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On 21 August 2011 I will be competing in my first Triathlon, the Tri to Beat Cancer. The event is taking place in Athens, Georgia, and is a sprint triathlon. A sprint tri is the shortest length triathlon type event. The swim will be 400 yards, followed by a 16 mile bike, and then finish with a 5k. Why they switch to metric for the run is beyond me, but that is the way it is done. Proceeds from the even are going to help cancer research.

Training for my first triathlon has been interesting. I had already been swimming and cycling, so I was not to worried about those two events. However, I have recently switched to minimalist running, and as such, have not built back up my running endurance length. That means that I have to get back up to the 3.1 mile distance before the 21st. The last run that I did was 2.75 miles at a 9:00min per mile pace. This is not bad, but the distance needs to be at least 3.1 miles. I would prefer to be running 4 – 5 miles, but I will have to work up to that point.

So the question that first hit me when I signed up for the triathlon, was how do I train for it. If you take a look out on the web and at book stores, there are about 9,342 different programs out there on how to prepare for your first tri. Some of these guides are geared toward people that have not been doing exercise, to those that expect you to give 10 – 20 hours a week to training. Some of the guides are geared specifically toward a sprint triathlon, while others are geared toward the longer Olympic and half iron man distances. The next problem is that a few of the guides are free, and some you have to pay for. It can quickly become confusing and daunting as to where to begin.

My recommendation when it comes to training plans is mixed. If you are a person that needs a set schedule, go out and find a plan you like and try it out. This does not work for me as my schedule can fluctuate. I have 4 kids, one of them being a newborn, as a result, I cannot guarantee what times I will be able to train. Due to this, I came up with my own training program to prepare for this upcoming triathlon. It is quite a simple concept, but if you do not have discipline it will not work.

The first thing that you need to be able to do is track your workouts. I use runkeeper as a way to track my runs, rides, and swims. I am thinking about switching to a spreadsheet, but have not had time yet. The idea is just to be able to look at your progress.

The second thing that you must do is to do a self evaluation. Determine where you are in all 3 events. Tests how far you can swim, see how far you can ride, and go for a run. Figure out what your week areas are. If you are weak in all 3 areas, go with a training plan. If you are weak in a specific area then this is the plan I would follow.

1. Attempt to do some activity at least 5 days out of the week. If you can do 6 then go with that. But whatever you do, rest for at least one day. Rest is vital.

2. Make sure to do all the activities, and stack them. Do more than one activity on some days.Mixing a ride with a run is great. Doing a swim and bike, or swim and run. Mix it up to get your muscles ready for going from one activity to the next.

3. Add extra emphasis on your weak event. I need to work on the run the most, as a result I am increasing the number of runs that I am doing per week.

4. Have fun.

Note: You get the biggest bang for your buck in the bike section of the race. That is where you can make the biggest difference on your time.

At work I was bombarded by some guys that road ride about joining them for some rides. At first I blew them off, but the more I thought about it the more I thought that it might be nice to get back on a road bike again. I continued to push back, but slowly started to waiver.

Years ago, and by years ago I am talking about 1988, I used to own a road bike. I remembered the rides that my brother and I would go on, and how much fun they were, but for the past 4 years I have been solidly into mountain biking. What fun could come from doing a road ride? However, there was always something that I enjoyed about going for a ride and the wind in my hair.

And then recently I started running and swimming again. People started taking note, and asking me if I was training for a triathlon. I have been doing 6 hour endurance bike races, but they take all day, and I always putter out at 4 hours. Plus, I just do not have the time to train for that.

Not sure which was the one that broke the camel’s back, but I finally decided to get a road bike. I tried out a couple, and could never get super comfortable on most of them, but the Trek 2.1 was close. Also, I wanted to support a local shop that does rides and such. For this reason I did not go with a Performance Bike branded bike. And, without trying it out, I ordered a Trek “Fisher Collection” Ion Pro. The bike felt right from the first time that I got on it.

The first ride that I did was a drop ride out of Apalachee Cycles on the day that I got my ride. It is a 24.5 mile ride with roughly 1500 – 1800 feet of climbing. The ride was great. After spending years on the mountain bike, I remember why I liked road riding so much. There is something about the window in your hair as the road flies by that is just exhilarating. Needless to say I got dropped by the lead group, but made it in with a respectable pace of 18.5 mph.

I have had the bike for a little while now, and have to say that it was a good decision to get the bike.

By the way, did I mention a triathlon is in my future?

There are five weeks until the next mountain bike race at Fort Yargo. I am hoping to get in four laps this year instead of 3. 44 miles in 6 hours on my single speed.

So today I went running for 23 minutes. The goal is to do some cross training, and improve my overall health. We will see.The goal for tomorrow is a ride.

Today was the first race  in the 6/12 hour endurance mountain bike  race series by Chain Buster Racing at Heritage Park. These are endurance races where you try to complete as many laps as possible in the time allotted. In this case it happens that there is only a 6 hour option, but the points go to whichever you do in later races, either 6 or 12 hour.

The course this year was 2 miles shorter than last year, and seemed in my opinion to be much improved. The conditions were great considering all the rain, however Heritage Park is quite full of roots so you have to be on your toes.

Race Review.

Something seemed to be in the air today. The energy was almost electric. People that were normally calm and cool before a race were bouncing around. Seems as if the shining sun after days of rain was enough to get people into the mood to ride. I found myself getting antsy before the race started, and normally that is not the case.

Start and Lap 1

Since today was my first time racing with platform pedals and skate shoes, I was not interested in trying to hang with the big boys at the front of the pack. Instead I chose a spot near the middle to rear of the pack so that I would not burn out to quickly. They skipped the lamans style start, and just had us all on our bikes. As the number of riders was lower than that of last year, this was fine with everyone that I was with. At 10:00 AM on the dot, they started the race. Take note, my first lap is almost always my fastest. One of these days I need to learn to pace myself better.

The first lap included the parade lap which takes you out on the finishing gravel road back to the start, and as usual it was the normal chaos. I ended up passing a good number of people before we got to the trail head, and was having a great time. Turns out I should have moved myself up a bit further in the group. It took almost 2 miles to pass a guy that would come to a crawl at any bump, turn, or obstacle. Once I passed him, the first lap proved to be fun and quick. My legs warmed up and I felt good. There were a few climbs that I jumped off and pushed my bike up, but for the most part I was feeling good.

Lap 2.

Once I made it back to the Gwinnett Area Trail Riders (G.A.T.R.) tent, I stopped to drink half a bottle of Cliff Energy Mix and a Gu gel. I felt great on the second lap as well. While on the second lap, I met up with Fred, a fellow G.A.T.R, and we finished the lap together. Overall I was feeling good, but riding on platform pedals did require more muscle than with clipless.

Lap 3.

At this point there was a fair bit of mud on the bike, and my shirt was starting to get soaked with sweat. A quick change out of the clothes, and then Fred and I headed over to the bike wash to do a quick clean of the bikes before heading out. The third lap was going well till about 2/3′s of the way through. At this point when I went to stand up to climb my quadriceps twinged. Not sure if I had pushed them beyond their limits or if they were about to cramp on me. As a result, I had to be careful standing up to climb, and resulted in walking the bike up most of the longer/steeper climbs. Fred left me behind as he was keeping a faster pace on the climbs.

The next issue that I had was on the last fast downhill section of the course. I took a berm to high, and the top washed out on me. My front wheel and bike went one way, I went the other. Luckily, I only bruised my arm, scratched up my knee and leg, and my hip a bit. It could have been much worse. Not being stuck to the pedals can be a real godsend sometimes. I did find out that I bent my rear rotor, but that was fixed well enough by bending it. Even with the wreck I finished the lap in decent time.

Lap 4

Before heading out on lap four, it was time to refuel. Peanut butter and jelly, snickers bar, Cliff drink, and some nuts. I thought that I felt ok, and Fred agreed to head out with me on yet another lap. Five minutes into it I was miserable. My triceps were sore from breaking, my legs felt gassed, and I was ready to throw in the towel. Fred took off, and I just kept plodding along. Before he headed out, I told him I was done. There was no way that I planned on going on a fifth lap. Somewhere during that loop though the food kicked in. I felt better, and decided that a fifth lap was in the works.

Lap 5

I came into the pits feeling like a million dollars. Now don’t get me wrong, I was sore, bruised, and tired, but I was going to get in my 5 laps. I had almost 2 hours to do it in, and even if I had to push my bike around the course I was going to make 5 laps. I tried to talk Fred into going with me, but he was done for the day. Lap 5 was my victory lap. I had done what I set out to do, and enjoyed the ride. My last lap took just under an hour, and was fun.

Overall it was a great day and a great race. The weather held out and the trail was in great shape for all the rain we had received. I raced in “expert class” and came in 14th out of 15 people. At least I was not last. The next race will be May 1st at Ft. Yargo. Had a good time hanging out with the other riders, could not have asked for a better day.