EPIC Woman Camp – with Tara Norton

Having the rather unique perspective (except for T and Etienne!) of surviving all four EpicWoman camps, I can honestly say that this year was the best yet! It’s been interesting to see how the paradigm has been tweaked and refined to accommodate the needs of the different crews of campers each year. And it was especially fun to compare/contrast the ‘Going Long, Going Hard’ epic experience last week with our version of epic camp….we clearly enjoyed a kinder, gentler experience–but with much of the same end result. (Definitely better weather!)

It’s also been fun to see the awesome evolution of the schwag over the years from T’s generous sponsors—Zoot, GU, and Fuelbelt–as new products were developed. Love the Gu Roctane (which wasn’t available to us at EpicWoman 2010, and also peanut butter flavored gel!), and the cool aero black bike bento (which looks fast just strapped to my top tube!).  Also, my collection of Zoot shoes and gear nearly rivals that of my friend who races on the Zoot team! (Each version of running shoe is clearly an advancement in design and materials than the previous year–can’t count the number of folks who have admired my various Zoot shoes over the past 4 years )  It nearly goes without saying what a welcome addition the Coffees of Hawaii has been at the last three camps–sure would’ve been nice to have big pots of that to keep us going the first camp as well!!

Ironically, though not surprisingly, re-entry to the ‘real world’ has been particularly tough this time around (i have had to keep reminding myself this week that it’s not necessary to constantly be pre-fueling and refueling 24/7—it’s okay to be hungry back here in the real world!  It helps that now i have to do the marketing and cooking, instead of having delicious and nutritious meals and snacks constantly available!).  I had such a great time with the gals last week….this was the first time that i was not completely ready for the week to end!  I think I’ve finally learned how to take care of myself fully and properly at an EpicCamp–the importance of which cannot be underestimated–and to truly leave all my expectations at home, quiet my mind, and embrace the moment.  With this mindset at epic Woman camp, the sky isn’t the limit….but the boundaries are much farther than we perceive them to be!  ’Empowering’ doesn’t even begin to describe the experiences that i have brought home with me from my 4 epic camps.  Mahalo again to each and every one of you who made it possible for me to be here this year!

Day 8:  3K swim, 20K run/melt!

 Camp Totals: 

17.5 Kms of swimming,  832 Kms of biking, 95 Kms of running!!  Total training time:  44.5 hours in 8 days!  GOOD TIMES!

It is done.  I am so happy.  I am so proud of everyone.  I am so inspired.  I am excited about all the fun memories I have formed and all the amazing fitness I have gained.

Day 8 started with our 3K ocean swim – to the Kings buoy, back to the 1500m buoy, back to Kings buoy, back to 1500m buoy, back to Kings buoy and home!  It was still slow but no complaints, this is the best place in the world to swim.

After a good breakfast, we headed out for our final 20K run.  My run ended up being a 90min run/30min melt.  Whoa, it was hot out there and my hamstrings were screaming so no chances were taken and I took it easy to complete the camp!

A yummy LARGE acai bowl was consumed pre final massage and as the 3pm deadline for camp completion approached, many happy campers cheered as they finished their 8 days of amazing insanity!

The celebration dinner at Huggo’s by the Rocks again this year was perfect!  Beautiful sunset, great moments shared from the camp, some prize giving and some hula dancing lessons, including by Maya who is a natural (of course, she is the smartest, the cutest, etc. LOL) ended another fabulous EPIC WOMAN CAMP!

I will proudly take home the YELLOW (PINK Zoot jersey) as overall leader and KOM; Stewart is taking home the BLACK Zoot jersey for coming in second, for doing the most mileage of anyone and finishing her 20K run strongly (1:34!!); and Lisa is most deservingly taking home the BLUE Zoot jersey for many plays of the day:  She is a 4th time Epic Woman and gets stronger each time she comes bac, she was one of three to get camp completion points, she JUST did an Ironman and if we had had an ‘old farts jersey’ like in the past, she would have won it hands down!

Congrats to all the campers and see you next year!!!!  Can’t wait.  Bring it on.  Good times!

It’s amazing how our bodies rallied for one final push today–the anticipation of celebrating after a week of hard work helped a lot! So began the last day of training, fittingly with our 3k swim to the King’s buoy (and back to the 1500m buoy x3) just a bit after 7am.  The ocean was only slightly calmer than yesterday, so while the underwater visibility was better, it was still quite challenging to sight the buoys….and the large swells made it feel at times as if I was the only one swimming–didn’t help that I wasn’t breaking any personal speed records either!  But ‘steady’ was my mantra for the day, and honestly for the entire camp this year….so ‘steady’ I swam!

Upon returning to the epic house, I began refueling for the last official workout of the camp, the 20k run.  I didn’t want to do that one with a full belly for sure!  As we lounged on the warm tiles in the sun (the ocean had some wicked cold spots today, which we learned are caused by underwater lava tubes), the full force of the 50 0r so hours of training suddenly hit me, an I had an overwhelming desire to crawl back into bed. But the knowledge that I was so close to camp completion (10 bonus points!) pushed me into action.

We all started out toward town together but quickly spread apart, settling into our own paces; T, stewie and David were out of sight in a flash!  I had been looking forward to running alongside KatieM, but after about 3k, I started to feel queasy and suspected that i needed to slow down and take in some electrolytes and fluids. The combination of the searing sun (we set out at 11am), high humidity, and the cumulative fatigue was taking its toll on me. I seriously felt like my head was going to explode. By 8k, I’d stopped sweating, so I stopped in the nearest ABC store and bought a bottle of ice cold water to dump over my head, and a small box of coconut water which I chugged down. That–and run/walking back toward the house–helped me hold it together a bit longer. I’d placed a cooler filled with ice and water inside the gate for katieM and Carmen and I, who were using the house as the midway point (with 5k out then back in both directions), so I stuffed some ice down my tank, filled my bottle with ice as well, and set out again, south this time. I jog/walked to the 6-mile marker then over to the Aloha gas station (which was air conditioned to a heavenly temperature!), and refilled my ice stashes and fluids. Finally, the end of the 20k felt attainable, and I chugged back to the house, where tired but happy campers were gathering. Quick shower, then into the van for celebratory acai bowls—talk about heavenly!

Tara convened a final camp debrief at Huggos on the Rocks, with drawings for Zoot schwag were held. Yummy food and drinks along with much laughter and a few misty-eyed goose-bumpy stories were shared…and we were even convinced to all get up and take a hula lesson with the evening’s entertainment.  Even Maya–future epicWoman for sure!—got into the act!

So ends another epic adventure…probably my most satisfactory—and enjoyable!–one of all four camps. We had a super group of campers who all worked and played well together, and I came into this camp with modest goals (no harm to body, psyche, or equipment!) and few expectations, and a whole lot of gratitude for my family and the forces of the universe who allowed me to be here; that made a huge difference,

Thanks again to Etienne, David, Bruce, Sarah, and of course, the amazing and inspiring T, for filling our days and our hearts with activities, and perspective this week….and kudos and hugs to Ann, Joey-Lynn, Robin, Carmen, KatieM and Stewie—you all are incredible women, and I feel honored to have had the opportunity to share this camp with you!  Mahalo.

Here comes a bit of a sappy one folks. The end of Epic Camp 2013 has drawn close and I write this with both a sense of pride to have accomplished so much over the past 8 days, but also one of sadness that the adventure is soon coming to an end. I really couldn’t have asked for a more challenging 8 days of training with a better group of women. Our last day started with another choppy early morning 3km ocean swim. Although at times it felt like I wasn’t moving forwards at all, the abundance of fish and corral below made it more than worthwhile. Then came a big test for us all… what better way to end our journey than setting out on a 20km out and back run onto the Queen K in some serious heat? I definitely learned a lot about myself out there on the highway today… most importantly that no matter how physically “beat up” you are, when you remain focused and motivated, anything is possible.
We had a wonderful group dynamic at camp this year and I am so happy to have met such incredible people.

“New” Katie- your endless drive to accomplish the task at hand is remarkable. I can’t wait to follow along as you rock your first Ironman!

Carmen- one of my favourite experiences this year was adventuring up the “Lance Me” climb. I honestly would not have been able to do it without your encouragement and support. Challenge Roth doesn’t know what’s coming this year

Robyn- I’ll never forget the optimism and high energy that you brought along each and every day. I love the “no FEAR” attitude that you possess and am looking forward to sharing the roads with you back home.

Lisa- Ms. Wei-Haas… you simply define EPIC. Your never quit attitude and drive to tackle “the impossible” is beyond inspirational. I can’t wait to undertake this craziness all over again with you for years to come

Ann- as I said this morning, you are “the sh*t.” Your ability to put your head down and get the work done is beyond admirable. Now I understand why all previous Epic campers have said they love you so much. You rock!

Joey- my partner in crime. Your everlasting energy brings a ray of sunshine into all of our lives each and every day. I can honestly say that you inspire me to be not only a better athlete, but also a better human being. You are one-of-a-kind lady!

Last, but certainly not least, Coach T- you have been my source of inspiration all week long. Whether it was swimming in the ocean/pool, chasing after your speed-demon ass up all the climbs (especially into the clouds), or running mile after mile with you, I was simply honoured to train in your presence. I am in absolute awe of your talent and work ethic. Saying thank you just isn’t enough.

Epic Camp 2013… 8 unforgettable days with a wicked awesome crew.
Until next time…
Aloha

The last day seemed to come so soon this year. I was tired this morning getting up for the first time (I have usually been up for hours due to jet lag), but today could have stayed in bed a little longer. But it was up for first breakfast and then out to do our last ocean swim of the camp. 3K in the rolling surf off the pier – once again I found that treadmill spot on the way back in – so weird! And still a lot of run off coming into the bay so the last 500 m or so were FREEZING! Brrrrr! Joey-Lynn, Tara, and I are the big cold wimps at this camp and can gauge that water temperature in fractions of a degree I swear. The four minutes extra that I spent in the water today due to the swells meant a deeper chill and more shivers. But once back at the house, we sat like lizards out on the front patio clustered around the front door basking in the warm sun. Soooo nice!

A leisurely second breakfast and then out on the road for our 20K run. Now, given that the last time I ran 20K was last August when I ran 42.2K at Ironman Canada, I wasn’t too sure how this was going to go. I was pretty sure I had 15K in my legs and then I would just get a ride home. When I got to 10K though I felt pretty good so I refilled the bottles, took a gel, and turned around to go home. Made it back in 1:51 with a negative split, so super happy with that! Quick drink, shower, and onto the massage table. How great is that??

Tonight is our final celebration dinner. I missed out on this last time as I had to fly out that evening so am looking forward to celebrating with these fabulous women the accomplishments of the week. So much good work has been done by everybody. There is lots to be proud of and lots of good memories made with this great group. Every camp is different depending on the chemistry of the group and this one I think was a particularly good mix of folks. Although this one is barely behind us, I certainly am looking forward to next year already!

After several days of not being part of Epic Camp (except for the “Rest” Day), it was good to join back in and do what the plan had in store for us all. The day started with a 3K ocean swim that began with a 1500m timed swim. My goodness, the longest (well at least slowest!) 1500m I have ever done: 29:12! Everybody was super slow and I was “fast” enough to take 2nd place! At one point, I thought I was on a magic ocean treadmill – I was swimming and swimming and swimming, yet the buoys were getting no closer to me at all. It was a very weird sensation!

Back home after our swim to eat another breakfast and then out on the bikes to ride to Captain Cook to have our Team Epic Woman photo taken in our Zoot gear. Gorgeous photos taken for us all by Etienne and then back on the bikes after a bit of refueling. Home the long way via Place of Refuge and the Mamalahoa Highway. The ride was about 72K all in so of course many of us chose to add on to get the 90K in and that extra point. Home this time via Acai Bowl – can’t believe I have not had this little gem as part of my regular Big Island experience all these years! And then the final stage, out on the road one more time (with feeling!), for a 10K run. This time I ran south, up the hill and just kept going to get to the 5K turnaround and then all the way back down and back to the house. Gorgeous run, with beautiful views of the ocean below from up top, and an overwhelming feeling of how fortunate I am to be able to be here and to be doing this: thankful for my health, my family, and for this great group of women to be out here with.

Day 7:  3K swim with a 1500m TT, 90K bike with KOM, 10K run.

Wow, on day 2 you can’t imagine it will ever end…on Day 7 the time has flown by and all of a sudden the last day is tomorrow.

Today was yet another great day.  It started with an EPIC (notice the pattern) swim in some slow water!  That is the longest 3K I have swum in this ocean, more like my Ironman time (3.8+K)!  The swells weren’t choppy but it felt like we were swimming on the spot many times.  And the cool patches were FREEZING and many.  Glad to get that done and home to warm up in the sun with breafast in hand.

The riding here on the Big Island is just amazing.  The pavement is perfect and the scenery is spectacular – a cyclist’s dream!  We headed up Hualualai for a solid TT and finsihed the 90K with a ride to Captain Cook again via a different route.  I just LOVE that ride!

I quickly set off on my 10K run (slog) as Maya was still napping to finish a great day.

We miss Sarah but David and Bruce made an awesome chili that I devoured after my amazing massage.

Epic Women rock and I am honoured to have this opportunity to run this camp with such amazing and inspiring women.  Let’s do it again next year

One more day tomorrow and then it is CELEBRATION time.

Good times!

We are already here at Day 7…the day started off with a 1500 metre swim competition in the ocean. Sounds easy, but not in an ocean with the highest waves I have seen this week. The surfers were out with us catching some pretty big waves on other parts of the beach at 7am…so you can imagine what our swim was like.
I like to think I’m a good swimmer. I have swam competitively, life guarded, taught swimming lessons…I’m pretty capable in the water. But this time, I knew what it was like to feel some fear of the water. The ocean was darker, the sand at the bottom was getting stirred up and the fish were even hiding behind rocks to avoid the strong currents from the waves….I mean if the locals are hiding…what does that tell you?
We swam out to what is called the “King’s Buoy” it is 750 metres from our start line…but I believe it is more – it has to be . I tried to follow Ann and let her lead the way (I’m a bad spotter). But I lost her. So I was on my own. At times, while I was swimming to the 750 marker, the waves were so high I couldn’t even see it. I felt like I was in a washing machine. After finishing the first 750, I felt comfortable that something wasn’t going to suck me under/eat me/sting me…I swam confidently to the end  – with Joey right behind me. It was certainly a surprise to feel fear of water, but I’m glad that I did…I overcame something and it has given me some empathy for people who might be more afraid of water than I am.

We made it home for a quick breakfast and hit the road for a 90km ride – Tara was not letting off easy…there was a lot of hills to climb ahead. We all headed off in our new Zoot gear, lookin’ pretty fine. We finished the last KOM (I think it should be QOM) of the camp…Tara came out ahead and Joey pulled some fresh legs out and came in a nicely earned second. We struck out to Cook’s Bay and had a nice descent down Napoopoo Road. We had a quick snack, group photo and saddled up for some more hill climbing (Are you starting to notice a pattern here?) I climbed up the hill with New Katie & Lisa. We bumped into Ann & Stewie at a coffee shop at the top of the hill. A local guy stopped and asked us; “How long are you ladies staying on the Island for? We have been seeing you all riding around all week” Nice to know some people are witnessing the suffering.

After that, we zoomed down the Queen’s highway back into Kona. We all stopped for an Acai sundae…I had the Waterman – pineapple, cashews, cashew milk, bee pollen (first time for anything), blueberries & granola. A whopper of a combo of super foods. I finally had some Poke from the Poke Shack…yum!

With Sarah, our fine chef, headed back to B.C. David & Bruce picked up kitchen duty and made a fine turkey chilli.

Afterwards, Etienne, who is our mental coach (does that sound right?). I believe he gave us our best talk of the week. It was about tackling fear & pain. Fear stands for ” ” and pain is about giving it an identity …a strategy designed to distract your mind from the pain.

Afterwards we all had a good gab fest. I really have enjoyed the women at the camp. It has been a luxury to be among people who identify with your passion and the challenges we all face trying to sustain/maintain one of the things that brings joy to our lives. I can’t believe tomorrow is our last official Epic Woman Camp day…:(.

Aloha!

I guess I only like blogging on “odd number” days – not like the way I eat chocolate chip cookies (but that’s another story)!? Sorry I missed blogging about epic day 6…

Today was a day of firsts – I tried nutella for the first time (thanks Coach T – I’m hooked!) and the delicious acai bowl from Huggo’s on the rocks. What an awesome day! Also the first time I have ever felt uncomfortable swimming in the ocean. I usually love playing or training in the open sea but today was a better day for the surfers than the swimmers. Oh well, I still managed to swim my slowest ever 1500m in the open water and ride 128 km around beautiful Captain Cook and on the Queen K highway. I was hoping to run but my moody knees wanted one more rest day from the harsh concrete – hope to get in a 10 km run tomorrow!!

I can’t believe tomorrow is the last day of our epic camp – although my tired body is looking forward to some R&R. I have loved every minute of our stay in Hawaii but what I will miss most are the amazing ladies I have met here at the camp. You all inspire me – Mahalo!

This morning’s swim was supposed to be a timed 1500m (to the buoy and back), with a ‘cool down’ 1500 lap.  I knew we were in for an interesting swim when we saw the size of the waves along Ali’i as we drove to the pier. Thank goodness for dramamine, as I would have been green within the first 200m for sure.  (And also thank you, Carmen, for lending me your goggles since mine were in the van—although I would have benefitted much more from them, had I not worn them upside-down for the first half of the swim!! Duh–this is what happens after 6 days of epic training )  Sad not to see all the colorful fish with the turbulent ocean…

But no rest for epicWomen! On to the breakfast refuel and ready for the final required ride of the camp….and I needed to change my rear tire (why is it always the rear one?!), which had gone flat overnight.  It turned out there was a tiny piece of wire embedded in it, causing a slow leak….(which left me wondering how much of the volcano i rode on an under inflated tire?!). Of course today’s ride included one final KOM TT up Hualalai between the Kuakini highway and the upper road (the Mamalahoa road), a 5k piece that I soldiered up at my current asthma threshold (thinking I need to look into a better inhaler when I get back home…).  Then a lovely ride south and back down Napoopoo road for a lunch stop and photo shoot across from the Captain Cook monument with everyone sporting our Zoot tanks, shorts, and runners. The surf was so strong that we had our backsides splashed from the waves crashing above the retaining wall we’d posed along!  Then back on our bikes for a very hot grind up to the Mamalahoa and north toward town (with a bit of tack-on mileage along the QueenK to reach 90k), then we all converged at the Basik Cafe for acai bowls–yum! And of course our day wouldn’t be complete without a 10k run along Ali’i, which provided a fair amount of distraction with spectacular views of the crashing surf. My run felt pretty smooth considering this past week’s training–i had the thought that maybe I need to move here to improve my running….?!!

One last round of massages for us, a debrief and to bed for our final epic day!  (Wow–a week ago, that concept felt nearly impossible!)