I quickly settled down at American Pro Triathlete Doug Friman's "house of pain" (it's actually a beautiful condo at a golf and country club resort at the top of a hill in south-west Tucson). Doug is a great training partner and has been one of America's top Olympic distance triathletes over the past five years. Also staying with us is Matt Cooke, a professional cyclist; Trenton Tollakson, one of the top cyclists in triathlon; and Kelsey Withrow, a member of the USA Under 23 Triathlon Team.

I arrived two weeks before the March 10th start of the Canadian National Team Camp so that I could have a smooth transition period in adjusting the exercise capacity of my body from the low training volume that was done mostly indoors, to the huge volume of training in the mountains that await me. My long time coach Barrie Shepley had me log in the miles to develop a solid aerobic base so that I would be prepared to train harder once the National Team camp began.

Swimming during this transition period was fantastic. We swam at the University of Arizona pool. With five to seven coaches on deck for each workout, and Olympic Champions and world record holders in the pool, it was a great atmosphere to improve my swimming fitness.

Tucson is well known for its cycling. I was in awe of the beautiful and undulating terrain on the rides. A weekly Saturday group ride, called the "Shootout", was unreal. A five hour hammer fest that starts with as many as two hundred riders and continues at a relentless pace until only the strongest survived in not getting left behind. After a ride like that, it is critical that I go immediately into recovery mode and replenish myself after such a long workout. Quadplex has become a staple in my diet. It has advanced protein technology that aids in the growth and repair of my muscles. I use two heaping scoops of Quadplex protein powder in my milkshake and make sure to consume it within minutes of finishing my workout to quickly begin the recovery process. Many people make the mistake of not getting the right calories in immediately after a good workout. Quadplex prevents me from making this mistake.

The Canadian National Triathlon Team camp is now in full swing. It is awesome to have almost our entire National Team here so that we can push ourselves to a new level and get fit for the upcoming racing season. On the menu of this three week camp is a very meticulous and ambitious training program designed by National Camp Coach Craig Taylor. Over the years, I have learned how important proper nutrition comes into play if you want to survive this kind of training. With two to four workouts everyday, attention to the little things becomes increasingly important. Proper sleep and a daily nap is a fundamental part of our training program. I also find that taking three capsules of MyoCap after my first workout of the day helps me to recover quicker from that workout. MyoCap has helped improve my exercise capacity so that I can better handle the frequency and duration of each workout.

My favourite workout of the first half of this National Team camp was riding up Mt. Lemmon on a gorgeous 40k road that gradually winds its way up to the summit at 9000 feet. In the picture are myself with fellow National Team Triathletes Kyle Jones and Simon Whitfield (former Olympic Triathlon Champion), Canadian Junior Triathlon Champion Jordan Bryden, and Canadian road cycling legend and three-time Olympian Gord Fraser. It was a tough climb and the LowOz in my water bottles certainly aided in keeping me hydrated enough to keep turning over the pedals until I finally got to the top.

Thanks for listening and until next time, don't just be ordinary --- get that xxtra in you and become xxtraordinary!