With only 2 more weeks until my first triathlon (!!!), it was time that I put it all together – all 3 sports that is! Marcus and I headed over to Ft. Desoto for the day on Saturday to participate in our first “multisport” day with the rest of our team, XP Multisport!
We were instructed to meet together at noon to head over to the beach. First off – I never have started exercise at noon, especially in the heat of the summer. Our coach, Felipe, mentioned that we would be spending plenty of time in between sports to refuel and hydrate, so the heat shouldn’t be a problem. I had my doubts about this one, but just went along with it. He is incredibly experienced in the world of triathlons, so I figured I would trust his advice. I brought tons of sunblock, fuel, water, and gatorade to keep myself strong for the day. I also ate a pretty good amount before we left, along with keeping myself incredibly well hydrated. You have to be smart in the heat!!
We got to the park, and all got ready for our first sport, swimming. I can only imagine what all of the onlookers were thinking as we made our way out to the water’s edge in out sweet one piece swimsuits, swim caps, and goggles. It wasn’t exactly a normal day at the beach. Felipe demonstrated how to both enter and exit the water in a triathlon, so we went ahead and practiced it as we started the swim. It was a bit strange feeling, but we all got the hang of it. Once we were swimming, we went south for 15 minutes, then turned around to start the trek back. I was able to swim the whole time without breaks, so I felt pretty good about it. It was first open water swim, and was definitely an experience! I am excited to get in some more open water swims!
After our swim, we were ready for the bike portion of our day!
We all rehydrated, fueled back up, and then headed out on the road. We set out to do 40k (approx. 38 miles), but the weather was definitely not on our side! Look at those nasty skies!
We were able to get in 20 miles of 5 miles easy x 5 miles hard before we had to stop riding. Once the rain starts, the roads get incredibly slick, which is very dangerous for riders. The extra mileage is just not worth the danger caused by reckless drivers and slippery roads! With the unplanned weather break, we all gathered for a quick transition clinic. Felipe gave us a quick demo, and then had all of us give it a shot. Saying I was bad would be a nice way to say it – I was terrible! It is incredibly hard to have your bike shoes already clipped into your clips, and then try to mount the bike while running. I was able to somewhat get it by the end, but I have a lot of practice to do!!
After our transitions, we headed out for the running portion since it looked like the clouds we staying pretty far south. We ended up doing a pretty easy run, with everyone at different paces/goals. I held my 7:50-8:00 minute pace, as that is my goal for the marathon. I really do not need to be pushing myself too hard during these multisport days on the run – mainly because I know I can run well, and the speed will hurt my training later in the week if I try to go too fast. The run was definitely no big deal, and I was even able to take my water bottle with me too! I was glad I had it because I was definitely hot! After our run, we were ready for the best part of the day… grill time!!
The park has grills that are free for public use, so we definitely took advantage! My friend Jess brought the burgers and hot dogs, and everyone else brought side items. The burgers were so, so awesome! Many thanks to our amazing grill masters!
We didn’t stick around too long after eating – we were exhausted! We got home close to 9pm, so we had an incredibly full day in the sun – not to mention we put in some pretty good mileage while we were there! Marcus and I had a great time at our first multisport day! I might even say we are looking forward to the next one!
Have you ever participated in a multiport day? What did you think? What about open water swims? Love ‘em or hate ‘em?
Congratulations on completing all three sports! Every Wednesday night, the Central New York Triathlon Club holds a training series in which members have the opportunity to do an open water swim (OWS), bike ride, and out-and-back run. During these sessions, I usually stick to swimming and riding because running is my “in-the-bag” event. I was exhausted after my first training session, but now, I actually look forward to going and have a blast
In terms of the OWS, I definitely despise them less than I did before! Lol. The swim won’t be my favorite event anytime soon, but I know now I can do it; it’s all about getting comfortable and practicing in the open water as much as possible. That’s great you were able to swim with a training group and learn from your teammates
Uh wow?
I may never try the TRI but I be in awe of those who do.
I’m sure that I would be TERRIBLE at transitions too, if I ever decide to attempt a tri!!
Seriously, this looks like a fun day! Especially if you do this with tons of friends. I couldn’t make it habit though. But it’d be fun to try once or so.
Nice work! I have never learned how to transition in and out of shoes that are already clipped into my bike. The leaping onto my bike and fiddling with straps would definitely cause me to wreck. But I am pretty good at running in my bike shoes!
I used to HATE OW swims. I got panicky and frustrated. I still don’t *love* them, but I’ve learned to appreciate them. But if the water is cold, I get really, really, really unhappy. I doubt you have that issue in Florida!
Great work! That will give you so much more confidence come race day. I come from a triathlon background, so I know how nice a day like that can be. Right now I am training for a sprint in mid August and they have a day set up where we can go swim, bike and run the course. Since I haven’t done a tri in 5 years, I’m excited to have the chance to do an OWS to practice navigation!
Congratulations on your multisport day! My husband and I have competed in a duathlon and triathlon, and we are semi-training for a second triathlon during our marathon training right now.
We joined a local triathlon club and have gone to two of their workouts so far, but during our triathlon training we had four brick days with biking and running. I don’t mind open water swimming, I actually really enjoy it, but I was a competitive swimmer!
Looked like fun! I’m so sorry I missed it, definitely could have used all those tips and practice!
Sounds like you had an awesome workout! I am not a multisport athlete (too cheap to buy a bike and can only swim to save my life), so I am always impressed by triathletes. I love the photo of the bridge, by the way. The clouds look amazing in it.