Beginner Triathlete Training Blog

Hey, so I’m planning on doing a Danskin Triathlon in June and I just wanted to know if anyone has some tips for training and for the actual event. This is my situation, I’m a pretty good swimmer- I have no problem swimming the 800, and I like to run- I’ll run like 4 miles at a time three times a week or so. However, I’m not really a cyclist. I’m starting to go to some cycling classes and I don’t find them to be too much but I’m not exactly sure how I will do when all of the events are back to back. Are the events really hard when they are back to back? I’m pretty fit I think… but I don’t usually do consecutive workouts. How should I go about getting ready for this? I’ll give an example of what I have been doing to train… let me know what you think and how I should modify my training.

Last Week:
Friday: ran 2.8 miles
Saturday: ran 2.8 miles
Sunday: Cycling Class 45 minutes
Monday: nothing
Tuesday: Cycling class 45 minutes
Wednesday: Ran 2 miles swam 800 meters
Thursday: 45 minute
Thursday: 45 minutes cycling class
Friday : nothing
Saturday: 4 mile run

yeah that is a preview of what I do… what should I add? Or not do? Tips would be greatly appreciated thanks!

Oh yeah and the triathlon is a 3.1 mile run, 800 meter swim, and a 12 mile bike ride. yep yep. that is all.

This event is referred to as a sprint triathlon. The hardest part of the event is the open water swimming. Don’t get yourself caught up in the swim pack or your time will suffer. Pick a "lane" where you think that most of the swimmers will not congregate towards. After you have finished the swim portion the biking event is next. There is no waiting period between events. Remember to have your helmet on before you start to bike or you’ll have points deducted or you may be disqualified from the race. Since you’ll be cycling at least 12 miles then you’ll need a comfortable seat and a decent 12 speed bike. Drink plenty of water during this portion even if you don’t feel thirsty. You can become quickly dehydrated. Don’t forget to wear sunglasses if it is bright outside. They also prevent bugs from slamming into your eye area. Now the real fun begins when you have finished biking and you get off the bike. Your legs will feel like spaghetti and your heart will be racing. Try to pace yourself during the run to ease into it and establish an overall rhythm. Since this is your first event, you want to make it enjoyable. Once your done walk around slowly to relax your body and don’t forget to drink more water. You may have trouble sleeping that night because your body is not used to that type of event yet.

Good Luck:)