Tag Archives: triathlon

Triathlon Tuesday: Get your Swim on & a Race Giveaway!

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I’m going to honor my triathlon obsession by starting a Triathlon Tuesday series!  Last week I posted about some common first timer triathlon questions, and later in the week about a training plan.

So when you’re working on swimming, there’s a big general tip that’s different than what you may think about with running or other workout principles:

  • Work on your swim technique more than distance. If you can improve your swim form, you’ll be more efficient overall MUCH more quickly than working on overall swim endurance.

Right now in sub 40 degree weather, you’re probably in the pool more than in open water. And if you’re not, well I’m jealous of you since you’re probably in some place much warmer than Chicago!

Swimming!

Swimming!

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So what can you do?

  1. Work with a swim group or get a few coaching sessions.  A coach can provide some good pointers, and it’s always good to see what other people are doing. 
  2. Watch some YouTube videos on areas you need to work on.   I’d swum for 10 years on swim team growing up and thought I knew swimming form until I started up with a coach again.  I’ve been watching videos to better understand what I’ve been missing since before YouTube was invented.

Some blog posts I’ve found helpful:

A few YouTube videos I’ve liked:

 

And onto the Race Giveaway!

I was asked to run in the Chicago 13.1 but will be occupied due to Ragnar! If you haven’t run on the south side lakefront, this might be a good race for you!

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Chicago 13.1 Giveaway Rules

  1. One reader will receive a free entry to the Chicago 13.1 or 5K.
  2. Required to enter the giveaway: what are you looking forward to about summer running? 
  3. Bonus entry:  if you tweet, facebook or blog about this, then you will receive an extra entry!
  4.  Bonus Entry:  Like LaurenRuns on Facebook!
  5. This giveaway is open until 5:00 PM CST on Sunday, March 10.  I will announce the winner on Monday, March 11.
  6. This giveaway is open to anyone who can make it to the race on June 8!
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RoadID Review & Discount Code

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Today I’m enjoying a snowday with some yuppie triathlete indulgences.  Cocktail with breakfast (I considered and chose not to add coconut water), gluten free waffles & blondies, and a TV marathon that I’ve been hearing good things about from Katie!

And in honor of my snowday, I figured that I should share a little something with everyone else!

For Christmas I got a special gift to go toward my training this year.  I do a lot of my outside running in the early morning, and am planning to do a lot more cycling this year in preparation for Racine  So Mike got me a little ICE policy – a Road ID!

I got a giftcard, and I had to pick out which product I wanted.  I picked out the Wrist ID Elite and an extra wrist band – a good amount for my $30 gift card!

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And when my workout fashion changes:

IMG_1105I can switch to pink!

The Wrist ID Elite allows you to customize the length of your wrist band. The grooved edges on the underside of the band allows you to cut the band to the length for your wrist. You get your engraved ID and an opening clasp.

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I’ve worn this out for two runs and have been very happy!  First off, I feel much safer that in case something were to happen to me, emergency responders would be able to get in touch with my loved ones quickly.

And in terms of comfort, I didn’t really notice it! That’s perfect.  That said, it’s winter, so we’ll see how I like it when it’s hot & sweaty out in June & July this year. I ended up tightening the wrist band a little bit after my first run, and it fits comfortably like a watch now.

One of the other things that I like about this wristband is that if I need to update my emergency contacts, I can order another metal plate pretty easily.  Road ID also offers an interactive version that lets you wear the band without having your loved ones’ info there right away.  I personally wanted the numbers there to make it easier, but I know this is a personal decision for everyone.

Interactive RoadID

But wait, there’s more!

If you’re interested in getting a Road ID for yourself, you can use a coupon for a free $1 off for the next two weeks:  ThanksLauren24531625

I think the WristID Slim would also be a good pick – it’s a little bit cheaper, isn’t adjustable, but it’s a slim wristband that looks more like a bracelet.

Run, Ride & Live Safe! 

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CTC Invitational Indoor Triathlon Race Report

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So today I completed my first indoor triathlon!  It was sponsored by Fitness Formula Club for Chicago Tri Club members.  It was a great opportunity to practice triathlon skills, get a hard workout in, and also catch up with CTC friends I met thsi past summer! This was a sprint distance, computrainer triathlon

Swim:

The 750 meter swim was done in the pool.  We started in 3 separate waves, half an hour apart.  I was in the second wave, so I got to cheer on friends in the first wave – my friend Christina was a rockstar & finished first in the swim in that wave!   For my swim I did two things to keep track of my laps:  wore my SportCount lap counter, and also counted up & down (“1 down, 16 to go,” “2 down, 15 to go”).

CTC Indoor Triathlon - Wave 1 volunteers

I’m in the background chatting – see my bangs & ponytail? :)

I didn’t swim at all in the last week and a half, so I felt a bit out of sorts in the pool today.  But I swam hard and finished in 15:40.    I have a goal to work toward though — get down to my friend Christina’s time of 12:xx!
Bike:

We brought our own bikes into the Computrainer studio, and before the race we set up & calibrated our bikes.  We did a 20K portion of the Leon’s Triathlon.  I did a motivating course ride yesterday, so I was a bit sore for today’s ride.  But I completed the 20K in 42:18, faster than any other bike course I’ve done in triathlon!  (I know that the computrainer course does eliminate a few key things from an outdoor bike course:  not having to monitor bikes around you, work on balancing, worry about road conditions).

I rode hard, and there were a few people who started about the same time as me so it was a race to the finish!

Run:

Moving onto the 5K run on the treadmill, I was much more beat than I’d expected!  I’d been doing my 3-4 mile runs on the treadmill at approximately 9:30-9:40 miles, but I struggled to keep that up during the triathlon.   I had also adjusted my playlist, which didn’t work as well (added in songs slower than I like to run to), so it was a bit of a struggle.  I took a few “walk interval” breaks, and finished in a total of 29:xx.

Overall:

This was a good race to keep up in the off season.  It wasn’t super official, but I think this event gives me some benchmarks for treadmill running & swimming to use throughout this winter.  It was a great event from the teambuilding that occurred among all of the CTC club members who were there.  We also had some great volunteers – and I’d love to help out at a future one, even if I don’t race it!

Afterward we headed over to Goose Island for some further “team building” – lots of fun to recap the moments and celebrate the accomplishments with some good food & beverage!

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