Saturday, January 23, 2016

The GK Crew went Camping. 2016

Camping... But not in the tent/wilderness type of camping. 

This type of camp is the " I have a Ironman/ triathlon coming up soon" or the "I need to get fit and find my mojo again camp" 

What does that mean? It means Kate and I flog you over 4 days of swimming,biking, running, rolling and stretching. 

Kate myself and our GK Endurance crew did just that last weekend. We scheduled our camp from Thursday-Sunday with a bit of everything involved.
Our campers bought there best and gave it 100%. We couldn't have been happier with the effort they put in over those 4 days. The hard work will pay off!

Big thanks to the Wattie INK crew making us look good. We've had a lot of comments on how great our kits look and how much we stand out!!  Doesn't hurt that they are super comfortable and fast too!!

I won't bore you with the details of each training session, but I will show you the pic's that tell our camping story!! Picture books are the best.

Day one: the time trials.

Pre Time trial

I'm stoked because I'm coaching and not doing the TT's
Thursday morning, Post bike Time Trials.
From here is was off to Margaret River (roughly 3 hours south and out to the wilderness  lodge for the next 3.5 days)

We chose this location so there were no distractions and very different from the cabins we usually rent. Yes it could house 18 and yes it would be cozy but fun. It was great for the entire team to be under one roof.

Part of our wilderness wonderland

After an evening run we had a relaxed BBQ dinner with lots of laughs before hitting "the hay" .

Day Two: The long ride on Friday morning. We found a great section of road that was long enough and hilly enough to challenge every rider on our camp. Without going into details, the ride and run off the bike was enough to set the mood for the camp. This wasn't going to be easy. 
Nutrition and hydration was going to play a massive role. Lucky most athlete's were using  INFINIT Nutrition Australia products or had access to them.
Start of our long ride day

The ride among the tree's of the south west.
Paul, Just before he comes in for some refuelling.

You only get our yellow friend George if you do something silly. Renee got George because she forgot her cycling shoes.(not to worry she managed to find her shoes and pass George on to another lucky camper) 

It's wasn't all pain and suffering. After our evening open water swim we got to enjoy some fantastic sunsets while having dinner.


Day three: The part every one was waiting for. Swim and Double run, tears and happiness rolled into one. Every-one got through this day and from a coaching perspective we saw a lot of breakthrough efforts.

The site for our PM long run!
One of the many footpaths/trails Margaret river has to offer.


Just when the campers thought they couldn't have any more fun we dropped this little pearl of a session on them.  Swim/bike/run x3 or x4 OUCH!! We had use of the pool, thanks to Dylan and the Margaret River Rec centre. The trainers set up out the front and a mix of paved and dirt trails to choose from for the run.

Vic giving every-one a final high five which also signalled the end of there session and end of the camp!

The team, minus Janine who's behind the lens. 


 Camps are great for building a close training group, sparking that motivation you may have lost and finding out you can push yourself further than you thought possible. Our experience was awesome from the coaching side. It was great to see people push there limits. As an athlete it's great to be pushed and you only get out of it what you put in. A week of recovery and suddenly you find your fitness and motivation is back and your hungry for more!

Massive well done to all our campers and supporters!! Wattie INK, Churchill Cycles, Infinit Nutrition, Mizuno Australia, Ruth Chang Physio, Janine Kaye Photography (For all the shots you see above and most of our websites) Dylan Brown and the Margaret River Rec Centre.  
Until the next one!!

GK Endurance