2 Weeks Till Tour de Palm Springs

Eddie is the kind of motivation we all need.

Dispatches From The Field 1-29-11

God looks after fools and little children...

5:45am - There is something about driving in the dark as you begin a journey. There were so many times growing up with my Dad where a trip started in the dark. It seemed like we always had to be somewhere in the pre-dawn hours for whatever reason. I still get excited when I witness the dark becoming the light. It always strikes me as a metaphor for things new.

This morning I am meeting Thomas for a run at Cottonwood Valley. As an accomplished ultra runner, Thomas has to hold back for me to keep up and I love him for it. The opportunity to train with someone who is better than you allows you to reach new levels. I not sure if its a good or bad thing, but I always seem to find an extra gear when I'm up against superior competition.

I meet Thomas in a gas station parking lot like some clandestine drug meeting. He jumps in my car and we head up the road to the trail head. My goal is to be on the trail at 6:00am, but we wait in the car for a little bit to allow enough light so we can see the trail.

This is my invite, so I am in the lead. Thomas has been dealing with an over use injury from treadmill work. I listen to his breathing...he sounds a little ragged. I always sound that way. I'll mentally check back at a mile and see how we sound.

Once the light breaks the darkness, it comes quickly in the desert. The air smells clean and dry. The air is crisp, even a little cold against my skin. This is really the best part of the day.

Checking back, Thomas' breathing is smooth, he is definitely good to go. We clear the first two miles and reach the map posted by the Forest Service. The trail splits in several directions here and I point them out, giving Thomas the option. (I notice he does not look at the map for a You Are Here sticker). He opts for the trail I took yesterday.

God looks after fools and little children...

We reach the two black bushes where I turned around yesterday, if we turnaround here I will have the seven miles in that I am supposed to run today. I pause briefly and point out this is where I turned around. We both are working under the assumption that this trail will loop around the back side of the hill and comeback into the valley on the other side. Thomas suggests we push on and I agree. The thought of trail that is new is exciting.

It's another mile in that it begins to dawn on me that this is not going to work out the way we anticipated. I can't see Thomas behind me but I can almost feel that he is thinking the same thing. This trail is not going to move around the hill and back into the valley from where we came. We are leaving the plan.

Highway 159 is on our left, I can't really see it but I know that it is there. The trail is not really moving up against the slope the way that it should. We should be cutting to the right, instead we are moving down the watershed. I realize what's happening right before I crest the last hill. We are going to end up in Blue Diamond.

We saw burros on the way in and on the second hill.

As I see the physical truth of the buildings, I begin mentally working on an exit strategy. If we keep going, it's about 3 miles down 159 to the gas station where I picked up Thomas this morning. I ask Thomas if he has the keys to his car. 

"No."

That means that if we run down to the gas station and then up to the trail head, the run is going to stretch to 14-16 miles total. Not impossible, but I am not eager to share that Garmin download with my Coach. I'm already going to go over my scheduled run. It's now about damage limitation.

Ok, plan "C". We can push over the hill behind Blue Diamond and get ourselves back into the valley. We run to the town market for directions.

I have to say that the Clerk at the store does not inspire confidence. He's a nice guy, but his initial suggestion is that we go back to the trail that we just came down. When we explain that fact, he advises us to follow the road from the market to the left and head to the trail next to the house that looks like Taco Bell. I didn't realize that Taco Bell architecture is American iconic.

This brings back some memories...

We find it (Taco Bell is a stretch, but I get the idea) and head for the town water tower. We reach the tower and look over the crest...to another hill. I'm now on Plan "D". While being a quiet and patient man, Thomas is in no way weak. He takes the lead.

I urge him to go high. He does, but we end up at the base of the two hills anyway. I see a gash in the rocks at the top of the second hill and we agree to head for it. This is where size, conditioning and experience all matter. Thomas is not going fast, but he is dusting me up the hill. We crest the second hill, see the valley we are looking for and begin to head down. Thomas beats me down by an even larger margin than on the way up. I'm a little embarrased that he has to wait for me.

The trail at the bottom of the hill is well worn and we are back in business. I take the lead again and begin following the trail to the middle of the valley where the fire road would be. It seems to take forever. I am getting tired.

I begin to tease Thomas that whenever we run together, I end up running 10 miles. He said it would probably be more like 9.5 miles. I appreciate the humor.

We find the fire road, find our tracks and head for home. It turned out to be a wonderful adventure. I will be back.

2:06:01 / 9.60 miles

The Scale 1-29-11

THE NUMBER = 254.8 (-0.6 from last week)

MEASUREMENTS
Waist = 42" (-1.0")
Chest = 46.5" (-0.5")
Calves = 18.5" (Unchanged)
Neck = 17" (Unchanged)
Upper Arms = 15.5" (Unchanged)
Thighs = 25.5" (-0.5")

 

Dispatches From The Field 1-28-11

What a beautiful day to go out and explore! The weather was a comfortable 57 degrees without a cloud in the sky and no wind. The only bummer was that I was on a bit of a time crunch, so I had to get it done today.

My initial plan was to run the area of test drills above Fort Apache that I wrote about before. That's six miles, out and back, which is exactly what I needed today. I really had an urge to get out and try something different - time to explore.

The Cottonwood Trail system is at the base of Mt. Potosi and is a favorite of local mountain bike riders. Horseback riders use this area as well. As a result, the trails are well marked and the single track is great. There is also a nice mix of footing here with some moderately technical sections.

It's like being at Joshua Tree on my right...

...and Zion on my left.

It sure felt that way. There is a fire road that runs through the middle of the valley with single track coming into the road from either direction. I could be busy here for quite some time...

The road feels good and keeps going into the distance. I crest a small hill a couple miles in and there is a map that has been placed there by the Forest Service. Looking ahead, there is a cluster of buildings that might be Bonnie Springs. Doesn't seem right though, Bonnie Springs should be further out. I look at the map desperate for a You Are Here sticker...nothing. I envision a ranger in his Smokey Bear hat with a maniacal laugh talking to his buddy, "So they said I had to post the map, but they didn't tell me to put the sticker on..."

The things that pop into my head.

The Garmin is reporting 3.5ish miles, I turn around and head back. I'll be texting a friend about coming out here tomorrow. There is a wealth to explore out here. I'll be busy.

The trail head is on the back left of the third peak from the left.

1:22:03 / 7.01 miles

Dispatches From The Field 01-24-11

Each week, I post a cut-down version of what I have coming up for the week. The workouts that Coach Cyndee gives me are much more specific however. I thought it might be of interest to post my complete workout for today just to give people the flavor.

Training is six days a week. I currently ask for Thursdays off because I have a fairly intense study group for work (I am currently studying for the Master Diploma Exam with the Court of Master Sommeliers). Most days, I train in two disciplines or have a long workout. Today was just a swim as I had a long bike ride yesterday (see post).

Here is today's workout as I get it (with my notes in yellow):

Warm up with the following
100 easy
Felt tight in my shoulders. Not quite sure why as I actually missed my last scheduled swim workout.
4x25 build speed on each 25 rest 10 sec
Loosened up completely on the second 25.
4x25 fast rest 10
Gassed at this point.
4x200 broken 1st pull, 2nd fast, 3rd pull, 4th fast rest 20 after each
Felt stronger as I progressed through these 200s. I was secretly racing the guy in the lane next to me. I think he was doing the same thing. We were pretty equal, which made it a lot of fun.
1x800 continuous timed effort
19:17. I told you I'm not fast yet, but I am determined.
1x100 easy swim
Praise the Lord.
4x100 build speed by 50 for each finish fast. rest 20
Tired again at the end of these. Coach Cyndee is sneaky that way...
100 easy
2500


(c) Andreas NG


I threw in an extra 500 in at the end of this workout to try and make amends for missing the previous swim. It didn't make me feel a whole lot better. It's funny, I was the world's biggest couch potato and now, I miss a workout and my entire being goes into a funk.

1:20:58 / 3000m


Weekly Schedule 1/24/11 - 1/30/11

MONDAY
Swim - 1:00/2500m - 800s & 200s
    
TUESDAY
Brick - 2:00/28 miles - 25 mile Bike, 3 mile Run

WEDNESDAY
Strength Train - 60 min
Bike - 80 min/25 miles - Base Building

THURSDAY
Off Day

FRIDAY
Run - 105 min/9 miles - Long Hilly Run

SATURDAY
Swim - 80 min/3300m - Broken 150s/300s
Run - 35min/3 miles - Tempo

SUNDAY
Bike - 285 min /75 miles - Base Building On Rolling Hills


PREVIOUS WEEK
Swim (Projected/Actual)
Time - 2:20:00/1:06:23     Distance - 5700/2400
Bike (Projected/Actual)
Time - 7:20:00/7:31:34     Distance - 100/116.58
Run (Projected/Actual)
Time - 2:50:00/2:43:45     Distance - 12/15.25
Strength (Projected/Actual)
Time - 1:00:00/1:04:00
TOTAL (Projected/Actual)
Time - 13:30:00/12:25:41

Dispatches From The Field 01-23-11

The Tour de Palm Springs is approaching and the long rides are becoming a little more serious. Did 70 miles today for my long ride. Knees are sore. I'm hoping that my body will sort things out over the next two weeks.

Ended up oversleeping and didn't get started until about 7:20am. Thought about doing two loops of the River Mountain Trail Loop, but that would mean driving to the trail and the climbs and curves in the trail make it a little slower going. Needed to get home today for some face time with the family. So out the garage door and on the road seemed to be the ticket.

The ride was pretty uneventful. I came up from Highway 159, which doesn't see nearly as much traffic as the other direction off Charleston. Most people start at Desert Foothills and work their way out toward 160. I ended up seeing quite a few people after I got past Blue Diamond and played cat and mouse with a couple cyclists along the way. Wanted to get someone to pull with me but everyone just wants to be a wheel sucker. Come on people, we are recreational riders! Get up front for a pull!

I did have one section of interest today. I was cruising on the backstretch of 159 (downhill is the only place where chubby is good) when I passed this woman running toward me. She was seriously in the middle of nowhere. The only close place she could be running from was Blue Diamond. I yelled at her "how far" as we passed but she had an Ipod going and couldn't hear me. She flashed me a "hang loose" gesture with her right hand and just kept on trucking. I would have liked to know how far she was running - love an overachiever.

80 miles next week for the long ride. I'm thinking about doing an abbreviated RTC Century course. I'll have to get in some pictures.

Stats For Ride