I was able to sit down with Ben Collins at a coffee shop in Boulder this weekend and pick his brain.

CTT: Where are you living?

Ben: Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. Although, I still consider Seattle my home.

CTT: How much time will you spend in Seattle this year?

Ben: Probably just a few weeks. After the Seoul WCS race and when the season is over.

CTT: How much time will you be spending living out of a suitcase?

Ben: Months. I am thinking that between training camps, traveling to Asia and Europe, I will be living out a giant K-Swiss bag 40% of the time.

CTT: What do you do in your spare time?

Ben: I am trying to learn Spanish and the guitar. I use Rosetta Stone while on the trainer. My mini aero bars support my laptop so that helps me learn. However, I have noticed that when I go to Mexico I forget the stuff that I learned until I get on my bike. Then all the phrases come flooding back.

CTT: And the guitar?

Ben: I go back to my dorm room at the OTC, close my door (because I am embarrassed about how bad I am) and play the 5 chords that I know. Matt Chrabot and Kevin Collington both play guitar as well, but I am too embarrassed to play with anyone else.

CTT: Do you know any other languages?

Ben: Not very well, but at the Olympic Training Center there is an athlete center with books to read, DVDs to check out, couches to relax on, as well as computers set up with Rosetta Stone for different languages. So I can sit down in front of the German Rosetta Stone before going to Kitchbuel, Austria.

CTT: How are you preparing for the season opener in Florida?

Ben: I am headed to Miami in less than two weeks to race in the Miami International Triathlon. I am excited that I have gotten a bit of elevation training in. My winter went well, I have a good base built, and Miami will be a good test of my fitness.

CTT: The weather will be different in Florida from Colorado. How are you going to deal with that?

Ben: It helps that I spent 8 weeks in Honolulu over the winter. Those adaptations don’t just disappear. I have been overdressing for my workouts and consuming more Nuun that I can count. Now I just count on my fitness and hydration.

CTT: Thanks for your time, enjoy the Colorado weather.

Ben: Thank you.

Boulder, CO 2-28-10

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