Yep, the "Terminator" ride was part of the camp. Basically the rides
(and runs
) are group affairs that happen on a weekly schedule year-round. You get a mix of age-group enthusiasts like me who are staying for a week or two, pros who train in the area for part of the year
(apparently quite a few
), various clubs who use this as a training camp, and even some locals
(mostly expat, some Thai
) who are seriously into cycling or tri. Knew I was done for based on the group that showed up. I know how to draft strategically and am a strong climber; can hold my own a long "easy" ride, but my "sprint" is probably their IM or HIM pace! No matter--they tended to loaf on the recovery and I recover pretty quickly.
Last workout of each today--
6:30 AM--"Long run"
(1:32
), some solo and some with a group on a hilly loop. Thankfully not pro runners. Some were running quite long so no one took it out too fast!
8:30 AM: Hour-ish bike ride on hilly loops at an easy-ish pace. Supposed to be a "woman only" ride. Seriously worried it would be me and the young Swiss women I've taken to thinking of as "the Danielas", but they have their own coach and program most days
(I swear some of them ride all day, every day, and only come in for dinner
) and it ended up just being me and one of the
(male
) coaches. We'd both just done a long run so didn't ride too hard.
4 PM 2500m of swimming. Got a good push from one of the older "Danielas"-- maybe my age group or a bit younger--sharing my lane.
It's been fun but ready to head home tomorrow. I've been struggling with allergies here--smoke from field and rubbish burning, something botanical, and, I think, the AC in my room. It's been hard to get quality sleep, which gets to be an issue with a big training week, even if I really AM leading the pro lifestyle for a week and don't need to do anything but train, rest, and eat. Not sure how long it would be fun for but, except for the allergy/sleep issues, have definitely enjoyed myself!