After wrapping up our 3-day advanced camp on Wednesday late afternoon, we were excited to welcome our next set of campers for the 3-day endurance camp. There was even some overlap at the Swamp Rabbit Inn so that the endurance campers could see the exhaustion - I mean excitement - on their faces as they enjoyed 4 Sidewall Pizzas as a "gift" from Karel and me.
As for the endurance camp, this group was no less dedicated or determined compared to the advanced group. All seven athletes were prepared to put in some solid work, try new skills and stretch the comfort zone. We had a similar camp structure to the advanced camp with only a few modifications.
Thursday
AM: 60 min pool swim
Late morning: 2:30 bike workout followed by a 30 minute run.
Friday
AM: 70 minute open water swim workout followed by a 60 minute hilly run workout
PM: 2-hour ride
Thursday
AM: 60 min pool swim
Late morning: 2:30 bike workout followed by a 30 minute run.
Friday
AM: 70 minute open water swim workout followed by a 60 minute hilly run workout
PM: 2-hour ride
Saturday
2:20-hour bike ride (with a 4.5 mile climb/descend) followed by a 80-min run workout.
In total, our endurance campers completed just over 2 hours of swimming, almost 7 hours of cycling and almost 3 hours of running. This came out to around 12 hours of training in less than 72 hours.
The ride/run/swim locations were similar to the advanced camp except for Friday - the PM ride was more skill focused and less hilly than the advanced camp.
With so much to gain at a training camp, here are a few camp lessons that you can apply to your solo training routine:
2:20-hour bike ride (with a 4.5 mile climb/descend) followed by a 80-min run workout.
In total, our endurance campers completed just over 2 hours of swimming, almost 7 hours of cycling and almost 3 hours of running. This came out to around 12 hours of training in less than 72 hours.
The ride/run/swim locations were similar to the advanced camp except for Friday - the PM ride was more skill focused and less hilly than the advanced camp.
With so much to gain at a training camp, here are a few camp lessons that you can apply to your solo training routine:
- You are so much stronger and more capable than you think you are.
- When in doubt, you can dig deeper and exceed your expectations.
- Don't forget your "whys" on your tough days or when you have a setback or when life is extremely stressful.
- To better take care of others, you need to take care of yourself.
- Be more kind and more patient with yourself - especially given current circumstances of your life.
- Never stop learning.
- Don't be afraid to try new things.
- Be open to change.
- Enhance your strengths.
- Never stop working on your weaknesses.
- Maximize your time spent training but don't forget to stop and enjoy the view.
- Don't be paralyzed by your fears or the what ifs.
- Don't be afraid to test yourself and push your mental and physical limits.
- Provide yourself with a supportive, safe and fun training environment.
- Surround yourself with energy-givers.
Here are a few pictures from the 3-day endurance training camp (in no particular order):
