Due to the low exchange rate, my obsession of running away from bears, and Whistler’s breathtaking scenery, I signed up for IM Canada in July. I needed a good kickstart to my year. Russ Brandt invited me to join his training shenanigans in Tucson.
With superstars Jon Coffen, Russ Brandt, Ben McMurray, David Tindall, Malcolm McGuire, John Kenny, and Chris LeValley attending, I knew I was in for an early season beatdown.
Our camp consisted of:
Day 1- Riding from Phoenix to our hotel in Tucson (130 miles)
Day 2- Swimming in the AM, Climbing Mt Lemmon (70 miles round trip), and an “easy” ROTB
Day 3 – Sabino Canyon trail run
Trip highlights-
- No flats! …except from Tindall, who decided to ride paper thin race tires. He later locked his brakes causing a wheel rear blowout. Rookie.
- Russ leading us on Tucson’s paved path trail system and getting lost. He kept insisting he lived and went to school in Tucson… but these paths must have been nonexistent in the olden days.
- Coffen’s boxed wine.
- The “best looking legs contest” by Tucson’s finest in a Denny’s parking lot. I won at first, but then they chose Ben’s large calves.
- Trying to use coupons at Sweet Tomatoes that expired in 2010. We got hosed.
- Russ and Malcolm getting lost at Sabino Canyon. We almost had to call for heli support.
- Watching Coffen swim in the kiddie pool and all of us getting schooled in the water by John Kenny.
- My late night TSS discussion with Russ.
- The sausage fest at La Quinta.
- A roadie telling me I looked like I was from Al Qaeda after descending the frigid temps of Lemmon.
Tucson camp #1 a success! Next up: a week long Tucson camp with my coach and other PBM athletes in March!
More training pics:
Video:
Elliot Kawaoka 
GREAT POST and good luck in Canada, but most importantly between now and Canada — short-ish Posts are awesome too, thank you. I did find it a bit weak that y’all couldn’t make it even 45 seconds into your 10 minute video before you had to stop at a gas station…maybe y’all will be stronger by your next training camp?