Thursday, June 27, 2013

Triathlon Training Update

So, we're less than a month away from the first triathlon. Crazy how time flies, right? Training has been going better than I thought it might. I was sidelined for about 10 days after an unfortunate ankle sprain in Las Vegas and a rib that somehow popped out of place. The sprain still bothers me from time to time, although not enough to stop running, swimming or biking, and the rib is back where it belongs and causing me no more problems. Hooray!

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GT swimming facilities
So in terms of training...I knew I had to join a pool so I could swim. I explored a couple different options (LA Fitness, YMCA, and Georgia Tech's CRC) and landed on the CRC for a couple of reasons. Mainly price - as an alum, it was $30/month with a 3 month minimum. For $90, I'll be able to swim whenever I want all summer long. What a steal. The only downside for non-alumni is that, well, you can't join. I guess it's what one might consider a perk? The other 2 were also a little less convenient to get to. Not that the CRC is exactly close, but I've been going in the mornings and usually there is parking, the lesiure pool has been quiet, and it only takes about 15 minutes total to get from my house into the water. I also bought a bathing suit, goggles, and a swim cap. Bathing suit rocks, goggles rock, swim cap sucks. (I linked to them mainly because if anyone reading this has no idea what to buy and wants to buy based on someone else's recomendation, go for it. I couldn't find any recommendations from the blogs I read on either of the above, which was incredibly annoying to me.)

As for the swimsuit, I tried about 7 before settling on one I liked. Some were too tight, others had weird straps, others were too low in the back, on and on and on. But now I have one, it was ~$60, and I'm happy.

I also found a training plan that I am following really loosely. And even that might be an overstatement. I found it here and I'm half-heartedly following the 10 Week Sprint Distance Program - Beginner. I spent one night adding all my training goals to my calendar. Let's be real, I am a list master, so if it's on my to-do list, it's way more likely to happen. Somehow my reminder list still looks like this:

 
 
So overall, I'd give myself a B- on triathlon training, but that's adding a lot of "A for effort" points. I try to swim at least once a week, and hop on a treadmill or run outside at least 3 times a week. The bike part? Ugh, I don't want to talk about it. I bought my bike in February and have taken it outside a grand total of twice since I bought it. I can ride the indoor bike for about 15 minutes before I get tired and bored and do something else. I really don't have high hopes for the bike part of this race. Any tips on bike training?
 
 
 
BUT, I plan to join my parents at the lake at least 1 night every weekend for the rest of the summer, and will bring my bike along and ride it in the country and hope for the best come race day. I figure if I can get up to 6 miles on it, then I can manage the 8 included in the triathlon course.
 

So there you have triathlon training. If all goes well, I will be really rocking and rolling come September! Fingers crossed I can stay motivated that long.
 

3 comments:

  1. If I lived in Atlanta I'd go ride bikes with you!

    I love riding my bike as a way to explore new routes and parts of the city that are outside where I usually go. You could plan some "bike adventures" through interesting parts of town, or set a destination that's a little far away, like a cool restaurant or brunch place. Is there anyone you could ride with?

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  2. For the bike training, I would recommend going to a couple of spin/cycle classes at the CRC. I know someone who used to teach there if you need any insider info. Basically it gets you spinning for an hour with good music and the interaction of having people around you keeps my interest level up versus biking alone.

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  3. I totally agree that for the bike, classes are way more enjoyable and you will push yourself more. Also, no one knows just how much resistance you put on your bike so you can customize it. Plus they are easy to incorporate into a tight schedule. Clemson used to have early morning 30 minute spin classes.

    Also, for swim caps, just get a cheap silicone one (or two). Make sure you let it dry out properly and put a little baby powder in it to keep it from sticking together (and pulling your hair). Just put your hair up into a bun or pony tail and slip it on. I used those caps all through high school swim team. Most days it kept my hair mostly dry after an hour swim.

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