347/365 Trying for Triathlons

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Run, Forrest, Run! That's all I've been doing for the past few months. Running and yoga have been my exercise modes to train for this half marathon. One day while icing my knees after a run, I realized that I should probably cross train so I don't wear out my body one step at a time. Since I can't imagine running for 5 hours (the minimum I would be running for a full marathon), and I have a feeling that my body won't be able to take the pounding of running for long, I thought about what other activities I could do. Why not a triathlon?

I've always written off triathlons saying, "Well, the biking I could do but, swimming? Pssh...swimming is not for me." With a pool at my gym/work, there was no way I could continue ignoring that aspect of training. The lifeguards at my pool are super friendly and were eager to help me work on my form. I'm now into my 3rd week of swimming and am in love with it! Swimming well really just comes down to form (teaser...get excited for a post all about swimming!)

Running? Check. Swimming? Check. Biking? Pending.

Again, using my undergrads as resources, a girl on the cycling team was able to direct me to a sweet road bike by Specialized. I still know nothing about bikes, what you should look for, what's good, what isn't but, I'm told that the Specialized Dolce for Women is an excellent bike to begin one's love affair with cycling.

My next step is to actually get the bike and ride. There are tons of resources on the web for how to train for a triathlon. My modus operandi for now will just be to get all three activities in during the week with some yoga and strength training too. Eventually, I'll have to work on transitioning from cycling to running but that will come in due time. Until then, perhaps give triathlons a second look...the swimming part isn't really that bad!


In health,

Lauren

123/365 Hop on Board the Cross-Train

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Cross-training is important for any athlete.

If you're a runner and you think, well all I ever do is run, you still should cross train to give those running muscles a rest and work something else. Same goes for you cyclists and swimmers. Your joints can only take so much of the same stress every day or every other day.

You'll also notice that your heart and breathing work differently when you do different exercises. With running and swimming, you can breathe whenever you feel like it. When you swim, you have to train yourself to take breaths or else you'll. Your heart and all those muscles that help you breathe need exercise too. It's important to work out at different intensities and environments for progressive improvement.

Cross-training prevents boredom. I have many friends who hate running or are tired of it. Fine, don't run today. Hop on a cardio machine, an erg, a stair climber, a Versa climber, etc., or hop in the pool. Go to Zumba or a martial arts class instead then go running the next time. Also, you'll never know when you'll actually have to run, swim, or bike away from something threatening you. It would be advisable to be able to do all three well if necessary.

In health,

Lauren