11-13-16
Yesterday I met up with a guy and his wife from church at Central Market. (I planned poorly, wearing gym shorts and a long sleeve tee; we wound up sitting outside in the shade and by the time we were finished, I was about froze through.) Jeff has been doing triathlons for about 2 years and has done a variety of distances, including 2 half ironman distances (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run). I had asked if I could sit down with him and pick his brain about triathlon stuff.
Things I learned:
1. Get into an open water swim- ASAP.
Why?: To help overcome any open water swimming fear I may have, as well as getting actual practice in. Swimming in a pool is a great way to work on form and endurance, but is nothing like an open water swim.
2. Start tracking the amount of laps I'm doing in the pool.
Why?: In a 25 yard pool, it takes 70 laps to make a mile. (I believe that's what she said? I'll confirm via google later). Currently I have no stinking' clue how far I'm going because I'm working on not breathing underwater. But this will give me a better idea of where I'm at.
3. Get a safety buoy for outside swims.
Why?: Apparently it's a thing you clip around your waist and a bright orange buoy trails along behind you. It's helpful so BOATS DON'T RUN OVER YOU while swimming (well then...) and it can be something you hang on to when you need a break and you're in open water.
4. Practice in a swim suit early and often.
Why?: Jeff confirmed that if you aren't used to swimming in a wet suit, it can cause some panic as it feels like you're being constricted around the chest and throat. He recommended renting one a few times.
1. Increase the length of time spent cycling outside.
Why?: Same theory with the swimming indoors- there's no great way to simulate riding with a group of people, learning how to not draft, how to not run over dead things, how to manage nutrition, etc.
2. Figure out how to get the water bottles you need off the bike while riding.
Why?: Well duh, right now when I ride, I stop to drink. Mostly because I don't want to flip myself over when reaching down to get a drink. Obviously, I'll need to improve on this.
1. Incorporate BRICK workouts.
Why?: Again, I need to feel what it will really be like, running on tired legs. Jeff recommended doing a quick run, hoping on the bike for 30 minutes, then running again.
2. Drink more than I think is necessary- even during training.
Why?: It's easy to let hydration go to the way side because you're so excited about what you're doing, but it's a fast way to bonk out.
1. Get. On. It.
Why?: This has always been one of my biggest struggles. I generally fail to take in enough calories to keep me moving and on top of my game. I've been slowly improving, but not by much. He said he uses 2 scoops of Tailwind plus 2 scoops of Heed's Perpeteum, (Man I had to look that one up, autocorrect wasn't even helping!) in his bottles on the bike. This gives him enough calories to continue on and since they are in liquid form, it makes them easier to digest.
2. Consider talking with a nutritionist.
Why?: It may be easier to let someone else come up with a plan and do the research than trying to figure it out on my own.
Overall it was a great experience and I got to hear from both Jeff and Sandra's points of view. Sandra is athletic but has no interest in pursing competitive fitness, so she had a great perspective. They were also kind enough to give me 2 books: The Woman Triathlete by Christina Gandolfo and the Complete Idiot's Guide to Triathlon Training by Barr and Katai. I'm pretty excited since I just finished the Slow Fat Triathlete by Williams. (Huge bookworm).
Got my half marathon today! I'm excited!!!!
I'm aiming for a 2:25 finish, but with my lack of practice, we'll see! Maybe one day I'll get down to 2:15!
Yesterday I met up with a guy and his wife from church at Central Market. (I planned poorly, wearing gym shorts and a long sleeve tee; we wound up sitting outside in the shade and by the time we were finished, I was about froze through.) Jeff has been doing triathlons for about 2 years and has done a variety of distances, including 2 half ironman distances (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run). I had asked if I could sit down with him and pick his brain about triathlon stuff.
Things I learned:
Swimming
1. Get into an open water swim- ASAP.
Why?: To help overcome any open water swimming fear I may have, as well as getting actual practice in. Swimming in a pool is a great way to work on form and endurance, but is nothing like an open water swim.
2. Start tracking the amount of laps I'm doing in the pool.
Why?: In a 25 yard pool, it takes 70 laps to make a mile. (I believe that's what she said? I'll confirm via google later). Currently I have no stinking' clue how far I'm going because I'm working on not breathing underwater. But this will give me a better idea of where I'm at.
3. Get a safety buoy for outside swims.
Why?: Apparently it's a thing you clip around your waist and a bright orange buoy trails along behind you. It's helpful so BOATS DON'T RUN OVER YOU while swimming (well then...) and it can be something you hang on to when you need a break and you're in open water.
4. Practice in a swim suit early and often.
Why?: Jeff confirmed that if you aren't used to swimming in a wet suit, it can cause some panic as it feels like you're being constricted around the chest and throat. He recommended renting one a few times.
Biking
1. Increase the length of time spent cycling outside.
Why?: Same theory with the swimming indoors- there's no great way to simulate riding with a group of people, learning how to not draft, how to not run over dead things, how to manage nutrition, etc.
2. Figure out how to get the water bottles you need off the bike while riding.
Why?: Well duh, right now when I ride, I stop to drink. Mostly because I don't want to flip myself over when reaching down to get a drink. Obviously, I'll need to improve on this.
Running
1. Incorporate BRICK workouts.
Why?: Again, I need to feel what it will really be like, running on tired legs. Jeff recommended doing a quick run, hoping on the bike for 30 minutes, then running again.
2. Drink more than I think is necessary- even during training.
Why?: It's easy to let hydration go to the way side because you're so excited about what you're doing, but it's a fast way to bonk out.
Nutrition
1. Get. On. It.
Why?: This has always been one of my biggest struggles. I generally fail to take in enough calories to keep me moving and on top of my game. I've been slowly improving, but not by much. He said he uses 2 scoops of Tailwind plus 2 scoops of Heed's Perpeteum, (Man I had to look that one up, autocorrect wasn't even helping!) in his bottles on the bike. This gives him enough calories to continue on and since they are in liquid form, it makes them easier to digest.
2. Consider talking with a nutritionist.
Why?: It may be easier to let someone else come up with a plan and do the research than trying to figure it out on my own.
Overall it was a great experience and I got to hear from both Jeff and Sandra's points of view. Sandra is athletic but has no interest in pursing competitive fitness, so she had a great perspective. They were also kind enough to give me 2 books: The Woman Triathlete by Christina Gandolfo and the Complete Idiot's Guide to Triathlon Training by Barr and Katai. I'm pretty excited since I just finished the Slow Fat Triathlete by Williams. (Huge bookworm).
Got my half marathon today! I'm excited!!!!
I'm aiming for a 2:25 finish, but with my lack of practice, we'll see! Maybe one day I'll get down to 2:15!
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