Two a days

When I first talked to Zetta Young back in December I quickly learned she is not only enthusiastic about offering advice and help, but she also has the experience to know what she is talking about.

Zetta is accomplished in triathlon and also in the individual challenge of marathon. She has qualified for, competed in, and completed the Hawaii Ironman. Ditto for the Boston Marathon. I mention this not so much to brag about Zetta, though she is somewhat reluctant to do it herself, but to clarify that when Zetta offers advice, it is a practiced advice which has worked for her, and probably is something we who are just learning need to heed. In the course of that December conversation, I asked Zetta about her workout schedule.

“Oh, I usually swim a couple of times a week, bike three times a week, and run three times a week,” said Zetta.

I smarted off: “That makes an eight day week.”

“No,” she patiently replied, though she knew I was kidding. “Some days I will bike and run the same day, or swim and bike. And, of course, you take a day off to rest.”

The point of this is to remind us all that in order to train thoroughly for the challenge of a triathlon we have to do double disciplines now and then, especially once the training begins ramping up. Another accomplished athlete who contributes to this blog is Shelly Campbell. Shelly is a coach, an internationally competitive bicyclist and triathlete. She has kindly put together a training program for me as I work towards my first triathlon experience. Needless to say, there are days of double duty. And later in the training schedule there are days to practice the transitions from one part of the tri to another. It all makes sense, especially when you know it comes out of Shelly’s own experience of being competitive and successful as an athlete.

So let’s get with it, triathletes. Within the past week and a half I have practiced some of what Zetta and Shelly preach. It’s a different experience to run and swim on the same day, or to bike and swim as I did today. Sure, I will eventually put these into the proper sequence and also practice the “bricks” (biking followed by running) which I anticipate WILL be as difficult as everyone says it is. My experience so far is that it is a blast. You work out hard in one discipline, get the endorphins kicking, then leap into the next sport and get that endorphin rush. It feels good to work out hard and feel so great about it afterwards. You begin to get that taste in your mouth that Josh Davis once mentioned to me. Said Josh: "Nothing tastes as good as being fit."

If you’re training for a competition, or just working to get fit, I hope you will chime in on this discussion. Let us know what you are up to. And by all means, let’s take advantage of having Shelly and Zetta on board to help us all out. Additionally, though I didn’t give a proper introduction to Jeff Campbell, he’s our cyclist and will be glad to address any bike related issues. Let’s use these resources!