Week one in Noosa!

Well the start of my new week has arrived. It was a long trip. It took me 34 hours from the time I left my door till the time I walked into my new living quarters for the next month. I am living with Hillary Biscay, Ironman Wisconsin Champion, and Doug Friman, who has raced ITU for the last ten years, competing for USA. We live in this two bed/two bath house, which is just a 7 min jog from the beach. The pool is about a 20 min bike ride to get there, and everything else we just walk out the door to do. Little strange for they drive on the wrong side, or I guess they think it’s the right side of the road. It’s a bit strange and if you're not careful you can easily get taken out by cars; funny how much you just take for granted walking across the street. Here in Noosa, this is a beach holiday spot for a lot of Australians, and a lot of surfers and backpackers seem to come here and do their thing as well. As for the training, well there are group swims and rides almost daily. A lot of long course athletes are training here, a few to name: Belinda Granger and her husband, Jeremy, Luke McKenzie, and then a few of the best short course athletes in the world: Greg and Laura Bennett, plus a host of foreign athletes, all wanting to come and train in paradise. Jet lag took its toll on me, haven’t been able to get a full night of sleep yet and on top of it was feeling a bit run down and got sick over the last 4 days which really drained me of my power. It will take a bit to get adjusted, but seem to be coming around. It's great to be around all these professionals and see the way they handle business; this sport is not for the weak and your mind plays so many tricks on you. It's really an amazing thing. I really look around and search in my life and there are so many people who are always there to help, I am so thankful, really. I nor anyone else in this sport can do it alone. There are those who pick me up, lend a hand, put a hand on me, talk with me, love me. To all of you, I will never be able to repay all for what you have given me. To all of you, I THANK YOU! What you give me is not taken for granted. I am so blessed to have this opportunity to come here and train, while many are laboring back home to help me put on this mile race I have dreamed about for so long. To all of you, Thank you! My 3 board members, guys I love you and this trip and my dream to be the best in the world would never be possible without you guys. You never really know what you got till you leave for a bit to see what it is you miss. My family, what a ride, mom, you’re the best healer ever and fan I love you. Well there will be more updates to come from Down Under. As they say Good day Mate. And this will never change, Dream Big!

Noosa!!!

Australia here I come! Well, there is a lot to do before Tuesday at 3:30, when I leave for a long 29 hour flight to get me to train with the best in the business of Triathlon. How did this all come about? I was supposed to train in Florida with my boy Scott, who got an invitation to train with Brett Sutton and team TBB, what an opportunity! So, my coach Brent Lorenzen and I had to come up with a plan. Do we go to Cali, Florida, or Australia? I never thought the last would be the place. He called Hilliary Biscay, Ironman Wisconsin winner, for she is there training with Belinda Granger, Luke McKenzie, Greg and Laura Bennett, and a host of others to see if there was room for me to come train, and within 24 hours there was a place to stay and the ticket was booked. This is going to be an amazing journey for the next 6 weeks! I will update as much as possible. My training will still be an intense focus on swimming and will start to add the running and biking into the mix. My first race looks to be the 2012 Talent ID race in Lubbock, Texas in April, with St. Anthony's to follow, but not before putting on the Dogwood mile in downtown Knoxville on April 24. Well, as I always say if you can't Dream Big what is the use in dreaming? This trip is proof, dreams come true, but you better get to living!!

The "off" season!

Dang the "off" season is tough. I know why the big time pros go down under to train. I am swimming with the Lady Vols and I had respect before and now I have that much more. I am swimming 7-8 sessions a week 35-40k and feel like I could die weekly. I run twice a week and bike twice. These past three days I have been broken. Sleeping about 15 hours a day, yeah I know what you are thinking, "must be nice"! Well not really would rather be training but he the cards have been dealt. I am also working on my new website which will be up and running shortly and just added a twitter account so I am trying to get with the program. My goal this year was to brand myself and figure a way out to make a bigger impact on LIFE. Taking any suggestions!!! Also look for the upcoming press about the road mile I will be putting on, April 24 the Dogwood Mile run will be run on Gay Street. This will be huge and I hope all will join me, to come out and run and enjoy a party!
Dream Big Baby!!

My first of many 70.3s to come!!!

I know it has been forever since I last wrote to update. So here it goes. I after my last race in Dallas talked with my coach and since we had planned on doing a 70.3 we to a look and there was one in Arizona called the Soma Half. I was excited yet tired and would have days of great workouts and then be tanked, my recovery was taking a bit longer than usual but that is what happens at the end of a season. My best workout before the race was 20x400 ave. 72 all on the 2 min. It was a great workout both physically and mentally. I didn’t take the race prep serious as was evident when I went the weekend before to visit my brother in Southern Mississippi with mom and his girlfriend. I struggled bad the last week and in fact was only in the water one time over the last 7 days prior to the race, well enough excuses. I flew to Phoenix two days prior and was seriously thinking about bagging the whole thing but as always being in the environment always gets my juices flowing. So race day came and the I just told myself to grind all day, started the swim and well got off course twice so bad that a paddler had to tell me “you’re way off” and so got on the bike after a lame 30 min 2k swim. But knew that a bad swim wouldn’t break my race, but a fast first loop on the bike which was a three loop course would break me and so the first loop I was patient, and there was a lot of traffic so I just kept grinding. After the first loop I was feeling great and started to open it up and wow I had a great bike split for my first 56 miles race went 2:11 and then the run started my plan was to take the first half out easy and then let it rip the last half. All was going great, I was feeling great except for the dryness in the air would not let me keep cool for my sweat was drying faster than it could cool me, but that wasn’t the problem, at mile 9 I felt a pain in the inside of my knee that felt like someone had stabbed me and I thought dang my day is done. I was just praying I could hold on to the last 5 miles and the death march started and I just held on to finish the race. I did finish in 4:07 running a lame 1:23 half at end of the day. I believe that the knee problem cost me at least 5 min but all in all it wasn’t a bad day. I was top amateur and 11th overall, I loved the distance and plan to race at least 4 of those this next season. I have taken about 3 weeks off and started back this week, just light and this Monday my road to racing pro next season starts. I will be swimming 8 swims a week, 2 runs, 2 bikes, 2 yoga, and 2 trx sessions. I am committed and can’t wait to see what my second off-season training will do for me. I will try to update every two weeks, for it will be merely just talking about how training is going. I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and am thankful for such and incredible season with both mountain top highs and some lows leaving my skin on the pavement. Thanks and Dream Big!!!