Those Who Tri

Those of you close to me already know, I run, I bike ... but I don't swim. So I did feel a bit of hesitation when I found out that I'd be meeting my team members and coaches at our first training session which consisted of a swim and a run on Sunday.

"Hi, I'm Chris, the new guy ... now watch me choke and drown."

Fortunately, my training partner, Danielle, happily agreed to meet me at Lifetime on Friday morning for a swim. I knew that it wouldn't make Sunday any easier, but at least I'd know what to expect (the practice swim went well - lots of breaks, but we got through it). We followed that up with an hour-long cycling session on Saturday morning, as if my legs weren't going to be tired enough going into Sunday.

Then came the training session on Sunday. Showing up to the pool at Cranbrook was about what I expected with regards to how friendly all of the team members and coaches were! We got some inspiring words from the coaches, circled up for a "go team" (I'm in the blue boardshorts and backwards white hat, above), and jumped in.

We swam for 1,500 meters. Or maybe 1,200? Breathing and focusing on your stroke is hard enough. Adding in counting laps at this point is way too much to ask. Our coach, Anne, was incredibly helpful. A few quick tips from her about body position and breathing control went a long way!

An hour later it was out of the pool, back to the locker rooms for a quick change, and then outside for the run. I expected this to be the difficult part. Especially after a swim (which my muscles aren't used to), and taking into account that we were running in 32 degree temperatures. We ran a slow 1.5 miles around the lake at Cranbrook, and it went very smoothly. I'm used to running around three miles fast, so this was just what I needed after that swim.

Even in the cold weather, my IT band behaved itself (thank you!). We ended the session with a group stretch. I picked up a few great new stretches, some of which are very focused on lengthening the IT band.

This was definitely a fantastic start to my training!

Oh, and be sure to check out a video of the session!