By: Emily Nassi (University of Delaware)
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There’s only a couple weeks of summer left before it’s time to pack up and head back to school. Unfortunately for some people, just as summer fades away, so will their bikini bodies.
It’s really easy to gain weight at school. There’s the constant snacking while you’re studying, being forced to eat dining hall food, and then of course, the fact that most students don’t feel like cooking. That leads to endless amounts of take-out and frozen meals. Going to the gym routinely can be such a hassle; between having classes, studying, and well, a social life, it can often be put on the back burner. Especially if there’s no motivation to work out. Your days of being an athlete are over. No more endless training for competitions, so why bother wasting an hour every day just to get all sweaty. Maybe your trying to impress that boy or girl you’ve had your eye on, but that only lasts so long. Or you have a significant other and therefore think its ok to let yourself go a little.
But not this year. There will be no freshmen or sophomore or whatever you are 15. Because you’re going to do a triathlon next summer and you’re going to want to get yourself to that gym so you can finish it next summer.
Yes, I wrote that correctly. A triathlon. The idea of completing one is scary for a lot of people, whether they’re athletes or not. I’m not suggesting you complete the Ironman right away. That would just be absurd and probably a little dangerous. But there are plenty of smaller scale triathlons right in your neighborhood. These triathlons, often referred to as sprint triathlons will give you something to train for and motivate you to get to the gym throughout the school year.
For those who are still afraid, I will break down the Long Branch Sprint Triathlon which consists of a 300 meter swim, a 9.5 mile bike and a three mile run:
300 Meter Swim
This can often be the scariest part for people, since swimming is not often as accessible a workout as running or even biking. But 300 meters about three football fields. You could walk or run not that no problem. And most swimmers do a couple thousand meters a workout. Three hundred is barely a warm up. Still, for non-swimmers, it’s best to start training with biking or running. Once you get that lung capacity and fitness level up, swimming can become a lot easier. This should take less than 10 minutes (probably even less) in a pool for people who do not normally swim competitively but know how.
9.5 Mile Bike
Everyone has ridden a bike at some point. When I was a kid I would ride my bike around for hours. That’s definitely more than nine miles. On a bike, 9.5 miles can go pretty quickly. It should take less than 35 minutes as a good pace in the gym, plus you have the benefits of hills and wind when you’re outside. As for not owning a bike for a triathlon, someone you know probably does, and renting one is always a possibility.
3 Mile Run
That’s less than a 5k, which is what you had to do in cross country all fall. Or in track. Or in pretty much any sport that involves running. Plus this comes at the end. That burst of adrenaline, even for non-runners should come in around here.
So there you have it. It really isn’t that scary once each part is broken down and looked at. There’s plenty of opportunities for triathlons around the tri-state area and Northeast, and many of them are made for beginners.
Starting off small is a good idea, and gradually start practicing the full distances. There are also tons of individual 5k runs, mile swims and cycling races that should be done before a triathlon to give the beginner the idea of what it might feel like.
A triathlon is good for the body both physically (which is obvious) and then mentally. After all, how many people can say they’ve done one?
For those in the Northeast, check out raceforum.com for races in your area. Many universities also have triathlon clubs, and have group workouts, which is a great idea as well.
