What is a sprint triathlon?

I'll be running the Auburn Sprint Tri. I hear that their sprint tri is smaller than others. Here are their distances:

Swim: 500 meters (or about .31 miles)

Bike: 13 kilometers (or about 8.08 miles)

Run: 3 kilometers (or about 1.86)

What is a triathlon?

Three races in one: swim, bike, run.

As staed in wikipedia's entry, "A triathlon is an athletic event made up of three contests (from the Greek). In contemporary usage, the name triathlon is mostly applied to a combination of swimming, cycling and running, in that order. In most modern triathlons, these events are placed back-to-back in immediate sequence and a competitor's official time includes the time required to "transition" between the individual legs of the race, including any time necessary for changing clothes and shoes. As a result, proficiency in swimming, running, and cycling alone is not sufficient to guarantee a triathlete a competitive time: trained triathletes have learned to race each stage in a way that preserves their energy and endurance for subsequent stages."

Getting Ready for the Triathlon

Today was my last day, for awhile, with my personal trainer, Beth Sweeney. And for the first time, I biked from Rockridge to Lake Merritt, and back, up steep hills, and in the rain. Whew!

(photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/bgreenlee/)

Working with Beth Sweeney got me thinking about everything in the recent past that helped me get to where I am today: training for a sprint tri.

I've been working with Beth Sweeney since last September. I love her enthusiasm, encouragement, understanding, and vast knowledge. We worked together in five-week blocks, meeting once a week. I wanted to improve my overall strenth, so we did a lot of core work. I learned what that was all about! She was gentle and at the same time pushed me to my max.

I've been walking the Lake--Lake Merritt, one of the most beautiful parts of Oakland--for about two years now. I can now walk the whole lake, nearly four miles, in a little over an hour. I love kickboxing at Mr. Pitt's Martial Arts Academy. I do that once a week, and have been there for the last year and a half. If I don't go to hit or kick something, the rest of my week is not quite right. And I joined a gym last summer, Courthouse Athletic Club, where I use the weights, treadmill, spin bikes, and pool.

The last element that has helped me get to where I am now is Weight Watchers. I joined about two years ago, lost nearly twenty pounds, and learned a lot about good eating and thinking habits. What they taught was a lifestyle change. Everyone there, the group leaders and the other participants, were always very encouraging. After the fourth week, they give you small steps on how to start physical activity. Those tips, arms one week, stomach the next, then legs, all were very helpful in giving me goals and guidelines.

First Bike Training Day

I did it! I rode 16 miles today. Not by myself of course. I'm training with See Jane Run, a fabulous store of women's sports apparel. About 30 other fabulous women were speeding along with me today, as we went from Golden gate Park, around Lake Merced, along the Great Highway, and back up JFK Drive to our starting point at McLaren Lodge.

I was at the back of the pack a good two-thirds of the time. Oh well! I need to remind myself that it was the first long ride I've done since I was 17, a good twenty years ago.

I didn't want my muscles to max out so I made the conscious choice to take it easy. No sense maxing out on the first intense day.

Tuesday will be the first day on the pool. I know I can do it, but I'll have to make sure I have all my gear, especially ear plugs -- I hate water in my ears -- and a damn cap. (Bad memories, you know.) I hear they have new-fangled silicon caps. Gotta get me one of those.

Sprint Triathlon Training

Goal: start, race, and finish well a Sprint Triathlon on May 20, 2006 in Auburn, CA.

(A Sprint Tri is a much smaller distance than a regular Olympic triathlon -- about half the distances.)

Hurdles: low self-confidence, negative self-talk, changing my body picture

Strengths: determination, lots of great help from my training program, See Jane Tri

This is a dream come true for me. I've wanted to do a tri for at least four or five years. When my chiropractor told me that sprint tris existed, I looked on the internet and found the local program.