Team Camp Preparations

You have all heard the talk and read the reports on here. People are getting ready for team camp in Tucson, AZ. It’s obvious that some started their training earlier than others, and some of us are just now starting to put in some real training camp preparations.  I’m one of those that decided to prep a little later for Camp. However, I am writing this to report that I have stepped up that preparation in anticipation of a challenging week, and I’m pleased with my recent progress.

I started my interval training this week and it has gone better than expected. I have never wanted to do intervals in January as it’s pretty early in the season, but I decided that camp is pretty important. We’re going to have almost the entire team in AZ, and I don’t want to look like an idiot in front of all my teammates. I will say that it was easier than I thought to start my intervals early this year. So easy, in fact, that in addition to the regular intervals, I snuck in one 2-a-day this week.

I didn’t want to overdo the intervals too early, so I started with two bowls of cereal every morning instead of one. You can’t expect results if you don’t do the work, so I just did it. Just poured a second bowl right after the first and ate it! It took some getting used to, but by Wed, I was eating the second bowl with ease. I also ate one banana at about 10am and one at about 4pm. I read that it’s important to have at least a 5 hour recovery between bananas because they contain a decent amount of fiber. I can’t over tax my system too early in the season or my BM score goes up too high.

When I saw how easy the cereal intervals were going, I decided to add some egg intervals. Eggs take longer to cook than eating cereal, so I’m trying to build 2 systems at once. The shorter bowl-of-cereal intervals help me with my speed, but the longer egg cooking intervals build more endurance. I have to tolerate more aroma build up in the kitchen which really helps me temper my breakfast enthusiasm, resulting in a lower RER (ravenous eating rate). If I can convince Sam to join me, we’re going to add some even longer oatmeal intervals next week to really get sharp for camp. By the time we show up, we should be ready for anything.

Just for kicks I also added a sushi interval this week to see how my body would react. I anticipated that the Tuesday/Thursday repeat would be a little traumatic, but I was able to order quickly and I didn’t loose form with the chopsticks on the second interval. That’s the kind of consistent performance I normally expect after a couple months of practice, so I was super pleased.

Before you think my camp preparation is all about intervals let me cut you off right there. I have not neglected my skills development either. You can’t expect to show up for camp and have a good time without some skills development. Sam has been helping me with these, as my skills sometimes fall short of my fitness. She’s reviewed the instructions for running the dishwasher and clothes washer so I can do it consistently with the right technique. She keeps stressing that it only takes one little mistake to cause a catastrophe. And, remember, when it comes to skills and techniques, you don’t just put yourself at risk. You can hurt your teammates as well.

It’s not just the practical side of skills development that counts either. You have to hardwire some of this stuff into your brain so you can perform consistently when it matters most. That’s why Sam’s helped me with a checklist to review daily. This is helping some of this become second nature. You might recognize that some of these skills are fairly challenging for some people. See if you have mastery as well:

• Make the bed (and make it pretty not just pull the covers up)
• No cleats in the house
• No sitting on furniture in wet riding gear
• Laundry goes in your white bag
• No leaning the bikes on the garage wall
• Put your bottles in the bottle dishwasher

I’m sure you probably have some more that you focus on personally, but I can’t bite off more than I can chew this early in the season. If I get these skills down before camp I’ll have a lot more fun with everyone.

As you can see, I’ve really stepped up my preparation and I’ll be ready for team camp next week. I hope that your interval training and skills development is at a point where you can participate and have a good time in Tucson. Last year was a lot of fun and I’m sure this year will be even better.