It’s just a few days before my first triathlon! To prepare my body, I’ve laid our my triathlon tapering for beginners plan below.
Moving from body to mind, mentally I’m excited, a little nervous, but mostly just curious about how this is going to play out.
For starters, I’ve never done all three sports back to back. So I’m not sure how my energy level will last through all of the activity.
Also, I’ve never done an open water swim with all those people.
Or bike race of any sort.
I definitely haven’t packed up all the things I need for a triathlon before. From the looks of the pile of stuff I’ve started to put aside in my room, I should be going on a mini-vacation, not a one day race!
So yes, Sunday will be a lot of firsts, but hopefully, it will also be a lot of fun.
I have put in the training, so now I just need to trust my body and enjoy the process.
As my husband said, this is my first triathlon, so no matter what, I’m going to set a personal record!
With that in mind, I enjoyed the taper of this week. Just like before a marathon, you work out significantly less before a triathlon so you are fresher for race day.
Here is a recap of my training from Saturday, July 29th to Friday, August 4th
Saturday
Bike clinic: we rode about 2 miles, because most of the time was focused on technique.
Sunday
Run: 6 miles at moderate pace
Then we moved my stepdaughter into her new apartment (aka my weight training for the week!)
Monday
Run: 10 miles at a moderate pace
Tuesday
Bike: 45 miles
Wednesday
Swim: 2,000 yards at a moderate pace and then an open water swim clinic in the evening. Mostly drills, likely 2 miles total.
Run: 5 miles (2 miles easy, 1 mile at 10k pace, 2 miles easy)
Thursday
Bike: 60 minutes, plus 10 mins at a hard pace
Friday
No swim because I got to the lap pool and it was closed due to a “dry lightning storm” (we have had the weirdest weather this week!)
Run: 5 miles at a moderate pace
Highlights
Meeting a woman through my husband who used to be a professional triathlete!
They both happened to be in a business meeting together a few weeks ago. When she mentioned she did triathlons, but my husband mentioned that I was training for my first. She passed along her contact information and kindly said I could reach out with any questions.
It didn’t take long. I texted her that night.
After a few emails and text back and forth, we went out to a great dinner on Tuesday and she is such a wealth of knowledge, plus she could not be nicer!
Her guidance over the past few days has put so many of my nerves at ease. I really believe that is why I am more excited and curious right now than terrified. She is even doing the triathlon on Sunday and has offered to help me set up my transition area. All of this has given me so much peace of mind.
Lesson learned- Reach out. Ask for help. Don’t try and figure everything out on your own. When people are passionate about something, they love sharing what they know with others.
Challenges
This past weekend we drove down to the L.A. to move my stepdaughter into school. It was a quick trip. We were on the road in a rental truck right after my bike clinic on Saturday. We were unpacking and moving her into the apartment on Saturday night and Sunday morning/afternoon, and on a flight back home late Sunday.
As much as my husband and I thought we’d be fine with this quick turnaround, we have both been dragging all week.
Add to that, a dinner with friends on Tuesday, open water swim on Wednesday, and dinner with my two closest girlfriends from college on Thursday (a total blast, but also an hour drive each way), and I was limping into Friday.
Let’s put it this way. I wasn’t all that heartbroken when I saw the sign that the pool was closed this morning. I was more relieved that my morning workout was only going to be a run.
That means tonight is an early bedtime, tomorrow I’m making myself sleep in, and Saturday I plan to be back in bed by 8:30 p.m.
Up Next
Well, I have that little triathlon I’ve been obsessing over on Sunday!
Other than that, Saturday will be nice and light. As I mentioned, I kind of struggle to sleep in. My body seems to naturally wake, at the latest, at 5:30-ish.
Tomorrow morning, I plan to try and go back to bed when I wake up and if all else fails, read for a bit. My body definitely needs the rest.
I’ll log two easy-paced miles on Saturday, just to shake things out. Then I plan to spend the rest of the day having fun and relaxing with my husband, along with picking up my race bib, etc. in the afternoon.
Thanks to all who have supported me as I trained for my first triathlon!
I’m excited to report back on Monday how it all came together. I’ll also be posting to my Instagram story a lot over the weekend, too, so you can always follow me there as well.
Happy Friday all!
