Triathlon Training
Posted by Mark Sullivan on Sunday, August 21, 2011
Under: Triathlon
I've been training relatively hard for my triathlon in September. It's difficult to find the right balance of exercise. For instance, I don't know whether I should bike ride one day, and then the next day go for a long run. It seems like it would be a good idea to do a bike + run in one day, back-to-back. I've done that in the gym - like going for an hour on the exercise bike, and then 1 hour on the treadmill. But the gym is not the same as outside and dealing with the elements, so I'm not sure how good that training is.
I've also realized that I need to practice swimming in the open water. I go to a community center in New York (called Riverbank State Park) to do my swimming. They have a 50-meter pool open from 630am-830am everyday - that forces me to wake up early, which is what I'll need to do on raceday. But it's just too easy swimming in the the pool - it's clear, there's no waves or choppy water, there's not the fear of running into a fish, turtle, piece of poop or garbage, or a floating dead body. I actually get scared of sharks for some reason, even though that's normally impossible in a river.
On a recent work trip up to Minnesota, we attended a Pow Wow at the Ojibwe tribe in Mille Lacs, which is located a bit north of Minneapolis. Since I'm in training, I brought my swimming gear and jumped into the Mille Lacs lake. It was actually good for training because even though it's not that choppy, there is a strong current. In the middle of my swim, I realized that a small current was pulling me in one direction. I actually panicked and thought I'd end up stranded in the middle of the lake (another impossibility). Luckily, a small Indian boy yelled out at me and said, "Hey, I'm coming in soon to swim!" I think he was encouraging me and also wished he could swim, too. There was also a fisherman nearby whom I was scared of because he was launching his fishing line like 30, 40 meters in every direction; I thought that hook might snag my left big toe and pull me under. Then I'd be dinner for some Ojibwe family roast.
Well, that's how my training's going. It hasn't all been full of these training idiosyncracies: I actually can run longer, bike stronger, and swimming is easier for me. I biked 30 miles in New York, I ran 5 miles yesterday without much effort. I still need to get my pace down - my run was about 10 minutes/mile, which would mean it would take me about 2 hours to complete the half marathon. I'm guessing the swim will take about an 1, and the bike 2 1/2 to 3 hours. That means I'll finish in 6 hours, which I think is about average.
Wish me luck.
I've also realized that I need to practice swimming in the open water. I go to a community center in New York (called Riverbank State Park) to do my swimming. They have a 50-meter pool open from 630am-830am everyday - that forces me to wake up early, which is what I'll need to do on raceday. But it's just too easy swimming in the the pool - it's clear, there's no waves or choppy water, there's not the fear of running into a fish, turtle, piece of poop or garbage, or a floating dead body. I actually get scared of sharks for some reason, even though that's normally impossible in a river.
On a recent work trip up to Minnesota, we attended a Pow Wow at the Ojibwe tribe in Mille Lacs, which is located a bit north of Minneapolis. Since I'm in training, I brought my swimming gear and jumped into the Mille Lacs lake. It was actually good for training because even though it's not that choppy, there is a strong current. In the middle of my swim, I realized that a small current was pulling me in one direction. I actually panicked and thought I'd end up stranded in the middle of the lake (another impossibility). Luckily, a small Indian boy yelled out at me and said, "Hey, I'm coming in soon to swim!" I think he was encouraging me and also wished he could swim, too. There was also a fisherman nearby whom I was scared of because he was launching his fishing line like 30, 40 meters in every direction; I thought that hook might snag my left big toe and pull me under. Then I'd be dinner for some Ojibwe family roast.
Well, that's how my training's going. It hasn't all been full of these training idiosyncracies: I actually can run longer, bike stronger, and swimming is easier for me. I biked 30 miles in New York, I ran 5 miles yesterday without much effort. I still need to get my pace down - my run was about 10 minutes/mile, which would mean it would take me about 2 hours to complete the half marathon. I'm guessing the swim will take about an 1, and the bike 2 1/2 to 3 hours. That means I'll finish in 6 hours, which I think is about average.
Wish me luck.
In : Triathlon