Novice due to race 13 Aug

Hi Gill,

Congrats on deciding to take the time to take care of yourself. You chose a very challenging and rewarding sport. You are going to do great if you stay consistent.

Your progression looks sound. I would suggest that you work up to runs, bikes, and swims that are the same length, or about the same length as your race distances. (Example; Get to a 800m swim at some point if the distance of your swim leg is 800m) If 800 m straight is too daunting do 4x200 or 8x100 freestyle efforts.

One last thing that I would suggest is adding some core and strength work into your workouts. You could do these on your days off or on your swimming days. An example of strength training could be. (3x: 10x air squats; 10x push ups; 10 x rows; 1 min bridge) Sets of bridging would be a great addition to your workout plan along with crunches and leg lifts. Also doing any exercise with one leg/one arm engages your core in a dynamic way that using 2 legs or 2 arms does not allow.

Again congrats and I look forward to hearing about your success!

Chad Castillo

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Thanks Chad. So I'm up to the distance now in all 3 disciplines - which is real progress for me. I'm 46 and not much of an athlete - never have been!
On strength training, I haven't really got the hang of that yet. I can certainly add it to the gym days. What's a bridge? I think I understood the other things you suggested.