Trial training – stand in the rain and run

The time had come on Sunday evening. My hour of truth. I had delayed it for weeks, but my triathlon project, the start at the Olympic distance in September, comprises three sports. And that also includes my fear discipline: running. I hate jogging, it stricts me incredibly, even at the snail’s pace I get into the gasp.

But it had to be. Outside it drizzled, briefly I thought about moving the first running training again. But the air smelled so nice of elderberry, it was windless and mild. When, if not now? Let’s go. The jogging shoes cheerfully smacked in the puddles when I started to move. A first round through my Rosenthal allotment garden colony. How fast would I be?

Chatgpt gave me an orientation, in which I had previously inquired about a clever training control. The AI ​​set an average of 6:00 minutes per kilometer for me. Converted to the Fehmarn triathlon, this means running ten kilometers in an hour. Oha! Not a top pace for trained runners, but for me? Well: brave!

Trial training

Photo: Nd

ND editor Jirka Grahl tries something new, at the start of triathlon. 1500 m swimming, 43 km bike, 10 km run. On September 14th. is a competition premiere: at Fehmarn triathlon.

Maybe I had described my skills a little exaggerated to the AI? I started to run and tried to implement what I was going on at the first meters Youtube-Tutorials “Learned”-shoulders stable, better many steps than too little, put on with the whole sole and always hold the arms in the runner triangle: so angled under 90 degrees and led closely on the body. Then running goes almost as if by itself.

I ran along a main street, everything felt right on the wet sidewalk. The first steps were child’s play, but the breathing was already intense. The water laughter let passing cars open to fountains, but I just danced lightly to the right, a smile on my lips. After the first kilometer there were 6:03 minutes on the clock. Well please!

300 meters further but came the hammer. The breath in my head is booming, booming. I went out of breath. I had to go to walking pace. At some point I even stood briefly and panted. I thought of my call Daniel Unger“High Performance Trainer” at the German Triathlon Union. I had asked him in advance about my project (you can find the interview on our website). Unger was world champion on the Olympic distance in 2007, Soon he trains Australia Triathletes. A connoisseur.

As the most important tip for beginners, Unger had given me the golden rule of endurance training: “Frequency goes with the size of intensity.” Or long caught: Training is more important than extensive training, highly intensive training is only used sparingly and specifically. And I? Had violated it right away.

I started again, change a bit between walking and running, at the end there were 3.96 km on the clock, in 26:26 min. My hour of truth didn’t even take half. The realization, however, was clear: it becomes exhausting.