Women's Triathlon Training 2005
Palmerston North

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Page 2 of Triathlon Training

Triathlon Day
About this time last year someone
talked me into entering the
Palmerston North Women's triathlon.
I was overweight and not very fit
but decided I could probably manage it.
I intended to train hard.... but then the February Floods came, followed by the winds.
My training was minimal really.
But on the day of the triathlon, surrounded by all the other women completing it, I felt a real sense of achievement just doing it. I happily crossed the finish line: my first triathlon.
I have finished the 2004 triathlon!
2005

I decided to enter for the 2005 triathlon,
and decided I would take the training side of it much more seriously!
I printed off the training schedules on the website. I dated them.
I started. I found an A5 sized book to keep track of what I did.
I adapted the program to fit around work and other commitments.
For the past six weeks I have managed to exercise at least five times a week, even if some days it has just been a 30 minute walk around the block.
So far so good!
From being a winter blob I have become much more active and it feels great.
Contact Me
If you want to go to the 2006
women's triathlon site, Go here!

I also decided it was time I did something about my weight.

In 2006 I have a dream of cycling around at least some of France, over to Jersey (where my Payn ancestors come from) and maybe over to Ireland.
But realistically I know I am too heavy to cycle too far or up too many hills or with luggage on the back. I want to lose weight and maybe then this dream will become reality.

I read an article by Barbara Rolls whose studies have shown that people told to eat more fruit and veges have more success with weight loss than those told to eat less fat. Her studies showed that we tend to eat a fairly consistent weight of food daily. If we eat things less dense in calories like fruit and veges, we are more likely to lose weight. That makes sense to me and that seems like my style! I'll keep you posted!
Week 16 Highlights
This week I have been on two longish walks in the neighbourhood. I will be a "walker" in the tri but I had a dream last night that I ran it. My vigorous long strong walk yesterday afternoon must have inspired my dream.
Cattle on Aranui Road come to see the cyclist passing along their road.
The highlight of training this week has to be my Sunday cycle ride. After what seemed like days of wind and/or rain, this morning it dawned sunny and "almost" calm. I decided to head out into the countryside. I did a loop along Rongotea Road, down Aranui Road and back towards town along Flygers Line then back on the home straight down Ruahine St with a tailwind to help me home. 26km out into the spring Manawatu countryside.
Week 15 Highlights

This week at swimming I met up with someone who I made contact with through the Bulletin Board on the website. We arranged to meet at Freyberg Pool at 6.30am. Nothing like making a time with someone to get you to take notice of that alarm clock! It was great. JS is a fantastic runner but swimming is her least strong point in the triathlon. Just talking with someone getting ready for the same event was so good.

This week I have continued to build on my walking. I did another lap around my "hour block" and it seemed to take no time at all. It's so great to have daylight saving. I can get home after 5pm and still have plenty of daylight left for walking. It is becoming a natural part of my weekly routine. As is having lots of apples and carrots to snack on at home (instead of choccie things!).
Week 14 Highlights

Wednesday morning I had another date with J in the pool. So the alarm had to be set again! Good for both of us this! J brought her Mum along to the pool as well this week. Both of them are so friendly. The difference in J's swimming in one week was almost unbelievable. She had taken a lesson and her swim stroke was looking so relaxed and effective. Go J!
Highlight for me this week was another cycle ride out into the countryside. After so much yuk weather, there was an anticyclone on last night's weather map that actually turned into something called fine weather! I woke to sunshine and calm, and I headed out with plenty of water on board to visit my friend who has just moved onto the Mt Stewart-Halcombe Road. A bit of a step up in terms of distance but conditions were ideal. Most of the journey was flat but there were a couple of hills. The biggest, about 1km to the top of Mt Stewart, I never intended to cycle up. When I reached it I realised that in triathlon terms I could quite legitimately practise my "transition" from the bike to the walk.... and I cheerfully walked up the whole hill! Needless to say, when it was time to return, I was quite happy to zoom down it, and before I knew it, with all the downhill energy, I was safely back as far as Awahuri almost before I blinked!
Yes we do have some hills in the Manawatu! Taken on Mt Stewart hill.

There was something very special about cycling in along my friend's drive as she was cleaning the windows in the morning sun. Her boys were soon inspired to get onto their cycles as well.
A 45km round trip. (I love my "cateye" that lets me know how far I have gone: the salesman at Pedal Pushers who sold it to me also installed it on the bike so I could use it.)

One of the nice things about this cycle ride in the sun was seeing oodles of other cyclists out on the road.... and a quick "Good Morning" in passing was rather pleasant.
I returned home well satisfied with my efforts and rewarded myself with some "recovery" time, watching a video of the Breakers winning their game in Auckland the night before. Go the Breakers!

PS: Note to self: Summer might really actually be coming. Use some sunblock next time!
Week 13 Recovery

The training guide on the Official Site made it clear that recovery time was essential. Dave Driscole called it the Broccoli Factor. If you train too much you get all soggy and overdone. So I had to make myself have a really easy week this week, ready for the "Proper 12 Week training" next week, as we hit the 12 week countdown to Tri-Day. Just a few neighbourhood walks and cycle rides.

Today was sunny though and I could not stand to stay inside. I took a leisurely ride from home along the Bridle Track beside the Manawatu River. There is still a lot of damage evident after the floods. As I arrived at the Te Matai Rd end of the Bridle Track I saw Charolais and I was reminded of the day we saw them swimming in the river and coming up onto the stopbanks near Ruahine St. In places huge trees have been swept away with several metres of banks. The going under-tyre is still not as easy as it once was, despite all the hours of work that has clearly gone into restoration. But it was still a pleasant place to cycle.

On the way home I called into Pedal Pushers to get a few accessories like spare tubes and a pump. It is one thing to get a puncture in town... and quite another to get one 20km out of town where it is an awfully long walk home!

A view of the Manawatu River from along the Bridle Track.

From something I read on a Manawatu Triathlon Club press release, I gather that the walk/run must be going along the Bridle Track this year. I hope so. The endless expanse of flat green field at Ongley Park was my least favourite bit last year.... especially when I was just starting the second time around it as some were finishing!
OK..... my first lot of training is finished. I am very pleased with the improvement in my fitness. I now feel ready to start the "proper" 12 week training and will go onto the "fitter" programme.
Read all about it on the next page!
Read about Triathlon Day and see some photos here!