Beaver Freezer 2014

What a difference a year can make.

Before my family and I headed out to Corvallis I swung by Jaime’s house with a

little gift. It had been a year since he’d put the triathlon bug in my ear and I

wanted to express my gratitude with a growler full of Deschutes Cinder Cone

Red.

I was excited and he told me I was ready to go. “Just go do what you are trained

to do. Don’t waste time or energy on anything during the race. Stay organized

and precise. But have fun!” I reminded him that last year he told me to look up

every so often and smile. He noted that it was “ok to look up but to make sure I

stayed in aero.”

The Beaver Freezer is one of the largest if not the largest triathlons in the nation

with a pool start. Actually, it starts in two pools. It sells out in a matter of hours.

This year there would be over 600 participants. It was the same weekend that

my wife was doing the Mudslinger, a large mountain bike race, just down the

road. It would be a family weekend.

We stayed within walking distance of the race so I was able to walk over to the

registration area, pick up my race packet, and head back to the hotel with plenty

of time to eat, get dressed, and head back to the transition area with my bike.

Last year I was nervous and full of self-doubt and uncertainty. I was

overwhelmed with how large the transition area was and I didn’t know what to

expect. This year I came in with a lot more focus. I got rid of the extraneous

stuff and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. I found a place for my bike,

laid everything out, double checked everything, and headed for the pool.

The trouble with a triathlon pool start is that you are sharing a swim lane with

others. It is understood that during the swim, one should pause at the wall if the

swimmer behind you is trying to overtake you. I was in the third slot of four and

we would go five seconds after each other. When the race began I saw the guy

ahead of me shoot off quickly. I thought to myself that I wouldn’t need to worry

about overtaking this swimmer. I began my race with a relaxed stroke. It felt

good and strong. After one lap (there would be nine more) I realized that I was

coming up on the swimmer in front of me. I touched his leg twice and held back

a bit, waiting for him to pause when we reached the wall. It didn’t happen. He

kept going. I flip turned and saw that the guy behind me was still a ways back. I

was concerned about running into him should I try to go around the swimmer in

front of me. I just decided to bide my time, touch his leg a couple more time, and

wait for the wall. He reached the wall and again kept going. That was all I

needed. To hell with this I thought. I kicked it into overdrive and swam around

the guy. Thankfully the guy behind me wasn’t close, nor was the lead swimmer.

I was able to now relax and swim my race. I emerged from the pool right behind

the lead person. I didn’t even bother to see where the swimmers behind me

were in the lane.

I ran out of the pool, down the sidewalk, and into the large transition area. I

zeroed in on my bike, dried my feet, threw my gear on, and began running my

bike out of the transition area. I hopped on my bike, clipped in, and I was off

through the Oregon State University campus, and out into the countryside that

surrounds Corvallis. All I remember about the bike portion was thanking the

volunteers I rode by, staying in aero, and a dude named Del. Del and I met up

about a quarter of the way through the bike portion of the race. For a while we

played kind of a cat and mouse game. I’d pass him and then he’d pass me.

Each time I’d pass he’d yell out, “You’re setting a great pace Laughing Dude!”

Once I hit the last turn around I put the head down and started cranking. Back I

came into transition. I was feeling good because I wasn’t passed by anyone. I

threw the shoes on quickly, stripped off the gloves and jacket, and I was off on

the run.

The run portion of the Beaver Freezer covers three loops around the old part of

the campus. It’s fun because people are coming into the race and leaving it

depending upon their number of laps. There are a lot of folks cheering you on

and there is a festive atmosphere to this final portion of the race. I felt great and

with each lap I pushed just a little bit faster. On the last lap I heard Del shouting

out behind me, “Awesome pace Laughing Dude. Keep it going!” I made the final

turn into the Union Quad and sprinted hard for the finish line. I crossed the line in

1:12:29. More than 18 minutes better than my time from the previous year.

I got my results and a drink. I slowly walked around the quad and cheered on

runners as they crossed the finish line. I felt a hand slap my back and turned

around to see Del ready to give me a high five. I obliged and he said, “Dude,

awesome pace, I tried to catch you but you were just too fast. You helped me

run a great race.” We chatted for a bit, fist bumped and then I made my way

back to transition area. I had hoped to see my wife and daughter but I completed

the race a bit faster than I had estimated. They arrived at the finish area as I was

walking down to the transition area. We met up by a campus building and I

texted Jaime my results. I relished in the afterglow of a race well run. My first of

the year was in the books and it felt really good. All the training was worth it, and

as I later learned from not only Jaime but from a few other athletes that shaving

18 minutes off a sprint race is something to definitely be proud of and is quite an

accomplishment. I hope that this begins a great race season full of continued

improvement, wonderful experiences, and of course, fun!

Tucson - Day 4

All good things must come to an end – There is an end to everything, to good

things as well.

                      Geoffery Chaucer

Our last day in Tucson began like all the others. The sky was clear, blue, and

gorgeous. It seemed that Mother Nature had decided that after our auspicious

start that she owed us four days of nice and pleasant weather.

I got a it of packing done before I headed to meet Jaime and Lawrence. Earlier

in the camp I had talked to Lawrence about strength training and wanted to add a

consistent strength training routine into my overall regiment. We went over

things and came up with a set routine that would allow me to get into the gym

once or twice a week.

After my meeting we had a group rolling session. It was good to go over the

proper technique and form for rolling. This is an area where I really feel that I

need to devote more time, even to the point of literally putting it down as part of

my training routine.

We finished up rolling things out and headed over to the pool for one last workout

with Janna. I reviewed everything she had said and listened in on some of the

pointers she was giving to others. The end of the swimming session culminated

in a fun relay race where everyone swam 50 yards. I was sad to say goodbye to

Janna. I hope that I will have the chance to work with and learn from her again.

A quick change, a little bit of packing done, and it was time to pile in the car and

head out to Sabino Canyon for a long training run on one of Jaime’s favorite

trails. We rendezvoused at Wally’s – one of Jaime’s old Tucson friends. We

received our instructions and then headed out to the Sabino Canyon Recreation

Area. We passed the visitor’s center, followed the Native Trail, and then began

climbing along the Telephone Line Trail into the canyon. This trail rises over 600

feet (most within the first mile!) and continues for 4.5 miles. During the early part

of the run I got a chance to talk with Michael Barney and William Kessler, another

couple of Jaime’s elite athletes. After a that steep initial climb they said their

goodbyes and kicked into a high gear.

The run through Sabino was wonderful and scenic but it was also very uneven

and rocky. Not a lot of climbing after the initial steep ascent but I definitely had to

keep my eyes open while I was running. My goal was to stay upright and to not

injure myself. About halfway up the trail Justin, Jaime, and Bryan Batz (one of

Jaime’s coaching partners with SWTri) passed me on the trail. They were kind

enough to take a break every so often, wait for me, yell words of encouragement,

and not allow me to become cougar fodder. We continued as a ragtag group

until the end of the trail and then made a steep descent down to the Sabino

Canyon tram road.

After the rocky and uneven trail the tram road was a chance for a nice and

relaxed mental regroup. We talked and stopped a couple of different times for

brief water breaks. The run back down went smoothly and quickly and soon we

were back at Wally’s downing ice cold water.

The clock was ticking down towards check out. We had enough time to get back

to the Lodge, shower, pack, check out, and load things up. Jaime and I were

returning to Bend by airplane so we loaded up our bikes and a couple of bags full

of non-essentials, wished Wendy and Justin safe travels, and sent them on their

way. Goodbyes were said as other athletes headed out and Jaime and I threw

our carry on luggage into the rental car.

We had a couple of hours to kill so we headed to a place that Jaime and Heather

used to frequent and enjoyed a great lunch al fresco. On our way to the airport

we made one final stop. We went through the drive thru at Eegee’s, a Tucson

institution, and ordered up lemon slushies with real bits of lemon. It was the

perfect way to end a warm day as well as our time in Tucson.

We dropped off the car and headed to the departure gate. Jaime was heading to

Bend via Salt Lake City and I via Seattle. After a quick fist pump and bro hug

Jaime was off to find an outlet to charge his phone and I fell in line to board my

plane. I found my seat, settled in, texted my wife to let her know that I had made

my plane. Soon we were flying over the mountains days ago I was climbing on

my bike and just hours ago I was running through with my friends. The wheels

were up and with it the camp was complete.

I thought back on the previous days. I met new and wonderful people. I learned

more about the friends I had known. I pushed myself hard and learned a bit

about myself as well. It was an incredible experience. One I can’t wait to repeat

next year.

Tucson - Day 3

At the end of our last full day at camp a bunch of us headed to Frost gelato. It

was a little dessert after a great dinner. I thought though, as I dug into my combo

flavored gelato that it was kind of a perfect and symbolic end to what had been a

combo kind of triathlon training day. It was fitting that on our last full day that

we’d go through all of the facets of triathlon and experience so many things in

such a short time.

Along with yoga, another area where I could do more to integrate into my training

would be stretching and rolling out my muscles. Our third day of camp began

with both and it was a good reminder of why it was so important. Lawrence

Herrera took us through the warm-up and stretching. He also talked about the

various muscle groups that assist in the various triathlete events.

After a brief break it was back to the pool for swimming instruction. Things were

beginning to come together and it was good to feel that I was making some

progress. It was also nice to be able to hear the instruction being given to other

athletes and then try and apply it to your own stroke.

After a brief break we met up for bike intervals. We rode out of the Lodge and

headed out towards Sabino Canyon as a quick warm up before we headed back

to the Lodge area for hill intervals. On the way out I got a chance to talk to

Lauren Thompson. She told me about her goals for the year. Chief among them

was turning pro, hopefully as soon as the St. George Half-Ironman in May. Once

again it was nice to have a chance to talk to some of the elite athletes. The ones

that Jaime trains are humble, sincere, fun, personable, and willing to give

pointers as well as encouragement.

We rode to a turn around point, regrouped, received instructions, and then

headed back to the Lodge area to do some hill intervals. It was fun to push

myself on the uphill sections of the designated course. I did about five interval

sets before I was waived to turn in and head for the Lodge. I came up to the gate

of the Lodge property. The guard was waving a delivery truck through and he

motioned for me to go through as well. I remember being right on the bumper of

the delivery truck and then out of the corner of my eye I saw the gate arm coming

down. I ducked but kept going. Wham! The gate arm hit my helmet and then

flew off to the side. My helmet took the brunt of the damage so I was fine but the

guard was beside himself and ran towards me full of apologies. No harm, no

foul. Jaime and I had talked about ordering me a new helmet. My literal run in

with the gate kind sealed the deal on that one and made for a laughable moment.

Back at the Lodge it was time to ditch the bike and lace up the running shoes. It

gave me the chance to try out the new race shoes I had purchased the night

before. Lawrence took us through several running drills and then it was off for a

quick run through the neighborhood. I had a chance to talk to Sue Alschuler on

the run. Sue was getting ready for the Boston Marathon so it was exciting to

hear about her plans. I finished up my run and waited for the others to come into

the finish area. Jaime walked up and asked me if I wanted to run a little bit

longer with him. In all my time working with Jaime I had yet to have the chance

to run with him so I jumped at the chance. We headed out the gates (past the

still disabled gate arm) and toward the house where he and his family lived prior

to their move to Bend. We talked about how the camp was going and he talked a

bit about his time in Tucson. We paused briefly at his old place and then we

headed back to the Lodge. The chance to run with him was special and gave me

a bit more insight into his decision to become a full-time coach.

We arrived back at the Lodge and I thanked him for a great run. Justin and

Wendy had gone to a late lunch with some of the others. I used the solo time to

relax, head to the men’s locker room and enjoy a nice long soak in the hot tub.

Since there weren’t any other physical activities planned for the day this was a

perfect salve to some sore muscles.

Justin returned and we enjoyed a whiskey and coke on the balcony and

discussed the day. A couple of other athletes stopped by with Jaime, lured by

the promise of good Canadian hooch. Shots were celebrated and downed and

we were off to a talk on strength training and nutrition for triathletes. After a busy

day, comfy chairs were probably the last thing that some of the athletes needed.

A couple of them snuck in catnaps during the talk.

The talk complete, it was time to head to our final dinner together as a group. I

had tried to make an effort each night to sit with a new group of people. Tonight

was no exception. I enjoyed conversing with an athlete from Tucson, a couple

from Albuquerque, and one from Juarez. It was nice sharing stories and learning

about each person’s journey as a triathlete. Since it was the last dinner as a full

group thank you’s and recognitions were extended and celebrated.

It was only fitting that a bunch of us ended up at Frost after dinner. As I worked

my way through my gelato I thought about the day. It was full of different

experiences. There were experiences to be savored and enjoyed, and some full

of happiness and joy. In the end just like my gelato, it was done, and all that was

left was a really good memory and a big smile on my face.

Tucson - Day 2

If I had all the time in the world I’d begin each day with a yoga session. I’ll be up

front. I am the most ungraceful yoga practitioner known to man. However I do

find that it is beneficial and wish I could do it more often.

Our first full day in Tucson began with a yoga session. It would be an excellent

beginning to what would be a most excellent day. Tiziana DeHorney led our

morning yoga session. Tizzy is an old and mature soul in a teenager’s body, and

is one of Jaime’s elite athletes. Along with being a champion junior cyclocross

rider she was also an excellent yoga instructor. The body work from the previous

night manifested itself in open hips and a more relaxed body. A pleasant yoga

session transitioned into time in the pool with Janna. The morning pool session

felt so much better than the previous evening’s attempt. I worked on relaxing

while I swam and concentrated on my breathing with each lap. It was fun to be

able to enjoy the benefit of an outdoor pool. There is just something nice about

swimming out in the sun.

After yoga and swimming there was some time to get things organized for our

“Little Squeeze of Lemmon” as Jaime likes to call the ride up Mount Lemmon. As

I related in an earlier blog, this was somewhat of a defining moment for me and I

was looking forward to the ride. Before we headed out my buddy, and roommate

for the camp, Justin hauled out a bottle of whiskey and we drank a toast to a

good ride ahead. We loaded up our bikes and made the drive over to the area

where we’d begin our ride. After the obligatory pit stop at Mickey D’s it was time

to clip in and head out. 

Our big group ride started at the outskirts of Tucson

and would wind up the road to Mount Lemmon. Overall, this would be a

distance of approximately 27 miles and rise over 6000 feet in

elevation. The plan was to ride until a certain time and then head back

down to town. I decided to head out with the first pack because my

thought was that the rest of the group would eventually overtake me. I

initially rode out with about eight individuals. With the draft that occurred

from the other riders the early part of the ride was easy. After a certain

amount of time I signaled that I would head to the front so others could

draft behind me. I rode up next to Lawrence Herrera, one of coaches who

provided running and weight training instruction. We started talking and

fell into an easy cadence together. After about 15 minutes we realized that

we had left the rest of our group behind. As we began the climb up the

mountain we talked and conversed with ease. After about three miles

Lawrence told me that he wanted to work on some intervals and I

encouraged him to go on ahead. I figured that I’d soon be joined by some

of the quicker riders. Miles passed and the climb grew steeper. I kept

Lawrence in my sights and we played our own version of cat and mouse

as we climbed ever higher. I pressed further still, stopping briefly at Windy

Point. Jaime came up with another rider and we briefly chatted before I

continued up the mountain. A mile further I came upon Lawrence who had

stopped at another overlook. He told me he was going to head

down. Jaime and his rider came up and I rode with them for a while. I told

Jaime I thought the rest of the group would have caught up to us and he

replied, “no one’s going to catch you man”. We rode together a bit before I

decided to push a bit further ahead and left Jaime with his rider. At the

appointed time I turned around. I’d made it 18 miles, further than any of

the other riders save for a small group of elite athletes that took off early. I

headed down and stopped briefly at Windy Point. My buddy Justin was

there along with Wendy, Jaime, and Tizzy. Justin was heading out to

basic training with the Air Force in less than a month so I arranged for a

lady to take our picture together. We threw on windbreakers and then

zoomed down the mountain. Coming down is always a fun break after the

hard work of chugging up the mountain. We rolled back into the parking

lot, racked the bikes, and headed back to the Lodge. On the way back

Jaime and I stopped and he introduced me to Frost Gelato. It was a great

place to enjoy something cold, tasty, and sweet, after a hard ride.

Once I had showered back at the lodge it was time to enjoy a bit of

relaxation time before supper. Justin broke out the whiskey bottle, I

grabbed some ice and some glasses, and we sat on the balcony. We

enjoyed the desert scenery and discussed the events of the day.

Refreshed, it was time to pile into the car and head out to Tri-Sports for

dinner. Tri-Sports was kind enough to provide sag support during our ride

up Lemmon and also provided a place to enjoy dinner as well as time to

shop their store with a sweet group discount. We enjoyed a wonderful

pasta dinner made by Irena Ossola, one of Jaime’s former athletes, as well

home brewed beer and cider by our trip savior Wendy. While we ate we

were treated to a presentation by a rep from Zipp tires. It was nice to be

able to socialize in a relaxed atmosphere and have time to shop. I was

able to test some Newton race shoes I’d had my eye on. They also had

the new model so I was able to compare the two. A couple of the elite

athletes provided tips on how to best prepare the shoes for race day.

Purchases made and bellies full, it was time to head back to the lodge to

rest and get ready for another day of camp.

Tucson - Day 1

About fifty miles beyond Bend the roads began to clear. I don’t remember much

of the road trip. I remember Jaime showing me how he works out and keeps

track of all the various training programs for all of his athletes. There were stops

in places like Weed, the Grapevine, and a memorable one at a truck stop in

Blythe. This placed looked like a setting from The Walking Dead and featured a

“Tokyo Massage”. We did not partake nor was there a ‘happy ending’, but it did

provide conversational amusement for the rest of the trip. After 23 hours we

rolled into Tucson, picked up the rental car, and headed to the hotel.

We stayed at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon. The great part about staying here

was that you had cooking facilities, a great location, and a wonderful pool. There

was just enough time to get checked in, grab the swag bag full of nice goodies,

throw on the swimsuit, and hit the pool.

Introductions were made as we staked out lanes and started our swim workout.

The time in the car and the lack of consistent sleep left me tired and a bit

sluggish. Our swim coach for camp was Janna Alexander. She was wonderful,

thorough, and knowledgeable. I really felt that I received a lot of good instruction

from her. Surprisingly one of the most effective words of wisdom she gave me

was to simply relax, particularly in regards to my breathing. It is something I’ve

held onto and it has helped me in both my training and racing.

After our swim it was time to change and head out for dinner. Even though we

had cooking facilities we had dinner out each night as a group. These dinners

provided opportunities to mingle and meet other athletes. It was interesting

because a vast majority of the athletes were unknown to me and were from

Albuquerque, where I had lived for almost 25 years. It was nice getting the

chance to make new acquaintance or two and have the opportunity to share with

and learn from others. I particularly enjoyed talking with Randy Arriola and Matt

Gonzales – two athletes that are of SWTri Project 3, a group of elite athletes that

Jaime is coaching.

The evening ended in perfect fashion. Jaime had arranged for each of us to

receive a massage session (not the Tokyo kind mind you). After being kinked

and cooped up in a Subaru for a day it was a godsend. Sleep came quickly and

deeply that night.