In mid-January, we held our Endurance Camp in Tucson, AZ. Once again, founder James Adams arranged a spectacular location against the Catalina Foothills; the house that we all stayed in was amazing. It was luxurious, roomy, comfortable and had breathtaking views of both sunrises and sunsets over the desert and Tucson. On the first night, a fireworks show exploded above the back terrace. There was plenty of room for everyone to spread out since the common area included a solarium, two bars, a downstairs TV/lounge area, swimming pool and hot tub, outdoor fireplace, formal living room with grand piano, dining room with a table that seated all 11 of us, and billiards room where we could relax.

 

Adam, our gourmet chef, dishwasher and medic, did his usual outstanding job of taking care of all our nutritional needs. Of course, the highlight was the Friday night 5-course beer pairing dinner, which this time was sponsored by Puebla Vida Brewing. We got an education about the beer that we were drinking along with each course. My favorite was the 3rd course: Lil Devil Salad, with poached shrimp, vinaigrette and Pueblo Vida Belgian Blonde. Delicious! Everyone wanted to take Adam home with them.

 

For Endurance Camps, James has assembled a knowledgeable and experienced staff of coaches who are willing and eager to share their ideas with the campers. James Adams leads up the running, Chris Masilon is the bike coach and I handle the swimming.  Each coach has our own area of expertise, with a diversity of knowledge that complements one another. During the course of the 4 days of camp, each coach gave several talks on their respective sport, helped each camper with individual questions and led training sessions in swim, bike and run.

 

The best part of camp was meeting and getting to know each of the women campers who attended. It was a very accomplished group, not only athletically, but also professionally and personally. For me as a coach, the most gratifying part of my job is working with athletes who are eager to improve, willing to do the things it takes to improve and are able to take coaching critiques and apply the suggestions to actually improve. After our swim session, I had a gigantic smile on my face as these campers took each one of the swim drills that I gave them, applied the concept and immensely improved their swim technique in a matter of minutes. All three coaches were on the pool deck while the campers were in the water, and all 3 of us were impressed with the overall improvement of the swimmers.

 

With a great location, great food and great people, Endurance Camps Tucson was a great time to remember!

 

Carol