That leads to event #2...the bike. It is a 14 mile bike and even though that may sound long it is very reasonable. Last year I think I finished the bike in about 45 minutes. For those of you who do spin class…..the bike is not as long as a spin class. It is not a very hilly course and it has hardly any traffic….there are police and volunteers all along the route telling you were to go and rerouting traffic. It was a lovely course and with our training you will be done with in less than an hour and fifteen minutes. Last year I averaged about 20 mph so even if you do 10 mph….it is way less than 2 hours.
When you get off your bike you can finish with the run through the neighborhood and park. It is 3.1 miles or 5K. The bottom line is that you have all walked three miles before so if worse comes to worse….you walk some of it. I walked last year on the run (my sister gave me a hard time about that) and I still finished in just over 24 minutes. Walking is authorized and you will see a lot of people doing it. I swear I walked at least 10 of the 13.1 miles on my first half iron man in 2008...the lesson I took away from that is I should have trained for the race but more importantly I decided on the course when I felt like crap that it is always better to finish last than to have the records show….DNF (did not finish). Ok enough about the race let’s get down to business…the training.
I was in spin class this week and I heard the Miley Cyrus song about mountains. It made me think of all of you future triathletes as I listened to the words: “There's always gonna be another mountain I'm always gonna wanna make it move Always gonna be an up-hill battle Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose Ain't about how fast I get there Ain't about what's waiting on the other side It's the climb”.
I trained for my one and only marathon back in November 2006 to March 2007. I did not break 4 hours as I had hoped and at the 11 mile mark I knew I was sucking and all I could think as I almost started to cry was what will people think? I told my neighbor to go on without me at mile 13 and she asked if I was going to finish and I said of course. I walked as soon as she was out of sight and thought about stopping. I started running again before mile 15 and decided that I did not care what other people thought….they were not doing what I was doing. They had not trained for three months like I did, they did not get up in the cold and snow at 0430, and I realized that what I had gotten from it was three months focused on a personal goal and not focused on my soap opera life in the same neighborhood divorce situation. I ate some gummy bears at mile 15 and never looked back. I walked some more but I ran for me and I was pretty damn proud of myself when I crossed the finish line not too far behind my neighbor at 4 hours and 24 minutes….I think. The time was not really that important…the finisher medal was and is still hanging in my bedroom.
I think I scared some of you when I mentioned five hours of training a week. That is a fairly rough estimate and some of you will do more and some of you will do less and that is ok. The range is about 3.5 to however much you have the time and desire to fit into your schedule. Keep in mind that more is not always better especially if you get injured. The goal is to build up to the condition where you are well prepared to finish the race and feel good. The first four weeks of training is the foundation phase of the program. We are looking to build a base so that we can spend the second four weeks working on our speed, form and conditioning. For the first four weeks we will be working on the swimming, biking and running as separate events and we are looking at building the basic skills and conditioning to get our training to the next level. In order to do that we will run at a minimum twice a week, bike once a week and swim once a week. I would love to say that we would swim twice a week but that is tough to work with limited facility access and people’s schedules. In the first two weeks I probably will not even push the bike and focus on the running/boot camp and swim. For those of you that belong to a gym my expectation is that you will attend 2 spin classes per week. All I did last year was spin classes to get ready for the race. I know Adrienne is shaking her head because her butt hurt after one spin class but ya have to work through that…..your butt gets used to the bike seat before you know it. The bonus is that spinning gives ya pretty good legs and butt!
Running/boot camp: my house at 0530 on Monday and Wednesday mornings. We will do some core exercise work in my garage following our run/walk training. If anyone has extra workout equipment like exercise balls or hand weights that are collecting dust let me know and we can build our boot camp gym. We should be done in about an hour on those mornings….but that means being stretched and ready to go at 0530. We can socialize while we workout not before.
Swimming: I am looking at early Saturday morning for swimming unless I can work a deal with Clubworx and maybe we could train on Friday mornings there. My fallback plan and my current plan is for us to use the Triangle Aquatic Center next to the Cary Towne Center. It is beautiful and very reasonably priced. For the first four weeks we want to get into the pool together at least 4 times or once a week.
Biking plan: During the first four weeks of training if you are a member of a gym you need to be going to spin class twice a week or you can get on the stationary bike for 45 minutes or ten miles whichever comes first. You have to make sure that you are pushing yourself on the stationary bike so I would say at least level 5 and you can pick the random program. The goal is for everyone to have at least a mountain bike and a bike helmet. Training on the mountain bikes will be easier for this event than training with a high speed road bike so no need to go crazy and spend a thousand dollars on a bike J For those of you that do not have access to a gym we can discuss a good time to get on the bike. We can plan for Friday morning at 0530 or Wednesday afternoon here at my house.
Combination Training: Once we get into the second four weeks of training we will start to do some bike/runs….known in the triathlon world as bricks J . We will also do at least two mock triathlons so you know exactly what to expect on race day. A great training run to plan for us the GOTR 5k on the Saturday before our triathlon. That race is in Durham and it is for a great cause. I will keep you posted.
Accountability: My goal is that we all get to run together twice a week, swim together once a week and possibly bike together during the first four weeks of training. It is important that you keep track of what you are doing throughout the week for two reasons. The first reason is to force yourself to schedule your training and make sure that you do it….no excuses. The second reason is to keep track of your progress. I have kept my run calendar from my marathon training because it is proof that I did all that running. I will stay on you but whether you train is really up to you. My only warning is….don’t let yourself turn over and go back to sleep unless it is a really good reason (being tired is a pretty lame excuse since you can sleep when you are dead). Using a lame excuse once makes it that much easier to do the second time. You have to be like Trey and shoot for 100% but I do know that life happens so never beat yourself up….you can leave that part to me J
Alternate training times: We can work out some additional times for folks that want some extra times or extra help. We have Girls on the Run training at school from 4 to 5 (1600-1700) on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at the end of January so you can run then. I will have a workout ready for you and you will set a good example for the girls. My focus will be on the girls but it is a good time to make up if you miss the morning workout. I also run at 0515 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings so you can head out and run then even if I am running a bit farther with Eileen Coolbaugh. It is always good to have people out there doing what you are doing…..misery loves company right? If we end up swimming on Saturday mornings early then I am always up for a 0700 bike on Sunday mornings.
Sample week: Monday: 0530-0630 run/walk/boot camp Wednesday: 0530-0630 run/walk/boot camp
Saturday: 0700-0800 swim at TAC Sunday: 0700-0800 bike ride (only 4 hours J )
Equipment needs: you need warm clothes for running outside right now. That means hat and gloves with multiple layers on top and sweats or running tights. I say multiple layers so you can remove them as needed. For biking you will need a serviceable bike and a helmet. There is no racing or training without a helmet. You can borrow the kids helmets at first if you need to. I wore my niece’s helmet once at a race since I did not know about the helmet requirement….I was looking good. As far as the swimming…any one piece or tankini will do for now. You will need some good goggles and I would recommend a bathing cap. Also now would be the time to get a good pair of running shoes that are comfortable and new. I have to change shoes every six months or I get injured. Shoes are critical…..more important than any piece of equipment. You do not want to sustain an injury and I know that from experience. I have had more injuries than your average person and I am not sure what that says about me but training in pain is not good.
Questions: Ask me anything. You have my email and my cell phone number. I am here for you guys so go ahead and ask. For example everyone was wondering about their swim times….I can help and we will eventually do a time trial and ensure you entered the right time. Also if you have a week where you can meet with the group at all let me know and I will help you map out your week.
Bathing suits/team shirts/what to wear on race day: I am working to get a deal on a suit. We can all decide on a pattern that we like and it can be our team suit. I would love to get someone to sponsor us for a t-shirt but more to follow on that.
Communication: Talk to me and talk to each other. No one is in this alone. Many of you are at the same gym. For example Kristin, Erin, Lisa B, Adrienne, Franky, and myself are at the Y. Julie Trevistan, Christine White and Angela are at Clubworx. Cara is also at Clubworx but has not signed up for the tri yet. Other people live in the same neighborhood so that supports mutual training support. I will send articles as I see them and will pass along good info on a regular basis. Sarah is going to help me with a blog or website of some sort so we can see the work out plan and encourage or harass each other. I would also like to eventually get a story in the paper about Team Tri to Teach but that depends on our progress.
Nutrition: Our training is not going to be so demanding that you have to change your normal eating routine drastically. We won’t be training in the heat or for such extended times that we even need sports drinks. We will readdress that when we are training in the summer for the Tri at Harris Lake in July. However, we are in training so fueling your body properly is most supportive of good training. That means that you should be drinking water all day long. I usually cut out alcohol when I am in training and I try to male healthy choices since too much sugar or too many fatty foods the night before I run causes stomach issues. If you make healthy choices while we are training you will probably lose some weight as you get fitter. The bottom line with running especially is that every extra pound you carry slows you down. A good idea is to keep a record of what you are eating just like you keep a record of your training. Many times I simply head back to my weight watchers meetings because it forces me to weigh in in public and to record my food intake…like all of Trey’s leftover Capt Crunch. A typical day starts with a protein/fruit smoothie, sandwich or salad for lunch and then a normal dinner with the kids. I am big on Fiber one bars and nuts and yogurt for snacks. I was terrible during the holidays so I have some recovery work to do. It is important to eat some protein/carb combo like apples and PB or yogurt within 45 minutes of working out for recovery purposes. Oh and did I mention you can almost never have too much water.
Rewards: Of course getting healthier and fitter should be enough of a reward but let’s be realistic. You can establish your own personal reward system….pedicures, massages, jewelry, new work out gear for every week of good training. That is up to you or your very supportive spouse. I was thinking that a party on Saturday night after the tri is a must (hint hint Franky) and if any of you have Pandora bracelets then I can tell you where to get a great triathlon charm!
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Looks great CAR!
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