Chapter 6 - Triathlon Training Camp Part 2 - Happy Campers

The TriCamp fellow guests.....

To say I was nervous about meeting the other TriCampers would be an understatement. I was worried I was going to let them down and they would be continually waiting for the crying fuckwit to catch up. Would they be so dull that I would be retiring to bed early every night just to get away from them? Would they see through my shiny new TriBag (only available in green) and my Garmin watch always "Searching for Satellite" signal? I had deliberated at the airport whether to ditch the Grazia magazine I'd bought as reading matter, thinking I would appear too frivolous and not like minded.(I should have brought it along) .Trouble is I've watched too many Big Brother episodes and I know that by "Dey 3 in the big broother hoose" the housemates all start fighting and crying in the diary room.

Essential Nutrition and Motivational Reading at Airport

Every Demographic Represented.

Week 1 TriCampers in the Snug

When I worked in the marketing department for Brighton Council we were very PC, we were continually producing information leaflets with people featured on the front cover that didn't alienate any demographic of the population and basically covered all bases. The group at TriCamp could have featured on the front cover of one of these environmental services leaflets we were all ages - me being the 45 year old housewife.  Check.

Careless Talk.

And a lovelier group of people you couldn't wish to meet. All of them. You think I'm just saying that - yes I am, there's always one. So here are some edited comic moments with the group ....

Some people get up your nose

One slight faux pas on my part on the very first night ably assisted by fellow camper Simon. My close friends know I'm not one for putting my foot in it - ahem much!. If there is something I shouldn't mention I will come out and say it. Not maliciously but my brain just freezes and out it blurts. I have over shared on many an occasion. So Simon and I were discussing my recent visit to Paris where I commented on the number of Russians over there. Simon looked around the table "No Russians here I presume?" - No we both agreed. And then I proceeded to tell the story about the Russian woman who kept staring at me in a restaurant in Paris rather unnervingly and we commented on their lack of personal awareness and their exuberant fashion sense. Simon equally had tales to tell.  When we had quite finished - Coach Nick casually turned to one of the other TriCamp guests further down the table and said..... "So Artem do you get to train much in Moscow?" Gulp! Simon and I exchanged sheepish glances. Shut Up Catherine. Luckily Artem's command of English was limited.  I made it up to him later in the week when I very helpfully located the thermostat in the house for him.....he actually wanted a thermometer - we won't ask where he was going to stick it! I didn't hang around to find out.

My Roomie.

Pollenca Steps 365 of them 

Catherine "I'm not running up there!" 

And so while I had been slightly unnerved by the Chris Hoy autobiography left on the bed of my room mate. Little Scottish Katrina was also lovely.  A fell runner who considered TriCamp to be a holiday! but then she is a nurse by day so maybe that puts that into perspective. I should have known her profession her bed was always beautifully turned down in the morning. A strip of a girl who looked like there was nothing to her but she made everything look so effortless as she glided by on her bike, or ran past you up a hill - barely breaking a sweat. And the fastest person to have been recorded by TriCamp to run up Pollenca steps all 365 of them. And that was AFTER we had done running drills and hill reps! They had obviously matched room mates by selecting athletes of equal calibre - cough cough! 

Triathletes Knit = Fact

I had joked with my Yarn Birds Knitting Group Twickenham branch (selection of snoods and scarves available on request) that I should take my knitting with me in case I got bored.  Yeah that would go down well at Tricamp! Ha Ha we laughed.  But who'd have thought I'd meet an Ironman knitter, lets call him Steve, who before long I was comparing knitting projects with? Who said Ironmen don't knit. Oooo I feel a T-shirt coming on. Introducing Patience the Cat. So cute. 

Patience the Cat Knitted by Steve

Facebook friend request - Confirm or Not Now!

Clare, Stephanie and Charlie had all known each other a while and their mums were neighbours. In fact at times it felt like their mums had come on TriCamp too. Particularly one night when Charlie and Stephanie's mum decided to send Facebook Friend Requests to various members of TriCamp much to their mortification. Various shouts in the sitting room of  "Who is this Jan woman?" ..... Stephanie and Charlie "Oh No that's our mum just ignore her!".
The Puppy.

Mrs Robinson

And then there was Ali the handsome 20 year old medical student - who we nicknamed the Puppy, very enthusiastic. Who rather unnervingly used to refer to me as "The hot mama" as he followed me up the stairs! Made me feel good so I'll be taking that as a compliment thank you. And I wasn't even wearing my wetsuit with high heels at the time.

The Slipper Competition.

Some winning slippers...

Some NOT so winning slippers!

Lots of bitching about dried out felt pens and smudgy glittery sticks. I'm sorry Steve your map of the island was a great idea but it left a lot to be desired in the execution and it's no use moaning about smudgy pens.  One sole read "Camp" with lots of gold glitter - we both agreed that it summed everything up perfectly. And whilst everyone made a great effort, they didn't know who they were messing with.  I won the slipper competition.  Did I mention I won ?!! I had at last come first in something at Triathlon camp! Mmmmmm.


Top Triathlon tip:- be prepared always take a sewing machine to Triathlon Training Camp.








So thank you to everyone who was there that week, you were all a great bunch of people, and I really enjoyed your company. Big shout out to all the TriCamp crew Nick (more of him in the next chapter), the shy and retiring Heather, who can be found at Pollenca Sunday Market selling slippers!, the lovely Mike, Claire, Steve and Lou the chef. Oh and good luck to the very lovely Faye who starts work with them this week. What a great bunch you make a wonderful team.

Good Luck in the new job Faye!

But I digress, back to the training..... 

Next Chapter:- Bastard Swimming, compression tights and don't go up Sa Calobra Catherine.

All content strictly copyright Catherine Jevans 2014.