Thursday, June 03, 2010

Trunk Transitions

Let's say you need to practice transitions, but you don't have someone to stand guard over your precious bike while you run. You could do it in your garage but it's too crowded (or like me, you live on a big hill and don't feel like doing hill repeats!). One solution is the Trunk Transition. Drive to a location where you can easily bike/run (I choose a parking lot that's adjacent to the bike path), and lay out your transition gear in your trunk or the back of your minivan, SUV or truck. For me, I just fold the back seat of the van flat and then I can even roll the bike right in there while I'm out running. Then I do a set of three reps of 10 minutes on the bike and 5 minutes running. When I'm done, I've gotten a quick 45 minute workout with 5 transitions. This is a great workout to throw into the beginning of your taper!

Speaking of which, I'm packing up for the first Sprint of the season this weekend. The thing I'm most excited about is the fact that our unending unceasing ridiculous dumpings of torrential rain are actually supposed to stop for a couple days and the weather will be nice. Hallelujah! We have gotten more rain the 1st three days of June than we normally get all month. No kidding! I went to take the dogs for a walk in the forest down by the river today and THE ENTIRE FOREST IS UNDER WATER. I wish I'd had my camera. It looked like a bayou with trees sticking out of the water. Wild.

In any case, I've got my checklist out, and am packing things up and checking them off as I go. I feel really really good about this race. I feel rested, tapered, trained, like everything feels just right. So I'm very excited! And I have some first-time triathletes to cheer on and I'm even more excited for them. I think I've decided to wear the Pointy Helmet of Speed even though I feel like a dork wearing it and it's a sprint race. But sometimes it's a windy course, so it might help me out just a little bit. Oh well, if you don't look like a dork sometimes in life, you're not really living.

3 comments:

Tri-James said...

Nice check list - I just went through this last night.

Miles of the Journey said...

I like the idea of the multiple transitions in the training. Out in the country where I live, I have some friends that live on my training route. Somtimes I ask them if I can use their house and yard for my transition. "Yard" in the country is probably not a completely accurate term...Afterwards, most are wanting to give me something to drink, talk a spell, and give me stuff from their gardens..generally, a good day.

Anonymous said...

Robin - You are awesome! Really, you are. Even though I ended up not having my socks I was completely prepared and was even able to help out my fellow triathletes settle into the transition area as I was boxed in by beginners with stuff strewn all over the place.

I was so happy to have you there with me at my first triathlon. I give major props to those who go alone for their first ones. Such an overwhelming experience.

And way to go on your finish. You rocked it! Can't wait for the next one...