Florida Training Camp

Just got back from the first camp of 2013 down in Clermont, Florida. It was a great group of athletes from across the country and we were lucky enough to head down there for just over a week and get a short block of training in the sunshine. We had an amazing coaching staff, which included some very knowledgeable guests. I truly believe the super speedy Sara McLarty could get anyone though ANY swim workout with her amazing and motivational one-liners…best one of the camp would have to be “do 75 hard and then 75 harder!” or “lets separate the girls from the women”. She was great and I learned a lot of new swim workouts in the pool as well as some great open water technique. Bobby McGee was also a great addition to the camp. He showed us some great running drills and workouts as well as a presentation of the mental side of performance. He also analyzed all of us individually and gave us specific drills to work on which I think will make a huge difference in my efficiency at running off the bike. It was also nice to get to know Alan Carlson and Kevin Clark a bit better. I learned so much from them in a very short amount of time…both of them have a lot to offer. I felt like the whole 10 days my brain was just a sponge and I was trying to absorb as many tips as possible. Clermont was a great place to train…we were staying in a Swiss water Ski school that was about 15min from the main city center but you could ride and run from the doorstep. Loved running through the nearby orange grove and perhaps “borrowed” a few citrus refreshments from time to time. I had to come back after 10 days to write a midterm and now I am just getting back into the routine of balancing school and training. Luckily only about a month left of classes! As overwhelming as school can sometimes get, the semesters do go by quickly! This weekend the group is racing Bazan Bay 5km road race. In the past we have rested and focused on this race to get World Cup racing standards but now that those are gone we are not getting much of a taper. The goal is to run just as fast or faster than last year but on tired legs…Because we have done almost no speed work it shall be interesting to see where my running fitness is at! Check out the video that Alex and Kyla made of the training camp!! http://vimeo.com/60913691