April

Wow, April has so far been Amazing! Warm temperatures and sunshine, just makes training easier. I've been building up mileage on my runs and swimming is comming along well. Last week i went for a ride when an unfortunate event occured. I was about 5k out from my house and my pedal fell off the crank, still attached to my shoe! Thank god i was close to home because even the 5k of one legged cycling took a toll on my left leg! When i got back i took a look and both the pedal and crank were damaged and the bike is in the shop getting new parts.

Sunshine is in the forecast for this week and temperatures warming.

so long for now

Spring is in the air. Today was a beautiful day, April 1st and nearly 20 degrees. Went for a beautiful 16k run on the Cat trail and it felt like summer, although i did see some ice and snow in the shaded areas. Just over a week ago i returned from a training camp in Florida and it was amazing. Had a lot of long rides and runs and a couple of swims at the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida. Some of the workouts included 100km+ rides, a 70km bike and a 10k run for a brick workout and a 1/2 marathon run + a 3k swim. All in all it was a great time. It was nice to see all the Maple Trees in Florida Blooming throughout the week, something we will see here in Mid May. For now its time to take advantage of the sun and warmth and get riding outdoors!

Absolutely Ridiculous

Bekele is a Tank!

Back Home

Well im Back home now, and i can feel the difference between altitude and sea level. I went for a run and was blown away by how much i just wanted to "GO!" while i was on a cruise run. I felt like racing, but had to resist. It is finally warming up and the roads are clear and i am very excited to get rid of winter, although mother nature sure has a few curve balls up her sleeve im sure she will throw this way. Next saturday im off to the Sunshine state to get on my bike for the first time in 2010, and am getting set to perhaps get a brand new Opus Bike thanks to Opus and Aarron at Gears and Grinds! The camp will be a great way to train hard without 10 layers of clothes on, and get in some serious mileage on new scenic routes in the Florida Hill Country.....some even peak up to 300 feet. Anyways for now its still officially winter and training on the trainer is still the case.

Off to Kingston now for a ride and Swim in the AM tomorrow.

PHEW. this thin air is takin a toll on my cardio system. I have been running quite a bit at this altitude and it is not as tough as it was on day 1. I have been seeing quite a bit here in Ajijic, and its beautiful but there is no lack of Mexicans calling me names as i wear my running shorts through town. I must be the first runner they have ever seen sans shirt and wearing short shorts
here is a list of things ive seen here in Ajijic


Dogs making love on the main street at noon
no lack of hats and corona anywhere in town
Filet Mingion with mashed potatos and veggies with corona for $5.50
Cactus Galore
Bread company called BIMBO and milk company called LALA
A very nice man who remembers my name, wasted giving me directions......i found it on my own.
and much more.


Its been great and a few more days of altitude before i can catch my breath!

Mexico

Well, as i catch my breath, what i can say is the altitude is a different experience. I'm sitting at nearly 7000 feet and the weather is beautiful. warm days and very cool nights. I went for a nice 10k run yesterday, at a pace i usually go at for a nice cruise. It went fine, but it felt like i hadn't ran for a month and was struggling to keep running. The altitude makes you feel out of shape...that's how to explain it, along with headaches. The scenery here in Chapala and Ajijic is beautiful and authentically Mexican. cobblestone streets and narrow roads with small shops set up all around, makes running exciting and easy to turn a recovery run into a long easy sightseeing event. Today I'm off to see Guadalajara and finish the day off with some Hills....wish me luck.

training, training, training...

Mid winter..halfway to spring! next week i fly down to Mexico and am staying with Jordan and her Aunt and Uncle in Chapala, a small town south of Guadalajara. Training will be difficult but a great chance to train at Altitude. The town lies at around 6000-7000 feet which will make my body adapt to the lower oxygen levels. It will be a great time to get in some tough runs and swims in while enjoying the scenery. Then, in March a group of us are travelling to Central Florida to really train hard for the first time outdoors in summer gear rather than throwing on layers of clothes. It will be nice to FINALLY bike outdoors instead of staring at the TV for hours on the trainer.