Brett Stewart - 7 Weeks to a Triathlon: The Complete Day-by-Day Program to Train for Your First Race or Improve Your Fastest Time

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Table of Contents

In memory of Stephanie Elliot

19532003

For your support, encouragement and love, even when a desirable outcome seemed far from likely. Were working tirelessly at living life every day and to find a cure in your memory.

Part 1 : OVERVIEW

Introduction

The sunlight begins to glint through the tallest of the pines rimming a pristine New England lake, illuminating the thick layer of haze thats slowly releasing its grip on the water and providing glimpses through to the sapphire below. Standing on the edge of a quiet dock, the moist wood slippery under bare feet, the solitary athlete absorbs a view thats all at once majestic and ephemeral as the day arrives. As you dip your toe, the summery warmth of the water dispels any allusion to fall as more colors continue to appear in the water; neon orange and lime green orbs now bob within feet of each other and within minutes the area directly in front of the dock has been transformed into a floating Mardi Gras parade awash with bright and garish colors.

Its now your turn to take the plunge, adding the color of your swim cap to the dots floating just above the surface. You hit the water and feel the lake grip at your wetsuit, and the sparkling water washes over your face as you bob gently, buoyant from the neoprene and your legs treading water below you. All those thoughts of the race yet to unfold that ran through your head while standing on the dock fade from your mind as you focus on the task at hand. Weeks of training and planning have prepared for this one moment. The millions of thoughts ranging from conditions to nutrition, gear to competition all dissipate like the haze over the water. You are confident in your preparation. You are confident in your ability and you are ready to race right here, right now. The only thought that sticks in your mind is to keep moving forward: in the water, on the bike and during the run.

All at once the enormity of the day reveals itself in your mind: swimming side by side with hundreds of other athletes all vying for position, a washing machine of flailing arms and legs stretched out over a thousand meters in open water, before returning to shore and rapidly switching gearsliterallyby shedding your swimming gear and transforming into a cyclist for the next stage of the days competition. Through the twists and turns, speedy downhills and grueling ascents, the steely determination to pass or be passed overtakes the next two hours of exhausting effort as you push your quads to their limit and keep turning the cranks with every ounce of energy you have left. Returning to transition is a blur of rapid motion, a cacophony of sounds as the announcer whips the crowd into a frenzy; friends and family scream your name as you perform a coordinated dance of returning your bike back to its perch on the rack while ripping off your helmet and bike shoes and applying the required gear for the run. The final challenge between you and the finish line, the run is where mental and physical strength are paramountpushing your body through barriers of exhaustion toward the euphoric highs as you power around the course, one foot in front of the other, until...

You finish the day as a newer version of yourselfyou will have been transformed into a triathlete.

Many people settle for things in life. They settle for a crappy job, marriage, friends, food, place to live and overall fitness and health. Those who desire more, or those who want more out of life than a drive-thru window and boring sitcom, will choose triathlon or an activity that makes them happyan activity that will change their life.

Nick Clark, Clark Endurance

How Did I Get Here?

Hi, Im Brett. Running was never my thing. I wasnt fast and surely didnt have much in the way of endurance, but at least I was a lousy swimmer too. Its easy to see how Id become a triathlete with a background like that, right? Prior to my first triathlon, the last time Id ridden a road bike was when I was 15 years oldnearly 20 years earlier.

At the age of 34, most life-altering changes are spawned by one stark, defining moment. A guy might lose his job and decide to hike the Appalachian Trail. A woman may get divorced, devote herself to yoga and open her own studio. In my case, it was an anecdotal comment by my friend Chris Goggin, who told me how impressed he was that a mutual friend, Matt Perkins, had recently completed his first triathlon. I was immediately awestruck. Prior to Matt tackling that Winding Trails event, I knew exactly zero people who had ever competed in a triathlon. Suddenly, a new door opened and completing a triathlon seemed somewhat possible. I say somewhat because the longest Id ever run was 2 miles, with the aforementioned Chris Goggin, in my first race evera little duathlon on the Connecticut shoreline in 2004.

After running close to a half mile and walking the rest, the bike portion of that first race was spent chasing after a dropped water bottle, fixing my chain that was continually falling off and pushing my sad excuse for a mountain bike up anything that resembled a hill. The final insult was another run of 2 miles once Id parked the bike, and I was dreading every step until something strange happened: I heard the crowd, saw my family and observed the other competitors doing something nearly unbelievable to my fatigued mindthey were enjoying themselves! I let the energy and emotion wash over me for a moment, then figured, What the hell? I m here, Im already tired and sweatywhy not try to have some fun? And I did.

In my very first multisport event I learned the lessons of the highs and lows of endurance racing, and that knowledge has served me well for the better part of a decade. The birth of my children and wedding day (the second one) aside, crossing that finish line was one of the best moments of my life. Immediately afterward over coffee and a bagel, Chris and I planned our next eventwe were going to do a triathlon ourselves.

The story on pages 7 and 8 was based on the memory of my first triathlon in 2005, the Timberman Short Course at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. The reason I introduced myself is to set my multisport expertise apart from that of my coauthor, Lewis Elliot, a professional triathlete. While Im an experienced triathlete and extremely passionate about the sport, my forte is getting first-timers into it through education and training to promote comfort and confidence. As a trainer, coach and tri-race director, Ive had the opportunity to introduce hundreds of newbies to the sport of triathlon and have been blessed to train clients for events ranging from finishing their first sprint tri all the way up to setting a new ultra-distance personal best.

When cofounding the ESPN Triathlon Team back in 2005 with Michael DeAngelo and Nicole Greene, it was immediately apparent to us that so many athletes knew so little about the sport of triathlon, whether it be a lack of knowledge about equipment, training, race format or even signing up for their first race. Triathlon is not a sport where you just show up and start racingit all starts with learning the basics. This book is dedicated to educating new athletes getting into the sport (yeah, youre called a newbie), and also to train experienced triathletes to get to the next level with pro tips plucked from Lewiss bag of tricks. So, whether youre interested in tri-ing for yourself or are already hooked on multisport, this book has something for athletes of all levels.

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