Running - the cherry on the cake

Running is the last discipline in the triathlon and perhaps it's one of the most demanding of all the three. After swimming and cycling you still need energy and strength to be able to run at a good pace. Personally I prefer short sprints, and because I trained volleyball (in which you were required to sprint very short distances) I was not bad at sprinting. However, if I wanted to participate in Triathlon, I needed to train my body and my legs to keep a certain pace for a much longer period of time.

If it was for me, I would have started running everyday to increase my stamina. However, Fabio requested me to train with a very slow pace because I needed to burn fat as well. Till now I managed to increase my distance from barely 5km to 10km very comfortably. Time per km has also decreased and that means that I am getting stronger.

Now, you might be asking that running is fairly simple...just one step after another and that's it. You're wrong! Running requires a technique as well that I am still trying to master till this very moment. To change from one technique (random) to the correct one is very difficult because you might have to use a different kind of muscles.

Also, there are many techniques and every technique has it's pros and cons. The problem now is to choose the most energy efficient and fastest technique there is and stick to it. Patience is required in running...especially when trying to sticking to a different technique.

My current time per km is not very good however it's improving an I am pretty sure that it will continue improving from time to time.

Will see how it goes! In the meantime, I wish a good day to everybody.

Cycling - speed...speed...speedddd!!!

By far, my favorite discipline is cycling. To be honest with you, I don't know how I can explain the feeling during a bike ride....maybe intense while relaxing at the same time, maybe. One has to try it :)

I had bought my first mountain bike when I had only 13 years for LM80 and I really loved every inch of it, even if it was really heavy (27KG), wasn't top of the range, had only 18 gears, the rear derailleur was only a Shimano SIS etc. I used to spend hours in our garage trying to make the best out of my bike. Always trying to make the gears shift instantly without any "noise". Always cleaning my bike, covering it with a piece of cloth before leaving the garage so that dirt would not get into the gears and sit on the bike itself. When my school organized a bike event during the sports day I always rode from home to school (St. Venera to Corradino hill), participate in any biking event available and then cycle back home. I also repaired everything in my bike! I NEVER trusted anyone to ride my bike...I was that careful and till this very day the bike is still working like clockwork.

Years after buying my mountain bike I stopped riding my bike due to other commitments however about a year ago I had decided to buy my second mountain bike (Orbea Toubkal) with 2 objectives in mind.

- staying fit and healthy
- really missed cycling and it's freedom sensation

 

This Orbea had an aluminum frame, thus weighed only 16kg (huge leap from my older bike), aluminum wheels with double wall, better group set and more gears, disk brakes and front suspension. I was really happy with it and it was a pleasure to ride such a good bike! However there was still something missing but I couldn't figure out that. Then one day during my weekly routine ride I encountered a guy with a road bike just ahead of me who was just starting to go down the "Burmarrad" road. This meant only one thing to me...I HAVE TO OVERTAKE THIS GUY AT ALL COSTS!! I started pedaling as hard as I could (while he was not pedaling at all), however I did not manage to overtake this guy. It was at that point when I realized that is missing in my bike....SPEED!! I am addicted to speed but could not afford a road bike.

To cut the story short, I managed to buy a road bike and everything...and I mean EVERYTHING changed from good to better. The ride seating position was something incredible, the aero-dynamics, the grip, the width of the frame....WOW!!! :O EVERYTHING IS MAKING SENSE NOW!!! =D

Swimming - the "all technical" discipline

The first thing my coach asked me was "do you know how to swim?" and my reply was "I have no problem whatsoever with swimming freestyle however I do not have the technique required to accomplish the swim part without drowning...lol"

My first swimming session started with a brief introduction of myself to the other triathletes and then, into the pool! Fabio (my coach) requested me to swim 100m as my first exercise to check how my swimming style is, what weaknesses I have, and all the other stuff. Swam my first 100m as requested and he told me that I need to put my head into the water, breath into the water and make myself more linear to the water surface. Doing those three things would make my swim more efficient and less energy consuming.

First try: Put head in water and start swimming...1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 strokes then stopped because I forgot to breath....

Second try: Put head in water, stroke 1, 2, 3, 4, tried to breath out....stroke 5...head out of water to breath in....head into water....stroke 7, 8, 9....stopped because out of breath.

To cut the story short, my first swimming session was really crap however since I was determined that I can do it and also knew that this would be the hardest of the three disciplines I managed to grasp the breathing technique after about 6 sessions. Finally, I can now focus on my strokes, how to perform a more efficient stroke, kicking, body rolling etc.

Now, I have been practicing swimming for quite a few sessions and every session I feel that I am getting better and stronger...maybe it's just a placebo effect however results are already improving! 46 strokes to a cover a total of 50 meters.

Target: Train harder to swim more efficiently!

PS: Swimming in the cold climate of January and February in a heated pool, BLISS! =D

Triathlon Gear & the first few training sessions

As you should know by now, the discipline of Triathlon consists of three different sports in one. This means that before you decide to continue practicing this sport, you need to sit down and think about how much time, money and how many sacrifices you're willing to spend/do on such sport.

- If you have a very hectic and busy life such as going to work at 6am and not going back home before 11pm (due to other activities) then this is not the sport for you.
- If you want a sport that you do not have to spend hundreds on it, then forget triathlon. This is quite an expensive sport and if you are willing to get to a professional level, then you have to pay much more for equipment, memberships etc.

I had asked myself such questions and even if I am not a wealthy person, I wanted to do this sport.

"Where there's will, there's a way!"

Standard equipment you much have to be able to participate in a race:
- Good pair of sun glasses
- Good running shoes
- Running clothes
- Bike (Road bike is better than a mountain bike....however it's more expensive)
- Turbo trainer (to be able to cycle indoors when it's raining)
- Cycling clothes
- Swimming shorts
- Pull buoy
- Kick board
- Goggles
- Time, dedication, patience and support (a big thanks goes to my fiancée Erica)! :)

Fail in having one of those...and you will not be able to do such a race.

When I decided to start training, my coach asked me to perform a 5km run. No problem, started running but after 5 minutes my legs were already feeling a little bit wobbly. I managed to do a 5km run (without no hills) in 35 minutes but I was going to die when I stopped. I felt like fainting, and was going to puke. I was really out of shape however nowadays I can perform a 10km run within 57 minutes without experiencing any pain of dizziness.

When I had my mountain bike I used to ride from St. Venera through Attard, Rabat, Mosta, Burmarrad, St. Paul's Bay, Bugibba front and back in about 1 hour 37 minutes. Now, it takes me 1 hr 10 minutes to do the same route. That is what I call improvement! (This was also possible by using a road bike and not a mountain bike).

I know how to swim in sea and in the pool however I NEVER practiced swimming with my head in the water. That in fact was one big monster I had to tame. During my first swimming lesson I felt that I was really bloated. with the amount of water I had swallowed! You have to swim, and breath at the same time without loosing a second. This was really hard for me at first and however after some training sessions I am feeling that I got a better idea how things need to be done.

Weekend is approaching and that means that I have more time in which to exercise and get stronger.

Wish you readers a nice, relaxed weekend! :)

Motivation = fuel...MY FUEL

Triathlon...Swim, Bike then RUN! Usually anybody who chooses a sport would choose one discipline and train really hard to achieve his/her goal. Therefore, you can imagine how hard it is to train three disciplines at one go and practice them one after the other without resting a single second. You have to train constantly (physically and mentally) and with a plan in mind to be able to achieve this goal.

Some people/friends already told me that I'm mad to swim, cycle and then run...but hey, that's me! Maybe I'm mad...who knows! Maybe I chose triathlon because I do not excel in one sport and so I chose three at one go...could be! I also thought that I am mad during the first few months of training...having to swim in December, January and February is no easy task to do but I did it, and I'm still here, ready to kick some ass!

Motivation is key to anything we need to do in our life and motivation for triathlon is like using Nitrous Oxide during a car race! Usually I gather my motivation from video clips like the one I am posting below:

If any athlete/triathlete is reading my blog and maybe he has questions that needs to be answered before his race, you're not alone. New questions popup into my mind everyday, you're not alone! My approach to such questions is to TRY....if I don't succeed, TRY AGAIN!

Remember: What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger!

For now, I am trying to make my best in learning the technique of all three disciplines...then I will concentrate on speed (the part that I like most :) )

Something that keeps me going

Five months have already passed since when I started training. Weight is constantly going down, getting leaner and stronger however it was NOT plain sailing...not at all!

The first month was really painful. After some years of being totally inactive (couch potato) I expected some pain (particularly in my legs) however the day after each training session I would barely be able to stand up on my legs. I knew that this would have been a really important checkpoint and I had to reach it if I wanted to continue training.

And so I did! Training nowadays is not THAT painful anymore but even if it was more painful than in the beginning, I would have kept going...and there is no way I will stop now! Training for the race and the race itself has something that will keep you going. Like a drug, sort of...

Off to training we go....MUST GET FITTER!! :)

Hello (blogging) world!

I am one of those guys who really love sports (all kind of sports). Since when I was just a kid, I played soccer every morning with my school mates, always had an excellent performance during sports days and when I got a little older I decided to start Volleyball. One of my aims was to take part in the National Volleyball Marathon (held on a yearly basis), thus I started training hard so that I could achieve my goal.

My volleyball team was Fleur-de-lys and I used to play in the Under-19's and 2nd division. After 3 years of hard training I finally qualified to perform the Volleyball Marathon (242 hrs).

WIII!! GOAL ACHIEVED!!!

Since I managed to achieve my goal, I sat back thinking what's next. 1st division was going to be my next stepping stone. Trained everyday to try to reach my goal however (sadly enough) I was not able to continue performing me daily training due to work, and other personal issues.

Instead of quitting, I decided to decrease my training from Monday to Friday, to Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Again, I couldn't manage to stick to my plan so I decided to make 1 last step before quitting from volleyball. Started training every Monday and Wednesday but apparently 24 hrs a day aren't enough for me so I decided to quit. In all honesty, It was already making no sense in training 2 times a week with such a high goal to reach.

6 years passed by like a split second and I gained some weight (as expected). That meant only 1 thing...DIET TIME!!!

Bought a mountain bike from a local shop and started cycling every Saturday. I really loved watching the "Tour de France" and "Giro d'Italia" on TV but I never had enough money to buy a road bike. I started to lose some weight and I also managed to increase the trip distance and it really felt good. :)

SUDDENLY.....(drum roll) one of my colleagues asked if I wanted his road bike (Full Carbon with Ultegra group set) and the answer was "let me sell my mountain bike first....." after a few days I had my own road bike.

And the adventure starts here....

Since I also had Racing (could not practice it due to lack of funds and resources) and photography as a hobby I decided to go speak with someone in the Malta Triathlon Association group (on Facebook). Agreed with him that I would go and see an event and also snap some photos.

Woke up early, went to the Starting line and was (and still am) amazed by the friendly environment, the triathletes, the equipment, the friendly competition between them etc.... 

*thinking*
....I cannot afford a racing car...but I have a racing bike...bike + racing = my kind of sports...hmmm...I also like swimming and running....what do I have to lose?! Win-Win situation!
*thinking*

BULL'S EYE!! BING! BING! BING!

NEW GOAL: DO TRIATHLON NEXT YEAR!!! :)