The Six-Week Triathlon Challenge

In the past four months, I’ve done two triathlons. Sounds pretty good, except that each took me five weeks to complete.

In March I got an email that some of the women in the neighborhood were doing a “Six Week Triathlon Challenge.”

Basically, this is a challenge to complete a the equivalent of a triathlon over the course of six weeks:  swim 2.4 miles (84.5 laps in a 25-yard pool), bike 112 miles, and walk/run 26.2 miles. You can break the distances up into as many segments as you want (or need) over the six-week time period.

I  scanned the email and dismissed it as something for the young athletic types; not for the older, overweight folks like me. But, when I saw women posting each day that they had walked a couple of miles or swam 10 or 20 laps, I started realizing this was actually a do-able goal.  I routinely bike 5 or 6 miles a few times a week. After my  weekly water aerobics class I usually stay after and swim 10-12 laps.  I couldn’t run 26.2 miles, but I could definitely walk several miles each week.

So although I was a week late to the party, I joined the group. Seeing everyone else’s posts helped spur me on, and I was able to finish on time. In fact, I had it in my head that the biking was 120 miles instead of 112, so I did 8 miles more than necessary.

It was interesting to see that some people who love to bike for miles hated to run, and vice-versa. The swimming was the biggest challenge for most. It’s not easy finding a pool or finding the time to get there. A couple of people didn’t know how to swim, and others in the group gave them some pointers.

When I swim laps, I like to use my mask and snorkel to help regulate my breathing and to  see where I’m going. I don’t know if that would pass muster if I were doing an actual triathlon, but it was good enough for me.

I didn’t realize that all my Facebook friends could see my reports on our page… “Swam 20 laps,” “Walked four miles,” and so on. At a baby shower, my cousin Marge greeted me with, “You EXHAUST me!”

After the first Six Week Marathon, and our fearless leader Heather Harris challenged us to do a second one.  This time, I finished all but one mile of biking before our trip to California to see my new granddaughter.  At our hotel, I found a  stationery bike and completed that last mile, just to say I did.

I think it was a good friendship-builder for all of us, and a good motivator. It would be pretty easy to start in your own neighborhood, or with family members.

Here are some of the comments from participants as they reported on Facebook: