Climbing to Swim

Over the last eight months I’ve circled back to one of my earliest passions, rock climbing. My dad taught me to rock climb when I was in first grade, and I loved every moment of it. Rock climbing as a hobby for me fluctuated over the years, and as I took up other sports more earnestly, it faded to a fond memory.

I Cleaned For Once!

No, mom, this isn’t a joke – I cleaned! But actually, I’m talking about the olympic lift, not cleaning my apartment. (Aha, misleading title!) This type of cleaning is one I can definitely get behind; the apartment cleaning, not so much.

Off-Season Motivation and Weightlifting

To be honest, I have fully embraced the triathlon “off-season” and have probably taken it a bit too far. As in, I run max 10 miles a week, I loathe my indoor trainer, and haven’t stepped foot in a pool for a couple months. I know this is going to make starting the new season even more difficult, but I honestly saw no other way to deal with my post-marathon struggles.

Standard Leg Day Workout

Besides all of the running I’ve been doing for my marathon training, I’m also attempting to maintain any muscle I might have. I really enjoy weightlifting, and while it’s playing second fiddle right now, I’m still trying to fit it in whenever possible, without negatively affecting my runs. So here is a leg day workout that I struggled through this week.

7 Week Marathon Training Plan: Week 1

Now that the Nation’s Triathlon is over (race report in the works), I can focus on training for the Marine Corps Marathon which I recently signed up for. I only have 7 weeks left until the marathon, and I already know it’s going to be rough to get myself in marathon shape in that time. But, I’ve written a decent marathon training plan for myself, and I thought I’d share it here, week by week, as I progress through the plan.

PSA – Stretching

One of the things I’ve come to neglect in training is…drum roll please…stretching. I have never been flexible. Ever. In school, for the President’s Physical Fitness Test, the stupid straight leg stretch would consistently pull my score down. My toes and I aren’t super familiar, and my hamstrings are tighter than Guantanamo Bay. 

Squat Day!

Yesterday was a glorious Monday and I finally got in a solid leg workout again! My triathlon season is winding down, and I’m focusing on some more strength-building for the Spartan Race I plan to do in a month. A Spartan Race is a completely different beast from triathlons, and requires different, but complementary, fitness. 

Weightlifting – Part III

This is part III of my (accidental) weightlifting series. If you want to read part II or part I, they’re hyperlinked!  I didn’t envision this as a series, but I’m realizing that I actually have a lot to say on the subject of weightlifting and triathlon training.

One of my weak points in triathlon is the swim. My swim technique leaves a lot to be desired, and my musculature frequently falls short when it’s needed.

Weightlifting – Part II

Last week I published a post titled “Triathlon Training and Weightlifting” where I ran through one of my typical leg-day workouts. I really do think weightlifting can easily get ignored when all you want to do is get out on your bike. But weightlifting is important for so many reasons, including: finding and correcting imbalances, strengthening stabilizer muscles, recruiting the core muscles in different ways, and generally creating well-rounded athletes. I wanted to follow that post up with a Part II, running through my Tuesday – Arms workout. It’s below; let me know what you think! 

Triathlon Training and Weightlifting

 

Triathlon training caters to, and creates, a certain type of athleticism. The constant pounding, pushing the heart and the body to be as efficient as possible. Hundreds of thousands of repetitions of strokes and steps only serve to reinforce certain muscles of the body, certain neural firings. Practice makes perfect, and the hours of training only reinforce the specific actions needed in the sport.