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19 FEB 2026

FOUR Spots Left For CAMP!

Last week we said six but now we are down to our last FOUR SPOTS, having expanded from 16 available to 18. This is going to be an amazing camp, with guest coaches David Tilbury-Davis and Cam Wynhof. We're going back to all dinners AND all breakfasts provided (most lunches are consumed out on the road), and we're gonna pack in a lot of training—for you! We adjust workouts and distances for your ability level, but also aiming to push you regardless of your ability level.

Here's what you get at camp:

• Workouts personalized to your current ability and goals
• Five runs, three swims (and an optional open water swim), three rides—two of them LONG to build crucial summertime fitness
• Fully sagged rides (and long run) with a support van, providing food, fluid, flat support, and anything else you might need
• A personalized Swim Video Analysis ($250 value)
• A 20-25 minute bodywork and stretch session
• Lodging included in the beautiful and wild Tetherow District of SW Bend
• Breakfasts and dinners provided (except for Monday night out), midday snacks and meals
• Workout hydration, nutrition for all workouts, and recovery products provided by our nutrition sponsor Precision Hydration
• Snacks, Sandwiches, and recovery drinks throughout each day

But don't wait—we usually sell out by the end of March, and interest is HIGH this year. Make an investment in your 2026 fitness and reserve your spot early.​

Getting Away from “Bad”

“There is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
—Hamlet, Act II, Scene ii

A few weeks ago, one of my athletes left me the following report from a mid-week tempo run I’d assigned him: “Rough…rough…rough day today. I feel super fat. Sorry, just true. My wetsuit, as discovered yesterday, is too big from last year as my body comp has changed. My tri bike, I now realize, is too small. I don’t feel I am hitting these mid-week runs like I should or want to. To top it off, I feel like I am not in good enough shape to do well in Boise with no time left to get fitter. I did two miles at 7:45/mile and 7:30/mile after a 10 minute warm up as well as a handful of 1/4 mile repeats at 1:48 or so. I just couldn’t breathe. I just felt—again, for lack of a better word—fat. My new equipment needs got to me, it began POURING rain which turned to hail…I just ran off the track and back home.”

Alarmed, I scheduled a phone conversation with him for the next afternoon, a Friday. We talked about the workout, the equipment issues, and his level of fatigue. I told him to take Saturday off, hang out with his girlfriend, and then do a light run on Sunday. Monday he wrote me the following: “Monday. Feeling better. And giving myself some sympathy. I’ve never trained this hard and for this duration. It’s new physically and mentally for me. I also have a competitive spirit that takes a beating through social media and NOW through working at the tri shop in town. I see posts on Twitter of people doing huge workouts. I talk with customers doing tons of events and I get down on myself for not being at their level. Yesterday I had to say to myself: 'Hey, relax. Your first tri was 10 months ago. Thus far you’ve accomplished a ton in that 10 months. A TON in 10 months…..patience.'”

I was so pleased and proud to hear him come around. Haven’t we all been that first athlete from time to time, frustrated, worried, afraid that all our preparation will lead to nought? At a race a few years ago his words could have been mine. In the final weeks before Ironman Los Cabos, I had put on some weight in the weeks after training camp, and I figured that my race was over before it had even begun. I started the race under a cloud of resentment and fear. Needless to say, the race didn’t go well. Someone I worked with pointed out that I had convinced myself, ahead of time, that the race was a wash, and then I just went out there and confirmed my suspicions. But it didn’t have to be that way...

...READ MORE at our new and totally free Substack

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—The Counselors at Campfire Endurance

Presented by Campfire Endurance Coaching

Today's newsletter is presented by Campfire Endurance Coaching.

We help endurance athletes improve their results (get FASTER), find more joy in the process of getting faster (get HAPPIER), and achieve lifelong wellbeing through sport (get HEALTHIER).

Our company has two major services:

• ​One-to-One Coaching: fully customizable, high-touch coaching built for your life and your goals. Our coaches carry a maximum of 15 athletes so you know you and your goals are always a prioity.
• ​Training Camps and Clinics: immersive multi-day and single-day events aimed at getting you the most improvement in the shortest amount of time.

If any of those sound like something you would like to take advantage of, you should consider booking a 45-minute FREE coaching and training consultation with us​