Base Training and Upcoming Events

I know a lot of you are starting to feel anxious about the upcoming race season, and feel like you should be "training."  And this is true, BUT the kind of training you should be doing is building fitness, not necessarily practicing the race every time you workout.  If you have a particular discipline (swim, bike, or run) that you don't feel super confident in, now is the time to focus in on that one.

For example, if you are not a great swimmer YET, you should be going to swim clinics and then practicing swimming one or two more times per week.

If you have never run before, now is a great time to start a run/walk program to begin amping up your run fitness.  You can start with one minute running/two minutes walking, and then very gradually build up your run time.

If you have never cycled before, try to pop into a cycle class one or two times a week.  Even if you are a beginner, the instructor can help you get set up and guide you in a workout that will suit you.

In the sports you feel more comfortable with you should be training nice and easy.  For example, when you run, don't go all out for 20 minutes, but instead run at a pace you can maintain for 30-40 minutes or longer even if it feels slower than you know you can go and if your fitness allows.  Same goes for biking.  In the pool, we can always be working on technique with drills.

What I'm saying is that none of you should be following any sort of strict training protocol right now.  You should be building what triathletes like to call your "base".  This is the fitness which you will draw from in your race, and it's an integral part of any training program.  It's not very exciting, but it is what builds your aerobic engine for the test of endurance to come.  I like to think of it as making deposits in my endurance account.  It's not glamorous to save, but you will be rewarded in the long run (pun intended!!).

Having said that, the North Area YMCA will be offering 12-week training programs for both Green Lakes Triathlon and Irongirl Syracuse.  In addition, we have some upcoming clinics on Sports Nutrition and Triathlon that you can check out.  Here are the dates:

Sports Nutrition:                                                                
March 16, 6 p.m. - "Sports Nutrition Myth-Busting"
April 20, 6 p.m. - "Fueling 101"
May 18, 6 p.m. - "To Supplement or Not."

Triathlon:
March 23, 7 p.m. - "What gear do I need for my first triathlon?"
April 27, 7 p.m. - "Transitions:  Everything you need to know about getting from the swim to the bike to the run."
May 25, 7 p.m. - "Changing a flat tire"

These clinics are free for members and are open for registration.  There is a limited number of spots, so register early to guarantee a spot.  Registration for non-members will open a couple of weeks before each class and will be $15.00.

As always if you have any questions, please shoot me an email.

Happy (base) training!