Arizona Training
18.10.2009
I made it down to Arizona last Tuesday. The idea is to get out of the fall weather in Colorado and get acclimated to the heat before heading over to Maui for the Xterra World Championships on the 25th. A full week in 100 degree temps of the Arizona desert should get my blood volume up and my cooling systems working efficiently two weeks before Worlds. Another good reason for AZ training is the dry, rocky trails are similar to those found on the Hawaiian Islands. I can test my tire selection and hone my technical skills over the rough conditions. The final reason for my trip to AZ is it makes a chance for me to visit friends and family from where I grew up. I can spend some time with my dad, ride with some old buddies and get my training up to speed all in one shot!
My motivation was diminishing in Colorado with the changing of the seasons, so getting down here has provided a nice push to the finish of my season. Wednesday I headed out for a swim-bike-run combo session. I picked the middle of the day to get in the most heat exposure. I hit the pool for a 45 minute swim including some fast 100′s, two 500 pulls, and a finishing 2×200 race pace to wrap it up. I love swimming outdoors! I hit the rocky single-track trails of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and Trail 100.This is one of the trail systems I grew up on and learned how to mountain bike. The two hour ride was a blast from the past and challenging rocky romp through the desert. After the ride I headed out for an hour long trail run that turned into a 2 hour slog to the top of Piestuwa Peak, the highest point in the metro valley. I ran about three miles over to the base of the peak and decided that I should climb it since I never did when I lived here. Well it was a 30 minute power-hike up the 1.2 climb, 30 minutes back down and then 3 miles back to the car. Way more than I bargained for, but fun none-the-less.
The next day, Friday, I headed up to Sedona for a road ride with my good friends Steve, Doug and Rhonda. We rode from Sedona to the top of Mingus Mountain 35 miles away and back. Good endurance climbing ride in more hot weather. My friend Steve gets the credit for getting me into road cycling at the age of 16. He really helped develop the passion for cycling I have today, by taking me on my first group rides, first organized century ride, and going with me to races all over the southwest.
Saturday morning it was up and on the bike early to meet a big group ride in Scottsdale. The BOS Ride as it’s known, is one of the more competitive rides in the valley, one I used to frequent when living here. Legs were a bit tired, but I still managed to shred the group to bits on the gradual headwind climbs that take you up to the foothills outside the city. Legs are certainly feeling strong!
Today is a recovery day with little more than a swim session and a thorough stretching session. Monday will be one more hard swim-bike-run combo before heading out to Hawaii to prepare for the big day. I’m feeling more positive than ever heading towards this race. If my health holds out I feel like I could give a good effort and finally have a solid race over there.