My First Indoor Triathlon (Spoiler Alert: I Finished Last)
If you're fortunate enough to live in a place where you can exercise most days of the year outside, you may have never heard of an 'indoor triathlon'. However, for other east coasters and the like, apparently, this is a thing?
If you're struggling with the concept of an indoor triathlon, let me explain. Participants swim in a pool (normally indoor, however, we live in sunny San Diego so the pool was outside), bike on a stationary bike, and then hop on a treadmill to complete the triathlon.
You don't have to worry about sharks in this triathlon.
Sounds simple enough. Apparently, my indoor game needs some work because I managed to come in dead last, but it's all about having fun, right?
The race was hosted at the JCC (The Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center) in La Jolla, California. The event was produced by STAR/PAL, an organization that helps underserved youth participate in programs with law enforcement and other agencies to help build a safer community. A group of my friends participated and my friend and a former colleague managed the event (which was flawlessly produced). Bonus: the event was donation based, so all athletes were participating for a good cause!
Ready to swim!
Friends make racing way more fun!
So you may be wondering how this race was judged since a course is missing from the equation.
For this event, there were time allotments for each leg. We swam for 10 minutes, had 5 minutes to transition, hopped on the bike for 20 minutes, had another 5 minutes to get to the treadmill, and then ran for 15 minutes. Each athlete had a volunteer assigned to them to count their distance on each sport to determine place. Let's break down each leg:
SWIM
I was in the last wave, so after watching most of my friends complete the race, I was pumped up to participate. The swim went off without a hitch and I kept a steady and consistent pace (my masters swim classes are paying off!).
BIKE
Jolene crushed the bike and logged over 13 miles!
Digging deep, but going nowhere.
Wave 4 dominating.
Then, it was time for the bike. During a normal triathlon, the bike is my worst leg, I'm normally nervous I'm going to destroy my legs before the run and therefore don't push as hard. Regardless, I felt confident that I could do well on a stationary bike because I love spinning. And if you've ever taken a Soul Cycle or Rush Fitness class, you may be privy to the standing up and different positions on the bike.
However, there was one thing I didn't know before this race that would have come in handy on the bike. When you're on a spin bike your RPM's and Watt's have no correlation. So even if I'm going 110 RPM's and my level is 14 (high wattage), I'm not going any farther than if my level is 5 and I'm going 110 RPM's (low watts).
So basically, I ground my legs for 20 minutes and went about 3-4 miles slower than everyone else. Epic. Fail. But at least I got a really good leg workout?
RUN
Running on a treadmill (or as I call it the dreadmill) is not my favorite thing (or most people's favorite thing) to pass the time. Add speed work into the mix and you've got a cocktail for disaster (I'm not exaggerating at all). Running at seven-minute mile pace is intense on that machine!
I wanted to keel over and call it quits for all 14 minutes and 30 seconds of the 15-minute race.
However, if there's one strong suit I have out of all three sports, it's definitely the run. Even though it was painful, I managed to finish over 2 miles (average 7:30).
First Indoor Tri Complete!
Overall, the race was one of a kind. Even though I got dead last, I wasn't mad about it. Plus, now I know to keep my bike resistance on level one if I want to go farther in spin class! If you ever get a chance to participate in an indoor triathlon, I highly recommend it. It's an experience you'll never forget!
To learn more about the STAR/PAL organization and their events, visit their website HERE.
The whole gang's here!
