“Triathlon was invented in the early 1970s by the San Diego Track Club, as an alternative workout to the rigours of track training. The club’s first event consisted of a 10km run, an 8km cycle and a 500 metre swim.”
“The official distance for Olympic triathlon was set at a 1.5-kilometer swim, a 40-kilometer bike and a 10-kilometer run – taken from existing events in each discipline already on the Olympic programme. Since 1989, the sport has grown rapidly and now has over 120 affiliated National Federations around the world.”
“During an awards banquet for the Waikiki Swim Club, John Collins, a Naval Officer stationed in Hawai’i, and his wife Judy, began playing with the idea of combining the three toughest endurance races on the island into one race. They decided to issue a challenge to see who the toughest athletes were: swimmers, bikers, or runners. On February 18, 1978, 15 competitors, including Collins, came to the shores of Waikiki to take on the first-ever IRONMAN challenge.”
~Originally from: Iron man Triathlon
The sport has seen increasing popularity in recent years. Many athletes venture into this arena of competitive sports to test their abilities. Two of our very own Pro-Motion athletes want to share with you their journeys as one continues triathlon competition and the other begins her own path to TRI.
Why not TRI?
Natalie Nobbs
BS-Ex. Sc., FAFS
Personal Trainer
Hello! My name is Natalie Nobbs and I am an exercise physiologist with Pro-Motion Physical Therapy & Functional Fitness. At the beginning of this year, I received an email about a local sprint triathlon. Although I didn’t give it much thought initially, the same email resurfaced a few weeks later and I seriously began to consider doing the tri…
“Why not?! What a great goal to set for 2016, right?”
Well, as of May 2nd, I am officially registered for the Valley of the Sun Triathlon July 10th and have begun my 10-week long training for it.
My athletic career began back in my freshman year of high school. I played volleyball and ran track for Riverside Christian High School here in Yakima. I then continued to run track on scholarship for four years at Seattle Pacific University (SPU).
I am a sprinter and jumper by nature. I have run everything from the 400 meters and under, as well as relays and some hurdles. When I got to SPU I ended up specializing in the Long Jump and 400 meter Hurdles. Since college my running continued, though now my running looks more like 20-30 minute bouts (typically 2-3 miles). Let’s just say my fast-twitch, type-II muscle fibers don’t have as much desire to run long distances as those marathoners out there! I also regularly lead and participate in our high intensity circuit classes throughout the week here at Functional Fitness. I keep active by participating in hiking, biking, dancing or any other sport or activity involving movement!
This will be my first triathlon. My previous training involved a team atmosphere with a coach directing the workouts. Though I am a trainer, I must admit often times I find it hard to motivate myself to push harder… naturally, my competitive nature flourishes when others are around. Knowing this, I am excited to have the opportunity to compete in a whole new way!
The idea of mastering and accomplishing three different mediums of athletic performance is intimidating, yet I find a certain thrill in the thought of being able to say I met the challenge. Who knows, maybe I’ll become one of those triathlon addicts everyone keeps telling me about!
I am thrilled I get to share my triathlon training experience with you! Through this process my goal and my hope is to be able to offer advice for successful training, including tips on cross-training, proper rest and nutrition, equipment use, and self-motivation techniques. Though I hope to offer advice, I also welcome any advice anyone with more experience has to offer me. So, feel free to share with me and everyone else whatever wisdom you have!
Let’s do this thing!!!
For more information or questions please contact Functional Fitness at 509.452.4187.
What I've learned from triathlon
JOSHUA STOUFFLET
PT, DPT, OCS, MTC
Physical Therapist
I came into the world of triathlon with no experience in endurance sports. My athletic background is in football, basketball, track, and baseball. The idea of running was a punishment. I couldn’t understand how people did it for enjoyment.
I competed in my first triathlon only because a girl I was interested in had asked if I wanted to do one with her.
After that triathlon, I went to Physical Therapy School and didn’t compete for 2 years.
Since starting again in 2013, I have completed 1 full (140.6 miles), 6 half’s (70.3 miles), 1 Olympic(32.2mi), and 4 sprint distance triathlons(16mi),. In 2016, I have 2 half’s on my schedule with the first being Ironman 70.3 Victoria followed by Ironman 70.3 Coeur d'Alene 2 weeks later.
In this post I will discuss my experience with my first triathlon, lessons learned, and 3 things you should do every single day to prepare for your first triathlon.
My first triathlon consisted of a road bike with cages (rather than clip-in bike pedals), helmet, bike shorts, running shoes, and goggles. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I completed the 800m swim in 22 minutes with about half being the side stroke. When I got to transition (T1), I noticed my bike was re-racked and one of my cages was broken, so somebody was kind enough to pick my bike up after they knocked it over. I averaged 17.5 mph for the 18.5 mile bike course. Overall, I felt pretty good until I got out of T2 (between the bike and run) and realized what it was like to run with legs that weigh a ton a piece. My only goal on the run was not to stop. I was able to accomplish that, but it took me 28 minutes to do a 5k. I came in 24 out of 32 in my age group. Since then I have been consistent with my training by following a training plan, joining a master’s swim team, and slowly piecing together a solid triathlon bike. In my last sprint triathlon, I was able to drop my swim to under 15 min, average 23 mph on the bike, and run a 21 minute 5k.
The key lessons I have learned in training for a triathlon are the following:
1. Consistency – The fastest person doesn’t win the triathlon, it is the one who slows down the least. Consistency trumps intensity in racing and training. Intensity can be beneficial in training, but you must be consistent first by keep training simple rather than trying to make up a workout you missed the day before.
2. Training plan – Figuring out what and how to train for three sports can be daunting and stressful. Buying a training plan or getting a Tri coach can be very beneficial and motivating. The same goes for joining a local masters swim team. You don’t have to think about your workouts and you get feedback every time you get in the water.
3. Triathlon gear – Gear and bikes can be very expensive. You do not need to have the latest and greatest gear to do or win a triathlon. Some of the fastest times in the Ironman World championship were run in the 1980s and early 90s before we had all on the current technology. In essence, what I am saying is that your bike is fine and you can do a triathlon!
Three things that you need to do every day to prepare for your first triathlon.
1. Be thankful that you have the ability to train and have the opportunity to perform such task.
2. Don’t ask yourself if you're too tired to swim, bike, or run until you're 5 minutes into training - then make the decision.
3. Last, but not least, Enjoy it with a Smile!
Continue to follow my training with this triathlon blog series. Gain valuable insight and share your stories. Contact Pro-Motion Physical Therapy at 509.573.4816 or promopt.pt@promopt.us for questions.
