On Friday, June 13, I departed for my first ever weeklong training camp up in Deep Creek Maryland. I would be staying at the lake home of Kyle & Laura Yost (wedding bells are a coming). Kyle is also the evil mastermind behind this endeavor and he was able to get a great group of triathletes together for an unbelievable week of suffering, torture, fun and camaraderie before most of us embark on our Ironman journey in the coming month.
Oh, yeah, there was also the coveted SavageCamp award for winning the most Savage points which mainly derived from a point system designed to reward overall volume in all 3 disciplines. You could also add or subtract points for good behavior (Sean making killer pancakes for the group) or bad behavior (me staying home to run and eating sweet potatoes vs. stuffing myself with pizza at Smiley’s and not being social – shame on me!) or just generally going above and beyond . Needless to say, Sean walked away with Savagecamp bragging rights as the winner. It had to be the pancakes!
As an added bonus to all the training, we were fortunate enough to have a soigner on board, Samantha Galpin. Sam was a savior. Not only would she train all day, but she would also find time to provide massages to the needy group of sore athletes. She helped flush our muscles and was a tremendous help with our recovery between our harder days.
It’s now July 3 as I’m writing this, and honestly, it has taken me a few weeks to wrap my brain around everything we did. My pre-camp thoughts on the week were this:
A. How cool! A full week of uninterrupted training without any distractions. I get to ride/run/swim to my hearts content.
B. I’m in just about the best shape of my life, so this should just be icing on the cake.
C. I’ll have lots of time to soak in recovery between workouts, so the riding shouldn’t be too bad.
D. Heck, hopefully I’ll be able to shed a few more pounds during the week so I can get down to my race weight goal.
E. Really, how hard can it be? I’ve read a lot about Epic Camps and it always sounds like more fun than hard work.
F. My mantra for the week was “Go Long or Go Home!”
Oh, boy. How wrong I was about a few things! I think it’s also about time I preface the nature of cycling out in the Deep Creek region since we are in the mountains after all. Climbs, Steep Climbs, and when you thought you’d seen it all, you’d hit the REALLY Steep Climbs; some short while others felt never ending. The beauty of the region is exceptional. Throw in lots of great, winding descents on well maintained roads and you end up with many extraordinary days of cycling. So, suffice it to say, every ride we embarked on we had to be mentally prepared to suffer at some point or many points. Thank god for my 39-27!!!
I ended up bringing both my tri-bike and road bike. I figured it would be nice to mix things up a bit. I also never realized the gravity of how hungry I would be during the week! I don’t think I ever passed the kitchen without grabbing something to eat. I also blame Haig for some of it since he found this incredible bag of lucky charm marshmallows at Candyland which I couldn’t stop eating! Who knew you could just buy the lucky charm marshmallows? I was in heaven! I even picked up a bag on my way home. My weight loss plan was thrown out the window. I just figured it was more important to have fuel in the tank than trying to lose those final few pounds.
Here’s a quick (ok not so short) rundown for how my week went:
Saturday:
On the first Saturday morning, it was finally time to get the show on the road. Kyle led us on a 6 hour, 97 mile ride to soften us up and provide the introduction for what was to come throughout the week. I felt good after wrapping this first ride up albeit my Powertap (PT) showed that it was the hardest ride I’ve ridden to date (400 TSS/ NP 256). We also had to endure some pretty nasty rain for much of this ride.
Another pretty cool thing Kyle did was in introducing us to the use of Garmin GPS tracking units. Some already had GPS units but since there were quite a few of us, it starts to be become almost impossible to keep together throughout the day. Kyle had purchased a few extras to pass around for those of us not addicted to the powers of Garmin, yet. He would load the courses in the Garmin’s and unless you couldn’t read, all you had to do was follow the instructions to stay on course. Very nifty!
Early in the evening, I decided a short 30 minute EZ run would probably help my legs feel better and get the blood flowing again.
Time to hit the rack. I also don’t think many made it past 10 p.m. the entire week. Although I must say, I believe there were times where my body was so tired that I couldn’t fall asleep. I really didn’t sleep all that well the entire week which was weird because I’m generally a very heavy sleeper. Maybe it was my bunkmate’s snoring? Sean, next year that is a deduction!;-)
Sunday:
A.M.: Run 1 loop around lake (10.4 mile) with Sean, Kyle and Ashley. A pretty good clip. 7:30:40 pace. Finished running the last 30 minutes or so around the park with Kyle. A good effort. Legs felt pretty good considering the ride yesterday. Sam hooked me up on a massage afterward which helped a lot! Swum later in the afternoon to the bridge and back twice for about an hour.
Monday:
A.M.:62 mile Ride. (4 hrs, TSS=268, NP=256) Dang, rain again! I lost more Savage points for cutting this ride short as Sam and I headed home early.
P.M.: Short 4 mile run followed by 25 minute swim to bridge and back.
Tuesday:
A.M: Savageman course with 50min run afterward NP=262 TSS=240. Legs actually felt pretty good once I got going so I was able to get a gap on the crew which I knew I would need to fend Sean off for KOM points up Savage Mountain. Low and behold, as I’m about a mile from the top, I glance back and see Sean coming like a bat out of hell. Sh!t! I REALLY start working hard to fend him off. He finally catches me about 200 yards from the top. I figure my only chance is to go like mad the second he reaches my wheel and hope he doesn’t have any bullets left. I drop the hammer and after about 10 seconds look back to see if Sean is still glued on. He popped. Thank heavens! I think I earned my first and last KOM points for the trip. So much for any easy climbing! Thanks, Sean. I really needed that.
We also had a nice little drag race back to the house. You see, Kyle had this perverse idea that you earned Savage points if you were the first to arrive back at home. So, yes, after a grueling day, you had to look forward to one last leg searing dash to home. Today, I decided since I felt good that I would try to escape about 5 miles from home. The escape part worked, but I had some serious horses in chase (Tom, Kyle & Sean). I was hoping they would give me a little more leash, but they let me dangle out there for some time before Tom decided enough was enough and shut it down. At that point, it quickly became evident that whoever had the burst to climb that little roller before the park would take it. We hit that little climb, and Sean bolted. Tom and I popped. Kyle made a valiant fight but Sean was gone. Victory awarded to Sean!
Wednesday:
A.M.: Run 1 hr 30min trail run with Sam
P.M.: Swim- bridge and back 2 ½ times. 40 minute recovery ride around the lake.
Thursday:
*Probably my hardest day (legs were feeling some serious fatigue)
A.M.: Swim- to bridge and back.
Cycle: Monongahela Massacre (109 miles - Time= 6 h 17 min, Calories burned= 4720, ~NP= 250)
We also had the welcome addition of Ted who did a ton of pulling us around! Amy & Matt from England joined us, too. Ted was climbing like a man possessed.
Friday:
A.M.: Cycle the Savageman Olympic course. I took it pretty easy and followed it up with a 45 minute transition run. Getting ready for the DD!
P.M.: Massage and Swim to the bridge and back twice.
Saturday: The day of reckoning!
A.M.: The Diabolical Double- start time 8 a.m.
At this point in camp, it felt just like yesterday that we were starting this madness. It seemed to fly by so fast. It’s at this point which I realized that this past week had been a lot of work! I originally thought I would have all this free time to take naps and enjoy a few books I brought along. Well, it didn’t exactly work out that way. The week was about to culminate in the toughest ride I’ve ever done and imaginable. And it’s coming at the end of a full week of training harder than I ever have before.
It was odd, the evening before I had hard time relaxing enough to sleep. I was definitely having a case of pre-race anxiety! In the back of my mind, I really didn’t know how I would fare. I figured if I paced myself appropriately and stayed on top of my nutrition I should be able to pull through it in good shape. But in reality, I had no idea how it would go. I guess it was just a fear of the unknown which was causing my anxiety.
The day started with some nice easy riding. This was the warm up and I knew this was no indication for what was to come. After a brief stop roughly 20 miles in at Sheetz, we headed out where would start to hit the first of 10 categorized (by Kyle’s rating system). My mile estimates aren’t precise but I’m just noting for reference purposes. Miles 20-40 begin with the nice introduction to some nasty little climbs. I really didn’t feel all that great on the first one and was suffering a little bit more than I thought I would be at this point. I kept reminding myself to pace it. Don’t redline and climb at your own speed.
The second checkpoint (stop and refuel) came around mile 40. The next segment was going to be one of the toughest. It included the notorious Bowman Hill and the Miller Road climbs. The good news was that I felt like my legs were coming around.
We then arrived at the general store which you pass on the Savageman Half course (~65 miles?) I was so damn hungry at this point. We all ordered sandwiches and raided the store for nutrition. After a nice little break for lunch, it was time to get back in the saddle. Onward we rode.
The climbs kept smacking you in the face. The scenery was incredible. It’s also at this point I realized that all I needed to do was reach the descent to Westernport in decent shape and this ride would almost be in the books. Oh, how wrong I would be! Ted, Kyle and Matias crushed this section and as Sean and I came barreling into Westernport, we notice Kyle at the top of The Wall! He’s goating us on to ride up the Wall! At first, I thought he was nuts. But then peer pressure sunk in by the time Sean and I rolled around to the bottom. The better part of my brain suddenly shut down. The next thing I know, I’m halfway up the Wall barely managing to turn my pedals over as I slowly grind away. Holy cow! I made it. Sweet. The home stretch is here and I’m still on my bike and not in some ditch in the middle of no man’s land completely shattered!
We stop at the Westernport market store for one last refuel. Everyone is excited to smell the finish line in the distance. It’s at this point, too, that our resident Ironman veteran and training angel, Tom, volunteers to escort Katie back to Happy Endings so she gets back safe and sound. According to Kyle, this was the unknown portion of the ride which had never been riden, at least the way we were riding it. He knew there was some climbing left, but not sure how tough it would be. Well let me tell you. It was brutal!
It wasn’t that it was so steep, but the climb out of Westernport seemed to last for about an hour. It was unrelenting. My Powertap revealed this to be the hardest hour of the entire ride. By this time, I think I became numb to the pain. My sole focus was just “keep spinning the pedals over. The end will come!”
With about 13 miles to go, I realized I had completely drained my 3 bottles. We’d left Westernport about 2 hrs prior and had only covered approximately 25 miles. My avg speed for this portion was around13.5 mph. I remember saying to Sean that I think I needed to stop for water or else I wouldn’t make it. I think Sean was also close to his breaking point because he quickly responded that he would be all for stopping, too.
Low and behold, as we approach an old, tired looking gas station, we see Kyle in the road waving us down. Hallelujah!!! I pounded a coke and got some water. We decided to wait for the others since it was getting pretty late. I think it was around 5:30 p.m. at this point. We were growing a little concerned about Laura and Amy since everyone else had made it to the final stop. Had they made a wrong turn? After waiting awhile, we decided to head out and hope Laura and Amy found the way home.
Those last 9 miles weren’t exactly child’s play. Every bump in the road hurt. I did manage enough energy to keep Kyle halfway honest during the finishing sprint, but I proved no match for him in the end. Out of everyone, I would have to say, Kyle just kept getting stronger the more we rode throughout the week. You can tell he’s got a lot of miles in those legs.
HOME!!! We made it! It was really exhilarating to conquer such a challenging ride. It was weird, though. In a strange way, all the accumulated fatigue seemed to dissipate as I sat with my bike reflecting on the day with the gang. Yes, I was extremely tired, but the thrill of finishing seemed to evaporate all those tough times throughout the day. I guess that’s what one of my more euphoric moments ever!
Thanks, Kyle. It was an awesome day!
Power #’s: Distance= 127 miles. Time=8:21 ride time. TSS= 548. NP= 251
Everyone rushed to shower up and head up to the Honi-Honi for some much needed beer, food and viewing of the local talent show contest. What a way to cap the day off!
Sunday:
A.M.: 11 mile run around the lake. The end….
Reflection:
What an incredible week! I’ve always heard about people going to “the edge” in their training by pushing themselves to the tipping point of overtraining where no real fitness gains are made and the risk of future poor performance is staring you in the face. I knew it was a fine line to walk, but I never thought I’d have the time or training partners to get me there. Well, let me tell you, I wouldn’t like to go there often, but I now know what “the edge” feels like. I know I’m stronger for it.
No matter how my race goes at IMLP, I know I will draw on my experiences during this week to pull me through the tough times. It’s almost as if the race itself will be anticlimactic compared to this camp. It’s this bond of suffering through training which I also know will help motivate myself to push to a higher level. It’s going to be incredible towing the line at LP with the confidence I gained during Savagecamp.
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