What I Did at Triathlon Camp
On the weekend of June 8-10, I had the opportunity, thanks to the FLRC scholarship fund, to participate in a camp geared specifically to Ironman triathlon preparation. Overall the camp was an incredible and rewarding experience. I learned so much over the course of the three days, and with that, am working hard to prepare myself for Ironman Lake Placid, scheduled for July 29, 2001. For those of you unfamiliar with Ironman distances, the event includes a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike, followed by a 26.2 mile run.
The camp was put on by Multi-sports.com, an organization based in California that is run by well known triathlon coaches Paul Huddle and Roch Frey. In addition to these coaches, Paula Newby-Fraser (8 time Hawaii Ironman winner) was also part of the staff, along with a few other experienced triathletes. About 35 - 40 triathletes participated in the camp - around 25 men and 15 women - from all over North America, including Texas and Canada. Many were preparing for Ironman Lake Placid, others were getting ready for other Ironman races, including Florida and Hawaii.
We spent the three days training (swimming one day, biking the next, running the last) and having a series of seminars. The training sessions were modeled after workouts that were part of an Ironman training program. Because Mirror Lake (where the swim will be for Lake Placid) was so cold, we had a pool session the first day instead. We worked on maintaining a constant ("below threshold") speed for long distances by doing a series of long intervals. It was not the most exciting workout, but it made a lot of sense in terms of race preparation.
The next day we were off on our bikes at 7 AM. The goal was to do at least one lap of the actual bike course (56 miles) and then add on some more miles (a "long" bike). The course is challenging, but beautiful - for those of you who know Lake Placid it goes down to Keene, along the river to Jay, and then up to Wilmington and past Whiteface along the Ausable River. After getting dropped from the pack and subsequently lost, I ended up biking on my own … but managed to eventually find my way and figured it was good (at least mental) prep for the "real" thing. Once back at the hotel we were instructed to do a "transition run" - 30 minutes of easy run (a.k.a. "brick" run because you can imagine how your legs feel!). Then in true Ironman style we rounded out the day by jumping in Mirror Lake (woke me right up!) and practicing starts.
Our final day we did the "long" run workout. Thanks to some local people participating in the camp, we hit some beautiful trails and dirt roads. We ran for just under two hours (they discouraged running much beyond that time in one session because of the difficulty of recovery) and finished up by jumping back into Mirror Lake.
Interspersed throughout the three days were also a number of seminars. These focused on a variety of subjects, including performance and injury prevention, planning a training schedule, mental preparation, nutrition, and tapering. Different staff presented each of the topics and shared their expertise. The information presented was very useful and applicable, as well as inspiring. I sat right up front glued to the speakers and furiously took notes so I could remember it all.
At the end of three days I really felt I had all the information I needed to get ready and do Ironman. In addition to all the training and seminars, I also met a number of triathletes that I look forward to seeing again at the race. So now I just need to "execute" all I learned between now and July 29th …
OK, so enough of the nitty gritty details (are you still there?) … now in true FLRC newsletter fashion, let me finish with camp highlights:
Most memorable experience: riding my bike behind Paula - woohoo!
Most demoralizing part: proceeding to then watch the group I had been assigned to bike with (including Paula) leave me in the dust …
Scariest part: trying to stay afloat in Mirror Lake … water temp 60 degrees
Most inspiring part: listening to Paula give a lecture on "Going Mental" - now why am I doing this …?
Most rewarding part: being at the front of the pack on the run (redeemed!)
The phrase I will remember most: "Just go out and have a day!"
Many thanks to the FLRC for their support … and, hey, if you've got nothing better to do on July 29th, come on up to Lake Placid and "have a day" watching the event!
-- Yvette de Boer
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