Camp Day 2 co-MVP Tracy

Toto Too!

Oh great I’m already doomed on camp day 2 by waking up at 3:00 am hungry from not getting enough calories on camp day 1. After a quick slice of raisin bread (or as our family fondly calls it “THE BREAD”) with peanut butter, I was back to sleep for a couple of hours. I was relieved to talk with Kerri later in the day to find out she has a similar nightly routine—perhaps we’ll form a support group.

It was upon descending the steps to meet for our 7:00am run that I discovered that my quadriceps were no longer functioning as they had on camp day 1. In fact there was significant discomfort. Are you kidding me? We hadn’t even been on the bikes yet! Again my only relief was the fact that my husband Jim was groaning only steps behind me.

Mercifully Coach Brian recommended that Jim and I work with him on running form, and drills, on the flat areas of the trail. Since we usually work with Brian remotely from Ohio it was great to have some personal one-on-one time with him. He is an amazingly knowledgeable, giving, and caring coach. The rest of the group was off for their second “trail” run. News from the front varied from fun, exciting, hard, craggily and steep to downright difficult. Sorry to have missed that.

After a quick breakfast it was on the bikes with what Coach Eric described as an “easy spin day”. He noted that the next two days on the bike would be “challenging” so today we would ease into the week. The plan was unfolding well, Sue and I were chatting and laughing as we rode along, until we were greeted by unexpected 30+mph head winds. Fanciful images of a relaxing ride hit the fan. Thankfully Sue and Shawn organized a group of us into a nice pace line with each of us taking 20-30 second pulls up front. Poor Shawn, the tallest of our group, ended up behind me, the smallest of our group. What an incredible pack of strong riders. Unfortunately at a stop the group dispersed. I was left on my own for what seemed an eternity until I saw my devoted husband riding back to help pull me along. Thankfully the return was one sweet ride which had us all smiling again and a bit more positive about the week ahead. Note to self: eat more during the long rides so you know your name when you get back to the hotel and never, at any cost, lose the group.



The afternoon concluded with an informative lecture by Scott Tucker of Scott Shoes. He gave an excellent presentation regarding running biomechanics and running shoes. Scott had previously provided campers with a complimentary pair of Scott shoes. Thanks for all Scott.

As I prepare for bed I’ve placed “The Bread” on the nightstand for a quick transition, I say a little prayer that my quads will be back to normal tomorrow, and the winds will be calm. But mostly I give thanks to be part of such a great group of people.