{"id":961,"date":"2008-11-27T20:03:26","date_gmt":"2008-11-28T01:03:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/healthnews.nchealthplans.com\/?p=961"},"modified":"2010-06-24T10:27:14","modified_gmt":"2010-06-24T15:27:14","slug":"running-fitness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/2008\/11\/running-fitness\/","title":{"rendered":"Triathlons"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>“Why?”\u00a0 That is the question some of my family and friends asked me when I told them I was going to participate in the Nelson Bay Challenge, a local sprint triathlon.\u00a0 “Aren’t you getting a little old to push yourself so hard?”\u00a0 That was another question, with concerns that I might actually\u00a0kill myself during the training process or the race itself.\u00a0 I only had one answer – why not?\u00a0 I have always liked setting specific physical fitness goals for myself and I thought a sprint triathlon could help add some spark to my workout routine.\u00a0 Another perk………the training program could also help me win some prizes through Blue Points<\/a>,\u00a0the health and wellness program offered by\u00a0Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina<\/a> to\u00a0promote physical fitness activities.
\n
\nSprint triathlons are not the Ironman events that you see on TV that take place in Kona, Hawaii.\u00a0 However, they are still a very challenging event, especially for those who have never partaken in this great sport.\u00a0\u00a0A sprint triathlon generally consists of a 500 – 750 meter swim (almost 1\/2 mile), a cycling course of 20 km (12.5 miles), and finally a 5 k run (3.1 miles).\u00a0 Whereas an Ironman triathlon consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run.\u00a0 Training for and racing in\u00a0your first triathlon will require discipline, knowledge and hard work.\u00a0 Whether you are doing this to lose weight, improve your overall fitness, or just to become a better triathlete,\u00a0you will need the necessary tools to help you with your goals.\u00a0 One of the biggest challenges to this sport is choosing the training plan for yourself, making time available, not over training and keeping yourself motivated.\u00a0 So, where does one start?\u00a0 Selecting and starting with the right training plan will be a very\u00a0important decision that will allow you to reach your goals.\u00a0\u00a0 Once you have made the commitment everything else falls into place and you soon begin to realize how great you will feel and the benefits you gain.\u00a0\u00a0 Not only do you improve your overall health, it may qualify you for an additional discount on your North Carolina health insurance <\/a>premium through Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC). <\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>For me, I set some specific goals (finishing time for each event) and set up a 12 week training program to accomplish those goals.\u00a0 I was already a runner, so I had some cardiovascular capacity.\u00a0 I started my program with my normal running of 3 times per week.\u00a0 I\u00a0added\u00a0in a swim and bike for the first couple of weeks, then progressively increased my program until I was swimming and biking at least twice per week as well.\u00a0 On the final weekends leading up to the race, I would typically combine my workouts to resemble what it would feel like in the race.\u00a0 For example, I would bike for a distance, then I would immediately run.\u00a0\u00a0This type of training is called a “brick” and trains your muscles for the transition from\u00a0sport to sport.\u00a0 For the last two weeks leading up to my race, I tapered my intensity off to avoid injury and burnout.<\/div>\n

Training came naturally for me\u00a0in the run and the bike.\u00a0 But the swim was another story, as it is for most people who have really never competed in swimming.\u00a0 I had actually participated in a sprint triathlon 7 years before.\u00a0\u00a0Prior to that, I took part in\u00a0one of the first\u00a0Nelson Bay Challenges back in 1989.\u00a0 During both of those events, I thought I would never make it through the swim.\u00a0 The backstroke is <\/a>not the typical swim \"\"style, but it is good for getting plenty of air!\u00a0\u00a0This time, I was determined to learn how to freestyle\u00a0swim in a way that maximized my time and conserved my energy.\u00a0 I purchased a DVD called “Freestyle Made Easy”\u00a0and trained using the drills twice per week.\u00a0 I didn’t increase the amount of time I was swimming, but I did\u00a0improve my technique, which made all the difference in the world.\u00a0 In the race 7 years ago, my 750 meter swim time was 25 mins.\u00a0 This time, it was 15 mins!\u00a0 Now, I am not a professional triathlete or trainer.\u00a0 I developed my training routine by reading books and articles.\u00a0 You can refer to www.beginnertriathlete.com<\/a> and numerous other websites\u00a0for a more complete and professional list of programs for the couch potato up to the more advanced athletes.\u00a0 So, whether you are tyring to lose weight or are wanting to add some flavor to your boring workout routine, training for a sprint triathlon just may be what you are looking for.\u00a0 In these times, improvement in physical conditioning can help save on medical bills and health insurance<\/a> premiums.\u00a0 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina<\/a> offers a 15% discount to those with qualifying medical histories!\u00a0 See you at the race.<\/p>\n

For more information on North Carolina health insurance<\/a>, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com<\/a> or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our professional authorized agents.\u00a0 Our agency provides coverage for health insurance in North Carolina <\/a>through Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina\u00a0(BCBSNC)<\/a>.\u00a0 You may qualify for a 15% healthy lifestyle discount if you are in excellent health, call all our office for\u00a0details.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Why?”\u00a0 That is the question some of my family and friends asked me when I told them I was going to participate in the Nelson Bay Challenge, a local sprint triathlon.\u00a0 “Aren’t you getting a little old to push yourself so hard?”\u00a0 That was another question, with concerns that I might actually\u00a0kill myself during the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[23,11,152,139,138],"class_list":["post-961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fitness","tag-bcbsnc","tag-blue-advantage","tag-blue-cross-blue-shield-of-nc","tag-get-fit","tag-triathalon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=961"}],"version-history":[{"count":42,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/961\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":989,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/961\/revisions\/989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}