Every Day Training Camp - Day 1
After a nice introductory briefing by the pool yesterday night where we got to know each other, the general plan for the camp was outlined, and we go our first taste of the little competition running: today, first day of the camp, would include a 10 miles TT around the El Golfo loop.
We’ve been spoilt by the camp sponsors: PowerBar — well, if you like gels (I do) — but we also got a nice pair of goggles from Blue Seventy, an offer for some weird recovery device from Firefly, and some Nuun tabs which should come in handy this week ask I’ll sweat a lot! We also have some amazing sport massage from The Tri Touch that will for sure become very handy!!
But before the bike action, it was “up and at ‘em” early, to get a swim at 6:30 and be for the opening of the breakfast doors at the hotel by 8:30. A bit frantic, but that sure gets you going! The water wasn’t as warm as I expected but after a couple of minutes it all warmed up nicely. I had to stop on the way out to get a grasp of the sunshine! I haven’t seen much of it in the UK for some time, and with my first open water swim of the season, that was picture perfect. Pretty much everyone was ahead in the sun, but the 20-strong group all gathered for a short rest towards at the end of line of buoys before heading back… In the current. No wonder the way out felt easy! I still felt my arm and right ribs from the crash last Friday, but it wasn’t getting worse in the swim, so all was more or less OK. I think the end of the swim transformed itself in a bit of a race, with everyone surging around, but some of us got tangled in the ropes of the channel going out from the beach. Great fun though.
Running back up to the hotel (and I really mean “up”!!), felt OK as well, so the day started quite good for everyone, as I learnt afterwards that no-one took the minibus back to the hotel. Still lots of energy in everyone at this point!
Breakfast was quickly gobbled-up before we all set off on the day’s ride: a long loop around the south west, up through the donkey track, then through the back roads to Yaiza. (I’ve never been that way so it was a welcome change, albeit all in a headwind which is unusual here.) Then we’ve done two laps of the El Golfo loop from the Yaiza roundabout, the second one being a 10mi time trial with everyone being set-off at at 30s intervals, and return through Fire Mountain and that infamous long, uphill, stretch.
The 10mi TT was a flyer. I’ve never done a pure TT before, so even in the middle of a ride, that was a first. The route was the loop from the ironman course, so I knew it well, except that I didn’t know where the end was. It wasn’t back where we started, but about 500m before, so I went straight past Jo through what was the finish line, and carried on until the starting point (Know the course, muppet!). But even with that, I picked up quite a few people, and finished in under 25min, which interestingly gave me the fastest time of the day and the course record (gasp!). The cafe stop afterwards was welcome for everyone to chill out a bit before the rolling way back through the lunar landscape of Timanfaya National Park and fire mountain. Interesting refuelling strategies from some as well with ice-cream on one end of the spectrum, and avocados on the other.
Everything was a little bit rushed after that since I forgot to bring a pump and I tried to find a shop opened in town but I got lost getting there (duuhh), and as it was Sunday, they were all closed. Follow that with a 35min run down to the sea-front, along the shore and back, and in no time I was in the hands of Sarah for a much overdue massage that left me pretty stiff… It’s all for my own good, I know!!
So that camp started with a bang, and hopefully I’ll have some energy in the next few days to keep going! Well done everyone today, and especially to my other half who’s done brilliantly.
Find also the official Every Day Training blog online where the coaches Steven and Jo will be blogging every day as well.
Hopefully I’ll take more photos for tomorrow’s post. Today was a bit of a blur.
Lanzarote - Over and out.
Today's stats for me
- Swim: 2.1Km (one lap of the IM course + extra at start)
- Bike: 103Km, 1500m ascent
- Run: 35min, 7.3Km