Zoot Athlos Racing Team Training Camp, Sands Beach Resort 8/3/18-15/3/18 If you have read some of my recent blogs, you will know that I now race for Team Zoot Athlos. And through being on the team, I had the opportunity to attend the training camp in Lanzarote alongside other triathletes. Paul Ryman (www.paulrymanfitness.co.uk) was the coach for the week and he provided the overall plan with a balance of training session, routes etc. The other athletes included Kev Tonner (my roommate), Kirk Latham, Darren Phillips, Dean Stannard, Hayden Coate, Jason O’Callaghan, Nick Cranston, Scott Latham, Simon Blacker and Tom Dudden. Almost every member of the team has competed at Age-group level and many have raced full ironman events - this wasn’t just going to be some ‘ride in the park’. We were provided with the week’s plan a few days before departure and it included 600km of cycling, 8 swimming session and 4 running sessions. Also included were stretch sessions every evening which soon turned into lots of core work and a little bit of stretch. The main part of the plan that really struck me was how much cycling we would be doing. I felt I had the energy for this, but was more worried about the comfort, how good the seat would be on a hired bike I had never ridden before, and I only brought one pair of bib shorts… Day 1 I arrived in Arrecife, Lanzarote on the same flight as Nick and he drove us in the hired car to the Sands Beach hotel. We then met with the rest of the team who had caught an earlier flight and everyone put their bikes together. I think I was the fastest as all I had to do was adjust the seat height on my hire bike! We then headed out on what was meant to be a 40km ride. It was late afternoon, the sun was shining and the wind was minimal. We started at an easy pace but after only 10km we had to pull up, Scott’s tire had gone flat. I’m not too sure on the details but I think there were problems with some new tubeless tires which didn’t actually fit the wheels. Forced to change plan, we reluctantly headed back to the hotel before completing an easy swim set so Paul could film our strokes to assess our strengths and weaknesses. Day 2 Every Friday, Sands Beach Active hosts an Aquathlon for all comers to take part in. Paul figured it would be fun for us all to compete and test our sprint distance ability. The event was advertised as a 2km run, 400m swim and then a 2km run. This is the first time I have gone from running to swimming as part of a Aquathlon so I was up for the new experience. We were split into two ‘waves’ and I was in the first one with about 6 other athletes. I set off hard in the first run to try and split the field and break away from anyone else. One of the athletes from Triathlon Ireland who was also staying at Sands Beach managed to stay on my heels and stuck with me for the whole of the run which ended up being 2.8km. We then jumped in the pool (with all of the lane ropes removed) and swam 5 laps around the perimeter of the pool (buoys placed near the corners) which totalled roughly 400m. I exited the water with the Irish athlete and then set off on the run with a gap of about 5 seconds in front after the transition. I pushed really hard and tried to create as big a gap as possible and this worked well. At various corners throughout the route I turned to look where he was and from about 1km onwards he was really slowing down. A good sign for me but not so much for him. I turned the final corner and crossed the finish line in 1st place. Run 1- 9:33, Swim- 5:47, Run 2- 9:59. So a total time of 25:20. I chatted with the Irish athlete after he had finished and he told me that he was one of the coaches and didn’t train or compete anymore which explained his slower pace during the second run! There were some very solid results from the rest of the team resulting in us all being awarded medals and caps (which were actually leftovers from the Lanzarote Marathon in December!) We hungrily ate breakfast before heading out on our first proper ride of the week. We all took it steady before reaching Orzola at the Northern end of the island and the bottom of the Mirador Del Rio - one of the hardest climbs on the island. Being the first day I figured I had something to prove so smashed the climb from the start and ended up taking the ‘W’ for the stage. A lovely descent followed by a flat ride on the way back should’ve made it easy going until I started to cramp up. Fair to say it was payback for not only going hard on the Aquathlon but also putting too much effort in on the hills. To top it all off, with about 5km to go, my front derailleur wouldn’t move into the big ring, absolutely no movement which was strange. So I just had to spin my legs at about 150rpm to keep up. We made it back to the hotel and went straight out for an easy brick run and wow did it hurt. My legs were on the verge of cramping but they slowly warmed up as I cranked up the pace and finished the 5km in 23:58. I took the bike to the shop and it turned out the gear cable had snapped completely. The main benefit with hiring a bike is that when there are problems you just swap it out for another one without any hassle. To finish the day, we had a stretch session which was brilliant. As a coach myself, I learnt a lot of new stretches and exercises that I can use with gym members and during classes. Day 3 I started the day off early with a stretch and foam roll session, something that I have recently got into the routine of doing back in the UK. I will get up 45-60 mins earlier than necessary and spend that time foam rolling and completing some dynamic and activation exercises tailored to my weaknesses. It also makes me feel much more refreshed for the day ahead compared to waking up and going straight out for a swim/cycle/run. The first session this morning was a swim at 7am. We started to incorporate a little more speed within the session and Paul reminded us of our individual weaknesses and how to improve on them. Today we attempted some pool buoy and band (wrapped around the ankles) which is a really tough drill but hugely helps with the pull part of your stroke. A quick breakfast and we were out on our bikes. I picked up my new hire bike, quickly set it up and then headed off. Today’s route passed through Club La Santa (my favourite place!) where we stopped off for some lunch and then went south to El Golfo before making our way back to the hotel. I paced myself a lot better today and knew we had a run session planned for the evening so didn’t go too hard on the bike. For (what I thought was) the final session of today, we completed some running drills to improve mobility and stability and then headed onto the trails for an interval session. The session was 4 minutes, 5 minutes, 6 minutes, 6 minutes, 5 minutes, 4 minutes each with 90 seconds active recovery. I found the first two intervals went very well and I was surprised at how my body was coping with the speed. But then it all started to go downhill…. My quads mainly started to cramp followed by my hamstrings, making it very hard to do anything more than a shuffle. So I held off the pace and worked as hard as my body would let me for the rest of the session. Finally, the stretch session. Today Paul decided to add some core exercises which made it the hardest session of the day. I struggled to complete more than 3 reps before I started to shake uncontrollably. We then finished off with a few stretches, making me feel rather sleepy and keen for bed. Day 4 Another early start in the gym with some foam rolling and light exercises followed by a session in the pool. This one included a lot of technique work with focus on rotation and holding the good form whilst increasing the pace. We then hopped on the bikes for the hilly ride. The route started out north towards Orzola but then we turned off and went up Tabayesco which is a well known ‘must do’ iconic climb. We stopped at the bottom for a photo, and by the time I had got back on the bike, everyone had charged off toward the hill. There was no chance I could catch up with the leaders so I took it steady and finished 4th with Kev taking the win. At the top we had an ice-cream and then set off to attack Mirador Del Rio from the south side. This includes lots of very sharp climbs and mini descents before reaching the top. Still feeling good after his win up Tabayesco, Kev went out hard and sustained his lead all the way to the top. I tried hard to chase him but ended up being overtaken on the final climb and finishing in 3rd. We then descended the climb back down to Arrieta and then tackled Tabayesco for the second time. I went out a lot harder and worked with Kev to create a big gap between us and the rest of the group. With 200m to go I jumped out of the saddle and powered my way ahead of Kev and went on to take the stage after drafting him the whole way up. Dirty tactics, but that’s racing J The day ended with a core and stretch session and a very large dinner! Day 5 Early in the day we chucked our wetsuits on and headed down onto the beach to take part in an organised open water swim around the bay, I completed 2 laps of the 1000m course. It was very wavy which made it hard to sight but great fun and very enjoyable. We then had breakfast and then went out on the bikes to complete the 3rd day in a row of cycling over 100km. By this point I felt like I was just sitting on sandpaper for the whole of the ride but with a little Vaseline, I managed to push through the pain! Today we tackled the Femes climb. It lasted less than 1km but an average of 12% made it a challenge. Also the day before I found that the rear derailleur was slightly out of line so it kept catching on the spokes when I was in the lowest gear meaning I was never able to use this one. This meant that on the final part of the climb I was forced out of the saddle and had to really push to reach the top and ultimately finish 1st with Kev not far behind. The final part of our ride included part of the run route of the Lanzarote Ironman along the sea front. There was a strong side wind but no traffic on the cycle paths. Once we returned to the hotel, we jumped off the bikes and then set off on a brick run. I purposefully took the first km as hard as I could and then went steady on to complete the 3.5km. The day finished with a core and stretching session and an early night. Day 6 Recovery day! A fairly easy swim followed by a recovery bike ride included us getting lost on the way to the cake shop (disaster!) and then me sugar bonking (the opposite of a depletion bonk) during the stop. I just suddenly had no energy and felt like I was falling asleep. I managed to get back on the bike and take it steady to the hotel before we took the rest of the day as rest knowing tomorrow was going to be very tough. Despite it being an evening of rest, we still had the core session (hardest one yet) followed by some gentle stretching. Day 7 The big one! Today we were tackling the Lanzarote Ironman bike course with a ride that totalled over 100 miles. While staying at Sands Beach, we noticed that Will Clarke, pro ironman athlete, (will-clarke.com) was also staying at the hotel and somehow Kirk managed to sweet talk him and his training partner into coming out on the ride with us. They stuck with us for about 90 minutes and in that time, Kev and I managed to drop a ‘watt bomb’ and break away from him on one of the descents. This resulted in him going down onto the tt bars and coming flying past us like he wasn’t even trying. A real close up example to us of a professional athlete who is in a wholly different league. We continued on the rest of the route at an enjoyable pace, knowing that the second half of the ride was where it got tough. A lovely lunch stop at 100km was our last chance to rest before we headed out to climbs Tabayesco from the Teguise direction and then go onto the Mirador Del Rio. Knowing it was the last day and my last chance to put some real effort in, I went for it on both of the big climbs. Tactics worked as I managed to take Kev on the line at the top of Tabayesco and then clearly coming first up Mirador by over 1 minutes (yes I recorded it!). A final descent down to Arrieta and then an easy pootle back to the hotel and we were done! Thank goodness. I rounded the day off with a massage from one of the therapists at the wellness centre. I cannot say it was the best sports massage I’ve ever had but it definitely helped my recovery over the next few days. Day 8 Turns out we had another swim planned for Thursday morning at 6am!!! The committed few (Kev, Hayden, Nick, Kirk and I) turned up but everyone else stayed in bed and I can’t say I blame them. We then demolished the breakfast buffet before packing and heading off to the airport. In all honestly, I didn’t think the week was going to be as hard as it was. Looking back, it was probably the most physically draining week of my life. Spending countless hours in the saddle is very exhausting but so worth it! A brilliant week which I thoroughly enjoyed. Excellent weather, a challenging programme and a great bunch of people to motivate each other and generate laughs. A huge thank you to Paul Ryman and the Zoot Athlos team. I am really looking forward to the racing season now! Sands Beach-www.sandsbeach.eu/en-gb Big thanks to my sponsors and clubs for supporting me so far this season- LPSEVENTS ZOOT ATHLOS racing team Pedal Potential South West Swim Performance Cycles Cirencester Athletics Club The Flying Monk Triathlon Club To keep up to date with everything I else I am getting up to throughout the season, check out my social media pages- Facebook page- Luke Campbell Triathlon Strava- Luke Campbell Triathlon Twitter- @lukecampbell246 Instagram- @lukecampbell246
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