This is the third and final report of our MarkAllenOnline camp in Mexico. Mark Allen and I traveled to León Mexico and the first day of the camp was great. The facilities were first class. We were interviewed on live radio and after a day of lectures we went to the track, practiced drills and ran.
The second day of the camp started early. Mark and I managed to get an early breakfast and we met all the campers at the “ciclo via” which is a 7k loop closed to traffic where we can ride the bikes safely. Roads and traffic in León are just not safe for riding. There is no room whatsoever and drivers do not expect to see bike riders. We asked Rafael the camp organizer what Ironman athletes do to train. It turns out they ride the trainer during the week and then they travel outside the city to rural roads and ride with a car escort. With a tight schedule and any talks we do not have that option.
I did not want to bring a bike to Mexico for one ride so I asked Rafael if he could help us with that. They did. But the bike I was given was very steep. It had an 80 degree seat tube angle. I had to shift that seat back and it still felt very steep. I finally got on it and rode. The group ride was escorted by a motorcycle. The average folks on the ciclo-via were not used to a group of this size and this speed. There were many recreational riders on a Sunday morning.
We rode for a warm up and then we stopped to listen to Mark talk about racing strategy and pacing. While Mark was talking the folks at FOX sports Latin-America who came out to do a little filming of the camp took a few minutes and interviewed me and talk about our online training. At one point the interviewer asked me a question really fast. For the life of me I could not understand. Spanish in Mexico is a bit different. I quickly pulled a politician move and said. “Before I answer that let me say that with the online training you can, blah blah”. Of course we never got back to his question. That was close.
Later we rode our bikes a bit more and called it a workout. We then proceeded to go back to the university for more lectures. A representative from Gatorade did the first talk. Gatorade was a camp sponsor and the speaker talked about the importance of hydration and how the new Gatorade endurance formula could help. Mark Allen then talked about Nutrition. As before, I listened in Spanish with my headphones. The translator was right on.
Next was my turn to speak and give a demonstration of the online training. I did this in Spanish of course and the translator translated it into English so that Mark Allen could listen in. I gave a little history about how Mark Allen and I got started and our late nights at my house where Mark was virtually falling asleep. Granted I am a night owl and it was way past Mark Allen’s bedtime. The interesting thing for Mark listening in at the translation was how much more elegant it sounded. Mark was very impressed and he felt the talk had a lot of heart and soul. Spanish is a much more expressive language and the translator found a way to translate that. I wish I had a recording of my translated talk.
The next lecture was Mark Allen presenting our weight lifting program. This was a difficult talk to translate as we did not have a proper name for many of the exercises. Luckily we had pictures of all the exercises. A picture is worth a thousand words as they say.
The final element of our camp was another opportunity for me to present. Swimming was the topic. My lecture was about swimming for triathletes. What is more important? How come we swim so much? And the differences in swim training when compared to the bike and the run. In the end I showed a film of Grant Hacket an Ian Thorpe swimming head to head at a swim meet. These two guys are the two best freestyle swimmers in the world. The film was not just above the water but also under water. I am a huge fan of the catch-up drill not just for training but also to try to emulate in racing and swim a partial catch-up. After the film we headed for the pool where I demonstrated the technique and gave the swimmers some drills and worked on our distance per stroke. Almost everyone was really happy with the results. Hopefully they can follow it in training and keep up with it. It is not easy to change old habits.
After the swim we said goodbye to the campers and wished then good luck. They were so enthusiastic at all the things learned and promised to stay in touch. Many will sign up online with our new Spanish web site.
Following the swim Rafael invited us to a family gathering. Apparently in Mexico many extended families get together for a day of relaxation. They bring food and they relax while all the children play. In the US this is not as common as we are a country of nuclear families. Only Thanksgiving and other big holidays bring extended families together for us.
Mark Allen retuned to the US a few hours after the camp. I went back to the hotel and returned the next day after a little shopping. León is the shoe capital of Mexico. Many shoe manufacturers manufacture their shoes here. I had to bring some shoes for my wife.
Overall I was very happy with the camp, impressed with the facilities and excited about the enthusiasm of the campers. We will for sure return to Mexico. Some of the campers from Mexico City suggested we do the camp there. Cancun is also a nice option. I have to make sure we do it in the winter so I can escape the snow. I’ll be back!