Moo Camp: The Planning Thread
In a month I'll be riding (and eating) with all of you! 
What's the plan? What's are the rest of the campers doing? Is that listed somwhere? When should we join?
Super rough sketch -- Feel free to edit. I'll add hyperlinks tomorrow.
Thursday Proposal: Probably lots of bike admin/people arriving. This day should probably be relatively low key.
Thursday a.m. - Scone run to Lazy Janes. Hungry for scones pace there. Full of scones pace back.
Mid-morning/early afternoon: One loop of IMWI course.
Dinner: Incredible dinner at Harvest
Friday Proposal
(maybe more scones)
The HHH "Blue Mounds" course. Because those hills make the IMWI course look like flat baby hills. And there's a cool coffee shop on the route.
Maybe some scouting of the swim course? Maybe eating of delicious vegetarian rubens at Monty's Blue Plate diner?
Saturday Proposal
(Early farmer's market scoping.)
Two loops of IMWI.
Is this team dinner night?
Sunday Proposal
Scope the run course.
Comments
Official Camp Dinner (with all the campers- not just ENers) will be either Friday or Saturday- we're working that out, stay tuned. Either way- we can swap around your other excellent recommendations for other dining!
I know a lot of folks are arriving Thurs night/Fri morning and leaving on Sunday- and at the same time, some folks want lots of time on the Moo course (raising my own hand here), so I'd suggest the following adjustments:
Thursday Proposal: Probably lots of bike admin/people arriving. This day should probably be relatively low key.
Thursday a.m. - Scone run to Lazy Janes. Hungry for scones pace there. Full of scones pace back.
Mid-morning/early afternoon: One loop of IMWI course. Bike assembly & a short "shake down" ride (maybe out to the loop & back)
Dinner: Incredible dinner at Harvest
Friday Proposal
(maybe more scones)
The HHH "Blue Mounds" course. Because those hills make the IMWI course look like flat baby hills. And there's a cool coffee shop on the route. Two loops of the IMWI course followed by a Yoga/Core workout (Kris?)
Maybe some scouting of the swim course ? Maybe eating of delicious vegetarian rubens at Monty's Blue Plate diner?
Saturday Proposal
(Early farmer's market scoping.)
Two Options, Pick One:
- Two loops of IMWI.
- The HHH "Blue Mounds" course. Because those hills make the IMWI course look like flat baby hills. And there's a cool coffee shop on the route.
Perhaps a Spa apt in the afternoon? Maybe manicures or massages?
Is this team dinner night?
Sunday Proposal
more scones??
Scope the run course and do a walk through of the transition area.
sounds great. this is my sketch
we leave thur and drive 12 hours up but would love to meet with peeps on Thurs so Harvest whatever it is is good.!!
Friday, I will ride the course (see the swim)
Saturday I will ride the course (run/walk part of course, hear I can see whole course with just part of it) This should finish dogging me out.
Sunday, ?? activity, gotta drive back that day
If you do the Blue Mounds ride, which I recomend instead of riding the IMWI course everyday. I HIGHLY Recomend doing the "Blue Mounds" ride before the IMWI course ride. It is tougher and therefore I would get it out of the way with fresh legs and then ride the IMWI course will tired legs as it is an easier course. Plus as Beth said after riding Blue Mounds it will make IMWI seeme easy, which is a huge mental advantage in my mind.
If you do it the other way around, you may just be in for a tough day on the blue mounds ride after doing two loops of IMWI the day before.
Serriously two to three total loops on the IMWI course is more than enough to get a very good feel for the course. Plus you will drive to the key parts of the course again on race week as well. The course can be very crowded with riders and drivers that don't like riders, so it is nice to get out and ride another route as well.
Beth - Jonnie and I ate at Monte's last night! The artichoke sandwich is pretty delish as well! So is the Meatless Loaf of the Gods... etc
http://www.montysblueplatediner.com/menu/
Harvest - great locally grown food, upscale dining: http://www.harvest-restaurant.com/
Just noticed they're hosting a Garlic Dinner, but it's the same weekend as Door County Triathlon. dang!
but I digress...
I know Linda and some of the other chicas will be here on Wed night, so Thurs might be a nice opportunity for some to do the Blue Mounds ride if interested, and others can do it on Fri. As much as I love riding the IMWI course, I really do recommend riding some of the beautiful terrain around Blue Mounds first. Matt's point about the mental advantages of doing that ride before doing the IMWI course is REALLY great. So if you have 3 days of riding, I would do Blue Mounds first, then maybe the out/back plus 1 loop of IMWI the 2nd day, then 2 loops of IMWI the 3rd day. If you only have 2 days of riding, it's probably not too late to change your travel plans to add a 3rd day
However, I do realize that I'm being completely hippocritical, since I personally choose to ride the IMWI course every chance I get.
I've started a map of Cowgirl Camp locations:
View Moo Camp Map in a larger map
Round Three. =-)
Thursday Proposal
Thursday a.m. - Scone run to Lazy Janes. Hungry for scones pace there. Full of scones pace back. (It is 2.8 miles to scones from Clarion. Will run right in front of Monona Terrace transition area/swim start.)
Mid-morning/early afternoon: One loop of IMWI course/Bike assembly & a short "shake down" ride (maybe out to the loop & back, depending on who want to ride what.
Dinner: Incredible foodie dinner at Harvest. Do we have at least eight people interested in this dinner? If so, I can see if their private room is available. If we do that option, would the foodies like to order off the menu or do a fixed menu?
Meet up with the rest of the team at the Great Dane for social time.
Friday Proposal
(Maybe another scone run. Chicas like to get their brick out of the way early!)
Pick one:
The HHH "Blue Mounds" course. Because those hills make the IMWI course look like flat baby hills. And there's a cool coffee shop on the route. (I'm with Matt here. Riding this course was the best thing I did for my IMWI mojo. I'm looking forward to seeing what another round of this course does!)
Or
Two loops of IMWI course.
Then
Michael's Frozen Custard
Yoga/Core workout (Kris? Michele?)
Team Dinner and RnP's Coaches' Talk
Saturday Proposal
(Farmer's market scoping.)
Two loops of IMWI
Workshop in bike MacGyvering
Perhaps a Spa apt in the afternoon? Maybe manicures or massages?
Another fun dinner -- Monty's Blue Plate Diner, or somewhere equally as delicious.
Sunday Proposal
more scones??
Morning long run of the course with optional open water swim (with rally group)
Michele -- Meatless loaf of the gods is soo good!
We can do the yoga/core on Friday at 5:15 pm or later at PilateSpa (www.pilatespa.com). If Kris wants to do an hour of yoga, cool. Or can do half/half. Or all pilates/core stuff. Or some on Friday and some on Saturday or Sunday. Lots of options.
Beth - GREAT idea with the map!! Some other ideas to add if you want: Bluephies, Tex Tubbs, bike shops (cronometro, machinery row, and/or williamson), Samba (can accomodate large groups), Marigold Kitchen, Fleet Feet, and Berkeley Running Company.
I'm in for scones, Harvest, frozen yogurt, Blue Plate, all of it! Paleo will out go the window that weekend.
I'm in for Harvest and whatever else. Menu or prix fixe is fine too.
Is Art fair on the square that weekend?
* Bike- For me personally, although I'm sure Blue Mounds is great, I'm there to scope out the course so want to get 2 full loops one day and possible one the following.
* Food/dining- On the meals-would prefer to leave open to menu vs fixed (with Beth's expertise pics appreciated). Just thinking low key, low stress here (btl- picky eater here and sticking to the clean with one splurge- you better believe it's gonna be good if I splurge!)
* I'm all in for spa Sat afternoon. Only so much I can beat up on the ole body!
* Looking to leave some free/recon time open or could do as smaller groups. I'd like to leave with a mocked up map with things like where my hotel is, groceries and IM friendly close place to hotel to eat, local bike shops, hair salon (must braid hair) etc. Michelle has given me some great ideas on these so would like eyeball them. As well as seeing where the everything will be set up race week.
Looking forward to seeing everyone!
My mantra for the weekend, Just point me in a general direction!
Don't care, will do anything. Happily so. 
+1 more for Harvest on Thu. Otherwise I am flexible as long as you guys don't leave my ass on the bike
Fat chance!!! I'll be the last man standing!!
Kris- the mini yoga sessions sound awesome! And I agree, lets keep things simple and fairly flexible. There will be one "formal" EN Camp Dinner that weekend- that's more than enough structured meals for me! And also agree- I'm sure HHH is fantastic, but my goal for the weekend is to be really comfortable on Fiona on those hills- know when to shift so I don't drop the chain, know how fast I can/can not take the descents, etc. So I'm with you on doing the course two days in a row. I know Rich plans on incorporating the other ride in the official camp- those of us who want to do the race course a second day can just go rogue for the day
Beth- the food sounds fabulous!
What is the distance on the HHH ride anyway?
Beth- I finally realized I had to click the link to see all the stuff on the map (duh)- TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!!
Nemo -- The HHH is 100k.
Not sure which forum to post this but I know have a meeting on Friday July 9 at 3p
so I will come early Saturday morning for the ride start (just LMK what time and where we are starting from). Major bummer.
Hi girls, making my flight reservations today, I am going to take Rich up on the Swim Camp if it is still available so coming in Weds. night. Hope I can find all the dinner reservation places, but count me in, also if there is any paraphanalia visors, t shirts, swim suits, whatever would love to purchase that too. Really excited, had to move a lof of stuff around and get my "nerve" up to go work out with all you massively great atheletes
Linda
I am flexible, but like the idea of riding HHH Thursday, IMWI Fri and Sat, maybe even Sunday for me, I leave Monday.
In 2 days I start working on getting the bike out there. And no, I do not intend to learn a whole lot. This is something I will pay for.
hi Michelle and Nemo, I think i get in really late on Weds. night, if I can change it I will, right now it is 10:30 PM but possible to change. Not sure if I have made all the appropriate reservations for the dinners but sure it will work out. I have lots of kind of dumb quesions, e.g. weather gear, packing ALL of my nutrition vs. buying it there. Will do my best to hang as long as I can on the rides, so excited to meet you and finally put personalities to texting. i think there are like 80 people signed up.
OK Brutally honest here. I have not done ONE THING SINCE MY HIM IN KONA, tomorow will be two weeks but I just have had a pretty big let down, tired and quite frankly what I would call the "blues" from post HIM with my son and all the prep and planning and the hype. Is that normal??? anyone ever had that feeling??? I did my first IM in Canada 18 years ago and don't remember this...... I am going to at least swim or ride tomorrow, but for the first time since I can even remember have had NO DESIRE....kind of freaky and beating myself up for it. Hope to have a report tomorrow that I did "something". I have to get a little prepared for this big ride!! I have tons of family coming in , entertaining, blah blah, and not a lot of time to get "fit" again but sure I will not be the only one. just being a bit vulnerable. Kind of thought I might have a let down but this is more than I was expecting
any thoughts????
Hopefully Kris and I will be in Wed by dinnertime.
Also- just a little FYI on the HHH option. Rich is pretty adamant about putting the RR on Friday and doing the HHH on Saturday (or letting folks do the RR again if they want). Here's the response I got when asking about switching it up based on feedback from some of the local folks saying doing HHH first would make us appreciate how much easier the IMoo course is:
"As your coach I'll say that we put it the RR on Friday, not Saturday so you can ride the RR on fresh legs. I could give a shit if you're shelled on Saturday for HHH, that's kinda the point. So quit thinking and just do what you're told = RR on Friday :-) "
Soooooo, I think it's a pretty sure thing that the "official" EN deal that weekend will be RR on Friday with a option to do HHH on Saturday. I can see his point- if you only have one or two chances to see the IMoo course before race day- you wanna do it when your legs and brain are fresh so you can take lots of mental notes (I feel like X at Y watts going up this hill). Really hard to do that if you are already toast from a big ride the day before.
Is there anyplace else we can get in a swim (besides the clinic) since sounds like lake may not be feasible?
Kris- I am with ya on learning the course. Personally, no need to do HHH.
Here you go:
I still have some things to sort out with the Clarion and the pool so I have some loose ends in this schedule but...here you go. As I told Nemo, please understand that I have to balance your desires with my EN requirement to put on a training camp for ~100 people, solo. After my experience with IMLP I've decided to significantly turn up the admin dial on this camp, making it much more formal and trying to do as much of the campy stuff out of the Clarion, if possible. Therefore, talks at the Clarion vs in the grass somewhere downtown, catered dinner vs a restaraunt, etc. We had 30+ sat, fed, and done in 45' in LP. I'm sure you guys would appreciate that after a long day of training.
I'm all about doing a Team-only dinner on Saturday. Please plan and maybe give me a ride cuz I'm not renting a car
Camp "registration" @ 5:30p
4keys of IM Execution, IMWI Version
6-7:30p @ Clarion
Advanced IM Racing Topics
Clarion 5p
Ironman Training for the Self-Coached Athlete
5:30p @ Clarion
Alternatively, there is a FedEx office just 2 miles from the Hotel at 654 W Washington Ave. So, if you feel more comfortable you could have the box shipped to/from that office and then just arrange a ride in between.