Is he for real? Yeah, the guy wearing the famous "2Bottles" jersey, bib #22, silver "oakley jawbone" shades.. you name it.
I guess ... told myself i wanna be like him, but how? I only know how to dress like an athlete... yeah, a poser you would say. I don't even know how to prepare for a tri event.
After the initial gunfire and the swarm of participants rushing forward for the first few miles of their tri activity, i saw him again and wolah! I can't believe it ... it turned out that he is indeed the real deal.
He's Paopedal (real name - Mr. Luis Paolo Castañeda) of Team 2Bottles... right after the event, i got a chance to talk with him again. He said ... "As I groggily ice taped my knee and the Advil coursing through my bloodstream, I cannot but think how happy I am, despite my fatigued haze. I am exhausted but blissful after a hard and successful tri-sport event. I'm almost relieved to have a full work day because sitting at a desk seems relaxing. I also slept like a baby last night. Who needs Ambien when you do endurance sports?"
Pao; as fondly called by his friends, gently shared his team's guide to a runner's 1st Triathlon ... here are some:
Team 2Bottles Guide to your 1st Triathlon:
Basic Preparation
Here you’ll be simply concentrating on drill sessions for each of the disciplines and it won’t be that intensive at first but will be quite lengthy and often a bit repetitive. It’s also the time for any strength training if you need to do some and to get to grips with any new equipment you intend to use, the most obvious being a bike. During this period, you should monitor and keep an ongoing record of improvements in times and also keep records of your heart rate.Although you’re still building up to full competition, you should be looking to improve your speed and time completions in each of the disciplines and this is where some of the smaller events on the calendar in the early part of the year can come in useful.
By competing in one or two of these partial events, you can gauge improvement by entering events that just focus on one specific discipline such as the sprint alone or an aquathlon which just contains the swimming and running elements or a duathlon which focuses on the running and cycling. This gives you an opportunity to focus more on the particular discipline(s) you feel you need to work most on in order to improve.
Intense Preparation
After 3 months and close to the triathlon itself you should be at your peak both stamina wise, fitness wise and with your technique, the objective now is simply to build up more speed. It’s all about the intensity level where you’re getting your heart working to the top of its capacity and this is where you should really begin to see the improvements in your times. Keep a log book of your heart rate and times and see how they progress.
Competition Season
Most serious triathletes will compete in a number of races covering different distances and conditions within a season. You’ll no doubt have other commitments like work and family to also fit in so it’s important not to overdo it. Your fitness levels will be at their peak and simple basic training will be enough if you’re competing on a fairly regular basis just leading up to small periods of intensity training just before a race.Don’t get despondent if your improvement seems to stand still or dips slightly below peak performance from time to time. This is perfectly natural. If all athletes just kept on improving each time they competed, the 100m would be run faster than a bullet can travel. The reality is different however and the human body has its limitations so you should be prepared for the fact that you’ll probably hit your peak performance capabilities maybe twice over the course of a given season, no matter how well you’ve prepared.
Recovery and Overtraining
One of the major causes of injury and poor performance by any athlete is their obsession with training and it’s this that mostly causes the damage or limits performance. You can actually try too hard. Muscles need rest not only for recuperation but rest enables them to become stronger so make sure you build in rest days into your training schedule or you could actually be doing more harm than good which could ultimately result in muscle strains, tears and complete muscle ruptures so allowing a good 48 hours between training sessions and working a routine where you’re focusing on different muscle groups each time you train will be the best way to maintain a healthy training regime and is more likely to keep you injury free.PaoPedal's Tips & Tricks during a Triathlon event:
1. Determine your own personal start time
2. Consider staying overnight at a hotel across the park
3. Be certain of your transition spot
4. Stay calm in the water
5. Pedal slowly around the bike turn-around
6. Make your run a negative-split
7. Do not forget - L.H.P. (Lamon, Hydrate & Positive Attitude)
This is so embarrassing on how not knowing all these stuffs... but it's still not too late right? Will just have to take these one at a time, makes me wonder... have he met RunArmand? They should get in touch and train together someday... it will be a sight for sore eyes ...
'till the next time folks!
Keep on runnin' mate!
