Just another Friday in Panama...

In this blog entry, I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking. I will put a little blurb, but for the most part, the pics are the point! (Click on any photo to see the larger version.)

Talking with the Chief of Police at the pre-race meeting and press conference. Had no idea it would be in the paper next day!

In case a night club just isn't enough for you....

The beautiful Causeway, which basically is the gateway to the Panama Canal. Very popular place for riding, running and dining.

The climb I was headed to, to ride easy today. See the flag at the top?

Part of the climb up the mountain.

A view from the top.

That same flag.

Hope you're enjoying the blog and the racer diary from Inside Triathlon. Jimmy Archer emailed me saying the picture uploading program crapped the bed, but he would try to get the pics up ASAP. I am also trying to keep the diary and blog a little separate. Should keep both more interesting. Off to get some food.

Vance - 2007 NFA

Thursday in Panama...

It's late morning in Panama now, and I have been up for a few hours. Made a few phone calls, had breakfast here at the hotel, and met with the director for UTP, (Triathlon Union of Panama), Allan Baitel, and another member, Ricardo.

We had some brief discussions about this weekend, what to expect, the press conference tonight, etc.



I am headed to the pool shortly, at Union Club. Tomorrow I will probably go to the Olympic-sized pool, 50 meter. It's pretty cool, on an old US Military base. Not sure how many people reading this are familiar with Panama, but there is a BIG US presence here, due to the Panama Canal. Panama also has more banks based here than any other country in Latin America, due to the stability of the economy, and the US dollar. US Dollars are the main currency here, so you don't even have to exchange your money. They call their currency the Balboa, but it doesn't actually exist, and it's a 1:1 ratio with the US dollar.

I seriously can't believe how much this place continues to grow, it's exponential!

The race this weekend is the big event of the year for the UTP, and the race is now the Pan American Off-Road Triathlon Championships. It's Thursday, and they're already promoting the event for Sunday in the newspaper!



Here's the article in today's La Prensa, roughly translated by me with help from a website, (forgiveness please, I'm short on time)...



Marisa Diaz, Triathlon Addict



It is late in Amador and in the distance you can hear a pair of bicycles. Children, men, women and elderly they are prepared to initiate a family walk and although the sun is being put out nobody is about to leave. They will travel out and return on the Causeway, some in bicycles and others on foot, with the only purpose to share a good while and to do a little exercise. Marisa Díaz was one of them.
It arrived with a bicycle of black color, lent and conditioned for traveled through extremes. "When I finished the journey, I was so motivated that I wanted to continue. It was, almost, a pre notice of what would convert me seven years later", she explains from where the passion of triathlon was born, the indisputable champion of this discipline in Panama. In 2001 they invited her to an activity of the Union of Triathlon of Panama in Amador and she responded for curiosity, since she had heard it was a discipline which combined cycling, swimming and running. "I loved it and I began to learn and introduce me in the triathlon". "Since that moment I have not stopped learning, to perfect me and to improve my team", commented Díaz, who prefers the run, by giving her the time to think, to organize her ideas and above all to set new goals. "The trialtón is like a healthy addiction. When you initiate cannot stop and find always an excuse to compete and to practice it", reveals Díaz.

For her to be maintained healthy is an aspiration, to be able to comply with all its goals, among them to defend the national crown of the International Triathlon, that this weekend will be disputed in Portobelo. Also she desires to compete in an Ironman, an exacting test in which the athletes have to swim 3 thousand 800 meters, to walk in bicycle 180 kilometers and to run 42 kilometers.

She is 35 years and graduate in Marketing, with mastery in business Administration, lives for the triathlon. "It is a habit that you cannot leave, but is good for your body and your life", reveals. "Really always I coach for thenights, one or two hours are sufficient and my delivery is total. During the day I try to eat healthy", emphasizes the triathlete, who has very few rivals and owns six national titles and of the triathlon.

In 2002, participated in Fiji in Echo-Challenge. "It was a really hard test, but a pretty experience that never will forget and that few have the opportunity to experience". Two years later I represented to Panama in the Ironman of Brazil, the one that finished after 13 hours. "The daily routine at times tires and therefore i like to change the settings and thus I utilize the Park Omar, Clayton, Albrook and Causeway, where six years ago I began for mere curiosity", explains. Triathlon Xtremo they have been confirmed that some 150 athletes will participate of the IX version of the International Triathlon of Portobelo, that will be disputed in the Atlantic coast in Columbus, this weekend. The news of this year is that will become a stop official of the pan-american one Xtremo.

Winners The triathlon of last year was earned by the legend Argentina Oscar Galíndez, and in the female branch succeeded Viviana Chavarría. The event of this year will be opened with thousand 600 meters for the test of swimming among The Gayra - Large Island in the bay of Portobelo; 35 kilometers, for the cycling crossing currents of water, stony earthly, in order then to rise a mountainous land of 70 degrees of inclination, for which the cyclists will have to charge their mountaineers for two kilometers and the career on foot by paths of steep

Pending, it finished in the ruins of Portobelo. Prizes In this edition seven thousand will be distributed balboas among the ten first athletes (seven men and three women) in crossing the goal, without importing the category and will be governed under the parameters of the International Union of Triathlon, that offered points for ladies and gentlemen for the Olympic Games.

It will compete in the categories since the 18 years to the 56, being opened a special route for this last group. The ladies will also be dividadas in groupsof 10 years of difference, leaving also since the 18 years. Can participate individually and by teams, having a cost of 60 and of 170 balboas, respectively. It is permitted to do one of the phases to a participant. The triathlon of Portobelo is a sports competence that serves al same time of promotional window for the region as tourist destiny.

Some pictures from last year's event which you can browse...

http://www.triathlon.org.pa/Eventos2006/MapaYnotasPortobelo2006.htm

Gotta hit the pool!

Vance - 2007 NFA

Arrival into Panama...

I got into Panama about 8 PM local time. Did an easy jog of about 30 mins, made a few calls, took a shower and ate dinner. I then wrote the diary for Inside Tri, hopefully it will be up in the morning.

It's midnight here, so have to go to bed. Plenty of pictures coming soon, I promise.

Vance - 2007 NFA

Packing for Panama

The season is about to officially start. Once I get on that plane in the morning, headed to Panama, it all begins. Luckily, I love this race and love what I do, so it's an exciting time! If you don't know about this race, IT'S KILLER!

http://www.triathlon.org.pa/eventos2007/VolantePortobeloInternationalTriathlon2007.htm

I will be doing the racer diary at www.InsideTriathlon.com, so you can follow the fun and follies of my travels and racing on this trip. Unfortunately, I do not have the Kuota Kup yet, so the 29er will be the bike of choice for this race. (I'm actually excited to race it again!) Why the 29er? Because the race is off-road, and in some instances, that is an understatement! I'll be doing some discussion on the course in the coming days.

I am pretty happy with where everything in my training and preparation is at. I am certainly not in any peak for this race, but I am ready for it. I am over my sickness, (just getting the last residual crap out of my sinuses and lungs in the AM), and am swimming well, running strong, and just got some solid results from my lactate test yesterday with Roch Frey.

I was wondering if I should tell people what my numbers were, but I figure what the hell. I'm sure Rappstar is studying up, wanting to know where others are at, (hahaha). Executive summary, Aerobic Threshold was 300 watts, LT was 350 watts. Not bad, considering I'm still about 7-9 lbs heavier than I was for Florida, and the big training hasn't even really started. The picture below is from the test, and no, I'm not on the Kalibur yet. Because they're equipping it full SRAM, I will get it after I get back from Panama.

I hope to do another test in about 6-8 weeks. Should be interesting to see the effects of the training, and who knows how much faster I'll be on the new bike. I already know the Kalibur will allow me to have much more drop than the Transition, but of course you have to find the balance of aerodynamics and power.

Well, back to packing!

Vance - 2007 NFA

Another weekend down

The weekend is over, and I am back to normal. Still coughing up a bit of my lungs, but no more medicine, thankfully. I am definitely feeling better. Although, I had a few beers and burgers at Rocky's Tavern which have had me feeling a little sick this evening. Once you get away from that greasy stuff, it's amazing how the body doesn't want it anymore.

I did a steady 90 mins this AM, followed by an open-water swim workout with about 6 or 7 of my local clients. We met at La Jolla shores, and it was a nice day, about 75 degrees. The water was a bit cold though, around 60 degrees. Made for a chilly start!

We practiced a lot of crowded starts, sprints to a buoy, drafting and left turns, to prepare for Oceanside. Most of my clients will be doing the 70.3 race there.

I brought out a new buoy I had, and tested out my new Zenith for the 2007 season. Good little session. Now that I'm writing this, I wish I had taken some pictures, IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY!

Monday morning I will be packing up the bike for Panama, and then seeing Roch Frey in the afternoon to do a lactate test on my tri bike.

I'll have to clean up my mountain bike a bit before I pack it, because on Saturday I rode with my boys Rob and Kevin, showing them Black Mountain. It was pretty muddy, but a lot of fun! On the steep descent on the back side, Kevin nearly ate it! Front wheelie, not sure how he managed to hold it.

In other news, I should have my new bikes soon after returning from Panama! Apparently the tri bike and mtn bike will be equipped FULLY with SRAM! I'm pretty excited about it! Probably means I'll be selling my other bikes soon. Anybody interested? I'll post the pics of them on here for sale soon, but let me know if you're interested.

Soon I'll begin the Panama portion of the blog...stay tuned!

Vance - 2007 NFA

Staying on course...

I was back at it today, but only lightly. Put in 3000 yards in the pool, with about 800 of it fast. I rode my bike to the pool, (no, not the new one yet), and then rode to meet my new trainer, John Swain in La Jolla.

John really impressed me. He's got all sorts of certifications, ART, Massage Therapy, BS, and a bunch of others I probably can't remember. But the big thing was his ability to really connect the dots, and show me my weakness and how to improve them. I learned so much today, as he nearly did a full assessment of my strengths and weaknesses, and really showed them to me.
I really believe he will be a great addition to my training and support group!

One of my clients emailed me, asking about my training while being sick. It was a good question, on how to handle training with sickness. First I would say that you need to honestly assess your level of sickness. If you are slightly confused or doubtful about your state of health, CONSULT A PHYSICIAN!

For me, I paid attention to the main symptoms, and what was missing. I had a sinus problem, but not a chest issue, a small throat irritation but no fever. The main clue for me was I did not have any yellow flem, or snot, (sorry for the gross details), indicating an infection.

Even though mine was more of an irritation, than a virus or infection, I still needed a few days of nothing. I worked back slowly when I started to see my condition improve, but not right back into it full-bore! I was lucky that it coincided with my recovery week.

If you're sick, you have to accept a few truths:
1. You're sick.
2. You're sick, and if you even tried to do any working out, it would be crappy, and pretty much worthless.
3. You're sick, and working out seriously will depress your immune system further, possibly prolonging your sickness.
4. You're sick, and your fitness may decline slightly, but you're going to get it back quicker than you think.
5. You're sick, and sometimes there are advantages to that! You may lose the lbs you've been wanting to lose, or give your body time to heal over the injuries you've been fighting. Sometimes injuries and sickness can be blessings in disguise!
6. You're sick, so focus on your diet, hydration and sleep! Forget about training for awhile.
7. You're sick, just in case you forgot.

Hope this helps anyone who might be dealing with sickness. Got to get to bed now, riding mtb in the morning with some friends. Conquering Black Mountain!

Vance - 2007 NFA

And the Oscar goes to.....

Well, I've made my decision. I've been mulling over it, (as being sick has given me plenty of free time to think about it), and I'm happy to announce I will be riding Kuota this year! This is the Kalibur above...But I think I will ride a Kalibur with the same paint job as the Kredo below...

Apparently, I will also be riding the new SRAM on the Kalibur, as well as on the Kup below! Should be cool!

It was not an easy decision, but Kuota made it a lot easier. My only disappointment comes from having worked so hard to get with Specialized and not seeing it materialize. I did a lot of research, and talking with people, preparing a proposal for them, etc. It really is amazing, because I had Peter Reid, Ned Overend and their biggest retailer on the west coast, as my references! All three were plugging me really well with the powers that be at Specialized, but in the end, they just didn't care enough to make any decision on things.

With BMC I almost came to an agreement, but the offer from Kuota was better, and even more importantly, Kuota really showed how much THEY WANTED ME to ride their bikes. In the end, this showed me how much they'll support me, and in this business that means A LOT! Hopefully this relationship will grow over the years. They make great bikes, and Normann Stadler and I are their only male triathletes in the Ironman World...that's pretty cool. (They sponsor a few other triathletes, like Jarrod Shoemaker and Nico Lebrun, but no other Ironman athletes.)

In case you're wondering about their mountain bikes, Nico LeBrun won the 2005 XTERRA World Title on the Kuota Kup! I will be riding it at the two XTERRA events I'll race this year.

In other news, the talk last night went great! About 30-some people showed up, including the boys of Kuota. The head guy, Patrice, was amazed how many people came. I gave out a lot of information, and it seemed to be absorbed pretty well, and I could tell from questions and reactions that I gave them valuable info. I was pretty happy with the turnout. I told Patrice he should see the upcoming California 70.3 talk I'll give, as I expect about 50-60 people to attend that one on the 15th of March, 6:15-8 PM, at the Solana Beach B+L Store. If you're doing that race, you should come, as I'll be previewing the entire event. From the time you wake up in the morning, to the post-race massage and awards, you'll know what to expect and when.

I am feeling a little better now. I was actually able to do a 40 min run this morning, about 6 miles. First thing I've done since Sunday's long run. Got on the massage table this afternoon, and if there's one thing which has come positive from this sickness, it's been able to get me healthy! My body felt great on the table, and since it's my recovery week anyway, the sickness probably couldn't have come at a better time.

Well, that's all for now. Tomorrow I'm back at it pretty good with a ride to the pool, a swim workout and then off to see my new trainer, John Swain, for my first workout with him. I'll post more on that and what we focus on. And on Monday, I'll be meeting with Roch Frey, to do a lactate test on the bike, and measure my wattage at LT. Should be cool!

Till tomorrow...

Vance - 2007 NFA

PS - Sorry about the pics being messed up...if you save the pics to your computer, you can see the full version.