I'd say that was a productive and successful train-cation. Travel went smoothly, we remained in great health and we were able to accomplish all of our planned workouts. The warm weather and change of scenery was exactly what we needed to recharge. Although this felt far from a vacation as every day included several hours of computer work, it was a nice escape from the daily grind.
After our 3.5 day "camp" in Clermont, FL. concluded on Thurs afternoon, we drove to Jacksonville, FL to finish out the rest of our trip - Karel had four bike fits for some of our FL athletes scheduled over the next two days. We stayed with our assistant coach Joe, and his wife Erica, son Weston and dog Reagan. After spending 6 years in Jacksonville, it was nice to be back and to train on familiar roads. Although much more car-filled/busy for my liking, it was a nice change to train on roads that were flat!
To finish off our week of training:
Friday AM:
4250 yard swim (for me, Karel had the morning off for his fits)
Friday PM:
1:38 ride (Karel and I did this workout together after his fits)
Saturday AM:
2:45 bike followed by a 15 min run (for me)
Karel had an EZ 45 min run in the morning before his fits
Sunday AM:
75 min run (for me)
90 min run (Karel)
After our 3.5 day "camp" in Clermont, FL. concluded on Thurs afternoon, we drove to Jacksonville, FL to finish out the rest of our trip - Karel had four bike fits for some of our FL athletes scheduled over the next two days. We stayed with our assistant coach Joe, and his wife Erica, son Weston and dog Reagan. After spending 6 years in Jacksonville, it was nice to be back and to train on familiar roads. Although much more car-filled/busy for my liking, it was a nice change to train on roads that were flat!
To finish off our week of training:
Friday AM:
4250 yard swim (for me, Karel had the morning off for his fits)
Friday PM:
1:38 ride (Karel and I did this workout together after his fits)
Saturday AM:
2:45 bike followed by a 15 min run (for me)
Karel had an EZ 45 min run in the morning before his fits
Sunday AM:
75 min run (for me)
90 min run (Karel)
All of these workouts had a specific focus or set(s).
As for the "camp" (or train-cation), I found myself thinking of a few aspects that are important when embarking on an intentional over-training load in a new/different environment. Interestingly, these aspects apply to the daily-grind, particularly in your own home environment.
Be organized and preparedFrom charging gadgets and having extra gear/equipment to having food prepped, being organized and prepared makes it easier to accomplish what you intend to accomplish - all in a timely manner. The tools and methods that you choose are completely up to you but being organized and prepared can reduce stress to make your training much more enjoyable and productive. I feel a key component here is learning what works and what doesn't work. There are no mistakes but lessons learned. I'm a big fan of writing down an itinerary for the day and then planning what needs to get done in order to make the day as productive as possible. Rarely does leaving things to chance work out for the best.
Be organized and preparedFrom charging gadgets and having extra gear/equipment to having food prepped, being organized and prepared makes it easier to accomplish what you intend to accomplish - all in a timely manner. The tools and methods that you choose are completely up to you but being organized and prepared can reduce stress to make your training much more enjoyable and productive. I feel a key component here is learning what works and what doesn't work. There are no mistakes but lessons learned. I'm a big fan of writing down an itinerary for the day and then planning what needs to get done in order to make the day as productive as possible. Rarely does leaving things to chance work out for the best.
Be flexible
In training and on race day, every athlete needs the skill of being flexible. Although we were able to accomplish our training for the week, it wasn't without a obstacles. I had two flat tires (on two different days), lightening forced us out of the pool for nearly 40 minutes (we got back in and finished our workout) and rainy/cool weather required us to swap a few workouts around. While we had a plan for the day, rarely did things go as planned. To ensure that workouts stay of quality so that you can adapt well to your training sessions, it's important to not compromise sleep and nutrition just because you are too rigid with your training sessions. To work out at any cost can do more harm than good. A smart approach to training allows for positive adaptations. If you have become a bit obsessed with rules, strict schedules and a perfect plan, I encourage you to become more mentally flexible and less of a perfectionist. I'll share a secret with you - you can still have a "perfect" training session or race, even if everything doesn't go as planned.
Be kind
Be kind
I can't tell you how many times I thanked my body throughout the last seven days. I couldn't believe how quickly I bounced back from my training sessions and how my body performed with such a training overload. Being kind to my body was much more than just thanking it. Being kind also included prioritizing good sleep, eating and fueling properly, hydrating well and keeping up with mobility work. Not once during our train-cation did I comment (or think) about how I looked of what my body looked like. In a toxic body image world, I have learned to accept my body for how it is and to be kind and respectful to it with my nutrition, training and mindset. Without body kindness, it's easy to sabotage your workouts and destroy your health due to poor body image, self-hate, body shaming and being too critical. Being kind means letting go of the mindset that you need to "look" a certain way in order to be a better, faster or more successful athlete. Being kind means listening to your body when it needs rest, fuel, hydration and nourishment. Being kind means giving your body sleep instead of trying to function in a caffeinated, sleep-deprived state. Being kind means removing negative people in your life who you compare yourself to and/or don't make you feel good about yourself. Being kind means enjoying what you can do with your body and thanking your body for what it allows you to do.