TrainingPeaks Member Profile: Kelly Covert, Triathlete and Working Mother
Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 11:45AM 
After first getting into sprint triathlons in an effort to work off a little baby weight, Kelly Covert now trains over 10 hours a week and works with her coach Mary Eggers to prepare for half-Ironman distance races.
What started as a weight loss project for Kelly soon transformed into an important community in her life. "I started training for my first sprint tri in order to lose some baby weight. I trained on my mountain bike with my 2 year old in the bike seat, and did my run training almost entired pushing a jogging stroller. When the race finally came, I loved, more than anything, how supportive everyone was, and the total elation I felt as I finished! I was hooked, and have only taken one season off since then for the July birth of my second son."
"Right now I am training between 10-12 hours per week. I am in a bike focus right now, so I am cycling (on the trainer) 4-5 times per week, running 3 times per week, and swimming twice a week. I always train with my Garmin 405 and train by heart rate. This is my first season training under a coach, and I am love, love, loving it! For a working mother, my coach, Mary Eggers, is an absolute godsend."
"The season is just getting started, and I am working on building my aerobic base. I have had a little bit of frustrations with some achilles tenderness, but have been working through 
it with some really good stretching and strengthening. My biggest triumph of the season so far has been in my swimming, where I am really starting to understand the power of my core strength to pull me through the water."
"Last year I raced my first half-ironman distance in addtion to a half-iron relay and a sprint. This year I will be racing the Rev3 Quassy half-iron distance as well as the inaugural Syracuse 70.3 in my hometown! I will also be racing at Irongirl Syracuse as a part of Team Courage for cancer survivors, as well as a local sprint race. I'm looking forward to racing the half-iron distance again, now that I have one race under my belt of that distance."
Kelly encourages everyone interested in triathlons to approach the sport with the same positive attitude that has helped her to enjoy events so much. "Just keep smiling and cheering on everyone at the races you are in. That is what keeps me coming back!"
Happy training, Kelly! Read more about Kelly on her blog.
Reader Comments (1)
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