#Dadblog 5 – Training for my First Triathlon

Mike Caterini

I had a mechanical breakdown, which is why I’ve been off the blog grid this past month. It wasn’t my wonky knee, kinked neck, sore hips or planter fasciitis that failed me. Although, all of these minor chronic ailments did rear their ugly heads, only to be held at bay by the forces of stretching, ice, Advil, liniments and scotch. In fact, I’m feeling great. It was my computer that crapped out. The problem is now fixed and I’m back on-line with #dadblog, reporting on my triathlon training stretch run, culminating in the epic Guelph Lake Sprint Triathlon to be appropriately held on Father’s Day, June 19.

I’m following a training plan outlined in “Triathlon Training for Dummies”. I feel that the most important thing is to stick to a plan. At my novice level a plan doesn’t have to be overly scientific or technical. It needs to be simple, reasonable and achievable. Training in a group would help with motivation, and finding a coach would definitely be a bonus to correct my form, but I haven’t missed many workouts and I feel that I just have to get through this summer and achieve some success before I start fine tuning.

My Training Schedule

I work out 5 days per week. Thursdays and Monday are days off. However, on Monday I usually elect to perform swimming drills to improve my swimming form. Good swimming form is the key to improving swimming time. The swim is by far the shortest event of the triathlon. You’ll never win a triathlon with a great swim, but you will definitely do poorly with a bad swim. I do 2 to 3 days per week of swim interval training for a total of about one km per session. I’m also running twice a week, with my long run on the weekends.

I can now run 5.3 miles in an hour and I am showing improvement every week. The bike is my best event. I bike 2 to 3 times per week, with a weekend long ride that has now stretched to 25 miles in 1:40 hour. Once a week I bike hard for 45 minutes, immediately followed by 15 minutes running. This Bike-Run combo is appropriately named a Brick, most likely a play on words, but I feel the name is due to the fact that after you get off the bike your running legs feel as heavy as a ton of bricks. Not a great feeling, but as my training has progressed I’ve become used to it and faster off the bike.

Nearly, But Not Quite There, Yet

I’m on track to finish the 750 m swim, 20 km bike and 5 km run event on June 19. However, breaking the 1:30 hour (90 minute) goal I set for myself in my first #dadblog will be tough. My most optimistic forecast is to complete the swim in 18 minutes, the bike in 42 minutes, and run in 30 minutes, for a total of 90 minutes. Spot on, but I still haven’t accounted for the swim-run and bike-run transitions and I’m a notoriously slow dresser. I still have until the end of this summer to achieve my goals.

I’ll hold back reporting on my weight until the next #dadblog. My bathroom scale’s needle hasn’t been dropping as fast as I would like it to, and I’ve convinced myself it is an entirely mechanical problem with the scale. My daughter Jessica suggested that the problem could be easily fixed with less beer and chips, and more celery and kale. Cleary she’s an Exercise Scientist and not an Engineer.

You Might Like:

The Science of Temperature Therapy

Temperature therapy (also known as “thermal therapy” or “thermotherapy”) involves the use of heat or cold to improve health and function. Interestingly, thermotherapy has been around for centuries, with ancient cultures regularly using hot springs,...

The Predictors of Longevity You Need to Care About

Living a long and healthy life is a universal aspiration, and with the publication of Peter Aittia’s new book “Outlive”, it has never been a bigger focus. With this has come the realisation that, while...

How Overtraining and Undertraining Impacts Hormonal Health

While maintaining a healthy hormonal balance is essential for overall health and wellbeing, it is an often-overlooked component of women’s health. Hormones play a vital role in regulating various bodily functions, including metabolism, energy, mood,...