Whistler Volume Camp

For the second training camp of the year, the Rocky Mountain Racer’s traveled to Whistler, BC for a week long camp lead by coach Luke McGurk. The team’s focus for the camp was volume, something easy to achieve with the endless amounts of beautiful running trails and the amazing rollerski track at Whistler Olympic Park, both easily accessible from our accommodations at the Athlete’s Village. 
 
Heading to Whistler was a new endeavor for the team this summer and the camp did not disappoint! Rollerski technique and intensity was our primary focus throughout the week but sessions were also completed by running/hiking, strength in the park, and a climbing recovery workout at The Whistler Core Fitness and Climbing Center.
 
The athletes faced the unforeseen challenge of beating the heat in Whistler. As most of us attending the camp had been training in the mild Canmore weather, facing 30-degree heat added an extra level of intensity to each session. A popular measure to beat the heat was beach trips to Loggers Lake (despite the hour long “recovery run” it took for us to find it) and other beaches in the area. Luckily for us, the jaunt we took up Singing Pass and the musical bumps to summit Mt. Whistler on day 3 provided some nice shade and a cool breeze at the top, something the athletes openly welcomed.
 
Rollerskiing up the Whistler Access Road was quite the opposite temperature wise (although the heat encouraged athletes to drink copious amounts of water), but the gradual incline and relatively smooth pavement was the perfect local for our first few rollerskis of the year. Whistler Olympic Park also provided us with a spectacular rollerski track with lots of challenging corners and very different terrain compared to our usual loop in Canmore.
 
The camp provided an excellent opportunity for team bonding with social meal times, post dinner Catch Phrase games, and learning about teammates hidden talents (who knew we have future speed walkers on the team?). Huge thank you to Coach Luke and Kent Tilley for the numerous hours they spent shuttling us to workouts, groceries and anywhere else we needed to be.
 
After Whistler, the team was off to the Haig Glacier for a week of skiing in August!