We always tell our campers that day 3 of our training camps is the hardest - mentally and physically. However, our campers really surprised us in Clermont because they were actually really looking forward to a change of scenery on Saturday morning for the endurance ride as well as a brick run. We started day 1 and 2 of camp with a run workout so I think they were also looking forward to getting on the bike first thing in the morning.
We also let them sleep in on Saturday and we didn't start our ride until 7:30am. Every night, our campers went to bed earlier and earlier so just a good sign that they were recovering well from a day full of training.
Our campers also fueled exceptionally well for every workout and ate well throughout the day so I knew that poor fueling or unhealthy eating wouldn't be an issue for our campers.The Saturday workout was endurance focused with a 3 hour ride followed by a 20 minute brick run.
We all rode to the Buckhill loop and instructed our athletes to ride in groups (we put them into groups of 4-5 of similar abilities) at an endurance effort - not easy but not hard. After 2 days of training, we knew they would be tired and a little fatigued but this accumulative training stress was planned and we wanted our campers to learn how to adjust efforts (and mindset) when training tired.
Our campers fueled very well before the long brick as well as during (and good hydrating) which was great because I had no fears/worries about athletes bonking or complaining of being hangry and tired.
Every camper had a body that was energized and healthy!
I want to send a big thank you to Taylor (and Maggie) for providing SAG support on Saturday for our campers who needed any extra nutrition or hydration. Although it wasn't too hot out, it's always nice to have extra fuel just in case.
Plus it was nice to have our photographer Taylor on the course taking pictures of all our athletes.
After the 3 hour ride (our campers did 3-5 loops depending on fitness level) we all rode back to the team duplex house and everyone geared up for a 20-minute brick run.
We asked our campers to lay out their gear just like in a race (transition area) so that it would be a quick transition to the run.
We also asked our campers to wear their hydration belts for the brick run as it's just one of those things that you want to get comfortable wearing just like a race belt, hat or a watch. The more you wear it, the more comfortable it feels. Our campers had Clif Hydration in their belt flasks as I didn't want them to see the brick run as "only" running 20 minutes off the bike but instead, seeing the run as a continuation from the 3 hour bike workout and to understand that they still need fuel and hydration to delay fatigue even if "only" running 20 minutes.
We timed the weather perfectly as we all finished the run in the rain.
There's something so fun about running in the rain but it's even more fun when you have 16 of your fellow teammates running with you.
After the workout, our campers cleaned up and picked up their packets at Waterfront Park (1/2 mile from the team house) and then had the rest of the day OFF from training.
While Karel was performing a RETUL fit at our townhome during the afternoon, our campers rested and then starting preparing dinner around 4:30pm.
What a nice spread of food!!
This is how I like my campers to eat at camp!
While our campers were eating, Karel and I had a brief chat with our campers about race execution for Sunday and then we had a special guest speak to our group at 7pm.
I want to send a BIG thank you to Dr. G (Gloria) with Life With No Limits Coaching for speaking to our athletes for 75 minutes about Mental Toughness and the Champion Mindset.
Gloria gave her presentation via Skype and it was a very interactive and informative presentation. Gloria is a true professional with so much experience as a clinical sport psychologist. And as a former Trimarni athlete (we still coach her hubby Ken) and long time friend, I knew she was the perfect person to provide our team with the best info possible to help them improve their mental skills as athletes and human beings.
Thank you again Gloria for giving us all great tips and advice for developing a champion mindset. Our campers were able to bring so many new tools and tricks to race day after 3 days of training camp.
Stay tuned for day 4 of camp - race day!!!