Since I went home for Thanksgiving we didn’t make it back for Christmas this year. I had really been hoping ski season would be in mid-season form at this point- but its been pretty sparse in terms of the white stuff. I was pumped to give Winter Park a try as I had never skied there; but conditions were super disappointing. Rocks everywhere, ice, and very limited terrain. After a couple hours of the sub-par conditions we gave up on that. Since the downhill wasn’t up to snuff we gave the Nordic a go at Snow Mountain Ranch. I was pleasantly surprised- the conditions were awesome, and I loved the trail network! It certainly is the best Nordic I have skied in Colorado. The grooming was pure corduroy, rolling terrain, and flat trails (vs. off camber). Absolutely perfect! And to top it off- its free with the AWAY program from the YMCA! I hope to put a good number of K’s in here this winter.

The little mini trip to the mountains gave me the opportunity to test out some new gear from the sponsors:

Thule Atlantis 1800XT Cargo Box

This may be the best investment I’ve made lately! I previously used a basic ski rack but have wanted to give a box a try. I hated having to put poles and wet gear in the car and ruining your interior, and really don’t like putting the nordic skis on a ski rack. This box solves all those problems quite elegantly! Additionally it is super quiet- not a hint of noise on the roof, while there is a distinct whistle with a ski rack. Nor have I noticed any decrease in gas mileage. Not to mention all your gear is protected from the elements. I had debated going between the Thule 1200 and 1800, and glad I went with the larger one- it fits longer nordic skis to 200cm, and once you start throwing snowboards and big powder skis in, it fits it all without having to struggle. The new locking mechanism Thule has put on it is awesome- it has had no trouble with below 0deg temps and snow.

Thule 87L Rolling Duffel

I was in need of a new piece of luggage- as both wheels fell off my last piece from all the traveling I’ve been doing. The Thule 87L has fit my needs perfectly- the size is ideal (not too big or small), and the large wheels and metal appointments are nice and durable. The extendable metal handle is the best one I have seen on any luggage.  I like the dual compartments that it has; this is great for separating training gear from business attire. The only thing it is missing is a small little pocket on the outside for throwing things like charging cables and small little nick-nacks.

Nathan Sports Flurry

This is perhaps the perfect H2O carrier for nordic skiing when the temp drops into the teen’s and below. Having the bottle completely insulated from the cold means its not going to freeze up. After skiing in temps between -1 and 15deg at Snow Mtn Ranch- it certainly proved itself; the nozzle didn’t freeze up. The side pockets are perfect for your car key and some energy product.

I hope everyone has some new gear they get to try out after the holidays- Merry Christmas!

The first triathlon back from injury since pre-kona 2010 went pretty much as expected. I chose to stay close to home and race the Boulder 70.3.

SWIM

They have made a nice change to the direction of the swim at the Boulder Reservoir so that you are not swimming straight into the sun- very much appreciated by all athletes. I did find that this year that even though our age group was the second last wave, that I had to swim over less people for some reason. This was the first race in my Orca 3.8, and man is it awesome! The suit looks like a Batman suit and it sure feels like it. As happy as I was to be flying in the 3.8, it was a tad bit roasty in the warm water which I felt was under measured by at least 4deg. I came in 27:12, pretty much where I expected to be.

BIKE

Although it was my strongest leg, I was perhaps the most disappointed with this segment. Yes, my time was fast, but I felt I should have been better. Looking at my training- I did not do enough longer threshold efforts needed for a specialty time trial of this length. Since I do train on the roads of the course quite frequently, I knew right where to push it and where to hold back. With our wave starting so far back, there was of course lot’s of people to ride around, and I am still amazed when I see triathletes making a turn around a cone with their foot out mountain bike style. This course yields fast times, but may be a bit boring because it is a big rectangle out in the flatlands. 2:10, 25.8mph.

RUN

If the bike in the “mountains” of Boulder is unexpectedly easy, the run is deceivingly difficult. On paper it looks to be a fast run, but the lack of shade with 95deg temps, 2 tough hills, and primary gravel surface it is a challenging course for sure. I haven’t done much running as my knee has yet to feel normal. None the less I gutted it out at a slow jog to make sure I did not get a DNF. 1hr50min of nothing very pretty but I finished.

All totaled to 4:31, 55th overall, and 9th age group. It was frustrating not being in contention, but I knew it was that way at the start of the day making it much easier to deal with. Not anywhere close to my fastest but still a mental victory.

Special Product Highlights include of course my Timex Race Trainer Pro, Powerbar products (thanks Tim Hola), Shimano C-50 wheels, K-Swiss shoes and Nathan Hydration Belt.

I will be debuting one of K-Swiss’s new running shoes at the Ironman Boulder 70.3 this weekend- the Kwicky Blade Light. Since my run will be pedestrian at best, I need to take every advantage I can get- and these shoes will be a good start, not to mention they just look kick-ass!

It had been a while since I last did a mountain bike race, 2005 to be exact. I decided to jump in the Battle of the Bear with teammate Erin Kummer . This race is part of the Rocky Mountain Endurance Series. It ended up being the hottest day of the year so far- with temps in the upper 80′s and a course that provided about as much shade as a cactus in Arizona. My fitness has been improving fast the last 2 weeks, so I was hoping to put out a decent effort, and not crash hard into a ditch if at all possible.

I was a bit disappointed to find out we would be having “wave starts”. Now I am not a big fan of wave starts because it makes “racing” the competition next to impossible. Our wave was the 4th wave to go off, and they were sent off at 30 second intervals. In a mountain bike race, the start is so absolutely crucial, and ridiculously hard. I had a great start and entered the single track in 5th position, but unfortunately we were catching slower riders immediately. Then it becomes the frustrating task of trying to maintain contact and get around traffic, while not hammering a rock in the weeds that you can’t see while trying to pass. I was right in the mix until some of the front guys got around traffic and I didn’t. Race over. Mentally that is hard to get over because I was out of contention in the first 2 miles. I still rode hard and was real happy with the effort. I am also glad I still remember how to ride the mtb, and had some fun blasting the descents. The climbs hurt- but when don’t they? When the dust settled (literally) I still managed 10th overall, very happy considering some tough competition and many of the front runners being national and world cup riders.

I have to give a shout out to many of our equipment sponsors for helping me out on the day. It is so much easier mentally to know you are on rock solid stuff out there and can just focus on racing, no matter the discipline. Orbea- for the sweetest MTB out there, my Alma 29er! Shimano- 29er wheels, components, and disc brakes are of course the gold standard. Nathan Hydration- for my proton hydration pack, and shower wipes to clean up after the race. Powerbar- for fueling me with Perform drink and powergel during the race. Timex- of course recorded the effort with the Global Trainer.

You can see that my heart rate is pegged pretty much the whole way. I am really happy to see that I am able to maintain a much higher heart rate for a longer duration- a great indicator the fitness is coming along nicely.

The Koppenberg is one of the last “spring classic” races here in Colorado. It is a tough circuit race with the key feature being a 17% gravel road climb. I have been trying to get my cycling legs back, with not a lot of time in them yet since winter. It’s at these times that I wish that it was just a standard fare road race where you can sit in and fake it for the majority of the race. Not the case with the spring classics: wind, gravel, steep climbs, driving it in the gutter. I found myself managing the climb pretty well, it was immediately after where the efforts occurred. The climb was so tight that it automatically created gaps- and those had to be closed down or you were off the back. It was on the penultimate time up the climb that I finally popped and was unable to close down at the crest of the climb; I had nothing left. I still managed to ride out the last 7 miles for a top 25 finish. I was real happy with this, and the fitness continues to improve.

Here you can see my data file captured on my global trainer and uploaded to Training Peaks. It is easy to see the heart rate spikes over the climb. You can also see on the second to last climb where my heart rate started to fade and I wasn’t able to sustain the pace. Still a lot longer than at Mead Roubaix several weeks earlier.