JOES TO PROS EP 6: TRAINING CAMP AND OPEN WATER SWIMMING
Hunter and Calvin are two long-time Quintana Roo employees who have never done a triathlon. In our "Joe to Pros" series, we've been following these two triathlon newbies as they prepare for their first IRONMAN 70.3. Calvin just completed IRONMAN 70.3 Dallas-Little Elm last month! Hunter is up next, and she's been preparing for months to take on IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga in May.
Hunter has been sticking to an IRONMAN 70.3 training plan courtesy of Coach Conrad Goeringer of Working Triathlete. Last week, she joined Coach Conrad and the Working Triathlete crew for her first-ever training camp!
The Importance of Training Camps and Open Water Swimming
Before training camp, Hunter had never swum in open water or with other athletes beside her. Like many endurance sports, triathlon is a solo endeavor. For us regular folks, it's about us, versus ourselves and the course. As a "solo exerciser," this is one of the aspects of the sport that drew Hunter to triathlon. But if you're always doing things on your own, you might struggle to see or understand things that might hold you back from improving.
This is why training camps are so valuable. Not only do you get an outside perspective and coaching that can elevate your game, but you get to train around like-minded people who have the same goals, struggles, and experiences as you.
For many newer triathletes, the most important benefit of joining a training camp is to experience open water swimming with other athletes around you. The swim is often the most stressful and intense part of any triathlon, and if race day is your first time doing open water swimming in a pack, well... let's just say you might experience a bit of a shock!
Naturally, Hunter was a bit scared to join her first training camp, but the experience ended up being a lot of fun, and it will be invaluable when she lines up in Chattanooga. She improved a lot in a single session, but she also has a greater understanding of what areas she really needs to focus on before race day.
Not only did Hunter level up her swimming, but she also reached new heights (literally) on her bike. During the training camp group ride, she climbed Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, a feat she never thought she'd be able to do! As she described it, "It was the longest and hardest bike ride of my life. So that felt really good to accomplish that!"
After training camp, Hunter reflected on what she needs to do to succeed in her journey while keeping up with her responsibilities as a mother and staying "a regular human." I'm happy to report that she seems to have all of her priorities straight and that it's all coming together. If this training camp has taught her anything, it's that she's much more capable than she believed!
IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga is less than 3 weeks away. Stay tuned to see how Hunter's journey unfolds!
