ZenTri Base and Nutrition Camp 2011 (fo' real)

(Photo: Jessi teaching John, Rich and the rest of the campers about proper body alignment and body awareness)

This year I'm only writing a post-camp blog because I was too busy with AWESOME to blog every day. This camp was a major success! The campers were motivated and excited and they all brought something special to contribute to the camp (personality-wise). As with most camps I've been to, it was fun training, lots of laughing, and even more learning. This camp was extra special, and here's why:

The staff of the camp are all experts at what they do. They were completely accessible to the campers to pick their brains, ask for advice, observe their techniques, and simply hang out and soak in their energy. Not only did they teach, they also learned and participated in all of the activities. It was neat to watch them teach and learn from each other. Everyone at the camp was a camper. That kicked ass.

We had Rich Roll talking about being vegan, healthy eating, and serious endurance. The man is a top ultraman and created this sick event called Epic 5. The challenge was five ironmans in five days! He was also wicked cool to hang out with. He had me laughing constantly, which made my abs stronger.

Brett was being Brett. If you listen to the Zen and the Art of Triathlon podcast, you know what I'm talking about and you want some of him. He taught about everything from zen, to healthy eating, to using your mindset to improve your racing and training. Even just standing or sitting near him, you walk away with something different that feels like you ate a strength and peace and motivation sandwich.

We were honored to have Jessi Stensland join us and school us on MovementU. She never stopped teaching the entire time she was at camp! Everyone left with a better sense of the importance of their body awareness for everything that they do. She's super motivating and has an awesome presence as a speaker and educator. I loved learning how to use the TRX with her and she taught me some swim drills that are gonna have me flying gracefully, like a rocket, through the water. I can't wait to get back in the pool.

Emily, the ZenTriNurse, deserves a huge thank you for working so hard on the "work" part of the camp. She was always doing something to make the camp run smoothly, whether it was helping me cook, driving a support van, or cleaning up. She's the bomb. She also looks adorable in an apron.

(Photo: My assistant chef, Emily. She rocks)

Morgan Christian hosted the camp in his beautiful home. He mapped out rides and took us to trails for running. He did EVERYTHING. And a special thank you to his wife for allowing us (20 people) to move in for a weekend!

And, of course, we had John Hirsch, pro triathlete and human alarm clock. He's dreamy and he taught about pro training vs age-grouper training. He was dreamy as he coached the campers through swims, bikes and runs, then organized a few extra morning workouts for anyone interested. He's even dreamy in the morning when he finds creative ways to make sure that everyone is awake by 5am to start their day. He's so smart in the brain with information and experience in the sport, which makes him even dreamier.

(Photo: John with Cathy and her guide dog, they're about to ride the tandem)

Coach Adam surprised us for a day and shared his expert running knowledge with us. He taught us about plyos, form, and spent time with everyone offering tips to make us run faster. I always tell people that he is my "tri-dad" because he introduced me to the sport, taught me how to run, and he introduced me to Brett! He also makes fun of me a lot, which is funny and I love it.

(Photo: Coach Adam giving Emily a private session)

Here I am, a day later, still waiting for it all to sink in. I have a smile on my face that won't go away, which is exhausting... try it. I learned so much and had such a blast that I'm sad to see it end but I CANNOT WAIT until next year.

PS San Diego doesn't suck.