This year the Cambridge University Blues swim team again embarked on their annual training camp. The team again visited the Sports Abroad training facility in Oasis Papagayo Resort, Feurtaventura for the third year running.
Over the course of the week, the team consisting of 10 men and 5 women completed 26 hours in the outdoor pool, covering 78km in the water, 6 hours of land training and hiked one volcano.
The purpose of the yearly training camp is to provide the members with one final large aerobic block of work, to allow the team to hone their fitness and provide a running start into the final weeks before their Varsity Match. It is because of this desire to obtain a good deal of fitness that the team is forced to swim such large distances on camp. This lead to a number of challenge sets being swam throughout the week, in particular a gruelling set of 101 x 100m on the very last day of camp.
Speaking on the progress made over the week, swimming captains Dominic Holloway and Amy Felgate had the following to say. “ The training camp in Fuerteventura was once again a huge success. 15 swimmers headed out to the Canary Islands in the New Year and faced a 35 hour week of training (more if you count climbing the volcano). Despite the relentless pool and land work-outs the team morale was excellent throughout and everyone found the week exceptionally rewarding. Now back in Cambridge the squad has its eyes set firmly on the Varsity Match on February 25th and are training harder than ever with their new found fitness.”
Good luck to the team from everyone at Bluebird and we look forward to hearing their results. The swimming Varisty Match takes place on Saturday the 25th of February.