I’m back in the warmth of the Gold Coast, though can’t claim it to be sunny right now. Looks like high humidity, heat and rain are on the cards for the next few days. The pain in my side has changed which I’m hoping in terms of recovery is a good thing because at the moment it’s become a little more intense! At least I have a reason to be taking it easy this week!
All that aside I guess it’s time to reflect on the Epic Camp experience. If you haven’t you should check out the blogs of the other campers over on the Epic Camp site. You should also go download the interviews at IM Talk, mine’s in number 5.
Totals from 8 days of camp –
Swim 19.5km
Bike 1250km
Run 118km
Hours 60
A pretty hefty week, more than I’ve managed before. A little light on the swimming, I missed out on doing any 6km swim sets. With a bit more focus I think I could have sneaked in both a little more running and biking. Targets for next time then!
Being healthier and fitter made this camp much more enjoyable and really put things in my hands. How much I got out came down to how much I want to work. I put in a lot more volume than last time and a fair bit more intensity. I can’t claim to have performed well in the races unfortunately. Constantly hammering away in training left me with little in the tank for events. Something else to target for next time, can I do the volume and get good race performances?
Nothing has pushed me in training like Epic Camp. It’s the environment. There’s the support crew working hard so we barely have to do anything, but train. Then there’s the other athletes all trying to push themselves that little bit more. When you’re in a pace line, hurting and hoping you don’t get dropped you know you’re not alone! Then there’s the points game which just draws you in to doing a little bit more. Certainly worked for me this time!
What I’m taking away from this camp is a lot of confidence that my time training has improved my fitness. There’s also a fair amount of room for improvement. I obviously can still work on how much volume and intensity I can sustain. I think the most direct input I’ll take into my training is that I can and should do a bit more intensity in my training. There was much more intensity here than in my normal training and I still managed a 60 hour week, so with 30 hours it should be no problem. Swimming is the thing I really need to work on. A short break definitely impacted my swim, but even then I need to be spending more time in the pool. So over the next few months I’ll be uping the hours and work I do in the pool.
That’s it for Epic for now. I don’t think I’ll be making Epic France unfortunately, but I definitely want to be back for the length of the New Zealand camp next year.
