The recent explosion of triathlon, particularly the popularity of the IM and 70.3 distances among the upper and middle class of North America (and well beyond) demonstrates just how extensively the sport is booming today!  This is subsequently accompanied by an increase in the number of coaches, camps, training options, gear...the list is seemingly endless!  If you want to head off to a training camp to improve your speed, endurance, or increase your overall training volume, it is not hard to find a solid coach with credentials and experience which takes place in a beautiful (often tropical!) location to suit your needs.  Not hard at all.  So how does one choose?  What separates?

This is not an easy question to answer, as there are so many variables, and I am certainly not advocating that there is (or should be) a one fit camp for everyone out there.  But largely it seems that the majority of athletes who sign up for a training camp of any type are looking for two key things to get out of their camp experience:

a.)  Improved fitness (often for a specific goal/race in mind)

b.)  To have fun in the process

I am going to start by briefly talking about the latter (b) rather than the former (a).  This is because I don't think that finding a "fun" training camp is a difficult thing to do.  Fun camps are virtually everywhere!  There are camps in gorgeous locations with highly amicable weather to boot, like-minded people to spend your day with, good food, tons of laughs and stories after repeated days of blood, sweat, and tears in a highly social environment.  (Good beer post training doesn't hurt either....but that's another blog post entirely.)  I think if you are a triathlete who genuinely loves the sport, that you would be hard pressed NOT to have a good time at almost any training camp.  Note that I said almost. :-)  This said, I am not going to spend any more time blogging about the "fun" aspect of a training camp.

Finding a coach, however, to lead a group who truly WILL improve your fitness according to your current personal ability level and goals - this is not so easy to find.  For this, you need a coach, who not only knows the fundamentals of training methodologies inside and out, can individualize these methods for each person within the camp, has exceptional organization skills, but also...one who has the brilliant balance of being able to push you to reach heights you did not know you could reach while maintaining a strong degree of compassion and humanism.  THIS is how we improve under the mentorship of another - by someone who has this balance.  Few know how to do this well, and I have never seen it done more astutely or effectively than by my own coach, Scott McMillan of Factor 9, based out of Penticton, B.C., Canada.  Home of the race to own all races!!!

Now, you may say that I am biased because he is my coach.  Perhaps.  But I really don't believe this to be the case.  There are oodles of  coaches out there and I hold tremendous respect and admiration for many of them and the work that they do with their athletes.  Truly, there are some superb coaches out there!  But I will say, and I say it with 100% conviction, that Scott is a special kind of coach.  He has that instinctual knack of knowing how to push the individual to be their best.  I have never seen anything like it, even with all my years of teaching experience.  THIS is why Scott is my coach, because I believe with every fibre of my being that he has the coaching ability to take me to where I want to go, and maybe, just maybe, even beyond.  And coming from someone with some lofty goals, this is saying a lot.

Then, at the same time, I watch Scott motivate and inspire ALL of his athletes, regardless of their past experience in triathlon or sport in general.  His objectively kind nature and professionalism is not to be surpassed.  He is a person that can coach the most determined professional athlete (who can also be very 'needy' with regards to communication and plans...ahem...I admit it) and then turn around and bring a completely inexperienced athlete to surpassing his or her own pre-determined goals.  That is special.  And when in a camp where the individual abilities and experience levels are often across the board, this is critical.

So, you're probably wondering when Scott is having his next camp?  Check out the links at the bottom of this blog for more info on this (July 18-25) in Pencticton, B.C.  I am super fortunate to have the opportunity to co-coach this with Scott this year and am really looking forward to it.  Not only am I in the midst of looking at including some coaching in my own 'repertoire' in the near future, but there is no one out there who I would prefer to learn from than the "artist" himself!

The camp will be focused on Ironman Canada preparation, which you can read about further on the links below.  For those of you who are looking to either complete IMC this year, or are looking to PR, you will not find a better scenario in which to do this.  This is not a camp that you just "do,"  Instead this is a camp where you come out realizing that you are far more capable that you ever expected.  A camp where you will indeed break down walls and barriers...and have some fun while doing it!  If your goal is IMC this year, you couldn't spend the week of July 18-25 doing anything better to prepare you for your race experience.  I personally guarantee you that.

 http://www.triathlonfever.com/camps/94-iron-blast-camp-penticton-bc-july-18-24-2010/240-iron-blast-camp-2010.html

 http://www.triathlonfever.com/component/content/article/59-big-base-spring-camp/183-iron-blast-recap.html

http://www.triathlonfever.com/coaching/about-us.html