CHOOBS TRAINING CAMP
The Ironman Chattanooga Training Camp June 10-12 Brought to You By TCG & FX Multisport
An excellent time was had by all. It was hot, temps in the 100's but everyone got in some QT on the course!
Camp Recap written by Lindsey Kenny
Day 1 - We all met at the YMCA downtown Chattanooga to check in, get our wrist bands, and of course a cool t-shirt you can rock later on to prove you survived the weekend. I've frequently been to Chattanooga, but for out of towners meeting downtown at the YMCA gave athletes a chance to scope out where the hotels and eateries are that they may want to use come race weekend. Race weekend is stressful enough with out having to constantly use your iPhone to check for places to eat or find directions to different race check-ins/outs. Coaches Robyn and Brian also included places to eat in the camp itinerary packet, which was helpful.
Day 2 - Chattanooga River Rats 2.4 or 4.5 mile race and Run Course - This was a great opportunity to get out on the swim course in a well supported environment. A representative from the River Rats told me they had 33 kayaks and paddle boards, 2 jet skis, and a boat out on course for support as needed. I felt like this swim was a lot less stressful than other open water swims Ive done for two reasons. One, everyone was well spaced out and calm. I never felt like someone was going to swim over me and I had plenty of space to find myself and my pace in the river. Two, there was plenty of friendly kayak support out on the river to help provide rest breaks or encouragement as needed. I also found it encouraging that there were so many spectators at the swim exit to cheer you on that last little bit!
I have swam 2.4 miles in the river here on 2 different occasions prior to this, so I kinda knew what to expect. The first time was last year at Coach Robyn's Ironman Chattanooga camp, which was a HUGE life saver Sunday morning of the race! Normally before swim starts I get nervous, and I had never swam 2.4 miles in a river before. This was also my first try at the Ironman distance. Prior to doing this camp last year I knew I could do the bike and the run. I also knew I could swim 2.4 miles, in a pool. But the thought of getting in the Tennessee River and just hauling my butt downstream seemed terrifying. Coach Robyn was a very calming presence to me during this swim, and i'm sure many other athletes felt the same way I did. I remembered her saying, "Relax and just enjoy the view around you. Its a beautiful course!". I felt like Coach Brian and Coach Robyn provided this same feeling prior to the 2.4 mile swim at this camp. Honestly, the best thing that prepared me for Ironman Chattanooga was the opportunity to swim the course with confidence. It saved me a lot anxiety race day and I was able to start the race calm and confident.
Saturday morning the swim started at 7:45 AM and I finished in 1:10. The main thing I learned from this swim is that I need to work on my sighting!! I ended up swimming almost 4800 yards instead of 4400 yards, yikes! After the swim the group wasn't scheduled to meet back at the park until 10:00 AM, which gave me about an hour of down time. The Coolidge Park Outdoor Center which hosted the swim race had Subway, other snacks, and clean bathrooms to change into after the swim. I also discovered they had a shower which was really nice to be able to rinse off all the river water since I wasn't going to be back to the apartment until after the run that day. After changing and eating I headed to a cute little coffee shop right across from the Outdoor Center. I grabbed a muffin and a cup of coffee and relaxed until 10:00. From 10:00 till noon we met at a Pavilion in the park to discuss both the bike course, run course, as well as what to expect on race day. A representative from the Chattanooga Tri Club gave us a lot of great info on things to watch out for on course such as specific railroad tracks where people frequently dropped bottles on race day, when to expect a sharp left turn at the bottom of a downhill on the bike course (if you are riding the course and going too fast because you don't know about it... your in trouble!), and how to handle the infamous Barton Avenue on the run course. Coach Brian also gave us some great info on Ucan and Base Performance products as well as samples we could take to try out during the camp. Oh and they had cake - which I steered clear of because me, cake, 95+ temps, and running do not go together!
At noon we split into pace groups and ran 8 miles of the very well marked run course. The 8 IMPORTANT miles that is (not that they aren't all important!). By important miles I mean the miles with the hills. The rest of the course is basically just a flat road out of town, and then you turn and run back into town along the River Walk (also flat). Chattanooga's run course is a 13.1 mile loop which you run twice. If you wanted to run the entire 13 miles the coaches said you could, but due to the heat most everyone opted to run the "8 important miles". Besides, everyone knows what a flat road looks like! haha
After the run the group broke up and we didn't meet again until dinner at the Terminal Brewhouse downtown. The coaches wrapped up the day and then we spent the rest of the evening socializing. It was a great opportunity to talk with the other athletes with out panting and sweating in the heat. Many of the athletes had traveled from all over to attend the camp. One of the girls even came from Canada! Now that is dedication! It was a nice end to a day of hard work in the sun.
Day 3 - The Chattanooga Bike Course - We all were scheduled to meet again at 7:00 AM to get ready to ride, with a roll out time of 8:00 AM. Coach Brian led a morning prayer for those that wanted to arrive earlier at 6:45. Both coaches again gave a re-cap of the course and answered any questions. Coach Robyn then split us up into different pace groups and we were on our way. I ended up getting a flat tire about 4 miles into the ride (still don't know why!), so myself and two other riders pulled over and attempted to fix it. Unfortunately I had new aero wheels and my local bike shop had put a valve extender on the valve instead of using a tube with a longer valve (WHY?!). So, I of course had no idea how to work the valve extension to let the rest of the air out of my tube. Lucky for me East Ridge Bicycles was out providing support for campers as needed. Garth from East Ridge was there with everything we needed in less than 5 minutes! He then proceeded to change my tire and I was back out on the course 5 minutes after his arrival, go East Ridge!! The rest of the ride went smoothly. I hadn't ridden the course since September and I had forgotten how scenic and beautiful this course is! I believe there is about 4400' of elevation gain on the entire 116 mile course, so it's hilly. A lot of rollers in the first stretch, followed by some false flats, great downhills (Hog Jowl Rd is SO FUN!), and a slow/long climb out of Chickamauga and back into town. The 60 miles we road had about 2200' of elevation gain. The course is basically like a lollipop, so if you were going to complete the whole thing (which was an option if you chose to do it, but it was only supported for the 60 miles of the camp) you would just do the loop twice and then ride the "lollipop stick" back into town, And DONE, 116 miles! The coaches had 2 SAG stops for cold water out on the course which was so refreshing on a hot day and it gave you a minute to re-group if needed. After the ride some of the athletes chose to run a few miles off the bike. I forgot my running shoes (whoopsie!), so I just headed home.
All in all this was a great weekend! Plenty of time to digest all the info that was provided as well getting to see all the 3 courses. I'm not even doing Ironman Chattanooga this year and I came back because I had enjoyed this camp so much last year and also I was in need of a big training weekend for Ironman Vineman. Coach Brian and Coach Robyn both said that despite the camp being over, both of them would be available as resources for any questions athletes thought of after the camp. Which to me is great! Because doesn't everyone always think of something they would like to ask later on....
