Love the Hurt: SDIT on tap

Well it's race week and I'm very excited to see what I can do Sunday. The San Diego International Triathlon is a 1000 meter swim, 30k (18.6 mile) bike and a 10k (6.2 mile) run. It suits my strengths really well with it being a shorter swim, a hilly bike ride and a flat/fast run. Last year I did fairly well considering how new I was to the sport and the lack of training I had behind me. This year I go in with Champion Factory coaching behind me, a Wattie team of support and an awesome Bike Shop dialing in my bike. I'm healthy, swimming, riding and running better than I ever have and I can't wait to toe the line. Here's a little update on how training in each discipline has been going:

Vail lake

The Swim: Every Monday for the past month I've been able to jump into Vail lake with the Temecula Valley Tri Club and it's down wonders for my swim. I'm swimming straight, sighting well and learning how to swim in packs. All of these have been great weaknesses of mine over the past year and I'm hoping to see some of the fruits of my labor this weekend. The water is 70 degrees in the most beautiful time of day in Temecula with the sun glistening off of the water, lungs breathing in fresh air - no other place I'd rather be. When you are in a huge body of water like that surrounded by beauty - it makes you feel alive. There's an island half way across the lake that we swim around which ends up being ~1.2 miles. Often times the winds pick up and it gets real choppy - and other times it's real calm - perfect open water training and it's become hands down my favorite workout of the week lately.

The Bike: There were a few months there where I was a little down on my bike fitness. Not just mentally but physically also. I felt so strong in the beginning of the year and then the fitness seemed to just disappear along with my confidence. Those few months of sickness and little injuries really set me back on the bike until finally about a month ago I was able to get consistent workouts again. Now I feel stronger than I ever have before and the cool thing about gadgets is that you can prove it! One thing I discovered over the weekend was Strava. Like most of you, I had heard of it before but the last thing I needed was something else to take up my time. Let me tell you, it's worth it! In a nutshell you basically download your ride (or run) data just like you would at Garminconnect - but it takes segments of your rides and compares them to other riders in the area. Basically all of the major climbs/sprints in your area. It allows you to see how you stack up against others, find/meet riders in your area, find climbs you never knew about AND allows you to see your progression over the years. Set PR's, become the King (or queen) of the mountain, place top 10...etc. Check it out and follow along with me. As far as rides go, I was able to roll down last Saturday for a Champion Factory team ride. Tons of talent -pros, former pros, weekend warriors and my coach James Walsh who lead up the ride. Three flats later, we ended up riding 4+ hours and climbed over 4,500ft. I've actually never ridden in a group of more than 5, so the big group made it fun and the time flew by quickly.

The Run: My run has definitely taken back seat in my mind. It was always the most important thing to me when I first started triathlon. Then I realized that I needed to focus more on my weaknesses. Even doing so, I've seen improvements in my run. Most of it is just getting to the run not so exhausted from swimming and biking. So in reality, getting faster in those two sports has made me a better runner. Biggest improvements I've been seeing is being able to hit my 10k pace immediately off of the bike. We'll see how that fairs this weekend.

Best part of last week? Spending time with my family on fathers day. My wife and kids mean the world to me and they made me feel extra special on fathers day. Watching my kids get older is an amazing thing. I see myself and my wife in both of them. It's almost like we are re-living our childhood all over again with them. Not LIVING our lives through them (like some parents do..ha) but just seeing them experience so many things for the first time is special. It's not to often that you are looked as a hero when you spend $2 dollars to get them an ice cream for the first time from the ice cream truck. It's such a special time to be a dad when the kids are this age. I'm not taking even one day for granted that I have with them and I couldn't be happier to experience it all with the love of my life. Thank you for an awesome day!