"Carefully laid plans aren't always the best. Sometimes Plan B is the real dream come true." -S.J.D. Peterson
Ok, maybe dream come true is a little dramatic, but Plan B brought one of the best experiences of the weekend. We worked on the timeline of our workouts for several weeks without even considering the possibility of rain and seven days out from day one of our training camp Mother Nature provided a nice reminder that it's typically a good idea to have Plan B in mind. So, Plan B was devised, but our fingers were crossed that everything would go according to the original plan, otherwise we wouldn't be able to complete the iconic Mt. Lemmon ride.
Eight Foundation athletes, plus the three coaches, stayed in a beautiful home that backed up to the Tortolita Mountains (just north of Tucson, AZ). The home showcased gorgeous views of the mountains from the backyard and a full view of the city of Tucson from the front yard. Our goal for this year’s training camp was to build camaraderie and introduce our athletes to a super-compensation period of training.
The mix of athletes in attendance couldn't have been better; almost an even match of veterans to newer triathletes. The veterans were gracious with providing a listening ear and humble advice for the newer triathletes and the new triathletes asked such helpful questions that even some of the veterans walked away with new knowledge.
Although we weren't able to follow through with our original plan to climb Mt. Lemmon (staying thankful for the rain) we did manage to pull off Plan B, that, in the end, turned out to be one of the best parts of the weekend. Instead of riding Mt. Lemmon, we set-up our bikes on trainers on the beautiful back patio and did a hard 3-hour bike workout. The unexpected beauty in this experience is that everyone was able to ride together, interact together, and suffer TOGETHER for 3 hours. We all walked away at the end of the three hours drenched in sweat, but beaming with smiles. It was the best three hours we've spent together in a very long time!
Another wonderful part of this weekend was the time spent together around meals. Coach Andrea and Coach Danelle made delicious home-cooked meals for everyone and we sat down for each meal together and shared in our lives. The impact of that time together is hard to put into words.
Reflecting on this weekend I couldn't be more grateful for the values of the individuals that make up our Team. "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much!" Helen Keller
We are looking forward to making this training camp a yearly tradition!
*Thank you, Gaelle, for taking the time to come help our Team with SAG support and entertainment! You are the glue that kept us together this weekend.
*Thank you to Coach Andrea and Coach Danelle for your devoted time to making our training camp so special and for feeding us delicious meals!
Our Teammate Brigid’s words of reflection on the weekend:
I’m so grateful for this experience and being a part of such a supportive team! Lots of laughs, sweat and “huh? What did she say” (on the trainer- hahaha!), I came away from this experience with a new found appreciation for what developing as a triathlete takes: belief in yourself, courage to try new things, accepting that it doesn’t have to be perfect ( bc it won’t be!) mental toughness ( working on this!), and PATIENCE ( always a challenge)!
Thank you Coaches for all of your time and efforts!! You’re amazing!!
Gaëlle Ohayon Meach- YOU were a savior!! Thank you for all the water/ice runs, stories and recovery boots😛
Catie Tolbert I learned about being a pro “creeper!"
Rob and Ben, sitting in between you too on that epic trainer ride kept me laughing!
Getting to know each of you a little bit makes my heart smile!! Thank you to ALL! Esp Rob’s sister for the butterscotch cookies -yum!!
