Day 1 of Tri Training...Yikes!

And so it begins...training to be a triathlete. Swim, bike, run.
Day 1 Workout: (30 minutes SWIM, 30 minutes RUN)
30 minutes of running? Are you kidding me? Piece of cake! I just got done with a marathon, I hope I can run for 30 minutes without stopping. (Note the extreme overconfidence because later in this process I know I'll get put in my place, but right now I'm going to reap the dividends that come with running a marathon, which equals being able to brag about running for long periods of time or distance.)

Based on my limited triathlon research, it appears training is geared around heart rate and time, rather than distance and pace. So...30 minutes of running=Done, no idea on distance or pace.

Next the Swim Workout. I have yet to get a gym membership that offers a pool. I will obviously need to get in the water at some point, but today just wasn't the day to get that done, so I Googled "Swimming Substitute Workouts" and Google delivered about 276,000 results in 0.35 seconds. Since I feel swimming will be my weakest event because 1.) it's most people’s weakest event 2.) limited pool time and 3.) most likely poor technique, I really wanted to find a good swim-like workout. I found what seems to be a good alternative weight room workout for swimmers and triathletes put together by Ben Greenfield, from Pacific Elite Fitness.
The workout consists of:
WARM UP: 15 minutes of row machine or ladder machine. Today I chose row machine. Fun times!

ARMS: [3 Sets, 15 Reps] of straight arm pull downs, bent arm pull downs, and standing cable row

LEGS: [2 sets, 15 Reps] of leg kicks and kick backs. I attach this little band thing to my ankle and kick out like I was kicking a soccer ball. It didn’t feel like I was really doing anything, but I’m sure it was working something.

CORE: [3 Sets, 15 Reps ] of Superman's, Bike Crunches, and Mountain Climbers. I love how ab workouts have fun names, so they don’t sound so torturous.

All these should be done with limited rest in between sets. And you know what? When I was done I thought to myself, it does kind of feel like I just got done swimming, so kudos Ben Greenfield, you really do know the muscles used in swimming.
So...Day 1, I'm considering a success. Not too sore, felt like I got a good workout, and of course had fun doing it!

Beer and Bagel Run Off-Road Race on Sunday! Never done an off-road race, so I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

We had a winner (and only participant) for the Running Costume Contest Idea. A sweet prize package to be gathered and sent soon. I hope you all feel bad for not participating.

“100 Mile Week” to hopefully happen soon. I got to get over this season’s first cold before I go and wreck the temple.

Get out there and run! It’s getting colder outside….