Swim-Bike-Run Training: Troxell style

MOTIVATION

Valentines Day came a little late at the Troxells, but like everything else, we scheduled it pretty purposefully. I penciled in a sitter a week ago, and Mr. T. took me on a three-part date, complete with snacks and beverages. What a guy. Nothing says "love" like spending a few hours together in spandex.

Yesterday was the first of several Swim-Bike-Run (SBR) days we'll complete in the next few months. We aim to complete one a month until we start formal training in May, and even after that, I'm guessing we'll have SBR days. We started the day at 7:45 when the sitter arrived and took over the minions. At 8:05 we were at the local Community Center pool, sharing a lane like lovebirds do and stroking our way to triathlon domination. An hour later, we rinsed off the chlorine and headed home for part two of the date.

Actually, we had a pit stop. We took a detour during our T-1 to our favorite watering hole in town, Mochavino, to pick up some much-needed caffeine.

We had some fun company for the second stage of this Valentine's Day extravaganza. Our buddy Brian came by with his bike and trainer and suffered with us for 1.5 hours of the 2-hour spinerval (appropriately named Tough Love). This particular workout vacillated between painful and fun, but constantly entertaining. I just wish "Coach Troy" would learn to crack a joke every once in a while. His seriousness makes me giggle. Just a little.

T2 did not offer near the refreshment that T1 did. We did our best to bound upstairs, change into some dry running clothes, suck down some GU, and then head outside to the beautiful winter wonderland we call home. We ran a short and (for me) fast 20-minute foot race down the road and back and came home stoned on endorphins. Really, the pain we felt was masked by the elation of having completed the first SBR of the season.

I learned a few things in this excellent morning:

• Salted carmel GU is an amazing treat in T2. I plan on using that. Lots. 
• I need more electrolytes, I think. I ran out of liquids with 30 minutes left in the bike ride, and so I used just water instead of the Perform I had mixed up. A headache started settling in near the end of the ride and actually persisted until this morning (a full 24 hours later). 
• Triathlon training can be good for a marriage. At least it was really good for ours yesterday. Yes, training together can cause physical pain, but it also unites us, gives us something common to share, and this made us stronger both individually and together yesterday. 
• SBR days allow us to practice our nutrition in the most realistic situation. We tried to keep the transitions fairly short, and I am realizing that I'm going to have to figure out what does and does not work for solids on the bike. Still believing in the Picky Bar at this point. (I'm gonna need to master the whole "chewing and steering" bit on the bike. )

So, all in all, the day was a success. On top of that oh-so-fun workout, we received some pretty nifty t-shirts in the mail that remind us of what lies ahead. Only 224 days left!