I Run Like A Girl

Earlier this week, the sweet lifeguard I’ve befriended let me know that a spot opened in the indoor triathlon the Y was hosting this weekend – I immediately jumped at the opp. What a fantastic way to test out bike/swim/run-ing all at once in an organized manner, without breaking my wallet (the event was FREE!).

The morning started at 6:30am. I had some oatmeal, threw on my workout clothes, and biked to the Y.

During check in, I met some of the other racers. I love small, local events like these because it’s so easy to meet people! I’m always looking to meet more runners/triathletes (unfortunately my closest friends aren’t into endurance sports). The racers ranged from first timers to super experienced ones – I believe there was even an ironman in the mix. Overall though, the event was geared for newbies, as it was more about the experience than the results.

The format of the race was 20-20-20 -> biking, swimming, and running as much as you could 20 minutes per leg.

Biking

Unlike normal tri’s, this race started on the bike. We had a spin instructor guide us through a 20 minute workout. This was the only leg that wasn’t tracked – we all just warmed up at our own pace on the spin bike.

15 minute transition followed to get into our bathing suits.

Swimming

The swim leg went super well! It took place in the pool I’ve been training in. They split us by skill level, and I shared a lane with a dude who was pretty experienced (a half ironman!) – he turned out to be the PERFECT pace for me. We were basically neck and neck the entire swim. I finished 50 laps (1250m) in 20 minutes. My arms were a bit tired from a week of training but overall I felt strong throughout.

Followed by a 15 minute transition to get into our run gear.

Running

The run was luckily outdoors :). We ran as many laps around the building as we could in 20 minutes. During this portion, it really hit me how taxing biking/swimming is before a run. My legs felt like jello – so I took it easy, coming in at around a 10 min/mile pace. It was definitely a wake up call to start doing more dual/brick workouts so that on race day, my legs won’t be in complete shock during the run portion. I’m not sure what my total mileage came in at, but I completed 8 laps around the building.

A nice surprised to receive t-shirts and medals, esp for a free race!

Overall

The race was scored by total swim laps + total laps around the building. It was a low key event, so no one was too competitive. Overall, I loved this race and totally recommend it, especially for new triathletes living in Queens! I learned so much and have lots of takeaways to work on:

• Hydration/fuel: I assumed since the race was only 1 hr total, I wouldn’t need any fuel or even that much water. Boy was I wrong. Something about switching off muscles at high intensities made me SO freaking tired, and I was craving a gu or two by the halfway point. I definitely need to spend some time creating a fuel/hydration plan for race day.
• Incorporate more brick workouts: brick workouts are bike + run. I’m gonna start adding those to the mix to help avoid the leg fatigue I felt today.
• Don’t overexert during the swim: today’s race showed that I do excel in the swim portion. That definitely got into my head, and I ended up putting the most energy into the swim. In the end, it’s not worth going 100% for one leg if it leaves me beat for the other two. I’m planning to work on mentally pacing myself for the rest of the training cycle.

This race got me so pumped for my Olympic tri in August!! A part of me was thinking throughout the race: “how am I gonna do 2-3 times this distance in less than 2 months?!” But I’m optimistic, and definitely have more direction on how to shape my training these next few weeks :).