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Steps 1-4 of completing a successful triathlon- for newbies

Posted in exercise, triathlon by

Tri. Don’t die.

1. First of all, get the terminology right. You don’t “run” a triathlon. You “complete”  or “do”  a triathlon. Triathlon is a 3-sport event. In two parts, you’re not even running at all!

Other initial, important terminology:

  • BRIC: training 2 or 3 of the tri events, one after another. Bike then run, swim then bike, run then collapse, etc. (I’m pretty convinced BRIC actually stands for something but the interweb experts say it’s so named because your legs feel like bricks after the bike. Well, then, it should be spelled as such. Anyway.)
  • Tri-suit: the ravishingly unflattering unitard you wear that you can swim, bike and run in without changing or essentially adding anything to. The key is to get one with the right about of butt padding- no one wants to run with a “wet diaper”. An option is to purchase or rent a true wetsuit material if you’re competing in water under 74 degrees (bitchin’ cold!). Remember, rookies, if you are wearing a wetsuit, THE ZIPPER GOES IN BACK.

    pearl isumi

    Basically an expensive, adult, athletic onesie.

  • HRM: heart rate monitor. Essential for optimal training; I won’t work out without mine. Thanks, dear husband; it was the best present you ever gave me besides your undying love and affection!
  • Sighting: during the swim, keeping your head intermittently above water so you can see where you’re going as well as watch out for the other psychos competitors clawing you down.
  • Mashing: riding at a low cadence and high gear so you’re exerting lots of energy but not going anywhere. Ill-advised. Burns through needed oxygen. Keep those pedals spinning at 85-95RPM. I’m not telling you what RPM is. Figure it out.
  • Fartlek: what I call my students when they’re being uncooperative. Kidding. Fartlek’s are an awesome interval training method. I love a good Fartlek.
fartlek intervals

Fartlek Interval training ideas

2.  Find a pool you can swim in, a bike you can ride on, and a road you can run on without getting hit. I am using a Diamondback hybrid bike I got on Craigslist. CLEARLY I am a beginner. I just dropped her off at the shop for a tune up and i think it will work for a sprint-tri.

3.  Hop on the internets and connect with others on tri-based sites, forums, Facebook pages, support groups, blogs of other runners like you! I also am a big fan of Youtube. Coach Youtube is going to get me through a lot of these T2 transitions.

4.  Make a detailed training plan and stick to it. As I mentioned before, I like beginnertriathlete. If you fall off the wagon, you just hop right back on. Having your log on a mobile device app will make it even easier for you to update, get alerts and reminders, etc.

 

 More later on!