Archive for the 'Triathlon' Category
“Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are.” - Muhammad Ali
“My muscles hurt, I must be because I am old ”
“I’m too old for doing ….” insert an activity
“I’m too old to start exercising now”
“It’s because I am getting old, that I can’t lose fat!”
Take your pick, I have heard them all, usually from people young enough to know better.
I was talking to some of my clients today over lunch, the lunch was a celebratory meal after completing a five kilometer race in the wet, slushy horrible weather we are experiencing here in Luxembourg this weekend. A couple of these “girls” are in the most polite way the wrong end of 30 something, but each of them has found that health and fitness doesn’t stop at age thirty.
They are planning to take part in a Triathlon next summer, they are talking about all the training they will be doing over the next few months, planning which preparation events they are going to do, including the relay ING marathon in May.
The thing is, just a few short months ago they were asking me if coming to do ForestFit was going to be too hard for them. Now with massively elevated confidence levels and a new understanding of what their body is capable of. Their goals are now much higher.
Some of my best clients have been the wrong side of fifty years. They still have managed to lose significant amounts of body fat. One of them has claimed they feel fitter and healthier at age fifty something, than they did at thirty something!
… Muhammad Ali’s quote is a startlingly coherent from a guy who did most of his talking with a brutal “right”. But it is a real observation of what is the difference between those that achieve massive results “despite” their age and those that give up as soon as they reach a certain age.
How old do you think you are??
Getfit Triathlon Group
26.10.08The word is out and it looks like we have a dedicated, determined group of Getfit clients and trainers that are setting their sights on the Echternach Triathlon 2009.
Looking at their weakest event, swimming, they got themselves to the Bonnevoie pool bright and early (see Training Early blog) to start their training.
Realizing they could not swim the breaststroke for 1.5k in the race, they needed help!
Help was found as they committed to my Front Crawl Training Session, 2x a week. We focus on a variety of drills for balance, buoyancy, rotation, and breathing.
The first day a lot of water was drunk by those never learning to breathe to the side, exhaling (blowing bubbles) while their face is in the water and inhaling as the face turns to the side partially out of water.
What’s amazing is the difference in just 3 training sessions…the water of the pool is stabilizing! Seriously, improvements in breathing have been made…next we continue with body position. Good body positioning is key to good swimming!
If you are interested in doing a triathlon or joining us at the pool for learning the front crawl, send an email to carrie@getfit.lu
Coming up soon look for Getfit’s Triathlon Training Clinic offering how to prepare for a triathlon, guiding you through the basics of each individual sport and show you how to put them all together.
Carrie Heinrich
Getfit personal trainer
Competitive Triathlete 1986-2002
#1 ranked Female Triathlete Hawaii 1989-1991
You’ve got your goal to complete a triathlon? You’ve looked at what is your strongest and weakest of the 3 triathlon events. Now it’s time to start putting together your training.
When you start planning your triathlon training plan, you want to make the most out of your strengths and reduce your weaknesses, both physically and mentally. Reaching for small goals help you achieve this.
It’s essential to start with your weakest event. Swimming? Get yourself to a pool at least 3-4x a week. The more you are in the water the better. Take a Front Crawl Swim Clinic working on technique. Biking? Get a bike, get fitted properly and find a group to start riding with. Check with your local bike stores. Running? Again, make this 3-4x a week commitment. Put the most time into your weakest event until it catches up to your strong ones.
Lastly, the 4th event of the triathlon is transitions. This is the period going from one event (swimming) to the next event (biking) and to the final event (running). Your body needs to know what it is like quickly switching from one sport to the another using different muscles and more importantly, the same muscles already fatigued.
