Tucson Training Camp

It's that time of year when fitness is beginning to peak its little rearing head out and inside training sessions begin to get a little old. For me in Boise, going outside for a ride at this time really isn’t an option in my “playbook.” The trick for me during this part of the year is increasing my riding consistency as opposed to my ride single session volume. Consistent riding isn’t necessarily a choice because the sad truth is that I just can’t sit my arse on the saddle in front of the TV for more than about 2.5 hours at any one time. So my early season fitness is dependent on getting consistent training sessions on the bike 4-5 days per week between 1.5-2.5 hours per session.

However, this year I am heading to Tucson for a week to play in the sun. I haven’t done many big training camps as a triathlete over the past 11 years, so I am looking forward to this time. My first big training camp that I ever attended was Epic Camp with Gordo Byrn and Scott Molina in Australia, that was in 2005. That camp was defined by ignorance…..ignorance in the sense that I just really didn’t know how much one could train, but I found out afterwards the body has the ability to train a lot, more than you think. I don’t remember the numbers exactly, but I think we in the range of 45 hrs in a week, it could have been more. It was pretty crazy, nearly excessive, but I learned a lot…..a lot about BONKING and a lot about recovery!!!! Oh and that drink in a red aluminum can called Coke. I had never trained with coke, nor caffeine for that matter. I learned the benefits during that camp. I’ll have to save that story for another time. Molina introduced me to Coke on a training ride one day and man was that a funny day. But in any case, I don’t think I will be hitting those volume numbers this week and I hope that I won’t be bonking as much neither.

My second camp was in 2007 and my brother and I headed to Tucson with some buddies. This was the last “bigger” camp that did. We definitely had a much more moderate schedule, but never less good in terms of boosting fitness. As I head back to Tucson in 2012, I am excited to get back to living like a “pro” for a week. With Oceanside 70.3 in 5 weeks, it was almost a necessity so that I could get some road riding in. This weeks camp maybe the only rode riding I will get in prior to the race, so I’ll be taking advantage of it. I’ll be posting through out the week, it should be a good time.

Did I mention the weather is supposed to be in mid 70’s the whole week. Stoked!!

Livin’ the dream,
Crazy J