Patrick John McCrann | Athlete. Author. Coach.

[Rant Alert!]

Over the past 8 years, I have either organized or participated in well over 30 triathlon training camps. I have trained at altitude and at sea level. I have trained in the winter and the summer. I have trained reasonably and I have buried myself. Yet across all of these different experiences, one thing remains the same. All the camps had triathletes in them…and triathletes need a training camp wake up call.

The Problem: A Basic Lack of Respect
Like any group of people who go on vacation, triathletes are pretty excited to train in new places. It means new roads, new scenery, new challenges, new memories. But being in a new place is no excuse to forget the common training rules that you follow at home. At the end of the day you are still a guest, someone calls the place you are visiting “home.” Do the good karma thing and keep a positive vibe going for all future triathletes and for race day.

My latest dose of this was our recent training camp in Lake Placid. It’s a popular training destination because of the event’s proximity to New York / Boston / Toronto / etc.  We showed up mid-week, so the tri-vibe was pretty light. But by Friday the town — and race course — were both saturated with triathletes.

It was crazy to see three or four people running side by side on a major road, not moving out of the way of cars. Packs of bikers taking up entire lanes of traffic, cutting off cars and motorbikes, descending on tiny restaurants and cafes in sweaty spandex. I saw angry drivers, tired townspeople, and way too much nutrition trash on the roads.

Some Simple Solutions:

Remember You are a Guest — Simply be considerate of the folks around you as you train and eat. Just as you (probably) wouldn’t wear a full-on sweaty one-piece spandex race suit to shop at home, you might want to change before shopping in a new town. Just sayin’.

Traffic Laws Haven’t Changed — Even though your new training home seems cool and exotic, the same laws apply. Since you left home, people still ride on the right, run against the flow of traffic, use hand signals to indicate turns, etc.

Remember To Represent — As a triathlete in a new place, you have the chance to make a really good impression. Or maybe reverse some bad preconceptions left by previous visitors. Be courteous to the locals, show respect for their home.

I guess the bottom line is “Don’t act any different than you would at home.”  While your new training place is cool for a weekend, remember that there are folks there who – every weekend – have people like you descending on their town/roads/lake to train. I bet that can get really old, really fast.

If you have any other tips, thoughts or feedback, please put them in the comments below!