With so many training routes available to us in and around Greenville, SC. no two Trimarni camps are ever the same. With several returning athletes to our 2022 Early Season triathlon camp, we made sure to give our athletes new workouts, new routes and new experiences.
Every Trimarni camp includes the following:
-Safe run and cycling routes
-Specific structured workouts (swim/bike/run)
-Proper recovery and nutrition focus
-Education
-Specifically designed routes so that no one is too fast or too slow
-Terrain management execution
-Skills, technique and form focus
-Race specific tips
Our campers settled into Greenville, SC. on Wednesday afternoon/evening and we started our first day of camp bright and early on Thursday morning. The day before camp is always a bit hectic for me as I'm packing swag/goodie bags, printing off liability forms, triple checking the weather and pool reservations and answering any last minute questions from our campers. I always send out an itinerary before our camps so that our athletes know exactly what to expect - from where to met, what workouts they will be doing and what to bring to how to fuel and eat throughout camp.
Day 1
90-minute long course swim
3-hour ride
40-minute run
We started the day at 7:30am at the Westside Aquatic Center. I reserved two long course lanes for our group. Prior to getting in the water, I handed out the goodie bags filled with products from some of our amazing partners. I ordered the cutest reusable bags for the items - each bag had a specific animal/nature print on it.
For the group swim, we started off with a warm-up and then spent some time working on technique with a series of single arms drills. We finished with 8 x 50's strong effort at the end from a 'dead' start (no pushing off the wall) to simulate open water swimming.
After the swim, we had a short break for the campers to refuel and get ready for the bike/run workout.
We met at Furman University by the amphitheater at 11am and spent an hour in an empty parking lot working on bike handling skills. Knowing the confidence (and safety) that comes with proper bike handling skills (like sudden stopping/braking, u-turns, getting out of the saddle and high speed cornering), we made sure our campers had an opportunity to work on their skills before heading out to real world conditions.
We took a short break (~20 minutes) to have a snack before heading out for our ride. Although we were out for 3 hours, some of this time was spent talking about specific terrain management execution to help athletes ride more efficiently over rolling terrain and punchy hills (without losing speed/momentum). Thankfully, we have so many different types of terrain that our campers are constantly applying and learning new skills.
After spending a little time back and forth on one stretch of road with a series of rollers, we rode to our "main set" out and back. This ~10 min stretch of road included a few twists on a somewhat flat (bumpy) road and then it included a short climb with a few gentle switchbacks. Our athletes rode this section (out and back, up and down) 3 times with several opportunities to work on climbing, descending and cornering.
When we returned back from our ride, it was time for a run. It was getting warm out and for several of our campers, this was their first "warm" workout outside so we needed to be mindful to not overstress the body.
The run workout was a short warm-up followed by 3 rounds of (3 min steady, 2 min strong, 1 min very strong w/ 30 sec walk between). After each round, 2 min best easy pace. We stayed on one side of the Furman lake so that everyone could see one another and support each other. The campers ran really strong and accumulated several running miles after a packed first day of camp.
Day 2
90-minute long course swim
Run-bike-run-bike-run-bike-run
Because of the weather, we needed to change our original plan of doing a run after the swim and then an afternoon bike. We told our campers the night prior that they would be doing a "fun" mega brick workout. With wind gusts up to 30 mph and colder conditions (40-50s), our mega brick would give them a quality workout in a safe environment.
After a break to refuel, we met at Pointset Park for the brick. The athletes started off with a 15-minute run and then got on their bikes for 3 x 8 minute big gear repeaters on Paris Mountain (descending down for recovery). After the BG work, back to the park for 3 x 3 min strong effort running up a steady hill w/ EZ jog between. Then back on the bike for 2 x 10 min up Paris Mountain (alternating 2 min choice, 2 min BG) w/ descend down for recovery. Then another run - this time "only" 2 x 3 min strong effort up the hill. Then, a climb up Paris mountain (~2.2 miles). The wind wasn't too bad since we were covered by the trees but there were a few gusty segments as we were descending. It was great practice for everyone to work on the important skills of descending on switchbacks, with gust/side winds. The last run was an EZ jog.
In total, the athletes did almost 45 minutes of running and almost 2 hours of riding (~3300 feet elevation gain in 19 miles). It was a mega brick and our athletes finished feeling very accomplished.
In the evening, we had our typical pizza party with delicious pizza from D'allesandro's. I always look forward to our pre-race and camp pizza parties as it's a chance to talk to our athletes in a more relaxed setting.
Day 3
3 hour ride
20 min run
After the ride, our campers did a "pre-race" 2-mile run on a concrete track with 100 meters fast strides to finish each loop. Although Saturday was a "short" day of training with only 3.5 hours, our campers had to pick up their race packets in the afternoon (and drive the bike course) and prepare for their race on Sunday!
Day 4 - Sprint Triathlon!
I love every camp experience for our athletes but this recent camp will be one that I'll never forget.
Our athletes were constantly being thrown out of their comfort zone yet no one complained. It was incredible to see their resiliency day after day. Everyone stayed mentally strong and focused, no matter what obstacle got in their way.