GymSkinZ at Ironman Training Camp

GymSkinZ at Ironman Training Camp!

Hey folks!

So I'm still up here in Penticton at the halfway mark of this training camp. Suffice to say I now know what it's like to be a pro-athlete and have nothing to really worry about except training / eating / recovering / repeating. It's amazing and what your body is capable of doing (concussed or not) when you decide to push it and not have the daily chores (like work and domestic duties) to worry about - at least not as much as "normal".

The camp has consisted of early morning swims in the lake where Ironman Canada is taking place in - not the exact same course due to all the boats and pleasure-craft out there, but a good 1 mile loop incorporating one of the lengths of the actual swim route (more or less). A great way to practice what to sight off of for the race and to get used to where the sun is going to be at that time of morning and figure out what to look at when it's blinding us. Was also nice (I can't believe I'm saying this) to have a really choppy day yesterday just to practice swimming in crappy / windy / choppy conditions.

After each swim session, we've rode various parts of the bike course, discussed key points along the course to consider in terms of where it's good to drop the hammer, and where to hold back to prepare for a nasty climb. I rode about 120km yesterday with one of the other guys and did basically 2/3 of the course whilst the others skipped one of the biggest hill climbs since it wasn't part of the schedule. We're all doing the entire thing as a group and it will be a good test of nutrition and dealing with the heat (95-97 degrees or so).

I also had the pleasure and honour of doing a run with the legendary Steve King who has been the race announcer for Ironman Canada and many other prestigious races for the last 23 years. He has an uncanny ability to remember teeny weeny details of people he's met and he has been such a source of inspiration and motivation for tens of thousands of athletes over the years. He is an accomplished triathlete / and ultra-marathoner and picking up tips from him for this race was an invaluable experience. Unfortunately, he won't be announcing at this year's Ironman as he's decided to step away from this event, but I'm looking forward to him announcing for the Vancouver International Triathlon this fall as he'll likely remember some quirky thing about me and what we talked about during our run - and likely blast it over the PA as I finish that race. He is truly a gentleman and will be sorely missed by all the Ironman participants this year who have come to associate his voice to Ironman Canada for all these years.

Aside from the swim/bike/run sessions, we've had great group meetings / discussions about everything to do with the race - from nutrition, to stretching, to mental training, race strategies when things go sideways, etc etc. With 3 remaining days of the camp, I have to say I've gained a little more confidence with each session - not only on the physical side, but the mental side which is very important in these long course events. I never thought I'd EVER say this - but I'm actually looking forward to the open water swims in the morning and especially the 4km swim we're doing on Sunday. At the start of the race last Sunday, the LAST place I wanted to be was in that very same lake....

In any case, stay tuned for some exciting developments on the business side of GymSkinZ as it relates to some of the stuff I've just talked about. I have some pretty cool things planned for the rest of the year and it's got nothing to do with funny t-shirts ;) (although I like doing those too! =)

Cheers everyone and thanx for tuning in... Catch up with ya soon and please help me spread the word about GymSkinZ!

Thanx!
Tavis