Intimidated by the Ironman? Get in shape with a sprint triathlon like Todd Swift did!

Originally intimidated by the Ironman, Todd Swift first became interested in racing triathlons when he discovered that they come in many different lengths. “When I was a child I remember watching the Hawaii Ironman on TV and couldn't imagine doing something that physically and mentally demanding. I was an age group swimmer as a kid and did a small amount of biking as well. I stopped swimming before High School to pursue other activities and along the way gained some weight. 6 months ago I started swimming with the local masters swimming group (to lose weight and gain fitness) and discovered that there were shorter triathlon events, and decided to train for a sprint triathlon.”

Through chatting with his swimming team mates, Todd discovered several different local triathlon events, and became more familiar with different training philosophies. “One of the individuals that I swim with through the masters program recommended the book The Triathlete's Training Bible by Joe Friel to give me an overview of the sport. I discovered TrainingPeaks and Peaksware after reading that book. Also, another triathlete recommended Endurox Restore for recovery and there was a direct link to TrainingPeaks.com from the Pacific Health Lab's website.”

Todd enjoys the variety of triathlon training. “My favorite part of training for a triathlon is the different disciplines such as swimming, biking, and running. Swimming is by far my favorite (and strongest) of these activities but the variety of practicing all 3 keep things from getting boring. Also, from what I've read participating in multiple activities can help strengthen more muscle groups that by just focusing on 1 sport.”



To tackle the challenge of the run, Todd has started interval training. “The most challenging part for me would be the running portion. I have always had problems running and could not run a mile without walking in high school. I recently started interval training last February walking 6 minutes and jogging 1 (for 30 minutes). Today I'm walking 1 min and jogging 4 and so far have lost over 50 pounds. I hope to be able to jog 3 miles without stopping in a few more months.”

This slow-and-steady approach has worked well for Todd, keeping his training on track. “I swim 4-5 days in the morning during the week before I go to work, or occasionally during the lunch hour. Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday are my days that I jog in the evening after my kids are in bed. I try to get on the bike at least 1 day per week on Wednesday or Saturday. I rode my bike to work (8 miles one way) one day and plan on doing that every other week. On the days that I'm not swimming/biking/jogging I use Wii Fit(tm) to help strengthen my core muscle groups (yoga) and do yard work. I am currently swimming about a mile a day, walk/jog for 30 minutes per session (3 miles), and ride my bike 5-6 miles per training session.”

Todd works with a masters coach for swimming but manages the other two disciplines on his own. “I work with the masters swimming coach but the other two disciplines I work on my own. I am considering training with a local triathlon club in the future, there are several in my area. There is also a local running store that hosts group jogging sessions (for free) in my area twice per week and I am thinking of participating as time permits.”

Todd uses TrainingPeaks to track both his training and nutrition, and really enjoys both the calorie tracking functionality and the elevation data from the routes. “I use TrainingPeaks because of the ease of use and impressive graphical user interface. It is easy to access my account from multiple machines. It is also very beneficial for me to be able to look graphically at the calories that I have consumed, both daily and historically. One other feature that was very handy was the ability to not only track location but elevation. I live in the somewhat flat Midwest but it is interesting to see the elevation changes that are on my routes. I never really realized the elevation changes in my area until I started looking at the data; there are a few fairly steep hills! It gives me the motivation to seek out new routes to keep my bike rides and runs interesting.”

In addition to the calorie counter and routes, Todd enjoys the equipment tracking functionality and appreciates the ease of use of the software. “I like the ability to track the total mileage of my equipment (shoes, bike, etc.). This will help be remember when to think about replacing them and remember to inspect components for wear. The main reason I use TrainingPeaks is the ease of use. The user interface is very clean and switching between nutritional information and exercise doesn't require refreshing the entire page. I'm able to enter my exercise information very quickly which saves me time.”

Todd accomplished his main goal for the season when he completed the Cicero Sprint Triathlon in August in 1 hour and 29 minutes. “I completed the 400 meter swim (Morse Reservoir) in 7 minutes and 50 seconds. I also accomplished my jogging goal, completing the 5k run in 36 minutes.”

In addition to accomplishing his goals for the sprint triathlon, Todd has plenty of plans for the rest of the season. “My goal for the rest of the season is to lose 40-50 more pounds. I would also like to complete 2-3 sprint triathlons during the 2010 season. I am really enjoying my training and plan to compete next April in another local sprint triathlon, and 1 to 2 more later in the year. In October I'm hoping to participate in a 5k run and be able to jog the entire 3 miles without walking. My ultimate long term goal will be to finish a half Ironman event in Orlando, maybe 5-10 years from now. I'd also like to invest in a road bike down the road to help increase my speed during the cycling portion. Finally, one of the goals for the rest of the season that I'm currently working on is called "go the distance" with the United States Masters Swimming organization. My goal is to swim 100 miles this year, currently I have gone 63.”

Happy training, Todd!