Welcome! Your journey from January to August has already begun. Congratulations on choosing to take on this tremendously rewarding challenge! This is the place where I help you put the pieces together, day to day, to accomplish your goal of completing the Tri for the Cure - A Women's Triathlon.

Along the way, take to heart the lesson that fitness is a lifelong commitment. Maybe this is your first step, maybe this is one step of many, but taking good care of our bodies requires a lifetime of service. Just as you wouldn't go a day without food, don't go a day without exercise or otherwise doing something good for your body. This is why we start in the middle of winter. Start now, start today whether it is January or June, just keep putting one foot in front of the other and one day after the other. Suddenly it will be August!

On this training page, you will find a host of resources; everything you will need to successfully complete the sprint distance triathlon of the Tri: a training calendar, strength program, swim workouts, clinics; links to additional resources on nutrition, racing and more; access to Coach Melissa for Q&A and help with anything we've missed! It is my goal to get you to the finish line with a huge smile on your face and thinking about what your next fitness goal will be.

Contact Coach Melissa for additional information or questions on coaching, training and instruction: mantakm@comcast.net or call (720) 273-1333.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 2008 Goal: Base Training – Triathlon Preparation

May is here and race day is approaching!  Weather is consistently better, so enjoy the great outdoors. This month for the training calendar, you are still in the base phase of training. The focus is on endurance and increasing volume (time) of training.  Consistency of effort will pay off on race day.  Your training gets you to the finish line!

On the run, do what works best for your body. Maybe you’re an experienced runner who runs many miles each week races frequently; maybe you prefer walking because you have a worn out knee or a bad back. Wherever you fit in the spectrum, training in intervals builds endurance. The run/walk workouts are meant to be flexible to meet your needs. You can run the whole workout, walk the whole workout OR do run/walk intervals. Start with 2 minutes of running, 2 minutes of walking; alternate this way for 30-45 minutes. Then gradually build up so you can run further week by week, month by month.

Look for swim specific workouts in June. For new swimmers, note that most pools are 25 yards or meters and swim workouts are written in multiples of 25, ex: 25’s, 50’s, 75’s, 100’s, etc. Take note of what distance you are swimming during training by counting your laps and multiplying by 25. Example: 20 lengths of 25 meters = 500 meters. The Tri for the Cure swim length is 750 meters.

On Saturdays, you’ll do your first run/bike bricks. This means that after you ride, you jump into your running shoes and run (or run/walk) right away. This trains your muscles and brain to get used to what it feels like to get off the bike and run. This can be done indoors or outdoors. (Hope you’re training outdoors as much as possible!).

Do your best to follow the program, making modifications as needed to fit your abilities and life responsibilities, e.g. do a little more, do a little less than prescribed or switch the days around. Consider getting a buddy to train with. It makes it easier, more fun and you’ll be accountable to another person.

The open water swim season begins on May 3rd at Chatfield Reservoir at the Gravel pond, separate from the main reservoir. Anyone can swim on specific days and times that are reserved for swimmers to train in open water.  You can swim on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 4:30 to 7:00 pm and Saturday mornings from 7:30 to 10:00 am. You do need to be a COMSA member (Colorado Masters Swim Association) at a cost of $30 for the season. If you drive into Chatfield, you will also have to pay the park entry fee….carpooling or riding your bike will save money. This fee is well worth the money to cover liability and swim privileges at the reservoir. Even more importantly to give you experience and confidence swimming in open water as this is a very different experience from pool training! Keep your eyes on the website and your email for swim clinics in the near future.

Here is the website link for COMSA: comsa.org

Basic Strength Training Routine for Triathletes

• Chest Press
• Lat Pull Down
• Triceps Press
• Biceps Curl
• Shoulder Lateral Raise
• Walking Lunge/Leg Press/Squat/Step ups (choose 1-2/session)
• Hamstring Curl
• Abdominal Crunches

Complete 2-4 sets of 12-15 reps

6. Bike: Time to get on that bike! Spring thaw is actually happening! You can ride indoors or outdoors, take a spin class or take a spin around town. Just get on a bike. Also…. Do you have a bike that works? Are you going to buy a new one? Is that one in your garage in good operating order? If not, get it out, dust it off and get it to a bike shop (Bicycle Village has several metro area locations) for an tune up to make sure it is in proper working order. The bike is the biggest piece of technical equipment you will use in training and racing the TFC. Best to be comfortable with it.

7. Swim: Get in the pool! Figure out where you are going to swim: at your gym, local Y or rec center, etc. If you're afraid of the water or a real beginner, get some lessons. Mostly just get in the water and get comfortable, play! You'll need some time to figure out the best bathing suit, goggles and bathing cap for you. Equipment matters. The more comfortable you are with your equipment the more confidence you'll have for training and racing.

TFC Swim, Bike and Run Clinics hosted
by Coach Melissa:

Starting in April, Melissa will be offering 24 clinics! 12 pool swims, 4 open water swims, 4 bike and 4 run sessions. These clinics are offered exclusively to Tri participants. For details and links to register, go here.

For month number two, get moving and keep moving! Get to the gym, get outdoors, do whatever it takes to get and stay active. The program below provides some ideas on how to make that happen and how to fit it into a week. The workouts will be more and more triathlon specific as the race approaches. If you need help, ask! There's no such thing as a stupid question. Contact Coach Melissa at: mantakm@comcast.net

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May Training Program
May is here! Only 3 months to race day! Get out and train! Swim, bike and run training are the priority! TFC swim, bike and run CLINICS start April 11, 12 & 13.

Download a printable version of this calendar.

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
Click on any date to view the training plan for that day or download a printable version of this calendar.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coach Melissa Mantak Professional Triathlon Coach

Coach Melissa has worked as a coach for 15 years. Currently, she coaches triathletes and other endurance athletes full time. She has been the Coach for the Tri since 2005. Melissa works with all levels of athletes from first timers to professionals. She spent 10 years racing triathlons as a professional with numerous World Cup victories. She includes World Cup Series Champion and USOC Triathlete of the Year among her many accomplishments. She has a Masters degree in exercise pysiology and is certified by USA Triathlon as an Elite (Level 3) and USA Cycling as an Expert (level 2) coach. Melissa has also worked for 10 years as a personal trainer with a certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine as a Performance Enhancement Specialist.