Training Camp. Callela 2014

So Training Camp! This past week i have been out in Callela in Northern Spain under the coaching of Graeme Stewart and Allen Cardwell. I initially wrote a day by day overview but realised with just under 32 hours of training in the week this was a stupidly long blog post! So i'll try and summarise how the week went!

The journey to Spain was no picnic, i had to sleep in an airport overnight, travel with a bike box and multiple bags and then experience the very reliable Spanish bus timetables. However after meeting up with Finlay (another athlete) we both managed to arrive at the Hotel in time for a first evening of Spa (that's right we had a spa!!) and the first of many feedings at the incredible Hotel Buffet.

The week was always planned to be a big heavy week of training but due to having such good coaches this wasn't just go out and do what you want. Everything was structured, controlled and organised. This made me very relaxed, all i had to do was turn up at certain times ready to swim, bike or run and the rest of the time i would eat, nap or relax in the Spa. Graeme and Allen have a lot of experience between them as do many of the other athletes on the camp so i was able to soak this up and really learn as much as possible as well as training hard. Each evening after training we also had brilliant workshops, varying from nutrition, to swim technique to running performance. I really enjoy the science and theories behind everything i do so this really made the week for me.

Anyway onto training! First i will start with the total distances over the week:

Swim- 20.87 KM
Bike- 443.8 KM
Run- 59.82 KM

Swimming: We swam every morning and a couple of days we also open water swam in wetsuits. The swimming varied between technique sessions with video analysis- having Allen Cardwell there a Swim Smooth coach was fantastic and we could really break down my stroke. And also strength, endurance and speed swims. We swam in an outdoor 50M pool which was incredible, each morning the sun rose onto the pool and i really enjoy swimming in a 50, partly as it makes sets seem shorter and its better for Open water training. During the week i really tried hard to focus on my technique, i was diagnosed as an "Arnie" (See swim smooth website) so i was continually thinking about my swimming and constantly picking the coaches brains. I was really pleased with the swimming i have never swam 7 days in a row before and even completed a set of 30x100s which seemed a hell of a lot! My swimming is far from perfect but i feel after the camp i know where i need to work with my stroke and i feel i have had some great volume and time in the pool. We also did a couple of open water sea swims which was great as i did not want to turn up to my first race having not been in the sea for a year!

Cycling: Sometimes i wonder if Spain was built for cyclists, perfect roads, brilliant climbs, wide descents and bloody good coffee! This was only my second time cycling abroad and i really enjoyed the routes out there. We could smash along the flat of the coast if we needed too or we could climb high into the mountains and up some brilliant climbs. Every ride had a mixture of both and was again structured. We had a long 5 hour day midweek of 130km which took in some amazing climbing including the Grau and also had some very long flat, fast hot sections where i was introduced to the Allen Cardwell express! Other rides included hill rep sessions, temp climbs, recovery rides and also a pretty fast ride on the Challenge Barcelona course (On which i suffered) but held onto the others until i decided to piss and rode the rest of the way solo! The riding on the camp was great there were some seriously strong bikers out there so chasing them at times was brilliant and other times very stupid (i'm young and yet to learn) But riding in a group everyday on some of the most amazing roads really was brilliant. I'm feeling very strong on the bike this year and on the climbs i feel brilliant, i have practised my nutrition for longer efforts and didn't bonk once! For me there is no better feeling than taken your turn on the front and seeing everyone right on your wheel. I do 90% of my training alone so riding in Summer kit with a group and great banter was brilliant and the sessions were ideal.

Running: Running out there was what Graeme called "icing on the cake" not the main focus but a definite benefit when it could be done. After most rides we would run of the bike, sometimes hitting hard sessions of 2x4k efforts where i did well to sit on Graeme and Craig (another brilliant athlete) shoulder. We would do most running on the flat route along the coast which was really hot but brilliant running conditions. We did do one long trail run in the hills just outside Callela, these were very steep hills and led to me having some ITB pain in the next couple of days but i love hill running so enjoyed the session. Other runs would consist of hard efforts such as 12x400m's or just long steady tempo runs. All week i felt great running and running in just a pair of short shorts was brilliant, the weather really does have a positive effect on training!

Most of my training can be seen on Strava if you are interested http://www.strava.com/athletes/1075991

So that's really how the week went, we trained, we ate, we slept and we relaxed in the Spa. I pushed hard when i was told too and took it easy also. I tried to pick other athletes brains and learn as much as possible. The weather was brilliant everyday and the guys on the camp were great company and a pleasure to be around. If training camp could be my life i would be very happy, focusing on nothing other than training is such an incredible thing and very relaxing.

However now i am back in Plymouth, with exams to sit and a degree to finish, not quite as brilliant!

I want to say thank you to everyone on the camp. Especially Graeme and Allen, i really appreciate all the time you spent with me and the work you guys put in. It was a pleasure to train with you both and discuss my future!

Here are some photos!

Finding my feet.

These last few months have been pretty hard, mentally tough. I think coming towards the end of my Degree really has messed with my head, it's the first time in my life where i have no idea where i will be next year or in a few months. From the day you are born until you leave education your path is in some way set out for you.

But now that's over and it hits you hard. Where do i go? What do i do? Where will i live? There are a lot of questions and for me it's been a tough time trying to find answers. Do i want a job? Do i need a job?

It's crazy, you are expected to leave University and start a Career to be ready for the real world. But recently i stopped and i though, no. No i don't need to have a 9-5 job, i don't need to follow societies set path. I have dreams, i have ambitions and i should follow those.

My parents have recently told me i should do what makes me happy and chase my goals. What is that?

To be a triathlete. To race. To train. To push my body to the limit and hopefully be the best possible athlete i can be. Yes it's only my second season, yes i'm yet to make my breakthrough but i think with time, consistency and a lot of work it can happen.

So as i finish my degree yes i still don't know where i will live or what i will do to fund general living costs. But i know for now that i will try and be a triathlete. Try and work my way up the ranks and perform as best as i can.

I want to do what will make me happy and what i feel i am capable of doing and achieving. It's going to be tough there is no doubt about that and at some point i will feel lost again and i still am.

But for now knowing i will chase this dream is enough. The season starts soon and i'm ready to give it everything i have.

 My Coach Graeme recently posted this on his website. I have read it many times since and think it sums up how i feel just now:

“You have a right to experiment with your life. You will make mistakes. And they are right too. No, I think there was too rigid a pattern. You came out of an education and are supposed to know your vocation. Your vocation is fixed, and maybe ten years later you find you are not a teacher anymore or you’re not a painter anymore. It may happen. It has happened. I mean Gauguin decided at a certain point he wasn’t a banker anymore; he was a painter. And so he walked away from banking. I think we have a right to change course. But society is the one that keeps demanding that we fit in and not disturb things. They would like you to fit in right away so that things work now.” Anaïs Nin

Spring is here.

This post may be a bit early but after being sunburnt this weekend i am going to claim Spring is here!

Spring is a strange time for me, it's when i actually have to think about racing again. For the past few months it has just been solid training and testing but now I need to really think about the upcoming season, my goals, the races i want to do and where i will be.

I have entered 4 races so far, 3 being big ones and one a warm up event in Cornwall. I'll be posting a full race schedule soon here on my blog. The big races are GB age group qualifiers where i hope i can place well but also see how i do up against a more competitive field. I want to see where i stand within that and how i can place.

As well as the big races i will do smaller local races as much as possible, i need more race experience and just to practice things like open water swimming, transitions and pacing on the bike. I'm doing a mixture of sprint and Olympic distance this year not solely focusing on one distance. I really like that, that my events will be a little different and involve different strategies.

Training wise things are going well, i had a slight ankle injury which faded soon enough but apart from that physically i am in good shape. I've had a bit of a tough time mentally with a few situations and being my final year of University but I'm just trying to clear my head and focus on training hard and producing the numbers. The intensity is definitely increasing as are the hours but I'm building up a solid base and getting a bit quicker!

In about a month i will also be heading to Barcelona with coach Graeme and a few other guys for a training camp. This is something i was undecided about but definitely glad i eventually booked onto. I think a week of solid training, sunshine, focus and having my coach there will set me up perfectly for the season. I cant wait to get out there and just eat,sleep and train. It will also be good to train with stronger guys and really push myself.

I'm really excited that Spring is here, i can't wait to race again although i am naturally nervous as it has been a long time. I still have a lot of work to do before i get to the first start line of the season so i'll leave this here.

Thanks for reading and here are a couple of photos of recent training.
1. Dartmoor proved good that day.
2. Training partner Ian enjoying the Cornish sunshine
3. Scottish colours.

January news.

So I'm now into the tough hours of winter training. A lot of swimming, hard turbo sessions and constantly working on my running. Training in the rain, cold and dark is a little depressing but I feel if I push on in the winter then i can reap the rewards in Spring.

There has been a lot of progress since my last blog post in my training but also on a more personal level. Training with Graeme seems to be getting more scientific and specific as we progress and I am now working with power on the bike which is a really great tool and a fantastic way to see how hard I can push. I am also looking forward to a day tomorrow where I will travel to Exeter for a morning of testing at Sports and Exercise consulting. Here I will be doing a lactate threshold test as to develop a further understanding of my capability and also to hugely benefit training and my training zones. I really enjoy the science behind triathlon and not just the training so I am looking forward to producing some results and analysing them with Graeme and also Dr Andy Middlebrooke the head of the company up in Exeter.

I also have some very exciting news to announce. Koo bikes of Plymouth (www.koo-bikes.com), an on-line website who also run a local cycling store have agreed to support and help me throughout this coming season. I have been in contact with them over Christmas and since returning to Plymouth have met the guys behind the team and really began to move things forward. With their support i feel i will have access to better kit be it clothing nutrition or bike parts. I'm really excited to be able to have the support of such a fantastic company but also to hopefully help grow their business. I will also be writing guest articles for their blogs and newsletters so keep a look out for those!

It's another big step to have support like that and i really am grateful to Koo bikes and look forward to working closely with their team.

That's all for now, training is going well and I remain injury free which is important. I feel I'm making the right steps leading up to the season and going to continue working hard and keeping focused on my goals.

Thanks for reading and keep an eye out for some articles and guest blogs from KOO bikes!