Well, I was feeling pretty good and fit then I got the camp schedule and now I have a bit of the nerves.  LOL.  I'll probably need eat an entire batch of cookies when I get back.

Monday: Madera Canyon ride. 150K route Southeast of Tucson. The first (and last) 60K is generally flat before a gradual climb of 8 miles followed by 3 miles of a steeper grade (return is a descent; route is an out-and-back). Quicker riders will be swimming before the ride and rolling out at 9:00. Base riders will roll out at 8:00 with a loosen swim to follow in the afternoon.

Tuesday: Mt Lemmon Day (On your left). Be ready with your cycling, running, and swimming gear to depart Hotel Arizona at 7:15 a.m. for Udall Park. We will roll out as a group from Udall Park at 8:00 am. We will regroup at the base of the climb (approximately 30-45 minutes into the ride) and everyone can ascend at their own pace. The climb is 21 miles long with over 6000 feet of vertical gain. The turnaround will be just past the village of Palisade. After reaching Palisade you will descend for one kilometer where you will see the sag vehicle on your left just shy of the 8000 ft elevation sign. After descending, athletes will have the option of running off the bike in Udall Park.

We will provide lunch in Udall Park following your transition run. After lunch, we will travel to the pool for a loosening and/or base swim workout.

Wednesday: The 40 mile or 40K day. Today will kick off with a swim at Archer Pool (depart hotel at 5:45 a.m.; seriously :). Following the swim we will have breakfast at the hotel. There will be two group rides today with a 40 mile or 40K option. The primary focus of today is to allow a bit recovery after two challenging days. Run options will be ad hoc. Afternoon is off with massages occurring from 2-6 p.m. Laundry Day!

Thursday: Oro Valley Day (Big Swim Day). Today we will cross town to the beautiful Oro Valley Pool of the North side of Tucson. The day will begin with group runs in the a.m. prior to swimming (determined the night before). Following breakfast; at 8:45 a.m. have all your cycling and swim gear ready for a 9:00 a.m. departure (by Van) to the Oro Valley Pool. After swimming (and lunch in Oro valley) we will ride 90K back to the hotel via Sandoria Road and Gates Pass.

Friday: Long run in Saguaro East Park. Athletes will depart from the hotel at 6:00 a.m. (or earlier TBD) for a long run in S. E. Park. All run routes will be done on an out-and-back course. Swim will follow at 11:30 a.m after your morning breakfast. Today will be a day off the bike with a free afternoon to lounge and recover. Massages from 2-6 p.m. today. Laundry Day!

Saturday: Kitt Peak (on the right). What we have all been waiting for!!! This is a 170K (106 miles) route that includes a summit of Kitt Peak (12 mile climb to 6000+ feet in elevation). The first and last 40 miles are generally flat and can prove to be challenging (or really fast!) if the wind kicks up. The middle section of the ride is a 12 mile climb with a consistent grade (8%) that kicks up slightly in the final 2 miles. It is best to save something for the final 40 miles in case the wind is not in a favorable direction. An optional swim will be available to athletes at 2:30 p.m. 

Fly home on Sunday with my legs in the suitcase! 

Craig Nicholson

Next weekend (11/22-11/23) all Sunrise members will be given an opportunity to jump start training for the 2009 season. Source Endurance out of Austin, TX will be in Shreveport to offer 4 distinct clinics for us to attend. You can decide to come to one or all 4 sessions.

Here is a tentative schedule:

Bike Handling Skills Clinic (Sat 11/22 9AM-12PM)

Saturday 11/22
Stoner Boat Launch
9:00-12:00pm
Come prepared to get on your bike and learn how to descend, turn, drink, and much more while riding. We will be in the parking lot on the road and on the grass to make sure there is a soft spot for falling.

The clinic will conclude with a can't miss game of tag while on your bike!!

Running Skills and Transition Clinic Saturday (Sat 11/22 3PM-5PM)

Lee Hedges Stadium
3:00-5:00
Running Skills and Transition Clinic
Here we will learn all the skills necessary to safely incorporate speed into our training. Running drills will be explained and demonstrated properly. Key stretches and recovery strategies will
also be emphasized to help us stay injury free. The transition clinic will focus on training us how to gain that free speed we could all use!

Quality vs. Quantity (Sat 11/22 7PM-9PM)

Saturday 11/22
7:00-9:00
El Chico's Madison Park
Training Lecture - Quality vs. Quantity
Can we really have a successful season with limited time to train? How can we incorporate training when we all have demanding jobs, family and other commitments? This lecture will show us how to train on as few hours a week as possible and still reach our goals.  Dinner is not included so bring some cash if you want to eat.

Source Endurance Fully Supported Group Ride  (Sunday 11/23 8:00-10:30am)

Sunday 11/23
8:00-10:30am
LSUS Parking Lot
Fully Supported Group Ride
Cap off the weekend with a moderately paced group ride with all 5 Source Endurance coaches and trainers. EVERY level member will be accomodated from super fast to super slow. We will have a sag wagon and sweep riders on the road to feed, protect and serve us. You don't want to miss this!!

I will be sending updates all week. Please let me know if you are planning to attend any or all events. It will be helpful to get an idea of what to expect.

Sunrise is covering all the costs (except dinner on Saturday) so try to take advantage of at least one session.

We are even working on a way to raffle off a training package for one lucky attendee to receive a 3 month training package from Source Endurance.

I hope to see everyone there!

Martha

There is no doubt in my mind nutrition and pace control is a HUGE part of Ironman racing.   During the past seven months I've been training on the bike in a steady zone, slightly faster than an easy pace, building the endurance I'll need to ride 112 miles comfortably and build enough fitness on the bike where I can run great off the bike, and not have a sufferfest on the run.  The heart rate bpm I have been using for my zone was collected from data over several rides and races.   So, I had a question... "Did I correctly identify the zones?"

What I need is validation, before my race, I am training in the right zone for an Ironman distance race.  Jason Hamm had mentioned Source Endurance offers testing, and bike fits, and gave them a good recommendation.   I like Austin, and have clients in Austin, so why not take a trip down there.  How fun would that be?  An added benefit is the guys and gals at Source Endurance come to town and complete in our local events (Brandon Marsh, 2008 Red River Tri and 2008 RCT Overall Winner).

As you can see from the pic above,  I made it to Austin and had the tests completed.  The lactate test is fairly easy'ish to complete.  I'm not getting into the specifics here, but we did the test and got some solid numbers.  The VO2 Max ... is where you have to go all out.  Give everything you have and then push harder when you think you can not push anymore.  The test lasted 7min for me.  When I got to 6min into the test and the resistance increased I had to come out of the saddle and push, grunt, yell...  Brandon, Derick and Kelly were there cheering me on.  And this definitely helped.  At 6min my quads where on fire, and my mind was telling me to stop.  I just pushed those thoughts out, and kept the hammer down.

After a 10min cool down, and a quick change of clothes I started my bike fit.  Source Endurance uses Retul to do the bike fitting. David and Brandon both worked the bike, me and me shoes for the bike fit.  The biggest point I took away is my right leg is 1cm shorter than my left.  We stuffed an extra sole from another biking shoe to make up the difference, dropped the bars a bit more, dialed in the pedals and we were done with the bike fit.

I’m blown away, and really impressed with everyone at Source Endurance.  They helped to unload my bike, had top quality lab equipment, and everyone is super knowledgeable.  They even have coaching services so you can get the most out of your training as possible.  And I think this is very important.  Time management can be a hassle, when family life, work, and training.  If you can train less, more efficiently, in the correct way, and make huge improvements, then this is the way to go.

Right before I left for a meeting in Austin with a client, Derick went over the test results with me and gave me some excellent tips about improving my fitness (getting faster).   Derick knows his stuff.  He was spot on about me being a tad bit lazy with trainer workouts, not pushing up the power when I should have been.  Kinda like touring on the bike instead of training.

I wish I could have stayed a bit longer and discussed my test results more in depth with Derick, but I had to make a meeting.  Thanks to everyone at Source Endurance for providing top quality service and location.  I'll definitely be back.

Peace Out!

Craig

This week at Scooters 

Mack Evans will share some of his thoughts and experiences and Denise Cook will distribute a handout on nutrition needs.

Please join us at Scooter's Bike Shop on Shreveport Barksdale Hwy, at 6:30 PM, Monday, July 14th.

Food and drinks will be provided.

Jonnene Moore, Shreveport Bike Club President