March Lodi Camp Conclusion

After the longer ride on Thursday, Friday’s early morning ride was intended to be mellow and just help us absorb the miles from the previous days. With the threat of rain looming, we clipped in a bit earlier than normal and got out on the road. Everyone was in good spirits and we moved along purposefully through the vineyards.

After a short coffee stop in Walnut Grove, the tribe mounted up and we began our trek back home. Bob and I were a bit concerned about the dark clouds and wanted to get closer to Lodi as soon as possible, as the weather looked better back that way. I think I had this in mind when I went to the front and set the pace for the return. After about 15 minutes the winds started to really pick up. I wasn’t wearing my heart rate monitor, nor did I have my power meter attached, so I was just riding based on perceived exertion. I was fortunate to wake up Friday morning with good legs and before I knew it I was unintentionally putting some in the group in difficulty with a few unhinging off the back. Zach, ever the diplomat, stomped up to me and told me that he just got gapped driving 350 watts and I might want to mellow out before a mutiny takes place.

That is the thing with strong direct crosswinds; they don’t provide much protection for those on your wheel. Any unanticipated surges can make it difficult for folks to stay in the group. I was actually a little embarrassed that I had accidentally ridden some folks off my wheel. Truth be told, I pride myself in setting a very steady and manageable tempo when pulling. I love to be on the front pulling the peloton for hours at a time. I was working very hard at this point to keep the group together, yet still get down the road, as I was concerned about the rain getting to us before we got home. After 14 years of living in the Pacific Northwest and training in the rain more than I like to remember, I hate riding in the rain. I mean not just a little, a whole lot! Feel free to refer to my 2010 Kona race day post to see how it screws with my grape.

So there I am pulling the crew with the pocket rocket (wife) riding next to me. She still wasn’t over my putting her in difficulty a while back and she came to the front to tell me all about it. The wind was rocking her world and she was tired from the previous day’s long ride, along with general fatigue from the entire week. I tried to make small talk with her to raise her spirits and get her to not be so mad at me for my honest mistake, but she was having none of it. She looked over at me, told me to shut up, and then she shook her tiny little bony fist at me! Ah, the married life on the bike- just a little piece of heaven…with small pockets of pain. The trial of miles and the miles of trials, as a friend likes to say.

So we survived the “easy” ride and off on the brick run we went. Everyone ran their own pre-assigned program and the Friday training day was in the books. Friday afternoon was a relaxing afternoon of downtime where folks could chill, break down their bikes, and get a massage or whatever they wanted to do after a long week of training.

The last evening at camp was terrific. Bob hosted dinner for us at the Fields Family Winery. It is quite the opportunity to hang out in a small family winery and taste the good stuff, along with eat fantastic Mexican food. It also happened to be Sal’s 47th birthday so the crew got the opportunity to sing happy birthday and hang out. A fantastic time was had by all and it was the perfect end to a lovely camp.

Saturday morning we got up early one last time to swim, which was the final workout of the camp. I stayed on deck and coached the swim with lots of stroke work, drills and video taping of the campers. I very much enjoy coaching from the deck after swimming with the athletes all week. I like to check out the camper’s stroke from underneath the water during our training sets and offer corrections each day, but it is great to watch them from above as well, as some things are more obvious from the deck. I also like to make sure each athlete goes home with drills that are specific to the issues they need to address in their stroke. Doing these types of sessions at the end of camp is ideal as we are able to keep the workload mellow and short while focusing on swimming pretty.

So that was it. Our 7 day camp jammed by and was over in the blink of an eye. We amassed 15,000 to 20,000 yards (depending on the individual) in the pool, rode approximately 250 miles, and ran approximately 4.5 hours all in one week of glorious fun. As much as Bob, T and I worried about the rain, we escaped most of it and we got in every training session that was on the schedule. I saw folks dramatically improve through the week and every single athlete got stronger as the camp rolled on. That tells me that we applied the proper amount of stress in the right doses throughout our week together. I have been to camps where everyone leaves shredded and 70 percent of the athletes got sick in the following 10 days. I don’t want that to be what our camps are about.

Our camps are not tough guy camps. There are other camps that do a better job with that type of athlete. I say it all the time that it isn’t about how much an athlete can endure, it is about how much an athlete can absorb. If somebody wants to lay down the kind of volume that they can brag about in their blogs, then our camps are probably not for you. You can see by our weekly workload that we aren’t setting any records in volume, miles or duration. What we are doing is getting the athlete to train right up to the optimum level of performance to where they can recover every day and come out and have a good day the next day. We all get tired, but we get tired the right way with specific fatigue, properly applied stress, and then we are done. We don’t take athletes deep into uncharted territory. Having said this, our athletes are challenged by the week, and for some, they do hit daily records in terms of yardage and miles, but they are sane milestones that were reached with a specific intent in mind.

This collaborative effort with Bob Korock turned out to be a wonderful experiment. Teresa and I are control freaks when it comes to our camps and we were very leery of working with another coach without being able to control all the variables of the camp. We came away even better friends with Bob, and could not have enjoyed our time with him more. He was so responsive in this effort and we not only enjoyed coaching a camp with him, we enjoyed deepening an already solid friendship as well.

When Teresa and I first decided to start coaching camps, we had a lot of obstacles to overcome. Camps are harder than they look, and it takes an enormous amount of coordination and planning to do them right. Also, there are a significant amount of resources that are involved. IMJ Coaching is absolutely blessed to have the full camp sponsorship of Hammer Nutrition. Steve Born and Kendra Powell of Hammer make sure we have everything we need, and their soup to nuts sponsorship make it possible for us to do what we love to do. It is even more amazing that Hammer signed on to sponsor us before we had ever even put on our first camp. I will never forget this and will always be loyal to Hammer Nutrition. I can say the same for Albert Boyce and Coffees of Hawaii. Albert has supported IMJ with his coffee from the day I started out on my own and there is only one coffee we will be serving at our camps.

Most importantly, it goes without saying that camps would not happen if it were not for athletes who come to them. Thank you so much to Sal Lancaster, Michelle Schwartz, Zach Poehlman, Rosie Barnes, Stu Gibson and Josh Vincent for taking time out of their busy lives to come do it up in the vineyards of Lodi. I learn and grow from every camp in which I get the opportunity to participate. This one was no exception. I got to train hard, hang out with awesome human beings, and learn a lot about myself. I count this experience as yet another blessing in an enormously blessed life.

Train with joy or not at all!

Thanks for reading.
Jonser

March Lodi Camp Day 4

Today’s ride turned out to be one of the best rides I have been a part of in a camp. After another attack on Panera Bread Co., we clipped in a little after 9am and headed out as a peloton of 10. The first 90 minutes to 2 hours was just a comfortable 2 x 2 pack cruising out on these beautiful Lodi countryside roads. We made our way through the vineyards and headed north toward the Rancho Seco Nuclear plant. We cruised along highway 104 toward Ione where we stopped for water and whatever anyone needed to take onboard before we got into the climbing.

At the Ione stop there were these two Irish Setters that hung out with us on the curb. The owner quickly appeared and had to show us what good dogs his guys were. He would put nuts down in front of them and they would stare intently at him waiting on his every word. He would say eat…they wouldn’t move. He would say Bella…they wouldn’t move. He said some words in Japanese…they wouldn’t move. He then whispers Bon Appetit! Boom! They were on those nuts like a hobo on a ham sandwich. It was pretty awesome and it kept us entertained. So what does that have to do with long rides and triathlon? Everything. There is a lot to see in this world, and tooling around on your bike for 7 hours at a pop gives a guy the opportunity to stop, hang out in a small town in Northern California, and take a look around. It isn’t every day you hang out with dogs that speak French. I just dig stuff like that.

After watering up, we pressed into the lumpy part of the ride with plenty of hills to suffer in for a few hours. As soon as the roads turned into windy hills, a few of us boys ratcheted things up and got in some good climbing. I was easily the least fit of the three of us off the front that had decided to point our noses uphill. Zach and Mark are both tough boys in the mountains and I rode at my limit to stay with them most of the day. They got away from me during a piece, but I was proud of myself to keep them in view. There is nothing like some climbing for a couple of hours to expose whatever weaknesses you have been hiding in the flats. I sat on my LT (Lactate threshold) and higher during the climbs. It felt good to get in some hard work. That is exactly what I was hoping would happen this week.

The peloton did some really good work through the lumpy parts as well, and we all popped out the other side into Sutter Creek happy and tired. We continued our day around the back roads of San Joaquin Valley checking out some unbelievable horse farms, reservoirs, dams, waterfalls, and some of the nicest riding roads I have ever ridden. There is a European countryside feeling to a lot of this part of California, and the training is just wonderful. At around the 5 hour mark, we stopped for some water and coke, and then rode back as a pack. On the way back, a few of the boys separated off the front and booked it hard for the house. Right then one of the tribe got a flat, so we stopped and fixed it. We then rode the last 25 miles home very controlled, and as a team, minus the three who had gone off the front like they had stolen something. I got to thinking during this time that this is such a smart way to train. I see a lot of groups that drill it from stem to stern in their training, and that is why they go home fried and end up sick. We drilled it during the times we were supposed to and then brought things back into the sane range and continued to get good stuff in, while not blowing ourselves to bits at the end of the day. It was really evident to me at dinner that we had done it right. Everyone was a bit baked from the ride, but nobody was drooling into their salad.

So like I said; today’s ride was easily one of the best training rides I have been on. 103 miles of tough guy riding, 5,000’ of elevation gain, over 6 hours of riding with a little under 7 in the saddle (with stops, flats, etc). Days like today make me fall in love with my sport all over again. This is why I do this stuff. I love to turn myself inside out to see what is there and then when happy with the result, cruise around beautiful countryside with beautiful people talking about beautiful things. This is what I call training with joy.

Bon Appetit’!

Jonser

March Lodi Camp – Day 3

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

March Lodi Camp Day Two

Today was a solid day of camp as we started off the day with a bigger swim and then an easy bike with the key session being the 60-70 minute strength run at the end.
We have really started to enjoy how lovely this hotel is. We begin our mornings with coffee in a lovely setting by a fireplace with homemade organic breads and fruit. It is intimate and we get some time first thing in the morning to really have nice conversations about a myriad of topics. Because a few of us are navy bubbas, the conversation can typically migrate back to what we feel most comfortable talking about- ourselves. With the tragedy in Japan, we are all feeling the heaviness of their grief and we talk about it quite a bit. Three of us navy types have lived in Japan and love both the country and its people, so our hearts are heavy. We also spend time talking about training and the inside baseball of mitochondrial mass, capillary density…and chicks. So we have it all covered I think.
We kicked off the morning by getting to the pool a touch early and getting wet while it was still a little on the chilly side. Everybody brought arms and lungs today and we got it done. Yardage varied among the campers, but all of it good stuff. Zach and I continued our week of trying to get in a bit more swimming than normal. We kicked out 6100 yards in about an hour and 40 or so. Our workout this morning was 4 x 250 free, 4 x 125 on short RI, 1000 continuous every 4th 25 IMO, 800 free, 800 as 4 x(150 free, 50 kick), 400 pull, 1 x 200 IM, 2 x 500 as 250 pull, 100 hard odd 25's, cruise evens, 3 x 50's steady, and then 300 easy with pull buoy with a 100 c/d.

After the swim we ate the Panera bread restaurant out of all of their eggs, seriously. Everyone was famished and we moved through their chow proper. We got ourselves on our bikes with little downtime and cruised out an easy 2 hour ride to help absorb some of the work so far. I especially enjoyed this ride as I got a chance to visit more with everyone here. It is a funny thing when you coach someone via the internet. I am immersed in their daily training lives via emails, texts, phone calls, etc. but there is just so much I don’t know about these folks with whom I communicate on a weekly basis. I love it when my athletes attend these camps because I get to know them so much better.

When it comes to triathlon coaching, I think there are a lot better exercise physiologists out there, and certainly better specialized dudes in various areas, but I think I score pretty high on the GASF (Give a Shit Factor), as I totally give a shit about my athletes and where they are vs. where they want to be. I love the interaction I have with each and every one of them. One of the luxuries of having a coaching business that is not your primary means of income is everybody I coach – I choose to coach. I don’t have to coach any of them if I don’t want to. I like and genuinely respect all of my athletes and I learn as much from them as they probably do from me. How rewarding is that? Huge.

So after the 2 hour ride, we powered down for an hour and then embarked on our key run. The rain started to come down as we were heading out and it got wet and muddy out there pretty quickly. Because I have athletes peaking for different events soon, I had the athletes all on different runs with different objectives. Zach was laying down 5 x 8 minute harder efforts with 1 minute recovery after a longer warmup as he prepares for draft legal Olympic stuff. Rosie was on something similar with a touch longer recovery. Stu is getting ready for Ironman South Africa so he was doing a steady longer effort to work the muscular endurance side of things and live a portion of his afternoon riding a 154 beats per minute heart rate. Michelle was working longer intervals, as was Sal, as they peak for Oceanside. T and I were doing our own thing and I decided to spend my run with Stu. I try to spend every workout with someone different. Stu and I ran steady for an hour. The rain was hammering us at this point and as good friends, we don’t feel the pressure to talk. Sometimes when I train with my folks, I just want to train with them and no talking is required. So we legged it down the levy at a respectable clip shoulder to shoulder, no words being passed. I was rocking a little Underworld in my itunes and was in my happy place.

It is an honor and a miracle to train with my good friend Stu Gibson. Stu and I met in 2003 and became fast friends. He flew over to Kona in both 2004 and 2005 just to be there to support and cheer me on in my first two Konas. Stu is one of those guys who is not only hugely intelligent, as in brilliant, but he can apply it instantaneously. As a navy dude, I have worked with more than a few 50 pound brains, but not all of them can use that brain. A submarine dude best described it as being smart, but not being able to think. This is not the case with Stu. Stu just…well, the damn guy just knows everything. I love talking with him on any subject ranging from enhanced ground proximity warning systems in airplanes to why the overproduction of corn is a government subsidization of McDonald’s and how that is killing Americans through obesity and diabetes. We get it all covered on a long ride!

Stu had a real life scare a couple of years ago. Stu was diagnosed with a fast growing brain tumor. We in his friend network tried to keep things light and fun, as fun as something that scary can be, and we referred to it as a Stumor. Well, Stu survived open brain surgery and the removal of the Stumor and returned to our sport. He has returned to good health and we continue to enjoy our friendship in sport. God’s blessing for sure.

So we got in another 5 hour day or so and are ready to attack again tomorrow. Rain has become the issue as we march forward. We are in a wait and see mode for tomorrow. It will either be a 6 hour flame thrower of a ride, or a long run and longer swim. We will see how the rain gods treat us in the morning.
My quote for this blog came from the famous world champion triathlete, John Hellemens, when he stated “You need to worry about the training that is appropriate for you, not worry about what others are doing”. I really like this quote. It kind of feathers in nicely with my quote I write in here often, “It ain’t about being better than anybody else, it’s about me being better than I used to be".

There you go!

Later,
Jonser

March Lodi Camp - Day 1

Today was the first official day of the March Lodi Camp that Teresa and I are coaching with  former professional  triathlete and coach Bob Korock.  Bob was my coach for a few years and he and I have been friends for almost 5 years.  Bob was a pro for 14 years and is a contractor, father, part owner of a winery, and easily one of the nicest men I have met.

He and I had breakfast in Kona this year before the race and we spoke of the possibility of doing a camp together.  We followed up on it and here we are.  When we both were looking at this week in Lodi to do some late winter training, we checked the farmer’s Almanac and the chances of rain were slim and the temperatures should be solid for training.  We are now a little nervous as it looks like we may get some rain this week.  Here is why coaches need to bring athletes to camps that they know can deal with different situations.  The group we have here are my kind of people.  We got rained on a little yesterday when we did a shakedown run and swim just to loosen everyone up from a day of traveling.  Not one athlete said a thing about the fact it was raining.  They are here to train and they really don’t give a rip about the weather- within reason.

We are living at the Wine and Roses hotel right here in the middle of the Lodi Wine country.  The accommodations are awesome.  Bob knows the folks here so we were able to use this hotel as camp headquarters, which is a blessing.  The staff can’t do enough for us. 

We kicked off the training this morning with a solid swim.  Zach and I pounded out 5,000 yards.  1,000 continuous with every 4^th 25 backstroke, 400 easy free, 10 x 50’s leaving on the :50, and then 8 x 200.  The first 4 were leaving on the 2:55 and then we brought that down to leaving on the 2:50.  We wrapped it up with a 400 IM, and then 600 or so of drills and such to get to 5,000.  Zach and I have trained in camps before and we find that we make good training partners.  Zach Poehlman is a navy fighter pilot based in San Diego and is ramping up for Armed Forces National Championships in Pt Mugu  April 9^th.  Zach is on his first All-Navy team, but it won’t be his last.  As his coach, I am very pumped to see how he goes next month.  He is scary fit, ripped like you read about, and focused.  Should be a fun week. 

After the swim, we got something to eat and hit the 4 hour ride around the outskirts of Lodi.  If you have never trained here, you are missing out.  The riding is glorious.  We rode flats, rollers, some soul suckers and everything in between.  The group assimilated nicely as a group and rode in a tight pack.  It is amazing the ground you can cover when the group rolls down the road together and not strung out all over the place.  In the middle of today’s ride we jumped each other with some peppy climbs and such to make it interesting and Zach and I took off for some serious stuff for a few miles followed closely by Sal who wanted in on the fun.  Sal Lancaster is one of my athletes that I have been coaching for a few years.  Portuguese by birth , he came to the states as a young man and is an amazing success story.  I will feature him one of these days in our newsletter and tell his story.  The short version is that he is the nicest, most sincere guy in the world who speaks with a moderate Portuguese accent.  He also has a quirky streak.  He can be enormously silly and fun and it is always at the right time.  He can split me in two laughing so hard.  He can also whip up a ton of big boy pain on the bike when he wants to do that too.  He was a lifesaver tonight beating back into the wind.  I had been on the front pulling around 20 mph or so in stiff, harsh winds and was starting to bonk a little.  He saw it and immediately dropped in to let me sit on his wheel long enough for me to steal a gel from our newest IMJ Coach, Kristin “Rosie” Barnes.  Having Sal take that pull right then was all I needed to get home.  I was able to recover and get it rolling again. 

I am coming into this camp hoping to build some serious fitness.  I have been working pretty hard with both United and the Navy and my training is really behind where it typically is this time of year.  So much so, that I am flirting with not racing this year.  My new role in the navy is the absolute dream gig, and I want to make sure I do that job to the fullest and our coaching business is in a place that if we continue doing some of the things that are pumping real life into it should bear great fruit for this and follow on seasons.  This has left me training in the seams and I have not been as consistent at the level necessary to race successfully.  I don’t like absolute statements, but I currently can’t see myself racing anytime soon unless my fitness dramatically improves.

That doesn’t mean I am not willing to come and drill it in these camps.  The great thing about these camps is there is such a family environment that you can lay it out on a bike ride or run and the group will still get you home.  I love that part about tight camps.

Tomorrow should be solid.  Zach and I will swim 5-6K in the pool and then it is a casual 2 hour ride and a 1 hour tempo run.  I am looking forward to the whole enchilada.

We will do our best this week to Train with joy or not at all!

As Gordo says- “live by the trials of miles, and miles of trials!”

Later,

Jonser