ironcamp updates

2007-06-26T04:25:00.000-07:00

IronCamp Day Five / Wrap Up Post: Marathon Day

The fifth and final day of IronCamp East Coast 2007 was dominated by the Lake Placid Half Marathon. It's hard to believe that folks wanted to run 13.1 miles after four solid days of work, but they did. It must be some chemical thing driven by a wave of endorphins that overwhelms the common sense mechanism. Or something.

Regardless, over ten IronCampers were lucky enough to start - and finish - the Half Marathon. The run course covered part of the IM course...after a lap around Mirror Lake. The group had a great day for racing, with plenty of sun, cool temps, and minimal wind. No one was really racing, but everyone had a great time.

The rest of the campers - including super-tired me - did our own long runs. I managed to get in 1:45 before the wheels came off. I couldn't imagine going another step. I managed to get back home in time to shower, make myself more coffee and start the clean up process. There was a great deal of food and dirty dishes to take care of. And then there was the task of putting all the furniture back and making sure no one left anything behind. Despite our best efforts, I am pretty sure there was some gear left in Placid...but maybe the next group of athletes will be able to put it to good use.

Hard to believe that five days could pass so quickly...but i guess if you are spending 6-8 hours a day exercising, 8 hours sleeping, 2 hours eating, well, there isn't a lot of spare time to get bored. :)

We'll definitely be holding another IronCamp East Coast in 2008. Full details will be posted in the Fall. As usual, all of the slots willl be opened to PTS + CF athletes first, then the general public. Also know that we already have 25% of the slots set aside for returning campers who have expressed interest. If you want to come, be ready to pull the trigger so you get your spot!

The next IronCamp is a race-specific event for Ironman Wisconsin, held in early July. Visit www.ironcamp.com for full details.

2007-06-24T06:04:00.000-07:00

IronCamp Day Four: The Last Big Day

After the debacle of yesterday's heat, I think most folks woke up with more than a little fear of what Saturday would bring. Thankfully, a system rolled through on Friday night and the resulting drop in temperature meant Saturday was going to be low-70s and sunny...in other words, PERFECT conditions for a final long effort.

Most folks headed out for a long ride today. The three-day campers returned to the IMUSA course for more punishment/revenge. The five day campers mixed things up by riding a modified course or other routes. My group of four headed out on a great route that took us out the in of the bike course and had us touring a lot of the area surrounding Placid before we returned to the course. It was a great diversion and a great way to finish up the big week. There was a short run - no real swimming - on the calendar today.

The night called for a big dinner. We had another killer cook out, with more food than people could ever want. Another big bowl of Shauna's killer pasta salad and this time, Rex didn't burn the chicken. :) Lots of beer and an Ironman Execution Talk by Rich and I were the final order of the evening.

Most folks retired early as they were either racing in the Lake Placid Half Marathon, doing a long run, and/or driving home on Sunday. A big day no matter who you were!

Today's ride put me at 400 miles in 4 days, a new personal best. I was not alone in raising my endurance benchmark, as there were many folks who were also pushing their previously established personal limits. There is nothing like seeing someone push themselves so far (not hard!), watching them bonk, figure stuff out, then come back stronger than before.

Stay tuned for the Day Five update...

2007-06-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

IronCamp East Coast Day Three in Detail

Friday turned out to be killer hot...hotter than hot. Hot as in 97-degrees Fahrenheit hot. There were a variety of groups today, but most everyone either took it light on purpose or had to in the end. On the equivalence scale, I think one loop was equal to two today.

The day started out ordinarily enough, cool and slightly overcast. But you didn't need a weather forecaster to know things were going to turn ugly - it was humid at 6:30. Ouch. The Lake Placid area is subject to a great deal of weather fluctuation, and it was clear that the order of the day was going to be HEAT.

Unfortunately for the newly minted three-day campers, this meant that their first day was going to be a tough one. Five-day folks strongly argued that Wednesday, with it's sub-40s temp and damp conditions, was harder...but having done both I have to say Friday was worse. I think it takes several hot days to adapt...and this was the first of the year for many. The photo above shows me pulling people at 91 miles from the bike course...both were shattered and in desperate need of food and fluids. I had to make the executive call so they would be okay to ride tomorrow...they just laughed and said: what other coach would (1) drive out on the course (2) stop us from riding (3) and take us to get soda and a fried chicken meal??? I guess that might not be standard operating procedure. :)

After two days of two loops, I opted for the single loop ride. Rich and I ended up riding together. Well, Rich and Co actually dropped me heading out of town, but he was gentlemanly enough to wait after the descent for me. We rode the rest of the loop talking strategy, execution, and Pro Power Screens. Rich is planning an assault on IMUSA for his 40th b-day...look out doodes.

Friday night was dinner out, with most of us heading over to Nicola's over Main Street for dinner and beer. It was just what the doctor ordered. The stronger peeps (read: not me!) rolled over to the Lake Placid Brewery for beer and to find the EpicMan folks who had done the swim, two loops of the bike and one loop of the run all in one day (not for me, thanks!).

It was off to bed with thoughts alternating between dreaming of day four, and dreading it...

2007-06-09T03:27:00.000-07:00

IronCamp East Coast Day Three
Here are some brief notes from Day three...I am too tired to type more!!

Group Swim Time!

IronCamp Goes Shopping

Campers were pulled from their second loops
in favor of chicken fingers and french fries.

It's popsicle time!

Stay tuned for Day Four updates as folks go for 400+ miles...

2007-06-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

IronCamp East Coast 2007: Day Two

Today was a crap shoot, as the master plan Rich and I set up was trashed by the group in favor of everyone doing their own thing. We had two different groups doing the following:

112 mile ride (2 loops) and a 4 mile run: some folks did this for the first time, others did a repeat of yesterday for a total of 224 in 2 days (ouch).
56 mile ride, 4 mile run, and swim: a bunch of folks did this today, but in their own order. The freight train rolled the course at 24mph, with stragglers finding their way in through out the day.

Everyone was self supported, and the weather cooperated, so it was a great day all around. We ended up having a cook out at the main house...burgers and beer were the main course and people ate like it was the last food on earth. Nothing like seeing petite women who spent the day crushing the bike course just eat like champs. I think they even went out for Ben and Jerry's!!!

Tomorrow looks like an early swim and then multiple rides...looks like we are going to have sun and 83-degrees!!!! Can't wait!

Happy Training,

Coach P

ps: full camp photos are here: http://flickr.com/photos/coachp/sets/72157600328256701/

2007-06-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

IronCamp East Coast 2007: Day One

Today was the first day of our 2007 IronCamp East Coast. This is our biggest camp to date, with more than 20 athletes coming to train for 3- to 5-days on the Ironman USA Course. Exciting to have such a big camp, but also pretty crazy at the same time. We have 21 athletes with the furthest coming in from Ecuador for a week of great hill riding. Coach Rich Strauss of Crucible Fitness fame is here, fresh off a camp in Louisville. It's quite an awesome crew.

The day started out cold and wet, and dropping out of Placid for a 112 mile day (with a 4-mile run) is not a fun exercise. We were bundled to the hilt...after a short tour of Placid itself, we were out on the open road. Right away some folks realized that not having booties was a VERY BIG mistake. Their solution -- make your own! With some newspaper and cellophane tape from the post office, they made their own booties...check out the pic below. This, folks, is being resourceful!!!

Thankfully, the day brightened up and folks were able to enjoy the full day without just being cold and wet. The big group splintered quite a bit, but everyone enjoyed the day...look at all that greenery!!!

Stay tuned for Day Two, where some folks do 112 for the first time, others will Run / Bike 1 loop / Swim and others (Coach P, etc.) will do another 112 just for good measure. It doesn't get any better than this!

Happy Training!

Team IronCamp

2007-04-08T03:48:00.000-07:00

IC Insider Update

Just a quick note to keep you IC groupies in the know. Camp progress has been way better than expected, following our (mis)adventures in early February. Looks like we might have had a bit too much fun (read all about it here, here, here, here, here, here, and here).

ICEC 2007: June 5 - 10
Things are shaping up nicely for our June camp in Lake Placid, NY. We have about 18 folks signed up for a five day extravaganza. Should be a blast, with plenty of epic riding in the area. Full camp details are here. Recently found out there are two other camps going on at the same time, the same week. FYI they cost 2x as much as IronCamp, yet have 50% of the coaching staff, only 25% of the mojo and won't be able to match the fun we're going to have. Plus we are staying in some killer condos, not a stuffy hotel. You make the call...we have up to 7 more slots available. Email me if you are interested!

ICWC 2008: Feb TBD
We are about a week away from opening registration for ICWC 2008 and we already have 11 intrepid souls signed up. I think we can only handle 4 more folks, so if you want to reserve your spot ASAP, email me or email Rich right away so we can get you in.

Other IC Events
Rich is organizing two other race-specific camps this year. These are 3-day, execution-focused events that will have you ready to rock on race day. Think tactical insertion (he's ex-military after all!). :-) You can learn about them here.

More info soon...happy training!

2007-02-28T05:56:00.000-08:00

Outcomes & ICWC 2008!
The average camper got in 20-25 hours of riding and anywhere from 375 to 450 miles on the bike. There was no running and swimming as folks barely had the energy to pedal, eat, and sleep! Hard to believe we managed to go a whole week with no flat tires or serious mechanical issues! The best part of the camp wasn't necessarily the scenery or the riding--it was meeting and hanging out with cool folks who enjoy pushing their bodies into the unknown.

IronCamp West Coast 2008
Very simply, we want to create an incredible training experience for our customers next year.
Consider the following:

The largest cycling race in the US is kind enough to scout out, mark, and in some cases control the best roads in the state for us. We took as many pictures as we could but they really don’t do the tour justice. The most consistent comment from the campers was the wide variety of terrain offered by each stage. For example, Stage 1 climbed out of Sausalito through Muir Woods, with huge trees lining the road. We then dropped down to the coast and were treated to waves crashing on rocks, and quaint seaside towns (BBQ oysters!). The course then jogged inland up Coleman Valley Road, a narrow paved cow path through incredible pastures and dairy farms, then descending into lush green valleys, past world famous wineries and finishing in Santa Rosa, a major hub of the California wine industry. And this was just the FIRST day!
The race is also nice enough to bring people out on the course to cheer you on as you tackle the KOM’s or sprint against your shadow or fellow campers in small towns. We called this the Yahoo Coefficient: as you neared KOM’s, sprints, or the race closed in behind you, the number of spectators, fellow cyclists, yahoos and characters increased exponentially. What other camp offers a 5k climb at 10-16% grade through a wall of screaming and cheering fans?
Many prospective campers expressed concern about the high cycling volume of the camp so early into the season. However, during the camp we quickly learned that is neither necessary nor desirable to do every mile of every stage:
- Each stage has a 3-7 mile neutral zone, which is simply a parade through town to the good stuff where the racing actually starts.
- Most stages finished with a 7-10 mile circuit race around the finishing town. Once you go into that circuit it’s difficult to get around and link up with the support vehicle.
- Admin miles solo or in a 2-3 person group are significantly different from what pros experience tucked into a 150+ rider peloton. The estimated times on the route sheets (what time the race is expected at each turn, sprint, KOM, etc) STARTS at 24mph. These guys are friggin’ flying and a 5’ water or potty stop means the peleton just rolled you up by about 2 miles. This definitely lends a sense of urgency to the day but don’t underestimate how hard it is to stay away from these guys when they light the burners.
- These are hard friggin’ courses. They’ve found the hard stuff on purpose, not gone around it.
The net is that an A rider (sub 5:30 IM bike split) can expect to ride 75-85 miles in 4.5-5.5hrs. A B rider will see 50-65 miles in 4-5hrs. Trust us, by the time you trim off the fat above and add admin time on the front and back ends of each stage, that’s enough. We estimate we can provide a high quality training camp for sub 6:15 IM bike split athletes.
Many prospects asked us about swim/run opportunities during the camp. Our advice: don’t ruin an epically cool training experience by being a tri-dork. Just ride the bike for a week, it’s enough. Seriously, part of what made the tour so special was how many towns we were able to experience, as the organizers often finished in one town and started in another. This necessitated a portage of bodies, bikes and bags 40-70 miles at the end of the day, which typically began with wheels up at 7 or 8am so we could stay ahead of the race. Again, don’t be a geek, just ride.
We’ve done it, we’ve figured out the logistics, and are confident we’ll have a very solid game plan for 2008: lead/chase vehicles, hotels, restaurants, communications, insert/extract points for A/B riders, jerseys, shirts…and ass cream, we’ll have it all dialed in!

Are you interested in the cycling experience of a lifetime, one that will challenge your legs and senses, creating special memories and friendships? Stay tuned to www.ironcamp.com as we develop our plans and publish registration details. I know that Rich and I are already counting to days to when the race publishes the ’08 course!

2007-02-24T22:18:00.001-08:00

IronCamp Update Day Six

Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita: 100 miles.

Today ended up being one of the best dang days to ride of the entire tour. Almost 100 miles and virtually no wind at all, temps in the mid-60s. Four KOM sections and two sprints. Tours of orange groves...it just doesn't get any better!

We started just outside of Santa Barbara, and the first ten miles were pretty easy going. Things quickly started to heat up, however, as we headed into overlapping KOM sections. In other words, you saw the sign for 5k to the next KOM before you saw the sign for 1k to go on the KOM you were currently climbing. One word for that: OUCH! The climbs were both Category 4 efforts, however, so at least it wasn't killer. That said, the work did have a huge pay off, with incredible views of Lake Casitas.

Things turned semi-urban for a bit as we rolled through the town of Santa Paula, where we were able to get another sprint in. Then it was off to climb Balcom Canyon, lined with a ton of folks. While the police were interested in the number of people on the hill, our group was more interested in the observed percent grade of 18+%. Can you say ouch??? A truly epic climb, even though it was short. The terrain after the killer climb was mostly downhill, including a great section where a few doodes sat in the draft of a convertible Dodge Viper (do not try this at home!).

We rolled in for another quick food break, and then it was off to Santa Clarita. This was a net uphill section, but the road felt pretty forgiving. We finished the ride into town with the group including Saul Raisin, and then waited for the peloton to arrive. Things were interesting w/ a seven man break as the riders entered town; the peloton was 1:25 down...but by lap two the deficit was only 40 seconds, and by the final lap the break had been rolled up. Another sprint finish.

Today was our last official day. Most folks fly out tomorrow, while some might go check out the final stage. All agreed that today's weather and terrain made it the best ride day of all thus far. From an organizers perspective, I have to say that the camp was an absolute blast! We'll definitely be back in 2008, and will include a variety of updates. Stay tuned for more information on this blog. Until then, keep it real!

2007-02-23T20:11:00.000-08:00

IronCamp Day Five Update

Time Trial in Slovang, CA - 14.5 miles

Today's stage was a short (for the pros!) time trial effort around the town of Solvang, CA. We pre-rode the course in the morning. Actually ran into a group of CTS athletes (about 30) spinning around town w/ the guru himself, Chris Carmichael. We passed them, of course. Kinda had to, ya know? Anyway, we took a detour off of the TT course and went out to a local canyon for some solid riding. The terrain was awesome, but the roads left something to be desired. I guess when things are this remote - and the weather is this good - you don't need to consistently repair the roads.

There was a bit of wind as well...and some of the folks got crazy muddy trying to free the car of a tourist from the mud on the side of the road. I was too slow to get up the hill and missed out on all that fun, but I did snap some crazy great pictures of the local terrain. Yes, that's snow up on top of those hills!

We rode out another 25 mins from here, and then we flipped it. We returned to the TT course, climbed the technical hill and then rode the killer descent back into town. We were on road bikes and were soft pedaling...and we hit 25 miles an hour. Things got a little squirrelly when the police entourage of 14 cars and over 20 motorcycles flew by us...some managed to jump right in...others of us hitched a ride on the back. Crazy cool. After one more short hill, we were right back into town. Total ride time was 2:20, distance was 32 miles...nice and easy.

Rolling into town, we hit a local bakery for some danishes and coffee. Chilling out front, we snapped some photos of the pros zipping around and testing their equipment one more last time. Man these guys are skinny!!!! Then we ran to the hotel, got changed, and headed out...first to the expo, then onto the course to watch the extravaganza. It was pretty amazing to see the studs ripping the course up. Levi was grade A fast over the day...we watched on the jumbotron as he kept his nose to the knuckles on his aerobars through the head / crosswinds and then powered his way through the final 15k. Pretty amazing stuff. In the pic below you can not only see that Levi is working, you can also see the nice raspberry on his shin from the crash at the end of Stage One!

After the show we piled into the truck and headed down the coast to Santa Barbara in preparation for the last big stage of our tour (the pros have one more). Stay tuned!!!

2007-02-23T16:03:00.000-08:00

IronCamp Day Four Update
Seaside to San Luis Obispo: 85 miles

Today's stage was set up to be the longest of the tour...a whopping 130+ miles, all along the Pacific Coast Highway. Also known as the PCH, this road is the scenic route down the coast. The views were stunning.

Unfortunately, we woke up to pouring rain and 40-degree temperatures. As the first few miles were headed out of Seaside and out to Big Sur (one of the KOMs), we decided to skip ahead to have breakfast further south in the hopes that the weather would break. While we got poured on during mealtime, a short bit up the road things opened up.

We jumped out of the car and quickly got ready on the side of Highway 1. Hopping out on the road, we quickly linked up with a group of 10 riders who were on their way towards San Luis Obispo. Most were demo-ing some new Cannondale prototype frames. This was a pretty solid group, mostly local. Jumping in, we got right down to pushing the pace.

Things were moving along quite well until the KOMs appeared (yes, plural). Then our nice group wasn't really willing to play THAT nicely. The two sets of climbs really tested my fitness, and I was out the back in no time. Thankfully the scenery was so fantastic, I didn't really mind going it solo. Our group got back together when the local roadies punched out a bit early. After saying thanks, we were on our way.

We were still ahead of the peloton, so we decided to keep things moving. Unfortunately, this was also about the time that I was totally bonking. I was 100% useless and needed food badly. We found a smoothie place in the town of Cambria that hooked us up, but we go stuck at a major intersection by an overzealous volunteer who wouldn't let us hit the road again. 20 mins later, after the 7 man break and the peloton rolled through, we hit the road again.

There was one more short hilll and then we were on the way down - with a nice tailwind - to Morrow Bay. Even saw some elephant seals fighting over the womenfolk. We were moving along nicely at about 28mph, but things were starting to move inland and get a bit ugly, so we pulled the plug and headed over to Solvang where we prepped for the next day's time trial.

As a random sidenote, we ended up having dinner at The Hithching Post, that restaurant / bar from the movie Sideways. Small world! Until tomorrow...

2007-02-21T20:36:00.000-08:00

IronCamp Day Three Update

Stockton to San Jose: 80 miles in 4:45

Today's stage, intended to be a rest day between yesterday's 110 miles and tomorrow's 130 miles, proved to be pretty tough on us real-world folk. Starting in the farmland outside of Stockton had us riding on rough chip-seal roads with a good headwind for the first 1.5 hours...just like we had finished in yesterday. Unfortunately, a really good story about an article on Dave Zabriskie's wife had us headed in the wrong direction...for about 5 miles. :(

Admin to the rescue had us back on point to Peterson's Pass...a nice rolling climb of about 1600 ft over 10 miles. Some fans but early enough in the day so it wasn't too crowded. After a basic descent we rolled through the sprint, up a mean short climb and off to the feed zone. Amazing how 50 miles feels like nothing after 200 miles in two days.

After some killer sandwiches, coke, fritos and Advil, we were off to the next climb. This was a killer route...some 15 miles of climbing that only gained 1200 feet. A twisting and winding road brought us out on a ridge overlooking Lake Berryesa and some amazing scenery. Just killer stuff. The knucklehead factor was pretty low here as the climb would probably just be a speedbump to the peloton later in the day. A great winding descent put us right into the outskirts of San Jose, and the lead up to the biggest climb of the day: Sierra Road.

Because of the speed of the peloton - and the wrong turn we took - we had little choice but to ride up to the top of this climb and then flip it. This meant we cut the ride short a bit, but after that climb (that CLIMB), no one was really complaining. This climb was a real beast...sections at 16% grade were broken up with random flat sections. The powers that be really could have put in a few more switchbacks on this climb, but it was almost as if they only had so much asphalt and so they went straight up. After all our riding, this route took me 34 mins to do...and that was just a bit too long for me.

And of course, the further we got up there, the more crowded it got. Here you can see Rich, me and Dave on the top...and that was only 20% of the group. It was so crazy at the top that I had to wind my way around folks just to get to the KOM line. After everyone hit the top, we rolled down to about 300feet up, just around a bend, and waited for the peloton.

We didn't have to wait too long. The group of seventeen alleged by the pre-race speaker car was only 5 guys with the peloton another 45 seconds back. Needless to say, the break didn't last. By the time the climb was done, Levi had taken the KOM points and was in an elite group of five. This group lasted all the way to the finish, with Jens Voigt taking a close finish.

Bottom Line: This was a short stage but a solid one. Sure wish I had another 100 guys to draft off of for the duration. Especially for those hills!!! Now all we have to do is last through another 100+ miles tomorrow...

2007-02-20T21:28:00.000-08:00

IronCamp Day Two Update

Santa Rosa to Santa Barbara: 110 miles in 5:45

After yesterday's epic ride along the coast, I was really looking forward to a good night's sleep and today's stage. I slept so well I didn't even get out of bed once last night...that means I was BEAT!!! Today's stage had it all: great weather, hills, killer views, amazing descents, vineyards, wineries, and a massive headwind.

We started out from our hotel and just started riding. We had a fresh Rich Strauss as our leader today (he was admin yesterday), and it showed. We blitzed through 22 miles in the first hour even though the group was tired. This got us nice and warmed up for the first KOM of the day.

This was a solid 19 minute climb for me today, with some great turns and views. We dropped down from that into Napa Valley and rolled right by some grade-a wineries and through gorgeous vineyards. The terrain was surreal...we rolled right out the other side into the climb out of Napa Valley. Despite the map, the terrain wasn't actually that bad on this side. Maybe that's because yesterday was so killer. We rolled through the hills and then hit the flats through Davis.

Davis, home of Steve Larsen and more bike paths than the entire eastern seaboard combined, was awesome. The couse had a killer sprint set up, with a 90-degree left hand turn at 200m to go. We regrouped on the other side at the 88-mile mark to eat some real food. It was then back on the bikes towards Santa Barbara. We had a sick tailwind for 3 miles...so sick we were taking turns leading the group at 30mph. Can't even imagine how fast the peloton was moving through there.

Unfortunately after that, we had to turn into the wind and were on some seriously crappy chip-seal roads. The kind that saps your energy and turns a 20mph effort into an 18mph hour slug fest. Add to that a sick cross-head wind, and you are going 15mph. Capital O-U-C-H. Add to that the fact that the tour entourage of cars, bikes, support crews, etc, are rolling past on the way to the finish. That's pressure. Thankfully this was ended - just before I cracked - by the sag wagon. We chilled on the side of the road for the peloton to pass and I got this photo.

Bottom Line
It is soooo killer out here...97 miles yesterday, 110 today. 100 slated for tomorrow w/ a 9 mile climb that starts out at 15% grade. Even though we climbed 30 mins at an avg of 13% today, I am still scared. :) It's just so gorgeous, somehow it doesn't hurt as much...hopefully that trend continues. Until tomorrow...

2007-02-19T21:37:00.000-08:00

IronCamp Day One Update

Marin to Santa Rosa: 97 miles in 6.5 hours.

Today was the first day of IronCamp West Coast 2007, and the first stage of the Tour of California. The course was set from Marin to Santa Rosa.

We rolled at 7:30, giving the group a 3.5-hour head start on the peloton. There were two major climbs on the day, the first almost right away in Muir Woods (1500ft) and the second just outside of Ocean View (1000ft). All in all, the profile looked pretty easy and we were psyched to be on our way.

Right out of the gate we were suffering in Muir Woods...it was beautiful, but it was straight up. No real time to check out the amazing scenery, it was just shift, stand, shift, sit, repeat. The descent to the ocean on Rte. 1 was awesome, with the banked roads setting you up just right for the next turn. Hitting the flats, we were psyched to lay down a good effort and were hit by our nemesis for the remainder of the day: the wind. Not so bad on the tidal inlets, it was enough to make you feel like you were working.

We then hit another solid climb of about a mile (500ft), and then we were off to the rolling seacoast...and the wind. Did I mention the wind??? Killer scenery blended into one big blur while we focused on the uphills and downhills. You almost didn't want to go up because you knew after the down there would be another up. This rolling terrain was finished off by four miles off full on 30+ mph winds off the water...we were all riding at a healthy angle into the wind!

Turning off the main road and finally putting the wind at our backs only meant that we were hitting the first King of the Mountain stage. Fans were all along this 3 mile stretch. Some were riding up, others riding down, many just camped along the edges. The roads were painted with pro names. Very cool, but very narrow. Later in the day, the peloton would hit this as one big pack of 140+ riders as the prevailing winds didn't allow the group to really split up. Killer part of this climb was that the KOM point was at the first of three total big climbs...we assumed that the first climb would be the doozy...not the remaining ones. Serious suffering was had here, and the funny cheers of the fans could only motivate so much.

After this section, there was some significant rollers that finally...finally...tapered down into Santa Rosa. We regrouped just on the outskirts of town and crushed some massive burritos while we waited for the peloton to show. Turns out they were over an hour late because of the weather...some of the fans were really ticked that the racers were later than scheduled. The peloton looked none-too-happy as they whizzed by. We rolled up to watch the 3 x 3 mile circuit of the town and were there to see Levi (and many others) struggle to finish with some serious road rash.

Tomorrow is 115 miles....stay tuned!!!

Patrick

2007-02-18T11:14:00.000-08:00

Countdown to Blast Off
Today is the prologue stage in SF proper, but we won't be there. We're doing airport pickups and final preps. We kick off our 500 mile week tomorrow with 95 miles...so it's time to put the bies back together, go over final logistics and get mentally ready to be chased by the world's elite all day. :) Driving into SF today we saw team cars for Jelly Belly and CSC.

Can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing... More updates tomorrow!

2007-02-10T08:41:00.000-08:00

Final Preparations

We are in final week leading up to IronCamp West Coast, and I am getting fired up. Looks like we will be fielding a smaller squad than anticipated, but it's all good as we have some serious learning to do for version 2.0 next year...and beyond. This is our first point-to-point camp, and it brings with it a whole host of new challenges.

While all the logistical stuff is daunting, it's the actual riding that I am most fired up about. Six days and over 450 miles of some of the best roads that CA has to offer. Having been locked up on my trainer every winter for the last five years, this is going to be sooooooooo welcome.

The goal of the camp was to (A) do cool sh$t and (B) build some serious fitness. I think we can safely say that (A) has been taken care of...now all we have to do is get to work on Part B. Noticeable changes with this camp include little to no running, and definitely no swimming. All cycling. All the time. I won't even be bringing my tri bike...I am a full-on roadie for this trip.

The group converges on San Francisco on the 18th...and then we are underway. Stay tuned for more details and daily updates!!!

2006-06-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

IronCamp EastCoast Day Three - Final Wrap Up

Still wet, even colder, and we are all mentally and physichally beat...another day of fun in IM paradise!

After Saturday's 7-hour training day, I think we all could have used about 10 hours of sleep (at a minimum). But since we came to train, there was little else to do but get out on the road again. When you have eliminated all the excuses, you have little chice but to get outside!

We awoke to the heaviest rain of the weekend, with temps in the low 40's. As today was the 2nd annual Lake Placid Marathon (and Half Marathon), both slated with an 8am start time, there was a strong sense of focus for the group. We managed to beat the crowds to the local breakfast joint (Soulshine Bagel - definitely check it out when you are on Main Street and need some quick caffeine) and so we had no excuses. We decided to split up for the day, with half the group taking another tour of the 56-mile loop and the other half heading to Mirror Lake for a short swim and a longer run. It might be worth pointing out that both groups thought the others were crazy! Frozen and wet if you do, wet and frozen if you don't.

I went on the ride as it's where I need the most work...and the 56-miles was pretty straightforward. Except for the crazy descent out of placid with killer winds...then beautiful sunshine in Keene...a nice out and back where we even saw our shadows...and then, the merciless climb back into town. Crazy head / cross winds. One of the campers was blown right off her bike!!! It took an awful lot to keep moving up the pass - definitely the hardest return trip of the four, but the most telling. After we got back to the hotel, some folks ran, others did core work.

Then it was time to pack up and leave. After a world-record turnaround to avoid any late fees, we hit the road and all met up for breakfast / camp wrap up. Personal time for me was 224 miles of riding, 6 miles of running, 2 hours of core and 1 hour of swimming. About 15.5 hours in three days! Time to rest up for our next camp in Wisconsin!!!!

Hope to see you there...

Coach P

2006-06-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

IronCamp EastCoast Day Two - Update
Hard to believe it, but Saturday was wetter, colder, and windier than Friday. Serious race-day karma was earned today by all campers.

So after Friday's single-loop and 1.5 hour pool swim at Lake Placid Health and Fitness...and a lot of guacamole, I went to bed ready to tackle whatever Saturday threw at us. I woke up feeling like a champ. Then I opened the curtains and saw what I was in for...a whole lotta wet. It was killer...rain, clouds, and a stunning 43-degrees. After considering our other options (there were none), we decided to head out for a stiff cup of coffee with a shot (or three) of courage.

The agenda called for two loops of the course followed by a short run. I knew things were tough right from the start when, on the way out of town, before we even started descending, my fingers and toes were frozen. Absolutely frozen. At the 24 minute mark. Freakin' great. Crosswinds were brutal, but having 40+ mph on the wheels made it easier to hold on. The rolling hills were enough to help us warm up...and that was very welcome. Out and back was the usual, with the standard tailwind in, headwind out situation. We saw a lot of folks from other camps out here...including some miscellaneous groups. That made a real difference in terms of keeping us focused. Climbing back into town was rough with some wicked shifting winds, and I don't think many folks wanted to hit the hotel rooms for food/fluids and then leave again. But with racing around the corner, we really didn't have much of a choice!

Thankfully with a two-loop course, lap two kinda flies by on its own. After we got back, it was time for a quick change and head out for a run. Or an organized limp. At least with running, you warm up a lot faster. That made a nice difference even though we were all hurting. Seriously.

After this epic day, we hit the local brew pub for some serious eats and then went to see the new X-Men flick.

See you on Sunday!!!

2006-06-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

IronCamp EastCoast Day One - Update

Cold. Wet. Hilly. Forecast for the weekend? 100% chance of being seriously challenged. Intermittent breaks of concentration, followed by possible loss of morale.

Lake Placid is in typical form for early June. We have done this camp for four years now, and only on one occaision was is sunny and warm. Otherwise, it has been a character-building, bike mechanic's nightmare of a weekend. 2006 appears to be headed in the same direction. Today was wet, about 54 degrees with minimal wind. As we all arrived late last night, we did one-loop of the course followed by a swim technique session / workout. There were no real issues to speak of, but the new folks are pretty humbled by the course. This will be my fourth time racing LP, and I am only now becoming comfortable with the rhythm of the 56-mile loop.

There are 9 campers up here this weekend, with 4 prepping for IM USA, 2 for Roth, 2 for Great Floridian and one for Canada+Hawaii. Once again, we have been fortuntate to get a great group of just really easy going, fun-loving folks. Everyone has different race day goals with one nine-hour dude and another guy hoping just to finish. This had us all over the course today, but with so many other folks up here to train, there weren't a lot of secluded parts of of the course. It's a busy weekend here in Placid, with at least one other camp in town and the local half/full marathon on Sunday. That makes for a lot of skinny people with shaved legs!

Anyway, here are a couple of key tips for racing placid that came out of our afternoon debrief session:

Do Not Go Hard On Loop One: There are plenty of places on this course to ride your brains out and end all hopes of a good marathon. Conservative pacing on loop one will ensure you have the energy to competently approach loop two. This will help you pass a lot of folks at the end of the ride...not to mention the run.
Set A Nutrition Plan...: With the weather so variable, it's really important to have a set plan for eating (drink X every 15 mins, eat Y every 30, etc.). Even more important, it is critical that you actually practice eating the stuff (can you hold that gel? reach that bottle? get those salt tabs?).
...and Match Your Plan To The Course!: There are a lot of hills on the course, so make sure that you aren't trying to stuff a gel in your mouth as you climb a 6% grade! :) We worked a lot today on now only capturing the knowledge of the course, but also in applying it towards our actual race day plans. Something as simple as this not only gives you focus on race day -- a specific task to look forward to and execute upon -- but it can mean the difference between success and failure.

Tomorrow is a full 112 miles w/ an optional run. Then a late PM dip in Mirror Lake to check out the cables, etc.

Praying for dry weather,

Coach P

2006-02-25T18:29:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

It's the day after IronCamp West Coast's official end, and we are wrapping up all of the loose ends. We have shipped my bike home to MA and are doing all that left over laundry so my suitcase won't be deemed a biohazard by the TSA. Before we get too busy with the rest of work, I wanted to capture some final IronCamp thoughts...

1. Location, Location, Location. Monrovia was perfect. It's not home to an Ironman, but if IMNA ever wanted to put a race out there, it would rival IM USA for beauty. Just awesome. If you were on the fence about this year's camp, you gotta make the redux in 2007.

2. Rich Can Talk. Seriously though...the dude is a walking triathlon encyclopedia. A few hours of talking with him and you already feel faster. I think his perspectives on building a solid training schedule and on training with power were particularly useful. He just got a new Ergomo, so I think after his SRM and PowerTap experiences, he will be ready to school everyone at IronCamp East Coast on training with power.

3. Less Structure is More. We had a massive agenda for the weekend. We were ready for anything. Yet when the ball got rolling, we quickly pulled the plug on the formal schedule. I think most folks learned by doing, and pulling people aside during the camp for some one-on-one input was almost better than entire sessions.

So now it's time to regroup and to start planning for IronCamp East Coast in June. IC EC will be held in Lake Placid on the IMUSA course and will be an excellent chance for folks racing IM USA or IM Canada to hone their training for the maximum effect on race day. The weekend will include course rides, strategy, and will culminate with the option to participate in the Lake Placid half marathon on Sunday.

See you in Lake Placid!!!!

2006-02-24T19:53:00.000-08:00

Monday, February 20th, 2006

All week I kept saying that southern CA was "better than advertised." I was partly poking fun at Rich as he had gone to great lengths to explain to me how much better it was to be living and training west coast style during the winter months. You know the story, I say, "Dude, it's 15 degrees and I can't see more than 10 feet b/c of the snow!!" and he says, "You think that's bad, I am worried I might have gotten sunburn as the 50m outdoor pool!" Typical smack talk....but today, well today, I concede defeat. After a few rain showers on Sunday, I thought our run of good weather was over. Boy, am I glad I was wrong!

Rich had been pointing out "Mt. Baldy" all week, and the Sunday AM rain meant that there was actually snow up in the mountains for the first time in a long time. It's usually pretty cold up there, but with the precipitation it was definitely looking picturesque.

We set out at about 8:30, zero-ed out the torque on our PowerTaps and started the ride. We started out on a bike path until we started climbing...the first climb was scattered over 4 miles, so it wasn't all that bad. We turned after about 8 miles and made our way over to our first--and only--water stop for the ride. We had been pounding water for the first hour, so it was time to fill up for the climb.

The main section was a 6.5 mile climb over Tour-de-France-like roads. Total switchbacks, steep inclines and every turn had you looking up to see...more up. In a word, it was AWESOME. Rich and I made the summit first and took the time to shoot some pictures of the scenery and other campers making the summit. After we re-grouped, we started along the ridge, with LA off in the distance to our right, heading for Mt. Baldy. This would be a 12 mile ride on a good day, but with snow and ice over the last few hundred feet of the first climb, we knew that reaching Mt. Baldy wasn't in the cards today. So we rolled along for about another 5 miles until we had to stop. We fueled up, took a ton of pictures, put our vests on an made for the descent...a nice 9 mile drop.

The descent was insane...the road was closed to traffic, but there were still a few pedestrians hiking and one or two other folks climbing up. Rich and the others bombed the descent like pros, leaving me clutching my top tube between my knees and using the classic "death grip" on my brake levers. Man, that can exact a serious toll on your forearms after 20 mins!!! We regrouped at the bottom, dealt with a flat tire and then rolled back to IronCamp HQ.

After another monster lunch and the requisite rest period, we did more email and then went out for a late PM tempo run. Same route as on Saturday PM, but with no dogs this time, so a lot faster. We definitely ended up going sub-7 min pace by the end. A few recovery shakes and some beers at dinner marked the end of our first IronCamp.

More photos coming soon!!!

2006-02-20T14:20:00.000-08:00

Sunday, 2.19.2006

We woke up the sound of rain outside, and with the weather report claiming a 70% chance of rain all day long, we had to cook up alternate plans. No mountain climbing in the pouring rain!

So we kicked things off by visiting the ADT Velodrome at the Home Depot Center in Pasadena. Man, what a place...first of all the whole Home Depot Center is amazing. There is a David Beckham school of soccer, the LA Galaxy plays here, there are baseball, softball, tennis and track & field facilities. Oh, and the best dang international-caliber indoor velodrome in these here Americas. I think the photo on the outside of the building (above) gives you an idea.

Once inside, we got a free tour of the entire track and training facility by Rich Sawiris of Wheelbuilder.com, who supplies many of the athletes who train here with support and wheel sponsorship. In fact, the 200m pursuit champ from England was in town. This dude puts out a peak wattage of 2400+. They train for 1/2 laps and over-distance work is a whole 400m. I told them we rode 4 hours and he was like "why would you do that to yourselves?" I guess it's all relative...

After the tour, we hit the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center and the gorgeous 50-meter outdoor pool. We hit the water to loosen up from yesterdays 4.5+ hour effort and dialed in a main set of 5x200 with 6 hard strokes at the 50 + 150 meter marks. Great solid main set and just hard enough.

We returned home to get some lunch and talk training strategy for a bit...then it was time to lace up the bike shoes again and get a short riding clinic done. We head out on a local bike path to the Santa Fe dam...the path is about 3 car widths wide and is just over 3 miles long...perfect place to work on aero position, pedalling skills, and drafting. We spend almost 2 hours out working on our technique and terrorizing the other recreational athletes outside enjoying the day! :)

Off to the mountains tomorrow....in the meantime, enjoy the rest of the velodrome photos!

Patrick

2006-02-19T17:59:00.000-08:00

The tail end of the Montrose ride turns the corner at the top of Winston in Duarte.

Saturday, 2/18
Pretty straightforward today. We rolled at 7:30, met up with a bunch of other riders from the Pasadena Tri Club at Encanto Park and then made like roadies. We rolled for about 45 mins (+ one flat) and then split into A and B groups. The A group continued on, paceline style with Rich at the front, at a much more tempo pace. No more time for chit chat. Some serious work here...and a lot of fun.

At the 2/3 point, our group of 12 ran into the tail end of the infamous Montrose Ride, a 25-year tradition here in the SoCal area. Lots of folks (at least 80) in the group. We joined up and the no-drop light was off for real. Even though some super nice folks from PTC gave us a heads up on the upcoming tempo, it was a bit rough. I definitely got caught out, thinking I could play Macho Man and pull some of the stragglers back up to the main group. I am not a roadie. :)

And when the folks off the back caught up, it sure didn't help that I took them the wrong way. Oops! Anyway, turns out we were only a few miles away from the start...so that wasn't the end of the world. We regrouped at mission control, dodged some midday showers and had a huge lunch. Huge.

With some coffee to cut off the inevitable midday crash, we hit the Internet for an hour and then regrouped for a PM tempo run. Back to shower and out to dinner, we must have talked for 1.5 hours about training and cycling with power.

Up tomorrow: Possible showers and a Mountain ride. Not looking great...

Patrick

2006-02-18T14:52:00.000-08:00

OLD TOWN MONROVIA, CA

IRONCAMP WEST COAST: PREPARATIONS
I flew into LA on Wednesday night, met Rich and we rolled into his hometown of Monrovia. It wasn't until 30 mins into our ride the next morning that I lifted my head and saw the moutains (above). Sha-zaam! Like I told Rick, this place is better than advertised.

Thursday morning started off with a nice tempo ride with Rich and our mutual buddy, Rich Sawaris (of Wheelbuilder.com fame). About 35 miles of riding with more UPs than DOWNs (or so it seemed) and definitley more time above my FT than I thought was possible on day one. :) The rest of the day was spent hooking up Rich's new Ergomo power device and doing basic administrative stuff.

Friday had us up early, heading our for a nice 10-mile run up to a fire trail (in them thar mountains) with Riley, Rich's black lab. Super fun. Then after a nice breakfast -- and more work -- we rode off to the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center for a masters workout. Round trip is just under 20 miles on the bike and we got in an hour at the pool. Both of us talked good game and when we got out, complained of massive calf and hamstring cramps. So much for being tough.

Campers come into night and we fire up the camp with a group ride in the AM. More soon...

Patrick