Sun & Smiles

I think I always return from camp in Tucson a little more tan and a little more fit. But I also return a little more inspired and this week has been no different! I am loving this video of the days made by Taryn......It’s always fun to see things through another lens.

Despite having gone to Tucson now ~3 times a year for the past 5ish years, I can happily report that I had a first this year! I’ve seen some people execute some epic training days on Mt. Lemmon, and while often during camp I gain a handful of bonus miles going back and forth between groups, it has never been too significant to note…..until this week. My athlete Briana was at camp this week as part of her last big training block push to Ultraman Australia. Typically there is a camp day where you ride up Mt. Lemmon to the cookie cabin (mile 25), and then back down, to be followed with a run off the bike. In the past some of our TeamHPB Ultraman athletes have taken this day to the next level, and so I wanted to find a way to make this happen for Bri too. And since I don’t like to give out training sessions that I haven’t (or wouldn’t!) do myself, this seemed like a prime opportunity to seize the day for a Lemmon adventure for myself too. Given that I am on the hunt for bike fitness right now, a few extra bike miles could only be a good thing. And as Coach Emily said…Lemmon is there, you may as well ride it! (or something like that)

So Bri and I set off just after sunrise with our goal of getting to Windy Point (mile 15), and back down in time to join the others who would be setting off after 8am. I am happy to report that we successfully completed the mission and Bri did it with a smile (mostly!) on her face, She just has one last push at home and then we head to Australia!

My other favorite “adventure” from camp is the track session from the last day. We are always making sure that the camp experience is fresh for those who return time after time, and this was no different! With a bit of a nod to “The Michigan” workout, we had a couple hours of fun on the track with distances from 1.5 miles to an 800, with some hills thrown in to keep it spicy. The campers LOVED it I promise :) 

I always say how lucky we get with the weather in Tucson….but maybe now after this trip I’m finally accepting that Tucson is simply a great place to train because the weather is generally just like that: predictable and consistent! It takes so much of the guesswork out of the days. And the easy access to great Mexican food takes the guesswork out of the refueling process too. What more can you want?

Already looking forward to the next camp in the Dirty T!