Week 2 of Training

One week has passed since I've begun my training for the Mountain Medley Triathlon.  In that time I've run a total of 12 miles, biked a total of 25 miles, and swam for a total of 200 meters. (Hey, you gotta start somewhere.)

I want to share with you a few amateur tidbits I've picked up over the last week through my meager training experience thus far. Please don't read any of this information as the final word on triathlon training because I'm not a professional trainer, and I'm most certainly not a professional triathlete. But those of you who are beginners and are desperately looking to an equally lost, equally sadistic soul for guidance, I think you can trust my words. At least to give you some sanity and some peace of mind in your process. So without further ado, my instinctual, sage wisdom -- for free!

 Keep these three rules in mind
and you'll be winning races in no time! 

Rule One: Remember what you're getting yourself into!! Really, though, I'm not trying to insult your intelligence, obviously you know that this full triathlon is a 800m swim, a 6-mile bike-ride, and 10K run. It's on the website, on the pamphlets - you get it. You might be able to bike 10 miles, no-hoh sweat. You might even be able to run 6 miles, no sweat! Both of those activities, for me anyway, might take an hour each to finish. But when it comes to putting them together, you cannot be so egotistical. You forget that you have to put them all together. At least... it slipped my mind, anyway.
So yesterday I practiced, as I do, and I did some hills on the bike. Five times up a hill, back down, and then back again. Five times. And it was brutal. But just to see how it felt, I took off my cleats, put on my running shoes and took off on a relatively flat grade. Oh. My word. That was the moment I doubted my decision to sign up for this event. Immediately I thought, "I need to tell Noelle right now that I need to do the mini triathlon because there is NO way I'll be able to handle all this at once." I had only biked but a mile, but the minute my leg muscles readjusted to standing, I thought my legs were going to throw in the towel without warning - it was a worthless effort. Why was I even attempting to move them?? I should have been walking. I should have been sitting, honestly.
But I kept going, just to see how it felt. And it's funny how much your body can adapt. A few yards out I fell into a pace. Not a fast one. But it was a pace. And it was comfortable. And I was able to keep going a little bit further, keeping the pace. And then after a mile I turned up a hill to go back home, and at that point, it truly was time to turn in. Humility learned.


Rule Two: Show up in one piece. After all, you paid for the race - might as well be able to see it through, right? This entails stretching at least 5 minutes before and after you do any practice.  Also, when you're training to put these activities together, whether you're biking after swimming, or running after biking, or any combination of the above, remember to keep your form. Don't flail your arms, don't let your feet clobber the ground beneath you. You'll hurt your knees that way. Make sure you're maintaining bodily integrity throughout the duration of your training. What I mean by that is, have control over your body. It helps you stay present throughout the duration of your training, and it'll be easier to monitor your progress when the form stays the same.

Rule Three (and this is the most important one): At the end of the day, after you train, regardless of how long you were out, or far you went, or how much effort you felt you put in, be so proud of your accomplishments. You have the confidence to do this. And you have the will-power to do it. Clearly you do, you're training for it after all! Don't put yourself down ever - be thankful and be grateful for any amount of energy you put forth. Because if you really want it, you'll do it. That's how it goes. Don't worry too much about meeting a personal record, or worry that you might be at the tail end of the pack come Race Day. Show up feeling positive and the rest will sort itself out as you go.

In summation, yesterday was great. Even though the biking was brutal, and that the third hill felt more like the third ring of Hell, and the running looked more like limping, it was great. I went inside dripping with sweat, bright red, and looked at the clock: 7:06. I remembered I had only left at 6:20. Meaning that was only 40 minutes worth of work. And I'm looking at a race that might take up to three hours to finish. Crrrrraaap.