Key West Day 1

It seems like triathlon brings me to the state of Florida quite often, and I am completely ok with that. I love the climate, the people, and the food here. Right now I am doing a training camp with my coach in Key West, the bottom of the map!

I got in late last night, and am staying at a guy's house that I found on airbnb.com. If you travel a lot and are looking to save money (see earlier post!) check out this website. Basically, if people have empty rooms or apartments, they rent them out for short periods at a time similar to a Bed and Breakfast. Its a pretty sweet idea if you ask me, although there is a lot of potential for... err... bad experiences I suppose. My host however is super chill and has pretty much completely left me to my devices.

This morning I swam outdoors (speedo tan line, here I come baby!) with Marymount University's swim team. I love swimming outdoors, and I always enjoy swimming with a team. All swimmers are pretty much the same type of people, although there was a bit of culture shock for me coming from a D1 program... (you mean I can go 1:30 base intervals for yards??)

After the swim I rode 55 on the one highway leading out of the Keys... That concept makes me a little claustrophobic. I am so used to the plains with roads leading in literally all directions, but hey there is something to be said for clear blue waters all around you... and some damn good Cuban food since were only like 100 miles from Havana.

On that note, there is something about this place that reminds me of the Latin American countries I have visited... everything is just a bit run down, there are feral chickens roaming the roads, and a lot of European tourists. I do, however, have cell service and a decent cheeseburger all within reach.

I cramped up a bit on the ride, so I had to cut my run short tonight, but I am really looking forward to getting back at it tomorrow. I feel like I really needed a camp like this where I can focus and get some solid work done to kick start the new year and the new season. It always helps to break out of a rut by traveling! Until tomorrow, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!