TriCamp!

I know, I know. TriCamp was Saturday and it's Thursday and I've taken my sweet ass time to write about it. Sorry. Recovery first, blog second.

SO! Saturday was TriCamp. I was so nervous the night before. I had found out that I had an ear/throat infection and basically spent Friday being lazy and useless. I also missed a really fun dinner date with my LCM ladies so it doubly sucked. I was in bed by 9:45ish because I was planning on getting up around 5:30am (which seems early, but remember I was up before 5 for bike the drive). I had my car packed up, my bike tires checked and aired up by my dad, my easily digestible and protein filled lunch together thanks to mom and dad, and all of my spare clothing and swim gear packed and ready to go. I think I woke up every hour on the hour. I was so restless. Finally my alarm went off and my day began.

5:30am- Wake up. Shower. Double check all my gear. Pack my lunch.

6am - Leave the house. Get gas, a few power bars, an energy drink.

7:30am(ish)- Get to the Recplex. It took about an hour and a half to get to Pleasant Prairie which was expected. I was glad to get there on time. Made the choice to pay 5 bucks to park close. I was really intimidated because the Recplex is HUGE. There were all kinds of events going on that day and I had to fight my way into the building just to find the meeting room. I signed in and got my sweet "no train no gain" camp shirt, as well as a beginners info packet with a booklet about heart zone training and beginner tri knowledge. I ran back to my car and grabbed my bike and my stuff and found my seat, then waited for camp to start.

8am to 5pm- TRICAMP! It all started with Sally and Lauren introducing camp and Heartzone training and they gave us an idea of what to expect for the day. I was surprised that it was smaller group of women, I mean if Sally Edwards is giving advice about doing triathlons and heart rate training - you want to be there, but I was happy because we really got individual help and advice for each sport.

The beginners group started with the run and as you know (and are totally sick of me saying it) I suck at running. We split into smaller groups and Anna (who was super awesome and helpful) watched each of us run and gave us tips to improve. I run with my arms too high up. Your are supposed to swing your arms at pocket level. My arms were pumping in almost a boxing like way and it kept my shoulders tense and up by my ears. You should be relaxed while you run, which I am not but now I know what to work on. She also showed us stretches and warm up exercises to do as well.

We moved onto the 1.5 mile run test and I tried not to freak out. I guess I wasn't doing myself any favors by training on a treadmill. Just because you can run/jog on a treadmill for 5 minutes doesn't mean you can do the same on a trail or track. Lesson learned. I also, obviously, didn't jog the whole time. So I am embarrassed to report that the 1.5 miles took me about 22 minutes. So roughly, under my own power I can maintain a 14 or so minute mile. Unimpressive. Most people can walk faster then that, but really I was walking for a lot of it. Running is my weakest sport so all I can do is get off the treadmill and work on getting my ass moving on it's own. We also did a heart rate evaluation, but we did that last and my heart rate was already up from trying not to suck so bad at the time trial so I don't think it was the most accurate thing in the world for me.

We had lunch while it decided to monsoon outside and had a cycle/run lecture about technique and the proceeded to the cycling portion of the day. We did our heart rate testing inside on spin bikes. Now I can bike for hours. I enjoy biking and I would have to say it's my strongest sport. But if you put my giant behind on a tiny bike seat and we've got problems. Keep the rpms at 80 at the highest resistance for 10 minutes? No problem. All while being on a seat 3 times smaller then my regular bike saddle? Problem. It sucked but I still think I found my ideal heart rate for training and I finally got on a spin bike for the first time. The rain stopped and we finally went outside to do the 3 mile time test. My time was about 11 minutes and I don't think a 4 minute mile is that bad. I mean I'm not trying to win the damn race. I also passed a few of the other ladies and even though it didn't matter, it still made me feel a little better. Anna gave us some biking tips and we practiced drinking while riding without looking down at the water bottles.

We went back into the meeting room and got changed for the swim. Before we moved on though, we got a transition demonstration from Anna and a lecture about how to make them go more smoothly. Then we set up our own little areas and practiced going from swim to bike and bike to run a few times. The way you set up your area really matters. Even the way you place your bike helmet can really make a difference. It was interesting to experience and definitely something that should be practiced along with all 3 sports.

Finally we rode over to the beach side of the lake and got into the water for the swim. It was my first experience with open water swimming. Once I got past the mini freak out of stepping on slimy stuff, and realizing that yes - some of that nasty water will get in my mouth, I think I did okay. Anna watched us all swim and gave us advice again. I guess I don't bend my arms enough when I swim. My arms were very straight and you need to bend your elbows while they come out of the water. I was pretty good at buoy turns though. The only terrifying part of the swim was practicing a group start. I mean there were only like 20 of us starting at once and it was scary. I can't imagine 100 women starting at once. Arms and legs everywhere, kicking, splashing, the terrifying thought of someone grabbing hold of you and dragging you down. Yikes. I got kicked in the chest and accidental smacked a few ladies around me but we all survived. I think once I get past the start I'll be okay...I hope.

I learned so much in one day. I feel more confident about doing the triathlon and I am now armed with the heart rate zones that will allow me optimal training. We even got a training plan in our booklets from Sally. I can't imagine going into the tri without the knowledge I gained Saturday. I'm so glad I went and that I met so many wonderful and inspiring ladies! I did take a few days to recover. My muscles were killing me in ways that I never would have expected. I also got some crazy bad sunburn on my back, which as just stopped hurting today. So when it cools off tonight, I'm going to head out on my bike and try to stay within my "golden zone" using my heart rate monitor. Tomorrow, I'm going to get up early and hit the track at the high school and start to kick my treadmill dependence. I've got a lot of work to do but I have so many suggestions and tips to utilize to help, and I can't wait.

There are 67 days left til the triathlon and I'm going to make them count.