Mallorca, Spain Trip

A group of 5 went to Mallorca, Spain for a training week. We organized this through Stephen Roche cycling camps. If you don't know about Mallorca (which I didn't until this trip), it is an island of Spain east of Valencia. It is known to be a popular destination for professional cyclists to train there because of the challenging terrain and outstanding weather. Mallorca has over 315 days of sunshine per year so it is a very popular vacation destination and has become a popular place to cycle. This time of the year was a perfect time to go and train because the tourist season hasn't started yet so there are not a ton of people on the roads. The weather got up into the mid to high 60's during the day. I rode in shorts everyday and started the day with arm warmers but quickly took them off.

Stephen Roche has set up a terrific camp with group leaders each day at varying cycling paces, a very nice hotel with buffet breakfasts and dinners. As we flew over the island, you can see the vast mountain ranges on the island and soon realized we were in for some challenging days ahead.

I was immediately in awe of the terrain as soon as we ventured on our first ride from the hotel. We passed beautiful pastures of green grass, herds of sheep with their little bells on, and gorgeous views of the countryside. Day 1, the group set out at a moderate pace to warm up the legs. I had not been riding outside since the fall so I didn't know what to expect. I had some technical problems with my bike for the first 25 miles of the ride so it was frustrating. I didn't want to stop to slow the group down so I put up with it until we stopped at the halfway point to make adjustments to my derailler. The climb to Soller was beautiful with over 20 switchbacks and was immediately in a great place. My legs felt strong and was just happy to be there. After 50+ miles, I went out for a transition run of 3.25 miles, then a cold plunge in the pool, some stretching, then lunch, and a good nap. Dinner followed and back to bed for the night.

Day 2 was a shorter day of just 30 miles but a few harder climbs. I felt really good still and followed the ride with another transition run of 3.25 miles, then a long stretching session, then in town for some lunch, then off to the pool for an hour swim session. Shower up and head to dinner for a traditional Mallorcaean dinner and entertainment.

Day3 was a shakeout day to determine riders abilities. It was supposed to be about 44 miles but since I decided to ride with the faster group, we added some additional climbs and mileage and it turned about to be 58 miles. It was a much harder effort than the previous two days. I was sore so I stretched, napped, and walked into town for lunch.

Our little group ventured off from the big group and ventured into Palma for dinner. Palma is the main city in Mallorca and it is beautiful. We discoverd Old Palma which contained these quaint shops and restaurants and really old architecture.

Day 4 I am up early for a 30 min. swim session on my own then off to the ride. I am brave enough to stay with the fast group especially because its "supposed" to be a flatter ride with "only" 2 climbs. We were led by our group leader Jean-Sabastian (or as I nicknamed him "quadzilla"). I knew I was in for a long day when my HR got up to 166 within the first 5 minutes of the ride. The 2 climbs turned into 4 and we were hitting 36 mph on the flats. I clocked 67 miles and was officially destroyed after this ride but was happy I was able to keep up. I managed a transition run of 3.25 miles at a nice pace. Surprisingly my running legs felt good. A good stretch, cold plunge, lunch, and nap. We venture into Magaloof for St. Patricks Day after dinner at the hotel. We have a pint, then go for some Chinese food, then back to the Irish Pub where it heated up with some good crowds and irish fiddler/singer.

Day 5 I needed to take a day off but I move forward again. I decide to ride with the slower group today but the ride was to include 6 climbs. My legs were shot but I hated to miss any of the rides so I plowed on. After someone broke his chain, I happened to be up front and I ventured off down this road which happened to be an 8km steep descent with approx. 40 switchbacks....one false move and I'm dead. I get to the bottom and realize no one followed me. Ooops :-) I realize there is only one way back which is back up the hill. Did they know I was down there? I eat a bar and start heading back up with trashed legs. In a strange way I was looking forward to the challenge. There was good reason you didn't see any other cyclists on this road. I make it half way up when the SAG wagon picks me up.....a welcomed sight. After we catch back up to the group, I hop out (stupid move) and complete the last climb of the day and stroll into the hotel. Later on, a few of us head into Palma to check out some favorite spanish clubs......another late night.

Day 6 I was still shot but this was our last day of riding so I go out for a shakedown ride. It was so slow, I questioned why I was out there. I only went out for an hour or so, then showered up and head back to Palma where we rented a 54 foot powerboat to chill out for the day on the water. It was a gorgeous day. We hung out in this little cove for a while then into a cool little port for lunch. Back to Palma for a stop for coffee, lots of walking/shopping, then a hunt for a nice restaurant. We finally found one and it was worth it. A great last evening in Mallorca.

Day 7 I got up for one last swim, pack my bike, my luggage and off to the airport for the long flight home.

Last Thoughts: Mallorca is beautiful. The trip was amazing and better than expected. I received an amazing level of cycling fitness and strength. The Stephen Roche camp was extremely well run and service was exceptional. I can picture myself coming back next year for sure. It is a great way to get away from the cold New England winter and to jump start your fitness for the year. Would be great to get a larger group next year which I'm sure we'll get. I already have some early commitments.

Epic Training Day

I challenged myself to an epic training day yesterday. Months earlier I had committed to participating in an event to raise money for breast cancer. Its called Spin Odyssey where 500+ people are on spin bikes spinning for up to 6 hours. I signed up for 3 hours. I was confident that I could do 6 hours but my coach pulled the reigns back and said that 2 was fine.....so I snuck in another hour. If that wasn't enough, there was a planned 25k running race the same day. So, that is when the idea of an epic day started.

I wasn't able to participate in both because they didn't allow me enough time to make both so I decided to run the course earlier than the start time by myself in order to give myself an opportunity to eat and re-fuel before the spinning started.

Luckily, it was a beautiful day......cold but sunny. Fortunately the day before I received a massage despite giving 5. I ran a steady 16 miles at 8:25 pace which is a relatively easy conservative pace for me. I was just as strong the last mile as I was in the first.....very good. I got a quick massage that massage students were giving, then off to Whole Foods for some food.

Spin Odyssey was a great event. We raised ~ $500,000......thanks to all who sponsored me.

It was a great challenging day for a great cause. I'm glad I took part in it. And I actually feel pretty darn good after that epic day. I leave for Mallorca a week from Wednesday. Yea, baby! This will help my preparation. Here is a pic. of the spin odyssey event.

Vacation

Wanted to post up this little video I created from some photos I took while on vacation. I will add to this post soon with an update. But in short, vacation was great. Weather was great. Now, I'm getting ready for my trip to Mallorca.

Here is my edit.....
Arrived in Miami/Boca a few days early to hang out with Sue's friend Joanie and we had a really nice time hanging out playing Nintendo Wii. My shoulder was really bothering me a few days later and I couldn't figure out why but then I realized it was from playing that damn video game. It was fun but can be dangerous :-) The weather was awesome.....what a great reprieve from the New England cold.

Made it to the cruise ship without a problem, check in, oriented ourselves around the ship, and off we go to sea. First day was at sea and spent most of the day relaxing but got a couple of good workouts in. Ran 50 min. on the running track, 30 min. or so of weights, and 45 min. spin class. And plenty of eating......isn't that what you do on a cruise....so I was told. Food was plentiful.

Next stop was in Cozumel, Mexico. We had a blast and met up with our ride, the dune buggy. Headed off down the coast to do some snorkeling. What a treat to swim in the clear, warm water. I could have stayed in that water all day. After snorkeling for an hour, we headed back into the buggy and drove down the coast for about 30 min. and ended up at a quiet beach to hang for a few hours and had a wonderful authentic Mexican lunch. After lunch, I went back into the water for some good open rough water swimming. Again, it was blissful. Back in the buggy and eventually back to town from some shopping, a margarita at Senor Frogs, then back to the ship.

Next day we landed in Grand Cayman. Met up with our wonderful tour guide (thanks Matt) and hung out at 7 mile beach for a few hours. Back in the water for some swimming. After a few hours at the beach, we took a boat out to Stingray city, a sandbar located a few miles off shore. This was tres cool. The water was so clear and the sand was so clean and the stingrays were plentiful. I got a chance to hold one. Very cool creatures. Back to town for an uneventful shopping trip and back to the boat.

Final day of the trip was at sea. Got some really good workouts in this day. Weather was awesome but quite a bit windy. Played in a blackjack tourney.

Landed in Miami and still had a few hours to kill before our flight so we went to south beach. Mark and I decided to run the boardwalk as the girls opted for the sunshine and the beach. After a long delay, made it home finally at 1:30am the next morning.

Great trip!!!

Off to Vacation

Starting Friday, I fly out to Miami to spend a few days with one of Sue's best friends in Boca Raton, then we head off to the western caribbean for a 5 day cruise out of miami. I can't remember the last time I have taken a vacation like this so I'm due. It will be a nice break from the cold weather.


I got in 11+ hours of training this week. I felt a little run down as I often do on the third week of a training block. Hopefully, the recovery gets easier and I get more quality workouts as my body gets used to the training. I got in two 2 hour rides on the trainer this week which can be mentally very tough. I capped the week off with a 15k runnnig race that took place on a cold day today on a hilly course in Ridgefield. I decided not to do a warmup so I took the first 20-30 minutes of the race to warmup, then at the halfway point I kicked it in a bit. Finished in 1:10, 7:30 pace......just a bit behind the winner from Kenya who finished in 49 minuts :-)

Watching the patriots play the chargers right now......they are up 14-6 but the chargers are holding up tough. I didn't think Rivers would be as agile as he has been. GO PATS!!!!

Go Patriots!!!!

I was fortunate to score some tickets to the pats game on Saturday night with my mates Aido, Davo, and Dermo. We didn't just have any tickets, these were luxury box seats......fully catered, bathroom, vip parking. Now this is the way to see a game. The place was lively. The offense looked good as always, workmanlike but the defense looked real soft especially the secondary. We'll bring on the Chargers for a rematch from early in the season.

Had a good week of training.....managed to get in 12 hours. I got in my first long ride in a while of 2 hours on my trainer. 2 hours on the trainer is like riding 2 1/2 hours of riding outside because on the trainer you are constantly pedaling as opposed to riding outside when you coast quite often.

Met with my nutritionist and my results were not great. I managed to gain one pound of fat but it was also over Christmas and New Years. I'm feeling okay with that result. I signed on with Charlie for another 12 weeks to ensure I stay accountable to somebody to stay on track. My mind still is not fully committed to meeting my goals so I'm trying to find some inspiration somewhere. When it happens with me, it clicks in quickly but I think I'm still waiting for that to happen.

Vacation starts a week from Friday.....it will be my first vacation in recent memory. I'm looking forward to some warm sunshine.

A pic from my cell phone from the box.

NEW BIKE.....IT'S HERE

I got the email that said my bike was ready. I drove down to Philly on Friday to pick it up.....well, not quite that easy. As I walked into the shop, I was getting a little nervous about how the paint job would come out. I glanced around the little shop and saw it. My first impression was of disappointment. It just wasn't as cool as some I have seen. Oh well, its okay. It might grown on me. Dave Greenfield at Elite is amazing. I thought I would be there for a few hours....try 4 hours.

He re-fit me to the new bike, then he fit me to my road bike which I also brought up with me. I'll include a picture at the bottom of this post.

I ran a 10k today. I wasn't feeling the greatest since I only got 3 hours of sleep the previous night but I was feeling decent so I decided to run. I have been training fairly hard so I wasn't as fresh as I could be. I ran 44 minutes for a 7:10 pace. My goal was 7:15 pace or better. The last half mile of this course is mostly uphill just when you're hurting the most. On a flatter course, I have sub 7:00 in me. I cut 5 min. off my time from last year. I really see the benefit of less weight each time I do a race like this. I feel every pound in every step I take. After the race I felt pretty good. My goal is to run a 5k in sub 20 min. which is something like a 6:30 pace. I think I have to lose another 5-10 pounds....so hopefully by march.

The diet hasn't been so good lately....not terrible but not great. I meet with my nutritionist on Friday and I will tell you that I didn't meet my goals that he set out for me. I set out on this program at the worst time of the year to meet these goals so I still feel good for being able to maintain during this time of the year.

Heading on a little vacation in a few weeks....taking a cruise to the wester caribbean for 5 days. I'm looking forward to some warmer weather.

My trip to Mallorca in March is coming together. It should be a good one.

I just finished up a 12 hour training week with some hard runs and rides that took a lot out of me. I swam 50,000 yds in the month of December.....that's 2,000 laps or over 28 miles. I sure wish I looked like Michael Phelps but I don't.

Fat Loss Update

I met with my nutritionist again on Friday and was prepared for the "speech" and I got it. I realize that I have no will power when sweets are in front of me. With all the gift baskets arriving in the office everyday, I find it necessary to sample it all to make sure it tastes okay.

I started out by telling Charlie that I'm having problems with my will power and being tempted by this food. He went to tell me that I don't have my mind and spirit conquered yet. He then proceeded to take out his bible and read a verse to me and explain what it meant. Honestly, it went in one ear and out the other. I don't even remember the message. It didn't help.

I actually lost a few more pounds but I lost more lean weight but I lost some fat too. I attribute this mostly to my intense workouts and not my disciplined eating. I really feel like I will be much better in January when many of those temptations will be gone.

Overall, I'm still feeling very optimistic and I'm going in the right direction. Its a long year so I am content on taking my time to get where I want to.

On a separate note, I lost a client to cancer yesterday. I was scheduled to see her in the hospital yesterday on her death bed but she didn't make it that long. She asked for me. She suffered a very long time and she is in a much better place now. This woman was a true "IRONMAN" who suffered and fought this horrible disease for 15 years.

I worked out with my coach yesterday who is helping me with my swim stroke. My catch phase really sucks so that is my focus now for a while. Even though I know it, I can't seem to do it right which makes me wonder if I don't have enough flexibility in my shoulders or I'm not rolling enough.....off to the pool :-)

This week was an 11 hour training week with 5 swims (13,000 yds.), 3 bikes, 3 runs, and 2 core workouts. All my swimming is pale in comparison to my coach's wife who swam 14,000 yds. yesterday (that's right, I said yesterday). She is training to swim across the English Channel.....a 21 mile route in cold water, against currents, without a wetsuit......that may or may not happen depending on the conditions.