Last Updated on September 26, 2019 by Heather Hart, ACSM EP, CSCS
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for all of your awesome, supportive comments on my Beach 2 Battleship post. It really meant a lot to me, and each and every comment made me smile! All of of you are such an inspiration to me.
Because “hey I’m going to go out for an hour of speed work” will be a welcome relief to my family over those constant “hey, see you in 4 hours, I’ve got a long run to do”.
I’d love to get my current 5k pr (22:25) down to 21:xx, then 20:xx…then maybe, just MAYBE 19:xx. I hope to bring my half marathon PR down a few minutes this February here in Myrtle Beach.
So you know what that means? I can’t back out now. I need to get my a$$ in the pool! Seriously, I can’t swim but maybe one length of the pool before grabbing onto the edge for dear life.
Oh and did I mention the thought of riding a bike near traffic terrifies me a bit? Yeah, this is going to be an adventure to say the least. And I couldn’t be more excited !!!
Heather Hart is an ACSM certified Exercise Physiologist, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), UESCA certified Ultrarunning Coach, RRCA certified Running Coach, co-founder of Hart Strength and Endurance Coaching, and creator of this site, Relentless Forward Commotion. She is a mom of two teen boys, and has been running and racing distances of 5K to 100+ miles for over a decade. Heather has been writing and encouraging others to find a love for fitness and movement since 2009.
Kati
That is SOOO exciting!! One tri and you will be hooked for life! You start in the off season with some swim lessons and spin classes. Then as the races approach you need a great training plan and you will be set!
Manderz
How exciting!!!! Good luck to you. I have no advice as to where to start bc I can barely do the doggie paddle 🙂
I cant wait to read about your training!
Kelly
Welcome to the world of trimommy-hood!! You will love the training for triathlons. YOu might want to check out beginnertriathlete.com…there are some great free training plans there, and the forums are super friendly if you have any questions! Keep us posted on how it’s going!! From another trimommy…
Mel -Tall Mom on the Run
OK you crack me up.. Busy Mom adds 2 more things to train for to her schedule..LOL!! All the best in your new adventure.
Marathon and I have been at odds for a while now, I plan to give it another Run and then possibly try to perfect my 5K.. LOL!!!
You are so right.. Marathon training is a tough one when you have little ones at home..
Hugs to the nex name!
-Keep Breathing
Best of luck w/ training!! How exciting!
(I can’t wait to read about tips and challenges of training for the swimming)
Marlene
Working on shorter distances sounds like fun. I honestly don’t think it’s a good idea to do back-to-back-to-back (etc) marathons. The body needs a break from those crazy training cycles.
And TRIATHLON! So exciting. Good luck!!!
lindsay
how exciting!! i know nothing about tri’s so – good luck is all i can offer 🙂
marathon is definitely a little abusive and a BIT of a time hog 😉 some time ‘off’ with shorter/speedier running is certainly a nice change of pace (har har)
Velma
Swim lessons will turn you into a swimmer in just a few months!
Running, kind of.
Yay! Triathlons are so fun! I have done two. My first one i did not train at all. I bought my bike two weeks before the race and I swam half a mile two weeks before just to make sure I could. Then my second one I kind of trained…kind of, and cut my time by 34 min! Transitions will kill your time if you arent careful!
I have deemed next season/summer the summer of triathlons! I think since it is winter you should focus on the swimming. You know you have the run down! There are some good plans out there where you do two sports each work out. so you would swim then bike one day, then bike and run the next. It really seems that tris are geared toward bikers, SO if you kick A in the swim and run you can do really well! My friend was an All American swimmer and was the second person out of the water OVERALL with an 11 min half mile swim. She ended up getting 3rd in her very first triathlon mostly because she was so fast out of the water!
You will do great!!!! I can’t wait to see what training plan you chose!
Wow, very long! 🙂
Zoë
That is very awesome news! You’ll kick butt!
I, too, hope to whittle my 5K time down. 🙂
Tri Mommy
Welcome to the TRI world! Come, drink they cool-aid. You’ll never look back! : )
Oz Runner
wow, what a goal and commitment, that is great! marathon training does take a lot of time, you are right…haven’t done a tri but i can’t imagine that your training time will decrease…good luck on your training, with all you have going on right now…
Steel Springs
Fun! Triathlon training will be a great new challenge. As far as the swimming goes, I’d suggest focusing on your breathing until that gets comfortable. Try to blow out all of your air before you turn your head to take a breath. It feels really unnatural at first, but I think it makes a huge difference. Good luck! Enjoy!
kceatingontherun
I want to do one too, but can’t even swim a lap correctly (embarrassed to get in the pool!) and have NO idea where to start either.
Kerrie T.
Wow. Bikes scare me. But I did do an Iron Kids tri when I was in junior high school. It was fun! I wrote a post about it in September, I think. Anyway, you go girl! You have such a contagious attitude. I almost want to sign up for a tri after reading your post. But I won’t because, like I said, bikes scare me.
shellyrm
Nothing like creating some free time in your schedule…and then filling it will biking and swimming and more running. lol!
I can understand the frustration with the distance running when it becomes more about how fast you finish than if your finish. Running for most people has to simply be running for the joy of running. Let’s get real, most of us are not elite athletes!
Good luck on the shorter races (i’ve been doing the same) and on the Tri! I look forward to hearing all about your training.
Twincerely,Olga
Wow! Thats so awesome!!!!That was what I was going to do but my hubby said no long training for awhile!! I am working on tuning up my 5k but 22:00! Man. I’m still at 31:00.You rock!
Karen
How exciting – you will be great at Iron Girl! I did it last year and loved every second 🙂
Teamarcia
Wow! Super exciting! You’ll be a great triathlete! Now get in that pool! I too am not qualified to give any advice beyond doggie paddle.
Meg Kathleen
I’ve been toying with the idea of doing a spring tri, but I think I’ll wait and see how it works for you. I’m such a pansy! But I’m sure you’ll rock it!
Mel-2nd Chances
OOOOOOOOOH! I’m so excited! After a DNF marathon, and an injury that forced me onto the bike and into the pool, I resolved to try a triathlon am hooked. Then my son thought it would be cool to try one too, and now he can’t wait for next season! YAY!!!
When I got into the pool, after many many years of not swimming, I too was panting, and dying for my next breath. It does get easier. Now I’m swimming more than 1k at a time!
Heather
Congrats on moving into the tris – how fun! I can’t give any advice, becuase I’m not so much of a swimmer. But I’m sure you will rock it.
Linda
New goals are aways exciting. A tri – sounds great. Balance – it is something we all strive for.
Keep YOUR true goals in mind at all times.
Amanda
Fun!! I loved the sprint tri I did here last summer!!
Rookie on the Run
I hear you on taking a break from Marathon. How exciting that you’re going to be a triathlete! I’m sure you will do great!
Aimee
Yeah! Competing in triathlons is so much fun. Yes, training for tris will be just as time consuming as training for a marthon. But although training took time away from my 2 boys, it was time I needed for myself and I truly believe that makes me a better mom to them. I think you’ll find that you’ll like the diversity of doing three different sports instead of just running. I’ve always considered myself to be a runner above anything else, but I really enjoy training for tris and I’m sure you will too! Welcome to the tri club! Oh..and I second the idea of checking out beginnertriathlete.com. The plans are awesome (I used one for my half-ironman), the forums are great, and the advice is wonderful!
joyRuN
You might find peace with the marathon by the cross-training you’ll enjoy with triathlon training. At least I did – I enjoyed my runs more when I threw swim & bike to the mix 🙂
Happy training!!!
Alili
Hurray for triathlon!!!! Take a swim lesson and get on that bike. Just thinking about tri-training is making me smile. 🙂
renae
I am right there with you re: your feelings about marathons!
Triathlon! SO exciting!! I have two friends that do Irongirl in Columbia, MD one and they love it. Said it is a fantastic race and all the participants are incredibly nice and supportive. Congrats on your new adventure!
Missy
You’re going to love it and do just great! I have no doubt. Irongirl puts on amazing events, truly. They’re so fun, supportive, non-judgmental. You will get hooked.
Oh, bless you on that marathon run! Bless it because I know it was cold and dark and you were out there still moving it. Congratulations are in order. I don’t care if it wasn’t a PR.
The Happy Runner
That’s AWESOME!!! Very cool.
Nicole
I feel the triathalon calling my name….but I haven’t swam in YEARS and I don’t even own a bike. Seems like a problem! GL with your newest adventure!!
RunningBetty
“Tri Harder Mommy”?
Jan
I’ve done a few tri’s (before kids) and my hubby has just challenged me to do a aprint tri against him (who can do it faster) in June! Good luck with your Tri!