Is it really almost March? Where does time go? January saw the start of “real” training for the upcoming season. I took a quick trip to San Diego to visit with my family, watch my niece and nephew kick butt in a swim meet, train, and run the Carlsbad half marathon. I grew up in San Diego and remember the days it was a sleepy town with a true surfer attitude, no traffic, and minimal suburbs. As time has passed, the city has boomed with new housing developments, crawling traffic and a must rush to the next appointment mind-set. Each time I venture out for a ride, I am amazed by the growth and sprawl. Training there is marked by proper planning to miss rush hour and to minimize time spent commuting to training venues. Riding is slightly stressful with cars whizzing by at mach speed, numerous traffic lights, and bike lanes littered with debris. All of that aside, you cannot beat the weather in January. So, each year I trek back to my original home to escape the Boulder winter. Last year I capped off my training stint by running the Carlsbad half marathon, a beautiful, rolling course along the coast north of San Diego. I decided to run it again this year, despite the longer and later post-season break. The plan was to take it out easy and negative split, which I was able to do by about 30 seconds despite the headwind on the second half. I ran a minute faster than last year. Making the race even better, though, was the presence of Mark in the field, running his first Carlsbad half marathon. He opted for the other pacing strategy, the one you regret with every ounce of you, where you go out hard and hang on for dear life. Ouch.

This winter in Boulder has been mild compared to the horrendous cold, snow and wind we experienced the previous two. Since you never know what weather will occur, I try to plan ahead. The plan this year was to return to Clermont for almost two weeks to attend the “Train with the Pros” camp with Sara McLarty, race the Florida’s Great Escape triathlon, and train for a week with Boulder buddies Carole, Billy and Brandon (a motley crew to say the least!).

My first trip to Clermont was in 1998 for the World’s qualifier. My first impression was not a good one! It was hotter than Hades and there was absolutely nothing there but a Pizza Hut and Subway. Over the years, my feelings about Clermont have changed. I spent 6 weeks in 2004 at the National Training Center working to rehab my nagging back injury. During that time, I learned to appreciate the riding (it is hilly), running (the clay road is awesome and the track is amazing) and swimming (the NTC pool is top notch). Most importantly though, the people I met were so nice and treated me like family. Subsequent visits over the years have made Clermont feel like a home away from home. The training logistics are simple, there is a Starbucks, it is still hilly, and the people are awesome.

This particular trip was excellent. Sara did an amazing job running the camp and the race was so much fun. The course was completely enclosed in Lake Louisa State Park, so no cars. Even after a solid week of training, I felt strong during the race and notched my first win of the season. The training week with the Boulder crew went really well: Carole raced for the first time in almost 2 years, I was able to explore some new rides as well as the old favorites, and I realize how much easier it is to train at sea level (although it was pointed out to me that Clermont is at 600 feet). Since we had no TV (gasp) we actually had to talk to each other (does anyone else besides us find potty humor incredibly hilarious?), and we watched more DVD’s than I normally watch in a year! Here are some of the titles: Shrek, GI Jane, Finding Nemo, Superman Returns, The Closer, Planet of the Apes, Italian Job, and Mission Impossible.

Running this morning with the sun shining bright and the sky so blue, overlooking Boulder on one of my favorite trails, this thought popped into my head: there is no place like home. The bottom line is, no matter where I go I am always happy to come home to Boulder.

Next up: Miami International Triathlon

Race hard, have fun.

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Also check out JZ's DVD - Functional Training for Endurance Athletes.