Triathlon Camp - Good times!! Good times!!

Hello again!! So, I get a little behind on my blog, still new to all of this so still getting the hang of it...I am going to go back in time briefly to discuss my adventures at Hillary Biscay's Tucson Triathlon camp at the end of March because this camp was a huge factor in helping me breakthrough on the bike, and as a result, I had an amazing Ironman Texas race (more on that race in my next post).  I figure many of you have already heard about camp through Aixa's and Kris's blogs, but camp was so amazing you know you want to read about it again!! So here goes...

Wednesday, March 27

Since we were driving to Tucson, we wanted to get going early, so we packed in all of our bikes and gear, and headed out first thing...


So much stuff!! Notice the big black bag on top of the vehicle...

We were making great time after we grabbed some yummy breakfast tacos - we were talking about camp (well, more like listening since Kris went last year and was filling us in), when we heard a loud noise above, like the black bag was moving around on top of the vehicle.  Uh-Oh....all of a sudden there was a loud SNAP!!!  Bags were now falling off of the roof and onto the highway...not the Lulu!!!!  Coachie brings the car to a screeching halt and we collect the bags, which fortunately, not too many fell out, so now we just had to cram everything in...no worries, it all still fit!!!


Gathering the bags!!!

 The rest of the journey to Tucson was pretty uneventful, we just rolled in pretty late, and were ready to head to bed in our comfy casitas!!

Thursday, March 28

We were up pretty early, and decided to head to Starbucks at the main hotel for a quick breakfast, then it was off to grocery shop so we wouldn't have to go out to eat every night after our sessions since we would probably feel like death, so to speak ;) In hindsight I know I bought way too much, and we went a little overboard on the oven pizzas...it seeemed like an awesome idea at the time, but by the end of the trip we couldn't even look at the pizzas without wanting to hurl!! LOL!!

After lunch at our casita, the first pizza was yummy!!

I was giddy with excitement for the start of camp, I hadn't participated in a camp since I swam in college, and was absolutely stoked for the sufferfest I knew would be upon me in a few short hours...to kill time, I actually started my first blog (with the help of tech savvy Kris of course), and by the time I finished it was time to get ready for our run!!  We were the first ones at the meeting place by the pool, and as the rest of the crew arrived, introductions began, and then it was time to get this party started!! It was so great to finally meet Hillary in person, I had heard so much about her from my friends and Coachie, and when she said she felt like she already knew me I knew right then and there this had to be an epic camp, I couldn't let Coachie Dawn or Grand Coachie Hillary down.  I would smash myself, period, end of story.  Well, the coaches wanted to ease us into camp, so the run this night was a social, comfortable run, although after about the first half a mile I could see that there were some strong runners in the group, and their social and my social were entirely different!! LOL!! So, Kris and I ran the run together...we actually did the extra little loop so we ran 6 instead of 5 like some of the other campers, and Grand Coachie even came out to meet us for the little ways back, it was so much fun getting to chat with her on the run tonight!! Of course we had to take a matchy matchy Lulu pick with Coachie and Grand Coachie...

Then, it was time for our goodie bags which we were super stoked about!!!  And a pink bag!!! Woohoo!!! And the Smash shirt from last year that Kris and Shelly got...now we can all be matchy matchy in green!! Yep, we were pretty sure everyone was over the matchy matchy by the end of camp, we are pretty ridiculous, but it's so much fun!!



Kris and I ridiculously excited about our goodie bags!!



The Tri-Belief crew headed to dinner!!

That night we headed to dinner to El Charro so we could all get to know each other a little better...the plates were HUGE and dinner was delicious!! Even had left overs to take back to the casita for dinner tomorrow night!!

Friday, March 29

We were rolling out at 7 AM, so it was an early morning...we wanted to get there in plenty of time so no one was waiting on us...there would be 3 groups - an A group, a B group, and a C group, each with a coach.  I was placed in the B group along with Kris and Aixa, and Hillary was going to be our coach for the day!! Woohoo!! Let's get this 90+ mile party started!!  Of course, for anyone who knows me, and how nervous I was about this first "official" day of camp, I was a little crazy the first little bit of this ride...let me define "crazy" for you...what I mean is that I was worried about anything and everything...do I have a flat? what is that noise? are you sure there's not a flat? i think my front brake is rubbing, is it rubbing? are you sure it's not rubbing? why am i not going anywhere? - it must be my front brake is rubbing, IS IT???? Oh yes, aren't I just a treat when I am nervous out of my mind...Aixa and Kris kept reassuring me everything was fine, even Jeff the first part of the ride was with us and said things looked good, but he'd check my brake at the first SAG stop...seriously, I love my friends, because I know how ridiculous I can be, and they just take me in stride...so SAG stop #1 comes up about 30 miles in, and the A group is just finishing up, so luckily we got to snap a quick matchy matchy pick with Coachie before she was off with the A group and our group took a moment to rest before the next part of the ride.  We also found out at this point our friend Herb was having technical difficulties with his bike, so they were going to pick him up in SAG and try to fix that for him so he could continue...was hoping to see him later in the ride!!  Oh, and if you are wondering about my brake, it was just fine, I was riding up a false flat so of course I was slower!! Seriously, I annoy myself sometimes!!

So, we were headed toward Madera Canyon, which has this 3 mile category 1 climb, which I was more than a little nervous about, but as we were approaching, SAG had gotten in front of us (we saw Herb with his new wheel - yay!), but the excitement of the day was short lived when we found out Coachie crashed and it was pretty bad...we all got really quiet and were worried...at this point the false flat gets a little steeper and Kris reiterates what Hillary told us earlier, that we would all be pretty much on our own on the climb, so to go at our own pace.  I had more gears, which Kris pointed out to me, and she was right, it was time to go at this beast alone.  But before I get to the real climbing portion, I spot Coachie with the SAG vehicle, I slow down to stop, I want to give her a hug and make sure she was okay...she was going to have none of that.  Basically she yelled a bunch of f-bombs at me, to get back on my bike, where were my balls, attack the hill, why are you stopping, get back on your bike, go, Go, GO!!! All with f-bombs in between...yep, the water works weren't far behind, but as I kept riding, I told myself to suck it up and crush this climb, and Hillary said the stop would be at mile marker 14, so to watch for that...as I passed mile marker 10 the real climbing began, and it became steeper and steeper the farther you climbed...saw Coachie in the SAG vehicle driving up, she yelled out that I was doing great, and to keep pushing!!  I swear at one point I seriously might have been going 1 mph...my friend Herb described it best when he said that the climb was so steep and he was going so slow that he watched a fuzzy catepillar crawl across the road in front of him...LOL!!  So true though!! At mile 12 I told myself, only 2 to go, I could do this...at mile marker 13 I was getting ready to celebrate only 1 more mile to go, when I saw our stop - we were stopping at mile marker 13!!! Woohoo!!! So excited!!!! What a nice surprise!!!!  SAG stop #2!!! I conquered the climb!!!




Herb, Aixa, Kris, and I at the top!!

 Was a little nervous for the descent, didnt want to go flying off the canyon or anything, so was extra careful on the way down...stayed near the back, let the fast descenders go (I would learn a lesson in descending soon enough...).  As we came flying down the canyon, the false flat now also a slight downhill, we were making good time on the way back...another super fast stop #3 at the bottom, and it was time to head back.  We were about 60 miles in, and on the way back Coachie decides that we are going to do a pace line...the group starts it, but by the end it's only me, Coachie, and Jeff pulling up front, and I am exhausted...stop #4 couldn't come fast enough, and as I was refilling and eating at the stop, I didn't feel great.  A slight headache was coming on, we only had about 12 or so miles to go, I told myself I could suck it up for 12 miles...I was pretty miserable, I had pushed hard the whole ride thus far, and my body had finally had enough.  But what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and I continued to fight the pain to the end...as we turned left to head back up a couple of hills to our casitas, I fell back a little bit from the group, but there were literally only 2 miles left, so I suffered and then it was over...whew!!! Time to eat and rest before the swim in a couple of hours...except, I couldn't eat...I didn't feel well at all, still had the headache, and was a little bit catatonic.  Thank goodness for amazing friends and suitmates - Aixa and Kris kept bugging me to eat something and drink something...I tried but didn't get a whole lot down, but soon it was time for the swim, just had to dig deep and get it done.  So, you wonder if we could be matchy matchy for the swim...absolutely we were!!  As if we would not be matchy matchy...that would be crazy!!

So, the swim is my strength and I really wanted to do well, especially since Hillary is from a swimming background as well, so I really wanted the opportunity to swim in her lane for the 100 x 100s tomorrow...after warmup I started to feel a little bit more like myself, and just in time for the bands set!!  I rocked the set, and was really happy with both my bike and swim for the day!! Then it was time to go back to the casita, eat leftovers from El Charro, hop in the recovery boots, and get to bed!! Super stoked for the 100 x 100s tomorrow!!!!

Saturday, March 30

We began Saturday 30 minutes later than Friday, wheels down at 7:30 AM, which I was grateful for the little extra shut eye :)  The whole ride was only about 25 miles, and on the way out you get to ride down this super steep hill called Gates Pass, and then if there's time this extra section called the McCain Loop, and then back up the super steep Gates Pass...our coach today was Doug, and our group consisted of myself, Kris, Aixa, Jeff, Kate, and Taryn...Doug kept telling us this was meant to be an easy ride, just loosen up the legs and enjoy it...well, the first half certainly was enjoyable - going down Gates Pass was awesome, and the McCain Loop was absolutely beautiful, and I felt great on the majority of the ride...didn't want to hammer too hard, wanted to be able to crush the 100 x 100s later on in the day...so, on the way back, all was going well, until I actually got a good look at Gates Pass and what we would be climbing on our way back up...it looked HUGE!!! At this point Kris was in front of me and Aixa behind me, and I began to have what I would call a "mini-meltdown" - I was scared, even though it was much shorter than Madera, but it looked so awful...I did NOT want to climb it...what if I started climbing and just fell over because my legs stopped working and it's so steep? What if a car hits me while I am falling? All of this is going through my head as I approach Gates and am on the verge of tears, a few traitors sneak out of my eyes, but then I hear Kris say to use my balls I grew yesterday and to HTFU and get up this hill (little did I know that she was in a similar situation) but her words gave me courage because heck yes, I rocked that ride yesterday and should not be afraid of this climb!! So we sucked it up and tackled that climb!! We were triumphant!! What a morning thus far!! Here we are at the top!!!




Taryn, Kate, Coach Doug, me, and Aixa!!





The girls!!


The ride back after climbing Gates was uneventful, and we had some time to eat and rest up for the 100 x 100s that lay before us that afternoon...

More matchy matchy ;)

So, I had been looking forward to, but also dreading just a little bit the 100 x 100s...I had not done a set of this magnitude since college, and to be put in the lane with Hillary, Maik, and Doug was a privilege, and I didn't want to let them down.  The first 15 x 100s warmup @ 1:30 wasn't too bad, the last 5 of the 15 were 25 fast, 50 EZ, 25 back...the next 15 were bands @ 1:30 which again were ok, I enjoy using bands and always have, and am pretty good at band sets, so again tough but I was staying with the group...then, it got rough...the next 30 x 100s were 6 x 2 @ 1:25, 2 @ 1:20, 2 @ 1:15, which I made the first 4, but the 1:15s I did not, and if you've ever fallen off a quick interval and the other intervals are still pretty challenging, you know it's tough to get back on...I couldnt tell you how many I made after that...I know we stopped after 3 rounds, and Hillary said we were switching to 3 @ 1:25, 3 @ 1:20...I apologized profusely for being slow, she said that they were there for me, no worries, let's get the rest of these done.  So I did the best I could on the last 15, fell off some more, fought to get back on...I was super psyched when that set was done...then it was 30 x 100s pull...I went paddles, no buoy, and we started them on 1:25 for the 1st 10, but by the last 20 we were going on 1:30 again, it was tough, and was the first time I had ever used drafting to my advantage, pushing off on Maik's feet and trying to stay as close as I could for as long as I could...in the back half of the set I was gaining momentum, and was almost back to getting 7-8 seconds rest, I was pleased with how I was finishing this set!! The last 10 were recovery, thank goodness...and then...100 x 100s done!!! I was so thrilled!!! It had been so long since I had done a set like that!!! And I learned that I cannot be complacent in my strengths either...it was good to have breakthroughs on the bike, but I didn't want to completely forget about my swim either...what another great day!!



Me and Grand Coachie Hillary!!

Then it was off to In and Out Burger for a meal, and back to the casita to rest up for Mt. Lemmon!!

Sunday, March 31

Today was my favorite day of camp!!!  We began the morning with a technique swim at the hotel pool, I did a total of about 3000, just easy swimming...it was nice to roll around and loosen up before the big climb ahead of us...so we were going in staggered groups, so we had about an hour or so to get ready after the swim in the morning...Taryn offered to drive so Aixa and I rode with Taryn and Kris rode with Kate - we were all in the same group again, and Hillary was going to be our coach again for the day!!  So we drove out and parked in this shopping center, which is like a mile from the mountain, so you pretty much start climbing straight away.  I was also nervous for this ride because I had never climbed a mountain on my bike before, although thankfully I was not as neurotic as the first day, since I got all that initial nervous energy out...I already had some great bikes at camp - I could DO this.  As we began to climb (and we would keep climbing, all the way to 8000 feet), I told myself that I was going to crush this ride, and I was going to hammer all the way to the top, and if I bonked, then so be it.  It wasnt long before Kris and I broke away from the pack, and rode up front until the first rest stop at mile marker 4...Gail was an absolute life saver this whole weekend, and especially on this climb where there really arent any good places to stop, you really need SAG support, and she was amazing support for all of us all weekend long...after refilling and taking a quick pee break in the grass, it was time to head out again...I took off up front, and remembered that the next stop would be at Windy Point at mile marker 13, so I just kept pedaling...while I was climbing this section, Coachie and Marc passed me, and Coachie yelled that I was doing great!! Yay!! It was burning pretty bad and I knew that there was still plenty of climbing ahead of me...had to be mentally tough if I was going to crush this ride!! Rounding the corner I spotted Windy Point, I had made it!! And there was Gail with the SAG vehicle...woohoo!!  I refilled and the rest of the girls did the same, and then it was time to finish this climb!! At mile 21.5 or so there is a downhill stretch, then uphill again, then more downhill to Cookie Cabin, so if I could make it about 8.5 more miles of climbing, I would get a bit of a reprieve...at this point Taryn had caught up with me, and we pushed each other the last several miles...she was awesome, and I loved the way she introduced herself Thursday night (Taryn like "tearin' it up"), even at that point I knew she had to be hard core and I wanted to learn what I could from my fellow camper...I thoroughly enjoyed how we pushed each other that last half, and as we got closer to the 21.5 mark, Maik even joined us for a bit - he was certainly making the climbing look easy...wish I could climb like him!!  Finally hit the 21.5 mark and got a little downhill, except it was now super cold at 8000 feet, and my warm clothes were in the SAG vehicle...would just have to grin and bear it for the last few miles, which actually went by pretty fast, and soon we were at the Cookie Cabin (and only a couple of miles from a ski resort - crazy!!!!)...I got some hot chocolate because I was freezing and had a little bit of cookie, but not too much, didn't want to make myself sick...when everyone arrived, it was time for another super fun pic!!

I then put on my leg and arm warmers, as well as my jacket for the descent, knowing that I would get hotter the closer I got to the bottom, and could just shed clothes on the way down.  We stopped to take a picture at the 8000 ft sign, which was so awesome!!!! I couldn't believe I had climbed to 8000 ft but I had!! Not only had I done it, but I crushed it!!!! YEA!!!!!!!

So, now it was time to learn something about descending...Kris mentioned that last year she rode behind Hillary and learned so much about descending and wanted to do it again this year and yelled at me to come join them, and I'm sure glad that I did!!!  I even got up to 42 mph!!! The fastest I've ever gone!!! It was so much fun on the way down!!!  Definitely got much hotter and I lucked out when we stopped briefly when someone flatted so I could remove some clothing because I was burning up!!! Once we got back to the shopping center, it was time for our 30 minute run...I started off kinda sluggish and slow but by the back half I was moving!!! I was going to make this run hurt!!! Even Maik as he was running from group to group said that I looked strong and to keep up my pace!!! Awesome!!! Totally made my run!!! I finished hard and was totally spent at the end of that run...what a day!!!! Definitely my favorite by far!!! It was back to the casita to get some grub and to chill in the recovery boots before bedtime...so sad camp is almost over!!!!!

Monday, April 1

Today was my least favorite day of camp - trail running...yuck!  So, in true matchy matchy form we were ready for the run today (at least outfit wise), but mentally I have to admit I was pretty checked out.  I am klutzy as it is, when you add running and trails to the mix, bad things usually happen...

So, when Hillary was dividing us into groups I was hoping to be in Herb's group - he is an awesome trail runner and figured I needed all the pointers I could get out there...well, that's not what happened.  I was in Hillary's group again, which was awesome, I love Grand Coachie, I just felt way out of my league with the group of runners that were in her group.  So, that was mistake #1, psyching myself out.  I should have come in with a more positive attitude, that's for sure.  Well, the first part of the run was pretty uneventful, except that on the way back I did exactly what I thought I would do - I fell, and cut up my hands pretty bad.  Stupid self-fulfilling prophecy!!  So, mistake #2 - falling down.  We were at least close to the vehicles, it had only been about an hour, so we were back to refuel, and Dr. Alvarez was to the rescue!!  Aixa cleaned out my hands good, even though I was in so much pain while she was doing it, but thankfully kept me from getting infections later on...so, at this point is where the run goes from bad to worse because now, I am done...I have officially checked out, I do not want to fall again and seriously injure something before IMTX...I am super paranoid that I am going to do just that, so this next part is super slow...as we head back out for the trails, I wish I could run with Susan who was finishing up her run on concrete, and I said just that, but mainly to myself I think, becasue no one else responded when I mentioned I just wanted to stay here...so off we went again, in the portion that I now like to refer to as the "7th circle of Hell".  At this point both Kris and I were suffering, had fallen way behind the group, and pretty much were hoping to get picked off by bears, or rescued by helicopters, or a combination.  Kris did say we needed to "embrace the suck" and I really tried that for awhile, but it was just awful...worst run EVER!!  During this suckfest Hillary kept running back to check on us, she was so patient with us that day, I was seriously embarrassed how awful I ran those trails...Aixa, on the other hand, had an amazing day - I wish I could run trails like her!!  Three and a half hours later we finally got to leave the "7th circle of Hell" and I felt like out of everything we've already done, I received the worst beat down by far from the trails...later I would tell Coachie it was important for me to experience what it was like to be WAY outside my comfort zone, and that I should have approached it with a better attitude, like I had all the previous workouts beforehand...one thing's for sure - I won't be doing trails anytime soon!!  And as bad as it's going to get at IMTX, I can at least say that I will be thankful that I'm not on the trails, and can handle just about anything the run will throw at me!!

Don't be fooled by the fake smile...



Last day of camp!! After the run!!


I truly smashed myself at this camp - I held nothing back, and learned so much not only from my coaches, but my fellow campers, as well as my training buddies.  I learned that I am strong on the bike, much stronger than I give myself credit for, and am looking forward to crushing the bike leg at IMTX!! I also learned I cannot be complacent in my strenths either, that if I want to be super competitive in the swim, and want to try to win it, I have to train just as hard in that arena as well.  I also learned that I need to be more prepared mentally if I am thrown outside of my comfort zone (like in the trail running), that if something happens that I don't plan for I can take it in stride, and adapt to the new situation.  I absolutely LOVED camp, and can't wait for another round next year!!!! :)