Training Camp!
The word "camp" made me feel all excited and ready to play. I woke up with a smile on my face, like a kid on Christmas morning.
We started out the morning with introductions and the like. There were 2 coaches - Steve, Ironman extraordinaire; and Chris, bike guru and local bike shop owner. There were 11 of us in the class, a small number which I liked. There were 2 other women, a college student who works in the bike shop and competes on the triathlon team at her school, and the sister of one of the coaches, who was an accomplished swimmer, but a little older and trying to get back into the sport. The college student was in and out over the next 2 days, and the sister was only there for the first day.
Several of the guys in the class had competed in the Lake Placid Ironman, and/or were signed up for next year. Although probably one of the youngest, I was pretty much the weakest link. Sigh. But I am used to being the only woman in the room. It was fine.
After the introductions and overview of the course, the RUN was first on the agenda. The course includes a 13.1 mile run - 2 loops of 6.55 each. The plan was to run the 1st 6.55 as a group, pretty slowly; then choose between heading back and doing the second loop as more of a time trial. The first 3.5 miles was a loop around the pond, which is the swim course, and was also a somewhat logical stopping point for anyone who really wanted to head back. I had just run the 12.5 miles on Saturday, so I figured that I would do the 6.55, then hang out while some did the second loop. If I felt really great, I thought I might do the 1st part of the second loop as well.
I didn't last that far. It was hot & humid by the time we left at 9:30, and I started checking my watch only 10 minutes in. Embarassing. The coach's sister hadn't run more than 3 miles lately - although she seemed to be in better shape than me - so we headed back together. I was hot, dehydrated, and slow. Looking back, I probably should have kept going, and finished up the 1st loop. I think it was the peer pressure of being the slowest, and not wanting to hold back the group. I also wanted to conserve energy for the swim -- drowning would really be embarassing, I guess.
We went back so slowly that we were only waiting around 10 minutes or so when the rest of the group straggled in for water and gels. About 1/2 the group went out for the 2nd loop. The rest of us went for a swim to cool off. It was around 90 and humid. I went right in the water in my clothes. Fort Pond is actually a decent-sized lake. There are fish, geese, and sailboats in the water. Hmm, I suppose they won't allow sailboats on race day? The pond water is a little fishy tasting, but definitely clean. Visibility in the pond is actually better than in the Sound, where my Sprint tri was held. Stepped out after 10-15 minutes, and my performance fabrics dried quickly in the sun. Reapplied sunscreen, and was ready and waiting for our stretching session when the rest of the group got back.
We spread our YOGA mats out on the soccer field and did almost an hour of stretching in the sun. I was glad I reapplied that sunscreen. The stretching was actually awesome, with heavy emphasis on the "problem areas" for most runners, cyclists and swimmers, I guess. I learned some new ones, and got the best stretch of calves, hips, hams, etc as I've ever had. I'm definitely NOT a yoga expert, but with a bunch of 40 something macho guys, I felt like a star student. :)
We broke for lunch, and I tried to make the healthy choice with a fresh tuna sandwich at the organic place. As soon as we got back, it was time for the SWIM. Didn't their mothers tell them you are supposed to wait a 1/2 hour?
People kept asking me if I wanted some sunscreen, which is usually a sign that I am getting very red. I felt nervous putting on my wetsuit, but tried to look relaxed and confident. The bike coach headed out to the middle of the lake on a kayak, and we were to swim about 500 m out and have our class there. Um, what? We are going to just hang out in the middle of the lake? Where we can't touch the bottom? Yeah, that's right.
Well, I got there. I hung on to the kayak during the time Steve was talking. I wasn't the only one, so I didn't care. Thank God I wore my wetsuit - not everyone did. We learned and practiced how to:
- tread water (efficiently!)
- sight on every stroke for better navigation (I need this one!)
- shave time cornering around the buoys
- draft off other swimmers
After all that, I was tired and struggling to maintain composure. Our next assignment was to go swim toward the other side of the lake - about a 1/2 mile - and back to shore. Or, we could just go straight back. Anyone who knows my relationship with the water knows my choice. I headed back, and one of the guys went with me. I'm still not sure if he was tired too, or just wanted to prevent me from drowning. I swam beside him, matching stroke for stroke, most of the way. This was actually very helpful - I should definitely try and do this in the race because I covered a decent amount of distance without expending so much mental energy. At some point we got off course a little and had to redirect. I moved onto my back and stayed there the rest of the way. We sat on the rocks on the shore and watched the others race in. The oldest guy (55) was the first one in. Amazing.
We took of the wetsuits, and Steve had us swim out and back 25 strokes, so he could make some notes on our swimming technique. Although I didn't do all the swimming distance, I was still out there, in the water, for about 2 hours. I didn't freak out or drown. I think that is pretty good. My standards are pretty low in this department, I guess.
So that was the swim. But we still had the bike, and we were running behind schedule. We had a discussion of basic bike mechanics and fit. They STRONGLY recommend road bikes over time trial or "tri" bikes for the vast majority of riders. The tri bikes just aren't are stable or safe. I only have a mountain bike, but I borrowed a bike from the bike shop, and we headed out. The bike ride portion was not for distance, but I think we went about 8 miles. We rode part of the course, but headed into a quiet street with a hill and a cul-de-sac. We did some drills:
- emergency stop - pull butt all the way off the seat and back, brake without going over the handlebars, and get out of the pedals quickly.
- power up a hill - adjust gears to make it easier
- power up a hill - move bike side to side for leverage
- sharp turn - bend inside leg, straighten outside leg, and lean
I planned to go out to dinner with the group, but was so tired by the time I got home, I had a protein shake and some cereal, watched some tv and went to bed by 10. It was a good day.
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