I've not had much time the past few days to sit at my computer and tell of the events unfolding at the ICTN Triathlon Training Camp so here is a brief summary of the weekend that seemed to encourage those who were there and many who were not. I will attempt to do this in "race report" fashion...
ARRIVAL: My flight out of San Jose was an early, rainy departure from the house to the airport (5am to be exact). With a quick stop in San Diego I was able to call Aubrey and let her know that I would soon be flying overhead and to look outside as I'll be waving from my seat looking down on that beautiful campus. When I arrived at Tucson, I had a text from Brian to look up as he would be fly in shortly after I hit the ground... difference is he would be doing the flying in an F-16! I did see one; not sure if it was him though. Soon Brian picked me along with Coach-Kevin and Pro-John and we headed for a sandwich and the hotel. There we ran into Stan everyone checked in while I unpacked and assembled my bike soon Jon and I were off for a 1:20hr run.
RUN: It had been raining slightly when we arrived but it seemed to let up in the afternoon so I went without a parka... wrong choice. First after John and I left the hotel we had no idea where we were going and just went in a direction we thought would yield a river path. After a couple of miles of surface streets it started to rain... then we found the river and a fantastic place to run but it started to rain HARD! Soon we were both soaked! We got back in just over the run time and walked straight for the Jacuz-Spa! Warmed up our core temps and then off to the rooms for showers and catching up for dinner.
DINNER Night 1: All the usual cast of characters were assembled... caught up with Chris, Lincoln, Bob, Scott, Kirk, Steve, Ken and a few others... Met Brad there; a pro who races for Beans... Sports Beans that is! Later back at the hotel, Scott and I were catching up when Courtney and Jamie arrived. We were so excited to see them and spent the rest of the night catching up. It was great to see how well Jamie is doing and can talk about her faith in the midst of her incredible ordeal (if you're unfamiliar with her ordeal; see prior posts in the category of Triathlon about Jamie's journey this past year). Because I had to do an easy 35 min. run the next morning Courtney offered to go with me.
RUN 2: It is still rainy but not as bad and Court and I head out... this time we headed where we knew there was a river trail. The run was easy and only slightly wet but my hip had been bothering me so by the end I had started to really feel the pain.
CAMP BEGINS: As the campers started to file down in the Park Theater everything was present... all the Hammer Nutrition products, the shwag bags, familiar faces and many new ones. Short introductions were made and Stan got it in gear! Without going into all the detail of what happens here's the short and simple... we listen, to professionals, coaches and otherwise experienced triathletes on how to do what we do in training and racing, better. There is also a spiritual component that is key to the weekend camp because, as we say in FCA "Why do you race?" For us the purpose is simple; the race is the goal, the preparation is a journey; our faith is often represented in this way... a Race. We want to show others who we race for and what we race for; God and His glory. So, pastors, who are triathletes, talk about these things and hopefully (I say hopefully because I am one of those pastors) encourage and guide others to answer that question.
FOLLOWING WORKOUTS: For me I spent the next two days riding. Day one, nice and easy with a small group. I have to admit the riding is a lot better here than trying to navigate the streets through Phoenix and Scottsdale where the camp had been previously. On day two, we rode up Mt. Lemmon, one of the most touted rides in the US. This ride was a pretty good size group and quickly split up as we began the ascent. I was riding @ heart rate, meaning I was only going to go as fast as my heart rate would allow. I stayed at the front of the group until we arrived at Windy Point, a beautiful and stunning vista looking down onto Tucson. It was getting very cold and most wanted to return for a late lunch but I wanted to go to the summit. How often to I get to ride one of the nations best? Right! So off I went by myself ascending to nearly 9000 feet. At the top and now extremely cold, I refueled, bummed a newspaper from a sightseeing motorist and shoved it up my jersey to insulate the frigid bomb/decent down to the valley floor. What a ride! After that... I was done. No more workouts as I'm trying to nurse my hip back into health.
FOLLOWING MEETINGS/MEALS: One of the best part of this camp is the time spent with these friends. I value and treasure the kinship of faith and fun. It was clear our friendships are diving deeper each year and we count on each other... like my friends Troy who roomed with me or JR who drove me up to Phoenix; both amazing guys, who any young man would be lucky to have in their lives just to see what a man of God should be. My fellow pastors all speaking from personal experience and some deep rooted in difficulty and honing by the Holy Spirit, speaking collectively on topics that seemed to be organized and orchestrated months in advance but simply following the lead of God's voice to "feed them;" and what a meal it was. Jamie talking about this past year and her physical and emotional roller coaster which drew her closer to God and gave her huge opportunities to share her faith where it didn't have room before. The campers responded to her by contributing nearly $3000 to help with the needed remodel of their bathroom to accommodate Jamie's now disabilities. Of course Steve Born's nutrition advice is a highlight and worth the trip itself but Steve claims the camp benefits him more than he can give... Oh, and thanks Brian and Jill for taking me to Dr. Bub's for a look at my ailing hip. I'm feeling better but we'll see what happens here.
Each year, we all walk away with something. It is real, it is profound, it is special... it is a gift from God. This year, by the change of venue or most likely from what we heard from those who did and could not come about the economy, our attendance was down. Soon plans will be made for next year's camp and hopefully more will get to experience what we did this weekend. Regardless, the experience was nothing less... in fact, it always seems to be a little bit more.
