(07-18-2006) Train Like a Triathlete -- Army Times

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Train Like a Triathlete

Ed. Note: "Sunday Bloody Sunday" gets this triathlete in the fighting mood.

Ready to give it a shot? Learn to be a triple threat from a four-time champion

By Michelle Volkmann
Special to the Times

OXNARD, Calif. — Timothy O’Donnell’s days are a blur of swimming, biking and running.

In the last four years, the lieutenant junior grade has competed in more than 75 triathlons and led the Naval Academy team to two collegiate titles.

He has won the Armed Forces Military Triathlon every year since 2003. Last year, O’Donnell set a new course record in the competition, held at Naval Base Ventura County, Calif., logging a time of 1 hour, 49 minutes, 16 seconds. In this year’s competition, held June 24, he shattered that record by eight minutes.

“I just put my head down and went,” O’Donnell said of the triathlon — a 1,500-meter swim, 24.8-mile bike ride and 6.2-mile run. “My plan was to hammer the swim and crank the bike and leave it all out there on the [run] and hope it held together.”

This record-breaking finish wasn’t easily earned. Last winter, he had to put his triple-event preparation on hold while studying at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City, Fla.

But O’Donnell said it didn’t set him back. In fact, dive school was a steppingstone to more intense workouts. After his first day of dive school training, O’Donnell was physically exhausted, which led him to view triathlons in a new light.

“It was really great for me, mentally. I never hurt as much after a race as I did after that first day [at dive school],” he said. “I said to myself that if I’m not hurting this bad after every race, then I’m not racing hard enough.”

With dive school finished, O’Donnell, 25, is training for the 2008 Summer Olympics at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“Being at the center is kind of surreal,” he said. “It’s a reality. You are legitimately trying to obtain this goal. You are trying at the highest level.”

O’Donnell won’t know if he makes the team until 2007, but Cliff English, the USA Triathlon National Team coach, said O’Donnell is progressing well through his training despite being a “late entry” in the sport.

O’Donnell is vying for a spot on the three-person team against people who have been competing in triathlons since they were 10 years old. O’Donnell’s triathlon career dates back only to 2002. Before that, he was on the Naval Academy’s varsity swim team.

Switching to triathlons led O’Donnell to greatness, but he’s not alone.

“It’s a sport where almost anyone can get good really quick if you put some time into it and enjoy your training,” he said. “Just enjoy it, and see how it progresses.”

Not sure where to begin? Here’s a little advice from a champion:

Triple the training

O’Donnell works out three times a day, starting with a 5,000-meter swim at 7:30 a.m. During the off-season, he pedals for five hours in the afternoon. When he is competing regularly, he scales back his daily ride to 2½ hours. His running schedule alternates between easy days of six or seven miles during the competition season and 12 to 15 miles daily before the season.

Weight training is a focal point of his off-season regimen. O’Donnell lifts weights three days a week, doing three sets of 12 to 15 reps per exercise. He does both upper and lower body work, including lunges, squats, leg extensions, bench presses, push-ups and lat pull-downs.

Don’t forget food

O’Donnell doesn’t restrict himself to a specific diet. For him, the number of calories and the timing of the meals are more important.

“After a hard workout, make sure you are getting your calories right then,” he said.

O’Donnell makes an effort to eat bananas, low-fat yogurt, oatmeal and nuts. His favorite meal is a bagel with natural peanut butter, honey and bananas.

His recommendation: Make breakfast your largest meal and dinner your lightest meal.

“You don’t want to pile on a whole bunch of stuff in a huge dinner,” O’Donnell said. Otherwise, your body will lag in the morning swim.

Loose muscles, tight mind

Loosen your muscles and tighten your mind before a race, O’Donnell said. He walks for three minutes, followed by a 10-minute jog. He activates his muscles through a series of drills involving light skipping, butt-kicks and high-knee skips. After conducting similar drills in the water, make sure you dry off and keep warm until the start of the race. If you start shivering, your muscles will tense up — which defeats the purpose of your warm-up, O’Donnell said.

The rest is mental.

“I try to zone everything out and visualize how I’m going to race,” he said.

Find a song that puts your mind in a competitive mode. O’Donnell listens to U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” on his iPod before every race.

Think locally

Keep your mind focused on short-term goals.

“During the swim, I’m thinking I have to be in the lead coming out of the water. I’m not thinking about the bike race or running,” O’Donnell said. “When I exit the water, I’m thinking about a quick transition. Everything is really localized.”

If you’re not focused, your mind starts to drift and your performance suffers. Or worse, your thoughts start centering on your body’s pain instead of on finishing the race.

Free your mind

All triathlon competitors have haunting memories of times they didn’t finish a race. O’Donnell’s bouts with bad luck involve a broken helmet strap in Hawaii and a flat tire in South Africa. It happens. Forget about it.

“You might crash your bike,” he said, “but you can’t think about it.”

Don’t give in

The ocean water may numb your hands. Your legs may wobble during the first lap of the run. The wind may hold you back on the bicycle. These are not reasons to give in.

“When I was in South Africa, I got food poisoning, and the race didn’t go well,” O’Donnell said.

That feeling of disappointment was a building block for the next race.

“For me, failure is simply a step toward achieving something really great,” he said.

Michelle Volkmann is a freelance writer in Oxnard, Calif.

--Army Times
 
Forget about all the training. The reason for his success is simply Sunday Bloody Sunday, the rest is only to confusing the competitors.
 
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