The campers woke up a bit tired and sore from our Tuesday tempo run; however, there was no loss of enthusiasm as we headed to the Trapp Family Lodge for our first activity of the day. The campers got back into their running groups and hit the trails of the “Trapp House.” Despite the considerably hilly nature of this route, good times were had by all and everyone emerged healthy and happy to head back to the Round Hearth for breakfast.
Post-breakfast featured some down time followed by more of our tournaments, including Spikeball, Cornhole, and Kan Jam. Spikeball emerged as a camp and fan favorite, as it’s fast paced play and teamwork are entertaining to watch. Get this game on ESPN! Camp director Fran Cusick gave a brief speech about tomorrow’s long run, explaining to the campers about why this particular run is such an important staple of a distance runner’s arsenal.
After this, we had a lighter lunch in preparation of our afternoon pool workout. Before this, though, the camp was delighted to welcome back frequent Stowe guest and 2012 Olympian Ruben Sanca. Ruben has been speaking at Stowe Running Camp since 2012 and talked to the campers about the importance of hard work and goal setting. He also answered some questions and told some humorous stories, including his infamous workout in the snow which left him unable to walk after 20 plus grueling miles.
After Ruben’s speech, the campers headed to The Swimming Hole for two sessions: one group would participate in aqua-jogging in the pool, another group would tackle yoga on the lawn outside the pool. Both groups took to their respective tasks with aplomb and despite the challenges that each endeavor presented, approached it with an impressive level of enthusiasm. It was especially impressive on the yoga front, as several campers claimed to have “achieved a Zen-like state.” Whether they truly reached this mythical state of being or were simply asleep is a matter of debate; however, it can’t be argued that both groups had a great time and learned some important tools to help supplement their running. Kudos to the second group (the young-guns) for continuing with their yoga despite the rain.
Once back at the Round Hearth, our primary activity of the day was the Mr. and Mrs. Stowe pageant. This is always an entertaining spectacle and this year did not disappoint as we saw and listened to some uniquely talented individuals. Tyler S. stole the show by drawing a map of the United States from hand, prompting one camper to exclaim “wow, he knows every line.” On the girls end, Sierra F. took home the crown while displaying some impressive hula-hoop/macarena skills.
All in all, it was a fun albeit busy day and the campers hit the hay tired but excited to attack the long run the next morning.
Stowe Running Camp 