the Sunrise and Sunset in Japan...and yes, it was a bright red sunrise! Beautiful. Getting around Tokyo on the trains was "interesting". Experiencing downtown Tokyo's train stations at rush hour was quite an experience.

More news soon on 2010 Racing Plans with Team nuun-SportMulti (aka nuun-FeedTheMachine, aka DART-nuun), solo racing plans (and now for something completely different) and other life changes on the horizon.

Twenty Ten is going to be a fantastic year, full of new challenges. But 2009 isn't over yet! Plenty of adventure left to cram into this year...Don't give up on 2009 yet! Change starts now.

Don't Call It A Comeback...

After just finishing my "off season" I am back in the swing of base-building for 2010. The big news for 2010 is I will rejoin my Adventure Racing Teammates on Team nuun-FeedTheMachine.com for the Checkpoint Tracker Series and possibly one or two Expedition Races in North America or overseas.

Right now I am enjoying training more than ever. I am rebuilding my running, riding and paddling aerobic base after a few weeks of unstructured training and relaxation. The next step is picking up where I left off in November of 2008, actually right where we won the Adventure Racing National Championship in Blue Ridge, Georgia...No, literally! My first race back will be the North Georgia 24 Hour Adventure Race, January 16-17th. This race will be extremely competitive, with over 50 of the best teams from the Southeast as well as our west coast team and the new 2009 National Champions from New Hampshire. Standby for pain!



Team nuun-FeedTheMachine.com will be Glenn Rogers of Gig Harbor, Washington, ME, and Jennifer Rinderle of Atlanta, Georgia...our ringer of a "hired gun" who actually races for one of our greatest competitors, Team CheckpointZero







In other news, I left my job at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals today and am on vacation until the end of the year. I am pursuing new opportunities and hope this calculated risk allows me to find the right fit to leverage my personality, skill set and passions into a rewarding career. When you get into your "comfort zone" you become stagnant and it's time to move on to a greater challenge. Just like endurance training. I believe that life is short, and this is not a dress rehearsal. CARPE DIEM!

Upward and Onward,

Sean

World Championships: PORTUGAL

OK, I'm not racing, but 4 of my nuun-FeedTheMachine.com teammates will be competing in the Adventure Racing World Championships that start on the 8th in Lisbon, Portugal. The 59 international Teams are expected to be finished and off the course by the 13th.

We would like to see the team improve over last year's 6th place finish at the World Championship at ECO MOTION Brazil, however this year's unique format may make luck as big a factor as fitness, navigation, teamwork and cunning. Along with the mandatory checkpoints from point A to Z, there will be Optional checkpoints available on the course. Even the teams with the best navigation and fitness can lose the race if they Opt for an optional checkpoint and wind up bogged down in terrain or circumstances that are not on the map. Speaking from experience, even the newest maps are not always 100% accurate and can be misleading to even the sharpest navigators.

It will be fun to watch!

This time I get to bring the popcorn while THEY bring the pain!

Actually I will be going long this weekend...paddling on the ocean on Saturday and running and mountain biking in the Santa Monicas on Sunday.

2009 Adventure Racing National Championship

This time last year, I competed in the Adventure Racing National Championships, a 24 hour race in North Georgia. We won!

For 2010 I focused on triathlon and bike racing, while my teammates have continued their winning ways...

On October 25, the team will line up in Texas for the 2009 National Championship. Without me! My teammate Ryan Van Gorder is taking my place alongside returning champions Glenn Rogers and Mari Chandler. I would not bet against this team to repeat as National Champions. The massive amount of wins this team has stacked up in this decade is unparalleled. Most of our team works full-time, some of us with families and "real lives" to attend to every day...

Bring home the hardware, Team!

The team name is different (we were team DART-nuun until this year), but the goal is always the same.
Watch out for team nuun-feedthemachine.com


Some more photos from last year's race:














The awards ceremony was in an open-air barn! Very cold for these this particular Southern California couple...we had to improvise with some horse blankets!

New National Adventure Racing Series!!

The CheckpointTracker national adventure racing series-that my Team nuun-feedthemachine.com swept and won in 2008-is back for 2010 with some very cool improvements and additions. This
is fantastic news for the sport of Adventure Racing in the United States and something I am very excited about. This is huge.


-SC




Year-long series of more than 50 events to culminate with National Championship where qualifying teams will compete head-to-head for bragging rights and a $10,000 cash prize purse.


Greenville, SC (PRWEB) October 18, 2009 --

Checkpoint Zero, LLC today announced the launch of Checkpoint Tracker, an innovative new concept for competitive adventure racing in the United States comprised of a 50-event nationwide adventure racing series, a rankings system featuring Sprint and Pro rankings, an entirely new Web 2.0 social networking website, and a National Championship race offering a $10,000 cash prize purse.

Adventure racing teams interested in being ranked based on their performance at Checkpoint Tracker adventure races will be able to choose from over 50 events between January and October 2010. The series includes Sprint length (up to 12 hours), Sport length (12 to 18 hours), Adventure length (18 to 48 hours), and Expedition length races, which will see competitors racing non-stop for more than two full days.

Checkpoint Tracker will publish two distinct rankings based on points earned by teams competing at participating events. Teams may compete in as many events as they choose and combine their five best results for their season points total. Sprint rankings will combine points from Sprint races only while the Pro rankings will use a weighted points system to combine results from Sport, Adventure, and Expedition length races.

"Checkpoint Tracker represents the evolution of competitive adventure racing in the United States. It's a fresh start...a break from a status quo," said Paul Angell, President of Checkpoint Zero, LLC. "Adventure racing has yet to fully realize its potential to capture the imagination of adventure seeking outdoor enthusiasts. It remains a balkanized, niche sport.

High profile events like Eco Challenge and Primal Quest have succeeded in vaulting the sport into the limelight, but they failed to deliver a sustainable foundation on which to grow the sport at the grassroots and amateur level. Checkpoint Tracker provides a framework for doing exactly that. I'm very excited about what 2010 holds for the sport of adventure racing."

Beginning October 18, 2009 adventure racers in the United States will be able to register at Checkpoint Tracker.com to participate in the 2010 Checkpoint Tracker adventure racing season, which begins on January 16th, 2010 at the North Georgia Adventure Race in Chatsworth, GA. Featuring personal Racer profiles and Team profiles that include a roster of team members and the team's racing schedule,Checkpoint Tracker.com will serve as the online hub for live coverage of events in progress via an innovative web application called Race Central.

After the last regular season event, Checkpoint Tracker will host a National Championship race that will bring together the top 60 teams by points in the Pro rankings and the top 15 teams by points in the Sprint rankings. The best adventure racing teams in the country will face an all new Adventure length course designed by Bonk Hard Racing. The National Championship will be worth twice as many points as regular season Adventure length races and will offer a $10,000 cash prize purse.


For additional information about Checkpoint Tracker visit http://www.checkpointtracker.com .
About Checkpoint Zero, LLC

Checkpoint Zero, LLC is a sports marketing company based in Greenville, SC. The company operates the popular adventure racing website Checkpointzero.com and produces Checkpoint Tracker, a competitive adventure racing series comprised of more than 50 adventure races across the United States.



Contact

media@checkpointtracker.com
http://www.checkpointtracker.com

Some Late Season Motivation For You...

My friend and nuun teammate Matt Hart made this rad video, compiling footage from several ultramarathons and some of my personal favorite training runs around the West Coast. Before you hit play, turn off the "juke box" player
on the right side of this blog...otherwise two songs play at the same time.


Dig it!

Grand Canyon/Sedona/Jerome Weekend

Last weekend Lisa and I drove out to the Grand Canyon for a couple days. We ran/hiked down the south Kaibab trail to the river, and hiked back up the Bright Angel trail. Absolutely spectacular. Before heading home we spent a couple days in Sedona with a side-trip to Caduceus winery in Jerome where we picked up a few bottles of Chupacabra from Maynard James Keenan. Jerome is one of the cooler, spookier places I have been at night. I'll be back.


7 weeks to go until Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Clearwater, Florida. Chop chop!

Road Trip & Announcing Feb 2010 BASE Camp...

Check out Clemson Photography for more cool shots from Mt. Palomar

Headed out on Wednesday night with Lisa for a road trip to the Grand Canyon, St. George, Utah (for a preview of the reportedly very nasty Ironman course), and Zion's magical slot canyons. Stoked! I have never been to any of these 3 places although they have always been near the top of my Must-Experience list.

We are bringing our bikes, goggles, and running shoes of course to run, bike and swim in some of the most beautiful places in our country...It seems like I have procrastinated on finally getting around to these spots. Guess I'm a "pleasure delayer"!

Training Update

No more slacking! Last week was my first full week back after spending a few weeks busy with road trips, business travel, fighting off a stubborn foot injury, and squeezing in a couple races (Santa Barbara Long Course Triathlon and XTERRA Lake Tahoe). I managed 20 hours total, with a good moderate balance of 12k swimming, 250 miles riding, and 36 miles running. Not mega-mileage, but I am just trying to hit my "basic week" at this point, at "Steady" with very limited harder efforts as I re-build some fitness for my fall races.

My swim has been curiously slow this year and I am passionately working on improving ASAP. Over the last 7 days I have logged over 16,000 yards in the pool, most of it working on technique. This is the first time in several years I have been over the 12-13k mark and it seems like the shoulder issues I had this spring/summer are gone (knock knock!). I am going to keep the volume and technique focus rolling, hopefully with some good results. Already I have taken 10 seconds off my best 500 time for 2009, at a lower "perceived exertion" than ever before. Progress! The goal is to get in frequent 20k weeks with additional coaching and a new CERTAINTY that I will swim under 1hr in my next Ironman, summer 2010.

On the bike I am still in the learning phase of training with Power. I invested in a PowerTap wireless unit and have only a few rides beyond "steady" pace so far. One was a group ride up Mt. Palomar two weekends ago. The climb was early in a 103 mile ride with over 10,000 feet of elevation gain, with some studly OC riders (Chad, Max, Kurt and Kaiser Sosa) so I was not going to risk blowing up or even going above Lactic Threshold. Still, I was able to easily average over 300 watts for the climb (not normalized), even with a fade after 50 minutes, without going too hard so I believe my FTP is somewhere in the low 300s. In 10 days I will do the climb again with the sole purpose being an accurate maximum 60-minute effort/Functional Threshold Power test. The numbers don't lie!

Running is finally getting "back up to speed", so to speak. I took almost a month off from any real run training after sustaining a weird ankle injury after Ironman Coeur d'Alene. After a month of very low mileage (30 miles/week or less) I took a couple weeks off almost completely (save for a couple races) and it seemed to do the trick. Celebrex, Ice, massage, and light stretching also seemed to help. Hopefully I can re-build and improve my running fitness in time for a solid 8 weeks leading up to the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater. That race is known for a crowded draft-fest on the bike, so even if I post a sub 2:10 bike split it is unlikely that I will drop the top contenders in my age group. It's critical to have a fast swim and be ready for a Personal Record on the run! The joke is that they're calling it a "wet half marathon"...

Lastly I am working on putting together a reasonably-priced winter training camp or two for Triathletes and cyclists. This camp will be geared towards folks training for Ironman or other longer distance triathlon, however it is also appropriate for folks training for shorter distances at the top level. The plan is to rent a house or hotel for 5-7 days of massive base miles. Not a hammer-fest, but not slow. It is likely that the Campers will all be in sub-10 hour Ironman range fitness for the first camp, or at least have the equivalent bike fitness.

We're talking a 500 mile bike week, plus daily swimming and running, with no distractions. Yes, there will be awards for who completes the most sessions. Yes, it's going to be hard. Yes, you will need to recover after this camp. Yes, several well-known coaches in the industry offer the same thing but it seems like they are booked up and there seems to be a need for folks to "get away" for a week to crank up the base training for the 2010 campaign. Depending on interest, we may do one in Southern California and one in Arizona or SW Utah, with additional shorter camps throughout the year. My partner-in-crime is located in the Phoenix area and is a good friend and training partner who has several 9hr+ Kona finishes, top-20s at Ironman New Zealand, 2:34 marathons, etc.

If you are interested in the February Winter BASE Camp, comment on this post or email me directly. Price and details are being worked out over the next couple weeks.



SC

XTERRA Lake Tahoe Race Report

XTERRA Tahoe Race Report...the low-down!

Swim

XTERRA Lake Tahoe began at the Incline Village Hyatt's beach, where we swam two 750 meter loops in the warmer than expected, 67 degree crystal clear water of Lake Tahoe. With a 100 meter run in between loops on soft sand, at an elevation of 6300', getting out of the water and running that 100 before jumping back in seemed tougher than the swim itself!

I noticed that if I pushed the pace as I normally would in the pool or the ocean (ie sea level), I immediately felt dizzy and could feel the oxygen debt. It took a few minutes to find a pace that was maintainable and I stuck to it. I knew it was slower than what I wanted, but with limited swim training lately, my expectations were pretty low. I exited the first 750 in 13:38, and finished the 1500 swim in 28:39.

Embarassingly slow? Yes. More motivated than ever to kick my swim training into high gear? Definitely.

There was a delightfully sadistic ~400m run to the first transition: across the beach, across an asphalt parking lot, down the street, across another parking lot, and into the transition which was in a grassy park.

Bike

After the long transition, I took off at a good clip on my Turner FLUX, in a quixotic attempt to leap ahead of the faster swimmers and Sprint triathlon racers (who started at the same time but only had to swim one 750m lap) before the dreadfully steep and sandy Tunnel Creek Road climb.

The notorious Tunnel Creek Road climb comes only about a mile into the race, and is 4 miles of loose and sandy but unbelievably scenic humiliation. My lame swim meant that I would be stuck behind a pack of slower riders clogging the only good lines up the climb. Passing was quite difficult as riders took both sides - and the middle of the road was usually soft sand.

My only option was to pass several riders at a time, blasting through the soft sand when possible. After a couple miles the traffic jam thinned out a bit, but still left me frustrated as hill-climbing is usually a relative strength of mine, especially on the mountain bike. It took me 31 minutes to climb Tunnel Creek Road, but by the time I reached the top I was probably in the top 20 overall and feeling better than I would have if I had blasted the climb on my own...

The top of Tunnel Creek Road meant the beginning of the impossibly RAD 4-mile-long single track Flume Trail. This trail is cut into the side of the granite cliffs and offers panoramic views of the lake ~1400 feet below. This would be the highlight of the ride, and one of the few (false) flat spots on the bike course. Unfortunately my gimpy swim came back to haunt me once again, and I encountered more bottlenecks on the narrow trail. It is difficult to pass on the Flume Trail, and a reckless pass on the right could have very negative consequences, such as dropping off a 500' cliff.






A few of the riders I tried to pass seemed uncomfortable on the trail or flat-out refused to let me pass. Poor sports. One guy actually started swearing at me and threatened me (and the racer behind me who also had bridged up to me as I waited to pass). Apparently "whenever it's safe, buddy, on your right" (you pass on the right on this trail) was an insult.




The rest of the bike course was less congested, with the 15 racers in front of me rather spread out. The day grew much hotter, into the 80s, which combined with 7500' of altitude can dehydrate you rather quickly. The loose sand on the course sapped the energy of my quads, but my energy was consistent throughout the ride, since I had slammed a bottle of (2.5 scoop) Vitargo S2 on the Flume Trail. After a couple more bottleneck incidents on the more technical downhill switchbacks, I was able to open it up slightly and cruise the downhill to T2 for the 10k run. For the entire ride, I believe only two people passed me. For my only fuel on the bike leg I carried one bottle of 3-scoop Vitargo S2 mixed with water, FEIN (75mg caffeine citrate packet) and nuun.







I took a only a swig of water from one aid station but that was it. NOT ENOUGH WATER! On a hot day, this must have had an impact on my performance. Next time I will use a light camelback to ensure and motivate me to drink more. We all know that a very small amount of dehydration can have a large impact on performance.


Run

After a quick transition (for a change! (no pun intended)), I slammed half a bottle of Vitargo S2 and hit the 10k run course, which would be two laps on a mostly flat 5k loop that somehow was cut into a very small area. Every 10 seconds or so you would encounter a tight turn, perhaps a hairpin. This prevented any mojo from flowing and was a bit annoying. My strength as a runner is getting into Diesel-Mode and trucking along at LT or just under LT, but this course was stop and go. Challenging in a weirdly annoying way.

I had pre-ridden and pre-run the course beforehand and knew what to expect, but on race day it was difficult to get into any kind of groove. Although I felt dreadful like I was moving in slow-motion I somehow managed to let only one person pass me on the run, and I finished in 3hrs15 minutes. Approximately 15 minutes slower than I had planned, but a great benchmark to demolish next year.

FINISH
Surprisingly, I was handed a results card before I even left the finish chute (JTL TIMING is awesome), showing that I finished in 15th place, and 2nd in my age group. The timing company's card was the same exact card they used at races I did on O'ahu back in 1996-1999 when I competed in cross country, road races and triathlons. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! I still have a couple of those old cards and it was nostalgic moment for me...I had planned on competing in the first XTERRA Maui (back then called AquaTerra) in 1996, but my Navy and college schedule wouldn't allow it. 13 years later I finally competed in my first XTERRA, after years of triathlon, Ironman, mountain bike racing, adventure racing...funny how it all works out. I cannot wait to compete in my next XTERRA...

The trophy was an XTERRA Lake Tahoe pint glass, which I filled and emptied while we stood on the podium! Cheers!




After the race, Lisa and I drove the loop around Lake Tahoe, stopping at Emerald Bay for some hiking and photography. Emerald Bay is definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. On Sunday we returned to Emerald Bay and scrambled/hiked down the dry waterfalls and creek bed onto the beach. We checked out the Vikingsholm castle, swam in the bay, and soaked up some rays before the long epic drive home. Solid weekend.

The last few weeks have been very light in terms of training. With back-to-back races and a very busy time at work, it was essentially a mid-season break. Now I look forward to getting back into the swing of things and ramping up for my next "A" race, the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater, Florida on November 14th.

I love it when a PLAN comes together!




Stay Thirsty My Friends!







Sean

Santa Barbara Triathlon Report

Race Report Time Kids! Gather around! Ok...

The Santa Barbara Long Course triathlon this past Saturday was a bit tougher than I had anticipated. The 34 mile bike course offered treats such as potholes, twisty descents, X-Files-like false flats, and busy intersections open to traffic. Good times. After the tragic loss of Barbara Warren due to an accident on the bike course last year, I had no problem taking a very conservative approach on this technical ride that I had not pre-ridden. I still wound up with the 9th fastest bike split out of 780, which was surprising given that I felt like I was holding back considerably and slowing down almost to a complete stop at several intersections.

The 1 mile swim reminded me that I need to get back in the pool with purpose, and that I cannot fake it through a 1+ mile swim leg. Losing 5-6 minutes to the leaders is unacceptable and nearly cancels out any gains I usually make on the bike. This was a true wake-up call, and I am working on a plan to get back into swim shape; making this weakness my strength! At 6'2 and 180lbs (in race shape, I raced SB at 187!), I should be flying through the water instead of zigzagging slowly. Moving on...

The 10 mile run confirmed for me that I don't have much under the hood after running very low mileage the last several weeks while a peroneal tendonitis in my right foot healed. With low expectations going in, I focused on what I COULD control, like fueling with VITARGO S2 and pacing. I give myself an "A" for both, since I held back considerably on the bike and kept my pace consistent on the run, plugging away at 6:30ish/mile. Can't complain.

My fuel for the race: one bottle of 2-scoop Vitargo, 3hrs before the start, along with one Nature's Path "pop tart" and water. One 2-scoop bottle of Vitargo slammed 30 minutes prior to the start, along with some water. One bottle of 2.5-scoop Vitargo on the bike. One half bottle of 3 scoop Vitargo at T2...and the other half I sipped as I ran. One big mistake was not taking any FEIN caffeine along with my Vitargo on the run. That would have helped immensely as I faded a bit at mile 9 to 6:40s. I had to rally to get back on track!

I was passed by the 2nd place 30-34 in the last half mile. My mindset from the start of the race was to just go with the flow and treat it like a training day. That was a lame idea. I had no idea that I would finish only 21 seconds behind 1st place in my Age Group at the end. 21 seconds was very doable, since I was cruising the run to avoid any further injury. Even in "B" or "C" races I need to be more engaged. Gotta race with the killer instinct regardless of relative importance of the race. After all, these races are training for the "BIG" races. I can't wait to come back next year to try to take 10 minutes off my time and crack top 10 overall.

This was Lisa's first triathlon (she normally does adventure races and endurance mountain bike races) so the weekend was really not about my race, but hers. We stayed at our friend Chuck's house a few blocks off State Street, which is an incredible location. Chuck has it made in the shade! The Fast Fletchers: Slater and Monique, as well as Paul Cusick (from Intense mountain bikes) and his girlfriend Lisa joined us as well for the weekend.

This race gave me some good benchmarks and data for my upcoming push towards Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Clearwater, Florida. I will take one more "easy" week before resuming my normal training program and ramping up for my "last hurrah" for 2009.

This weekend I am off to Xterra Lake Tahoe with Lisa...I have been on my mountain bike just a few times this year so it should be pretty interesting. I have ridden the course before, during last year's Big Blue 24 Hour Adventure Race, so I know what to expect...pain!


Results

Where there is a big enough WHY there is a HOW...

the why:



stolen from conrad stoltz, xterra world champion...



S'More...

And Now...For Something Completely Different.

As of this week, I have decided not to do Ironman Canada/Kona this year. Too much dough. I realized that it would cost me around $5,000 to do both Canada and Kona, plus a couple weeks of vacation to do it right. Instead, I will do several other races, including a return to the Dirt...still working out details. It is actually a relief to save money and allow myself to focus on One key race and a few Benchmark races along the way. I'm excited about it! There are several races in California that I have not done yet and look forward to experiencing this year.

Instead of training for a 112 mile time trial and a marathon, I can focus on getting faster and building on my aerobic base that I have been developing my late start in February.

I will try to peak for Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater, Florida in November as my "A" race for this fall.

I have signed up for the Santa Barbara Long Course Triathlon on August 22nd, and will enter a few more races to fill the new gaps in my schedule.

Getting up early in the morning for one of my favorite rides: Swami's Ride plus an out and back to Mt. Soledad. This ride is a good benchmark that Slater, Keevin, Kurt and I use to gauge our dreamcrushing abilities...or lack thereof!

Thanks for stopping by!

SC

Monster Weekend on Tap...

On Saturday I am joining my nuun/feedthemachine.com teammate Cyril Jay Rayon for an epic ride in the San Gabriel mountains. We will start at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and climb up to Wrightwood, which unfortunately is about 66 miles away. All in all, the ride should be around 135 miles long, with over 13,000 feet of climbing. With 7 weeks until Ironman Canada, this will be one of my longest rides of the year. These are the types of rides that separate the men from the boys. Most people training for Ironman triathlons will do several rides in the 100-120 mile range, but few will go over 130, and even fewer will do those miles at a steady pace in the mountains, climbing around 2.5 vertical miles.

Cyril and I have logged hundreds of hours together over the past couple winters, mostly in the Santa Monica mountains. While training for adventure races we typically would knock out 5-7 hour rides with 20 mile brick runs in the mountains. That makes Ironman training much more palatable and exciting. It's all relative!

We are both peaking for our "A" races. Cyril is getting ready for Primal Quest, where he hopes to improve on last year's 4th place finish. Cyril recently won the 24 Hours of Laguna Seca mountain bike race, setting a new record. It was his 2nd mountain bike race in about 6 years. A month prior he did the 24 Hours of Hurkey Creek, but crashed badly and finished 2nd with his injury. Nice!

If I am motivated and lucid enough I will get off the bike and knock out my standard transition run before making the hour-long drive home to Huntington Beach. Rides like this take all day, over 7 hours ride time, so I will barely make it home before dinner.

Sunday's Torture du Jour is a 20 mile run at MAF Pace, which I believe is around 6:49/mile right now. In the 2 weeks post-Ironman, it is difficult to determine your true aerobic pace, as you are carrying fatigue that artificially lowers your heart rate. So while I may think I have a "jump in fitness" while running 6:30 pace at a heart rate of 149, it is more likely that I am not recovered yet.

After the long run I plan on a long Ocean Swim near San Clemente with HotWheels. If I am still alive we will do an easy spin together after the swim. Easy as in EASY!

All systems are go for a fast race at Ironman Canada.

I picked up some great information today on a Webinar held by Gordo Byrn/Endurance Corner (www.endurancecorner.com) Today's topic was Mental Conditioning for Ironman triathlon. I will share what I learned in my next post!

Stay Moist,

SC

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