It's all about progress

 

I had the privilege of participating in the Balanced Art Multisport triathlon training camp this past weekend. Before I give my recap on it though, I wanted to give the recipe that I tried last week for red potatoes.

They were one of the yummiest foods I have eaten in a long time! Crashed Hot Potatoes. You can find the full recipe here. Start by boiling red potatoes to fork tender.

Then put them on a baking sheet with some olive oil and press down cross ways with a potato masher.

Then sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic and herbs. Bake per recipe and feast!

I served with salad, brussel sprouts and turkey burger.

This is my fifth year of going to triathlon training camps. It's all about progress. The first year, I could barely ride 20 some miles and run 4 and by the third day, I was done! Each year I have seen slow and steady progress.

The camps are full of all levels of athletes and this one was no exception. Newbies, age groupers, short course, Ironman, elite and professionals. And even with the disparity of skill levels, everyone is included in all activities. The days start out at the swimming pool. I'm still recovering from my shoulder surgery so I spent the swim time kicking. I was able to sneak in 100 yards of freestyle each of the three days but didn't want to push my luck. Total kick yards-3500.

After a short break to get cleaned up, we meet for bike rides. The first day was a ride through Snow Canyon. Again, blaming my shoulder, I cut the ride just short of the final climb. It was my first ride outside post-surgery and it felt really good but I wanted to make it through the weekend.

I am grateful for my friend, Barb, who patiently stayed by my side through every ride. She has such a cheery disposition that helped me so much. After the ride always comes the run. The first day was successful in tiring us out!

The second day was much like the first with just a little more wind. We ran on the St. George 70.3 course that afternoon.

Everything for me was leading up to the third day of riding out through Gunlock and towards "The Wall". This was the original full ironman course and one of the first rides I ever did on a road bike. I remember having to stop a lot and even walk up some of the hills. Let's just say, I was not a good hill climber. This time I rode through the big climbs and most of the way up the wall. I did have to get off my bike a short distance from the top but made it to the top on my own volition - walking! Barb was waiting for me so we mounted back up and went the rest of the way to Veyo Pies.

About 500 meters from there, my front tire went flat. Veyo Pies is always the prize for riding that loop. The pies are amazing. I stopped for that day and rode support with Andrew the rest of the day.

The last day started out with a yoga class. I took pics and soaked in the calmness of the class.

We then had a talk on nutrition and headed out for a trail run. The day was the warmest of the 4 and the skies were beautiful.

There is so much more that I am not writing about. These camps are amazing. Every year I meet athletes that inspire me more than they can ever know. I am usually the weak link in the group but am never made to feel anything but support. If you have a chance to come to one of these camps, I highly recommend them. There is one coming up in February!

A by-product of these camps is the dirty laundry - this was my haul home!

my totals for the camp

I'll close this by saying that today I celebrate 15 years of sobriety. I am so grateful for all the opportunities that have been afforded me by making the choice those long years ago to put down alcohol and drugs. I have been blessed beyond my wildest dreams. I pray for that continued progress!