2013 | Tri for Les

Each week of training brings something new. A new PR, new approach, new ache, etc., etc. The past two weeks have been especially full of take-aways for my own personal growth in training and I think much of what I’ve learned/decided to set in place moving forward can be applied to anyone at the starting lines of their own training adventures. So, without further ado, here are my key headlines from the past two weeks:

Make a plan
Obvious, right? Of course it’s important to have a training plan set in place not only when going after a long-distance race like an Ironman, but even if you’re training for your first 5k, half-marathon or sprint tri. Regardless of experience level, we’re all starting somewhere. If your goal is to get off of the couch and complete your first 5k race, or you’re working your way up from sprint distance to Olympic distance triathlons, you have to have a plan for how you are going to get from point A to point B – and it can’t be something you just throw together day-to-day or week-to-week on a whim. Do your research. Map out each month. Set benchmarks. Set goals. And most importantly, establish your support system. We’re all going to have “down” weeks when we’re just not feeling into it and we need to be reminded why we’re doing all of this. Make sure you have someone to tell you “hey, you wanted to do this for a reason. Let’s get some ice cream, and then suck it up and push forward to your goal.”

“Triathlon swimming made easy”

Or: How I learned to stop fighting and trust the water, with Total Immersion

When I talk to non-triathlon folk about triathlon, the conversation usually goes something like this one, featuring my fictitious friend, Jessie.

Jessie: “Yo, what are the distances, again?”
Me: “For Ironman, its a 2.5-mile swim, 112-mile ride and a 26.2-mile run.”
Jessie: “For real? You’re crazy, man.”
Me: uncomfortable laughter
Jessie: “Yo, I could never do a triathlon.”
Me: “It’s not as bad as you think.”
Jessie: “Like, I guess I’d be ok on the bike and run, you know – but I wouldn’t be able to get through that swim, yo.”
Me: “Dude. That’s what everybody says. And that’s what I thought at first, too. But once you learn the right technique, the swim is the easiest part of the race.”
Jessie: “I don’t know – I just ain’t all that comfortable in the water. And yo – there’s nothing to hang on to out there in the open water. What if I panic or something?”

This gets me riled up because fearing the swim is such a common misconception – and one that I fell for too.

“But if you swim properly, you won’t get tired!” I retort, as Jessie rolls his eyes.

I go on to explain how when I went from fighting and hating the water with every flailing stroke, to swimming silently, efficiently and – most importantly – happily.