This picture certainly sums up my attitude @ Wildflower Triathlon! #pumped After we arrived at our humble abode, only 15 min from the camp site @ lake Nacimiento...I couldn't believe the view, the fresh air and the cool breeze.  It was like I was re-born.  It wasn't hard to get into the moment because last weekends race, St. Anthony's Triathlon, didn't go so hot.  To be specific, I finished the bike at my girlfriends condo rather than T2.  Luckily, we live at mile 23 of the bike course and I could walk down to see this finish. 

I'd like to take a quick second to have a chit-chat about that DNF. At one point, only months ago, I thought "I will never allow my self to quit".  Ohhh, how blind I was!  Since this year is my first year on the "elite" start list, I drastically underestimated the laundry list of mental stressors that tag along.  In short, since this was a home-town race, I got caught up in all the daily activities, sale of my home, home-stay of 2 athletes and social meetings.  Typically, I'm way more mellow...off my feet, in a cave hiding.  I've never vocally said I didn't want to race until that morning.  After that statement, I should have known not to start...but I love this sport and I wanted to have a good local race, so I chose to give it my best...which was over in about 2 minutes of the swim when my $400 Garmin ejected from my arm, lol.  ACTUALLY, I didn't care about that..but once I got on the bike, I hit the slow motion button.  It was time to pull the plug.  I've gotten tons of great energy and learned more than I ever have.  LISTEN to your body and it's OKAY to have a less than stellar day. That race certainly made me hungrier for Wildflower.  Almost how bad we all want a Cinnabon but know they lead to instant gratification or fat-ification

As you can see from the pictures above, I was thirsty, I was with my team and great friends (Jay from XTERRA Wetsuit's) and that finisher medal proves I actually finished! Boom! (27th Male Pro..definitely not last) I managed to actually pull off a solid swim, hanging onto some feet for a long time, setting a new 1.2 mile swim PR! However, all that cool swim stuff was quickly forgotten on the 15% boat ramp run which THEN followed by a 2 mile run to my bike LOCATED at the top of yet....another boat ramp!  At the end of the day, the tune was continually accented by more hills.  For a living in Florida I think I definitely did my best to prepare for such a feat! Check out the run and bike profiles....pretty Gnarly! 

Anyway, I wont bore you with the specific data points but I'll tell you what you need to know.  This race is challenging but the trip is worth its weight in gold!  Camping, great views, relaxation, smore's, topless aid stations....etc ALSO, your shoes will be destroyed!

Without the support of the US Military Endurance Sports team, I wouldn't be here.  Without the amazing people who surround me, the pain cave would be mighty lonely.  I certainly wouldn't be here had I not chosen to join the U.S Air Force and I'd probably be dead had I not found something as awesome as Triathlon.  I have 6 races in CA this year but this one will be near and dear to my heart.  The race organization treated athletes with the utmost respect and I've never seen volunteers so knowledgable and involved!  It's easy to see why this is a "bucket list" event. Please let me know if you want to go next year...I'll cook for you and wash your bike for a free place to stay.  Finally, a big thank you to Scott Larson and Tri-Lounge for taking such amazing pictures that will definitely make my sponsors happy:)  

A final Congratulations to my accomplice in Doughnut Adventures...Nicholas Sterghos!  He took 4th overall on the Olympic course.  He's the ITU specialist of the bunch...he'll run down a cheetah one day, I'll bet $100 on that!

After the Wednesday Kit Peak Climb, I think we were all ready for a more relaxed day.  Personally, I was ready for a “real food” fueled day.  The OSMO and Honey Stinger products certainly kept me in gear for hard days, but my body needed a small break. On that note, Nicholas Sterghos and I decided we would break in our new bikes, spend a little time away from the cycling group and take a break from hard riding (sort of).  The “triathlon” program at the US Military Endurance Sports Team is still developing so time trial bikes weren’t really allowed unless you were on the elite team, plus I needed it for Sundays race. That meant we had to venture out on our own, no big deal.  I definitely see a large future within this program, especially since our Triathlon Elite Team director Kathy Rakel has already started plans motion to tailor a camp for triathletes.   

My new whip, the Scott Plasma Premium, rode very smooth and despite riding it only once before camp, I was definitely comfortable.  Joel at Flying Fish Bikes has taken care of me for about 3 solid years now and the bike fit is always legit!  It’s one of the better-looking bikes out there too, so it’s nice to ride an “eye catcher”.  It’s like having a supermodel around…everyone is interested in it…and I get to say “yea, that’s mine”.  We headed to a nice park with an 8 mile loop, pretty technical with fast corners.  It’s definitely a rush to bank a corner at 28 mph, feeling the wheels grip, the wind blasting through the carbon.  All of the road cycling has totally boosted my bike handling skills on the Tri-Bike.  I TOTALLY recommend you get on a road machine and get comfortable with it.  Nicholas Sterghos was also able to break in his new Scott Foil 10.  Finally a bike that fits him!

Friday was the big one…a 26+ mile climb up Mt. Lemmon, a 100+ mile journey overall.  This was another reason we decided to chill out on Thursday.  With all the (earned) breaks, it ended up being an 8 hour day with about 5+ hours of riding.  The breaks were spent eating a cookie the size of my face and two pieces of normally “illegal” pizza.  The climb to the top was astonishing.  It was freaking snowing up there….SOO glad I brought my warm hat, gloves and leg warmers for the descent….which lasted about an hour.  So anyway, the climb definitely put a hurting on me, especially since I tried to hang with some of the Pro Cyclists.  After about 12 miles, I backed it off a bit.  I was later caught by a group of 3 studs so I hung in with them until about 4 miles from the top when I was able to break away.  I climbed for a total of 2 hours and 25 minutes.  There was an additional area on the mountain that was opened which took us to the absolute top.  Totally, regrettable decision since the grade drastically increased and the temperature dropped even more.  Either way, the cookie, pizza, awesome descent, stellar company and delicious lunch at LE BUZZ and the bottom totally made the day unforgettable. 

Saturday was a travel day, 6+ hours to Coronado, California….a stones throw away from Mexico.  The drive there was mainly dessert until we climbed over the last mountain range.  Then I finally saw some green trees and the beautiful Pacific Ocean!  The weather was back to being humid, breezy and …PERFECT.  After the long car ride and lack of activity, I felt pretty flat, so the race “prep” was a nice wake up.  I felt like 10 pounds of poo in a 5 pound bag, like a piece of burnt toast, like Frodo felt after walking up Mt Doom.  I’d already completed 24.8 hours of swim, bike and run training…most note-ably I’d ridden 465+ miles.  I totally expected to feel this way, so no stress.  This race was the icing on the cake.  If I could get through with decent result and attitude, it would be a victory.  The weather was perfect, water temp a solid 64 and a light breeze filled your ears.  Again, perfect.  Naturally, the top end swim speed was all but gone after the first 4 strokes, so I held on for dear life…getting beat by most of my wave.  The last half of the bike left me reaching for my “goal” power numbers and then the run was pretty much a  “tempo” effort. A low energy level wasn’t really an issue since I fueled pretty well.  Honestly, I couldn’t be happier with how things went.  My Team Director WON the Pro Female category so it was remarkable to be part of that event.  I ended up 10th so I was glad too.  I may have ALMOST been the last pro, but I didn’t get chicked or beat by an age group athlete.  This race actually brought out a serious Pro field, no doubt they humbly kicked my butt!  

Bonus! It was awesome to connect with the XTERRA CEO since they are our wetsuit sponsors!  He informed us they have some seriously awesome wetsuits coming in the near future.  Can’t wait to get my hands on it!  

What do I do every time I come to California? Eat In and Out!  I do have to say, I got a double double, animal style….IN A LETTUCE WRAP…BOOM.  No idea why I still try to “church” up the fast food…but oh well, it was seriously tasty!  I still held back a little for my next trip, opting out of the chocolate shake.

Quick Recap:  This has been a huge block of training and racing, three races thus far and a training camp! It was also amazing to meet up with Samantha Morrison and Brad Williams, my hero's.  It’s scary to think I have another race at the end of this month.  Oceanside 70.3 is right around the corner and I completely made a rookie mistake.  I didn’t really take into account that “beginner” Pro’s should stick to low key Pro races…oops!  Taking a look at the start list quickly brings on the pucker factor.  I suppose I could re-arrange it but the flight and home-stay are already set up.  At the end of the day, it’ll be nice to be in California again and toe the line with some serious talent.

The United States Military Endurance Sports program is a must!  If you are a Veteran, Active Duty, Guard or Reserve member, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice by not becoming a member.  Seriously, anywhere I travel I have a free place to stay, the deals are amazing and the community is tremendously uplifting and supportive.  Please, please…take a look at the website, come out to a camp or see if someone in the program lives near you.