We woke up to rain this morning and we decided to push the big ride until tomorrow. Teresa had coordinated a big fancy breakfast with the hotel, so we got off to a great start by pounding down some big calories to keep us rolling through the day. I have already gone on about this hotel. Today was the same story. Love it.
We got to the pool around 9 this morning and we decided that with no big bike staring us in the face it was time to get in some real swimmin’! We were joined this morning by another one of my athletes, Josh Vincent. Josh has been with us for a few years. I have blogged about him in the past. I love this kid and it is always a treat to have him at the camps. He is also the designer of our logo. He has so much talent and maturity at 32 years old.
Bob’s athlete, Mark Petrofiesa, was able to drop in for a couple of days of training. Mark is one of the best 45-49’rs in the world. He is known for being able to go hard every day, all day. I wrote about him in a blog back in 09 in Kona. Mark and I rode the entire Kona bike portion together this last year. It is great to have him here to train with us for a couple of days. Mark is sharpening up for Oceanside in the coming weeks. Keep an eye on him. He is the real deal.
So back to swimming- the distance for the swim varied from 5,000 yds for a few, with Josh and I knocking out 6,700 yards of fun. The workout was a warm up of 600 free, 4 x 100 on 5 RI, 4 x 50 and a main set of 500 on 5 RI, 5 x 150’s on 5 RI, 5 x 150’s, 400, 4 x 150’s, 4 x 50’s, 300, 3 x 150’s, 3 x 50’s, 200, 2 x 150’s, 2 x 50’s, 200, 350, 250 pull, 150, 2 x 125.
I like the vibe camps get when you get all 8 people rolling through the sets in the pool. It is a neat sound to just hear the hand hits on the water and the splashing of flip turns. It is kind of a hypnotic type of drumbeat that plays on for an hour and a half or so. I get a lot of good thinking in those times. I suffered today through the middle of the set. With fresh arms on Josh and Mark showing up, the tempo was just a touch richer and I could feel it within about 1200 yds that I was going to struggle a bit today. A lot of triathletes like to brag about their yardage and mileage. That is not my intent here as volume just for volumes’ sake doesn’t mean much in our sport. I am only relating what is going on here in Lodi, so the reader gets a feel for what is going down.
There is something that happens when I suffer in training. I don’t back off or slow down, as getting tired through specific stimulus is what I am looking for to create the space for an adaptation to take place, and for my fitness to improve. With that suffering, I am forced to go to what I call “flat mind”. When I am building fitness, I tend to push back against the discomfort/pain at first and then after awhile I can calm down and just let the pain sit in there without spending so much time trying to push it away. Kind of hard to relate that if you haven’t suffered in training for an extended period of time. It isn’t an exercise in masochism; it is just another way to physically be comfortable being uncomfortable. While I am in that state, it is kind of interesting in that I can create a mental state of total calm, even though I am suffering. It is in those moments that I get really clear on a lot of things. I think that is one of the attractions for me in training and racing as a lifestyle. I tend to have an inside voice that is always chattering away kind of like a sports announcer rambling out the play by play as the day goes on. Getting deep in training and spending time suffering tends to make my brain go quiet and in that space of no chatter, I am able to really dial in on specific things I am trying to work through. This paragraph might not make sense to some, but it is what it is.
After the swim, Bob took us to probably the best deli I have ever visited. The food was terrific and the service was even better. A few around the table had that thousand yard stare that you only get when you have been pounding it out in the pool. I dig it.
After a nap and some recovery, we jumped in the cars to drive a little out of town to set up for a longer run. Coach Bob had this route nailed. It was on a rolling road with not much traffic that had rollers for as long as you wanted to run. Everyone had objectives assigned for their run and off we went. The run wrapped around a reservoir and there was some continuous climbing that left one up on a plateau with an awesome view of the entire valley. Most of us knocked out 60 to 100 minutes of steady aerobic running. I dialed in a 12 miler. I struggled through miles 7-9, but then hit a good patch and was able to get home on a pace I could live with.
I am digging this place more every day. It is crazy that I grew up less than 60 miles from here and had absolutely no idea how prime this part of the country is. If I were to again live in California, I would bee line it right here. It is a good thing that Boulder has stolen my heart and I plan on living there forever. But if I ever change my mind…
So another good day of training, some suffering, and everybody is getting good and tired as we look forward to some serious riding tomorrow. 110 miles of rollers, flats and hills are on tap. I’m suspecting that I will be getting more “flat mind” time tomorrow. I have been there and done that plenty in my years of training. I don’t always look forward to it, but I know what to do when it gets here.
We are doing exactly what we are supposed to be doing here in Lodi- Training with joy or not at all!
Seek clarity in all you can.
Jonser
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