Balance Point Racing traing camp Joshua Tree March 15 to 22

Wow, I am one crispy athlete after training with the rest of the BPR high performance team and others for the last 7 days in Joshua Tree California. Joshua Tree is a desert national park near Palm Springs and it was a bit of a shock to the system to go from -15 degrees in Vernon last week to +30 here! This is my first spring training camp ever but it definitely won't be my last. I find it virtually impossible to train 30 hours per week in March and Vernon this year was particularly cold and snowy making it even more difficult. We averaged almost 5 hours of training per day which was mostly biking but there was also great opportunities for trail running, swimming in an outdoor 50 meter pool, and mountain biking. 

It was an amazing week and the best way to start training in earnest after a long winter spent indoors. We trained like pros everyday with all of our healthy meals being prepared by Jorg of Magic Places. A typical day consisted of waking up, eating a big breakfast of oats, yogurt and fruit, training for 5 hours, getting home to take a cold shower, eat dinner and then socialize and recover for the next day by stretching, doing core workouts, and keeping our legs elevated. I could definitely get used to that kind of lifestyle!!!

We were also very fortunate to have a nutritional presentation by Juerg Feldman of FaCT Canada and Mary Ann Kelly, the Dietitian of the Desert. We learned about how crucial a role nutrition plays in recovery and specifically, strategies that ensure the optimal nutrients get to the cells that need them at the right time (chrono-nutrition).
I'm fired up and ready to keep the momentum going now that I've had the chance to establish such a solid training routine!

The highlight of the trip was a 170 km ride on the last day of training from the West gate of Joshua Tree to the South gate and back. Huge mountains were climbed and indecent head winds were faced, but staying strong all the way back home and having a delicious chicken pasta dinner afterwards made the epic ride a memory I won't soon forget.

Thanks Andrew and Ginny Sellars and Balance Point Racing for making it possible for myself and the rest of the high performance team to attend this camp and to get such a good start to the year. 

Yours in training,

Mike Champigny