The Monicas

I'm down in Southern California doing a mini training camp for my upcoming ironman. First up are Tom and Maria Monica, who I met thirteen years ago when I first moved to San Francisco. Tom is a numerous Xterra World Champion as well as a multiple Kona qualifier; and Maria was a podium finisher at Kona, and she used to race as a Pro/Cat 1/2. And well, I've always been their less talented step-child trying to keep up. I recall an 8+ hour training session that left me so wasted, I could only walk my bike the 3+ miles through Golden Gate Park to get home. So many people stopped me that day to ask if I was okay or if I needed help with a flat tire. I'm no longer that 26 year-old, and in fact, I'm the same age as Tom was when we first met. I told him that I now run the same way he did back then, when I teased him that he was too old to get his heart rate up. Some things never change: the man can still swim, ride, and run, and Maria still pushes it on the flats and the descents telling us to go go go. It was so nice to ride with two people I have so much history with, but even nicer to know that we all aren't stuck in the past: new bikes and new racing kits! On Saturday, I get to train with the ET's, or the Endurance Twins, Charisa and Ian.