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thetrilife Late Autumn Squad Weekend
If our ‘Late Autumn Kicker Camp’ of last weekend didn’t get our athletes fired up for winter training, then nothing will.Thetrilife camp took place in the spectacular grounds of Wellington College, West Berkshire. With its own Leisure centre, many fields and superb mountain biking routes on its doorstep, we couldn’t have picked a more ideal place.
Friday kicked off with a technical turbo session for the lucky ones who could skive off work early or the even luckier ones who lived in close proximity. (I saw the size of the houses nearby!). This was lead by Dan Salcedo, who wasted no time in getting them to work up a sweat and help prepare them for Saturday which was to be an action packed day.
Saturday began with a run consisting of drills, steady running, hills, more running, more hills, faster running and finally an easy trot back to the college. Sounds exhausting but time just flew by and I could still hear laughter even after 1hr 40mins. I’m not sure if this was down to our jokes and great company or Dan’s skinny legs in tight lycra but either way it was a great start to the morning.
Lunch was put on by thetrilife and the hot chocolate was a hit. Next up was a swim session with the all important videoing of all the athletes. If you haven’t seen yourself swim before it always comes as a bit of a shock when watching yourself on the screen. I remember when I first got videoed and was mortified to discover I was nothing like Phelps or Addlington but probably more like Eric the Eel!! Obviously our athletes were ‘Phelpish’ and ‘Addlingtonish’ but could still benefit from some of our expertise in swim stroke perfection.
Another turbo session followed with aim of improving pedalling efficiency, leg speed, technique work and to help with recovery from the day’s activities. The final task was an inner tube challenge which was a race between teams to see who could change an inner tube first. Good job we left plenty of time for this one…….
Our team dinner Saturday night was eagerly awaited by hungry athletes and didn’t disappoint. I easily managed my pizza but Dean who ordered the same as me must have been watching his figure as he struggled to eat even half – light weight!
Sunday was an early start at the pool and a great chance for us to see our athletes practice their new drills and techniques. So much improvement was pleasing to see. Breakfast was laid on again by Thetrilife so everyone could prepare in plenty of time for the mountain ride. Luckily we picked a sunny day so even though it was muddy it wasn’t too cold. A guide lead the way so we could focus solely on our athletes and not have to worry about getting lost! For improving bike handling skills and fun it’s hard to beat a mountain bike ride on undulating trails.
To wrap up the weekend we finished on a turbo and circuit session, followed by a run. Dan and I motivated the riders whilst Dean used his Army PT experience to reveal some new exercises. A final run of drills and parlaufs was the icing on the cake!
Well done to everyone that took part and we look forward to seeing you all again and more of our athletes at the next thetrilife.com squad weekend.
