Like much of the world, we never expected a global pandemic to erase our spring and summer plans. And with no end in sight, we are all trying to adjust to a new normal. For the past 6 years, we have held two group training camps - one in the spring and one in mid summer.
Fast forward to mid May, we knew that we would not be able to hold our June camp as originally planned. To do our part to help stop the spread of COVID-19, we cancelled our June camp and refunded the athletes who registered. For those who felt comfortable traveling to Greenville and being in a group training environment, we offered the opportunity for our campers to attend a smaller size camp in July and August with a few changes to our normal camp structure (specifically lodging and travel).
Well, time went on and in late June, we once again didn't feel comfortable holding our modified camps in July and August. Once again, we tried to figure out a way to safely hold a training camp while following current CDC and local guidelines.
Karel and I have been diligent about keeping ourselves (and others) safe throughout this pandemic. We've made changes to how Karel does his bike fits, we have declined invites to group events (ex. wedding, birthday celebrations) and we have not traveled (except for my bday trip to a farm in NC) since March. We haven't eaten out at a restaurant since the winter and we haven't visited our beautiful downtown Greenville since Feb. We visit the grocery store and the aquatic center as our typical outings and we have been wearing masks since before they were required in public places. We are trying our best to keep ourselves safe and to keep others safe........I really miss hugs. We have a few training partners that we spend time around but the vibe is always one of worry and fear as to not contract or spread a virus.
While cancelling our summer camp was an option, we felt like we could responsibly hold a training camp for our athletes. But, we would need to make some changes. More than anything, with a season of cancelled races, we felt like they needed the escape to feel like their training was being validated. With a several new camp guidelines in place and several changes to our camp structure and size, the benefits of attending a group training camp remained the same (even during a pandemic). Knowing how difficult it is to plan anything right now, we decide to hold one week of camps (which occurred last week).
- Instead of holding one 4.5 day group training camp of 10-15 athletes, we held two smaller 3-day camps (first camp from Mon-Wed (advanced) had 5 campers and the second camp from Thurs-Sat (endurance) had 7 campers). This allowed for easier physical distancing.
- We had our local athlete Alvi help us throughout camp instead of bringing our assistant coach Joe (who lives in Florida). Sorry Joe :(
- Instead of holding our camp at the Swamp Rabbit Lodge (where all campers would be sleeping and eating in the same house), our campers stayed in their own rooms at the Swamp Rabbit Inn in Traveler's Rest. We still wanted our campers in the same location to minimizing commuting. The Inn has plenty of space to spread out and a pool to encourage safe socializing.
- We encouraged our campers to prepare all food in advance to minimize grocery shopping and to discourage eating out. If our campers were to eat out or go out in public spaces, they were required to wear a mask.
- We held all of our conversations outside before/after workouts and did not hold our typical "group" educational discussions in the evening (which would require being in close proximity of one another).
- We required masks inside the aquatic center.
- We had hand sanitzer available anytime we provided foods and drinks.
- Athletes were not allowed to fly to camp but had to drive.
- Athletes were required to make good decisions before and during camp to ensure maintaining good health throughout camp.
- Instead of asking for free sport nutrition products and swag from companies, we purchased products from our local run store (Run In) to give back to the local community.
- We will be donating 10% of our camp proceeds to three organizations: HarvestHope Food Bank, School Tools and the Greenville Humane Society.
Although the camp environment felt a little different, the experience remained the same. Our campers left camp knowing that they stretched their comfort zone, tested physical and mental limits, practiced new skills, broke bad habits, trained safely in a group environment and temporarily escaped the normal stressors of life (job stress, life stress, family/kids).