The Whip

Latigo is the Spanish word for 'whip' so it's no surprise that Latigo Canyon bends and curves in a seemingly endless series of twists, always going up. 10+ miles of climbing to the top of the Santa Monica mountains.

That was our task this past Sunday, as we are now inside of 3 months for Ironman Florida. The idea being that such unrelenting climbing helps to build great leg strength, which is going to be needed on that 112-mile bike leg.

I'm glad I had never driven up that road before because if I had, I don't think I could have brought myself to try it on a bike. And now that I've done it, it's one of those "Wow, I've come a long way" moments that happen every so often in triathlon.

The bike has always been my weakness and I am always a bit hesitant on it, especially when it comes to big climbs, as once you start up these things there is usually no stopping or turning back. I couple of different times I literally thought I was going to fall over because the exertion was so tough and there was no where to go. But I've always gotten through it, although the experience can be a bit haunting. I've never had anything like that in the swim or run.

But, we made it up there, all the while in my lowest gear going about as slow as you can go without falling over. Took a little more than an hour to cover the 10 miles.

Then, we cut along the crest of Mullholand, over to Decker Canyon, then back to Mullholland for a nice descent to PCH. Rode a little further north then back to Pepperdine for a solid 4-hour ride, easily the most difficult I've ever done.

Just two weeks prior, I did a 6-hour ride followed by a 30-minute run. That wasn't too bad because it was just up PCH, so nothing by good rollers and no big climbs.

I am certainly serious about my training these days and things are getting pretty intense. I leave for a family reunion in Wisconsin for a few days, which will be a good opportunity to get a couple of long runs in the humidity. I'll also have access to a pool, and will need to get a couple of good swims under my belt.