By Phys – Ed Trainer Chris Papsin
It’s that time of year again, to start thinking about the warmer weather and what challenges you’d like to pursue this summer! There are a wide range of races to choose from, whether it is running a mile in a certain amount of time, running a 5K road race, Half Marathon, a Marathon, or even those three sport races… a Triathlon!
Triathlons consist of (in this order) a swim, bike, and run. There are many different distances as well. A sprint triathlon consists of a .5 mile swim, 10 mile bike, and a 5K run to finish off. An Olympic distance triathlon consists of a 1 mile swim, 26 mile bike, and a 6 mile run. Then, you have the Half Ironman 1.5 – 2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13 mile run. To finish it off, the largest of them all is the Ironman, which is a 2.2 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run!
Now, all of this may sound very intimidating at first and you may be saying how am I supposed to train for this? When am I going to find the time? I need a bike, and I don’t even know how to swim!? Relax, you’re in luck! With amazing results from last year’s group, triathlon training is back at Phys – Ed! Veteran Tri-athlete Stacie Perachi will be running a 10 week and 8 week training program. Worried about the swim? We have trainer and coach Chris Papsin to teach effective swimming technique and help you build confidence in the water.
What makes these races so great is the time spent training and the start of new friendships that you could have for a lifetime. Training with a group can be more effective and safer than trying to do a long run, bike ride, or swim alone. Someone will always be there to push you, comfort you, and always encourage you to keep going.
Here is a list of some training tips to make your triathlon or running races very enjoyable events.
- Have fun! – Concentrate on covering a certain distance during your workouts, not just on going fast.
- As your training days pass, work on distance, then on intensity – Build up the distance you want to cover, and when you are comfortable, try to increase the intensity.
- Know your race – If you can, try to get an idea in advance about the kinds of conditions you will face on race day. Dirt or pavement for the run. Hills or flat course for the bike.
- Make sure you can complete each distance – For example, if you are going to run 3 miles, make sure you can run/walk 3 – 4 miles. If you have to swim a half mile make sure you can continually swim ¾ – 1 mile straight. If you are planning on biking 10 miles, you should comfortably be able to ride 15 – 20 miles.
- Take your time – If you are planning on just finishing a triathlon for fun, there is no need to rush in the transition area. A big part of the difficulty of triathlons is the ability to be able to change between sports in a matter of seconds. This can often cause pain if we do not train correctly.
- Get support – This comes back to training with your group at Phys – Ed! We’re here for you!
Triathlon training at Phys-Ed begins in May 2013;
we hope to see you all there! Happy training!
There will be two informational meetings about both Triathlon Training programs, Thursday April 4th at 7:15am and Saturday April 6th at 11:15am.