Running Camp

If you are a runner interested in attending a running camp, listen up.

When I was in high school, a couple of my x-country buddies and I attended a summer running camp for a week near Port Townsend Washington. And the best thing about the camp?

Let me start by giving you a little background information so you can make up your own mind.

At the time, most summer running camps were for high school cross country and track distance runners. You would spend a week at a facility and get a chance to run with talented runners from colleges and the coaches that went with them AND your competitors for the upcoming year.

Looking back, I think training with my toughest competion on a more regular basis would have been very beneficial. We all knew each other, but never really got to know each other other than in a heavy breathing type of situation. And no, I'm not talking about an intimate encounter.

Hell, we hardly even acknowledged each other even when we were out for a training run in the same area. Go figure.

But, what the running camp did was bring a bunch of guys and girls together in an environment that created respect for the other individual. Opportunities existed in a running camp for you to spend some quality time, whether it was during the morning run, or at the baseball game, or during the training talks given in the afternoon getting to know a little bit about the other runner you might be chasing down in the final quarter mile of a three mile cross country race during the fall season.

Before I get to mushy on you, there was always the chance to get even or even a little "ahead" of your high school rivals. Sneaking into the next dorm and scattering everyone's clothing all over the dorm room was not out of the question, especially if someone was just a little bit too cool.

But I'm not saying I did anything like that ;)