How To Train For A Triathlon And Enjoy It!

Posted: 11 years ago | By: Christine Somers | In: Life Management | Read Time: 2 minutes, 21 seconds


{Boardwalk along the Fountainebleau Miami Beach}

I have shared with you that I want to participate in a triathlon and several of you have asked about my training program. I am happy to share what I am doing to achieve my goal both mentally and physically. First I had to decide what I considered success. How would I know if I had reached my goal? I declared that my goal was to finish the triathlon preferably not last but if last so be it, just as long as I finished. Others who have caught the triathlon or running fever measure success by time, ranking in age group or medaling but my goal is more modest.

Second, I acknowledged that working out at any age requires listening to your body and following a program that works for you but at my age it is imperative that I listen closely to my body and take it slow and easy. As I crafted my program, my number one priority was to get fit but number two was to avoid injury. Yes, Alex Rodriguez can blow a knee, get surgery and be back on the baseball field in 6 weeks but I know at my age, it will mean weeks if not months of healing and rehab. I want to participate in the sport and not lose time to injury.

This is the part where I tell you to get checked out by your doctor before embarking on a strenuous exercise program. I, like others, always felt that was just rhetoric until Marty decided to train for a triathlon. He went in for a much-delayed physical. He had let his weight get away from him and our doctor advised him to take a stress test to make sure everything was all right. To make a long and scary story shorter, he failed two stress tests and endured an angiogram to learn that he needed to take control of his health or else. Make your doctor a partner on your training team by getting the green light at the beginning of your program.

I am running a parallel program. To effectively participate and take care of my knees, I know that I will need to lose some weight. Additionally, I need to build up my stamina in swimming, biking and running to finish a triathlon. For me to be successful I need to develop a program for both diet and exercise. Even if you are not trying to lose weight, you will need to monitor you diet. As your activity increases, you will need to increase your calorie intake to stay healthy. Yes, you can eat more if you exercise more. WooHoo!

This is where it starts…setting goals, getting medical clearance and taking a look at the area’s you need to work on to compete. Next: Running.