Let me preface the “Camp By The Numbers” chart below, as Jesse Kropelnicki would have my head if I didn’t.  We as a group were able to achieve this type of volume along with the intensities they were performed at because of the environment which was created.  It was an environment that fostered exceptional training and even better RECOVERY.  Without recovery none of this would have been possible.  Seriously, do not go out and try to do this on your own.

The environment that was created by Jesse and all the athletes was one that included a very structured training schedule.  Around the daily training schedule we recovered at all possible times.  Ultimately it was up to each and every athlete at camp to be accountable in regards to this.  Personally, I took every word of advice on how best to recover to heart as I needed every advantage I could to make it through the 17 days of hanging on to the coattails of vastly superior athletes.  I am proud to say that I did indeed complete every workout and this was ONLY possible because I was able to do the following:

-Slept 8+ hours every single night.  

-Used Normatec Boots at least 1x per day for between 30-60 minutes

-Supplemented with Dr. Sears Fish Oil, Multi-V’s from First Endurance, Endurox R4, Glutamine and Whey Protein.  The scoop of protein was always consumed before bed to help bolster recovery.

-Ate like I was racing on the big days.  Many of the training days were all day events (and pretty tough) so the less stress on my stomach the better.

-At least 4 fruits and between 2-4 Vegetables per day.  Along with Juicing (beets, carrots, apple, lemon, kale and ginger).

-Proper regulation of Caffeine.  Caffeine can really do wonders if used correctly, however the simple fact is that its abused by many (formally myself included…but boy was I awakened when I saw the cold hard facts).  If utilized correctly caffeine can really boost key workouts and races.  It’s a substance that you want on your side when you need it and if you abuse it on a daily basis it quite simply will not give you the needed boost when things are really on the line.  See Jesse’s article on caffeine for more info.

There are other things that could be on this list like drinking enough fluid (water) outside of training itself and to that end, fueling correctly “in-training”.  Thanks to our team sponsor Powerbar this was made easy as the products to get us through each day were readily available.  An extraordinary amount of gels, bars and drinks were consumed.  At one point during a big swim set I believe almost 2 boxes were emptied!

So that’s that.  The point above is that Recovery is KING and crucial to executing the kind of volume we all put in over the 17 days.  We swam each and every morning without fail, some workouts were hard and some were for recovery.  You can tell by the numbers below that it usually revolved around 4 day cycle where 2-3 days would be hard and one would be for recovery.  For someone like myself (whose biggest weekly swim volume was 10k) the benefits from swimming everyday with actual people around to boost the effort was tremendous.  I have never felt better in the water and hope to continue this feeling throughout the 2013 season.

We biked most days and most days were big boy rides.  They ranged from Individual Time Trials, Team Time Trials, single gear interval riding, race simulations, circuit racing and of course we had the customary 7 hour ride.  Riding the amount we rode only heightens my respect from Pro Cyclists!

And the running, as you can see by my own personal chart below I ran every day!  I did not realize it until the last day.  Some of those runs were only 2 or 3 miles at 9-10min/mi pace, but the fact is that I ran every day which engages the soft tissue and builds durability.  Around those “ez” runs we had some epic days.  One such day came after we had done circuit style racing on the bikes in the afternoon.  As we rode away from Jesse’s car he informed us that once we arrived back home to check our emails for the evenings run workout.  Well 1.5 hours later we arrived home and were all shocked to see that our emails contained words along the lines of “meet at the Clay Trails.  Bring enough fuel for 4.5 hours”.  4.5 HOURS!  No one thought this was legit but we packed ourselves up in the Snow’s mini-van and went on our way.  The night ended up being over a 4 hour run workout in which teams of two were made.  Each team had to run 40 miles, with each person running half (20 mi).  The pace of each mile had to be faster than the previous which made the workout even more mentally challenging on top of already being physically exhausting since we were all shelled form the previous ride.  Anyway, it turned out to be a hell of a time and definitely something I will always remember.  The night was made EVEN better due to the fact that right in the middle of the relay we were able to see the evening fireworks that were being fired off at The Magic Kingdom….that made my night!

So those are the spark notes from camp.  It was a great experience and one that has provided me with a solid base to start the 2013 season.  Training and living in the group atmosphere that we created is truly unique and if done properly one of the best ways to improve fitness.  I stand by that…but it must be done correctly!

Lastly, and quite honestly the best part of camp was that I met a whole bunch of really cool people who I’m happy to now call friends, along with becoming even better friends with those who I already knew.  Many thanks are in order to Jesse Kropelnicki (QT2 Head Coach) who organized this camp and who gave us our marching orders every day.

Be sure to check out this video compiled by Pedro Gomes (@krepster, http://www.pedro-gomes.com/).  This depicts what most days were like.  A swim at 7AM, a bike ride from 10:30 – 5:00ish and an evening run to finish things off.

Camp by the numbers:

QT2 CAMP TOTALS
	BIKE	RUN	SWIM (yds)
3.3	16	17.3	4950
3.2	94	2.84	3300
3.1	98	6.65	4400
2.28	49	11	2900
2.27	85	3	7200
2.26	16	2	4500
2.25	65	20.4	3000
2.24	0	2.76	5060
2.23	150	3.1	2200
2.22	75	7.3	6600
2.21	102	5.1	6700
2.20	0	1.7	2500
2.19	97	10.9	4500
2.18	0	2.2	5500
2.17	0	16.6	3000
2.16	98.4	5.3	5200
2.15	87	3.5	4600
	1,032	122	76,110
	Bike	Run	Swim