January blues? Not for me! My first month of training has left me energized and immune to the chill and gloom of the first few weeks of 2017.
The sprint tri I’ve entered is in May so I’ve 4 months to train and prepare for the big day. I found plenty of great information on the Trigirl website to get me started, much of which is geared towards the novice triathlete.
Although the tri is obviously a game of 3 halves, it’s the swim leg that loomed largest for me personally and I really wanted to gain some confidence in the water as quickly as possible.
I’ve been a regular at the gym for many years but have rarely ventured into the pool. I think it’s fair to say I did feel a bit self-conscious on my first visit but I kept my objectives realistic; don’t do anything daft and try to retain some self-respect!
I can only say I wish I’d got into swimming sooner. Though I wouldn’t have won any medals for style on that first day, even with my ungainly stroke and unpractised breathing, I soon got into a rhythm. After a couple of swims I was relaxing more and finding it a surprisingly peaceful experience.
Lessons learnt in those initial few weeks of sprint triathlon training? First that those goggles from Kos 2003 wouldn’t cut it! I would need to invest in a better quality pair. Second that a kick board would be an invaluable training tool and finally that you can learn anything on YouTube. It was brilliant for knocking some of the rough edges off my technique which in turn gave me the confidence that I can, with practise, complete the swim leg.
So with the basics of the swim in hand I’ll turn my attention to the bike/run next. My old MTB has been a trusty pal over the years but is it up to the sprint tri or should I be thinking about investing in a better spec machine?
Either way I’ve booked myself onto a bike maintenance course next month which should skill me up to keep everything in good working order and deal with any unforeseen circumstances along the way.
I’ll also be upping the ante on the swimming and am enlisting the help of a swim coach to fine tune my technique and help me with strength and stamina training.
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