Reflections on Spain – thetrilife.com Spain Training Camp 2014

• Posted onjofrancis
• in Camps and Clinics, Overseas Training Camp (Spain)
• onMarch 27, 2014
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By Mike Redshaw

So how was our camp in the stunning countryside and warm sun of Andalucía in Southern Spain?

Well the sign of a good trip is if you would go again and certainly the feedback from the athletes tells us they want to come again and so we plan to make it even better again in 2015.

So here are our reflections on what was a great week away.

We always aim to tailor our camps and we did this by asking all the athletes what they wanted to get out of the camp before we went away.  As coaches on the camp we are constantly reviewing the sessions and planning how to achieve the athlete goals and needs for the duration of the stay.  For all the athletes this was time on the bike building their stamina in what had been weather interrupted riding at home.  They were keen to build the core strength and learn key exercises to do this at home.  Spend some quality time in the pool refining technique and building swim fitness and momentum to take forward were key messages.  For many going it was an opportunity to put in a big consistent week of training and enjoy some warm sunny weather in the process.

We based ourselves at Desert Springs following another successful camp last year.  The resort is ideally placed to access the local pool and miles and miles of trails and smooth, quiet roads with lots of options.  On the bike we alternated between climbing into the inland mountains and rolling along the shores of the Med (it was a very nice to be given so much space by local drivers, but very easy to get used to) and to top it off the weather was warm and sunny, some head winds at the start of the week added to the athlete training load!

So what were the highlights – well for this I thought it best to tell you what a few of the athletes said in their feedback to give you an authentic perspective rather than the coaches view….

“I would describe this week as the real deal. The coaches soon get a handle on your ability. Coaches trained and coached each athlete, to get the best out of their week. The week was very well planned, time and places clearly communicated. I would recommend this for any one”.

“The training was excellent and the icing on the cake is the great fun and good humour we all shared. I cannot think of a better way to spend a week, nothing to worry about other than swim, eat, rest, bike, eat, rest and run, eat, rest with all the details and administration taken care of. It is fantastic to be amongst like minded people where we don’t have to explain ourselves and have a little glimpse into the life of a professional athlete. The generous ratio of trainer to athlete makes for huge improvements throughout the week which just could not be made in a normal week of training at home”.

“I really enjoyed the weeks training camp, I thought the coaches were excellent, the attention to detail and schedule was exceptional and everything was really well planned and executed. The coaches were very helpful. The location was excellent, the weather was perfect and the opportunity to put in a good weeks training in the sun away from the winter winds and rain and cold back home was not to be missed”….

“I really enjoyed the company of the other athletes who really made the week a great experience and also challenging as the competition among the group was evident on every climb and finish back to the resort, it certainly added an extra bit of spice to the rides for me and I really enjoyed it… I have hopefully made a lot of friends on the camp and hope to see them all there again at next year’s camp for round 2. A big thank you to all at Tri Life for the experience…”

You can take a look at more of the feedback here.

So there you have it, a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable week of warm weather training, with time to train in good conditions and without the fuss of daily life going on around you. It left the athletes tired but wanting more. Click here if you want to see more photos on Facebook.

So if you are interested in coming next year register your interest by emailing mike@thetrilife.com or head to the Spain Camp page on our website. Once again places will be limited to give you an experience that we will endeavour to build on from 2014!