Swim, Bike Run, Eat, Recover, Repeat

Written for Rachel Michelson www.fitnessformommies.wordpress.com

Before I did my first triathlon I though, "Gee, this would be fun. Triathletes are cool, motivated individuals that are a bit off-center."

Yeah, I rephrased that during my first triathlon. "What the hell did I sign up for??! Triathletes are idiots! I feel like crap. They do this because of why?".

Now I have a slightly better perspective. Why do I do this? Because I can.

Don't get me wrong, no matter how hard you train, and no matter how well prepared you are, be it for a Sprint or an Ironman, you will curse yourself. You will wonder what you signed up for. You will wonder if this qualifies you as insane. But.. you will also know that the sense of accomplishments that envelopes your entire body & being when you cross the finish line is so powerful it can bring you to tears. You have done it. No matter how crappy you feel when you cross the finish line, you will smile. It just may take you a minute or two.

I remember my first half Ironman in 2005. Training had not gone as planned with all sorts of new injuries I had never felt before. The race hurt and I hated the run. I hated myself for subjecting myself to such ridiculous torture. I wasn't ever doing this again. Ever. I crossed the finished line, "Ok, I'm done, phew, torture is over." Then I saw fellow Velo Bella Whitney DeSpain handing out medals at the finish line. She gave me a monstrous hug and then I proceeded to weep like a little baby. I had done IT!

For me, I race for personal reasons. I nearly lost the ability to walk after a nasty accident back in 1999. For me to race as hard as I can is the joy of being able to walk, run, cycle and race. I race because I can. Why do you race? My first suggestion for new triathletes is to know why you're racing and believe in it. 'Cause you're gonna need every last bit of belief to keep you going when everything hurts and your logical mind is asking what it did to deserve such torture. It's amazing what can make you smile when you feel like absolute poo. (I mean stinky poo that's been well embedded into the bottom of a pair of cleats)

The next step is to train. You'll be surprised when you can find time for a workout. You thought your schedule was busy before you started triathlon! I have a candle. It burns at all 3 ends. There are so many variables when it comes to multi-sport. It's not just a swim event. Nor a bike race. Nor a running race. It's all three and then some. You've got nutrition and the mental fitness as well. Will all this, I believe the toughest part is really to identify your weaknesses, strengths and then align all elements so swim, bike, run, nutrition and mental strength all converge and peak at exactly the same moment. For this, I've hired a coach. I've only been in the sport for 3 years, so this really is still a guessing game for me. You can do it without a coach, but personally, I wanted to learn how to do this sport right and I knew I needed someone to tell me what I needed to be doing. I have been training with Peter Clode for 2 years now and I'm excited about heading into my third year of coached racing.

Who do you choose for a coach? There are a ton of online programs you can download, some for free, some for payment for online coaches. If you're self disciplined enough not to have personal interaction with a coach, go for it. For me since I have fairly extensive old injuries, it was important to me that a coach know me personally and be able to coach around all my flaws. I wanted someone who saw more in me than I saw in myself and could push me beyond my known limits. I wanted a coach who wanted it for me as much as I wanted it for myself. I wanted a coach with experience and who could point me to the right physical therapists when I started to break so I wouldn't get injured. I wanted a coach who was reality based, yet positive and encouraging. I wanted a coach who gave me results. I found all of that in Peter and his wife Neily.

At the end of each year (ie, now), I pick my 1) goal race 2) secondary goal race 3) training races and 4) training events. For me, my 2008 goal race is USAT National Championships in Sept. I'd like to qualify for Worlds 09. Will I be upset if I don't qualify? No. Will I be upset if I don't race well? Yes. My secondary goal race is CA Ironman 70.3 in March. I hate this race. But... it allows me to get a good base started for the entire year, so it's worth it. Training races are important. These are races you use in training but do not train specifically for. You need to race to race well. Transitions should become smooth and effortless. You just do them without thinking about what you're doing. Racing should be a reaction, an instinct, not a thought process. At Nationals in 2007, while it wasn't my best race of the year, every second counts. I beat the athlete behind me by 2 seconds. If I had even taken a pause in transition, there went my 2 seconds. I'm not aggro, I'm just competitive. When to eat, how much to consume and what you're eating are all products of racings. You won't know how your body handles racing until you race. The next thing to do is find training events. These are events you use to help motivate your training. Usually they're century rides (or half centuries), or club races, or running races or open water swims. I try and train with friends because it helps my motivation when I really don't feel like training. Any trust me... you'll have lots of those days.

After you've determined if you want a coach and have picked out all your key events you have to train. It's kinda key... You don't train, you don't enjoy your race, that simple. In general, you need to swim, run & bike at least 3x week each. That does mean you'll have to do double days. Use the weekends/non-work days to do double training, that way you only need 1 workday to be a double. Three workdays will be a single, and one day will be a day off. For me, since I'm strong on the bike, ok with my run, and weak with my swimming, I try to weight my swim & run workouts, especially during the winter months. I have another little hitch with my training as I'm allergic to chlorine and if I swim 2 days back to back, I'll get a sinus infection. Another one of my little flaws. Because of this, I have to use stretch cords to help strengthen my swim without getting into the water every day. For the run, I try to run a minimum of 4 days a week. I'll have 1 long run, 1 medium length run and 2 shorter easier runs. If you need strength running, just getting out and running for 30 minutes a day will help you a ton. As far as bike workouts, I will always have 1 long ride on the weekend (your key ride) and at least 1-2 shorter rides during the week. I change between hill workouts & interval workouts depending on where I am in my training. I also like to fit in 1 turbo (wind trainer) workout during the week. Riding a wind trainer is far harder than riding on the road and can really simulate race situations. Turbo workouts aren't Spin classes at your local gyms. While Spin classes are good, the windtrainer workout is a far better workout, you're on your own bike riding intervals designed for endurance time-trialing. I do these at night after work since it's dark and riding on the streets is out of questions. These Turbo workouts also are great for learning pedal stroke and how to run off the bike. You actually have to train your body to be able to run off of the bike. Ye'ol wobble legs doesn't magically disappear by doing nothing. Do transition runs off the bike at least once a week, even if the run is only for 15 minutes. You'll thank yourself later.

With training there is recovery. Recovery is essential. You'll stress your muscles in workout and the only way you'll be able to build on that training is to let the muscle heal and recover. (This doesn't mean take a week off because you're a little sore. Expect to be sore.. a lot! You'll learn to love the ache!) Books are written about recovery, but in a nut shell, let your body recover. (A great book to have is the Training Bible. It's on every athlete's bookshelf as it's a fantastic reference book for all questions related to endurance sports.) Stretching is key. If you don't stretch your muscles, tendons & ligaments will shorten and become less flexible. Less flexibility means less access to your muscles to train and workout. I'm completely guilty of not stretching enough. I often use The Stick before and after runs which helps me a ton. John Howard also has a fantastic stretching & strength program you can do at home. While I don't spend nearly enough doing strength work by myself at home, I do make it a point and go through his stretching routine after hard workouts. I really do recover much faster when I do them. Sometimes after hard runs I get awful pains in my hips. For this, I actually have to see an ART therapist. I see Gino Cinco in La Jolla and I can easily say he's kept me going with all my old injuries. There are tendons & ligaments that run deep in your hips which are not easily accessed by regular stretching. Another good thing to do is get a sports massage. I see Cambria at Cassidy's Massage Clinic in La Jolla every 1-2 weeks when my training picks up and starts getting beyond my own stretching abilities. If your body is telling you something, listen to it and get help. If you have back pain, see a chiropractor. I call Dr. Elleraas, "Dr. Crunch", and I know every 1-2 months my body will tell me to go see Dr. Crunch. Don't be afraid to go get some physical therapy. Find a reputable ART specialist, massage therapist & chiropractor in your area and get help when you need it. If you don't, you'll get injured and be out of commission for longer periods of time.

Nutrition is also important. Train yourself to constantly take in fluids & calories. Always use a drink mix on the bike. Hydrate & fuel your body at all times. What your body needs during workout is completely individual. I use Hammer products because they give me good results without upsetting my sensitive stomach. I mix a combo of Heed & Sustained Energy in my bottles and carry gels with me on long rides & runs. I'm still training my body to take on solid food during workouts. Typically I'll gel every hour on the bike. What should you use? Try everything. You won't know what works until you've tried a lot of stuff. Also, after every hard workout, eat. I'm not talking about drive through at Taco Bell. I mean have a recovery shake (I use Hammer's Recoverite) or a small nutritious meal. Your body needs carbs & protein to regenerate. Don't not eat because you want to loose weight, you're just hurting your chance of recovering quickly, instead eat something small packed with nutrition after hard workouts. I'm not a nutrition expert so if you want details, there's tons of literature online about recovery meals.

If you've done your homework, picked your races strategically, planned your workouts using the aide of a coach or training program online, figured out your nutrition strategy and gotten in touch with good therapists for maintenance help, you're on your way to having the race of your life! And when you race and you cross that finish line, make sure your family is there to see you ball like a baby with a smile they've never seen before. They won't understand why... but you will.

Happy Training!
Raja