back at it...

I am slowly getting back into the training groove. Over the past couple of weeks I have riding and running with more regularity and just got back in the pool for the first time in a couple of weeks on Monday. I'm feeling good but I'm definitely tired. Right now I am just trying to get my body ready for some hard training. This post will be a short one as I have been lame and not been taking any photos.

Last night I went on a night MTB ride in PQ canyon and it was sick. I met up with Dave, Lynn, Greg, and crew and we rolled out at 5:45pm from Canyonside Park. These guys have been doing this ride year for years. I think Dave has been leading it for 10 years so needless to say they have this place dialed and they like to hammer. There were 9 of us total and we all had really good light setups so visibility was not an issue. I did get another light so now I am running the TriNewt on the bars and the MiNewt X.2 on the helmet. Having both lights makes a huge difference. I felt just as fast as I would be in the daylight.

Graph from the ride. As you can see I kind of dropped the hammer at the end. It hurt.


The ride was killer and will be a regular part of my training throughout the winter. I really want to work on my night riding to get ready for some events I have lined up. I will get to that along with what my training will look like in my next post. I am definitely stoked about it!

2007 Season Review

***this may be a long one.

I can't believe I am already through my second season of racing and training. The season flew by and was a lot of fun. I definitely had my ups and downs but all in all I feel like I accomplished enough to be happy with my season but also came up so short that it will no doubt fuel my training over the off season and all of next year.

My main focus coming into 2007 was to get back to Maui for the Xterra World Championships and have a good race. That was it, but then as I started training for the Cali 70.3 I really started to get excited about maybe qualifying for Clearwater... Let's just day I got way ahead of myself.

I will just break the season down by chronologically by sport:

Running:

2/15 - San Dieguito Half Marathon – 3rd AG/5th Overall – 1:15:45
3/17 - St. Patty’s Day 10k – 2^nd AG/5^th Overall – 34:11


I only did two running-only events this year. My first race of the season was the San Dieguito half marathon in February. I ran it in 2006 in 1:21:47 and it was my second half mary. I was definitely stoked with my race this year. My only other running event was the St. Patty's day 10k at Mission Bay. This was also just the 2nd stand alone 10k I had ever competed in and even though the course was long I pr'd. Jim kicked my ass though!

Mountain Biking:

6/24 - Rim Nordic #1 – 1^st AG/Sport
7/15 – Rim Nordic #2 – 1^st AG/Sport
8/26 – Rim Nordic #3 – 2^nd AG/Sport
1^st Overall Rim Nordic Season AG/Sport

I did my first bit of mountain bike racing this summer. I wanted to do it just for training for Xterra but totally fell in love with it. I liked the idea of just crushing myself on the bike and not having swim beforehand or worry about if I would still be able to run afterwards. I raced in the sport division but have just upgraded to expert so next year the racing should even kick more of my ass!

Triathon (road - non-xterra):

2/25 - Desert Classic Duathlon – 1st AG
3/31 - Ford Ironman California 70.3 – 4:52
7/29 – Solana Beach Triahlon – 1^st AG/1st Am Overall
9/9 – Pacific Coast Triathlon – 3^rd AG

I only did 4 "road" triathlons this year after doing quite a few last year. I really just lost all desire to race on the road. I just love Xterra racing. 3 of the 4 races were just for training and I went into them pretty tired and beat down. The 70.3 was the only one I trainded specifically for and it was an experiment. I blew to pieces on the run after jacking my nutrition. You can read about it all here. The other sprint races were fun. I always like going and just blowing it all out for ~60 minutes.

Xterra:

4/21 - Arizona Xtreme Off-road Triathlon (Xterra point series) – 2nd AG/5^th Overall
4/28 – Xterra Castaic – 1^st AG/2^nd Overall/1^st Amateur
5/20 – Xterra West Championships – 3^rd AG/3^rd Am Overall
6/17 – Xterra East Championshps – 2^nd AG/4^th Am Overall
8/5 – Xterra Snow Valley – 2^nd AG/4^th Overall
9/30 – Xterra USA Championships – 7^th AG/72^nd Overall
10/13 – PBR Off Road Triathlon – 2^nd AG/4^th Overal
10/28 – Xterra World Championships – 4^th AG/8^th Am Overall (2^nd American)/39^th Overall

Xterra was obviously what my season was based around. The goal of the whole season was to get back to Maui and put together the best race I was capable and hopefully that would get me on the podium. While I just missed getting on the podium (by seconds) I had the best race of my life. I finally put it all together. Next year will be more of the same. It's all about Xterra.

I am really excited to start training for the 2008 Xterra season. I learned a lot about how body reacts to certain types of training, volume, and intensity. I will put in a lot of time on the bike over the coming months as I feel like that is where I can continue to make the biggest gains, but I will get more into 2008 in posts down the road.

Thanks for reading!

12 hours of what?

Good times.

That's pretty much went down this past weekend. When I got back from Maui a couple of guys I have raced and trained with, Luke and Eric, asked to be part of their 3 man team at the 12 Hours of Temecula. Of course I accepted. I figured being part of a 3 man team would be pretty fun and good learning experience because of the some of the events I have lined up for next year.

The course. Roughly a 10 mile loop with 1400+ ft of climbing.


Going into the weekend I had been on my mountain bike 2 or 3 times since worlds and two of those were just spinning around my local trails in the dark trying out my new light. Riding at night is killer, kind of sketchy, and it going to take a lot more practice if I am going to go fast.


We showed up nice and early Saturday morning and it was cold. I actually like the cold... as long as I don't have to swim in it. We got checked and gave them our team, Blood, Sweat, and Beers. Our lineup was Luke, Eric and then me third. I was the only one that hadn't had a chance to pre-ride and I didn't want to slow us down.

The race was hard... really hard. Lap times were just under and hour for the 10 mile loop and then you had to sit around for 90 minutes until it was to to loosen up to get back out there. We had a pretty good day we got in 11 laps (luke 4, eric 4, me 3). I got away with just doing 3 because there wasn't time for another lap and I was stoked because I was pretty shelled and reach to crack open a beer. With 11 laps we took second place to some pro guys that knocked out an amazing 15 laps in 12 hours.


My Lap Data:
Lap 1



lap 2



Lap 3



After the race it was time to knock back some beers, grill some steak, and just relax around the camp fire. It was a killer time. The more mountain bike racing I do the more stoked on it I get. There is another 12 hour race in January and I think I am going to charge that on a 2 man team.

This is a big deal: Kettle Chips

OK... for those who know me or have spent anytime with me you know I am obsessed with Kettle Chips, especially after a long day of training. I don't have a sweet tooth... at all, but love salty snacks. I can also justify eating Kettle Chips because the are made with healthy oils and good potatoes. I know they are not the healthiest snack but it's my one junk food vice and I could always use some extra salt and carbs.

On November 1st the 4th annual Kettle Chips People's Choice awards kicked off. I quickly put in my order to the bags of the contending favors. This years theme: Fire and Spice.

I finally received them yesterday and the testing is underway. It's on!

Special Delivery.


The Goods.


lineup.


I like kettle chips so much I have even been coming up with recipes that incorporate the chips. Here's one:

Baked BBQ chicken with Kettle Classic BBQ chips used as the coating/breading... and yes, it was good.

fresh out out of the oven.


...straight to a plate and then in my watering mouth.


As soon as I get through all the bags I will post my winner. So far I have tried the Mango Chili and Hot Sauce. Both solid.

Here's what I am in for...

I'm done for now...

Another "normal" weekend... and I am paying for it right now.

Being at work monday morning with a killer hangover is not fun. This is probably the first hangover I have had in quite some time. Even with all the drinking and partying I have been doing since worlds I have kept it relatively mellow, but yesterday was a totally different story.

Saturday Beth and I volunteered at the TCSD Duathlon. It was good time and fun being on the other side of things for once. I defintely wasn't feeling the itch to race... at all. The thought of going hard right now doesn't sound fun. Right after the race Beth and I headed out on the trails for run around Calvera Lake. I live really close to these trails and have never been out there. The trails are awesome and I will defintely be heading back for more runs and some riding.

Yesterday Aaron and I went the Chargers game and watched them barely hang on and beat the Colts. It was a long ass day with the festivities (beer drinking) starting around noon and not ending until the 4th quarter some time around 10pm (and it would have kept going but they shut down the beer stand!). The game was killer, the tailgating was fun, and I drank WAY too much. I think I may have gotten most of the partying out my system yesterday. We'll see.

My season review post is just about complete but I have been lagging on it...

Here's some photos from the week.

snacks before the game.


Chargers taking the field.

Aaron and I at the beginning of the game... still kind of sober (not really).


rooting for the bolts... totally not drunk at all.


I hate the colts.


Dinners from the week.

Steak.



chicken.

a normal weekend?

I could get used to this. The weekend was fun and relaxing. I drank plenty, ate pretty much whatever I wanted (more french fries!), and just didn't feel rushed to have to get in any workouts.

I did do some exercising. On Saturday morning I headed out from my house to ride the Swami's loop and see what kind of damage the fires had done. Once I got out to Del Dios Highway and Lake Hodges it was pretty apparent how bad the fires were. The land on both sides of the road were charred. It was nuts. Here's some photos from out on the ride:

e

After the ride I headed up to LA to spend some time with my sister and nephew. It had been months since I ahd been up there and it was good to get out of town without there being anything to do with racing or training. W ate at one my favorite spots, Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill. I chowed down some killer BBQ chicken, french fries, and washed it all down with some Makers Mark. Good times. After dinner we headed to The Groundlings theater of hilarious show.

I headed home early Sunday morning to get home in time for the Chargers game... what a disappointment, but the Pats vs. Colts game made up for it. Later on in the afternoon I headed up to the 24 hour fitness to hit some weights. Last year I waited too long to get into the weight room and by the time I did I was in full-on training mode for the Cali 70.3. Not this year.

I am going to try to get in the weight room quite a bit over the next month before I really start back with the swim, bike, and run. I enjoy lifting weights and it's a nice change... and it will help offset all the drinking and eating that is, and will continue to go on.

Last night was Monday night football and I was looking forward to coming home, relaxing on the couch, having a couple of beers. I was stoked when my friend Aaron, who I grew up with and played in bands while living in virginia, decided to head up from La Mesa. It's been way too long since we have hung... I think last offseason.

As if things couldn't get any better... Beth cooked us a killer dinner with a little assist from Aaron (he is a killer chef and has worked at some big restaurants on the east coast) on the Tuna Steaks.

Artichoke soup (made from scratch by beth):


main course: tuna steak, mango salsa, and sweet potato fries.


a work in progress.

Cheers to the offseason!


snack attack... monday grocery shopping.

Back to reality...

I am glad to be back in San Diego and getting back into some what of a normal routine... and also glad the offseason is now in full swing. There will be no "training" in November, but I will still S/B/R but only when I feel like it and nothing at all hard. I need to rest after what was a long season.

I am going to post next week a kind of review of my season and what I learned. I also have some big plans for next year.

I want to take a minute just to say thanks for everyone that supported me over the course of the season. There is no way I could have raced at the level I did with out them. Here is a list of a few, but is by no means a complete list of everyone that helped me.

My family - they are awesome. They have been very supportive of my racing/training since day one. The fact that they got t-shirts made for the Cali 70.3 made that said "Team Walsh" says it all.

Me and my parents enjoying a cold beer after the race in Richmond.


Jim Vance - Over the course of the last 2 years Jim has guided me and provided me with all the information/advice/training plans I need to be successful. I am not an easy person to coach but he kept me in line and was always willing to help or offer advice.

*check out his new blogs. He now has 3. Training, coaching, tech review. His latest post on his coaching blog is about rest and how important it is. It cites my race and prep in the final week before Maui as an example.

B&L - All the guys and girls at the shop kept my bikes running perfectly and got me all the gear I needed. Thanks Dan B., Elliot, Matt, Gordon, Julia, Micah, Dan R, Ryan L, & Anna.

Beth - for dealing with my gnarly schedule and being just as crazy as me.

Trevor Glavin - for kicking my ass on a regular basis, keeping me motivated, and giving me a ton of killer advice.

Tom O'brien - for always dropping me on the bike, a killer place to crash in AZ, and offering me fig newtons in the middle of a race... seriously.

Cody Waite - for giving me tons of advice on training and riding... and just for just having a killer first season as an Xterra Pro.

I would also like to thank the sponsors that helped me out this year B&L, NUUN , Mafia Racing, Wicked Fast Sport Nutrition, and Ergon.

That's it for now. Here's some photos from the Halloween party and the day after the race.

Me and Beth as Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. I know... I make a hot chick.


Our Halloween/Xterra Post race party crew.


Me and Beth on the beach in Kaanapali.


Lunch in Kaanapali. Fresh ceviche... so good!


more lunch... Ono fish tacos.


Good Beer with lunch.


Cheap beer on the beach after lunch.


Snack attack at the airport waiting for the flight home. I love french fries!


and yep... I killed the whole thing (with a little help from Beth). Welcome to my offseason.