My First Triathlon
At the least, I know I have to throw out my time goals and look to just complete this darn thing. Sunday, March 28 – RACE DAY. The alarm goes off at 5am, and Gianluca and I roll out of bed. There are 1000 athletes competing in today’s triathlon and it’s a pretty cool sight to look out and see the rows and rows of bikes. I’m surprisingly calm as I look out at the orange buoys in the far distance. Now it’s time to get out of the water! I almost can’t believe it! The swim is over! Arch is there again and I am so happy to see her!! We are grinning ear to ear as I jump on the bike and head out to the freeway. It’s a straight out and back with gradual hills. The feeling is too much to contain and I break out into an all out sprint. Five months ago, I set out to achieve two major goals: Raise $5,000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Complete the Lavaman Triathlon. After we got back to our hotel, Archie, Hanna, and I went to the pool and laid out in the sun, sipping mojitos, mai tais and pina coladas.
Complete triathlon guide
Contents: Developing your seasonal training plan -Customizing training for specific groups -Yoga and flexibility for triathletes -Strength training for triathletes -Training for triathlon swimming -Training for triathlon biking -Training for triathlon running -Recovery and overtraining -Exercise physiology for triathletes -The art and science of tapering -Bike-handling techniques from the pros -Setting the perfect cadence and stride rate -Assessing your running form -Improving your transitions -Troubleshooting your freestyle -Open-water race tactics -Strategies for drafting and nondrafting races -Performance tips for any distance -Mental strategies for training and racing -Traveling for competition -The triathlon lifestyle. Fitting triathlon into busy lives -Choosing the ideal gear -Choosing a coach -Developing young triathletes -Dealing with common injuries -Nutrition for endurance athletes -Hydrating during training and competition -Beyond swim, bike, run -Long-term triathlete development.
Life of a Taitai-Triathlete.
There’re times when life throws a curveball, and you realized that time may not be on your side. I read an article this morning on NYTimes’ Life Interrupted : Making Resolutions. No one knows when a life altering experience can hit. No one knows if you could carry out your resolutions / bucket list. Before my diagnosis with leukemia, two years ago at the age of 22, I’d always excelled at making resolutions. Then I learned I had cancer, and my life and my resolution-making were interrupted. Naturally, as I’ve started to feel better, I’m also making resolutions again. As my life starts to go back to normal, I find that some of my old, bad habits are still lurking in the shadows. I’m still struggling to figure out how to turn my resolutions into long-lasting change, but I’ve learned this much: Getting healthy starts with accepting the fact that after two years of cancer treatment, my body has taken a hit. Getting healthy means listening to my body – and no longer comparing myself with other people at the gym.
ride – PushMyLimits
Friday I had a VERY. HARD. RIDE. Since purchasing my new toy a few weeks ago. 6×3 min power zone 3 while keeping my cadence above 95 rpm with 2 min easy spin between each set. Typically I have at least one other person to ride with in the sweat cave early in the mornings, but not this time. My power and cadence were nearly spot on according to the targets I was to be aiming for. The first 4 intervals were challenging, but physically I felt strong. Before training with power, I was training on heart rate. According to my heart rate data below, my heart rate was solidly in zone 4 for each interval after the first two and was nearing zone 5 by the final interval. With power zone 3 being the target, I was forced to work harder, pushing my heart rate much higher than zone 3. If I would have done this same workout using heart rate, I would not have pushed this hard. This was only the first of many more HARD WORKOUTS, but I am excited to see where training on power will take me!!
CW: Is the Ironman triathlon heart-healthy?
I am sorry for how I feel about your sport’s pinnacle, the Ironman triathlon. Triathletes, or iron people if you will, wake up before sunrise to swim, bike or run. A middle-aged competitor suffered sudden cardiac death during the swim portion of this year’s race. What’s even sadder to me, as a cardiologist and competitive athlete, is my suspicion that the possibility of dying during the Ironman will only heighten the race’s allure. These guys, like professional triathletes, own bodies that actually allow them to race each other over that distance. Most regular iron people are slogging-or some would say flogging-through race day. Training to run a faster 5k or 10k would be healthier, a marathon can be achieved-by most-within the bounds of wellness. Just because the majority don’t die during the Ironman doesn’t make it healthy. Swimming a fast and smooth 400 IM. Riding me off your wheel in a 45-minute criterium. Training your body to run a 10k one-minute faster than your best time last year.
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