This last week was a nice change of pace. Upon completion of the first half of my racing season I had decided to take a complete week off from training. The idea here, which was planned months ago, was to allow a nice mid-season break to recharge my batteries and refresh my self both mentally and physically. So instead of the usual 5:30 am swim sessions, interval bike rides and tempo runs, I opted for playing in the park with Melek and our dog Piper, spending time in the mountains doing downhill runs on free-ride bikes, and eating popcorn and candy at the movies with Melek.

Tomorrow it’s back to the grind stone. After taking this week off, I am now actually really looking forward to getting back to training and preparing for Utah. My general plan, dubbed Operation Ogden, will consist of three week base phase focusing on rebuilding my endurance and strength, followed by a rest week. After that comes a three week intensity phase intended to bring me to a physical mental peak for my #1 A-priority race of my season: Xterra Mountain Championships in Ogden, Utah.

We’ll see how it all works out over the next six weeks. Until then enjoy some pictures from my rest week.

CW

Melek and my’s dog Piper

Piper going long

Adam and I at the top of the Keystone chair lift

Me riding free-ride ladder trails, crazy stuff!

Adam about to launch

Sunday was the third stop on the XTERRA America Tour in Richmond, Virginia. The hot and humid weather, tough cross-current river swim and tight technical urban trails made for a difficult event. I missed my goal of a top eight finish by just a few minutes and finished in the 12th position of the day. Not my preferred style of high altitude and climbing courses, I will take the points (putting me in 9th place overall for the series) and patiently wait for my races to come later in the season in Utah and Tahoe.

The swim in James River proved to be even more difficult than I expected. The course had us traverse the river 4 times before heading in to T1. This “W” shaped course in the cross-currents made for difficult sighting and had people all over the place in the currents. I remember looking up at one point and seeing people swimming right towards me! I still don’t know if I was off track or they were off track? Anyway, I came out of the water with a 3 minute deficit on the leaders. Not too good.

Once on the bike and out of T1 however, I began to make up ground. The bike course led us over a long bridge over the river to an island and onto some over the tightest and twisty-est single-track I’ve ever seen. Upon leaving the island on the other side we had to run our bikes up a 3-story spiral staircase and over a bridge to the next section of trail. Then later on the way back in we rode down the same stair case before heading back towards T2. Pretty unique and cool stuff! I powered through the bike course on my Jamis XCR and moved my way up to 10th position coming off the bike.

The run was pretty flat with the exception of a couple long stair-case sections similar to the ones seen on the bike. I came out of T2 strong and moved into 9th position within the first half-mile. I was forging ahead through the urban trails with no other competitors in sight. With about 2 miles to go the run takes you across a very shallow part of the river heading back towards the finish. The trail became non-existent over the slickrock-like river bed. With only the posted arrows to follow as the course (and not enough in my opinion), I managed to miss a turn and run off course. Once I realized I was off-course, I had to back track to find my way back. During this episode, I managed to lose over a minute as well as 3 places. I tried to get back in it but there wasn’t enough time as the finish was within a mile.

This 12th place finish was a tough disappointment to swallow. This was the first time ever in my racing career that I have gone off course, but I know it happens on occasion. Anyway, I’m still in the hunt for a top overall series placing and with my best races to come I am confident that I will continue to improve. For the next 6 weeks I will be taking a break from XTERRA in favor of some mountain bike racing and to get in some solid training for the second half of my season. The XTERRA Mountain Championships are August 18th and with the altitude and major climbing on the bike I will be looking for a podium finish. I’ll keep you posted.

Thank you for your continued support.

CW

Swim in the James River

Race Venue

Stay tuned…..

Made it to Richmond. Long day yesterday with the flight delays and long layover. Anywho…I’m staying a friend, Trevor Glavin (’07 Temecula Amateur Champ), at his cousins house in Richmond. Generous hosts with a very cool house and beautiful eastern neighborhoods. Big difference from the West.

Host House in VA

Richmond Neighborhood

This morning Trevor and I grabbed a coffee from the local cafe before heading over to the race venue for a course pre-ride and swim. This venue is very unique in the way that it is located right in the middle of a major urban area right off from downtown Richmond. Lots of people, large buildings in the back ground and tight twisty eastern singletrack. The course is moderately technical with many unusual features throughout the course. Things like 3-story spiral staircases that you go up and come down, 2-foot wide 20 yard rail-less concrete bridges spanning creeks, steep wooden pedestrian bridges over rivers, and dark concrete culverts are among the most interesting challenges on the course.

Bridge over not-so-troubled water (Trevor in the Swiss colors)

3-story stair case, you go up it twice, down another one just like it once

Cross the creek and through the tunnel, to transition 2 we go

Trevor heading towards the tunnel

The swim course is also a bit unusual. It’s in the James River that runs through Richmond. The river is pretty wide and rather shallow in with large boulders submerged just below the surface. So close sometimes that you actually touch them during your swim stroke. The current is almost non-existent in some spots and rather brisk in others. The course traverses the width of the river 3 times before returning to the finish. Some sections you really have to aim yourself up stream 45 degrees and let the current straighten you out. Pretty different.

A view from the swim beach

I’m feeling good and ready to race again. I’d like to get in the top 8 this go ’round. This will be pretty challenging but I feel up to the task. After the first two races in the National Series I have collected points getting me into the 7th place position overall. That means I’ll be sporting bib number 7 tomorrow. Pretty sweet, single digit bib! Wish me luck and let you know how it goes.

CW

Lucky No. 7

Off I go again! Headed to the airport this morning, off to Richmond for the 3rd stop on the 2007 Xterra Championship Calendar in Virginia. Upon boarding the plane we were informed that a repair to the wing was necessary before we left. So we sat on the ground for over an hour while the repair was being made. This of course made me miss my connecting flight in Cincinnati. Here I am in the Cincinnati airport waiting for the next flight to Richmond that doesn’t leave for another 4 hours! Major bummer. A Qdoba burrito and TCBY yogurt (I can’t believe these are fat free!) is helping pass the time.

This last week has been pretty easy while I recover from Alabama last weekend and prepare for the race this weekend. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday were all easy recovery based workouts to allow me to fully rest and recover. Yesterday I did a race prep workout that consisted of a Masters swim session, followed by a 2 hour road ride with a time trial test up Lookout Mountain in Golden, followed by a 4 mile run with the first 3 miles at race pace.

The TT up Lookout Mtn confirmed that I still have a bit left for the race this weekend. I managed to tie my best TT effort from last year of 19:30 (which is about a 45 seconds off my best time from several years ago as a bike racer) from the Pillars-to-Post.

Why didn’t I beat my best time from last year this week, considering I smashed last years best time on the off-road TT just last week? Well, it’s probably the combination of fatigue from racing and lack of training volume during the last few weeks of peak phase training. Nothing to get too concerned about as this weekends race will be my last for several weeks. In that time I will be able to rest up and get back to regular higher-volume endurance training for the second half of my season.

Tomorrow I pre-ride the course. I get some pics posted and let you know how it goes. Till then…

CW

The weather was hot and humid as predicted, but surprisingly bearable. After a pancake breakfast at IHOP (my preferred pre-race breakfast locale) we headed over to the race site. By race start it was already heating up.

I had a great start to my swim with a good draft and quickly got out in front of the malay behind. I managed to stay focused and draft the majority of the swim and it led to my best swim of my career. Maybe the extra swim training this winter is beginning to pay off a bit.? Maybe it was the speed suit? Who knows, but I’ll take it as improvement regardless. Out of the water I was about 3 minutes behind the leaders in about 20th position.

Onto the bike it was a short road section before hitting the singletrack. My bike skills were right on the whole time and my Jamis XCR bike gobbled up the roots and rocks with ease. Through the tight singletrack, fire-road power climbs and technical rock sections I managed to move into 8th place coming into the second transition. My time of 1:08 for the 19-mile course (16.8 mph avg.) was one of the faster times of the day right up there with the top finishers.

The run proved to be quite difficult with 8 steep climbs and descents in the second half. Think tough interval workout with very limited recoveries between intervals. Over the second half of the run I was passed by one of the faster runners of the day. After that I was running scared and beginning to tire. Desperately wanting a top-ten finish I toughed it out and came in 9th place in 2:14. As it turned out 10th place came in over two minutes later.

All in all, it was a good day. I met my goal of a top-ten finish. Taking in account that this course was not exactly my preferred style of course, I feel confident in my chances of making a top-five at Utah in August with the altitude and long sustained climbs I think I have a chance.

Airplane id beginning to load, so I better go. The next week I rest up and head to Richmond on Friday. I’d like to continue my progress of higher placings. Got to go!

CW

I learned a new word here in Birmingham: HUMID. I thought I knew the word, but having only lived in dry states like Arizona and Colorado, and brief stints in San Diego. By coming here to the South, I now know what humid is.

Arriving at our hotel last night, Ed (travel companion and training buddy) and I were shocked at how warm and moist the air was. Waking up this morning to 75 degrees and 80% humidity was a shocker to say the least. After breakfast Ed and I headed over the race venue to pre-ride the bike course and check out the swim venue. While suiting up to for our bike ride we were talking with a local who couldn’t say enough about how lucky we are to be having such great weather and doing this race this early in the year. Supposedly in another month the temps hit 100 degrees with 80% humidity and no one comes outside for the next two months. Wow lucky us to only have a race-day forecast of 95 degrees and humidity in the 70% range!

The bike course is classic tight eastern singletrack. Roots galore, a few rock gardens here and there, and not too much climbing. Mostly big chainring, fast turning tight singletrack through dense woods without any sunlight. Overall the course is not very technical. Roots aside, it pretty smooth and fast. Also very dry trail conditions, which is nice because if it were wet, it would be a whole other story. There is one short technical section called Blood Rock that consists of a about a 50 yard section of tight rocky drops that give a lot of people trouble. Ed and I both rode it a couple times and decided that it wasn’t that bad if you keep your speed under control coming into it and let your bike roll through it under you.

The water temps must be in the 80 degree range. Bath water! The lake is fairly small and the two loop swim should be manageable. Both Ed and I got a chance to try out our Blue Seventy speed suits that we’ll use in the race. They are pretty sweet! They make you super slippery in the water which will hopefully translate to faster swim times in the non-wetsuit swim.

We rode some of the run course and were told that it’s a bit longer than last years with several short steep rolling hills in the second half. Should be interesting in the heat and humidity.

Overall, I feel pretty good and expect a decent race tomorrow. I wish the bike course had more climbing, but hopefully the tight twisty singletrack will be enough for me to make time on the bike leg. Tonight we’ll grab an early dinner and get some good rest. Race starts at 9:30 am. Wish me luck. I’ll let you know how it goes.

CW

Danger Ahead! Ed entering Blood Rock

That’s me negotiating Blood Rock (yes, that’s the trail down those rocks)

The course was littered with small wooden bridges to bypass the many small drainage gullies

Caution, Winding Trail!

Nice Speed Suits, Thanks, B70

Race Venue, complete with giant inflatable beer bottle