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“You keep what you kill.”- Cronicles Of Riddick

I was feeling burnt out after Worlds and for a month I thought I might recover. Late nights at work and later nights running around the city that never sleeps got me pretty far away from tri. But as the holidays came I could feel a shift from work and play, to family (blood and otherwise) and with the break in the action I found myself feeling motivated. But with the prospect of the 2010 season there wasn’t a clear goal. No clear plan. The WTC’s pro rules change (see prior post on this) changed the game for me. Kona and Clearwater are out. Totally free racing is out. And prize money earned needs to be defended not only from other pros by making sure you finish within the a time cut off or the WTC reaches into you pocket and steals your money. I thought about a massive readjustment to my 2010 season but in the end I decided to take the WTC’s treachery as a challenge. Amazingly the WTC’s lame rule is the same as the USAT rule for pros to stay pro.

I love good bad movies. One of my favorites is the Cronicles of Riddick. That opening scene when he is running in the snow gets me so geeked for winter training. The other scene where he is on a group run racing the sun (and a firey death) is also awesome. But one of the cooler lines comes from the bad guys who say “you keep what you kill.”

So I was going around with all the 2010 races and conflicts at dinner with the Annachrist and was telling her about my lack of motivation for 2010 and she said “ok, we’re not getting up from this table until you’re focused.” You gotta love someone like that. So over Tibetan food we hashed it all out and she gave me a kick in the ass and sent me out into the world. The goal set for 2010 is to again finish in the money and to make the time cut offs. The moto for 2010 is now: to keep what I kill. Training got underway with a brutal 90 minutes in the yard hitting the weight pile followed by 3 hours on the ‘cross bike in snowy rain. I loved it, I loved every second of it. I love training with a little anger, so here we go, all in, so I can keep what I kill.

(Foto: The annachrist at dinner where she set me straight. Looking at that pic I am thinking I must be insane if that is the person making my life plan!)

“How many people never heard them running? How many people never heard saw them coming.” -spearhead

After every season I tell people to take a little time off. They lose there minds at this idea. Then I tell them to not sbr for a little bit and work on general fitness and cross training. You would think I suggested cross dressing. Interesting for a few athletes I did suggest cross dressing and cross training and that went over surprisingly well (no judgements). I know that sbr is three things not one thing. In fact when single sport athletes xtrain they normally do one of the other 3 that make up tri. Cyclists run, runners bike, and swimmer, well, they do something like running, I think its called jogging.

But seriously, there is life beyond sbr and since we all need to sbr come the other 10 months of a year 1 of doing something novel should be welcomed, not hated. Stopping hating haters.

 Here is what I do when my season ends and its not evil cold out: Surf, soccer, basketball, hike, kyack, climb, mt bike ride (ok that’s kinda cheating but really isn’t), lift, yoga and whatever else I can find.

This year my start up with xtraining in the cold and snow of the snowpocalsype so here is what I am up to: rowing, lifting, hiking (hard in deep snow), yoga, and my favorite cross country skiing.

While you punk ass triathletes are making over use injuries and setting up to be burnt out, I am having fun building fitness and working the neglected parts of my body. My plan goes like this: 3 weeks pretty much off except daily 1 hour hikes. 3 weeks with the goal of 1-2 hours a day of anything BUT sbr. The only loosely structured part is that I lift 2 x a week. I got a sick xc ski trip planned for after Xmess to SLB Norte (aka sean’s place aka mr wizard). He also like to hit the weight pile, to keep it real we are gonna wear orange jump suits like they do in da yard. Trust me, its a long way till Novemeber 2010, what you do and DON’T do know will be the difference in not fading when it matters.

“I got more than one membership to more than one club; and I owe my life to the people that I love.” Ani Difranco

So, here is the best of the other stuff I came across in my travels:

 Best mexican food: mexican food is a huge part of post race joy. Austin and San Fran split this one.

Best Coffee: hands down Spain. Even the gas stations have 5000 dollar expresso machines and milk steamers. The result is a cafe con leche that brings pure joy. Muddy Waters in San Fran gets a nod for being good too.

Best Local Bike Shop: while Block Island Sport is the best, the best on the road was the bike-shop-coffee-joint-mexican place in Lousiville. Seriously. How can you top stairing at bikes while having coffee and mexican food?

Best Pizza: pre race pizza is so key, the best goes to whatever it was where we got in louisville. Plus that place had the video game 720 which was better known as “skate or die” , which was the raddest.

Best Airline: Jet Blue. Hip terminal with free wifi, tv, and unlimitted snacks and the cheapest bike fees. Plus one of the dudes in the cockpit is CREW.

Best Town That I Thought Would Suck But Didn’t: I knew austin, lousiville, granda and san fran would be cool, but I didn’t know orlando wouldn’t suck. With a rental mustange I spent one day at the beach which was lovely, and also found Ethos, a great punk-vegan joint. Post race I got ice cream and watched the kids kill it at the Vans Skate Park.

 Best New Climb: Road up and over Zafferrria this year. Been eying it for years after watching Evan and Contador do it. So stoked I did this sick 3000 foot, 20+k climb twice at SLB this year. The L.A.M.B. Ride was also epic but I had done it once a few years ago.

Best Other Food while on The Road: Jullians in providence, ri. Amazing Vegan food, and everyone there has tattoo sleeves. God bless there lil’ hearts. Made me, my sis and the Annachrist feel right at home before RI 70.3

Best Amish: I-70 rest stop in the way to The Dam Tri. Place is a total Amish Paridise.

[pic: I can't talk about it, but let me just say, everyone had on red robes and I had to use a code name. and that was the least crazy of the 3 night of last weekend; yeah thats some serious off season fun]

We have exactly 1 spot left for the Spain Training Camp this winter.

So ask yourself: Would you rather train here this winter:

Or here:

We Are again going back to sunny SPAIN for the perfect winter training camp:

The first camp starts on Feb, 11, 2010 and end on the 20th. (SOLD OUT)

The second camp starts on the 21st and run through March 2nd. (1 spot left)

Strong Like Bull 2010 Triathlon and Cycling Camp

The ‘Strong Like Bull’ training camp series places you in the heart of the Andalusian peninsula in Spain during February where mountains will challenge and strengthen you, the Spanish sun will warm you, the gourmet food will nourish you and the friendships you make will last a lifetime.

The Training

A typical day’s itinerary:

8am wake up

9am yoga

9:30 breakfast

10:00 prepare for ride

10:30 start riding

12:00 lunch on the road

4pm ride concludes

5-7 recovery, bathing, hottub relaxing; replaying the day’s events

8pm gather for dinner

9pm dinner

11pm bed

Amenities

• Hot tub
• 25 meter pool
• shared room
• 3 meals a day
• fully supported rides
• optional day trip to historic site
• day trip to signature climb (Pico de Veleta) the longest climb in southern Europe.

Dates and pricing:

February 2010

2, 9 day sessions in Febuary, 2010

cost is $1125 per session.

We also offer 2 more days of training FREE for anyone insane enough to do both sessions.Media

For pictures from 2007 and 2008 camps visit here.

For blog entries from the 2008 camp visit here.

For the www.xtri.com coverage visit here.

 

Testimonals:

 

 

“The group assembled represented many walks of life and athletic achievements but we shared an incredible positivity and camaraderie over the entire trip.  After my first SLB in 2007, I immediately booked and attended SLB in 2008, as well.  The Idle Family are wonderful people.  Tracey is a excellent chef and a generous host, and Andy is an inspiring and knowledgeable Ironman, multisports enthusiast and amateur comedian.

Escaping to Southern Spain from New York City for 10 days in February was the greatest thing I could do for my mind and body. The worst traffic I encountered in the Andalucian mountains was the occasional herd of sheep or goats (ringing their bells ala Tour de France the whole time).  Instead of plodding over the frozen ground of Central Park on dark gray mornings, each day at SLB I would greet the rising Spanish sun during my pre-yoga morning runs through olive groves without seeing a single car.

I made dramatic gains in fitness during the trip and took 4 minutes off my Half Marathon PR less than a month after returning… I returned from SLB with new friends who share my passion for multisports, and inspired by that trip, I remain dedicated to maintaining healthy eating and training habits for life.  I’m so grateful to John,Sean, Andy and Tracey for the incredible memories.” -Michael Rooney

“The SLB trip gave me a nice edge over the field who was stuck on trainers over the winter and the focused training camp helped me reach a new level of fitness leading to my best results yet with wins at over a dozen races. As important as the fitness gains was the cafe con leche, baked goods and breath-taking landscapes of Spain made the trip a wonderful experience!” -Silke Wanderwald (pro road cyclist)

Train with Pros/coaches Elizibeth Waaterstraat, Christian Watterstratt, John Hirsch (me) and Pro roadie Dylan McNicolas. 

Also Certifed yoga instructor and health counselor Christine Lynch aka “Holsiticguru” or www.liveandeatbetter.com.

Plus running specialist “The Annachrist” former USA Track and Field 50k champion.

Here is my Favorite Post of 2009 by me on my site.

one-forty-one-love

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

• one to the people who race into the dark
• One to dog that cheers with a bark
• One to all the volunteers
• And One to those of you who finish full of tears
• One to the man with the microphone
• One to the spouse that held together your home
• One to the people who don’t make it to the line
• One to the people who come back next year to try
• One to the EMT who sticks needles in my arm
• One to those who raced but are now gone
• One to the kids who give high fives  
• One to those who race to feel alive
• One to those who race with bodies not whole
• Who remind us that there is more then one story to be told
• One to sponsors and one to the coaches
• And one to the fat guys watching sitting on their couches
• One to the fast, and one to the slow
• and one to the guy (or PJ) that can no longer go
• One for Pele who watches laughing from above
• One-Forty-One-Love.  One-Forty-One-Love. One-Forty-One-Love

(btw if you want to hear the song  by Spearhead that I was thinking about when I wrote this click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O2zARCbVm0 )

So, I raced a ton and thought I would toss out some awards, its tri only so cycling and running didn’t get factored in. Also it had to be a race I did which turns out is about 20.

Best Swim: RI 70.3. Crazy storm in my home town ocean. It was something out of the last scene of the perfect storm. It turned the pro field from a race into a bunch of men washing up on shore like ship wreck survivors. Block Island Tri is awesome too. Clear cool ocean swim.

Best Bike: Wild Flower. Zero cars, amazing scenery and hilly as all get out. Several long hard ones keeps this race real. Its all about keeping it real when making a bike course.

Best Run: Wild Flower is a close second but The Damn Tri gets the nod. An amazing blend of trails, road, hills, a valley and an out and back over a damn turns this run into an adventure. Wild Flower gets honorable mention with its famous run, an evil mix of trails and road that turns you inside out. Add a sick crowd and you got the making of an epic one. Also honorable mention is the 70.3 World Championships. Nice view, big crowds and 4 hard climbs makes for a great 82 minutes.

Best Post Race: St. Croix is unmatched for both pre and post race but with me picking wild flower over that this year the award goes to the 70.3 world championships. Big spread, at sunset on the beach. Patriot Tri gets honorable mention and is a better value at 40 percent the cost. A hot food spead from a great Itlian place.

Best Swag: patriot rocked socks, and a sweet long sleeve all for 140 bucks. Great race and great value and they don’t skimp on anything. Without the 70.3 kick up to the wtc you keep the money, they give you everything you want. The Best Award Award goes to the damn tri. A stuffed animal beaver with a tree, hand crafted for ya. I made mine ever better by turning this award into a hostage scene a close second was Montaukman. Huge award for the team win. Anytime you roll with 3 feet of trophy you know you are stoked.

Most Improved: RI 70.3 with problems with reg lines and the bike course in 2008 fixed this race went from annoying to good.

Best New Race: Again Dam Tri. rev3 gets honorable mention. I know I skipped it but I heard such great stuff about it. And I was there, well in giant poster form at least.

Toughest Race: yes that is an award. Tough is good. Fast is lame. Award goes to Morgantown. Moved to mid summer this race is like running through the lake of fire in hell, only with more humdity.

Best Value: tie between Winding Trails. Off road, sick race and 20 bucks. Yeah, 20 bucks.

Patriot Tri. 140, less if you pre-reg, and all the stuff you want in a half. Oh and you can crash onsite in a room for a few extra dollars.

Best Rental Car: I traveled a ton but the ford mustag I got for Disney 70.3 was sick.

Best Town To Visit: Louisville. Keep it weird. San Fran for wild Flower was awesome too.

Best Race Idea: the team division of Montuakman was awesome. Keeps you motivated when your race doesn’t go as planned. Also great over all race, plus you get a nice hoodie.

This blog is mostly focused on my triathlon adventures. But its the off season. This is a time when first teir pros do stuff for sponsors, third teir pros work regular jobs and second tier pros like me, who are stuck in the middle do both. I am happy with it as I love my sponsors but I love my “real” job more.

Not surprisingly I took a job I loved, picking happiness over cash, this is the same thinking that led me to be a pro triathlete I guess. My “real” job is as a public defender. I work for the Legal Aid Society and I love it. I love my co-workers, the work and the people I work for. I am currently in the midst of a long intense trial. Its amazing. Its like a grand tour stage race. Its epic and dramatic and over 3 weeks long.

I may be the only pro I know who steps out of transition after his final race and into a court room, who goes from in front of the finish line to in front of a jury in 24 hours, but it all makes sense to me. Its my kind of balance. Trials are 1 part chess, 1 part theater. Its the exact opposite of ironman which is all about the physical and emotional. Art and thinking vs sport. Also while I love racing until I joined up with Team Continuum to raise funds for cancer fighters, its not overly meaningful. Its silly really, to swim bike and run in circles. To spend thousands on fees, gear and such. Its even more silly when we know that millions lack basic human needs like food, health care, education, employement, a healthy environment…(You get the idea I won’t spend too much time on the soap box) So my job working on behalf of the poor of New York fills me with a sense of helping, of caring and a sense of bringing equality to those who normally don’t get it. Plus the work itself is just plan exciting. Being a lawyer in a trial is exhilerating. The consquences very real, and in the end its the perfect job for me, put me behind a desk all day and I would tear my own eyes out. This is so fun. So fun that I look forward to it in the off season and look forward to it when I finish racing fulltime one day.

(Pic: swapping the swim suit for suit-suit)

 

This Saturday at 9 am in Central Park, meeting at the Columbus Circle Entrance Team Continuum is hosting its first FREE winter run.

 A bag watcher will be on hand to mind your stuff and people will be enjoying a lovely run together as part of our Winter Running Project where different people will be training for different events throught the winter. So come out!

Different groups of folks will be going at different speeds and different distances so I am SURE we can find people for you to run with!

(Pic: two of the team before the NYC marathon)