Last night, I installed aero bars and a forward angled seat post to convert my road bike to a triathlon setup. I received some helpful tips from folks in the discussion boards so if you’re ever looking to make the switch, check out our dialogue: Road to Tri bike conversions.

Tomorrow morning, I’m meeting Airey and jesse@active for a 50-mile ride to test this new positioning. It’s going to be important to pay close-attention to my biomechanics because new muscles will be activated. There will be more stress on my neck, lower-back and hamstrings. I’m looking forward to the change in my training to prepare for the Ford Ironman 70.3 California.

I'm going to hit the lap pool on Sunday morning and enjoy another non-impact active recover/triathlon training session. Carrie Smith has kindly provided the following swim workout:

500 swim
8x50
300 swim
2x100
100 swim

The Avalon 50 took a lot out of me both physically and mentally. I’ve been resting all week, eating healthy and getting to sleep early each night. I’ve used the muscle stick for massage and a yoga class to salvage flexibility so my body has recovered from the soreness and my hips are no longer tight. Along with the physical repercussions, mentally, I’ve been in a slump all week and I’m finally beginning to come out of it. It’s hard to explain the way I’ve felt, but it’s actually been pretty depressing. It’s kind of scary for me because I am always so positive, no matter what, and this week has been a challenged to keep an upbeat attitude.

Despite the “runner’s low,” each day has been better than the last and I’ve used this time to reflect on my accomplishments in 2007 and also plan out 2008. This past year has been a dream--just look at this list of activities!

1/13/2007	Owens River Gorge rock climbing/Lake Sabrina snowshoe
1/21/2007	Mount San Jacinto tramway hike to summit
2/10/2007	New Jack City rock climbing
2/17/2007	Mount Whitney MR attempt
3/31/2007	Lake Hodges 50-km ultra run
4/7/2007	Joshua Tree NP rock climbing
6/23/2007	Sequoia NP backpacking/Sawtooth Peak hike to summit
7/14/2007	TCSD Beginner Race 3000M/11M/2M
7/29/2007	Solana Beach Triathlon Relay
8/11/2007	Mt. Disappointment 50K/50M Ultra Run
8/25/2007	San Bernardino Traverse aka 9-Peak Traverse
9/1/2207	Yosemite NP backpacking hike to Half Dome
9/9/2007	Mt. Russell via Fish Hook Arête
9/20/2007	SDTC Aquathon 1000M/3Mile
9/22/2007	Joe Decker World's Fittest Man Boot camp workout
9/23/2007	La Jolla Cove 10-Mile Relay Swim
9/29/2007	Noble Canyon 50-km ultra run
10/17/2007	Kings Canyon NP/Buttermilks rock climbing
10/26/2007	Joshua Tree NP rock climbing
11/9/2007	Joshua Tree NP rock climbing
11/17/2007	Malibu Creek SP rock climbing
11/25/2007	Grand Canyon NP backpacking trip
12/9/2007	Joshua Tree NP/Boyscout trail run
12/16/2007	52-mile Penasquitos trail run

2008 is going to be a big year and I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences with you all. Over the course of this year, I am going to train and compete in effort to build my endurance for the main event in October: The San Diego 100.

Please join me for another awesome year in adventure!!!

2008 race preview:

1/12/2008	Avalon 50 Mile Ultra Run
2/9/2008	B&L 20KM TT Series
3/12/2008	B&L 20KM TT Series
3/29/2008	Ironman-70.3 Oceanside, CA
4/19/2008	Leona Divide 50 Mile Ultra Run
5/10/2008	PCT 50 Mile Ultra Run
6/8/2008	Teva Mountain Games 10KM Spring Runoff
6/29/2008	San Diego International Triathlon
9/29/2008	Noble Canyon 50KM Ultra Run
10/20/2008	San Diego 100 Mile Ultra Run

I’m set to depart San Diego on Friday after work with three companions for a high-altitude training session. We are doing a through-hike from the Angelus Oaks campground (6,000 feet) at the base of San Bernardino Mountain to the Vivian Creek trailhead parking lot at the base of Mount San Gorgonio. Our two vehicles will remain at the starting and finishing points of our 27-mile trek.

We’ll get started at 5 a.m. and tackle a 4,400-foot ascent to the summit of San Bernardino Mountain at 10,400 feet. Once we get to the ridge line, our journey continues eastward, traversing across the entire ridgeline of the San Bernardino Mountains, hence the “San Bernardino Traverse” or the “9 Peak Traverse” to Mount San Gorgonio which, at 11,500 feet, happens to be the highest peak in Southern California.

The final push is an eight-mile descent off of “San G” via the Vivian Creek trail. We should arrive at the second car roughly 10 hours, 27 miles and 8,000 feet in net elevation gain later. If all goes according to plan, we’ll be back in San Diego just after sunset. Here is a list of the peaks we will summit during our trek:

Angeles Oaks Trailhead
San Bernardino Peak
San Bernardino Peak East
Anderson Peak
Shield's Peak
Alto Diablo
Charlton Peak
Little Charlton Peak
Jepson Peak
Mount San Gorgonio

I completed this trek in June 2006 in 11 hours, 20 minutes. Here are two pictures from that journey. Stay tuned for a recap and pictures early next week.