In the home stretch

Just a few more days of big training and then we start the taper for Ironman Arizona which is on deck for November 22. The last couple of months have been a challenge from a training and racing stand point. I managed to strain some hip flexor and various other hip girdle areas some time ago and running has been an issue ever since. Santa Barbara Tri was pretty painful, AFC Half Marathon was a train wreck and there has been a lot of damage control and creative alternative training to try and get ready for Ironman. I had a pretty solid Mission Bay Sprint back on October 24th. I came out of the water mid pack and biked my way up into the top ten with one of the fastest overall bike splits including elite/pro. I finished 7th AG (my best finish at this race) with a solid but not spectacular run. The lack of run training left me without that 5th gear I needed to really move up a few more spots. The legs just now seem to be coming around a little bit but are still hanging on by a ragged thread so we will see what Ironman holds in store for me. The good news is that I have been getting a ton of high quality bike training in at the new Aire Urban Perfomance cycling center in downtown San Diego. The power tap bikes and computrainers have been a big plus and I am looking forward to see what kind of bike split I have in me three weeks from now at the big show. If you are in the area, come on out to see the race on November 22nd in Tempe. As far as Ironman goes it is about as spectator friendly a course as you could ask for. There is a big contingent from Break Away Training coming out to race and the Aire Urban crew will be there in support.

What's Up at Aire Urban Performance?

Hello Everyone, I wanted to take a few minutes to tell you about Aire Urban Performance (http://www.airesd.com/). Aire Urban is my new training base and a new sponsor for me. Aire Urban is located in Dowtown San Diego in the Gas Lamp district across the street from the House of Blues. Aire is an 8,000 square foot facility geared towards people who are serious about their health and fitness and are looking for ways to take things to the next level. There is a lot to tell you about so let’s just get to it!First of all we are NOT a gym, meaning that there is no membership fee. You are free to use the facility and services we offer as much or as little as your schedule permits. All you pay for is what you use when you use it.The Aire Urban indoor cycling center is run by Crank Cycling. The indoor cycling center is home to San Diego’s only facility with Saris Power Tap bikes. This means you train cycling with POWER. This is the most efficient and productive way to improve your cycling. Crank Cycling also features Downtown San Diego’s only indoor cycling center with an 8 person, multi rider computrainer system. This means if you are a triathlete you can ride preloaded race courses such as the California Half Ironman or if you are a roadie you can ride training course our coaches design to help you meet your goals. Aire Urban is also home to Downtown San Diego’s only indoor rowing program. The Indo-Row program is operated by the Olympic Athletes of Engine Room Fitness. This is the ultimate cross training experience! Think of a spin class except that you are on the highest quality indoor rowing machines and you are being coached by Olympians who do this stuff for real.Aire Urban is all about functional strength training. We want you to be able to perform in the real world. That is why we also have Downtown San Diego’s only TRX Suspension Training group exercise facility. You use your own body weight to create the resistance and you work muscles you didn’t even know you had. TRX Suspension training is used by professional athletes and many of the top strength coaches around to get their athletes into top condition that increase strength and flexibility in a way the promotes functional use.…and we haven’t even gotten to Pilates yet. The Pilates center at Aire Urban Performance features a Stott Pilates certified instructor on Stott Pilates reformers and cadillacs. The Pilates center at Aire Urban offers private, semi private and group classes for beginners to advanced Pilates practitioners. If you have been doing pilates in San Diego but are looking for a new challenge you have to come check out what Aire has to offer.
Aire Urban Performance is the title sponsor of Team Breakaway Training Triathlon so look for us at all the Koz races and pre race Expos in San Diego. At Aire we love our triathletes and want to make sure they get the best training and best facility to achieve their goals.
Check back with us soon here on line. You can also find Aire Urban Performance on facebook and twitter. Better yet if you happen to be in Downtown San Diego and are looking for a new place to spin, row, run, or just plain get stronger, give us a ring and stop by for a tour.

Santa Barbara Long Course

OUCH! OUCH! DAMN!

First go at the Santa Barbara Long Course Triathlon. Nearly 5hrs drive time on the way up from SD on Friday night. If you ever drive in for the race book the hotel Mar Monte. Mediocre hotel but directly across from the race start. Couldn't be more convenient. Ok, so the course is beautiful, very technical and very hilly. There are only a few sections on the bike to really open it up. As we all probably know by now my stregth is pounding it out on the flats. This was the wrong course for that. Good bike handling skills is a must for this course. This is where Barbara Warren died last year after a horrible wreck that broker her neck on the bike. She was constantly on my mind during the race. She was a great lady. The run course starts flat from T2 and goes up, up, up and up. By the time you pound back down its not so fun, but still beautiful. This is the first time I have had to battle an injury so it is a big learning experience for me. I finished in 3:33, about 15 min off my predicted pace. I hobbled around fabulous downtown SB with Jen that afternoon for a nice pasta lunch at Palazzio on State Street and then a nice dinner at Cafe Argentina with a live jazz band the next night. Other than that I was layed up in compression tights in bed with a glass of wine trying not to move. This is for sure a race everyone should give a go at least once. Let the healing begin!

Thinking Ahead!

Lots and lots to get excited about. First go at Santa Barbara Long Course in a little over a week. AFC half marathon this weekend just for fun and in the big build now for Ironman Arizona. But the best is the giddiness already for Ironman Switzerland August 2010! We are going to call this the "Seven Year Itch Anniversary Tour". Jen and I will be celebrating our 7 year anniversary late July next year so the plan is to race IM Switzerland, wine tasting in the south of France and then get our party on in Barcelona. The always fun VanderSanden family will be along for the ride. Who else is in? Book you flights early!!!!

First Win!!!

I am pretty excited to report that after 4 years in multi sport competition I finally bagged my first AG win at the Solana Beach Duathlon on Sunday. As anyone who follows me knows, I got a late start in multisport but have been grinding out the training pretty religiously and have routinely posted PR's at most of my races and generally manage to be in the top 10 at most events, but until now I have never managed to sneak on to the podium let alone win. This was actually a "C" race on my schedule, meaning I threw it in as a training day (I actually did another swim and bike after the race) with no taper or specific prep. As a matter of fact as you may see in the post below I am just several weeks past the Seattle RNR Marathon. The upshot is I had know idea how I was going to go in my first crack at a duathlon. As most of you also know, I am a terrible swimmer just now sneaking up on a perfromance level that a generous person might describe as "competent". When I was looking for a July race to round out the summer schedule I thought it would be fun and interesting to try out a Duathlon for a change. For the uninitiated, the Duathlon is a run, bike, run format as opposed to a triathlon swim, bike, run. It is a very different type of racing and requires you to be at your top end limit right from the start. I went in hopeful that I might be able to crack the podium as the limiter for me so far has been the amount of time I spot the field during the swim leg of the triathlon. While it would appear that duathlon may be my stronger suit it can't replace the tri for me....but that wont stop me from regularly throwing a few of them into to my racing season from now on to hopefully pad the resume!

Seattle RNR Marathon - Qualified for Boston!

Hello from Seattle. Yesterday was the 1st edition of the Seattle Rock n' Roll Marathon and I have to say it was probably the best, most scenic course I have had an opportunity to run thus far, and that includes Boston and New York. It was an exceptional day on the weather front as well if you can believe it, about 70 degrees, clear as a bell and sunny. The race follows a great path that always has you close to the water with expansive views and Mt. Rainer often visible in the distance. The course is not for the faint of heart as it is non stop rolling hills the entire way with some nasty grades at the worst possible times, mile 16, mile 19, mile 25.....thank God for all that hill work I put in leading up to the race. I had a phenomenal day and ended up running a personal best of 3:20:56 (a 6 minute + PR) which qualified me for Boston with 3 seconds to spare. I finished 25th in AG but as I told my Father in Law, I am pretty sure I came in 1st place in the "marathon finishers who went wine tasting right after the race" division.

What's New and What's Next....

I am just one week out from my next adventure, the inaugural Seattle Rock N' Roll Marathon on June 27th. Unless I am mistaken this will be my 10th marathon (not counting Ironman marathons). It should be a fun weekend as we will be visiting my wife's parents who live just outside of Seattle as well. So we will have a weekend of racing, belated birthday celebration (her father's) and also a late Father's day. Now that I think about it, the race will be just a small part of the visit. I am curious to see how the race goes for me as so far this year I have had PR's at 5k, 10K, Half Marathon, Sprint Tri and Half Ironman Tri. I have approached my training for this marathon in a very different fashion than anything previous. As I have more than enough endurance base from all the long course triathlon training I have been focusing 90% of my efforts on speed work and hill repeats to build top end and strength. My total running volume has been much lower than normal but the quality has been quite high. As a result I am not really sure at all what will happen come race day....so we will just have to wait and see. After that I have a duathlon coming up in July, which is something I have only done once before and informally at that (club race). Then it is on to Ironman specific training as all the focus goes towards Ironman Arizona in November (if you live in the area come on out and holler).


If you don't already know and are wondering what the picture is all about, AIRE Urban Performance and Wellness is an 8,000 sq ft functional fitness and sports performance co operative opening under the ownership and direction of my wife Jen. It is located in downtown San Diego's Gas Lamp District directly across from the House of Blues. It is going to be quite an amazing facility with some very unique offerings unavailable anywhere else in Southern California. We have a cycling center that will be equipped with Saris Power Tap bikes and run by a highly qualified USA Cycling Coach. We have to former Olympic Rowers who will be running an indoor rowing program (think Spinning class but with rowing machines) that will be the first of its kind in San Diego. Jen will be directing Pilates and group exercise and there is much more in the works. Drop me a line if you are in the area and want to check it out. The website should be launching soon and the facility is scheduled to open the week after July 4th. Check back soon....

Sad News - Article from Slowtwitch

Steve Larsen gone at 39 new
Written by: Dan EmpfieldDate: Wed May 20 2009

Steve Larsen died yesterday of an apparent heart attack at the age of 39. One of cycling's strong men, the former world class road racer, mountain bike racer, and triathlete collapsed during a footrunning workout on the track in his adopted home of Bend, Oregon. Despite immediate attention medical professionals were unable to resuscitate him. Larsen leaves a wife, Carrie, and five children. He was held in high regard both by athletes and those in the industry. But it was his athletic abilities across a variety of disciplines that enthused and amazed his fans. Larsen was a member of the legendary Motorola professional road cycling team and, during his road racing tenure, became a national road champion. He was a dominant force in mountain bike racing during the decade of the 90s. After a disappointing crash cost him a sure spot on the 2000 Olympic mountain bike squad, he dabbled his toe in the waters of triathlon, and that "dabble" made quite a splash. He sped to the front of the pack on the bike at the 2001 Wildflower long course event, and held on to finish fourth overall on the day. He followed that performance with a win at Ironman Lake Placid, and a top-10 finish at the Hawaiian Ironman World Championship. It was a remarkable first year. Steve Larsen was not only an instant success as a pro triathlete, he was perhaps the ultimate bike-leg game changer for those in the race. He was just too fast, just too talented, to be ignored by those with skills more typical of pro triathletes.

Larsen's foray into triathlon was not just a search for new challenges. He grew up in Davis, California. Iron-legend Dave Scott "made his name on the roads of Yolo County," remembered Larsen, "and was someone I looked up to from the start. I sought out the advice of Dave Scott and ... he played a large part in my early success, so it was like coming full circle." If Larsen was conflicted in his late 30s, it was over his strong desire for a post-athletic business career as well as his fierce attachment to endurance sports competition. He was an equity partner in both Steve Larsen Properties, a commercial real estate brokerage, and Worldtri.com, an online retailer of triathlon goods. This, after successfully buying, running and building his hometown bike shop: Steve Larsen's Wheelworks in Davis. He sold the shop in 2003 to locate his family permanently in Bend, Oregon. He emerged from a professional sports retirement last year to again train and race triathlons. And, in vintage Steve Larsen fashion, he confounded his contemporaries by his ability to compete at a national level in road and offroad triathlon, long distance and short, and as a pure MTB racer (most recently at the Sea Otter Classic), all at an age approaching 40. When Slowtwitch asked Larsen, this past November, how it was he managed to juggle all his responsibilities and passions, his response was, "An amazing wife!" He also acknowledged that no one with interests as broad as his could honor them all fully. "Sport has been a huge part of my life for so long and I understand well the balance it actually brings to my life. Surely I miss workouts that I would love to do, but I have learned that it is the work you put in over the long haul." And the haul has been long. Larsen's professional career in sport stretches back to the 80s. Some might remember Steve Larsen from the older pro cycling days. He was considered by some in that era a harder-edged competitor. That recollection is not emblematic of those who knew him over most of his adult life. He is remembered not only by those who appreciate his talent, but who knew him in business as a man of great grace, slow to anger, transparent, humble, and generous.
Editor's note: We have received many emails today, from both fans and those in the bike and tri industry with whom Steve Larsen intersected, who're asking what of substance they can do to help. We do not have the answer to that for you, but will endeavor to have that answer, and to post it here; on the Slowtwitch Reader Forum; and in our weekly newsletter next week. Thanks to Timothy Carlson for providing pictures of Steve Larsen for this article.