Jack and Sarah's place w/ 'Loki'

Here I sit in the Tucson airport, feeling tired, sore, and pretty much everything else associated with a training camp over-load. Satisfaction is high on the list, as I pushed my boundaries and limits the last few weeks out on the roads, mountains, and trails of Tucson. What a time I've had, each day being an eye-opener and learning experience to say the least. I've made some new friends, which I will most certainly miss (Jack, Sarah, Loki, and the newly inducted Cookie.) I thank them for their hospitality while I was here, they made every effort to make my stay as comfortable as possible, and they also introduced me to 'Frost' gelato. What a decadent place. Jack and Sarah live in the south-east part of Tucson, the Rita Ranch area. They rent out one of the rooms in their beautiful house to folks like myself: athletes looking for a training destination, or anyone who is looking for a room to rent.

The end goal @ Kitts Peak!

If you are ever looking for a place to stay in Tucson, you will NOT find a better place to stay than with Jack and Sarah, I promise you that! You also can't find a nicer bunch, who will only add to the awesomeness that is training in Tucson. You can get a hold of me at nathankillam@hotmail.com, on facebook, or twitter, if you would like Jack and Sarah's contact info. Guaranteed to make your trip so much better.

Chilly climb to Kitts Peak Observatory

The last few weeks (since Jonna left) have been full of riding and running, the primary focus down here. I had a rather epic day about a week ago, a 200+km ride out to Kitts Peak and back (Kitts Peak is another observatory; like Mt. Lemmon, but only 11miles up, and much steeper.) It was the coldest day yet here, which was made worse by howling winds and high elevations up the mountain.

Amazing Kitts Peak view

Hillenbrant Aquatic Center at the U of A

Before I came here, I was reading up on the local master's swim clubs, to see if there were any that I might be able to jump in on. There is only one down here, but it's a biggie: the Ford Aquatics Masters. They swim at the beautiful Hillenbrant Aquatic Center outdoor pool (which almost ALL the pools down here are outdoor) located at the University of Arizona. It was an experience, as I've never been to a facility like that one. U of A is fairly OBVIOUSLY big into swimming!

Yeah. Bigger than my noggin!

 Just the other day, I had the chance to climb Mt. Lemmon one more time, and I made good use of the trip; after Jonna and I visited the 'Cookie Cabin' at the top of Lemmon, I was determined to make it back there for more cookies. Well, make it I did, and I definitely enjoyed myself some cookies (it was about a 5hr ride to get there,) and I decided to bring a few home for later. Two cookies later, and I was back on the road. I tell you, cookies as big as your head seem to give me super powers (Cookie Monster?) I just CRUSHED it all the way back home, felt great on my cookie high!!

My accomplices. So good!

The ONLY way to recover!!

This camp has been one of the best trips I can remember, just doing something I love day-in, day-out. It was a daily learning experience, and gave me the chance to test out all sorts of nutrition combinations, recovery techniques, etc. I tell you, without my Eload fuel and recovery, and especially my Compressport compression gear (which I practically LIVED in during my trip,) I don't think I would've survived. I'll definitely miss the hot heat and daily dose of Vitamin D from the sun down here (although I hear in the summer it gets so hot it's ridiculous,) but I'm thinking we should be getting some half-decent weather coming our way in Vancouver soon, so I'll just hold out for that. The next month will be chock full of solid recovery efforts, as well as preparing for my first two races of the season: Subaru Shawnigan Lake Half Ironman, and two weeks later, Ironman 70.3 Boise. They'll be good testers to see where my fitness lies, although after all the long base volume from this camp I'm thinking it'll be much higher than it has ever been. I have high hopes for this season, and Coach Bjoern and I will be working on some big things. I think I'm MOST excited about doing some motorpacing behind Bjoern's scooter, perhaps even in Penticton on the IMC course!

Powell starting the season right!

I hope everyone's training has been going great, congrats to Andrew Powell on his win at the Delta Triathlon on the weekend, and congratulations to the Glotman-Simpson Cycling Team for their stage race in Walla-Walla, looks like everyone had tons of fun and got some solid sunshine in! Like I said before, if you're thinking of going to Tucson and need a place to stay, look no further than Jack and Sarah, as you can't find better!


Signing off for now, happy training!