Tucson, Arizona training trip - March 7-14, 2026
Spring Break Training Camp in Tucson: The Week I’m Using to Build Toward My Next Ironman (Canada, 2026)
Every year I try and carve out one week that’s entirely dedicated to training. A time when I have no classes, no normal schedule, and time to just hammer volume consistly. This spring break I’m heading to Tucson, Arizona for what will hopefully be the biggest training block of my season so far.
I’m 21 years old and have finished four full Ironmans, usually landing in the top 15 of the 18–24 age group. At this point I’ve realized that the biggest jumps in fitness don’t come from random hard workouts during the semester. But rather they come from short windows where you can stack a lot of aerobic training back-to-back and actually focus on recovery between sessions.
Tucson has been on my radar for a while. It’s basically a training playground for endurance athletes: endless desert roads, consistent warm weather, and climbs that force you to be honest about your fitness are landmarks of this trip. Instead of trying to cram huge rides and long runs into my normal college schedule, the goal of this trip is to dedicate a full week to building endurance the right way.
So here’s the plan for the week.
Why Tucson?
If you follow long-course triathlon or cycling, Tucson comes up a lot. Pros train there, cycling teams hold camps there, and endurance athletes from around the country head there during the winter and early spring.
A few reasons why it’s ideal for a training block:
Warm, predictable weather in March
Long, quiet desert roads for cycling
Huge climbs like Mount Lemmon
Access to both road riding and trail running
For long-distance triathlon especially, having terrain variety matters. You can do steady endurance rides one day and steep climbing the next without repeating the exact same stimulus.
The Plan for the Week
The trip runs March 7–14, flying from Indianapolis into Phoenix before driving down to Tucson and staying in an Airbnb near good riding routes.
The week is structured around building volume while still keeping recovery in the mix.
Day 1 – Travel and shakeout ride
The first day is mostly travel: flying into Phoenix, grabbing lunch, and making the drive to Tucson.
Once we arrive the plan is simple: unpack, build the bike, and spin the legs for an easy shakeout ride. Nothing crazy quite yet.
Day 2 – Long ride + trail climb
The first real training day starts with an early breakfast and a long ride straight from the Airbnb.
Later in the day we’re heading out to Tanque Verde Ridge Trail and climbing toward Tanque Verde Dome. It’s a steep desert trail, so it’ll likely be a mix of running and power hiking.
Stacking a ride with a trail climb is a good way to build aerobic volume without putting all the stress on one discipline. It also builds my fitness for my 100 mile trail run in September.
Day 3 – Mount Lemmon
This is the ride I’m most excited for.
Mount Lemmon is one of the most famous climbs in the U.S. for cyclists. It’s over 45 miles of climbing with roughly 6,500 feet of elevation gain.
For long-distance triathlon, climbs like this are perfect for practicing pacing and fueling. You’re forced to stay controlled for a long time, which is exactly the skill you need during Ironman bike legs.
The plan is to treat it like a long steady tempo effort rather than racing to the top. Instead of riding my triathlon bike, I’ll be renting a trek Madone with disk brakes to really feel confident on Lemmon’s steep descents. Also, the lightweight elements of the Madone will be huge in energy savings. I plan to Vlog this day pretty heavily to capture what it’s like!
Day 4 – Desert endurance ride
This day will focus on the Cactus Forest Loop inside Saguaro National Park.
It’s a rolling loop surrounded by desert landscape and giant saguaros. The goal here isn’t intensity, it’s simply time in the saddle and to take in the beauty of the southern Arizona desert.
Long-course racing rewards athletes who are comfortable riding for hours at a steady output, and this ride is meant to build that durability, especially in the aero position.
Day 5 – Recovery day
One of the biggest mistakes athletes make on training camps is refusing to rest.
Midweek we’re planning a full recovery day with:
Easy swimming and the University of Arizona pool
Mobility work
Good food and hydration
and an epic trip to the Pima Air Museum to see some epic aircraft history
Taking a step back here should help make the back half of the week stronger and add some extra special elements to an already epic experience.
Day 6 – Run focus
After the rest day the focus shifts slightly toward running.
The plan is a longer run along the Fort Lowell area, keeping the effort controlled but building mileage. Later in the day we’ll spin easy on the Tucson Velo Trail just to flush the legs.
This is a classic endurance setup: long aerobic run followed by an easy recovery ride.
Day 7 – Big trail day
The biggest endurance effort of the week will likely be the Finger Rock Canyon hike/run, around 15 miles.
It’s steep and rugged terrain that will probably turn into a mix of running and hiking depending on the grade.
For me, this kind of effort builds strength and durability that you don’t get from flat running alone. It should be great prep for the body to see some real trail running and elevation.
Plus, doing it late in the week means tackling it with some accumulated fatigue. this will be super realistic for long-course racing.
Day 8 – Travel home
The final day is packing up, driving back to Phoenix, and flying home.
At that point, the goal shifts from training to recovering and absorbing the week.
Also getting ready for school… Boo!!!
If You Want to Plan Your Own Training Camp
For college athletes trying to do something similar, a few principles guided this trip:
1. Anchor the week around one or two big sessions
For me that’s Mount Lemmon and the long trail day.
2. Prioritize volume over intensity
Most of the week is steady aerobic work, not all-out efforts.
3. Schedule a real recovery day
Without it, the back half of the camp usually falls apart.
4. Mix different types of training
Road riding, climbing, trail running, and endurance mileage all stress the body in different ways.
5. Plan logistics ahead of time
Routes, grocery stores, cycling shops, attractions, and recovery spots are all figured out before arriving so the focus can stay on training and relaxation as well as a step back from the stresses of college.
Looking Ahead
The goal of this trip isn’t just to get through a tough week. We’re rather creating a training stimulus that pushes my fitness forward heading into race season.
As college athletes, we rarely get uninterrupted time to train at a high volume. Spring break is one of the few opportunities to do that.
If everything goes to plan, Tucson should be the kind of week that leaves me tired, a little sunburned, and a lot fitter when I get back. Post trip Vlog and Blog post coming shortly after the trip concludes.
