Triathlon

Say the word "Triathlon" and most people get an image of the grueling Ironman Triathlon; 2.4 mile open water swim, 112 miles on the bike, and a 26.2 mile run.  There are shorter, more manageable lengths of this three sports in one competition.

A half Ironman divides each of the event distances by two. The Olympic version of the sport is a .9 mile swim, 24.8 miles on the bike and a 6.2 mile run.  And, a sprint triathlon is a .5 mile swim, 12 mile bike ride and 3 mile run.

Training for a Triathlon is a great way to cross-train and get every part of your body in shape.  Training for the longer distances is time consuming.  Sprint triathlon training is less time consuming but still requires a plan.  In addition to training in the three sports you need to include weight training and flexibility work in your regimen.

To train adequately in all three disciplines you need a plan that slowly ramps up to two workouts 5 to 6 days a week.  The length and intensity of your workouts will depend on the length of the triathlon you want to run.  Some people choose to do one long back to back workout while others choose to split up the workouts; early morning and midday, midday and evening, or early morning and evening. You need to allow at least one non-training day each week.  This is a good time to focus on flexibility.

It's been almost two decades since I committed the time and energy to compete in triathlons.  Managing work, family and two workouts a day takes a lot of juggling. I found that the best combination for me was an early morning workout and a midday workout.  Allowing at least four hours between the two workouts gives your body time to recover and adequate time to refuel but avoid working out on a full stomach.

You will want to start out slowly, but eventually include 2 to 3 workouts of each discipline and two strength training sessions in your weekly plan.  A good resource for suggested training programs is www.trinewbie.com.

At the end of one of my early races, my husband met me at the finish line raving about a 13-year old wonder who had finished second.  The crowd was all buzzing about this new star.  He later dropped the swimming and running to focus on biking, and went on to win seven Tour de France races.  Yes, I once competed in a race with Lance Armstrong.  That still impresses my kids!