TRAINING UPDATES

Imagine traveling 300 miles, for seven to 12 days, on land and water, through some of the world’s most brutal terrain all by non-motorized means, such as: jungle trekking, ocean paddling, swimming and coasteering, mountain biking, river kayaking and packrafting, canyoneering, fixed ropes and navigation. This is what Team EarthLink trains for.

The members of Team EarthLink abide by the adventure racing lifestyle and maintain a constant, year-round training regiment. They live in perpetual evolution -- constantly improving their knowledge, skills, strength and stamina to maintain their place in the top ranks of this ultra-competitive, growing sport.

See below for some Team EarthLink training highlights.

Mike Trisler training report from Sunset Beach …
Top adventure racers lead a unique lifestyle, and Mike lives it to the fullest – training, eating and training some more in some of the world’s most spectacular and taxing environments. This report, directly from Mike’s home on Sunset Beach in Hawaii, is a sample of a day in the life …

September 26
I start the morning with a few bananas and a Triple Venti Mocha. Then I'll paddle from Sunset Beach to Haleiwa and back – a 15 mile, 2 and a half hour kayak in my surf ski. That’s followed by a half hour swim and a session of pushups, pull-ups and sit-ups for about 30 minutes.

Time for a break: six eggs, scrambled with ham, cheese and avocado, with sour cream and salsa on top. Add some oatmeal with lots of half and half, and it’s off to Peacock Flats for a ride and run.

The 2000-ft. climb on the bike takes about 40 minutes. I do it twice, and then jog for an hour on the ridge. After grinding lunch at the bakery in Haleiwa, which consists of 6 ounces of wheatgrass, a tall carrot-apple juice and a half-pound hamburger with fries, I have to finish ordering gear from REI, and maybe go for a surf – since we have a new swell on the way. I usually surf ‘til dark, and sit in my jacuzzi with a cold Guinness or glass of Pinot Nior.

Next it’s off to Haleiwa Joes for a big steak, some raw ahi (Poke), mashed potatoes, salad and finally home for the best part of the day – BEN AND JERRY'S COFFEE HEATH BAR CRUNCH. Two Big Pints!

Friday I'll kitesurf for a few hours, do a 7-mile beach run, 6-mile paddle, and rock climb in the afternoon.

-TE-

Training alone is necessary but sometimes challenging
Team EarthLink’s members live all over the country – Jason in Santa Monica, Calif.; Robyn in San Diego, Calif.; Isaac in Park City, Utah; and Mike on Sunset Beach in Hawaii – making training solo a common practice and even mandatory. But while it’s necessary, it’s not always ideal …

September 13
Jason takes off from Pointe Dume, just north of Malibu, embarking on a four-hour workout in the Pacific. The plan is to sail his outrigger canoe and kite to Santa Monica, dock the canoe, jump on his bike, and ride approximately 20 miles back to where he put in – a loop he’s taken many times.

After an hour in the water, Jason is approximately 10 miles from the coast making a direct line across the bay en route to his destination. Without notice the kite powers up, rips him from the boat and through the ama (outrigger extension made for balance), tearing it from the hull. The kite drags him for about 20 feet through the water before he releases it, allowing it to drop out of sight.

Back at the canoe, which has capsized and floats separately from the ama, he lashes the pieces together, gathers his floating gear, and heads towards shore and the fallen kite. Luck finally surfaces as he’s able to find and retrieve the kite.

After hours of paddling through a thick marine layer, which allows for only a short field of vision, he’s able to see the shore and make out familiar landmarks on the Malibu coast. Just as this training session seems to be coming to an end, he notices the ama submerge and realizes that the lashes have worn holes through the carbon fiber casing, making the canoe impossible to move through the water. In a last-ditch effort to salvage the remains instead of swimming to shore, he buckles his PFD (personal floatation device) to the ama to keep it afloat.

The quick fixes hold, and he washes ashore in Malibu – 6 hours after pushing off from Point Dume.

-TE-

Working out the kinks … Team training session
Robyn, Isaac and Mike joined Jason in Santa Monica for a few days of comprehensive Team training. With their physical fitness levels already peaking from nine solid months of racing and training, the priority for this three-day session is to work out the kinks. They will spend much of their time working with their mandatory gear for Eco-Challenge making sure everything is ready and working properly.

But even thought their focus is on gear – new racing bikes, ocean kayak accessories, safety equipment, etc. – they're prepared for a serious workout. That’s the only way to really test their toys.

September 11
The team starts with a long bike ride out of the city and up into the Santa Monica Mountains. Jason leads the group through his “back yard” where he trains year-round. Once up in the hills, just north of Los Angeles, the team has a number of routes that can take them up and down thousands of feet of elevation and descent. Again, the goal is not to work their legs, but to work the new bikes EPX sent from Georgia. The team and bikes fare well, and they move on to the next training stage.

After some testing of sails and kites on the beaches at San Pedro, just south of L.A., the team sets off for a six-hour paddle down to Dana Point. Once they navigate the 40- to 50-miles of ocean kayaking, they pack up their gear and drive to San Diego for an night of recovery and reflection on the day’s activities.

September 12
Day two of team training and preparation. The team starts early and moves back up to San Pedro for another kayaking run. Anticipating a substantial amount of paddling and ocean navigation in Fiji, they focus on streamlining the process of traveling through open water.

Jason and Robyn team-up in one two-person kayak with Isaac and Mike along side in the second, and they take the same route from San Pedro to Dana Point – again working on their strength and coordination in the small boats. Hours later they land, pack up, and Jason, Isaac and Mike head back to Santa Monica while Robyn returns to San Diego. The trip is deemed a success with adjustments to gear, strategy set for Fiji, and everyone heading home for the final weeks before Eco-Challenge.

-TE-