Trimarni camp recap - day 1

Wow – I can’t believe that our first endurance triathlon training camp is over! Karel and I could not be happier with how things went and it was all because of the positive energy that was shared throughout the camp from our inspiring campers.

Karel and I both knew that a Trimarni camp was in our near future but as we started to plan this camp in early January, we felt as if we didn't have enough time to get it all done. When it comes to getting things done, Karel and I are both "no excuses" type of people so if you ask us to do something, we will find a way to get it done. However, with that comes doing things right. Although there may be not be a perfect way to get something done, we always give our best effort.

We put a lot of time, money and effort into our camp so that it could be "right". Down to every detail, we knew that we couldn't make mistakes with this being our first camp but instead, everything would be a learning lesson.

After four days of swimming, biking and running in Clermont Florida, we are sad to see everyone go.

With 13 athletes (plus 2 for Sat afternoon swim + mock tri on Sun) from all over – California, Maine, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, Texas, Georgia and Florida –  new friendships were formed and there was non-stop happiness for four days. As to be expected, body's are tired and muscles are sore but each athlete has improved confidence when it comes to training and racing smart.

Several athletes stepped out of their comfort zone but now feel more confident with their skills. Every athlete had his/her comfort zone stretched with quality training, in hilly terrain, throughout the 4-day training camp.

It’s hard to summarize all that was accomplished during our camp but I would love to share some of the highlights from the camp.

Day 1: Thursday Feb 28^th 2014
6:30am – 1 hour swim
10 min warm-up
Pre set: 8 x 25’s – 10 strokes fast, rest of the pool EZ w/ 10 sec rest
Drill set w/ fins: 4 x 125’s – 25 right arm, 25 left arm, 25 6 beat kick w/ 1 stroke, 50 perfect stroke. W/ 20 sec rest
Main set:
4 x 100’s @ 80% w/ 10 sec rest (w/ fins)
4 x 100’s @ 90% w/ 20 sec rest (w/ fins)
4 x 100’s @ 90% w/ 30 sec rest (no fins)
200 cool down

8-8:20am – tour of the National Training Center.
(all Trimarni camp athletes had full access to the NTC facility throughout the entire camp)

8:30am-9:45am – interval run (hilly paved trail)
10 min warm-up
10 min dynamic stretching and discussion of the purpose of the workout/main set as well as key pointers to remember)
Main set 3x’s:
(athletes were to focus on their lap pace, time and perceived effort)
4 min @ half marathon pace
1 min EZ walk
3 min @ slightly faster than half marathon pace
1 min EZ walk
2 min @ 10K pace
1 min walk
1 min all out
1 min walk, then repeat the main set 2 more times.
Then cool down

After the run, we took the athletes inside for a 20 min hip/core/glute circuit. Each athlete was able to perform some of our favorite exercises and we also discussed the importance of hip/glute/core work on a daily basis in order to build a strong foundation.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

After a quick shower, it was time to clean up for an afternoon of presentations.
(Originally, we had planned for our athletes to have a nice and EZ 2 hour leg opener ride after the swim, but because it was slightly raining and rather chilly that morning, we went to plan B on Wed evening before our camp started. Actually plan B was created around 9pm at night when we checked the weather all day and finally decided that riding in the cold rain after a swim on the first day wasn't the best idea for our campers. As a triathlon coach and athlete, I love a routine and schedule but there are many times when you have to be flexible and creative).

1pm – time to eat!
I provided lunch for all 13 athletes while Karel set-up the RETUL fit system for two athletes to receive fits during our camp (an extra service at our camp).
On the lunch menu:
Whole wheat pitas or Gluten-free rice wraps
Organic ground beef (for those who are not vegetarians)
Quinoa
Veggies
Homemade hummus (chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic)
Salsa
Beans
Chopped romaine
Corn
Onions
Gluten free tortilla chips
Pita chips
Coffee
Veronica’s health crunch mix
Water

After food was served, athletes received their awesome swag bags, thanks to some amazing sponsors at the camp. Karel and I wanted the athletes to also take home a little something from us, so every athlete receive a customized Trimarni canvas tote filled with delicious snacks to keep their tummy’s happy at the camp.

From 1-5pm I gave a presentation on “Train smarter to train harder” but first we reflected on the morning workout as well as tips to help with training smarter on the run for triathlon training.

1)      Understanding training tools and gadgets.
Why’s sport nutrition so confusing?

2)      Avoiding haphazard training.

3)      Being proactive – acting instead of reacting.

4)      Performance focused not time-obsessed.

5)      Having a healthy relationship with food and your body.

After my presentations, Karel finished the afternoon by talking about all-thing bike related (saddles, chain rings/cassettes, positions on the bike, wheels, helmets, etc.) and also discussed the importance of getting a professional fit whenever you buy a bike OR whenever you buy something new for your bike (ex. saddle, handlebars) that may affect your position.
I was so happy that every athlete could have the opportunity to pick Karel's brain. Karel knows so much about biking with his experience in retail, bike and tri racing and also being a cyclist all his life.

When the campers left the NTC, Karel and I went back to our hotel to make some food for dinner and then we went back out again to drop off our 5-gallon jug of water for the campers on Day 2 of the camp (on the bike route). I had a bit more prep to do for lunch on Friday and by 10:30pm we called it a night.

Every evening I sent out an email of plan for the workout the next day, as well as the map for the ride (which Karel created on mapmyride so athletes could have access from their smart phones via the mapmyride app) and other details such as what to bring, sport nutrition fueling suggestions and what time to meet at the NTC.

Day 1 was a great success and our immediate reaction was “WOW – everyone gets along so well!” Considering that this was our first camp, we weren’t sure what to expect but we did have expectations for our campers. We wanted the athletes to have fun, enjoy being around other like-minded individuals, we wanted to stretch their comfort zones and we most of all, wanted the athletes to leave camp with a better understanding of our philosophy of how to train smarter in order to train harder and reach success faster.

Here are a few pictures from our camp from day 1: