If I get tired while running, I can slow to a walk. If I tire on the bike, I can continue to roll or stop. But what happens when I am exhausted during my swim in the open ocean?
I’ll give you a hint: It starts with a D and rhymes with frown.
That has been a fun, recurring thought that has been bubbling through my head in recent weeks.
But aside from that underlying concern, the first month of training has been good.
A 60km cycle out to Dookie and back gave me confidence that the ride is achievable, while it also taught me that a beef pie and a bag of lollies don’t combine well for a mid-race snack.
The running continues on; fairly uneventful except for the odd jumping at shadows thanks to 5.10 pm sunsets.
The swimming, I will admit, is tedious, especially in a 25m pool with nothing to entertain you except for a monotonous black line and the odd middle-aged swimmer — who has conveniently decided to attempt backstroke for the first time — bursting abruptly into your lane.
However, the freezing early morning wake-ups and the monotonous mid-swim entertainment are all worth it for my newest obsession: an early morning sauna.
That baby will give you a (natural) high like you’re friends with Snoop Dogg.
The race-related purchases are beginning to add up, but nothing too ridiculous, as it turns out.
I am probably starting to push the limit on how late I can secure a bike, but I am sure that won’t come back to bite me later ...
A fitness watch has been a handy acquisition that I would recommend to any potential ‘half-Ironmaners’ and is simple enough to learn and operate — as long as you steer clear of confusing measurements such as HRV Status or Pulse Ox.
The next step in my half-Ironman training evolution is the introduction of “brick” workouts, which is when you do two components of the triathlon — usually a bike ride into a run — in quick succession.
After a brief bit of research, I learned that the reason the workout is called “brick” is debated among the triathlon community.
A simple answer, which I thought correctly described the workout, is that when you switch from one race component to another, it feels like you have a brick tied to either leg.
Sounds fun; wish me luck.
Time for an expert’s advice ...
The secret weapon in any fitness journey is a diet.
Not a sneaky ‘lose weight fast diet’; instead, eating healthy, nutritional and balanced meals with a particular focus on a few food groups linked with your chosen goal or event.
While what you eat is often overlooked and underestimated — including by me until roughly four weeks ago — what you eat and drink in the build-up to and during the event can play a crucial role in performance.
Rebecca Monk is a trained dietician who was kind enough to provide me with some advice as I started this 12km-to-half-Ironman journey.
One point Monk raised was that for an event such as a half-Ironman, the preparation of what you eat and drink should start from a few days out.
“In the lead up to (the event), they usually say two or three days ahead, try to get an increased intake in your carbohydrates to store your glycogen — which is used as fuel during the event,” Monk said.
“On the day, the timing of when you have things (is important), because often those events start really early in the morning and you would normally — say two to three hours before (the event) — have a reasonably high carbohydrate meal, which is around that 60 plus grams.
“In that hour before (the event), having a smaller serve (of carbohydrates/glycogen) like a banana and again it comes back to getting your body used to that.
“Because if it is unfamiliar to have some food on board when you go to start the event, you can be feeling a bit off, so practising that as part of your training is really important.”
Monk also suggested some other small snack suggestions for prior to training or the event, such as energy gels, fruit, lollies or bars.
A key part of keeping your body from breaking down is what you eat after training.
As Monk explained, refilling your body with nutrients soon after exercise is important.
“Easy to digest carbohydrates and again some protein, so the milk-based drinks can be very good, honey sandwiches, anything that we normally say is high GI, quick absorbing hydrates are good to get in,” she said.
“That would be in the early parts post-event: 15 minutes, 30 minutes.
“Then making sure you definitely refuel with some good quality protein and carbohydrates that one to two hours later, which could be something like a bolognese pasta, meat and vegetables, rice and risotto is really a good way to fuel.”
Finally, Monk said that everyone’s metabolic rate and fluid losses — among other things — were different, so speaking with a specific sports nutritionist would be highly beneficial.
Of course, not everyone can do that, so as an alternative, Monk suggested a free-to-use website, Sports Dietitians Australia.
The website provides advice for food, recovery and pretty much everything else related to sports dietetics.