Our reinforcements(Anya Weschler, Emily Kipp, and Jess Cerra)  arrived and helped put the finishing touches on the house.  We quickly developed a routine that included many shots from the Jura automatic espresso machine, sunrise yoga, newspaper reading, and completing a few remaining house projects.  The Cycling House staff will include three new faces throughout the season.  New this year will be Jess Cerra who owns Fit Food by Jess and is a professional Xterra triathlete from San Diego, California but is from my hometown Whitefish, Montana.  Jess will work as our chef through January and team up with Drew Peterson for her last camp in January.  Drew Peterson is a soul runner from Missoula and is excited to show off his culinary talents in the TCH kitchen.  The final new addition will be Emily Kipp trail running goddess, triathlete, and all around awesome person.  The veterans will be myself, Owen Gue, and Anya Weschler (joining us in January).

This past year we had a great time hosting a camp with professional triathlete; Linsey Corbin so we decided to add another featured athlete camp for 2012.  Ben Hoffman was the next logical choice not only because he is the next up and coming American long distance triathlete but because like Linsey and myself  he had his start with The University of Montana triathlon team.  Ben splits his time between Boulder, Colorado and Tucson, Arizona and had several podium finishes and wins at both the Ironman and 70.3 distances in 2011.  We expect big things for Ben in 2012 and so does one of his newest sponsors Volkswagon (click the link to check out his commercial).  Ben continues to push the limits of his endurance in training and racing.  Campers had a chance to learn some of Ben’s racing and training secrets throughout the week of camp.

During the  5 days of camp we covered over 230 miles of cycling,  completed several swim sessions, ran in the desert , did morning yoga, and a staffers led their favorite core workouts.  The featured rides for the camp were the Saddlebrook Loop, Gates Pass, Mt Lemmon (5500+ foot climb), and San Munuel which covered most of the Tucson area rides.  The camp had some amazing weather with temperatures in the mid 70′s and not a cloud in the sky!  Jess Cerra provided some nutritious meals that had everyone well fueled for the long days in the saddle.  The meals included;  Grilled Chicken/Tofu/Vegetable Kabobs, Turkey Vegetable Meatloaf, Chimichurri Steak, braised Lamb Shank, and gourmet pizzas.  Needless to say Jess delivered and everyone left camp on a high note after eating great food, training hard, and enjoying some easy living!

Hammer Nutrition had all the riders well fueled out on the road and we are excited to have their support in 2012.  Campers also had the opportunity to use the new G3 powertap wheels from CycleOps, Garmin 800 GPS units, Trigger Point Technology foam rollers, and TRX suspension training systems.  Up next is a camp with Rod Connelly owner of Dogma Athletica in Vail, Colorado.  We have a full schedule of camps for 2012 but check out our website for upcoming camps.

Tom Robertson Photo

I looked at my blog today and realized that my last post was from France, oops!  In the interim I’m sure I was really busy filling other obligations or I might have forgotten about the blog world.  My travels since France have brought me to; Wisconsin, California, Florida, Colorado, and Mexico.  In the short 3 months I did some serious travel for racing, business, and fun.  Once again the end of the year has come as a surprise and I find myself attempting to wrap up everything in Montana before I point it South and head to Arizona.  Owen and I will be heading down to Tucson to set up The Cycling House for the year prior to Christmas.

130 mile rides are fun!

After returning from France I decided signing up for Ironman Wisconsin was a good idea.  France provided a much needed break from normal training but I was primed and ready for action upon my US return. I jumped in one sprint triathlon in Hamilton, Montana and this was the highlight of my IM build.  I decided to turn a 24 hour period into a brutal combination of training and racing.  Here is the brief of my 24 hours; 50 mile ride, Sprint triathon (1st place), 50 mile ride, pig roast, 5 mile run to race, 4 mile running race (5th place/pr 20:36), 5 mile run home.  The rest of my training included river swims, epic rides, and single track trail runs.  An injury free build set me up for a great race in Madison, Wisconsin on a course that suits most of my strengths.  I traveled with fellow Team Montana member, Adam Jensen to Wisconsin and stayed with my coach Jim Bruskewitz of Endurance Performance.  The race went well!  I finished 6th overall in 9:17 on a tough day with temperatures in the 80′s and high humidity.  I held of a late charge by Adam and he finished 7th less then a minute behind me.  Wisconsin was fun and I highly recommend the race to anyone considering Ironman.  The venue, race support, crowds, scenery, and course place Ironman Wisconsin at the top of my list for Ironmans in North America.

Owen and I ready to conquer the California swell!-Tom Robertson Photo

The second annual Cycling House camp in California was a huge success.  We were greeted by warm weather, sunshine, great surf, amazing produce, and epic rides!  The camp served as another good break from routine training and I traded the running shoes and googles for a surf board and waves.  The mental break from structured training served me well after France and I was hoping a  break in Cali would spark motivation for a late season push in racing.  The camp was epic and I was also able to ride on some amazing European like roads through wine country in the San Luis Obispo area.

Tom Robertson Photo

After California I returned to Montana for another 2 month block of training before Ironman Cozumel.  I decided to add in Miami 70.3 as primer for the hot humid conditions that Mexico would probably offer in November.  My training up to Miami 70.3 went well and I still remembered how to swim despite only being pounded by waves in California as I used my stellar surfing skills.  The week of Miami 70.3 I found myself getting sick and loaded my body with many different homeo-pathic remedies.  Nothing seemed to work and I toed the line in Miami with a slight cold in a freezing downpour.  I planned my trip to Miami for some good weather, warm racing, and of course babes on beaches but all I saw for three days was rain.  The start of Miami 70.3 was cold, wet, and dark and the feeling amongst the other pro’s seemed to be as unexcited as my own.  The race got better but rain, brutal winds, and humidity made the race tough.  I finished 22nd in a stacked professional field of nearly 50 male pro’s.  The race was not perfect but I also did pretty well, all things considered.  After the not so warm beaches of Miami I returned to Montana for what had potential to be another very cold month of training before Ironman Cozumel.  Training went well and I embraced my trainer and had some long sessions with my gas stove on high heat to get ready for some hot conditions.  Training was only interrupted briefly for a quick business trip to Vail, Colorado to explore the potential of some high altitude cycling camps.  Owen and I met with Rod Connolly of Dogma Athletica to explore some options for a camp.  After checking out Vail I’m excited to help host 2 camps in June 2012 with The Cycling House and Dogma Athletica.  Upon return from Colorado it was taper time and I had a couple days of rest before jumping on another plane for Mexico!

The trainer was my friend!

Ironman Cozumel started with a brief layover in Salt Lake City, Utah for Thanksgiving with my friend Blair and her family.  Ten hour layovers are not ideal unless you have a feast like Thanksgiving to get you out of the airport.  After gorging on some amazing food I made my way back to the airport for a red eye flight into Cancun.  Cozumel is a small island off the coast of Cancun so I lugged my bags and bicycle onto a ferry for a short ride across the ocean.  Cozumel was amazing!  I indulged in the local cuisine and ate Mexican food for every meal leading up to the race.  I avoided the local tap water and after a couple days of acclimitazation I was feeling great.  I was lured in by one of the many scooter rental companies and before I knew it I was rallying a scooter around the island.  Race morning was normal except for I forgot coffee and a pre-race gel but entering the warm 80 degree waters around 7am was quite enjoyable.  I had a great swim even though it was non-wetsuit and finished the swim portion in 57 minutes.  The bike and run courses were both 3 laps so difficult conditions would make this a real race of attrition.  The bike was extremely windy and I felt great until lap 3 and hit a very, very low point during a 15 mile cross wind section.  My feet hit the  ground for the run and immediately my swollen feet hurt but I quickly found a good rhthym.  I knew that many pro’s had pushed the pace on the bike and would probably be paying for it on the run.  I knew that I needed to run a 3 hour marathon if I wanted to break 9 hours so I pushed the pace and hit the half way mark in 1:29.  As I was returning to town for the start of the 3rd lap something weird happened in the road in front of me.  My blank gaze turned into total confusion as what appeared to be a wall moved closer and closer to me.  All of a sudden I was trudging along in a down pour and portions of the road were quickly disappearing under a small river.  The rain made the run extremely humid and a section of the course was under nearly knee deep water.  I continued my death march and finished the race in 9:04 in 13th place.  I was completely exhausted, depleted of fluids & fuels, and beat down from a long season of triathlon.  I was very pleased with my result although I’m sure the immediate look on my face did not show my pleasure even with my mustache.  The next days were spent lounging on beaches sipping cervezas and margaritas.  The off-season is now in full swing although I have found myself restless and ready to train.  The season was filled with many ups and downs; I raced 3 Ironmans, 5 half-ironmans, 1 olympic, 2 sprints, and 1 duathlon so I did pretty well.  The time has come for me to uproot myself from my Montana and plant myself back down in Arizona for another season working with The Cycling House.  I’m excited for the change and look forward to racing in 2012.

Team Montana

Despite the setbacks I knew that I could learn a ton from racing in what has become the hometown Ironman for Montana folks.  Adam Jensen, Matt Shryock, and I loaded up and headed for CDA on Friday morning.  The weather was still a little chilly and did not exactly feel like summer.  After dipping a finger in the lake I decided I would save my swimming for race day.  We busied ourselves dialing in our bikes, eating, and relaxing as much as possible.  Jake from Zoot sports took the whole Zoot squad out for dinner on Friday evening.  It was great to catch up with some of the other Zoot sponsored athletes.  The weather began to turn for the better and temperatures appeared to be heading into the 70′s.  As we prepared for bed I knew the Montana Iron Fans were just rolling out to take over Coeur d’ Alene for an evening of debauchery.  Fueled with mixed drinks and street meat the Montana crew would be primed and ready for a full day of cheering.

Mounting the new Ridley Dean!

Race morning started as normal with a stiff cup of drip and then it was off to transition.  The best part about Ironman is that you show up race morning and nearly everything is done.  Other than the long wait in the porter potty line I really had nothing to do other then slip into my Zoot Prophet wetsuit.  The water was freezing!  I jumped in for what turned into a pre-race cool down and then toed the line in  the small professional field.  It was awesome standing shoulder to shoulder with some of the best athletes in Ironman racing including 2x Ironman world champion, Craig Alexander.  The cannon sounded and I immediately jumped onto a swimmers feet and set out for the 2.4 mile swim.  The race quickly sorted itself out and Olly Piggen, a Canadian, found himself towing Team Montana around lake Coeur d’Alene.  Adam, Matt, and I exited the water in just over and hour and ran into transition on what felt like peg legs.  After a speedy transition I mounted the Ridley Dean and set out for the 112 mile bicycle journey.  The start of the ride was cool and only after about 20 miles I finally warmed up.  I  really made a big effort to keep my heart rate low for the first hour before I opened up the engine to full throttle.  After about 30 miles I was dropped by Matty “Ice” and Olly on a small hill.  I started to go with them but my heart rate was getting to high so I let them go.  After about 60 miles I caught back up to Ice and my legs started to come around a little.  The whole ride I felt kind of flat and did not find the legs that I was wishing for.  I dismounted the Ridley Dean in just over 5 hours of cycling and headed out onto the run course.

Surprisingly my legs felt really good heading out onto the run!  After a quick stop in a porta potty I was ready to go.  I started the run a little hot, well maybe I started the run way to hot!  I was running 6:30 pace for the first 6 miles, which probably killed my run.  I slowed to mid 7′s for the second 6 miles and finally into the 8 minute pace range for the final half marathon.  Ironman is grueling race, and I quickly found myself in a deep dark place.  I attempted to embrace the pain and after desperately grabbing for some magic fuel at an aide station a cup of chicken broth helped me bounce back.  I instantly was much more aware of what was going on and knew that I could make it through the final 6 miles.  I made it through the marathon thanks to 2 cups of warm chicken broth at mile 18.  After what felt like several hours of running I made the turn onto Sherman Avenue and grabbed a cowboy hat for the final stretch.  I crossed the line in 9:34 after struggling through a 3:22 marathon.  Not my best result, but not my worst.  The best part of Ironman CDA was that I once again got excited about Ironman, learned a lot about my body, dialed in my nutrition, and had fun!  After 2 weeks I recovering I’m ready to toe the line once again at Rev 3 half ironman in Portland, Oregon.  My recovery consisted of short workouts, lots of quadrolling, Compex, and sleep.  I’m off to Portland!

New Zoot Kits!

Charlie Cooper of Rocky Mountain Events hosted a great race that I highly recommend to everyone! Unlike many events Charlie really likes to incorporate the entire family. On Saturday before the Olympic distance race they had a kids race that had 350 kids participate. The event also had great food, awesome volunteers, a perfect venue, prize money, legendary race announcer Steve King, and an overall fun environment. I highly recommend marking this race on your calender for next year. Check it out Wasa Lake Triathlon.

Montana Zoot Ultra Team Pro's

After the swim Adam, Jen, and I headed for Bearmouth. The ride followed the Clark Fork river to Drummond and then climbed up to Helmsville.  The ride had some great views, amazing climbs, and beautiful weather!  The highlight was walking into a bar in Helmsville to get water and being greeted by several drunk college age kids.  Lots of comments about Lance Armstrong and them wanting us to fill our water bottles with beer and liquor made for an entertaining stop.

Enjoying our new Ridley Dean bikes!

This weekend Adam Jensen, Jen Luebke, and Matt Shryock will head to Boise 70.3 and I’m heading to Cranbrook, Canada for an Olympic distance triathlon.  On June 27th Adam Jensen, Matt Shryock, and I will race Ironman CDA.

Open Roads

The tendonitis in my foot is completely gone!  I learned that the best way to treat in injury is to give it adequate time to heal.  My recovery routine included rest (no running/cycling), icing (3-4 times/day), compression (Zoot compression socks), and light stretching.  After two weeks of no cycling and 3 weeks of no running I’m back at it!

Good Bye AZ!

• 25th at California 70.3
• 3rd at Grizzly Triathlon (Montana World Championships)
• 18th at Wildflower Long Course

Cali 70.3

Mallorca

Mallorca

Next year The Cycling House is planning on having more camps in Mallorca, Spain.  Upcoming camps include a summer trip to the Tour De France with a home base in Grenoble, France.  The Cycling House will open it doors in Grenoble for two weeks starting on July 17th and running through July 29th.  The first one week camp will chase the tour on few stages allowing clients to catch a few stages.  The second week will have day rides leaving from the chateau in Grenoble into the countryside for some spectacular rides, amazing food and wine, and some relaxation.

The Cycling House chateau in France

For more information on the France camps check out our website The Cycling House.

Not sure where this speech is from but it is entertaining and motivating.

This one is a little long but worth watching.  I’m constantly motivated by a student that my Dad worked with through out high school whom has cerebral palsy.  Although he can not work he is the one of the strongest people I know.  If he had the ability to work I know he would be one of the greatest athletes in the world.  Whenever I feel like I can not overcome something I think about all of the obstacles that he has to overcome on a daily basis.

This was the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.  Log your 10,000 hours to master a skill and success will be imminent.  In the sport of triathlon only the strong will continue could not be a better statement.

One of the best motivational speeches ever!

Believe in yourself and achieve your goals, only you have control of your final destiny!

A new sponsorship for 2011 will be the Nashville Hip & Fracture Institute.

A will also continue my relationship with Ark Intervals/Ark Ideas, a Philadelphia based advertising agency.  www.arkideas.com

Mountain Khakis, Genuine Innovations, Caffe Dolce,  and of course The Cycling House will also provide support along the way.  Thanks everyone for the awesome support!