A few weeks ago we wrapped up the annual Endurance Corner Boulder Camp. We try and include some variations from year to year in order to keep things fresh and interesting. Our schedule this year included the following:
Day One: Ride up the East side of Lee Hill, down to Lefthand, then up Lefthand to Peak-to-Peak Highway, followed with a final summit to Brainard Lake (10,000 feet). We returned the same way which is mostly downhill except for a summit of the West side of Lee hill. Total ride included nearly 5000 feet in climbing. That evening we ran for just under an hour along the Boulder Creek Path finishing with Dinner and Presentations at Gordo's House.
Day Two: We started the day with an Open Water swim at the Boulder Reservoir. Boulder Aquatic Masters sets up a 1-kilometer swim course with buoys and athletes swam anywhere from 2-5 loops in total. A number of us did a mass-start Time Trial race in the middle of the session. Following the swim, we all did a fartlek run session around a 5-mile or 10K Loop. Finally, we all did a shorter ride with a summit of Sunshine Canyon: a short, steep climb that starts on the edge of the Boulder city limits.
Day Three: Today's ride included the "St Vrain Loop"; a very popular route with Boulder locals. It begins by traveling north along highway 36 to the town of Lyons. From there you head west, climbing into the mountains along the St Vrain River. This year we climbed all the way to the junction of Highway 7 and 72 instead of cutting the tangent through the town of Raymond. From there we preceded along the Peak-to-Peak highway to the town of Ward where we began our descent into Boulder. Like Monday, we finished with a short climb up the backside of Lee Hill (included in the U.S. Pro Tour this year) before finishing in Boulder. That evening we did another 50-60 minute run along the base of the foothills finishing with Dinner and Presentations at Gordo's House.
Thursday: This morning began with another Open Water swim at the Boulder Reservoir. Xterra Wetsuits put on a wetsuit demo for interested athletes and a group of us did another mass start TT in the middle of the session. Following the swim, we all proceeded to do a longer run around the Boulder Reservoir. Athletes chose routes of 10-13 miles and many included a main set of 4-6 x 8 minutes @ IM effort. We took the afternoon off the bike, but we included afternoons presentations with Alan Couzens and a Q+A session with World Champion Julie Dibens. We had dinner that evening in Boulder at a restaurant called The Sink; a famous Boulder staple.
Friday: The day started with a ride up "Super'' Flagstaff: a 5.3 mile climb with an average grade over 10% over the last 1.5 miles (also featured on the U.S. Pro Tour this year). We finished our ride at the Flatiron Athletic Club where athletes took part in a longer swim session with a focus on technique and drills led by Coach Jane Scott. We all took the afternoon off in order to get ready for an early morning race.
Saturday: The camp concluded with an Olympic distance race in Loveland, Colorado. The race took place in Loveland, Colorado, located to the North of Boulder. The race features a bike course that goes west into the foothills outside Fort Collins and finishes with a flat, fast run course through the neighborhoods of Loveland. That evening we concluded the camp with dinner (and lots of dessert) at Foolish Craig's.
I know I can speak for everyone at Endurance Corner when I say it was a pleasure to host another camp here in Boulder. We have always been fortunate to meet and train with some fantastic people from all over the world and this year was no different.
We already have new ideas for the 2013 edition and we are excited to bring about new and exciting routes. Check back on www.endurancecorner.com this fall to see details about plans for 2013.
Until then,
justin