Triathlon Training

As I mentioned last week, I'm doing a triathlon.  Here's the thing I didn't realize about triathlons, it's not so much about athletic ability as it is time, commitment & determination.  To remind you, I'm doing a Tri Sprint.  My race is a 200 meter swim, a 5 mile ride & a 2 mile run.  For the past 6 weeks, I've been working out an average of 10 times a week.  Now, this is partly because in addition to training for a triathlon, I'm also a coach for East Nasty's Potato To Tomato Couch To 5K program, which is 3 of the 10 work-outs I'm doing a week.  Here's the breakdown:

Sunday:
5-6 mile long run or 60-90 minute swim/bike/run practice

Monday:  
6am 30 minute swim
5pm 5-8 mile ride *optional
6pm 60 minute Potato To Tomato coach/run

Tuesday:
6am 60 minute circuit class (strength training)

Wednesday:  
6am 3-6 mile East Nasty run
5pm 5-8 mile ride *optional
6pm 60 minute Potato To Tomato coach/run

Thursday:
6am 60 minute circuit class

Friday:  
5am 3 mile Pancake run

Saturday:  
7am 60 minute Potato To Tomato coach/run
8am 60-90 minute swim/bike/run practice

God, it's exhausting just typing that out.  So yeah, this is why you haven't seen me since June.  If I'm not working out, I'm sleeping, working, or trying to frantically write blog posts & clear out my DVR.  All those back episodes of Real Housewives of New Jersey aren't going to watch themselves...

I'm not bragging.  Okay, I'm bragging a little.  But I mostly just wanted to show you how much work training for a triathlon is.  What helped me is the fact that I was already a runner & that I already knew how to swim, although swimming was my weakest of the three.  Someone told me early on that you can stop & walk on the bike & you can stop & walk on the run, but you can't stop & walk on the swim.  So I've focused on swimming.  In hindsight, I should have practiced on the bike a lot more than I did & I should have started practicing bricks earlier, but I'll know for next time.

As much work as it's been, I've had a lot of fun, mostly because I'm not training alone.  My training partners are ridiculous & hilarious & have made all of this training as enjoyable as working out 10+ times a week can be.

I want to encourage those of you thinking about doing a triathlon, to do one.  Bare bones, you could swim 2-3 times, ride once or twice & run 2-3 times a week for 6-ish weeks & be good.  My schedule is cra because of the Potato To Tomato coaching.  And I added in the two 60 minute circuit classes to work on my upper body strength, of which I have none.  But it's doable.  And, most importantly, you'll feel like a badass, which, I've discovered, is a really good distraction from thinking that you're fat.

Next up:  cost.  OMG, y'all have no idea how much shizz you have to buy for a triathlon, or at least I didn't.  Stay tuned...