The Real Training Begins

There are about 14 weeks until the Triathlon. ACS has hooked up their runners with an amazing coaching staff at Asphalt Green on the Upper East Side, as well as, personalized online training logs. I live and work in Jersey so getting to the Upper East Side can be rather difficult. Even with the difficulty that distance presents, it’s worth coming in for at least some of the workouts. If I had to take away one thing from the past few months of training, a huge chuck of this sport is mental. You get to a certain point and your body does so much more than you think it can. Within a short time, I’ve been able to run faster and farther than I thought I could. A lot of times it comes down to motivation. Alone at the gym or running at the waterfront, I can quit whenever I want. My mind starts playing tricks, and I can reason yourself out of finishing your workout. With a group, everyone is in together. I’ll push through and end up going farther than you would on your own. That feeling of exhaustion and completion is something truly unique. I’m not sure how to describe it, but if you’ve felt it, you know.
The coaches at Asphalt Green are incredible. A lot of these guys are Ironman triathletes. They’re in a whole other category of fitness and self-awareness. I’ve got a ridiculous amount to learn from these dudes and I’ve got less than 4 months to do it in. With endurance sports, especially biking and swimming, technique is everything. Bad form leads to injuries as well as fatiguing way too quickly. Good form allows you to regulate your body and sustain yourself for ungodly distances. It’s going to be an intense 14 weeks, but I’m looking forward to it.
So that’s where I am right now, looking ahead to finishing my first triathlon with the help of an amazing team. Everybody knows that nothing worth doing is ever easy. I’ve looked at the training schedule for the next few months and intense doesn’t quite describe it. Brick workouts, running the hills, swimming to China and back, 40mi bike rides, all just training for an event that will most likely be over before the majority of Americans wake up on Sunday, July 18th. I’m ready.