No Limits Map to Triathlon Podcast · Todd Malcolm - Ironman specific triathlon coach

208 - Why I LOVE Training Camps. :)

·27 min

Todd opens by asking whether you have ever been on a training camp. He says they are a lot of fun, and he clearly means it. He frames the episode around why he enjoys them, why he thinks they are great, and why he wants listeners to come to one. He explains that when he first started doing triathlons, he heard about training camps and read about them, but never actually went. He stays with that memory long enough to make it feel relatable. The point is not simply that camps exist. The point is that they can feel a little mysterious until you finally experience one. From there he shifts into the kind of camp he wants to talk about most. It is a space with athletes, a coach or two, and not much else. There is no work calling. There are no colleagues in the room. It is just the group, the training, and the chance to figure out how to make things better. He says that setup matters because it gives athletes room to focus. They can push physically. They can push mentally. They can also see what happens when the day gets hard and everyone is tired. One of his favorite memories comes from a training camp in California. He had set the schedule. He was tired and lying on the couch. An athlete told him it was time to get up, get in the car, and go start the run. Todd laughs at the reversal. He admits he needed that push. Once he got moving, the run felt great. The story works because it shows both sides of camp life. Physically, you still get the workout done. Mentally, you learn that fatigue is not always the end of the day. Sometimes you just need one more person to keep you honest. He connects that moment to a broader coaching lesson. Athletes often think they are too tired to continue. Camp shows them that they may still have more in the tank than they think. He likes giving athletes that same experience. He likes helping them discover they can get off the couch, start the session, and feel better for it afterward. Todd then moves into another California memory. This camp ran Monday through Friday, and on Saturday he signed up for a long-course race at half-Ironman distance. The setup meant the week itself became part of the preparation. It was not just training for training's sake. It was training with a purpose and then taking the support of the camp into race day. He talks about the camp routine in a very practical way. People could take turns driving. People who did not want to train that day could back off a bit. The whole thing made the week feel flexible even while it stayed demanding. That mix of structure and freedom is part of why he values camps. What keeps coming through is how much he enjoys the group atmosphere. The athletes are there together. The coach is there too. Everybody is learning, adjusting, and finding out what the work feels like when the usual distractions are gone. He also speaks to the fun of the setting itself. The memory of California carries warmth. He even floats the idea of an Italy training camp someday. That gives the episode a slightly wandering, hopeful feel. It sounds like a coach imagining the next good adventure while remembering the last one. The episode does not try to overcomplicate the message. Training camps are good because they are focused, social, and hard in a way that teaches you something. They can help you train better. They can help you stay honest. They can also remind you that triathlon can still feel like an adventure. Todd keeps circling back to the same core idea: camps are fun. They are challenging. They make you show up. He says he wants to get listeners to come to one, and the episode is built around that gentle pressure. Near the end he signs off with his usual encouragement and points listeners toward his free triathlon guide. The tone stays relaxed and personal. It sounds like a coach finishing a long conversation at the table, not wrapping a polished sales pitch. By the time he closes, the episode has done what he wanted it to do. It has made the case for training camps using memory, repetition, and lived experience. It leaves you with the sense that a good camp is less about perfect performance and more about shared work, small nudges, and the satisfaction of doing the session anyway.

As heard by us

A grounded case for training camps and the value of pushing through fatigue.

Episode 208 makes a steady case for training camps as a place where hard work and reset sit side by side. Todd Milcom frames them as a setting built around athletes, a coach or two, and enough focus to push both body and mind.

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Want a coach's honest pitch for why training camps matter?

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