Tucson Triathlon Training Camp 2015!!

 Oh my goodness, so much to tell!!  Tucson is beautiful, by the way.  The first time I attended camp I fell in love with it and I've been really looking forward to training there again this year.  My coach, who runs different camps throughout the year, created a new camp in September for women only that catered to ironman and half ironman distance athletes.  This was great for me because I'm definitely in the Half Ironman category with no intention of doing a full ironman anytime in the near future.  I loved being with athletes similar to my ability level because let's face it, when everyone around you is so advanced that you can't even keep up, it can be kind of demoralizing.  I was also very happy to find that most of the ladies I was grouped with were moms like me so we all had a lot in common.  I love meeting new people and making new friends and camp always provides that opportunity. Within 24 hours I'd bonded with two great gals from Katy, Texas on a 75 mile bike ride.  Veronica is training for Oilman in Houston and Jenny is racing Ironman Augusta this weekend, both races being their first half ironmans!   

I was rooming with two other ladies, one from San Antonio named Shelly and the other, a Boston transplant named Heidi who now lives in Phoenix.  Everyone was super nice and all had that same fire that seems to burn in me-- to train and suffer like a kick ass triathlete because it feels so dang awesome! Here's me and my room mate Shelly.  She is in Chattanooga as I write, preparing to race IMChoo tomorrow.  

A little back story here....my first camp experience was in February of 2014. I had spent the past year focusing on the construction of our home and doing very little training.  I was itching to get back to it and started working with Hillary in January of 2014 when I decided to make a scary goal and go to camp.  O.M.G.  All I can say is ignorance is bliss.  I was not at all prepared for the onslaught of challenges I was to face each day at that camp.  I was the weakest athlete there and that's not an exaggeration. I had never ridden my bike more than 60 miles in my life.  I had never swam more than 2500 yards in a pool and my longest run was a half marathon that I ended up walking the last 2 miles. I hadn't even done my first half ironman and yet there I was, surrounded by multi-ironman finishers, ultra runners and pro triathletes.  I had no idea what I'd gotten myself into until it was too late so all I could do was show up, do the workouts and pray I didn't die trying.  This year was different.  Many of the ladies in our group were moms like me and they were either training for a half or a full distance ironman.  Everyone was very strong and committed, certainly above average ability but not anything crazy to where you'd feel super intimidated.  We were all there to challenge ourselves and have the chance to work with Hillary one on one. Some were there to get some peak training in before they tapered for an ironman race.  It was the perfect environment for me and I loved every single day of it.  Day one was a 5 mile social run and dinner then we were up early the next morning for a bike building clinic at 6am in Hillary's garage.  The best part about that clinic was the coffee! For some reason I appear to be strutting across the garage with mine....

My bike was all set, tires pumped, nutrition and hydration loaded and the weather perfect! We were ready to hit the road for our first session of the day!  

We took a group pic before heading out.  Lots of Smash cycling gear to brighten everything  up! 

 We headed down Starr Pass and over through town to Mission Road.  Mission is basically a false flat for several miles that eventually winds up into the hills.  Good thing all the climbing is at the beginning of the ride.  I've spent many a Sunday morning doing hill repeats on Kemah bridge getting my legs ready for the hills in Tucson but it's not really the same as actually riding IN Tucson UP the hills.  No matter.  Jenny was in front all the way up so I did my best to keep her in my sight.  Geez, she's strong for someone that lives in Houston! I was super impressed and glad for someone that forced me to push myself.  We had a great downhill going out towards Madera then turned back for a 6 mile climb that dead-ended at Mission.  Here we are taking a little break before flying down Mission road for a super fast descent.  Hillary had told me to get on Jenny's wheel on the previous climb but that girl is so freakin' strong I couldn't catch up with her to draft so on the downhill, Hillary had me draft on her then she pulled me up to Jenny's wheel so I could hang on.  So much fun to be challenged like this and ride with such a beastly group of girls.  

The last 5 miles of this ride were a little painful because we started to get tired and hungry.  We needed food-- like REAL food--not liquid nutrition and gels. I was so hungry I would've eaten dirt. When we finally pulled up to my casita, I put my bike up and ran straight to the fridge, barely taking time to get my helmet and gloves off.  I spent the next 15 minutes shoving food in my mouth like a starving animal. We had about an hour before it was time to swim.  Shelly came in about 30 minutes after me and did the same exact thing--she ran straight to the fridge and started scarfing down food while telling me how far they'd ridden (108 miles I think???).  Shelly is super petite with almost no body fat.  I don't know how she made it that far without passing out.  I decided to join her for a second round of face stuffing and then we got our swim suits on and headed for the pool.    

The Forever Set.  This is a swim set that is assigned on a fairly regular basis during certain training blocks.  It is so named because one of my teammates decided that it took "forever" to complete it.  The main set consists of 16X Band only, 200 PBB (paddles, buoy and band) FAST plus 50 easy swim.  You do that set 4X plus a warm up and a cool down, of course.  I've been doing this set for about 18 months so I'm very comfortable with it NOW but the first time I did it???  I seriously thought I was going to drown.  Wrapping a band around your ankles and trying to swim across the pool will do that to you.  Your hips sink, you gulp water instead of air and it's generally unpleasant until you position your body right and get your arms moving at the right speed.  Hillary loves this set.  I've come to love it too but it took me a couple of months to get the hang of it. Once the other campers were given instructions, we were off.  I know it sounds crazy to some of you to think a swim workout could feel good after a 75-100+ mile bike ride but it actually does.  The water feels really good and the actual swimming helps to loosen you up after being all crunched up in your aero bars but that day my body wasn't having it. I only got through two sets and had to stop dead in my tracks due to leg cramps--and I mean gut wrenching, tear inducing, rather be in labor than feel this pain, kind of leg cramps.  I rolled myself out of the pool and kneaded my quad muscles in an attempt to release the spasms shooting through my legs.  Holy Cow that hurt.  Hillary handed me a bottle of Gatorade and told to chug it.  She said 75 miles on the bike + forever set (may cause) = C.R.A.M.P.S. The gatorade did it's job, thank you God, and I finished one more set with a lot less vigor but, I finished it.  I got in the hot tub with Shelly and Dawn then we went home, showered, had dinner and were all in bed by 9pm.  
Next morning we had a 1:45 hour drive to our hike and swim destination.  The drive up was so relaxing and gave us all time to get to know each other.  The scenery was breath taking, really, and you would have never known we were just outside of Tucson.  It looked more like California wine country with all the gorgeous rolling hills and lush vineyards covering the landscape. When we arrived at the lake I knew it was going to be a great day.  The air was so crisp and clean and the lake was serene.  I felt so free that day.  I didn't have to be a mom or a swim teacher or a wife.  I didn't have to entertain anyone or make sure my kids were happy or fed.  I didn't have to break up some random argument over who did what to the other kid.  I didn't have to please anyone or make things better.  I didn't even have to be an adult.  I could just run and swim and play like a kid myself.  It was heaven.  
We gathered around Hillary for instructions, grabbed some gels and our water and jogged down the hill to the trail.  

We ran around the lake, maneuvering over rocks and dodging trees and scratchy bushes. At times we had to climb up rocky ledges and then slide down the other side.  We got a little lost and then picked up the trail again and kept moving.  We stopped for a group pic because it was so beautiful I wanted to remember it.  We kept moving around the lake for a little over an hour and by the end of the run, I was hopelessly in love with trail running.

Next up was our open water swim in the lake.  We learned how to position ourselves in a swim start, how to find the right feet to draft, how to let someone go if they aren't a good candidate to draft, and how to warm up for a swim when they won't let you in the water before the race.   We swam back and forth and back and forth across that lake, sighting and drafting and sprinting and cruising.  I think this is what I love most about triathlon.  I love interacting with nature-- running on trails, swimming in a (clean) lake or in the ocean.  I love riding and running surrounded by beautiful countryside or wherever I happen to be as long as I'm outside.  Doing this makes me so happy I sometimes feel like my heart will burst. That's how I felt that day at the lake.  Pure bliss.

We finished up at the lake, piled back in the car for the trip home and got ready for our next session of the day--Gates Pass, my favorite bike ride of all time.  
We left from the casitas at about 4:30pm, just after a light rain shower.  The weather was perfect, cool and fresh from the rain. The climb up Gates Pass is not super hard but it's a steady 8 mile climb.  Once we got going, I noticed my legs were still tired from our long ride the day before so I hung back and let the other girls go.  Sometimes it takes my legs a while to get with the program when they're tired.  I also knew what was coming and didn't want to spend all my energy on the front section.  I caught up with everyone at the top of Gates by the viewing area and listened for instructions on what to do next.  Gates has a very sharp drop over the back side of it's peak so you had to take it slow and stay focused.  A few of the girls were nervous about descending so she gave them some advice and said she'd lead everyone down.  I wanted to take advantage of the speedy descent at the bottom and have some fun with it so I was hoping she'd let me take off and go.  I knew she might need to hang back to make sure everyone was ok so I asked how fast we were going to descend.  She looked at me with a tiny gleam in her eye and very clearly said, "we will descend at a safe speed."  I thought, "Ok, no problem," so we all filed in line behind Miss Hillary and began our descent.  

To give you an idea of what Gates looks like elevation-wise, here is a chart.  My husband would be proud that I am using chart.  Gates is about 3100 feet in elevation.  Our casitas were at the Starr Pass Resort.  We started there and took the road leading up the front portion of Gates. 

Once you reach the top, there is a viewing area.  It's really worth it to look out over the valley and take in the views.  

Going down the other side of Gates is a little scary and reeeeeally, really fun.  You take it slow and keep a good grip on your breaks because the elevation drops drastically from the top and then levels out a bit near the bottom.  That lower part is where you can dig in and pick up speed, cruising over the rollers all the way to the T junction and that's exactly what we did.  I love, love, love to descend so I kept Hillary in my sights as we wound around the mountain.  I saw her take off at the bottom of the steepest part so I followed her and hung on for the ride. What a rush!  There is nothing more exhilarating to me on a bike ride than descending as fast as I can.  I was flying down a mountain on my bike with Hillary Biscay....hmmmmm.....I have to say, this ranks right up there with some of the most exciting moments of my life.  We high fived at the bottom.  Seriously epic.  
We turned around at that point because we didn't have enough daylight to add the McCain loop as planned so I flipped my bike in the opposite direction we'd just come and met the other girls as they rode in. My legs felt rested and ready to conquer that little hill we'd just cruised down so I headed out. Wait a minute-- did I just say we had to climb back UP the hill we'd just flown down with wild abandon at over 30 mph?  Yes, yes I did.  Now, last year I almost peed my pants when I was given that little tidbit of information. I was not at all prepared to climb back up that beastly steeple and said as much. I believe my words were, "huh-uh, no way I'm not gonna climb back up that mountain, are you f-ing kidding me???!!!".  My sentences are so clever and insightful when I'm nervous.  My protest was met with "uhhh...yes you are, you'll be fine" and that was that. I remember being terrified that my legs would give out on me when I needed them the most--you know, at the top, where the gradient was 13%???  I was sure I'd tumble down that mountain like the skier in ABC's Wild World of Sports.  "The agony of defeat....."
Honestly, I wasn't that much more confident this time around. All I knew was that I had made it up the last time I did it and I was in way worse shape then than now so I was going to have to go up on faith.  I knew that it was going to hurt, especially at the very top where it was the steepest, but I also knew it could be done.  I heard Veronica and Jenny behind me talking as we started up the rollers and one of them asked, "Are we almost there?".  I kind of chuckled and said, "ha, ha, NO.  Look to your left.  You see that hill we just came down? That's where we're headed.  We gotta climb back up".  
Say Whaaaattt????!!!!   

I guess they were as ignorant to the truth as I had been my first time.  It's pretty intimidating going down but going up?  It can shake up the most confident rider if you over think it.  See the dip in the mountain there vvvv below? vvv Do you see the car just below it going up the road??? and the other cars? you see them as your eye flows to the right of the picture??  That's the lower half of Gates.  I wish I had a picture of where it peaks at the top but I couldn't find anything.  All I can tell you is that you must stand to make it over that crest while peddling with all your might, even though your thighs feel like they're going to explode, otherwise you're toast.

When I told the girls we were going back up, Jenny zipped around me and pulled into the parking lot we happened to be passing at that moment.  She turned around, looked at us and vigorously shook her head.  The look in her eyes said it.  She wasn't going up.  I wish I could've stopped and talked to her but I was breathing too hard and all I could say was, "come on Jenny, you can do this" before passing her very slowly up the mountain.  I was hoping she'd change her mind but I had to keep going.  I wasn't about to stop because if I did, that'd be it-- I didn't think I could make it up at that point from a dead stop and I had plans once we made it back to the viewing area which included a lot of high fiving and bike lifting. Veronica stayed with me and we kept pushing onward and upward.  At one point she asked me if I ever felt like crying.  I said, "yes, but not today because I have to get my ass over this mountain."  So we kept pushing and peddling and breathing and as we approached the peak, even though our legs screamed for mercy, we just kept pushing harder, digging deeper and asking for every ounce of power we could squeeze out of legs so we could get over that crazy hill and finally....slowly....with great effort....we crested over the top and, sweet mother of Jesus, we made it!  Yes!! Another victory for the Home team!!  I high fived Veronica and told her to lift her bike over her head so I could commemorate her victory.....WoooooHoooooo!!!!!!

  

And here I am for my second pic on top of Gates....

And here is Heidi after climbing Gates.  I don't remember what she was pissed off about but she is hands down hilarious when she gets hungry and tired and grumpy and well....the pic just says it all!  

We needed to get some calories in that girl FAST.  She was giving us all sorts of advice on life and telling us how this $h*t was supposed to go down or something like that.  I don't remember anything but grabbing my camera and telling her I was taking a picture of her.  Anyway, this girl has THE MOST incredible sense of humor and a LAUGH, oh my god!  She is just a hoot.  I thoroughly enjoyed every minute with Heidi and can't wait to race with her at Ironman Austin in a few weeks.  You can't NOT have fun around this girl!

Another pic of Veronica, me and Jenny at the top of Gates.  Jenny ended up having to walk her bike up the back end of that beast and she was NOT happy about it.  She vowed vengeance on Gates next time around and I have no doubt she'll do it.  This girl can ride and climb like nobody's business.  Super strong, super fit.  She just let her mind get the best of her for a moment and I know she regretted it but hey-- that's just fuel for the fire and next time her victory will be so sweet!  I hope I'm there to see it!

Another day of camp was over but tomorrow was full of new challenges because guess what we were doing???.....duhn, duhn, duuuuuuhhhhhhh.......riding......

MOUNT LEMMON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This mountain is insane, and I mean REALLY insane.  Athletes come from all over the planet for the opportunity to ride Lemmon.  Pros flock to it as a training tool, hikers and tourist come to view it's majesty and take in the extravaganza nature has been artfully designing for thousands of years.  Pictures don't do it justice.  You just gotta see it.  As a cyclist, I respect the challenge this mountain has to offer us.  The ride begins at an altitude of about 2500 feet with Lemmon peaking at 8000 feet.  The gently curving two lane road leading up Lemmon is well maintained with a generous shoulder giving cyclists plenty of berth as they ascend the 20 miles up to the top.  My first time up Lemmon was unusual.  The weather started out sunny and comfortable but turned ugly and cold as temperatures dropped into the thirties over the course of an hour.  A wicked wind blew around the face and fog settle in as the elevation rose.  I made it to mile 17 that day but had to turn around because I was too cold and too fatigued to fight it anymore.  I felt a lot like Jenny in that regard and vowed to make it to the top the next time I had the chance.  

Our day started beautifully.  We had blue skies and sunshine when we pulled out of the Le Buzz Coffee shop's parking lot.  Once we started the climb, we all sort of spread out with Jenny and Veronica about a mile ahead of me.  I couldn't see them because the road winds around the mountain so I just settled in and kept peddling.  Here is the ride as recorded by my Garmin:

My average pace was going up was about 7-8mph and my speed going down was about 30 mph max.  Here I am just starting the climb looking up the road at about mile 2 I think....

I refueled at about mile 8 and then Hillary found me just before Windy Point at mile marker 14 which was my group's original destination for the turn-around.  I told her that I wanted to go all the way to the top just past Pallisade at mile marker 20.5 because that'd been my goal for the past 18 months.  I had the perfect day to do it and that was fine by her.  She sped up in front of me and snapped this awesome pic....

I was feeling so freaking good at that moment.  Such a contrast to the last time I'd been on that godforesaken mountain, freezing my tush off and praying I didn't die.  I rolled in to the Windy Point viewing area and greeted Jenny and Veronica.  They had taken a break and were chatting about their ride up.  I refueled, stretched and got back on my bike.  About a mile up I was able to connect with Spotify so I plugged in and listened to some Foo Fighters as I made my way up those last 6 miles to the top.  Once I got there I waved to Laura in the SAG vehicle and turned around to descend back to Le Buzz.  

I can't tell you what an amazing feeling it is to make it back safe and sound from a super challenging ride then grab food and a coffee and sit down to chat with your friends.  Hillary sat next to me and asked how I thought things were going for me.  I told her I thought I'd made huge strides since my last visit.  That was pretty obvious since the last time I was at camp I had gotten my a$$ handed to me every single day but that's what makes this journey so rewarding.  If I hadn't struggled so much the first time around  I wouldn't have had such a huge feeling of accomplishment this time. I love the fact that I was dead last at everything before (even though I hated it at the time) because it magnified my progress this time around.  Comparing myself to anyone else is pointless.  I've learned to only compare my past self to my current self.  Am I consistently improving? Am I staying positive when I have some obstacles thrown in my path?  That's all that really matters.  Triathlon is a great metaphor for Life.

The last day of camp was a track session and a technique swim.  Our warm up for the first session was to jog 3 miles to the track.  Once there, Hillary split us up into two groups.  The ironwomen were to do 21X800's.  You heard me right.  They had to run a half marathon for their track workout at whatever pace Hillary assigned to them.  It looked like it hurt. 

Our group was assigned a speed workout.  Coach had a stop watch and a plan to inflict major pain and suffering upon our tired asses.  She succeeded admirably. This was about mid-way through the workout while we could still smile without wanting to throw up.

 By the end we were completely wiped out.  

After the track workout we were shuttled back to the casitas for our final session with Hillary-- a swim technique clinic.  This was an invaluable opportunity to receive very specific critiques on our form from the Queen of Swim.  The only negative to this session was saying good-bye to her.  Hillary has this energy around her that is so enlivening.  She embody's a strength of character earned through years and years of intense training and suffering but at the same time she exudes wisdom and a very, dare I say, motherly aura towards her athletes.  She cares deeply about their progress, their goals and their dreams. She plays the role of "Dream Maker" with the intent of turning her "kidlets" into the best possible version of themselves through their training. 

I'll leave you with this:

Camp is soooo COOL!!   do it!!!