A Goal Of Their Own
Training For Triathlons
From Austin Fit Magazine - March 2002 - by Michelle Moon Reinhardt

When Vera Balcom-Boone crossed the finish line at Austin’s Danskin Triathlon last year, her cancer surgeon was waiting for her. Among tears, hugs and congratulations, Balcom-Boone realized that despite breast cancer, or maybe because of it, she was a survivor.

“When I crossed the finish line I remember thinking, ‘Look at you, you’ve done pretty darn well for yourself,’” recalls Balcom-Boone. A year after receiving the frightening diagnosis of stage-three breast cancer, battling through four rounds of chemotherapy and major surgery, Balcom-Boone joined 28 other competitors with Team Survivor Austin at the finish line. At 47, she says she never thought of herself as an athlete. But she does now.

Triathlons do that for people. They make athletes out of cancer survivors and teammates out of strangers. Even among the close kinship of athletes, triathletes have a special bond. They belong to a special brotherhood in which each member has his or her survival story to tell. Whether it’s the long bike ride in the grueling summer heat or the cold, early morning swim, shared pain forges strong ties.

If you are considering joining the thousands of Austinites who swim, bike and run their way through the seasons, now is the time to prepare. With tips from experts and ample time to train, you too can be part of this secret fraternity.

Avoid Burnout

Rip Esselstyn is a seasoned professional triathlete. He competed internationally for 11 years as a professional and still dominates his age group in many events. He has competed eight times in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon and has finished races from St. Croix to Maui. Just this year, Esselstyn, who is also a local firefighter, won a gold medal at the Police and Fire World Games held in Indianapolis — the second-largest sporting event in the world.

After years of competing in one of the most grueling sports, he advises amateurs, including first-time triathletes, to undertrain, rather than overtrain.

“I listen to my body a lot more now than when I was competing professionally,” he says. “Way too many people overtrain. They get run down, injured, sick, even burned out before the race. If you undertrain slightly, you are always motivated, always hungry and the likelihood of burnout isn’t as high.” Sarah Scott, president and cofounder of Ironsmith, the Fitness Doctors, and a U.S.A. Triathlon-certified coach, agrees.

“The No. 1 training mantra for beginning triathletes to know when training for their first event is: It is better to be 20 percent undertrained than 1 percent overtrained.”

Esselstyn suggests those who are preparing for triathlons don’t have to train as much as they think. “I would suggest people do about half the mileage that they actually do,” he says. “Take Dave Scott (who’s won the Ironman Triathlon six times) — his long run going into Ironman is just 20 miles, when on the day of the race, he’ll be doing 26 miles. He knows that in the heat of battle, your body will rise to the challenge.”

Designing A Training Schedule

So how does that translate into a training regimen? Esselstyn says an Olympic distance triathlon might require a weekly training schedule of 4 1/2 miles of swimming, with at least one open-water swim each week, 120 miles on the bike and 20 miles of running. But the distances are much shorter in a race like the Danskin Triathlon. In that case, he suggests being able to finish one and a half times the distance that you’ll be racing. For example, training for the half-mile swim for the Danskin would require you to be able to swim three-quarters of a mile before the race.

Ironsmith’s Scott says whenever you begin to design a triathlon training plan, it should be planned backwards. Planning backwards means that you back out your daily training from your future race date. “Planning your training backwards from your race date is the best way to ensure what you are doing today will get you where you want to be in the future,” she says. “It’s just like planning a trip route. Your final destination determines the route to take from your current location.”

With Internet resources and books from experts like Paula Newby-Fraser, eight-time Hawaii Ironman champion and author of “Peak Fitness for Women” (Human Kinetics Publishers, 1995), individuals have more access than ever to specific training schedules of successful triathletes. That said, Scott believes most people need a coach to design an individual training program to meet their needs. “Multisport training plans must also take into account the person’s current health status, fitness level, medical history, orthopedic issues (low back, knee, shoulder, neck, etc.), age, strength, swim, bike and run skill levels,” says Scott. “One of the most important ideas a triathlon coach can teach a beginning triathlete is how to simplify the training process. A coach does this by helping the athlete filter out what training to do and what not to do.”

If that kind of specific coaching is beyond your budget, The Hills Fitness Center provides several clinics covering swimming, biking and running, plus other topics like “I’ve never done this before, now what?” for beginners.

“We help women who are training for the Danskin become comfortable with the event,” says Michelle Melkerson-Granryd, general manager of The Hills Fitness Center. “First-timers often want to know what to wear and how to make transitions.” The Hills also sponsors a dry run through the Danskin course in May to help women become more familiar with the route, as well as an open-water swim to help new recruits adjust to the feel of “swimming where there is no side,” says Melkerson-Granryd.

In addition, the University of Texas offers an informal class on triathlon training, taught by Lisa Lynam, series director of Multisportswomen, an Austin-based group that sponsors duathlons and adventure races.

When Should You Start Training? Yesterday!

If your goal is simply to finish a triathlon, Esselstyn says you don’t need that much lead time, as little as a month of concentrated training should do. But you must be in relatively good shape to start with. “In that time, your muscles can get an idea of what it would be like to complete a triathlon,” says Esselstyn.

Scott believes most people need more time. “Ideally, people should begin training for their first triathlon 12 months in advance of their first event. However, in my coaching experience, most people actually begin to think about training for their first event only 12 weeks in advance,” she says. “This being said, you can get ready to complete your first triathlon in as little as five well-planned training hours a week.”

Esselstyn says what holds most amateur athletes back is the open-water swim. “It is the most dangerous part if you are not comfortable in open water,” he says. “If you can get through the swim, then you can get through the race, because you can grind out the biking portion, and if you’re tired you can walk instead of run.

“It’s all mental,” continues Esselstyn. “Anyone can do it. There are all kinds of people, all shapes, sizes and ages who compete in triathlons. Don’t look at it as a race; just look at it as fun.”

Team Spirit

Triathlons may be an individual sport, but members of Austin Triathletes see it as a team experience. Five years ago, this group of triathletes began what they call a mentorship program to encourage first-time competitors to prepare for the Danskin Triathlon. The program has grown, and continues to encourage new triathletes like Brenda Houck to prepare for triathlons.

Houck says she couldn’t have made it through the Ironman Florida race without the help of Jeff Rogers, mentor and president of Austin Triathletes. “Advice from someone who’s been there when you don’t have a clue what you’re getting into is invaluable,” says Houck, who’s now training for Ironman Canada. “Jeff helped me in terms of how much cycling, running and swimming to do per week, plus other tidbits,” says Houck, “like to run as soon as you get off the bike, called hitting the bricks. It’s a strange feeling and the more you do it, the better it feels.”

The mentoring also gave Houck the motivation to train more frequently, especially on the bike. “Personally, I have a hard time getting enough cycling in, so I have joined groups to get it done,” says Houck. “If you’re not self-motivated or disciplined in a particular area, there are lots of groups to help you accomplish your goals.

“Triathlon is such a different sport, you have to find your way to do it,” she says.

Balcom-Boone has found her way. After being declared cancer-free this January, she is training five to six days a week at The Hills Fitness Center, which offers Team Survivor members free daily training sessions.

“I’m looking forward to shaving off some time in the Danskin this year. I feel stronger, and more comfortable with the events,” says Balcom-Boone. “Cancer has made a big difference in my life. I now look forward to these races. I have to do it to stay healthy.”