Diary of the Lanzarote Training Camp

Over the recent half term, 10 of our senior swimmers headed off to a training camp at the Barcelo Active Resort in Lanzarote. Those attending the camp were Alexandra Nurney, Antonia Elias, April Mills, Daniel Belsey, Ever Ives, K-ets Yah-Khai, Liam Rumball, Lucas Hartley, Olly and Tommy Fenwick. They were accompanied by Head Coach, Daniel Fogg and Team Managers, Becky Hartley and Anna Belsey. It was a fantastic week of hard training, team building, friendship and fun!

It was an early start for everyone to get to Heathrow in time to check in and be ready for the flight. Farewells were said to parents and, with barely a backwards glance, we were off! To get to Lanzarote, we took two flights and changed planes in Madrid. It was a short layover so there was a bit of running involved to ensure we got to the gate on time! On arrival in Lanzarote, we all saw a rare sight for most of us in February – the sun was shining! Bags were collected, then the transfer bus was boarded and off to the resort we went. Check-in took a while but soon we all had our room assignments and resort bracelets which acted as room keys as well as giving us that all important full board restaurant access! Once the bags were dropped in our rooms, it was time for dinner before we went to the shop to buy a few supplies – snacks and drinks. Some of us even bought postcards to send home but I’m not sure how many made it to the post box! After a long day, it was time to get some sleep.

Sunday and the training began in earnest. In a shock for some (Liam and Lucas!), the first session was an early morning. After a bit of pre-pool in the dark, it was time to dive in. The water was heated to a nice temperature but in the morning, before sunrise, the air is not as warm. This wasn’t a problem for the swimmers though, just those of us on the poolside! Dan was in desperate need of coffee and for some reason, thought this was a TM responsibility!  When the session ended, it was a dash to the warm showers before going to breakfast. Lots of choice was available and quite a few plates of food eaten – all healthy of course! A bit of down time followed and some did homework and others relaxed by the pool where some of the boys took part in a hoopla contest but were embarrassingly beaten by an older gentleman with better aim than them! A light lunch was had before the second session of the day. Tired but happy and hungry swimmers met for dinner after this and made good use of the all you can eat buffet.  A couple of hours of their own time was had before curfew and lights out.

Monday and a little later breakfast meant a bit of a lie in. The first land training session of the week was next and the group all met in the covered but open air gym. After some hard work and sweating, it was time to get in the pool again. A 2 hour session in the sun was a lovely change to training at home and we all enjoyed watching the backstrokers try to navigate swimming in a straight line. It was a bit like pinball off the lane ropes at first! After working up an appetite, it was time for a big lunch to refuel. We then all went for a walk by the coast to Teguise for a bit of browsing in the shops and a scoop (or 3) of ice cream. When we got back it was time for the team dinner. Some of the group played pool or cards until bedtime while Liam and Lucas were challenged to table tennis by Daniel. It all got very serious and competitive with singles matches as well as doubles when Anna joined in too. There were some incredible (lucky!) shots and lots of trash talking involved! Who reigned supreme? Well, I think Liam and Dan are still arguing about that!

Tuesday was the day of our catamaran trip. After breakfast, we all got ready and went to meet the bus transfer to take us to the marina at Puerto Calero. There were only 4 other people on the trip that day so there was plenty of space for us to spread out and enjoy being out on the water. We commandeered one of the nets and everyone sprawled out in the sunshine. The catamaran sailed down the coast to Papagayo and we took in the sights while enjoying soft drinks, bread and cheese as well as fresh fruit. K-ets and Tommy decided to perform the famous Titanic pose for some reason!

Once the captain found a suitable cove to anchor in, it was time to play in the sea. There was a choice of going down the slide or jumping off the front. The swimmers led the way and there were a lot of shocked screeches as they plunged into the 17 degree water! Some were more reluctant than others and hung back but were soon in, although a little brotherly help was needed in the form of a strong push by Tommy, much to the shock of Olly. Anna designated herself photographer to avoid the plunge but Becky braved the cold. After some persuasion, Dan also decided to get in by showing the swimmers how a proper bomb is performed.

There were sea canoes, stand up paddle boards and snorkel equipment to use and the swimmers took advantage of all of it. Liam looked a bit like a new born foal on wobbly legs compared to Daniel B’s more steady paddleboarding. Of course, a lot of time was spent trying to overturn the canoes and unbalance anyone on an SUP! Dan was an expert at this much to the swimmers dismay! Alexandra, Ever and Antonia spent more time in the water than in the canoe! Life vests were required but I think April used hers to help keep warm! Everyone soon got used to the temperature and a lot of laughter and fun was had. After a while, we were all called back to the boat for lunch. The cook had prepared fresh pasta and sauce, salad, and Canarian potatoes with fresh mojo sauce. Luckily, he’d prepared a lot so no one went hungry, not even Lucas! Once lunch was finished, we all relaxed for the sail back to the marina. What a great way to spend a few hours!

Once back at the resort, most of the swimmers had a relax by the pool or got some work done before grabbing a quick snack and heading to the pool for the day’s session. This was a late one from 6-8pm, so they swam as the sun set and the moon and stars came out. Interestingly, the pool had coloured disco lights down one side so the water colour they swam through changed from blue to green, pink, purple, red and yellow as well as flashed. It was a new experience for everyone! With the sun gone, it was chilly once they got out so there was another dash to the warm showers before meeting for a late dinner. The younger ones in the group went to their table in the courtyard to play cards and mingle with swimmers from other teams before returning to their rooms for the night.

Wednesday morning began with a gym session before breakfast. Although everyone was trying to be healthy and a lot of fruit was consumed, it was had to resist the Nutella dispenser! It was used often for bread, pancakes, croissants and anything else that could be topped with a generous squirt. Tommy even sneakily tried to hide some under a pile of carrot shavings! The first swim of the day was again under blue skies and sunshine. Everyone worked hard. Those gym sessions were obviously paying off for Liam as he managed to break a starting block such was the power of his dive! More refuelling then a bit of a rest before session two finished under moonlight. Daniel and Olly doing the distance sets managed to get in 12,000m today! Dinner and then some time to hang out with each other before curfew. Time must’ve got away from some as they needed a little reminder to get back to their rooms and a couple (who shall remain nameless!) needed a few more to turn out the lights.

Only a few days left and lots of good work already in the bank, Thursday started with more Nutella and a gym session. Straight to the pool for some more hard work and the rest of the squad teasing the sprinters who were definitely struggling. With the use of the GoPro, we managed to get some underwater filming done and a few good photos. After lunch, the sunbeds were put to good use with a lot of lying around and sunbathing. The recovery was needed! Maybe there was even a bit of homework done. Another good team dinner with a lot of food consumed and some more card games to end the day.

Friday and our last full day here (or so we thought at the time!). A good breakfast was eaten as everyone had been warned of a tough suited session planned for the morning. And tough it was! Halfway through had K-ets running for the toilets but luckily not actually being sick! The girls hung tough, especially Antonia doing it all butterfly. Daniel and Olly dug deep and went the distance. The sprinters rolled around in agony and looked like they were dying! They all definitely earned their lunches. One last swim under the stars that night and a final team dinner before it was time to do some packing or have a last evening out in the courtyard trying not to be late back to your room!

Up before sunrise, the swimmers headed to the 50m pool for the final time.  Last swim in the sun outdoors before heading home. Some had recovered from yesterdays exertions better than others but everyone was smiling. The GoPro came out again and some underwater group shots were attempted. The illusion of healthy eating well and truly went out of the window at breakfast with everyone getting a plateful of Nutella, even Dan!

Time for manic packing and room checks as we all needed to be out of the rooms and bags needed putting in the luggage store. The rest of the time there was spent around the pool catching the last rays of sunshine. Soon it was off to the airport for our flight home. Well, that turned into an adventure in itself! To cut to the chase, we all ended up spending the night on the airport floor and our 4 hour journey home stretched to about 30hrs! What a way to end a truly excellent week. I guess it’s something that will be remembered forever!