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.