Trisis Core

14 months.  That’s what I’ve given myself to train for a half Ironman.  I’m 45.  Over the last two years I’ve lost over 120 pounds and gotten myself comfortable (again) with running enough to pop up and tackle half marathons without hating myself.  In what is apparently a strong Elder Millennial trend, triathlons have now caught my eye and I’ve decided to our even more time into being outside.  It’s not a mid-life crisis.  It’s a midlife trisis. 

The 14 months started a month ago.  Before sharing this story, I wanted to make sure it was something I would actually do.  I have enough remnants of false start hobbies and abandoned fitness plans that a little self-verification was prudent. I’ve been swimming for six weeks now, and biking for a month.  I’ve built a plan with a single goal: finish a half Ironman.  Let me share what I’ve done so far and what I plan to do. 

First, basic gearing up.  Cheap triathlon training is still kind of expensive, so I’m not looking to dump thousands of dollars into this experiment.  Not right from the out.  First, I needed a bike.  I have a mountain bike, but it is quite heavy and not what I want to be taking out for long road miles.  I also have not ridden it in quite a while.  I followed the common advice of looking to Facebook marketplace and found a Cannondale Synapse in quite decent condition.  It belonged to a once-aspiring triathlete who started having kids and ran out of training time.  I picked it p for $300 after looking it over and took it to my local bike shop for an inspection and tune.  All the parts were in good order and, after a few days in the shop getting checked out and tightened, and with the replacement of the brake pads, I was good to go.  Online, I procured a MIPS helmet, cycling gloves, padded shorts, a RoadID bracelet, and a bike repair kit.  On eBay I found great deals on a couple of cycling jerseys.  Sizing for jerseys is all over the place, so there’s some risk in doing it this way, but so far I’ve only had bad luck on one.  My best friend Bob is also taking on this challenge, and I’m sending him one of the jerseys that was too small. 

Intro cycling gear taken care of.  No cycling computer yet.  No rear radar.  No power meter pedals or tribike frame.  No tubeless upgrade or aerobars yet.  I’m not even going to clip in yet.  I’m going to get comfortable on the bike and build basic bike capabilities and endurance before I get fancier.  I’ve learned how to patch and change a tube as well as chain maintenance and repair.  I learned rules of the road and looked at local bike trails so I would know where I’m going and to build mileage plans. 

I’ve hit the local trail.  There’s a 20-mile loop near town that I can ride to, although parts of it are closed for repairs or maintenance.  I love getting out in the sunshine and riding.  I’ve always gone solo, though I may soon join a local club and hop on some group rides.  I’ve worked my way from about 10 mph average to 13 mph, with a fair number of stops for lights and crossings and other traffic impediments.  I know that needs to go up and I’m presently giving up some speed and power by not clipping in, but it seems to me to be a decent foundation to build on.  Progress will follow. 

For swimming, my lake swim trunks were not going to cut the mustard.  Too much drag and flow and the mesh is not ideal for long swims.  Do I go to $60+ jammers?   No.  Sporti jammers for $20 or so to get started.  I will upgrade soon, as materials quality presents a different issue, but it was good to get me started.  Decent goggles and a fun swim cap (pink with a donut), and I was good to go.  I had earplugs and underwater over-ear headphones, too, but I don’t always wear them.  I typically either listen to podcasts or nothing while I exercise, so I do not rely on music for pace, motivation, or patience. 

Now, my swimming bit is going to be different from many.  Due to persistent and painful shoulder subluxation issues, I can’t sustain freestyle swimming.  It hurts too much, and physicians have confirmed it’s not about initial discomfort or short-term adaptation periods.  So I started with breast stroke, and I love it.  I’m consistently doing 2 to 2.5km each session at 1:18 to 1:30/100m.  I have to be careful, however, and I encourage anyone else considering the same to exercise with caution: do not blow out your legs this way.  With the wider kick for the breast stroke, it’s not as easy to limit leg fatigue as you can with freestyle, where you can better grind with the arms and use legs for balance, positioning, and a little speed boost.  I’m careful not to kick too wide to avoid swimmer’s knee, and I kick fairly gently, focusing on form with my arms to ensure I’m mostly relying on my upper body and saving my legs as much as possible for the biking and running miles to follow. 

I’d already signed up for a couple half marathons this fall before stumbling into my trisis, and I am sticking to the running maintenance plan for that.  I already had a Garmin watch for fitness tracking, and it’s great for the swimming and cycling, too.  Three short runs and a longer run at a comfortable pace.  All told, I swim twice a week right now (working in one city and living in another cuts hard into pool access convenience).  I get on the bike three times a week, including longer weekend rides that will get longer.  I do not have a bike trainer yet.  Maybe a labor day weekend sale will make that happen, or another dip into Facebook marketplace.  Also, strength training.  It was essential during my focused weight loss to lose the right kind of weight and prevent injuries.  It’s just as essential now for injury prevention, core development, and overall efficiency.  Hours add up fast and will get longer and longer.

A month or so in, and I have to say I’m loving the swimming and the cycling.  I already liked running, only having gotten into it in my late twenties and then getting sidetracked by letting myself balloon up to over 360 pounds.  I had done several half marathons and one full marathon before then, and it’s nice to be back on the road now.  I find triathlon training better than pure running training.  The variety makes it both more interesting day in and day out and I feel more accomplished.  That psychological part will be important in the 13 months ahead.  The aim is Ironman 70.3 Michigan, if I’m able to sign up in time.  I know it’s popular one.  Importantly, it will not be my first triathlon.  I’m doing a micro-tri this winter in a gym (15 minutes of each discipline) and there are short triathlons in the spring and early summer in my area that I will compete in to develop experience in the sport, practice with transitions, and check my progress and preparation. 

All in all, this is going to be a huge test of what a middle-aged non-athlete can do when self-improvement is so much harder than it would have been 25 years ago, but is more worth doing than ever.  I might be the only one who sees these words, and that’s fine.  This isn’t an attempt to influence. Just to share and perhaps resonate with people out there of any age and ability for whom tis might be an appealing sport.  Let’s get out there and sweat the big stuff.

“The best way out is always through.” – Robert Frost