TR Countdown: 3 Days To Go-

Pain is your friend…

At least, that’s what Chris (Manhard) says. I call BS. Every night as we wind down our day, Chris has been providing the essential massages that will keep us ticking throughout the 5 stages. In anticipation of the race start in a few days, Chris has been tuning up our bodies (mostly our legs), working on all the little nagging aches and pains that could become an issue over the long run.

Now I know what you’re thinking... “Oh, you’re are so lucky to have a massage therapist with you”. Well, let me tell you this…If you knew how much Dom and I have been squirming around on Chris’ massage table, you may not think of it so much as a ‘perk’! Chris is very good as what he does, BUT, he goes deep, very deep and holy crap does it hurt at times – and this coming from someone who enjoys having a deep massage. As I suffered through the pain of Chris’ elbow literally tearing my quad apart, I could hear Dom snickering away…talk about a supportive teammate.

Today Dom and I ‘tickled’ our energy system with a little 20min threshold workout. The idea was to simply wake up our bodies...kind of like saying: “Hello Mr. Heavy Legs…meet Mrs. Altitude – now please go along and be friends”. Ok, not really but you get the picture (I think the altitude is getting to me…). After 4 days of living at 2,500m, the thin air is still very noticeable and gives the impression of running in a can of beans when you pick up the pace – not the most exciting feeling in a world but with 3 more days to go, I’m looking forward to a bit of punch coming back in the ol’ legs. Either way, aside from a handful of teams that come from Colorado, I think that most of our competition will all be in the same boat –

From now on, we will change gears, making sure to stay active, but with short runs, just enough to stay loose. Most people forget that there’s very little you can change so close to an event – the best is to rest, eat well and stay loose! Besides, we’ll take the opportunity tomorrow to pick-up our trailer in Denver, a 20ft beauty that will be home for the next week…let’s just hope it doesn’t become known as the ‘house of pain’!