I got my start in the
sport of triathlon ten years ago with Team in Training. Being part of a Team to train and fundraise with
was a fantastic way to get initiated in to the sport! I made tons of friends, learned so much from
the coaches and fundraised for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Crossing the finish line at the 2003 St.Anthony’s Triathlon meant a whole lot more than just finishing my first
triathlon. It meant working hard to
reach a goal, enjoying it with friends and making a small difference in
someone’s life who could not compete in the sport due to their illness.
As I continued my
involvement in the sport by competing in longer distance races, I learned the
importance of having solid training partners, especially for bike rides. It’s tough to face a 65 – 100+ miler on your
own, especially when you need to complete rides like this on a regular basis to
get ready for an Ironman triathlon or other long distance event.
Over the years, I’ve
relied on several fellow triathletes and cyclists to join me on rides. I’ve treasured my training partners over the
years. Here are some of the qualities
they possess:
·
Timeliness
·
PMA (Positive Mental
Attitude)
·
Seriousness
·
Preparedness
·
Honesty
·
Ego in Check
·
No Sandbagging
·
Good Citizenship
Take this short quiz to
find out how you rank on the “Coach Mari Fridenmaker Training Partner Compatibility
Scale”:
1.) When you decide to meet for a “Wheels Down at
7:30am” ride, do you…
a. Arrive at 7:05am, get everything ready and show
up at the starting area at 7:25am?
b. Arrive at 7:25, quickly get everything together
and hope you are good to roll out at 7:30am?
c. Pull in the parking lot at 7:35 wondering if you
are in the wrong place?
2.) When you come to ride with your Training
Partner, do you…
a. Always have enough fluid and nutrition for the
duration of the ride and even a little bit extra?
b. Arrive with just enough to get you through the
ride?
c. Show up to the ride, then remember you left all
your bottles and nutrition sitting on the kitchen counter?
3.) How do you greet your Training Partner when
meeting him/her at the ride?
a. “Hey buddy!
You look strong today. I’m feeling
great and can’t wait to ride! Let’s go!”
b. “hey. ready?”
c. “Hey. I
didn’t get any sleep last night because my date kept me up all night…talking. Then, I was late for work. My boss kept me in yet another meaningless
meeting until 5:15pm. I feel like crap
and my ride is going to suck. Should we
just go for pizza instead?”
4.) When you meet your Training Partner for a mid-week
recovery ride and you know he/she is a little bit slower than you, what do you
do?
a. Ride at his/her pace without letting him/her
know you are taking it easy.
b. Ride ahead of him/her, but close enough where
he/she can see you.
c. Go “balls to the wall” and *maybe* see him/her
back at the parking lot.
5.) When approaching a stop sign while riding in
town during a busy part of the day with your Training Partner, what do you do?
a. Stop.
Unclip. Look both ways. Proceed when traffic is clear.
b. Slow down.
Stay clipped in. Look both
ways. Proceed.
c. Ride so fast through the stop sign that the cop
can’t catch you to give you a ticket…only for him to eventually catch up to you
to call the ambulance.
If you answered mostly with an “a”, you are an excellent Training
Partner. If you answered mostly with a “b”,
you’ve got a few ways to improve. If you
answered mostly with a “c”, please return your Blue Iron Coaching cycling jersey
immediately!
In this sport in which
we spend a lot of time training, having solid training partners is
invaluable! I’ve had tons of awesome
training buddies over the years…too many to mention. These people have contributed to the joy I
have received from the sport. I hope you
all cherish your training partners and serve as one yourself!
Happy Training and
Racing!
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