While I was sidelined indefinitely from running I did a lot of biking and swimming to try to replace pounding the pavement. During this time I realized a few things:
1. Biking makes me feel hardcore because I can get in a lot of miles in a short amount of time. Even though I know this logic is severely flawed, I compared my biking mileage to my running mileage and it made me feel a teensy bit better.
2. I really missed swimming. I grew up always on a swim team and I love being in the water. Swimming makes me feel powerful in a way that is different than running and I love the fluidness that comes with flip-turning at the end of each lap and flowing into the next. Swimming is something that comes effortlessly to me.
That being said, I was asked many times, especially by my dad, if all of that swimming and biking I was doing was going to turn into a triathlon.
None of these people are me. But you probably knew that.
The answer, right now, is no.
I know that it seems like a natural progression, however I just have no desire to do one. I can’t even really pinpoint why I don’t want to, I just don’t.
I also haven’t been swimming or biking in weeks. The biking I am iffy on as it is, but the swimming I really did intend on keeping up. But for one reason or another (ok, it’s so I can run) I’ve skipped out on any swims I’ve scheduled into my planner during the week. I want to eventually pick it back up again, but for now I want to just love that I can run again. I want to build up my mileage and I want to focus on slowly gaining back all of the speed and endurance that I lost.
Here I am running fast! And I am happy! And I love running!
I am also inherently lazy when it comes to working out. This probably sounds like a contradiction, because it takes a lot of motivation to not only find the time to work out, but also to actually do it, so how can I be lazy? To put it simply, I have to go to the gym to swim or bike. I own a treadmill so I can just walk to a room in my house to do that. When my alarm goes off in the morning and the option is to walk to the other side of the house or drive to the gym guess what always wins?
And then there’s the fact that I just don’t want to work out that much. Right now I’m in a bit of a lull when it comes to working out (if you follow me on DailyMile then you know that my strength-training has been virtually nonexistent) and I’ve kind of enjoyed just taking it easy and only working out for 30-45 minutes a day. After rigorous two-a-day workouts for weeks, taking it a bit slower has been divine. I feel like triathlon training would result in one thing for me: being burned out. And I don’t want to be burned out, I want to run.
My hat is off to everyone who does triathlons. I am in awe of your ability to keep up with three sports. However I just don’t see myself competing in one any time soon. Though I did say the same thing about never doing a marathon and we all know how that one turned out. So we’ll see. But not this year.
Any triathlon junkies out there? How on earth do you manage all 3 sports?!
hey, concentrate on getting back into one thing right? I think it is all about knowing that you can do one in the future.
amen to that!
For me, triathlon training is what keeps me running fast and strong. the cross training benefits of swimming and biking have translated into huge gains in my running. in fact, i got injured when i dropped biking and swimming. My balance comes in that I typically run 3 days a week. I bike 2-3. I swim 1-2. Sometimes that means I have a double day, but when those happen, 1 of the sports was a shorter workout. But, I fully agree that you should do what you love!!
but what about strength training? how do you make time for that too?
I don’t know how tri people do it. I couldn’t even balance trying to get ready for the MS 150 and a half marathon. No way could I add in swimming… plus, I don’t swim well. Don’t do any triathlons, let’s do some 5ks.
i’m down for a 5k!
I wish I was a tri girl…but I’m a terrible swimmer and afraid of open water.
I would love to bike, but haven’t quite commited to purchasing one.
I’ve never done an open water swim, so I hear that. And I only own a mountain bike… I don’t think that’s quite the same as a cycling one haha!
I know a girl who does tris and she works out all.the.time. Like, crazy. And I think I workout a lot, so if I think she’s crazy, that’s saying something. I’m having a hard enough time getting my strength and yoga in with marathon training. I can’t imagine trying to swim and bike, too! Plus, I am SO lazy. I would NOT be getting my butt to the gym at 5 AM. I have a hard enough time getting up to run outside, and that’s just steps away.
Where was I going with this? Oh, yes. I am SO beyond THRILLED that you are running again!!! Enjoy getting back to it. You deserve to savor the running and let any and everything else take a backseat right now! XOXO Love you, friend!
xoxoxo LOVE YOU!!
Yay for running! I have no idea how people fit it all in. They are amazing! I’ve thought about a triathlon (mainly because I have a friend pestering me to do one), and there is something about biking and running in a wet suit (do they call them tri-suits? or swimsuits? or something else entirely?) that grosses me out. It does not sound appealing at all. Silly, I know, but I can’t get passed it.
no way, i think it sounds a little weird too!
I actually got my adult fitness “start” in sprint triathlons. I just got burned out of the 3 sports and switched to running. They are a lot of fun but they do take a ton of time to train for. I think you should tri one. Get it? TRI one? Yes, I am lame.
bahaha not lame, i laughed out loud. maybe next year. but right now i’m too stoked to be running.
We are so the same. Except, I own the bike and not the treadmill and would still rather run. I love swimming but that 10 minutes to the pool is often 10 minutes too much.
haha, right?! why does it seem like so long?!
I used to be a “runner” (if you will) but then many injuries sent me to cross train in order to stay in shape. It wasn’t until then that I realized how much I LOVE to swim and bike. Between the 3 sports and weight training it’s a lot of hours for sure but it’s how I clear my mind. I think it helps that I love getting up at the crack of dawn to workout. But I can see how people would get burned out.
I am a morning worker-outer too, and I LOVE to swim (I swam competitively for years before I even considered running)… I’m just not sure I could healthily balance all 3 sports PLUS weight training. But maybe I could. We’ll see
Oh my gosh I need you as a swim partner then! I am having such a hard time getting someone to do early am swims. I wish you the best of luck if you decide to tackle it all.