LUCY DANZIGER AT THE NATIONAL TRAINING CENTER POOL
For some people, the answer is yes!
Lucy Danziger and I have been friends, colleagues, and sport buddies for over 30 years. When she texted me pictures from a triathlon training camp, all excited and calling it her version of a spa vacation, I asked her to please write a story for SOS! Lucy, a former competitive triathlete who still loves to train like one, made me want to join her at the National Training Center (NTC) – and I’m not a triathlete (although I do enjoy all three sports). But as Lucy shares in her story, all are welcome here, from Olympic athletes to everyday athletes who just want to train like one…
Swim, Bike, Run, Bliss by Lucy Danziger
Some people dream of spa getaways — plush robes, cucumber water, and hours of pampering. Not me. My version of luxury? Three workouts a day — swim, bike, run — in any order, with little else on the schedule except eating and sleeping. So when I headed to a weeklong triathlon training camp at the National Training Center (NTC) in Clermont, Florida, it felt like I’d checked into paradise… just with a lot more sweat and “real” athletes everywhere you look.
Once upon a time I could call myself a competitive triathlete, since getting on the podium was a realistic goal and I would do about four long-course races a year, along with several shorter ones. But these days I’m just looking to get fit and healthy, have fun, and get back in the game, even if my “running” is now a steady trot due to an old ski injury and achy knee from surgery in my twenties. Everyone in triathlon has a strength (always biking for me) and a limiter (it used to be swimming, but now instead of getting out of the water with the backstrokers, I manage to arrive at my bike rack in the middle of the pack).
Whatever your goals and fitness levels, triathlon training camp can help you move forward faster than training on your own. The fact is anyone could enjoy triathlon training whether you ever choose to race or not. It’s a great way to mix things up and work on your cardiovascular fitness, while moving through the large muscle groups, avoiding injury or overuse by doing the same sport day after day.
COACH ROBERT PENNINO, BOTTOM RIGHT, AND TEAM (INCLUDING ME, ALSO ABOVE)
“Triathlon camps are a great way to either kick start your training or take it to the next level,” says Coach Robert Pennino, who organized our camp, and is the founder and head coach of Terrier Fitness (formerly Terrier Tri). “Spending several consecutive days with other athletes swimming, biking, and running together, creates a focused training environment without the usual interruptions of daily life. It’s the same concept used in sports like baseball, basketball, and football, where athletes train in camps to improve performance. And the same approach works for triathletes too…you don’t have to be a pro to train like one!”
Robert brought together a small but mighty group of athletes, all training for different goals: Sprint triathlons, Half Ironman races, and yes, even a full Ironman. The diversity of stories was just as inspiring as the range of distances for which we were training.
One woman had recently recovered from breast cancer (it did not slow her down). Another had shed 25 pounds, and was ready to reclaim her fitness after time away from the sport (she felt like she hadn’t missed a beat). And even our strongest athlete — fresh off qualifying for the World Championship in the 70.3 distance in Australia — was there to push her limits further, and she gave the coach a run for his money on the bike and in the pool. Still another chose not to swim, but wanted to get stronger for her upcoming sprint tri, so she hit the weight room when we were in the pool. Different journeys, same passion.
And what a place to train!
Picture gliding through an outdoor Olympic pool alongside elite swimmers and a high school water polo team. Then heading to the track, where a group of Olympic hopefuls are training just a few meters away. Later, you’re out on the bike, cruising anywhere from 30 to 50 miles through rolling farmlands, orange groves, and surprisingly scenic stretches near Disney World. Plus this is the hilliest and highest point in Florida, known as the spine of the state, complete with tsunami-like hills that challenge the best cyclists to not gear out. (Going back down for repeats you can hit speeds of more than 30MPH if you don’t pump the brakes.)
When the biggest question of the day is: what’s for lunch? (Answer: Panera Bread!), and you’re so tired that a quiet 15 minutes riding in the van home results in a nap, it’s impossible not to feel like a kid again — energized, inspired, muscle-tired, and completely in the moment. What stress? Other than worrying about getting up those hills in the morning!
The week unfolded in a rhythm that only triathletes could love. We arrived on a Wednesday, went straight to the NTC from the airport, dove into a solid swim session, set up our bikes, and took a quick ride to make sure all gears and mechanical parts were in working order. We capped it off with an easy run in the neighborhood to shake things out. Thursday brought a long ride, a shorter run, and a refreshing “reward” swim.
Friday was a chance to run the gently rolling clay “red road” followed by biking up (and down and up again) the scary steep hills that I dream about the rest of the year… they are terrifying and challenging both, but once you get to the top you feel accomplished as heck! Especially if you’re not the slowest to finish the interval. Reward? Another pool session.
Saturday was our longest ride of the week clocking 51 miles, followed by a snack and open water swim in Lake Mineola. And Sunday delivered the grand finale of brick repeats in Lake Louisa State Park, a beautiful and protected loop with few cars, perfect for biking and running on rolling roads that allow you to worry less about traffic. If you love big, steep, leg-burning climbs, you can find the famed “Sugarloaf” and other 7% climbs just minutes from the training center.
We stayed in a house together, cooking every other night, and heading out for some well-earned meals — like Paddlefish at Disney Springs and Estefan Kitchen, where Cuban food and live music made for the perfect post-training meal. Lights were out by 9pm most nights—not out of obligation — but because we were exhausted in the best possible way.
A month of training packed into a week.
By the end of the week, we treated ourselves to massages—because yes, even endurance junkies know when it’s time to rest and recover.
But here’s the real magic of a camp like this: The fitness gains. By rotating between sports, varying intensity, and stacking workouts in a smart, structured way, your body adapts quickly, getting stronger without breaking down. It’s like compressing weeks of progress into just a few days (I feel as if I packed a month of workouts into a week), all while minimizing injury risk.
And you don’t have to go it alone. Having a coach like Robert to plan sessions and map out routes is invaluable, but with tools like Strava and GPS-based training apps, you can absolutely design your own DIY camp. We ran into a group of Special Olympics athletes and coaches at Lake Louisa State Park, another local treasure with enclosed loops, perfect for our brick workouts (bike, run, repeat….) where we ran half a mile, biked three miles, and repeated that until our legs were no longer able to function! (At least it felt that way and it was just four reps.)
The NTC facilities (which include the pool, track, and full gym, plus trails to run on along the perimeter of the property) do require a fee to access, but compared to what you’d spend on city gyms, pools, and classes, it’s more than reasonable —especially considering the world-class environment.
So if you’re looking for your next adventure, skip the spa (just this once 😉). Book a flight to Orlando, grab your gear, and dive into a triathlon training experience that’s equal parts challenging, exhilarating, and downright fun.
Trust me—this is one “vacation” you’ll come back from relaxed — or maybe exhausted — but stronger!
