ROCKY
MOUNTAIN HIGH
ROCKY
MOUNTAIN HIGHWhat could be better than a vacation in the Montana Rockies? Well, how about a vacation in the Montana Rockies involving running? The ninth annual Montana Rockies Running and Triathlon Training Camp was held from July 19th to the 25th under the auspices of the Office of Extended Studies at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. The week-long program was directed by Frank and Debbie Kohlenstein of Spartanburg, South Carolina, and was based at the MSU campus. The cost of $220 included room, board and instruction, a bargain by any standard.
Participants resided in the MSU Hedges North Dormitory. The small but clean and comfortable rooms came equipped with a phone (which worked, but didn't ring) and a small refrigerator could be rented for an extra $5 per week. In addition to the runners, other dorm residents included "Elderhostel" participants, a woodcarvers' convention, a large group of singers and a two-day stay by a small group of largely unsupervised pre-teen children who assumed control of the elevators in the eleven-story structure.
Meals were provided in an adjacent cafeteria. The dorm food was, well, dorm food. However, with a runner's working knowledge of nutrition and unlimited access to all items, most participants fared quite well and many left the camp wondering how much weight they had gained.
The fourteen runners ranged from early teens to sixties. They hailed from diverse geographic origins and represented wide degrees of running expertise and states of conditioning. All would fit into the San Diego Track Club with barely a notice. The easy camaraderie which seems to prevail among runners prevailed and by the end of the week everyone felt like old friends. About a third of the participants were repeats from past summers and one was back for the fourth time.
Except for the opening night five-mile Tour de Bozeman and a closing day estimated-time 5K, all distance runs were on gravel and dirt roads. The first day brought a twelve-mile point-to-point country run through the hilly, but beautiful Gallatin Valley. All other runs were on a specified-time out-and-back basis, thus allowing each runner to set his or her own pace and distance and yet be back at approximately the same time as everyone else. None of the workouts could be classified as easy and all were at 5000 feet altitude or higher, but the relatively soft underfooting of the dirt mountain roads and trails was easy on the limbs. A final-day track workout was videotaped for later viewing and appraisal. Triathlete participants went on all the runs and also sandwiched extra swimming and biking workouts between the runs. Clinics in motivation, shoe selection and training techniques rounded out the program. Participating individuals probably averaged about 40 miles of fairly tough running for the week.
Not all was work. Lighter moments included a thorough soaking in the "Hot Pots" near Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone Park and a session of night orienteering on the MSU campus. Also included was a strenuous evening hike to the "M" on a mountainside overlooking Bozeman to view a beautiful sunset over rugged distant peaks. Social occasions brought out jokes (of dubious taste) about pickle slicers and hog breeding. A friendly and fun East-Texas couple provided an ongoing workshop in delta pronunciations of common words such as Mississippi (Mi-si-pee), retired (RE-tard), police (PO-leese) and ice pick.
The week seemed strenuous, but short. Most left tired, but well nourished. About a third competed in the Sweet Pea Triathlon on departing day and some of the rest remained to watch. No doubt many will repeat again next summer.
October 1987
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