Spain Day #12, 13, 14

At first I missed a couple of days of blogging because I was WIPED OUT. I’ve been here for more than 2 weeks, training everyday, and it’s catching up with me. When I finally collected myself enough to get on the computer the internet went all wonky again. Now, I’ll have to do my best to remember the last few days…

Day #12 was a “rest day” so we only trained for 1-2 hours. I jumped in on the Funny Run with Grant and Anna. We explored the olive groves and got about 10 lbs of mud and clay caked on our shoes. It felt like someone turned the gravity up on us and all we could do was run and laugh until we were crying. The earth shoes are actually perfect for Anna because they slow her down enough that we can almost keep up with her.
After lunch we went into Malaga to watch the Vuelta a Andalucia. It was wicked cool to see with the whole gang there.

Day #13 was the Pico (Sierra Nevada) climb. It’s one of the most challenging climbs on the pro tour and WE DID IT. It was around 30k with hills that ranged from 5-22% grade. It was incredible to start at the bottom where it was warm and climb into the snow after 2 hours of pushing those pedals. One of our guys took a detour because he was so buried at that point. I won’t poke fun and start naming names but you can read the full account here.

Day #14 started with a swim workout lead by John. We practiced a treading water swim start (like IMLP) and John even sang the song “It’s a beautiful day” just like at the race.
Then we got on the bikes to ride the “Kirkwood Express” which traveled through valleys of olive groves with no cars on any of the roads. I started this ride feeling cooked and I thought I had to get in the van. When I tried, Andy said “Why are you getting in now? It’s a descent. Just do it.” So I did and then I felt amazing again. At one point Anna took a sip out of her water bottle, which must have been filled with rocket fuel, because she suddenly took off. I held on and followed her for a wicked fast and fun descent on a slightly more narrow road surrounded by almond blossoms.

Stay tuned for the last few days...