Tri Something New

Recently I have been completely infatuated with a new endeavor--the Triathlon Sprint.

Just as an introduction. In high school I was on the swim team for all four years. Across those four years I competed at the State Level in every event possible, whether it was a relay sprint, the I.M., or the 500 meter freestyle. Something I am quite proud of. However, after high school I was so relieved to be done with competitive swimming--to be done and finished forever. As you may know, it didn’t take long for me to realize how much I missed being in the pool. So I signed up for an intermediate swimming class at BYU and it was good to be back. I was shocked at how much strength I had lost over the few months I was out of the water, but it all came back to me fairly quickly. Needless to say, when my class was over I was once again morphed into a non swimmer. I don’t really know the reasons why I stopped swimming. Perhaps I was too busy. Perhaps I hated to shower twice a day. Either which way I stopped.

So then I picked up running. Never, ever did I think that I would enjoy it, and I didn’t—but it was something I could easily do around my house, so I adopted it. I started doing a 3 mile run, to the lake and back, about two times a week. This not only kept me in shape, but helped get my dog some exercise too. Then I started running the 5 mile loop on the river trail around my house. It was just the right distance to really start feeling my strength build. But then I did something stupid. I ran two miles on the elliptical at the gym and then had my dad come and meet me to run a 7 mile loop out around the airport. All was going great and I was doing better than expected until about the last mile. Suddenly there was pain; sharp, tight pain on the outside of my left knee. I’d never felt anything like it before. So I walked the last mile, the pain never ebbing. What a mistake that was.

I really wrecked something during that 9 mile bout of running. The rest of that day I was practically incapable of bending my knee. It was so stiff and so painful that I had to wrap it with an ace bandage and ice it throughout the day. Four days went by and the stiffness and pain was still there. I was starting to worry that something was terribly wrong when suddenly, the next day, I was completely fine. Phew! So I took it easy for one week, not running at all, and resting as much as I could. Then, since there was no pain, I decided to give running another try; a nice, easy 3 miler. Mistake! About a mile in the pain returned, full throttle. I ended up having to walk the mile back home and again the pain lasted for an alarmingly long time—two days at least; and this just after one mile! I was outraged and worried. So I rested some more and started asking questions and doing research online.

I found out that the most likely scenario was that I had I.T. Band Syndrome. Basically I had overworked myself on that 9 mile run. I needed to start doing specific stretches before and after each workout, stop and stretch at the first sign of pain, and get a better pair or running shoes. I visited the doctor who gave me a shot to numb the knee and I could start working out. He also recommended his physical therapist if the pain persisted. However, I was too afraid to keep up running. So I stopped entirely and opted for the spin class instead, as recommended to me by a friend.

I was in love! After the first class I hurt, but this was not the excruciating and alarming kind of hurt. This was the I-just-worked-my-butt-off-and-it-feels-so-good, kind of hurt. It was lovely. I sweated like I had never sweated before. My legs were getting stronger, my core was getting stronger, and yes, even my arms were getting stronger. The instructors were so varied and fun, the music made you want to keep going, and the dim lights made you feel invisible. It was perfect, especially with the complete lack of impact on my knee.

Then, just recently I received a revelation, again through one of my friends. There was such a sport out there that implemented all three of these sports—swimming, running, and biking. I had always heard about triathlons and knew it was hard and rigorous and LONG! But my friend said they had a triathlon sprint—which means less distance. I was excited and decided then and there to start training. This was about two weeks ago.

Now I have a new pair of running shoes and am going to have to not only get back in the pool, but get back to running. The running is probably the scariest for me, but since I have been playing a lot of soccer the past month, it should be a little easier to work back into an easy 5k. I still have knee pain here and there, but not nearly as bad, and it doesn’t last nearly as long. I hope to compete in the triathlon up in Park City on the 21st, but in case I still need a bit more training, there is also a more casual race closer to home on the 28th. Either which way, I am about to compete in my first triathlon sprint and I am very excited.