The Next Chapter

The final race of my 2010 season is quickly approaching. The Elephant Man Triathlon is an intermediate (Olympic) distance race. The distance for an intermediate triathlon is double the distance of a sprint and half of an Ironman 70.3.

Sprint- 750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run

Olympic- 1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run

70.3- 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run

The Elephant Man will start the next chapter of my triathlon career. This is my second season competing in triathlons and I have waited for this moment since my first race. When I began competing in this sport I was immediately drawn to the longer distances and it doesn’t hurt that I’m built for the longer races. In these races endurance is key, rather than short all out power. At the start of my first season I made a typical beginner mistake. Since I wanted to race the longer races I jumped straight into 10, 12, 13+ mile runs more than once a week. For a beginner with no run background at all, I was asking for an injury. After a few months and several minor injuries I began to get the idea, I would have to start from the bottom and build my way up.  Sprint triathlons didn’t appeal to me at first and I actually considered giving up the sport and going back to road cycling. After taking a few weeks off I realized this process was necessary for what I wanted to accomplish. Since this experience, I have learned patience is key in this sport. You can’t rush things or try to jump ahead without the risk of injury or burnout. Either one of these can be a drastic setback or could even lead to the decision to give up the sport.

 In only a few years I have realized several beginners make the same mistake I did as a rookie. Someone entering a race unprepared and under trained is a story I hear in transition almost every race. These decisions can be drastic.

Through my own experience my advice to beginner triathletes is know your limits, careful of overtraining, and PATIENCE. The only way you can prevent this is knowing your own body. This is achieved with time (again, patience). The longer you train the more you will become familiar with yourself. Through this you will learn how much you can push yourself and when to let off. All of this is achieved with time and patience. With these two aspects you will be able to achieve your goals and compete injury free!    

Safe and smart training,

Rance

This is a photo from my first triathlon. June 28th, 2008. I remeber it all to well... Wrong turn, went 30 minutes out of the way and finished 35th overall. Hardcore roadie tan lines!