(September 19, 2008) - We’re going into our third week at beautiful Mammoth Lakes. It has been hectic but exciting living under the same roof, as a team of ten. On this particular Friday, us girls are expecting some fellow teammates who have been training back home to join us. Energy, lots of energy, floats about the condo as the rest of the girls arrive. While living together will become just a little tighter, none of us seem to mind—having the rest of our teammates to spend time with and train with outweighs the prior by far. We have an amazing dinner of homemade Mac and cheese, veggies, sweet potatoes and barbecue chicken—thanks to Ashley. There are too many of us to sit at the table so we disperse ourselves throughout the living room where we enjoy our big family meal. After dinner we play a few games of UNO and get ready for lights out.
The week rolls by smoothly with solid training, stretching and soaking at the cold creek—plus numerous birthdays and a fascination with card games we seem to have developed. Coach Browne and two of the guys, Pedro and Danny, came over to play Pepsi-Cola and Spoons—two games I had never heard of before. I didn’t win either game, Coach Browne and Danielle ruled Pepsi-Cola and it was a blast.
Thursday morning we find ourselves at our last threshold workout of camp, and despite a few struggles and stumbles, we all have a pretty good workout. We head to the park for our weights routine, everyone seems especially light hearted today; maybe because the anxiety of being away from home has decreased and the fact that the joy of camp isn’t going to last forever has set in. We eat a delicious breakfast at one of the local restaurants, The Stove. The rest of the day consists of naps for some, movies for others, and a trip to Starbucks in search for internet access for me and a couple of girls. And of course, the guys are there on their laptops or playing chess. We meet with the coaches, as we do every few days to discuss workouts and the promising season we all know is ahead of us. The day ends with a little coed bonding between our men’s and women’s team. Volleyball is the game, and despite our great teamwork on the women’s side, the guys won the match.
Our last day in Mammoth is exciting and eventful. We have just completed our last hard workout of the week and a day of packing and cleaning up ahead of us. Fatigue from weeks of intense training and the thin air tugs at us a bit during this last workout, but once again we encouraged one another and managed to pull through. During the cool-down I admire the vastness of the landscape and the familiar act of running with my teammates.
That evening all of us girls went out for dinner, we chatted and laughed and snapped a few pictures together. Then we headed back to our condo to get ready for the Rock Ceremony. As a freshman I wasn’t exactly sure what was happening, so I followed the example of my teammates; which was to layer on as much clothing as possible. The team and the coaches packed into the cars with our jackets and together, we head up to Mammoth Rock. The night was pitch black and the walk from the vans to The Rock was short, but in its own way a challenge. Despite the brightness of the stars, the floor was in no way easy to see. Finally, we got to the rock, the sky was gorgeous and the wind was cool. We sat in one another’s company and gazed at the stars. Coach Ray read us a couple of motivational passages and we exchanged words of praise, appreciation and encouragement. That night was amazing, not because of the view, but because of the team bond that was obvious even in the black of the night.
Camp was a month of hard work, adjustment, and overcoming obstacles. Training was intense but necessary to achieve the high level of success we strive for. Adjusting to the air was no easy task, but neither is a race. Furthermore, camp was a time of reflection, relaxation and building friendships. Being far from the city life we’re so accustomed to, and the family members and friends we love was challenging at times. However, being removed from the commotion gave us a chance to assess our lives and find ways to improve ourselves. High altitude training strengthened our lungs and legs, but even more than that, it sharpened our focus and drive to succeed.
