Cabo Triathlon Training Camp(s)

Yesterday I felt exactly what it's like when you combine passion and work, and when you understand why you experienced what you did years prior, and why you are where you are at this very moment.

I posted this on my Facebook yesterday, even though there's still quite of bit of planning left because I know once the camp is officially open for registration people will appreciate having had a heads up.

"Get ready for the most EPIC "tracation" EVER!!...When I got to Cabo it sort of felt like the Kona of Mexico: Great highway, mountains juxtaposed with stunning coastline full of majestic bays for swimming & golf courses and new roads and trails for running, I could not contain my excitement and determination to bring my friends and make this a new Mecca of triathlon.

Life works wonders, & I've been fortunate to connect with some incredible people that share the same passion for sport and vision for Cabo as an athletic destination.

We already have the Ironman, we're planning more races, mountain biking is part if the culture here, we have a half marathon in February, & more and more people show up for group open water swims, and rides in and out of Cabo on some amazing mountainous roads.

We had a meeting today at the site of the ongoing TriCaboKidz camp and you could feel the generational impact of sport all around you.

We're going to offer an intermediate to advanced training camp for adults (to start) and invite a couple interested pros to help us promote the camp and lead the campers in swims, bikes, runs, trx sessions, and nutrition/training talks. The details of the discount packages for accommodations etc, as well as the "invite package" for pros will be announced later as we're still in the beginning stages of setting the camps loose;)!!

Friends, friends of friends, amateurs and pros alike, sponsors, and anyone else interested, please contact me with any questions or to mark your enthusiasm just like this post/album.

Where else can you get 350 + days of summer sunshine/yr, turquoise waters, quick (California!) and easy travel, amazing food and hospitality, and the chance to literally "live the dream" training?!?!"

We're shooting for early 2015 to allow participants a chance to really get in some SOLID work load before the season commences. Eventually, we hope to offer a mid and end of year camp as well. Because Cabo can get VERY hot in the summer months- July-September, I want to organize something for the masochists (like myself) that like brutal but effective Kona prep. 

The accommodations (villas/condos/homes and hotels) that we will offer campers- pros and amateurs- will be second to none. No matter your budget, you will be somewhere that allows training, recovery, and "enjoyment" :) to be your only concern. 

Myself and other locals we'll be partnering with, will offer rides to and from the airport, to other activities you may want to explore in Cabo (if you have energy left haha), and to some of the areas best EATS. This won't just be triathlon training- it will be the ultimate Cabo experience!!

Puerto Los Cabos & A Day at Diamante (Athlete Utopia)

Life in Cabo makes you forget what day of the week it is, but before my family left yesterday afternoon, we continued having a ball at the seemingly endless attractions in this part of Baja.

One night, my parents were exhausted and decided to stay home so my brother and I ventured out to dinner alone and I took him to The Container in Puerto Los Cabos. It's a restaurant literally built in/from a ship container with incredible views of the PLC Marina, and though right off of the main street from downtown San Jose, it feels remote and extremely serene.

We both had a perfectly cooked snapper on a bed of rice and sautéed vegetables with a subtle Cabernet. Afterwards, we took a walk to look at all the boats and noticed the dolphins jumping slightly out of the water adjacent the Marina. It's the pools that belong to Dolphin Encounter, where during the day tourists or whoever can "swim" with the dolphins. Having swum in the wild in Hawaii numerous times with dolphins, and experienced the structured "swimming" at a similar facility to this in Cancun, I'd rather leave it to my slim chances in open water where I can really connect with these animals in their true environment.

Daniel of course immediately noticed that the only thing keeping us out of the dolphin pools was a tiny rope. "C'mon!" he urged me, "There's no one around". I love these animals and there really was not a soul in sight so I followed him. We laid down and splashed the water a bit but they weren't showing us any interest, so we moved on to the next pool. After a few minutes, 3-5 dolphins came right up to us, stuck their cute little heads out and let us pet them :)!!!!! Best. Night. Ever.

Thankfully, because it's Mexico, once we were spotted by a security guy, who btw was on the phone talking about some girl to a friend, he casually came up to us and said "um you guys can't be here" and proceeded with his phone call. My brother apologized and told him they're our favorite animal, and he humorously responded "I'm kind of sick of them, I see them every day". I love how in the US this would've probably been considered trespassing and/or gotten us some misdemeanor. 

After our play date with Flipper, we went straight to bed as we had a long day at Diamante in store the next day. 

The Diamante development, located off Highway 19 a few minutes from Cabo heading toward Todos Santos, is a majestic 1500 acre property with 1.5 miles of Pacific coastline. It features the newly designed Tiger Woods El Cardonal golf course, along with the Davis Love III Dunes Course, multi million dollar beach estates, villas, the 10 acre saltwater lagoon, a hotel in the works, tennis courts, baseball field, soccer field, and state of the art fitness center. 

We met with the head of Sales for Diamante, and he took us through all of the construction, residence options, and toured us around the incredible grounds. Afterwards, we had a delicious lunch at their 24/7 cafe, and played for hours in the lagoon and sand pit- paddle boarding, swimming, beach volleyball, soccer, drinks at the pool bar....epic. 

As an athlete, my eyes and mind were LIT. This project, in addition to events like Ironman Los Cabos, the Cabo Half Marathon in February, the already famous surfing community, and the booming interest in SUP, are paving an incredibly exciting road for Cabo becoming a sports mecca. 

In other posts I've talked about how perfect Highway 19 is for cycling, and although the main Highway 1 that lines the Corridor from San Jose to Cabo has more cars, with a few yellow "respect bicycles" or "share the road" signs, Cabo's caring and respectful people will make this a prime destination for athletes to train.

My plan is to get involved with the Secretary of Tourism and help promote health and an active lifestyle to the People of Los Cabos. With the increasing number of Americans and Canadians- many of them outdoors lovers- coming to buy property in Cabo, this sporting culture goes hand in hand with the tourism that drives the economy of Baja Sur.

I'm in the process of talking to several resorts to partner with me in hosting a training camp for pros and age groupers, whereby they'd get a discounted all inclusive hotel fee, access to the resort's gym, sagged, safe, and uninterrupted bike rides, trail and road runs, pool and plenty of open water swimming, and the priceless opportunity to spread the message of sport to the local community.

If you're interested, I'll be announcing something on FB, Twitter, and my blog when the time to sign up comes, and feel free to comment here or message me on FB.