Studio 7 Multisport's EPIC Triathlon Camp

What a weekend!! If you have never been to a camp specific to your hobby or interest in life, it’s well worth giving it a try. This is the second tri camp I have attended and both have been with Studio 7 Multisport, the first being 3 years ago, and then again this weekend. Coach Sonni, my coach, puts on this camp every year for his athletes and if there are spots left open he will bring in anyone who may not be currently under his, or any of his coaches, supervision.

Tri camp this year was much different from the last time I went to it. Last time there was more of a short course group of triathletes and some beginners and it was more instructional (or base camp as Sonni describes it), which was great for the sprint triathletes. This year was a very different (positive) experience because this camp was an “Epic” Camp focused on experienced triathletes, mainly Ironman distance triathletes. We had a group of athletes most of whom were going after their first or successive ironman races and were there to enjoy the aspect of training all day.

To give you and idea of where this place is and what it was like, it was located on the Kerr Scott reservoir outside of Wilkesboro, NC. I have driven through Wilkesboro thousands of times in my life I never knew this place existed. The place we stayed in was a lodge that could house many people. We have 12 athletes in all and the lodge was about 100 yards from the lake with our own dock for the swim starts. This part of the lake was at the upper end and was a secluded wide deep water cove which stretched about .8 miles from our dock to the upper end with mountains surrounding all sides of the lake. The actual lodge had a large kitchen and living area where we all hung out between training sessions (typically eating constantly) and just relaxing before the next session.

Arriving on Thursday evening for check in I was immediately met by “Joe” who is a triathlete I have met previously at St. Anthony’s tri both last year and this year. He was heading out to paddle the canoe for a group of swimmers who had arrived early and asked if I wanted to paddle along with him. So the camp was on!

Joe and I paddled along the swimmers for the duration of the swim and then went back to the lodge for the fist of several great meals prepared by Sandi Dyer (Coach Sonni’s Wife). So the first evening we all spent time getting to know each other and planning the details of the events for the following day.

So from here on in the blog I will just break down daily events and cover what we did each day:

Friday: This was a tough day for me. We started out in the morning by eating breakfast and after letting breakfast settle somewhat we all headed down to the dock for our first swim. Water temps were in the low 70’s so all of us wore wetsuits. We essentially started our swims typically with 2-3 other swimmers at the same time but because we are al different speeds in the water we would quickly break up as groups. Our goal was to either swim to a picnic are up in the cove which was about .8 miles away and back which would give us a 1.5 -1.6 mile swim or to swim that distance and then swim back up to a buoy in the cove and back which I later found out would give us 2.6 mile swim.

My swim went great and I did the 2.6 mile swim which was a long swim and took about 1hr, 20 min. I wasn’t pushing it but I kept a consistent stroke count the whole way. It’s funny, on swimming, once you have a good swimming base in your training, even though you may not be a fast swimmer, once you get past a mile it’s not that much exertion, but rather just going through the motion of rotation and thinking about stroke technique. After all, when your in the water for over an hour what else are you thinking about!

After the swim it was back to the lodge eat more. Sandwiches, chips, fruits…you name it. This was great because we would certainly start tapping the calories as the weekend progressed. After grabbing a little time prepping for the next session which was a bike ride, we headed off to the Kerr Scott State park about 3 miles away which was at the dam on Kerr Scott Lake. The goal was to bike either 30 or 60 miles and then do a transition run on the running trails. Great, let’s go. I was pretty eager to get the biking portion going, so when the lead group went off I went with them and we hit the first hill pretty quickly which they precede to drop me pretty quickly! Ouch!
Not to let that bother me I latched onto another very good Cyclist, Sean. I really pushed myself keeping with him on the pace and on the climbs, and there were many, many climbs.

I am not sure what the temperature was on this day but it was very hot and there was no shade and steep hills. I was sweating profusely keeping the pace and I continually had problems with sweat getting in my eyes, which I have never had happen before to this extent. Sean dropped me on a long climb about 4 miles out from the end of the 1st loop and I never caught back up. Once I go the end of the loop, I was toast on the bike. The pace I was pushing along with the heat was too much to go for a second 30 mile loop especially knowing the ride I had the nest day coming up. So I went back to the staging area where we left our cars at the visitor center and I started my transition run which was all on shaded trails, AHHH! So I got a 40 minute run in which really felt good after the ride experience.

We all got back to the Lodge and I was telling Coach Sonni about what had happened and his solution was simple, I needed to add endurololytes (help support my electrolyte levels) to my training session for the next day to help with cramping and dealing with the heat. While I had yet started calculating my sweat rates (in progress now) he had some endurolytes capsules and told me when to use them and how many. As I asked around everyone uses these along with fluids to help retain fluids and higher heat situations for electrolyte replacement. I guess I was the only one not using some type of electrolyte replacement to train in the heat. So this was a great lesson learned!

Saturday: The next day started with several people getting swims in prior to the start of the EPIC bike session this day. The course was to start at a small general store near the intersection of Hwy 194 and Hwy 421 after you pass the parkway as you head towards Boone, NC. It would take us through Watauga County, Ashe County I think I saw Avery County and it also took us into Tennessee briefly. The ride was 82 miles long and we experienced 8,000 feet of total climbing.

The ride started with everyone staying together for 7 miles as we cycled along the New River. This was beautiful county and a good distraction as we approached the mountains. So at mile 7 we hit the first climb which broke everybody apart and caused us all to naturally break into groups of similar abilities. Again, I broke off with Sean And Craig (Sean, who I had ridden with the previous day and was dropped). These guys were better overall cyclist than I was in endurance type cycling but since this was a such a long ride we had a pace that wasn’t excessive and I was able to stay with both of them for most of the race. The ride went well and I certainly struggled a few times on the latter half of the ride as we climbed hills and finally at mile 70 on a long climb, I dropped back and was solo. I didn’t bonk but I didn’t have a lot of energy left to climb those last hills either. After 2-3 miles solo, Craig came back and got me on his wheel and let me draft behind him to get back in the pack. Craig’s a great cyclist and I really appreciated him coming back to help me up that last climb before the end of the ride. He got me caught back up with the pack about 4 miles before the finish. Whew! I was glad that ride was in the books but I was equally happy that I got through it with not much of a problem. This was the longest ride I had ever done to date.

After the ride it was back to the Lodge for a quick swim in the cold water which felt great and then on to have a cook out on the back deck and talk about the ride we had all just been through.

Sunday: By today I was ready to head home and see Jill and the kids and spend some time with them but first we all had a long trail run. It took place in the same state park that we had run in two days prior and most everyone went down early to get the run out of the way and then return for breakfast. The run was again all shaded and all trails and most people ran between 60 minutes and 2 ½ hours. Since I was just making the transition from short distance to long distance I got 90 minutes in which was about 9 miles based on the pace on the trails. No big deal at all and it was actually quit fun running on trails instead of the road as I always do.

All in all this was a very successful camp for me. I reached new levels in swimming and cycling. I now knew I could swim the 2.4 miles for the race in Kona, I felt a got a good start on the bike by riding a very challenging mountainous course for 82 miles and like the bike, the run will build over time. I still have 4 months before Ironman Hawaii! I am just glad it isn’t next week!

Shoe Issue Solved! Solid Training; Off to Tri Camp!

This will be a long entry into the blog because I have a lot to talk about since I haven’t updated it in a week. I’ll first start with training.

The last 7 days have gone very well with the exception of the swim portion, which I have missed two segments. First, due to being out of town, and secondly, I was planning on swimming on Friday but I was very busy at work and I was unable to get away for a lunch break to get the swim in.

My runs were fairly short this week just because I haven’t needed to increase my distances yet and this week was going to be a taper week anyway prior to a short sprint in race in Statesville which I was going to do with my son, Tanner. Unfortunately, he has been sick in the last two weeks with a virus and strep and I really want him to fully recover before he does a race like this. So knowing this, I made some adjustments to my running schedule and all week long I ran in my old, worn out shoes until today (Sunday) because I finally have found a pair of shoes that are great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After e-mailing Lance Leo at Studio 7 Multisport about the shoe issue, he advised me not to skimp on the shoes since I was gong to be training for a marathon in them. So the criteria I was looking for (lightweight, able to drain water efficiently, sockless..) was thrown out of the window. I went to Charlotte Running where I have started buying all of my running shoes now because I think they have the most knowledgeable and professional staff, and actually take their time and they do a run analysis (if you need it) and they ask a lot of questions before recommending a shoe.

Obviously, I go through a lot of shoes but the New Balance 106x series shoes I have been running with for years were just not fitting me that well anymore. I feel they changed something in the 1062’s that wasn’t working for me and were wearing blisters after 6 miles which has never happened.

So I worked with the guy at Charlotte running and after trying on several cushion shoes (I have a neutral foot) I landed with the Nike Air Zoom Vomero2+. These shoes have a cushioning area right under the ball of your feet so if you’re a mid to fore foot striker, they feel great. These are the most comfortable shoes I have ever run in. Also a special thanks to John Geoffrey, Lance Leo and Sonni Dyer for shoe recommendations. I looked at all of the shoes and tried them al on and we all have different feet and needs so in the end the Nike’s were great.

I also bought pair of Saucony’s Triumph 5’s, which is a lighter shoe with plenty of forefoot cushioning as well. My thinking here is that I use the Nike’s for the long runs and the Saucony’s for the shorter runs that may have soem speed or tempo work and by alternating them I will have two pairs of shoes that will be broken in and not be worn out by Hawaii and I will use whichever shoe is feeling the best at that point in time. I will let everyone know how the Saucony’s work out this coming week.

Special Note: Do not buy the Zoot Tri Shoes unless you can take them back after your first run. They produced numerous blisters on my feet in the first 3 miles of my run. I also spoke to a friend of mine who experienced the very same thing.

The bike worked out well this week. I got about 25 miles in on Thursday with some intensity built in and then on Saturday I had a 50 miler.

There is a big difference between 40 and 50 miles. I am so use to going 40 miles in my training for years this is the first time I have done 50 miles in 4-5 years. While it wasn’t difficult, I did start feeling tired after about 45 miles. Amazing how your body knows when you hit a natural stop point. This is exactly why you start early and build up slowly in biking, running and swimming.

I will admit that being on the bike for 50 miles, by myself, the thought started creeping in mind of how to run 26 miles in the heat and humidity of Hawaii was going to be like; especially after 112 miles in the heat and wind. I guess the advice that’s been given to me that I need to keep in mind is to concentrate on the bike and don’t think about the run until you are on the run course. Easier said than done!! When you’re on the bike for 6 hours by yourself, what else are you going to think of!

Stay Tuned...Next week I will have come back from the Studio 7 Triathlon Camp (3 days) in the mountians of North Carolina which will invloved long swims in mountain lakes, long trail runs and the dreaded very long rides through the Appalachain Mountains! Bring on the granny gears!

Going Long on the Weekend and Feeling the Energy Drain

The past 3 days were great training days. Friday was a good training day with FMS strength training and swim sessions.

You may be asking what FMS is, Functional Moment training is a series of strength training movements that do not involved weights and focus on core and total body strength training. I still will do strength training with weights on a weekly basis but on Friday, it was all about FMS.

The swim on Friday went well. 9 x 200 meters using a combination of all out swimming and for one 200 meter segment and then 200 meters using my fist…try it sometime…it’s very difficult swimming with your fist clenched but it really works on your balance in the water.

Then there’s the weekend, the long weekend. I haven’t really gotten to the real long weekends yet but I had a 40 mile bike ride on Saturday and a 7 mile run on Sunday.

The bike ride was interesting. I do the 40 mile bike ride from time to time on training now, but for some reason I went out too hard in the first hour and then caught up with some friends (Scott and Rob) in the second hour and rode with them for the second hour. After the second hour I really felt like I was a running out of energy. It really didn’t hit me until about 2:10 into the ride. So I will chalk it up to possible poor nutrition and/or just being run down from the previous week, or possibly starting out to hard, regardless I need to get dialed in and make sure this doesn’t happen again because getting tired at 40 miles Is not going to be too cool when I have 112 miles to ride.

One thing I do know is that I can’t push the bike ride hard like I have in the past if I am planning on lasting for more than 40 miles. The next few weeks in biking will be very interesting….I have never ridden over 50 miles on a bike I have always completed my ride at 40-45 in the past, I have always been about speed and not about endurance. It will be interesting.

The Good and Bad of Training Equipment!

Last two days I have had ups and downs. On the up side, my swimming on Wednesday. It was a good intense session. After warm-ups and drills I had 6 x 200 meter high intensity efforts followed up by drills and cool down. The coolest thing tough was a new toy I have, a Finis MP3 player. A friend of mine, Tim Dolan, turned me on to it and it’s awesome. It fits under the straps of your goggles and it sits on the bone structure in front of your ears. You can’t hear the music until you put your head under water and then it’s clear as a bell and you can really get fired up during the swims (and avoid the shear boredom)…and this system does not get in your way while swimming at any stroke or intensity…money well spent.

On the down side was running this morning. If you recall I had blister problems in the race 10 days ago. My feet got soggy with water, blisters formed, couldn’t run for a few days. Smart me, I found some great triathlon shoes from Zoot that are made to run in with no socks (I’m always sockless in races anyway) and they have holes in the sole to drain water (so I can dump water on my head in hot weather to keep cool). Well, I went out on a training run this morning, which was 6 miles with a lot of speed work. Shoes held up well for the first 3-4 miles and then BLISTERS! I should have worn socks!!! So now my feet are in pain and I have band-aids for blisters on my feet, and I have to re-access my running gear strategy. My thinking now is that I have to wear socks but, socks that do not retain water so they will work with the draining feature of the shoe. The last two weeks have been more problematic than the last 2 years. Stay tuned!

Getting back into training this week

It has felt good to get back into my full training schedule this week. Monday, I hit the swim and as most Monday’s, it was easy with a lot of drill work and broken up sets which aren’t very intense. For anyone trying to get faster in the swim remember drills, drills, drills, technique in the water will lead to the first big improvement in the water. So with that in mind I always (I should say my Coach always) incorporates drills on Mondays.

Today it was bike time. The mornings are the only time I really have to training so I had a 90 minute bike ride scheduled so I was on the bike at 5:30 in the morning. This meant that I had to ride on the bike trainer in my home gym due to the darkness at that time of day. In another 3 weeks, I will be outside on the road early in the morning because I’ll be able to get on the road at 6am and there will be enough light to ride at that time. I can’t wait. So this ride was a 30 mile ride and what do you do in your basement at 5:30 in the morning on your bike? Well, there are training tapes (Spinervals are the best) which has a coach taking you through a workout session which can last from 40 minutes to several hours depending on the time you need to get in and the intensity level. I can also watch TV or DVDS. To be honest, on this ride I watch the 25th anniversary of the Ironman race which was 2003. You can always pick up pointers watching these DVD’s.

No training this past week

Rarely do I get sick, but the past few days have really had been down and out with some type of virus. I just got through my blisters from St. Anthony's Tri and got one good run in on Thursday and then came down with a virus which has lasted for over two days. I am feeling much better today and I hope to get a good swim in tomorrow and get my training back on schedule.

Sometimes a rest is needed, whether planned or not, and since this was right after a race and not close to any other races I have coming up, it's not a big deal.