EC:NZ'06 :: Epilogue :: Thank you!

I enjoy the Epic camps immensely, but they don't come without some inconvenience to others. I appreciate the patience and understanding that the athletes I work closely with have shown me over the last 12 days. A return to normalcy and more frequent contact is at hand shortly. I hope that my experiences here can be of some value to you as well as the time spent with such fine coaches as Gordo, Scott and John. As well, my family is extremely patient and supportive. Lastly , I want to take the opportunity to thank Gordo, Scott and John for having me along for another great camp. Epic Camps top my annual training plans.

Coach KP // Big Daddy // Kevin

EC:NZ'06 :: Day 12 :: The Final Day

After riding back to Christchurch yesterday everybody was able to relax a bit mentally and physically. We still had an enjoyable menu of events to do before the camp ended with dinner and awards but they were fun events – although lots of points available.

Day twelve events

1) 1k beach run – 1st Clas, 2nd Stephen, 3rd Brandon
2) Speed Golf – 1st Scott, 2nd Mark, 3rd KP
3) 1km bike sprint – 1st Clas, 2nd Eric, 3rd KP
4) 400IM – 1st Molina, 2nd Albert, 3rd Monica
5) 200 kick – 1st Monica, 2nd Clas, 3rd Alan
6) 50 free – 1st Scott, 2nd Mark, 3rd Gordo

Final Epic Camp New Zealand 2006 final Points Standings:

1) Clas – 226
2) Mike – 212
3) Stephen – 196
4) Brandon – 192
5) Molina – 168
6) Albert – 164
7) Matt – 158
8) Gordo – 148
9) Wim – 147
10) KP – 146
11) Ciarin – 145
12) Monica --144
13) Bella – 144
14) Randy – 139
15) Jeff S – 137
16) Jason Rivas -- 131
17) Mark 129
18) Jason Rita – 113
19) Eric – 110
20) Jeff M – 106
21) Jonas – 104
22) Scott D – 104
23) Kevin K – 104
24) Mitch – 102
25) Alan – 88
26) Dan – 85

Into the evening we went downtown to a nice steak house for dinner. They had us reserved in an upstairs room with plenty of space. We had great appetizers, drinks, steak or chicken, deserts, cheeses, crackers – the works. A very nice meal!

After dinner, camp photographer, Kerry, arranged a slide show of the hundreds of pictures she had taken over the preceding eleven days. Incredible scenery! This is the 6th Epic Camp I have done and the third in New Zealand (south, north, south). This country is breathtakingly beautiful. Probably the prettiest place on earth – and that is not hyperbole.

The 2006 January camp had the largest number of athletes to date and it was the most organized. The crew kicked butt – everyday. The training workload was comparable to the others although the climbs were the steepest yet. Colorado had more climbing and altitude but not near as steep. Total riding for eleven days was over 1500km. But that doesn’t tell the whole story as these roads are rough, the winds can be like Kona, the rain was a bit difficult, the general terrain is consistent “rolling” (steep hills), mixed with long mountainous climbs through passes. Of course there wwere the daily swims and runs as well.

I’ve said it before – I wish everyone could do an Epic Camp once. It is impossible to impart to the reader the true magnitude of the camps. I mean that in more ways than volume.

It’s time to break down the bike and get back to SoCal. Back to my family that I miss so much, my office, my patients, the local rides, masters and runs. It will be fun to follow the twenty something guys and gals as they race this year. Quite a few will be at Ralph’s (Cali 70.3) in March and some more at IM Brazil in May.

See Yaaa,

Kevin (KP)

EC:NZ'06 :: Day 11 :: Keep Rollin'....

Nothing special happening on day eleven besides some scratches when I tipped over after hitting gravel at 7mph while climbing. It was another long day that followed Day 1 through Day 10. Not much rest time as I was up early and running in 40 degree F weather by 6:00am for 50min. Then we rolled out on the bike from Arthur's Pass back to Christchurch, about 150k and a bit over 5hrs for me. The were plenty of steep rollers in the first half of the ride, and by the time we reached the steepest climb over the pass I had hit the wall. Off the back, popped, sunk like a three foot putt! My period of alone time lasted until the descents and the long flat 70k back to CHCH. At that point I perked up a bit and stayed with Ciaran and Mike Coughlin back to the ranch. However, it was a struggle for much of the ride. Directly off the bike we went ot the QE2 to swim 3000 meters. Another day and another nearly 7hrs of training.

Tonight we had a big dinner and some schwag was handed out. Gear with Epic Camp and Oomph! printer on them. Nice stuff. I also received an early Core Team bike kit from the Oomph! Scott sent us the 2006 line that has not hit the stores yet. Cycling jersey, matching arm warmers and a skull cap. Thank you, Scott, the kit looks SHARP!

Our 12th and last day tomorrow will have some fun events and a couple events that send everyone to the land of anaerobia! For example -- 400m IM -- that's right -- 400 meters IM in a 50m pool. This will be hilarious. Lots more as well .....

See Yaaa ....

EC:NZ'06 :: Day 10 :: Give Yourself A Chance

Day ten of Epic Camp is notoriously tough. Each EC has been that way. It's not suprising given that nine days of mega training precede day ten. But it's more than that. I think the Head Honchos, the Epic Chiefs, plan it so that day ten is a monster. It's a test day. Mentally as much as physically. Let me tell you, I had more than a few moments where I was stretched mentally today -- as well as physically.

We started the morning early under a steady rain. Not particularly cold at first but I went from my bed to the edge of Lake Brenner for an aquathon in 15mins time. Boom -- it's time to race. The lake swim was about 1600 meters and a hilly, beautiful trail run of about 8k followed. I went hard. I saw Monica digging deep at the turn around and picked it up. She inspires me. We ran the trails through deep standing water, up and down. The carzyness of the race made me smile. Before the swim started I said "the more insane the training the funnier it will be to us later". This day will bring me some laughs down the road. I finished behind some and in front of others.

A quick breakfast and it was time to pack and prepare for the big challenge: Arthur's Pass. The weather was ugly -- so ugly there was question about whether we would be able to go over the top of the pass. It was at least two hours in steady rain to the base of the climb. The temperatures had dropped and I was getting cold. Everyone who was going up had started up and I had to make a decision -- get in the van -- or get going. I got going. Like so many things in life, the decision is often more frightening than the task at hand. I can tell you this -- I knew that I was physically unable to ride over the pass. It was _that_ steep. So, starting at all was scary. I knew it was a long climb and that at some point I would be off the bike and on foot. Move out!

Half way up the pass I asked myself what the hell I was doing there.
Answer: "Everyody has got to be someplace" :-)

I've done things equally tough at epic camp: Desert Road, The Chalet climb, and a few other excursions, but I've never had the angst about any of them that I did about this climb. The point is this: the pain in my mind was worse than the pain that came to my body -- and the pain in my mind if I had not gone over the top via human power would be worse than either of them. That's the best I can explain it.

What condition was I in when I reached our accomodation? I was wrecked, but smiling.
Eyes swollen, drool on my chin, nausea running through my body but as happy as I have ever been as a result of a training ride. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't _that_ tough. It was just very tough. I tell you what's tough, being a 14 year old girl with cancer, facing and conquering eleven months of chemotherapy and radiation. Fighting for your life. You want to see courage -- that's courage. I was just cold, tired and scared.

You see, we can make situations seem worse than they are by over thinking them. I almost talked myself into the van. I almost neglected to try. I've done it before. It's worse than failing. Failing -- for me -- was not trying. I couldn't fail on the climb. I had to get off my bike and walk for 400 meters at one point in the middle, but I would have walked until the next hotel if I had to.

See Yaaa ...

EC:NZ'06 :: Day 9 :: Spectacular Western Coastline (Hilly!)

Today was the most visually satisfying day of the camp. Westport is right on the rugged western coast and our accommodations were about 200m from the ocean with only a grass field separating us. Our morning began with a drive to a hilly trail run above the ocean. There were about 10 cameras on the run so I am quite sure some photos will reach the internet. The west coast reminds me of what we would see along the Oregon and Washington pacific coastlines. Hilly, rocky, windy, rough seas, lots of colors – the earth at it’s best! The run was 50min long before we piled back into the vehicles and returned to home base for breakfast.

We were scheduled to roll out on the bikes at 9:30 and left on time. The ride was 140k but was along the coastline which is extremely hilly. The scenery was _so_ beautiful. One of the prettiest routes I have ever done. Did I say it was hilly? We went up and down (steep) nearly the entire ride. I rode with Gordo, Monica and Jeff Miller. Wim was there the first half of the ride. Once again, the g-man pulled in such a way that the group stayed in tact but we never let up. Ride time was a little over 5hrs and I would say that the pace was my maximum steady state for that duration. Harder than my IM pace. I could not have had a higher average effort. Professor Byrn has a way of getting the most out of me. Jeff rode well and Monica appears to be getting stronger as the camp progresses. The last two days the g-train has just kept a rollin’ …

When we arrived at our destination in Moana, we found we were situated in brand new condos over looking Lake Brenner. They are real nice places. A group of us put on our wetsuits and swam in the lake. The temperatures felt about 63-64 degrees; chilly at first. Mark P. was without a wetsuit and was skinning it. He is a faster swimmer than I in the pool so my rubber suit had us moving at about the same pace. He felt the chill after about 40mins but plowed on through the chop just fine.

I had some deep tissue work done by Richard prior to dinner (an incredible spread down at a local restaurant). My low back has really flared up the last few days making saddle time less comfortable than it otherwise would be. I am hoping it lets go tonight because tomorrow is the BIG challenge. We will climb Arthur’s Pass. Steeper than anything I have ever ridden as there are parts that will be near 20%. The TT climb should take me about 75min. “Somebody” planned a triathlon first. That’s right, a race first.
CRAZY ... I tell ya!

Today -- 50min run, 5hr ride, 45min swim.

The only negative today was that my buddy, Jason Rita, had his rear derailleur yanked from his frame. He will be scrambling to get back in action on the bike tomorrow. We are in the middle of no where, could be tough. Big thanks to Jason for hooking me up so that I could post to the blog. No time for e-mail tonight as he has his own work to do.

See Yaaa ….

EC:NZ'06 :: Day 8 :: The Longest Day, Riding With The gMan

Everybody knew today was going to be long. The question was – how long. Was there going to be headwinds? Turns out there were headwinds, so the 225 to 230k took the group I rode in just about 8hrs. Then I ran 50min and swam 3000 meters. Close to a 10hr day.

Back to the ride; I left with Mark P. and Scott D. at 6:40am. Gordo left with Monica at 6:45am. They joined us outside of Nelson and the pace immediately picked up. Gordo proceeded to pull our group of five riders for the next 8hrs. Remember, there were headwinds that could be called ‘wicked’ right from the get go. Additionally, we did over 6000 feet of elevation gain. It was a challenging ride. I am thinking it would have been over 9hrs without the g-man’s monster pull.

Let me explain why riding with Gordo was so nice:
1) he pulled for 8hrs
2) the pace was constant
3) he was not trying to rip anybody’s legs off
4) he knows where he is going
5) he purposely kept the group together
6) we never wasted time on breaks ‘cause Big Daddy kept it snappy
7) nobody wants to crack under his watch

We have a run that begins tomorrow morning in about 10hrs from now. As I am feeling a bit shelled, I am opting for bed over a trip downtown to an internet cafe. It was a stellar day today. I am sure many of the other campers outside of our group had great rides as well. For me – personally – this was the most scenic ride, the longest ride and my best ride. Epic!

See Yaaa …

EC:NZ'06 :: Day 7 :: Unimpaired Hard Cases

Oooooh doggie!

Not a particularly tough day for me today except in the context of the rest of the week and as a prelude to tomorrow. Much of the camp started with a hard half marathon. There were points available for top finishers and points to be had if you could guess your finish time closer than others wearing no watch. I don't have the full results of the race but can offer that the Baron finished first. Post run the official ride was a tough ride with four climbs. Total elevation gain was about 3500 to 4000 feet. Only the unimpaired hard cases did both of these events back to back. Guys like Clas, Molina, Albert Boyce (AG podium in Kona) and a couple others. Many of us did a 50min run, a flat 60k ride and a 3000 meter swim. It's worth noting that Scott is stringing together back to back to back tough days at camp right now. Pretty impressive stuff.

The last half of today everybody was talking about tomorrow; a 235k ride with headwinds. I have some angst about this one. It's a long ride witrh strong athletes and lots of elements to deal with. KEY day!

See Yaaa

Day 6

Phew! Another big day for the guys and gals. We swam bright and early for 3000m. Scott wrote a program for us which made the meters fly by. We are doing 50 LCM swims. Great stuff. I love long course. Post swim we had breakfast before heading out on the bike.

We started a little earlier than normal -- 9:45am this morning. The ride had some steep prolonged climbing - about 16k at the 60 kilometer mark into the ride. Some of the crew descended the back side and came back up another 9k. I did not. The solid climbing irritated my knee a bit after one of my stronger efforts on the bike and higher HR readings. I played it safe, trimming my ride by 18k. About half the camp did the same. I ended up with 152k and 5:48 saddle time. Followed that with a 50min run. So for Day 6 -- 1hr swim // 5:48 bike and 50min run -- about 7:40 on th day.

Each day there are points for KOMs (King Of the Mountains) on designated climbs. Points are accumulated by the first folks up to a specified summit. The competition among the strongest riders can be fierce. Today was no exception. One of the highlights of the first six days of camp occurred today when Molina put the wood to the entire camp over the top of the first 16k climb. When he picks a spot to give an impressive effort he can bring it. He was throwing bee bees today and was unhittable. Scott reached the summit firswt about 2min ahead of The Baron (Clas). Putting that in perspective -- it's HUGE. His effort was a kick in the pants -- although not suprising. He went into the ride focused and (I suspect) confident. It is one of his favorite hills in New Zealand and defense of the home field probably squeezed out some adrenaline and BOOM!

After six days I have logged 35hrs in the saddle // 18,200 meters in the pool // and 250minutes running. That's over 45hrs of training and there's a day left in this week. Should easily clear 50hrs tomorrow for the week. I am feeling good mentally, feeling good physically and looking forward to the second half of the camp.

See Yaaa

Day 5 -- using sense(s)

Day 5 – using sense(s)

Friday was kind of a flex day. We had some options open to us on varying rides, runs and swims. I made my day look more like sensible (for me) recovery than not; meaning I swam 3000 meters, rode 60k and ran 50min. It turns out to be about 4hrs or a little more but mostly easy stuff.

At the pool, Jeff Miller and I turned in a simple swim set: 1000 straight freestyle followed by 4x500 as 450 free and 50 breaststroke. Jeff is from Boise Idaho. He was focused on short course racing back in the day but has turned toward IM distances and HIM races of late. Last year he took 90min off his Ironman PR (10:30ish). I believe he has just scratched the surface of his potential at the distance. As a husband, a devoted father and a full time worker it is difficult to reach ‘true potential’ but reaching potential within the constraints of family and job, while maintaining balance, is a worthy goal. I look for Jeff to be a competitive AGer in the IM ranks if he chooses to be. He is having a great camp and I can see the wheels turning. We eat, sleep and train with elites here. Jeff knows that if he does appropriate similar training he will see the results. “Knowing” is a big part of the battle. Discovering that you can do more than you thought, recover from it, do it again, and again, and recover from it, is a great lesson. Acquiring that mental edge at Epic Camp has been as much or more important to my performance in an IM as the fitness gains. I know I can match and beat the dark side when it shows up on race day. Great stuff!

One hot shower and a solid breakfast later and I was prepared to do a little work on the internet. When I say ‘little’ I mean dial up speed. We are not quite as productive as we like here using phone lines but the location at the University is really nice. The whole trip has been extremely organized. I am offering huge kudos to the crew – again.

Post work, there was the option to ride the bike about 35k to some famously beautiful trails outside Nelson and run. Then, one could ride back, or ride the van back. One could also take the van out to the trails, run, and ride the bike back. Finally, you could ride/run/ride. I chose none of them. My ride was a nice recovery spin with Gordo and Monica out to Wakefield for lunch and coffee. It felt great to warm up slowly, chat upright, find a relatively easy spot on the taint and set the steady efforts aside for a half day (tomorrow will be a very tough ride!).

The g-man and M had stayed in Wakefield last year while Gordo was doing some bike racing with some roadies. They knew the little shops/cafes and chose one with wood interior and nearly empty seating. Ten minutes later the place was packed. I was happy to hear that a full lunch was planned over just a long black and a muffin. The sandwiches looked great and the pizza sounded delicious. Monica had the former, g and I each ordered the later (separately). How much pizza can/should Kevin eat? I was a distance (not far - but far enough) to hear Gordo and the cashier talk over options of either one piece or two pieces. I opted for the two pieces of Hawaiian pizza. A few minutes later an enormous, whole pie is served to me, big enough to fill “two people” not two pieces. I did what anyone would do, I ate enough for two people. My sense of hearing is dwindling.

Lunch for me: two long blacks, one large pizza. MonGo eats plenty as well. Gordo excuses himself to go to the restroom and I sit chatting away with Monica. Have you sat with two people who are really in love and are best friends as well? It is a wonderful thing to witness. So natural. That’s how it is with MonGo (Monica/Gordo). All real, all true. I could go on but I digress. So g-man hits the room for hombres and when he weaves his way back out through the crowded restaurant, not closer than a few feet from Monica, she looks at him and say “did you brush your teeth?”. He calmly says “yes”. I look at him, then her, and ask how the hell did you know that? She says she could smell the toothpaste. I suggest that she has an awfully keen sense of smell. Gordo’s response was “although it is very nice of her to notice, it is not always beneficial to have a keen sense of smell around me!”

We split up on the way back; them to do pick up a couple items at the store, me to get back to home base. On the way I see a nice bakery. I crater and have a couple of large pastries. Living large.

I remember that I still have that run to do. Probably best to take 60min to let the food settle a bit. I get the run in, doing circles around a large cricket field with the g-man who joins me at about 25mins. No digestive problems to date and I just finished a large dinner of mashed potatoes, peas, fish, beef, apple cobbler and 40oz of skim milk. I may be carrying a couple extra kilos up the hills manana.

The ride tomorrow: 170 kilometers with a 15k climb and a 12k climb. The climbs will be steeper than Palomar in the San Diego area if that gives perspective (10-12% and more in spots). So, we ride about 105 miles with some rain, wind and add a double Palomar ascent at the midpoint. Makes perfect sense to me J

See Yaaa …

Day 4

Day 4

Thursday -- and we switched up the program a bit. Ran first, biked second and swam last. The run kicked off and 7:00am. For me, that was 60min in a light drizzle. Next up, was a quick shower and some breakfast. We were due to roll out on the bikes at 9:30. Not much time to eat, get warm, pack up and get the cycling gear on. Ride distance was to be 125k and the weather predictions called for rain all day. They were spot on. Additionally, there were some nice headwinds, two passes and some technical descents that got COLD. No gear was left behind on this one. Full gloves, booties, socks, shoes, cycling shorts, Craft under gear, jersey, vest, jacket with liner, arm warmers and two medals around my neck to identify me if I slid off a cliff, had myocardial infarction or cerebral apoplexy.

Most of the group was tired from the get go. Things began in a gentle way but that lasted about 15min. The group fractured into two pieces. I take about 90min to warm up when I am fatigued so I started slipping off the back. Monica told me she thought we could stay with the pack (very polite that gal) so I hunkered down. What else could I do :-)

Between some low back pain left over from the day before and some knee tendonitis that flared in the cold and wet I felt the darkness settling in my mind. I stayed ‘in a bit of a bother’ for the next 90min when we hit the first _steep_ climb. A quick stop at the top for some folks to put on additional gear for the descent gave me a chance to eat, drink and stretch. The second half of the ride was much better and the group worked very well together all the way to Nelson. The wind, rain and climbing made it a bit of a mind bender as we finished up a very steep pitch to our dorm rooms on a college campus. Out of the wet gear, into a hot shower, grab some food and off to the pool.

The swim was outdoors, 50meters and the water was about 76 degrees. Three thousand meters later many of us were freaking cold again! It’s kind of funny because nobody carries much body fat so we all get cold easily. Dinner time.

See Yaaa ...

Day 3

Whoop, oh boy ...

Big day today. We started with another 3k in the pool. I opted for some bonus points by doing 1100 with the ol' legs shackled by a band. This is always fun to watch as campers go for this bonus point because the legs drop, the feet drag and the toenails get sandpapered in the shallow end. The last couple hundred can be kind of taxing on a tired body.

When the swim was in the bag we had an enormous breakfast and then headed out for a big day in the saddle. My ride time was 7:21 and had some difficult moments. Dan Dungan, Monica and I stuck together. It was a good day to avoid being alone as the headwinds up the valley were about 40kph. Very much like Kona 2004. Anyway, the field got spread out so calories and water were a little slow at times but the crew did a great job keeping an eye on us. The guys out there really are a security blanket. My other aid came from Monica and Dan after I took a long pull in the wind and developed some low back issues. I found myself on my back with about 90min left in the ride. My two buddies gave me some impromptu low back massage and we got back to it. Good feeling not to be left behind; if you know what I mean. Back to the ride: after the long windy valley we hit the climbing (the winds continued). The grades were about 10-12% and I am being conservative. It got ugly a couple of times making the day quite enjoyable. Afterall, we are here to get tired and nobody is being disappointed.

Dinner was steak, chicken, pasta, salad, rice and more ..... huge!

Day 2

Day 2 was spectacular. After a 3k swim at the QE2 we rode out to Hamner Springs over rolling terrain and under mostly sunny skies. 140k was the final tally. Post ride I had a fine massage before a 50min trail run. The road I took turned in "Waterfall Track" which reminded me of another epic run back in 2003 in Steamboat, Colorado. That run was a single track trail to the top of the ski run under the gondola. Today was quite similar but shorter. The scenery was equally compelling -- tough as well. Post run the crew provided dinner of salmon, steak, chicken, pasta, salads, potatoes, veggies and fruit. For desert, a couple of campers ran down for ice cream. I abstained as it is still early in camp to lose nutritional all nutritional control :-)

One of the great things about Epic Camp is listening to the stories Gordo and Scott have to share. Those guys could do a stand up routine in a comedy club for a room full of triathletes for a couple of hours -- no sweat. Anyway, before Day 1 Scott walks in with a blue frame and sets it down for Scotty Brown (all round all star fellow and mechanic) to do some work on. I was there as Scotty was finishing up a minor adjustment for me. I asked Scott about the bike as I had never seen it before. He said the bike was his "blue steel". Apparently, back in the day, all team J. David got a custom Robertson frame. This was it. Made back in 1983, it is still one of Molina's favoritr bikes. "Like an old girldfriend" he says to me. CLASSIC!

After the first ever EC and at the post camp dinner, Scott pulls out some nostalgia for the six other campers. Mine was a monogramed team JD lowel. Hardly used, it isn't going to be worn out by me. I took it to UCSD masters _once_. That's it. back on the shelf after smiles all around the locker room.

Yesterday, I mentioned how I felt about my 'relative' fitness. I thought about that some more while riding today. I am not sure many triathletes realize the enormous difference in abilities between someone who is a 10.5 IMer (myself) and a 9.5hr guy. It is _huge_. Take that another quantum leap to 8.5hr guys like g-man, Clas, Scott (back in the day) and you can imagine how nearly impossible it is for some of us to keep up.

The fun never ends at Epic Camp!

See Yaaa ....

EC:NZ'06 - Day 1, Full Meal Deal

Ohhhhh yeah, Day 1 was the full meal deal. Started early and ended late.
3200 in the pool // 190k, 6:45 ride time and 8000 feet of climbing in the saddle // 50min run.

There are a great bunch of guys and gals here. No shortage of folks to humble me. Each EC I feel prepared until half way through Day 1. Then reality sets in -- "prepared" is a relative term. I am as prepared as my age, fitness, work and family will allow; but being in this setting is a dose of relativity for sure. But, humble pie never tastes better than served up at Epic Camp. Lots of smiling, laughter, some moans and heaps of fatigue.

Gordo rode strongly for a dude coming off a seven month layoff. That was good to see. Time to see how we all handle the first day's intensity. Little cracks showing up in my body already. I went a bit hard for a first day. I usually do at these things. All in fun.

EC:NZ'06 Prologue

Friday afternoon in San Diego. I am headed to the airport and will arrive in Christchurch on Sunday morning about 8:30am local time. There are always a few butterflies before the start of an Epic Camp. This is number six. There will be new terrain up in Nelson, athletes that I know will drag me around for twelve days and a lot of fun in the process. Check back here over the course of the camp for my view of what's happening. It won't always be the view that the elites report from the front of the pack. There are a gaggle of 10:30 guys on the trip and we will be experiencing equal pleasure in a parallel universe that reconoiters several times a day.

See Yaaa,

KP