There is always a moment of euphoria when I book a training camp, followed quite quickly by doubts and reservations about what it's going to be like. I usually go on my own but have always found that you really do meet some really lovely people. Where else can you meet a stunt woman, a vet and a potato farmer who the week before had fallen down a man hole ?!! Never a dull moment. And let it be said never judge a book by it's cover sometimes the most unlikely of people are actually hard core athletes.
So I was booked onto the February Elite Training Experience camp in Cyprus www.elitetrainingexperience.com Once again nerves had got me the night before about whether I really wanted to be doing this? What if they were all amazing athletes and I was left in the slow lane always being called up by the coach. The great thing with Triathlon is that there are 3 disciplines and so you can guarantee that everyone has a favourite and a least-favourite discipline. Those who love the cycling may dread the swimming, and so everyone potentially has a chance to shine. One of the differences with Elite Training Experience is that you really are training alongside some Elite athletes. Oh shit ! was this really such a good idea ?
The aliens have landed....
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| What can you fit in a bike box ? |
You can quite easily detect your fellow campers at the departure lounge by their Ironman branded bags. Which usually means I've spotted them way before they've spotted me. Obviously this is on account of me never having done an Ironman and so I haven't felt the need to wear the full range of Ironman branded merchandise. I've always found those finishers T-shirts to be highly flammable and usually in a size XL. Good clobber for decorating in, but surely not for day-time wear? Believe me though if I'd swum 3.86km, cycled 180km and then done a Marathon, I think I would even have the IM tattoo inked onto my forehead!
We were told there were 6 of us on the flight but I'd only managed to spot 3. Once we got to Paphos airport though and several of us headed towards the oversized baggage area to collect our bike boxes there was no denying who was there for the camp.
We were met at the airport by Julian Hucker the founder of ETE. I nearly didn't recognise him as he wasn't wearing his dungarees that I remember him wearing when we were at school together!! Channelling Dexy's Midnight Runners. It was good to see a familiar face.
Our first team challenge at the hotel was to put our bikes back together again, and all before the light faded. Reading glasses and torches at the ready this was a great team building exercise as people struggled with pedals and seat posts. It's that moment when everyone is secretly eyeing up and assessing everyone elses bikes. Bike porn. But it was Sebastian from Paris who surely won with his very sexy black TT bike. I had my dependable Ridley, now looking slightly inadequate against all the modern Felt bikes. But heh at least I knew how to put it together and I think I may have been the first person to have their bike ready. Me competitive ? Non ! Maybe this would be my one and only moment of glory of the week?
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| The Black Shadow aka Sebastian |
DAY 1 ON CAMP
A quick breakfast as we all gathered together in the hotel restaurant in our ETE branded T-shirts and caps. We blended in seamlessly with the rest of the hotel clientele. Which was good because we were to return for sneaky breakfast 2 after the swim set. Did I say blending in? Uhmmm maybe not. Shall we say we were slightly younger than the rest of the hotel clientele and often referred to in hushed tones of "they're the cyclists". We felt great though like a squad! #deluded
SWIM
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| Anna Hague Swimming #pro |
So with trepidation we piled into the minibus for our first training session together. A swim set at 8am. The Elite's were already there creaming up and down the pool. It was here that we met coach Perry Agass from Trisutto www.trisutto.com for the first time.
It's fair to say of the 3 disciplines swimming is the one area before camp that I really felt I needed some coaching in. I had long got into the habit of my weekly 2.5km swim. I could now bubble bubble breath and even alternate breath every 3 strokes. But I knew my stroke needed perfecting I had become lazy and my left arm wasn't even trying.
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| Coach Perry and I at the pool |
Perry did an amazing job of coaching 4 lanes of swimmers of varying aptitude. I think it's fair to say everyone felt they had been coached individually. I was told I was too elegant and not aggressive enough. "Watch this" said Perry in his cockney accent "Fiona swim up the pool" - Ahh yes I thought as I watched Fiona thrashing up the pool. That stroke needs to be sorted out. Perry "That's how I want you to swim" Me "What ? Really ?" Perry "Yes Cafrin, way too elegant for my liking more aggression and breath every 2 strokes" - blimey I really was going to have to put more effort in. Roll on breakfast number 2. It seems Fiona a very slim older woman was in fact a dark horse. Looks can be deceiving she was a very competent strong triathlete with several Ironmans under her belt. Who knew ?
Perry had marked the swim set on a float in metres. I believe this is standard. But I hadn't been to swim training for ages. I still work in laps - 1 long session of 2.5km! So the first task was 200m warm up - it was taking me a while to work it out - partly nerves and not wanting to fuck up. Right 25m pool, so 100m would be 4 laps oh right so you mean 8 laps? He looked at me, this was just the warm up - blimey we've got a right one here!
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| 200m that's 8 laps to you Catherine |
BIKE - The Magic Roundabout
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| Magic Roundabout think we're all represented here !! |
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| Round and About - mad up and always signal |
Our first bike session was on a nice flat bit of road with roundabouts. Sounds easy right ? Wrong ! We were introduced to hard gearing and the Cyprus wind. Not a side effect of buffet eating, no gusts of winds, that really did challenge you on the bike. Mad up and easy back. Once again Perry was on the sidelines shouting instructions. "Cafrin your bike is too small" Yes well it was sold to me by a giant who thinks I'm a midget. Perry then proceeded to adjust my saddle up. To a position I have to say that was way out of my comfort zone. Mainly because I'm old fashioned, in that I like to be able to touch the ground with my feet. But as I set off up the dual carriageway once again I did feel more efficient. Not sure I could sustain that saddle height for a long distance cycling event but certainly for these exercises I felt more powerful.
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| Adjustments |
We did have a beautiful ride out to the Aphrodite Hills which was stunning. The local ride leader was introduced to us, he looked pretty hardcore. As it turns out he was - off we all set, by the second roundabout he was nowhere to be seen. Think he was challenging Wiggo to the UCI hour record. Maybe something had been lost in translation? We saw him one more time as he swooshed past us downhill at speed. Seeya then!
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| A bit of culture - Aphrodite Hills |
RUN
On Day 2 we had a session at the local running track. Off we were all sent around the track. I have to say I thought I held my own. It was sunny and quite hot so was quite hard work, and I felt totally inspired by the second corner where Julian was sat leisurely on his phone taking crowd funding calls! Perry called me off to the side. "Cafrin - you can run on the grass" This was the equivalent of the paddock where the injured ponies were. You know like the girl that had fallen down a man hole. Let's call her Davina. We'll call her Davina because that's her name. It's safe to say Davina has not had a run of luck lately and her boyfriend Iain with 2 i's is contemplating wrapping her in bubble wrap. A week before camp Davina fell down a drain. Yes a drain. Upto her armpits in water. Had to be helped out. 13 stitches in her leg. So Davina wasn't able to swim, or run much. Although I think even she picked up some swimming tips by the side of the pool whilst sipping her morning latte. She made up for it on the bike though. Storming up those hills.
BUFFET EATING #CLEANEATING
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| For the record that is Greek Yoghurt not cream #healthy |
Hotel buffet eating has always fascinated me. The endless food combinations that can be had. Anyone who has been on a triathlon training camp will tell you - you get really hungry. So it was good that we had a vast buffet laid out before us. So many variations of food on one plate. For instance that well known dish - bread roll, coleslaw, spaghetti and hot roast beef. You know who you are !! And that other well known clean eating dish 5 Chocolate Doughnut tower. And I particularly enjoyed latte in a teapot. Scooping out the froth at the bottom.
So you get hungry and you're certainly burning the calories so on Day 1 I trotted off to the hotel supermarket to get some chocolate. Slightly awkward moment as the checkout girl looked at me - looked at the Mars Bar, The Galaxy, The Skittles and the Ritter Sport chocolate bars - looked at me again - looked at the stash - looked at me - looked at her checkout colleague. A knowing look was exchanged between them. Then a slightly sympathetic look was given to me - yep they think I'm bulimic !! Couldn't get out of there with my stash fast enough.
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| Stash - it's says sport right so must be healthy ? |
It's always good with these camps to compare notes. Everyone is usually very friendly and happy to share experiences, top tips and advice. And it was certainly nice to have the Elites alongside us who were very enthusiastic and quite frankly an inspiration. I won't be doing an Ironman any day soon, but I certainly feel I have come away with some new techniques and it's made me want to enter some triathlons again this year. I know some people think I'm mad going on these camps, and that triathletes are a strange species. But I love listening to peoples stories about their journey into Triathlon and they are a diverse group. You never know who you're going to meet. Potato farmers, stunt women, and vets. But I can honestly say we trained hard, we ate loads, and there was a lot of laughter along the way. Thank you everyone for a great experience !
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| Davina and I |
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| Day 1 still smiling Sebastian, Iain and Davina |
Some images courtesy of Mockapot Productions.
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