Lake Placid Training Camp MVP- Brad Scholtz

As this was my fourth camp with Eric and Angela, and my second Lake Placid camp I assumed I had an idea what I was in for. And for the most part I was right. The schedule that has proven to work best is an easy run the night we arrive, which is more of just an ice breaker for all the athletes to get to know each other, followed by a group dinner. The following day we rode one loop of the bike course with Eric stopping at key places to discuss how to attack each portion of the course. We all rode together for the most part with Angela and Eric giving their constructive insights on form and techniques. We each had plenty of one on one time with Eric and Angela to ask questions while we rode as well as to chat it up with the other riders. We then all got in one loop of the swim course of Mirror Lake which was surprisingly warm compared to last year(which left Angela's lips blue and her unable to talk). The run of the day was an absolute blast, although it wasn't even really a run, more of a mountain climb! We spent half of it on all fours climbing, sweating, panting and laughing! It was and had been raining quite a bit so the trails were muddy which made it all the more of an adventure. Suffice it to say that more than one shoe was sucked off by the muck. I'm grinning right now thinking of all the slipping, sliding and falls in the mud! Sure beats the heck out of pounding the pavement. dinner was always complete entertainment, which always seemed to find Kenny right in the middle stirring it up! Never a dull moment when you put him, Jeff Molson, and Eric together. Somehow everyday one of us always finds a way to something thats completely stupid which proves to be more new material for Kenny! And no day is complete without a trip to Ben & Jerrys. I went to bed feeling pretty good, but knowing this was more of a warm up for whats to come.

We started the second day with a relatively short run on the course, which was really just a warm up for the climb to the toll booth at Whiteface Mountain. I have no idea what the grade is, but I know I definitely ran out of gears!!! Usually we just turn around and fly back down, but this year Eric had found an awesome road that took off right before the toll booth. It was so much fun exploring unfamiliar territory, the drop seemed to go on forever. It eventually brought us back to the turnaround on the out and back of the bike course, where we all met up and headed back onto the course to ride it in reverse. And for those of you who know the course, its all well and good except for the "big downhill". The big down/uphilll is an pretty decent challenge when its the finishing touches after a Whiteface climb along with the other hills of Lake Placid. So we didn't do huge miles, but you definitely knew you'd been climbing. Then it was time for some recovery, so we headed to the gorge to soak our legs and discuss nutrition. Following by some assisted stretching and general discussion. Dinner that night was no disappointment with Kenny, Molson, and their quiet partner in crime Gus leading the way. Nobody is "off limits' for their harrassment! Unfortunately some of us seem to find our way to the center/butt of their jokes more than others! In reflecting back over the last two Lake Placid camps I've realized this is a key moment in the camp for all the athletes, experienced and newbies. Each year there are a couple people from the year before and several new ones. Most of us don't really know each other, and for some reason its at this point that we all seem to really bond. My theory is that we've all experienced the same challenges over the previous couple days, and have been giving it 100%, and yet tomorrow is what we all see as the "big day". We're all doing what we love and tomorrow we're going to push ourselves beyond our "old" limits. Tomorrow we'll all be riding 5-6 hrs on the course, which is huge considering what we've all done in the last couple days. By the end of dinner (and Ben and Jerrys of course!) its as though we're all old friends. Although my best memory of dinner was watching Doug put down an entire 32 oz T bone that looked like half a cow, and as it turned out was perfect fuel for a great ride for him the next day.

We're up at first light headed for one lap of the swim course and then for our bikes to attack the course. This was a particularly nervous day for me, as I knew I'd improved over last year, and I'd been able to keep up with the group for the most part, but i just didn't know if I could had what it took to do it for the full course. We all took off pretty easy and I found myself behind Gus, who I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with for long. The group began to settle into a couple seperate groups at their own speeds, and a couple doing completely their own thing. About halfway into the first loop I mentally psyched myself out and allowed myself to begin to drop off Gus and a couple others in the front. I was about a couple hundred yards behind them and who shows up but Eric. He tells me to pinch the gap and catch them, to which I respond "I can't"-wrong answer. He just looked at me and I knew. I took off and managed to catch them. I've got to be honest and admit that Gus pulled me through a lot of it. But once I gained my composure and focused on just trying to learn from how Gus was riding. I mimicked his shifting and cadence, I stood when he stood and spun when he spun, and drank when he drank. I couldn't believe it, I actually felt pretty good and was performing well above what I thought I could. Gus finally took off at about mile 50, so I found myself riding alone and practicing what I'd been observing on the first lap. At about mile 60 I did a self check and decided I wasn't feeling that good and decided I'd probably pushed too hard trying to keep up with Gus on the first lap. Angela had given me the option to not do the second out and back if I wasn't feeling good by then, and at mile 60 I'd decided I wouldn't do it. I knew I was a little depleted, so I increased my calories and fluids slightly and by about mile 80 I was feeling pretty decent. As I came over the hill that desends down to the turn for the out and back I decided to "suck it up" and do it. And guess who was standing there at the turn... yep.... Eric. He gave me the thumbs up as I made the turn to do the out and back. His motivation is like magic. I've said it before and I'll say it again, somehow, someway, Angela and Eric seem to know our bodies better than we do. they seem to know better than we do, what we're capable of. It was a huge confidence booster for me to have finished the entire course, and in a time I know was beyond what I thought was possible for me, before today. Thank you Eric and Angela. Needless to say my run following the bike wasn't pretty for the first few miles, but I found my legs and ended up absolutely smiling the entire run just reflecting on how good I felt and how much I was enjoying the challenge. If you think about it, the "challenge" is probably the biggest reason we do what we do. To get the nod of a good effort from Hodska when you get back is worth every bit of the pain and mental teeter totter of the day. Dinner that night started out a little quieter as we were all exceptionally spent, but Kenny and company would have none of that!!! We were all rolling on the floor before the salads came.

We finished camp with a long run the next day, with some of us on the run course and some on the trails-our choice.

Thank you to the more experienced athletes who participated and were amazingly willing to teach and lend their insights.

Each year I understand more and better what Angela and Eric mean when they say the competition isn't with the other athletes, its with ourselves. The experienced athletes at camp this year demonstrated this. It doesn't matter what level each of us is at, we're all laying it out there, and for that there is common respect. And thank you for helping push me to a higher level.

Personally I'd have a hard time choosing which part of this sport I love most, the people or the challenge. I know I love pushing myself further than I think possible, but I am absolutely passionate about the friendships that are formed at these camps. Eric and Angela attract a certain type of person, and I feel honored to be among them. To all those who understand what I'm talking about... Cheers!

Brad