JHPS Camp - Encinitas - Days 6 & 7

With the weather forecast to be rainy and windy on Saturday we decided to do the Swami route on Friday as the weather was sunny and no rain until late in the day. Friday was going to be 80 miles and would consist of approx. 5000 ft of climbing.....a great day of riding. Fortified by the abundance of cinnamon buns at breakfast we headed out through Escondido and then hit the big climb of the day up to Lake Wohlford. The climb was part of the Tour of the California back in 2008 when the stage finished in Escondido. It didn't disappoint either as the climb was hard but rewarding with great views....luckily the road was closed to vehicles because of some road work and it allowed you to follow the racing lines.



Next up was the run through Hellhole Canyon to Valley Center where we stopped briefly for fluid and a great selection of scones (Orange Cranberry was the flavor of the day). From there it was mainly rolling roads all the way through Lilac to Hidden Meadows and back onto the San Luis Rey River trail which took us to Oceanside. By this time the bad weather was chasing us and it was hell for leather all the way along the coast to the hotel. So much so that we didn't even stop for coffee in Encinitas!



House from Top Gun in Oceanside

It ended up being an 80 mile day with just over 5000 ft of climbing and then after a trip back to town for coffee and cake, a 6 mile tempo run before dinner...for me that was the first big double of the year and the first of many over the coming weeks as I prep for Duathlon Nationals and American Zofingen.



That brings us to the final day of camp and we the weather looking a little ropey for the morning we had a late breakfast and a small strength training session with John before heading out for a gentle final 2-hour ride. Most of the legs are now a little tired and so it ended up being a coffee shop ride, with a great stop at Pannekin in Encinitas (I would recommend the blueberry muffin).

Camp totals for me was 25 hours and 400 miles. 22 hours and 375miles riding with another 3hours and 26 miles of running. If ever you want a camp out in San Diego give John Howard a holla and he will be able to help you out www.johnhowardsports.com

JHPS Camp - Encinitas - Day 5

After a hard day on Wednesday (and the early start) we took a more leisurely pace today and headed out around 11:00am for a 40mile recovery ride. The weather on Saturday for the Swami group ride looks real bad so Friday will be the long day of 90miles.



Even with a recovery ride planned it seemed as though we did more climbing today than any other day of the camp so far. We rode out through Del Mar and turned inland (watching out for alligator lizards on the trail) to hit the Torrey Highlands, skirting around Black Mountain (where John used to hang glide) and through the ranches of Fairbanks and Rancho Santa Fe. I think most enjoyed the leisurely pace and basked in the sunshine!



As per usual we landed back in Encinitas for lunch and to make a change headed for the Encinitas Ale House to grab a much needed burger! And yes they are locally famous :-)

Stu and Denzil headed out to Oceanside for some more miles while the rest came back to the hotel and finished off the active recovery with a trip to Del Mar to window shop and wish that we were more wealthy. If you have never been to Del Mar, it is chic with a capital C, a great selection of boutiques, restaurants and bars......



I ended the day with a short 4mile run after dinner and then sat back as John regaled tales of his racing career.....and guess what? he classes his 1981 win at Ironman Hawaii the hardest day ever in his career.

So tomorrow is going to be the hardest day at camp......90 miles on the Tour of California route and then a run afterwards....when do I get to go home!

JHPS Camp - Encinitas - Day 4

The weather took a slight turn for the worse today and as we rolled out of the hotel at 7:15am (way too early for a ride in my opinion!) we were welcomed by a drizzle. We headed up the coast to Carlsbad to meet the Wednesday group for 8:15am and it wasn't long before we were all soaked. The best thing though was that it was still warm and beats riding in wet, 30 degree weather!

By the time we hit Carlsbad it had stopped raining and that was the last time it would rain on us for the rest of the day. I also had the first puncture of the day, was it a sign of things to come? As we rolled up to the coffee shop, John had mentioned that the group ride would probably be small or non-existent....San Diegans don't ride in the rain! He was right, of the 5 other guys at the shop only 2 were local and the others were from the East Coast on vacation.

The group ran up through Oceanside and into Camp Pendleton, out the other side and then a u-turn and back again. For us from the hotel a 70mile jaunt. Without the locals to warn us of the ride protocol, Ace hit the first hill hard and then it was game on for the rest of the ride (so much so that one of the locals got all annoyed that the protocols weren't being followed and promptly turned around and went home!).

After three days of running and riding my legs weren't exactly feeling too juicy and anytime there was a vague acceleration I was left churning the diesel engine and making sure I remembered the turns :-) Hence the lack of riding photos today, a: I was too busy groveling to hold on and b: I wasn't too sure if the Base would like me taking photos of the tanks that kept on rumbling by. (Today's note to self was to be extra aware of the tanks rumbling by that had student driver signs on the front and back). The saving grace for me was the couple of punctures by Ace and Stu that gave me time to catch back up and take a break :-)





After the turn around it was a steady headwind all the way back to Carlsbad and then again to Encinitas. Fortunately the little diesel engine that could was rewarded by only being about 40secs behind the group and then we rolled back to Encinitas. After a 6am breakfast, by 11:00am we were looking for Rauls again and the chicken burrito hit the spot. Followed by a Starbucks and a Blueberry granola bar, I was ready for the hot tub, a massage and a beer.



Luckily those three things happened in that order.....a short soak in the hot tub (before it started raining again), a massage and then a great meal out at the Stone Brewing Company in Escondido. If ever you are out this way make sure to stop by this great brewery and bistro, they have over 200 beers including 20 or so brewed on the premises (I would recommend the Stone IPA).

Tomorrow the weather forecast is for sunny skies and a easier recovery ride and run. Before that however, John will briefly go over his PowerFiTTE system with FiTTE certified Robin Farina and Stu Waring.

JHPS Camp - Encinitas - Day 3

Day 3 of the camp today and once again it was sunny skies after a light fog was blown away. The first reminder to self was to keep Stu away from the cinnamon buns at breakfast!

Much to John's chagrin we rolled out just after 9am (I think he was hoping just after 8am!) and we turned in land to hit the highlands of San Elijo, Escondido, San Marcos and Rancho Santa Fe. It was good to hit some hills and preview some of the Swami ride that we will hit on Saturday morning. We know where the midway sprint line is now so Ace and Robin have no excuse not to win :-)

We also rolled into the Jelly Belly pro team out for a ride, fortunately for us they were heading the opposite direction meaning that we didn't even need to pretend that we could hang on for a few miles. Going inland made a nice change from the oceanfront riding of the past two days and to some extent was the California that I had expected to see. The landscape was very reminiscent of southern Spain and riding past the lemon groves provided a great scent!



After lunch in Rancho Santa Fe, we headed back to the hotel to drop John off and most of us (Stu, Ace, Matt, Robin, Denzil and myself) rode back out to get our daily intake of ocean air. A brief detour to Nytro was made before heading down the PCH and stopping off at Torrey Beach and setting foot into the Pacific for the first time. A nice little hammer back to the hotel and it was a 3hr 30min ride and time for a bodyfitte session with John.....after he grabbed three of us from the hot tub.



While some of the others got a massage, I headed out for my daily run and was fruitless in trying to find a 5 mile flat route. I did my best to have a recovery run but it still included a few hills. The good thing was that it included the beach and the sunset was perfect tonight, especially as it was setting on a whole host of surfers.

Tomorrow we hit a local midweek group ride in Carlsbad.....should be fun and obviously we have to represent the East Coast,Mabra and ABRT!

JHPS Camp - Encinitas - Day 2

Yesterday was travel and a brief warm-up ride so today was the proper start of the camp. Most of us woke to sunny skies, Ace and myself woke to the sound of Mat banging on the door wondering if we were intending on having breakfast.....reminder to self: don't let Ace set the alarm!

For today's ride we headed north up the coast through Carlsbad and into Oceanside (start of RAAM and an Ironman 70.3m race). From there we rode along the inland trail and saw the imposing shadow of Mount Palomar....hopefully we will get up there later in the week (thanks for the tip about the apple pie Chuck). The weather was great with temps in the 70's, a light wind and not a cloud in the sky.




With bigger rides planned for later in the week we did 3hrs 15mins at a relatively easy pace and some tempo intervals thrown in. Heading back through Oceanside we saw the house that Kelly McGillis' character lived in for the Top Gun movie and stopped by the triathlon store Nytro.....wow, that was like having 8 kids in a candy store! By that time everyone was getting hungry and we found Raul's Mexican Food in Encinitas, a great little hole in the wall place. Definitely the best burrito I have ever had!




The hot tub was looking appealing when we all got back to the Hotel and with little persuasion it was full in minutes (Yet another note to self: watch out for bubbles in the hot tub when you are near Ace). It must have rejuvenated people as when I headed out for a 10 mile run, Mat, Ace, Denzil and Stu headed back out on the bikes for another hour.



The run was great, I always love running in different places but running along the PCH and seeing all the beaches, surfers and cliffs has to be one the best. It must have been good as the run flew by and even with some hills I was clipping off a decent pace.....perhaps it was the burrito, perhaps it was the hot tub!

Tonight we have a skills and tactics session with John Howard.....isn't it just head down and go for triathlon? Tomorrow is a longer, harder, steeper ride after all we want the 30hr week!

JHPS Camp - Encinitas - Day 1

After an early 3:00am start JHPS campers from Annapolis made it to San Diego, but not without a little fanfare. The first flight to Denver got delayed due to engine trouble but we managed to get onto the direct flight to San Diego that got in a hour later. Trouble was the baggage and one bike was still going via Denver!

We (Ace, Stu, Denzil, Mat and myself) landed to blue skies and a pleasent 70 degrees. Without baggage it made things slightly tricky but most of us had shipped our bikes and had packed kit in hand luggage. This meant that Mat pulled the short straw and was the mule for us all as he went back to the airport to pick up the baggage and his bike while we all got a 25 mile warm-up ride in.

We built up the bikes at John Howard's (Camp Leader) house in Encinitas and headed out down the Pacific Coast Highway through Solano Beach, Del Mar and to Torrey Pines home of the world famous golf course.



This is my very first trip out west and first time therefore seeing the Pacific Ocean.....it didn't disappoint! The beaches looked great as we rode by in shorts and jerseys (no gloves, tights or thermals in sight). But boy was it crowded on the PCH, both with vehicles and riders.



The big riding starts tomorrow.....

The Encinitas Underground.....

The countdown to the training camp has begun.....

"(In 2011) a crack cycling unit was sent to San Diego by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade (Holiday Inn Express) to the Encinitas underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as cyclists of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can ride with... The ABRT-Team"



On Sunday we head out to Encinitas for a week long camp with JHPS Mid Atlantic and the legend that is John Howard. The past few weeks training has built up nicely and I'm ready to jump in with two feet and get a monster week in.

It literally is a crack squad heading out West with some strong ABRT riders and some others who are no slouches. It will be 7 days of riding in the sun and then (for me) some running and swimming thrown in for good measure. While I'm out running along the Coastal Highway everyone else will be sitting in the cafe recovering to beat me down again on the ride the following day.....if only I could get them out running :-)

Looking at the schedule so far it looks as though I should be able to get 30+ hours over the week, which is plenty enough! It's the first time I have been out West and the first time on an organized camp so its going to be interesting how it all plays out. Here's hoping for good weather....I want to get the tan lines started early this season.