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The Ultimate Camp Wrap Up
What a Week! |
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| Jun 25, 2012 |
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The Ultimate Camp is a special one, as it is held on the LifeSport Coaching home turf of Victoria, BC, Canada's triathlon Mecca. Triathletes are known for travelling long distances to races and camps, this year was no execption as participants hailed from Macau, Mexico, New York, Edmonton and Vancouver as well as Victoria. Concentrating on triathlon skills, campers got to work with many of the LifeSport coaches for a great mix of fitness, learning and triathlon camaraderie. The Camp was led by Lance Watson, with coaches on hand including Bjoern Ossenbrink, Dan Smith, Paul Regensburg, Lucy Smith, Bruce Regensburg, Mark Shorter and Mark Overton.
MONDAY
Day 1, kicked off with underwater swim video and in depth technical analysis. Many athletes commented on how helpful it was to see their stroke in slow motion, and that their bodies weren't doing what they thought they were!
TUESDAY
Day 2, "Lab Day" as Coach Bjoern Ossenbrink pushed triathletes to their maximum on their bikes. Utilizing a power meter and a blood lactate analyzer each individual athlete's efforts were monitored minute by minute until they could no longer maintain a consistent effort! The athletes were good sports about having their fingers pricked and riding to exhaustion! The results of this testing were used to determine specific heart rate and wattage training zones to be used in upcoming race preparation.
Throughout the day the athletes were treated to a yoga class to relax the body after the intense effort. The triathletes joined local yoga guru Elizabeth Peckham for some stretching, balance and stability work.
The second day culminated with dinner at the historic Fireside Grill, where campers swapped training and racing stories, and got to know each other just a little better.
WEDNESDAY
Day 3, led by multiple National running Champion and LifeSport Coach Lucy Smith, the group gathered for a technical discussion on proper run mechanics followed by a low intensity run through the trails surrounding Elk Lake. Always a nice way to start your day!
The campers then met 2012 London Olympic Triathlon team member and LifeSport athlete, Brent McMahon, along with his coach Lance Watson, to hear some of the finer points of open water swimming dynamics. There was a surprise visit by Richard Weinberger who had just qualified for the Olympics in the 10k open water marathon event. He is one of the world's top open water swimmers and he shared some tips on group swimming for beginners and advanced triathletes alike.
Following the lecture, the camp attendees returned to the pool to practice triathlon group swimming skills in a controlled environment. It's always amazing to notice that even tentative swimmers get competitive when water polo drills are introduced!
The day wrapped up with more fun – the Blue Bikes skills session. Coaches took the athletes to the grass - on their bikes! Here the riders practiced balance drills, picking up water bottles from ground level while riding, rubbing elbows and bumping shoulders. Even though a few members hit the soft grass, there were big smiles from all 3 workouts today = another huge PowerGel day!
THURSDAY
Day 4, transitioning from group swimming in the pool to the open water, the morning started with a swim in Elk Lake. The athletes got to practice their new found open water confidence with shorter start efforts and drafting.
Afterwards, at the host Howard Johnson Hotel, guest speaker Jessalyn O'Donnell, a Registered Dietician, from Thrifty Foods shared some of her knowledge of healthy general nutrition, providing parameters for carbohydrates, fluids, sodium and caffeine, with ideas on how to put it all together to ensure race success.
The day finished with guided tour of the Saunders Subaru Victoria Triathlon bike course to be held on the upcoming weekend. Here the coaches provided insight on how to tackle the rolling sections, ideal opportunities to eat and the importance of remaining aero as much as possible. PowerBars were heavily consumed Thursday!
FRIDAY
Day 5, the final day, started with open water swimming at Thetis Lake, a Victoria triathlon landmark. On this morning there were over 45 swimmers in the water! What a chance to practice race skills! With Coaches Paul and Clint in kayaks, the group swam a series of short and long intervals as well as group starts in preparation of the upcoming triathlon.
Immediately after swim, following some technical running reinforcement cues, coaches took the group for a short base run on the trails around Thetis Lake.
Lastly there was the wrap up, with all Ultimate Camp athletes receiving some fabulous K-Swiss, PowerBar and LifeSport goodies!!!
Besides the fun that was had by all, athletes commented on learning much more than they expected, enjoying feedback from so many different experts and the different coaching styles. They left to tackle their season with increased confidence, training ideas and racing skills.
For Ultimate Camp photos click here
Join LifeSport in upcoming camps!
June 30th - Vancouver Long Distance Day Camp, Vancouver, BC
July 14th & 15th - Ironman Canada Prep Camp, Penticton, BC
For more information on camps or to register click here
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