October, 2006

Diana Schowe

You have run distances from 5K up to, and maybe including, Ultra-marathons—but are still looking for an even bigger, possibly different challenge.  Maybe you should consider training for a triathlon!  With all of the different distances of triathlons available, you can do a “tri” without necessarily spending an entire year training for one event.

When most people think of triathlons, it’s the Ironman distance that often comes to mind.  The Ironman distance consists of a 2.4 mile swim segment, 112 mile bike segment, and a 26.2 mile run segment.  However, many first-time triathletes start with a year or two at the sprint distances before moving up to the longer course events.  Sprint triathlons can vary—consisting of anything from a 300 yard swim/6 mile bike/5K run format to an 800 yard swim/24 mile bike/4 mile run format.

You can effectively train for a triathlon by hitting each of the three disciplines two times per week.  Not only will this get you on your way to participating in a triathlon event, but it can also bring welcome variety to your workout regimen.  Triathlon training can be an effective cross-training regimen—maintaining or improving your fitness while granting your body a break from too much running.

Fort Wayne has a local triathlon group, Tri-Fort, that can be of great help to anyone wanting to examine triathlons.  They have weekly workouts and experienced racers who can answer questions.  Tri-Fort participates in a race series named MERCS.  This is a points accumulation series that awards a HUGE trophy at the end of the season to the top team in the Mideast Region.  You can check out Tri-Fort via the Three Rivers Velo Sport web site www.3rvs.com; click the link on the 3rvs page for Tri-Fort.

Now, you might be thinking that “I can’t do a triathlon; I’ll sink in the swim portion; I don’t have a fancy bike.”  There is no reason to have these concerns.  For the swim (if I can do the swim, you can too!), check out the master swim class at the old Club O—taught by Matt Vogel, an Olympic medallist.  Visit www.fortwayneaquatics.org for more information on this class.  As for the bike, start riding with whatever you have in your garage.  At triathlons, people will be participating with anything from an old $50 Huffy to new $5000 race bikes.  It’s not about the equipment—it’s about going out and having a great time while participating in something new.

If you’re looking for a new challenge, give a triathlon a try.  Contact me at Three Rivers Running Company or visit the Tri-Fort web page (via www.3rvs.com) for information about local events and schedules. 

Three Rivers Running Company phone: 260-459-3668

© Copyright 2006 Three Rivers Running