Training

Both in honor of my Triathlon tomorrow, and in response to request from a reader, (Shayla, this is for you) I have decided to do a post that outlines my basic training strategies over the last months.

I did not have money for a coach, so I read almost everything I could find to get an idea of what to do, I would frequently check out USA Triathlon's website, as well as Active.com. And if you are into keeping logs and stuff, which I have not the patience for, beginnertriathlete.com is very helpful. I would also read books and magazines, and recommend: "Triathlon 101" by John Mora.

The first step is to register for the event, and make sure you give yourself enough time. Having paid $70.00 or so, should help keep you committed. I didn't do this at first because I got the Triathlon bug in the fall, and there were no races to sign up for, but I knew I would in the spring. I would go to the gym and stuff throughout fall and early winter, but it wasn't until closer to when I had a specific date in mind that my training gained a lot of structure.

It doesn't take a coach to know that you should focus on your weaknesses first, so that is what I did. I was horrible at swimming, so I committed myself to swim 3 times a week, and I then I would run 2 days a week, and bike once. It took me a month or two until I could swim more than two laps with relatively decent technique, and that was gained from watching others, taking their advice (if it was good) and you tube videos. But be careful who you take swimming advice from, a lot of people don't know what they are talking about.

The weeks went on, and I would add a lap each time I went swimming, add a mile every now and then while running, and eventually incorporating new things into my workouts like Yoga and weight training. And when I reached a milestone, (Half marathon run and mile swim) Sickness struck. This was awful, because I had to work back up to where I was, and then I got sick again like a month later. (Thus, the last post!)

Things have a way of conspiring against you to test your commitment. Even though I successful dodged the sickness bullet recently, I did manage to fall pretty hard on a run the other day and take some skin off of my knees. That held me up in running and swimming for another week. Things get frustrating, some days it is like pulling teeth to work out, and you don't know why running two miles is so hard, when last week you did ten! But you never know how your body might be doing one day, so cut yourself some slack.

One thing I did not have a problem with during my training is eating enough. When you are training hard you have to eat a lot more, especially carbohydrates. Do not think that significantly increasing exercise without increasing calories is a good idea. It may be good for weight loss, but it is not good for your health, and it is certainly not good for your training. You need those calories for energy and recovery, if your muscles can't recover properly, then your workout was wasted.

While I'm on the subject of carbs, let me just explain "carbo-loading."

• Who? This is a good idea for endurance athletes, who are racing for an hour or more. A sprinter need not carbo-load.
• What? It is a way to increase the amount of energy (glycogen) your body stores in the muscles.
• Why? So you you can go farther, faster. Duh!
• When? You can do it over time to gradually build up your glycogen stores, and then typically the night before a race, like a marathon or triathlon, just TANK UP on carbs! (Mind you these should be complex carbs, not donuts, cake, and rice krispee treats)
• Where? Buffets are good, my favorite is Sweet Tomatoes/Souplantation.
• How? See also, "where." Just eat a bunch of carbs, particularly the night before a race. (There is a more exact science on how to do it, if you care, click here.)
  

So there's most of my training experience. If you are doing a triathlon, make sure to do some brick workouts, so you are not surprised on race day at how much it sucks to go from bike to run, and if you are marathoning, go at least 20 miles on your own, and make sure it is not too much of a struggle. We like surprises, just not on race day.

Other than that, some last tidbits of random advice...

Train with a friend, it is much easier. Tell everyone what you are doing, it helps to make you feel accountable to them, and gets you more excited. Know your limits and listen to your body, if your resting pulse goes up or you get sick often, cut back. Make sure you are getting at least 8 hours of sleep at night, really. (Especially the week or two before a race) Make sure you enjoy it, it is okay to hate it sometimes, that may be inevitable, but love it at least half the time. If you think long runs or bikes are boring, get books on tape, they are awesome. Stretch, especially afterwords. Mix it up, take different routes and don't always try to add more distance, sometimes work on speed, sometimes just take a walk and let your body recover. Ease up on the training the week of the race. Stay off the scale, don't focus on weight loss, focus on training, the rest will take care of itself.

There you have it, almost all of my training experience in a nutshell. Now, if you'll excuse me I have to go to Sweet Tomatoes before PM yoga and getting to bed early. Wish me luck, I will doubtless post tomorrow on how great I did.