EPIC Woman Camp – with Tara Norton

It’s amazing what even a night of tossing and turning will do for a body. No rest for the weary….

Day2 began with a 10k run on Ali’i at sunrise. It was nice to be running before the thermostat got cranked up! I managed to run–albeit Chariots of Fire slo mo style–almost all of it. Very pleased, since I’ve only successfully reintroduced pain-free road running in the past few weeks; 5 miles one time was my longest in recent months. I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to run this week, but thankful for whatever this old body will permit me to do…one day at a time. My main goal for this year’s camp is to return home no less damaged than when I arrived, if possible. I’ve tried working thru my hip issues this past year with a variety of therapies; who knows? extreme exercise may do the trick?!! So far so good…

After a full post-run breakfast, Anja and Alicia needed to make a trip in the van to the bike shop before the ride, so I found myself with 90 unscheduled minutes, a rare occurrence at EpicWoman camp! So I spent a half-hour in my RecoveryPump boots, then went out for a cruise on my bike collecting kilometers and building up to a bonus point for the day.

Close to noon, we biked down to Kealakekua bay aka Captain Cook monument. Can you say HOT?! My head felt like it was cooking under my helmet at times. It was my first time back on the upper highway since my bike crash at last year’s camp, but Tara thoughtfully stayed with me through the PTSD section and we arrived safely down at the bay where the rest of our crew/campers were patiently waiting.

Next up was the swim across the bay…a rather epic experience following a run and steady climb on the bike! The swim to the monument looks deceptively straightforward, but getting into and out of the water is not easy. Waves come crashing in onto the lava rocks–no sandy beach from which to stroll in and out. And then about halfway to the monument, the dreaded twinges began in my legs. I tried to relax them, swimming only with my upper body, with minimal success. I started to panic, thoughts of drowning–no one else in sight–when I looked below me and counted 7 fins….sharks??! Suddenly, I found myself surrounded by a large pod of dolphins, too many to count but probably several dozen, no exaggeration! They swam close to me (a few just a body-length or so away) and a several stuck their noses out of the water to check out what was going on above the surface. (They likely thought I was a seriously injured very spastic fish!) At that moment, Michele also swam by me and gladly transferred the inflated emergency swim buoy from her waist to mine (she was swimming in a full wetsuit so even in the event of cramp, wouldn’t sink like me); it had been annoying her as she tugged it along so it was serendipitous. I originally thought I could use it like a pullbuoy between my legs, but quickly found that caused my adductors to cramp, so settled for the reassuring tugging as I headed back to shore. I was within a stone’s throw (okay, maybe a Major League Baseball pitch) from the monument at that point, so figured a few loops around the dolphin pod would make up the distance; I needed to get back to the shore before my leg cramps became worse. When the pod headed back out to sea, I turned back to where I started the swim. By the time I tried climbing out onto the rocks where I’d entered, my feet and toes looked like twisted claws from cramp, so probably the right call. Good times! I really think the dolphins sensed my fear and panic and came to investigate; we’ve never seen dolphins that late in the day there. It was pretty magical.
So after rinsing as much sand out of our various body cavities/crevices as possible (for zero beach, we all sure ended up covered with sand!?), we regrouped and had a quick bite of lunch. I opted for pretzels and pickles, orange slices and bit of banana…the things that looked tasty to me. (Think my body was craving salt and potassium??!)

Next up was the TT up Napoopoo, a twisty 7k with just enough grade to get your attention. And work, if approaching it with a race mentality. It was as tortuous as I’d recalled, today being the fifth experience of that particular TT…..Coming back post-TT down to Ali’i drive on the new bypass was intense (I’m a timid descender on a good day; worrying about hand cramping, even worse!) It was rather delightful once the grade flattened out a bit; even after 5 camps here in Kona, there are great roads yet to be ridden! I made up the last few kilometers to get the bike bonus point for the day (pulling a ‘Maya’; last year, she rode loops in driveway to make up the final bit for a bonus point) and gratefully racked my bike in the garage–phew!

Today was massage nite (three 30minute massages are scheduled during camp to help flush out muscles and get a few trouble spots worked on–needless to say, just scratching the surface of what needed attention, but helpful nonetheless!) and I was grateful to get mine in before a very yummy dinner (yay! Having a massage while trying to digest a food baby isn’t very comfortable…). And then I realized that if I sat on the floor with my legs under the coffee table, my plate was chin-level…saving me from having to raise forkfuls of food to my mouth! (By the end of camp, I’m often too exhausted to even eat dinner, so this was an important discovery!

Tomorrow is another big day (even though I’d hardly call today an easy one)….one day at a time….

Thanks to my Zoot compression tights I could get up after riding the Kona IM course and start the day with a run – followed by another great ride, ocean swim and then more riding. Lots of climbing in the saddle today required fresh legs!

While each of us attend camp for our own unique reasons and I am not the most competitive person, there is nothing quite as satisfying as suffering (physically and mentally) through new challenges. I am so thankful for all the support I receive from my family, coach and training community as I learn new things about myself and push my limits. EPIC camp really allows me to explore and learn/practice how to manage the stress we feel when we push our limits – and the take aways contribute positively to much more than just my fitness. I am very grateful to be part of this – and send big thanks to (my) FarmBoy, Ayesha and Tara for all they have contributed to the process of getting and supporting me here.

So after last year’s abrupt end of camp with my bike-car collision on day6, I’m back for redemption. The only other EpicWoman camp I was unable to get camp completion points for was the second year of EpicWoman, when I had a serious bike mechanical issue on day3, and then proceeded to suffer the rest of the week with a relentless intestinal parasite (talk about adding insult to injury!!) that only went away after a course of antibiotics after I got home.
So I’m hoping this camp is Lucky 7 for me. My hips and back are still out of whack even though it’s been nearly a year since my crash at last year’s camp. I’m hoping to do as much of the daily training here as my body will allow; the challenge will be finding the sweet spot between training hard but not exacerbating my current hip issues.

Our wonderful support crew, Etienne and David, are here again this year to keep things rolling along in every way! It’s such a treat and a relief to have their expert care during camp. We ended up with a small group again this year because of unfortunate last minute withdrawals, but everyone here is a return EpicWoman from past camps. I love how over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and train with strong talented gals from all over…and then have mini reunions each camp! I’m sad that my Maya isn’t here to share in the craziness this go round; camps 5 and 6 were so much fun for me to have her as my roommate.

So as usual, Tara started camp off with a bang–3k ocean swim from digMe beach, 183k ride (most of the IM bike course) including a 7mile TT at the north end of the QueenK. (A 10k run was also on the schedule but ended up being scratched due to time constraints.)

No better way to kick off camp than swimming at the pier in Kona! The water temp was perfect and it wasn’t too terribly choppy (though I think i’m going to have to take more Dramamine next time if I don’t want to feed the fishes!).

Back to the house for a proper breakfast (thanks, E!) then the first-day scramble to get everything ready for a long ride.

We started off with a group photo in our snazzy Trek jersies, stocked our bento boxes and pockets with GU Chomps–don’t know how I’d get thru camp without those!–and gels, filled bike bottles with GU Brew, and hit the road.

It was a very warm day with unusually light winds, which made for perfect riding conditions. I don’t recall it ever being this calm on this route! So nice to not worry about being blown off the road up to Hawi. But frustrating for Anja though, who had three flats over the course of the ride (which was actually a blessing in disguise for me, as I kept falling off the back of the Tara train! I don’t feel comfortable drafting especially on my Tri bike, but it’s probably a skill I should work harder on this week).

The TT from the helipad to the end of the QueenK was a blast. E sent us off in 30sec intervals in order of age…so being the old lady of the group, I got to play rabbit! In the end, T was the only one who caught me, so I was happy with that result. Poor Anja flatted during the TT, second one on the day, and Alicia stopped to help her change it.

However, immediately after the TT when we started out for Hawi, my legs began to cramp. My TT effort was my demise, as I was plagued the rest of the day with leg cramps. The joys of heat acclimation; hoping this isn’t a daily occurrence (I seem to recall it’s always worst the first few days of camp, but then my memories of all the EpicWoman adventures are starting to blur together–thank goodness T encourages us to blog daily during camp for an extra point! Her point system is definitely motivating when fatigue sets in….)

After a late lunch stop in Hawi, we headed back toward Kona. I ended up falling off the Tara train again but ultimately caught up with Alicia after Anja and T stopped to change yet another flat (!!?), and she was kind enough to keep a cramping old lady company for the trip back to our epic house/headquarters. We barely made it back before dark; the last miles along Ali’i were pretty nerve-wracking!

A shower and dinner never felt so good! Very grateful to have survived day1 without calamity!

Thanks to Barry (the owner of the TREK store in Toronto) and Josh (who works at the store and is always ready to help and teach), not only did my beloved Silque Trek bike get packed up securely but I was able to confidently reassemble it myself once I landed in Hawaii. Thank you both!!

This process was key because within 12 hours of landing, we were riding the 183km Kona IM course – which was a first for me (as was the ocean swim – which was like swimming in paradise) .

What a fabulous day – with lovely, fun and inspiring people!

Thank you to Barry at TREK and our other sponsors too – GU and Zoot – it would be very difficult to enjoy these intense training days without the proper equipment, kit and fuel!

The first line of my first blog is often “Well that was EPIC” and today is no different:  Day 1 was EPIC!  We rolled out a little late on Day 1 (camp management error) so the 10K run was not to be.  Our Day 1 consisted of a 3K ocean swim followed by the Hawaii Ironman course with a 7 mile TT to Kawaihae.

The ocean swim was great.  Kings buoy-Coast Guard buoy-Kings buoy-Coast Guard buoy-Kings buoy and home.  This is our way of getting in the mileage for the minimum swim.  This is my favourite swim in the whole world and despite getting a little cold (always), I just love it!

It was a beautiful day and we set out on the Hawaii Ironman course.  This was the least windy a ride to Hawi I have EVER experienced.  It was sweet.  If only I could have raced in those conditions!  The TT from the helicopter pad to the turn to Kawaihae was fun – some intensity actually felt good.  Then on to lunch in Hawi.  We had some fun pace lining action today which was fun.

Because we had 4 flats today, and with the slow start, we were running out of time.  Anja had 3 flats and when #3 happened I decided to stay with her but we ended up running out of air (oops we had a CO2 issue).  Eventually we borrowed air from a very kind cyclist riding by (we were also waiting for our SAG but they were helping the others to refuel for the way home).

With Anja on my wheel, we basically did a time trial from Kawaihae to the marina where we were picked up in the van.  We missed getting home before dark by 10K.  It sure was fun trying to make it (I have not downloaded my data yet but the average speed was FAST), and in the process saw the most beautiful sunset.  As we got in the van, my watch announced I had my ‘best power’   Perfect!

No one made it home before dark but everyone was safe.  Yummy dinner was prepared by our kick-butt support crew David and Etienne and after a wee talk about open water swim technique and hill climbing technique it was time to hit the sack.

Play of the day goes to Alicia who did her first open water swim, did her longest ride ever, helped Anja with her flat during the TT, went off course by a couple miles and kept smiling, all while being pretty tired after arriving at 9pm the night before from Toronto which is a very long trip!

Bring on day 2!

Day 1 was 3k swim 112 bike. Today for me was pretty good. I came well rested I was very excited to be able to come back to camp. My first swim I felt great for the main reason that I was comfortable in the open waters and my time was the best 1.2 I ever had. The bike probably fits my abilities terrain wise and I was able to keep on the train ride and that was the highlight of my day. I cycled home solo and that had as always ups and downs. I actually took it in segments and I was happy I remembered the roads.

Today was a happy fulfilled day on many levelsday 1 was a awesome day..great pace lines happening..highlight of my day..

Finally it is here Camp day #1!

3 km ocean swim in the morning, followed by an amazing coffee from Kope Lani.
We were suppose to drive straight back but of course Karl-Fritz (also known as David) had to have his coffee, so he made us late for the ride. Thanks Karl-Fritz!
The ride of the day was the Ironman course from Kona to Hawi and back! Of course I had to have 3 flats with my new bike:(!
First one was in the first 30 km and the 2nd one during the time trial that Tara threw in there!! Who does that?

The last flat occurred on the way back home. We were all together riding and having fun and there came flat number three!  Tara told everybody to keep riding so they could make it back to the house in time.
Took us a while changing the tire due to CO2 issues but once it was fixed Tara was on a mission to get home before dark.
Yikes, pedal to the metal and of we went. We were flying and I was smiling that I was able to stay on her wheel. I turned myself a few times inside out but I was determined not to give up. What a ride it was!!
Thanks Tara for that, I am still smiling:).
We were not able to run after, as it was to dark. The rule is you have to be done before it is dark.

Great first day.

So yesterday morning feels like several days ago at this point, but it was really only just over 36 hours ago that we headed out to captain cook at 5:30 am to try to catch the dolphins in the bay near the Captain Cook monument (**though I don’t think I got this posted online till over 48 hours passed – but I am currently in time zone traveling warp!!).  We were all chilly sitting on shore looking out over the water for the fins breaking the surface.  We were all crest-fallen as wave after wave came to shore and no fins appeared.  Sarah and Etienne ventured out into the chilly waters ahead of the group, but Tara, David, Anja, and I huddled in our towels on the shore delaying until we were sure they were there.  Just as Sarah was heading back in towards us, David spotted them – several pods of dolphins (30 or more in total) breaking the surface of the water.  “It’s go time!”  someone (not sure who…) said.  We all slapped our caps and goggles on and propelled by the possibility of swimming with the dolphins, we launched off the shore.

Swimming with that large of a group was just as spectacular as before.  I couldn’t believe the number of dolphins effortlessly gliding through the water around us.  One of the best parts was that we saw a sea turtle on the way out to the dolphins!!

We got back to the house for a leisurely breakfast before the big run of the day.  I was nervous about this final workout, a 20 km run.  As I said I haven’t run this long in years.  Several years back my mom and I trained to run several half marathons together, which was a blast.  But between injuries and getting married this past year, I never really had the chance to build my mileage back up – so this workout promised to be a long, hot, and sweaty haul.  We got started by 10:30 to run from the pier, up to the Queen K highway, out to the energy lab, and back.  The car was positioned at about 5 km out of town near Hina Lani for fuel and water replenishment.  It was like a beacon promising cold water and ice from my mom and Etienne in a fiery stretch of asphalt.  I actually got into a pretty good groove in the first part of this run.  I was still humming “shake it off” in my head (the last song on the radio as we rolled into the parking lot that morning), which provided a decent rhythm to run to.

I trucked it back after the turn around – one last stop at the van a slurp of the most delicious cold coke zero from my mom (and grabbing some needed caffeinated Gu chomps!) before the final leg back into town.  You could feel the heat radiating from the asphault it was sooo hot.  But as I said yesterday, I was bound and determined to finish this run for both my own personal goals, but also for my mom who couldn’t run it with me… It was hot, there was much sweating and suffering, but I finished .

My feelings upon completion of Epic Woman Kona?  They are mixed and wide-ranging.  I am simultaneously relieved, sad, and elated on heading home.  There is some sort of time warp that always happens at Epic camp in which the first couple days pass at a snail’s pace, but the latter half of the week flies by.  Now that I am on flights on my way back, I have a chance to reflect on the week.  I am proud of the effort I put in the workouts this week – I know I was under-prepared for the running portion of the camp and my endurance in biking was lacking, so I entered camp a bit trepidatious about my capacity to complete all the workouts.

I find it kind of funny that as I think back on the week (both last year and this year), the following question popped into my head: “did I really push my hardest all week?”  Could I have pushed harder on workouts?  Did I throw in the towel too quickly on some of the efforts?  I think it is easy too look back on a workout and say perhaps I should have done this or that, but looking back over my blogs demonstrates to myself that I put my heart out there every day.  In general I think I gave everything my all and I am proud to have completed all the workouts.  Also, I still remain extremely grateful to have my mom with me through all of these adventures.  She is my everything and I feel so lucky to share this experience with her.

I would just like to thank Etienne, David, and Tara for providing us with the amazing opportunity to spend this past week pushing our limits both physically and mentally.  You all have provided so much support this week, but also a shoulder to lean on when we were down or wheezing .  The week of course also wouldn’t have been possible without all of the support from our sponsors: Gu, Trek, and Zoot.  I will proudly sport my Trek Epic Jersey and Zoot gear when I get back to Columbus .

It was sad to see the gorgeous house (thanks Big Island Jeweler’s for letting us stay!!) empty when we left this afternoon.  But I take with me a new level of fitness and friendships with an amazing group of women.  I can’t wait for my mom and my next big adventure!!

It has been really tough to end camp in my current state of incapacity. Over the 6 EpicWoman camps I’ve been a part of previously, I’ve faced numerous challenges (reactive airways/asthma in the first one, intractable food poisoning by day 4 of the second one, dislocated shoulder in the third one….(the 4th and 5th camps were just normally epic but not disasterous ) and now ‘bicyclist vs auto’ this year). I am trying very hard to keep this in perspective–I am so extremely lucky it wasn’t much worse–but as I sit here on the pier watching everyone go out for one last ocean swim (unofficial-post camp), it’s hard not to feel incredibly frustrated….

I’m more achy each day post-crash, and I’m realizing that body-slamming a car can have a delayed ripple effect. Limping around trying not to bend my leg is also causing new aches and pains as everything is compensating and adjusting to different patterns of movement. (Or maybe it’s the trauma of the EPIC van sag along with Etienne up Mauna Loa??!! )

I’ve had rather rough sleep the past few nights, as every movement was uncomfortable enough to wake me (reminiscent of the night after an ironman). So I decided at some point in the night that I wasn’t going to get up at 5am for the day8 dolphin swim since I am not allowed to swim for a few weeks anyway…at this point, rest is what my body needs most. Lots of dolphins were spotted, and Maya even saw a sea turtle!  I’m so glad, because it’s a bummer to sacrifice the much-needed sleep and not be rewarded with dolphins.

Day8 was bittersweet, as I got to man the van aid station that was passed twice by the campers during their 20k run. I had so looked forward to doing this workout with Maya (she’d been nervous about it but I had no doubt that she had it in her), and it was amazing to see her determination and ultimate success. (I’m one very proud mama!)

The afternoon was spent packing up my bike and suitcase, always a slow and painful task but moreso when you can’t bend your leg. Good thing I’ve got 15 years of yoga in my body…contortions?  No problem.

The closing camp dinner at Huggos on the Rocks (an EpicWoman camp tradition!) was also bittersweet, but a Patron with your toes buried in sand definitely eases the pain. Tara announced the camp jerseys:  she earned Yellow for overall points, Maya earned QOM, and Sarah was awarded the spirit of EpicWoman jersey. So incredibly honored to be able to train with these amazing women!  I hope I can continue this craziness a few more rounds….

Huge thanks to the camp sponsors–GU (Chomps saved my camp yet another year!), Zoot (totally awesome gear), and trek (tubes and jerseys are essential…unfortunately ), and Big Island Jewelers (for allowing us to use your gorgeous digs up the mountain as camp headquarters).

Finally, there are not enough words–or hugs–to express my gratitude to Etienne and David for their endless patience, taking care of us and helping us through this craziness. And Tara, you continue to be the superwoman who inspires us all–you are my hero…(but then you knew that already )

Day 8 has come and gone. I am writing the blog at 6:30am of day 9- of course I can’t sleep in! My mind is telling me I should be swimming, biking, and running today. But, my body is telling me I need to rest.
I truly can’t believe 8 days has passed. As I was flying in to Kona, I was nervous, but I wasn’t concerned about camp completion (barring illness or injury). It wasn’t until Day 0 that I realized camp completion wasn’t ‘in the bag’ for me- the swim being my limiting factor. Apparently, I didn’t read all the pre-camp info, because on Day 0 I realized that the minimum swim each day is 3km. My first (and only) 3km swim had been in the pool just a week earlier. So, camp completion became my goal. And, I did it! Yay! Tara is also my coach outside of camp, and it is only now that I realize how much thought she put into my training plan to get me ready to swim in Kona. Now that it is all said and done, Tara noted that my swim prep was down to the wire, and she wasn’t 100% sure how my body would handle it. I know we are both stoked about the swim mileage I put on this week. Now, I just look forward to getting to a place where I LOVE swimming in the ocean.

Day 8 certainly helped my LOVE of swimming in the ocean because we were fortunate to swim with the dolphins in the bay at Captain Cook.

We ran 20km to wrap up our final Epic Adventure. I used some of Etienne’s mental tips and it made the run much more enjoyable. For the last few years, I had been focusing on turning negative thoughts into positive ones. Etienne gave me some other practical tips to try. So, 20km with a mental training workout was a great way to wrap up an Epic week!

Thank you David, Tara, and Etienne for all you did for us all week. Maya, Lisa, and Anja, it was an honor to be an Epic camper with you Epic women!

Gu, Zoot, and Trek Bikes, thanks for the fuel, jerseys, and gear. You kept us hydrated, fed, and in great jerseys and shoes! Thank you!