Freshmen Triathlon Training

Photo by Morgan Browning

Each of their approaches differs: freshman Miles Patterson spends hours sitting over his computer when not practicing, researching the optimal training routine for the upcoming triathlon. His friend, freshman Sawyer Waterman, remembers to bring the speaker and keep the boys hyped. Freshman Palmer Boyles balances the other two, ensuring everyone keeps their body healthy through rest and workouts.

The three freshmen began their training at the conclusion of the cross country season for the Legend Endurance sprint triathlon on June 4, 2017. They wanted to stay in shape after the cross country season ended and spend time together. Only this time, there would be no coaches and minimal parent involvement, allowing the boys to grow and learn new skills.

Once they discovered just how much and what they needed to train, it has also become an intense physical routine. The schedule includes a continuation of running training, learning how to swim competitively and building up biking stamina.

Running

Waterman began running as an Indian Hills Knight in seventh grade. However, Boyles has been running since early elementary school on his own. Although Miles ran in middle school, he didn’t seriously consider it until this past summer.

“Palmer ran a half marathon in fourth grade,” Waterman said. “In fourth grade, I just played minecraft all day.“

Even though the three friends entered high school with different running histories, all three ran cross country, strengthening their already-established friendship and their love for the sport. By the end of the season their fastest times were within four minutes of each other, making it feasible to train together after the season ended.

The triathlon includes a 5K foot race, the same as a typical high school race, so it’s easier to train using the schedule and routine from in-season cross country training. To do so, they incorporate stretches, drills and parts of the routes made by the cross country coaches as well as individual research and tips from award-winning triathletes.

Due to the lack of coaches to record mileage and routes, the boys use Strava, a running and cycling app, to record their stats and progress. It also functions as a way for their parents to see what routes they are taking in case of an emergency.

“Doing it without coaches and a big team, you can get the workouts done a lot quicker because you don’t have to wait for like 100 kids,” Boyles said. “You can customize it to how you want to get faster and how you want to train.”

Swimming

The boys believe that swimming is by far the hardest event, as it is a new experience for all three. During his first practice, the simple act of breathing posed a challenge for Boyles when submerged in four feet of water. As he tried to kick and make his arms function in rhythm, water seeped into his mouth with every breath. Despite this challenge, he continued to train hard in the pool the next practice, focusing on drills and techniques all three of the boys researched. Eventually, he discovered the right angle to rotate his head out of the water.

Waterman and Patterson encountered similar problems. After trying to go only half the distance of the actual race, all three boys were fatigued and in pain. After the first practice, they were sore for the next week, but remained optimistic and worked through their aching muscles.

“We have already improved three minutes off our time,” Patterson said. “At the beginning we looked like dead fish in water, but we are improving.”

Hopeful that they would improve in time, the boys first purchased memberships to the YMCA on Delmar and 79th Street because it provided both a pool and gym. Boyles, Waterman and Patterson walk there from school up to three times a week to train for the 500 yard distance and strengthen upper body muscles in the gym using workouts from the Internet.

“You need to be a lot stronger in different areas than running,” Boyles said. “Swimming is a lot of upper body strength that you don’t get from running.”

Biking

The three freshmen believe that although it is not their worst event, they are not biking as much as they should be. Due to the lowering temperatures, they have not been able to bike comfortably outdoors and have resorted to stationary bikes at the YMCA.

In the spring, they plan to go on long bike rides ranging from 25-30 miles as well as short, sprint rides that are around the same distance of the triathlon, 12 miles, in order to build stamina and tone their muscles.

“One time we passed a guy biking, and he stopped to talk to us and give us some tips,” Patterson said. “He gave us a lot to research which helped us dive deeper into competitive biking.”

All three of the boys are confident that they can bike, it is just a matter of how fast. Boyles one concern is using the right gear at the right time to get the most speed.

“The hard part is knowing which gear to be in depending on the steepness of the hill,” Boyles said. “So on an uphill you’ll want to bee in a lower gear so you’re getting the most bang for your buck.”

For Waterman, the biking training is a segway into skills for the future.

“Learning how to bike well, it makes you more comfortable with biking on the streets, and so it makes me think that eventually I will bike to work or bike around college,” Waterman said.