Here we go again… after my success at the Human Race Lidl Kingston Breakfast Run and a fun filled Run or Dye 5K, I have decided to brave my first ever Triathlon – The Human Race Lidl BananaMan. I have successfully managed to get out of it the last few years but this year I thought it’s time for a new challenge. Here we go, all signed up with my wet suit and bike organised, time to start my training.

By the way, the Run or Dye 5K was so much fun, I have always wanted to do something like this and when I saw it coming up, I signed up immediately and of course made sure my friends joined me. There was great music and loads of colour. The route was a bit hilly, so we got a good workout as well. I think it was well organised and it was a great way to do something different with less pressure.

Back to the Triathlon training and  I have no idea where to start. I have no problem with running but I’m a little worried about how the swimming and cycling will affect my run.  Although, I am probably over thinnking it and doubt it will be as bad as I think it might be!

After I signed up for this event, which is again sponsored by Lidl UK, I decided to sit down and do some serious research on how to survive and train for a triathlon. My colleagues who’ve done the Triathlon before, suggested that I should organise some swimming sessions to work on technique. Swimming I can do, but 400 meters in open water… I don’t think I have ever swam this much. Prepearation is key, so with 2 months to go I will have enough time to train and get myself prepared for the 400 meter swim.Human Race also provide a lot of training support, with training plans for any event available on their website. This is very useful if you are not sure where to start, I have used it as a guideline before and it has been successfully tested by other people before as well. Heres a link to the beginnners guide.

Did you know that 56% of Triathletes come from running? This is what I found out from my last newsletter from Human Race. It’s very interesting but doesn’t surprise me at all and I do know lots of people who have done a fair bit of running and now do all sorts of other crazy events, including triathlons. I guess after you run for a long time you may just come to a point at which you need a new challenge and bring more variety into your training. That is what I am trying to do. Now, not only will I be going for outdoor runs but  will also start to train on the spinning bikes and swim at least once a week in my local gym. I do hope that this will be enough.

How much training can I put into this? Being a Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor next to already working 40 hours a week in an office will make it tricky but for sure not impossible. Since I am training regularly anyway I will just have to adjust the training routine and plan slightly differently. Nutrition wise, I eat healthy (ish!) already so I won’t need to change much there. I started to eat porridge in the morning and must say I got used to it. I am also adding Peanut butter (without any additives), Blueberries, Bananas, Strawberries and other fruits which will make it a little bit tastier. The only thing I might need to include more to my diet is carbohydrates which will give me the extra energy that I’ll need. My plan is to not only to train the three disciplines but also to include strength training into my routine.

Since I do not have a bike like this at home, I hope I can do all my training on the spinning bike in the gym, I know it’s not the same but at least I can cycle without having to stop and I can monitor my training. Swimming, I will also be training indoors, I know open water is different but it’s too cold for me and I am not sure where and when I could train in a lake outside. All the ponds in my area are not really made for swimming and since I don’t have a car I cannot really go too far to swim in an open water. But these are just small things, which will not keep me from training. Main thing is I will try my best. Any training is better than no training at all, be it indoors or outdoors.

I will keep you posted on my training plan and if all went after plan, so watch this space, I’m coming back with updates soon. Happy training!