Tucson Tri Camp- Day 1... Survived!

After a long 12hr+ ride to Tucson, AZ, with a few mishaps along the way (like luggage flying off top of roof!); Coachie, Kris, Linda, Herb, Jeff, & I were all ready for a 4 day Tri camp Smashfest with Grand Coachie, Hillary Biscay!  We had all decided in November that camp was imperative, and hadn't stopped talking about it since. The day had finally come!  We started out with a "shake you travel legs" run Thurs. evening and got to meet the group of 16 athletes and 3 coaches.  The run was a real wake up call for me as far as what to expect for the next 4 days.  My HR was in zone 3 for 5mi and I had more salt on me than a bag of chips!  Hmmm, oh yeah!, I forgot about this little thing called altitude :-)  I'm glad we got a little taste of what it was going to be like, because today, I was prepared.

Day #1- 93.75mi bike including a ~14mi climb up Madera Canyon, the last 4mi being the toughest!
The ride started out great, Kris, Linda, & I were cruising taking turns pulling, just like any old ride back home in SA.  Except this time we were surrounded by beautiful mountains, interesting landscaping, coyotes (yes, we saw them on the side of the road & they howled at us!), and desert.  The ride took us out from our Casitas, where most of us campers are all staying, ~36mi of false flats to the base of Madera Canyon, where all of the fun began.  Right at the start of the climb we got word the Coachie had crashed up ahead.  We all kinda freaked out and pedaled on to catch up with her.  When we got to where she was she yelled at us to keep going, but Dr. Alvarez had to stop and make a quick assessment, mostly for my peace of mind because I know Coachie is tough as nails!  We pedaled on and all of us had tears about to overflow.  I yelled at Kris to stop it, because... We needed to breathe!  Up we go!!!
Hillary was by my side for most the hard climbing!  I took a moment to pick her brain for what I feel is a big weakness of mine, mental toughness!  She gave me some really good advise, and basically laid it out as: "We are all in this together, we are all suffering! Some people are able to internalize the pain or suffering longer than others.  You commit to something and you find a way to get it done." To which my response was, "Like signing up for camp!" :-)  I couldn't help thinking most of the time, the twists and turns in my life that had lead me to where I was... Riding along side of a Pro Triathlete!!!
We finally made it to the top and took in the scenery for a bit before starting the best 14mi of the ride... The decent!  Whhhhheeeee!!!! The one time I dared to take my eyes off the road I saw my odometer: 39mph!  Fastest I've ever gone!

The rest of the ride was just as great as the first half, but finally it was over... the ride, that is... we still had an afternoon swim.  We had about 2.5hrs to rest before hitting the pool.  We ate lunch, rehydrated, rested our legs in recovery boots, and then headed to the pool.  Doug was the coach for our lane, which included Kris, Jeff, Taryn, & Kate.  Linda was leading the fast fish in Hillary's group!  The workout consisted of a 600yd warm up, 3 sets of 16 x 25yd band only & 300yd PBB (pull, buoy, band), and a 200yd kick cool down.  The swim felt great, but by the end my body was starting to remember the torture from earlier in the day.

Tomorrow- Gates Pass Loop ~25mi, followed by 100 x 100 in the pool!!! ... Good night!!! :-)