Tri(ing) to Train

Yep, I'm trying to fit in all these workouts that seem semi necessary to properly train for two races at once. Let me tell you, it's not easy.

Because the Beaver Freezer sprint triathlon is one week before the 20 mile Peterson Ridge Rumble, I don't have any other option. But that's okay because I love a good challenge.


The orange bar represents the training week we're in. Yellow represents the weekend I'll be out of town spending time playing in the snow with a bunch of the runners. Blue are clearly my race days! Please note the week of April 11th, which will be all about relaxing and just doing some easy cross training when I feel like it.

The last 2-3 weeks will be up in the air based on how I'm feeling. Because I have two race weeks back to back, I don't want to go too hard, but I also don't want to be resting that entire week of the tri. Plus, my goal is to FINISH the tri and not get overwhelmed in the pool with so many other swimmers. I'd also like to use my transition time wisely so I only spend the necessary time switching gears. I don't really have any time goals.

My goal for the trail race is to have fun, run hard fuel well. Trails can get mentally tough because of their challenging elevation changes so I just need to keep my mind in a good place when the terrain gets tough.

Oh and on a random note, I realized that last week I racked up 44 miles outta nowhere! You'd think I was training for a marathon or something. Seriously, I just added the mileage up while creating this spreadsheet and was like "What the heck?!" Oh well. I guess I need to be a little more observant. Just because my body is feeling good right now doesn't mean I can keep cranking up the intensity! I've been down the injury road before and it isn't any fun.

What's the hardest part of sticking to your training plan or just training in general? I find that with multisport races, finding the time and daylight to hit the pool, ride my bike and go for a run (in addition to working full time and making dinner every night) is pretty tough. Do you have any fun triathlon training or race day tips to share?

Comments

Amber said…
Love your spreadsheet! I need to work on updating mine this weekend. I have two back-to-back races end of March (just two 10K's though so not a huge deal) but then I have a half-marathon May 1 (trying to break 2 hours) and my first TRI (super sprint) on May 7.

Can't wait!
Michelle said…
Here are some things that have worked for me:

Set up two towels in your transition area. Use one to lay your stuff on and then drape the other over your bike handlebars. Trying to put on socks/bike shoes with damp feet can be really frustrating, so having an extra towel is a great idea. Some people dust baby powder on their feet, too.

Think about how you'll get dressed. For example, you'll want to put on your bike shorts BEFORE your shoes, so lay the shorts on top of the shoes. Put the bike stuff in front of the running stuff. Small things like making sure your helmet is unclipped and shoes are untied help, too. Don't worry about your Garmin, either, for the run (unless it's water proof). Especially since your goal is to just finish.

I've seen people put out small dish tubs near the back of their equipment as a catch-all place to dump stuff when they don't need it anymore (goggles, bike helmet, bike gloves, etc). Keeps your space tidy, I guess.

I also use each transition time to slam a goo packet, just in case.

Triathlons are fun!
Holey moley, 44 miles? That is crazy! Well done, you! Good luck w/ the tri's. I like the idea of doing a tri, but I am scared of them because the transition from swimming to biking to running just sort of intimidates me for soem reason...

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