Weekly Update - Training Camp

This past week I’ve been at a training camp. Unfortunately I didn’t get to travel any place exotic or warm. Basically, for the past two weekends and the weekdays between I’ve increased my training load to simulate a training camp. The plan was for multiple days with longer rides all at an early season pace or endurance power and heart rate. These area basically well structured rides at a prescribed level to help the body adapt to the endurance demands of the up coming training and racing season. These rides are not super intense but they aren’t sitting on the couch either. It’s a workout and over time it gets very tiring.

It began almost two weeks ago on Saturday with a long ride out around DIA. About an hour and a half into the ride we came across a “storm wall.” When we left for the ride that morning there was 20% chance of snow, it was blowing in fast and we were at our furthest point out. We quickly decided to turn around and almost immediately it started to snow. Fortunately we had the wind at our backs and the return trip would be a little faster. The snow kept blowing and soon it felt like and looked like we were in the middle of a blizzard. By the time we made it back into Denver there must have been 3 inches of slush on the roads. Snow was sticking to my glasses making it extremely difficult to see. My moral was quickly shrinking as my shoes slowly filled with icy cold slush splashing up from the road. We ended up with about 8 inches of snow and a winter storm warning, information the Nation Weather Service could provided that morning.

The remainder of the week I was stuck riding indoors, in the nice warm pain cave. After the snowy cold start, I was ok with some dry warmth in the basement. It was a great mental incentive for a week of riding indoors. Basically my life that week was to wake up early and ride, clean up and get to work, come home eat dinner, help clean up, spend some time with the kids, help put them to bed, clean up and go to bed. Obviously I couldn’t give up my professional or family duties during the training camp but overall I think it went pretty well. I sat down with my wonderful wife before all of this and she was very supportive and helpful during the entire week.

I’ve been recovering this week and off at some travel for work. Hopefully this effort will pay off in the future. Either way I feel pretty good and remain motivated.

I’ll let you know how it goes.