Upcoming Triathlon on 49th Birthday - Help?

author : acbadger

comments : 1

I’ve signed up to do the St. Anthony’s Olympic Triathlon in April. I will be 49 in May and need some advice on a good training program to fit into my full time work schedule.

Question:

I’ve signed up to do the St. Anthony’s Olympic Triathlon in April. I’ve done a sprint and doing an Olympic Distance Triathlon is a ‘birthday present’ to myself. I will be 49 in May and need some advice on a good training program to fit into my full time work schedule. Oh…I also need help getting fatty, sugary snacks out of my “nutrition” plan (this should be easy right around the holidays…yah right). Just don’t take away my chocolate…OK???

Answer:

Olympic triathlons are wonderful and you will be SO proud of yourself when you cross that finish line!! It’s a wonderful present to yourself to give the gift of strength, health and endurance…the three components of wellness that most of us have too little of, but need in everyday life.

First and foremost, you need to be sure that you SCHEDULE your workouts. By scheduling them, I’m referring to putting them (in INK) in your planner. Schedule them like you would a Doctor’s or Dentist appointment!! Your commitment to your health in exercise is as important as your commitment to getting a physical exam!! Get that planner for the New Year and start filling it out around your work schedule!! I will say, that those who exercise in the morning, have been documented as being more dedicated to their exercise regimen and continue to exercise longer than those who do in the afternoon or at night. Get up and get your day started right. There are no excuses for you to come up with early in the morning either. No last minute meetings, no grocery shopping to do, no kids to carpool to soccer practice!! Mornings are where its at my friend!!

Secondly, get in the water. If you can do some open water swims, I HIGHLY recommend them. The pool is a GREAT place to work on your form, drills, etc., but for your endurance swims, I would get out in the open water as much as possible. You’ve done a sprint, so you know how different open water can be from an indoor/outdoor swimming pool.

Be sure to get your brick workouts in. I would do one or two a week. Combine a swim with a bike workout or a bike to a run workout. This will help you get used to how your body will feel between events.

TRANSITION, TRANSITION, TRANSITION, TRANSITION. Should I say it one more time?? TRANSITION!! For most triathletes, getting in and out of transition is very difficult because we practice it the least. You can shave seconds, even minutes off of your time by practicing and mastering your transitions. Lay everything out the way you would in a triathlon and get things done as safely and quickly as you can. Do one transition practice a week too and you’ll be amazed at how quickly your time(s) start to drop! Go get ‘em!!!

Lets address the food issue. Now, to be perfectly honest with you, my friends would laugh out loud at you asking me not to take away your chocolate. I say this because I am the worst culprit when it comes to eating candy and/or sweet snacks. I will NEVER tell anyone to stop eating something…however; I am going to address your portion sizes and meal frequency. Hopefully, this will help you curb some of your sweet tooth attacks.

Try eating 5 small meals a day. I am a HUGE advocate of this meal plan (please notice I did not say DIET). Be sure you are eating breakfast EVERY day. Eat just as soon as you get up. Then eat a SMALL “meal” (yogurt and pretzels, apple and 1 Tbs. Peanut butter, etc.) 3 to 4 hours after breakfast. 3 to 4 hours later, eat a reasonable lunch. 3 to 4 hours after that, have a small afternoon “meal” (two pieces of lean turkey wrapped in reduced fat Swiss cheese, carrot sticks and hummus, etc.) and follow that with a reasonable supper 3 to 4 hours after that. It will feel like you are eating ALL day long, but it works and keeps you out of the vending machines! I know its hard to eat well during the holidays…but you can curb your appetite by drinking water BEFORE you go out, or even eat a salad before you head to the office holiday party.

If you are indulging in the liquor, be sure to drink a FULL glass of water between every drink. This will help keep you hydrated, help you drink a little less (saving on calories) and will…between us…ease up on those hang over side effects the next morning!

So, go ahead…enjoy the holidays…just plan ahead and watch your choices and portion sizes. Good luck!

Oh, and HAPPY 49th!!!

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date: January 1, 2006