5 Stages of a Long Bike Ride

Ever wonder what riders go through on a long bike ride? Well I recently found out for myself.  Here are the 5 stages of a long bike ride.

Stage one- Ok- I’m out on my bike. I made it! I got up this morning , I’m on time and I’m here, lets do this!

Stage two- Alright.  I’m getting slightly angry and I’m not sure why,  I’m just, annoyed for no reason really, but I can’t explain why.

Stage three-Doubt.  Why did I sign up for this half ironman? Why did I think I could do this?? I can’t do this, I CAN’T!!!!

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Mountain biking- maybe XTerra next?

I got a mountain bike!!!! I can’t tell you how excited I am about this.  It’s an early birthday present for me and I haven’t had a mountain bike since I was young so I’m super excited.  I have already put a few miles on it and I just got it yesterday.  I’m mostly excited because now I could possibly start thinking about doing off-road triathlons!! This is something I have never considered and now I am!  Sorry for all of the exclamation marks— IM JUST SO EXCITED!!!!!!  #xterrahereicome

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Kayaking–great for arm strength!!

Hello all!!!

Just a quick post about my day yesterday.  I had a 1 hr 30 minute bike ride that I did after work and then I headed home.  The weather was so nice I couldn’t stand it and I begged my boyfriend to let us take the kayak out on the lake.  We ended up getting around and having just enough time to kayak for a whole hour!!! Guys… talk about building arm and back strength!  This exercise is not only fun and beautiful, (especially during sunset) but full of wonderful arm strength motions!   We will be kayaking a lot more this summer and building up our arms and back!

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The Natchez Trace

HAVE YOU EVER RIDDEN ON THE NATCHEZ TRACE?

Last year when I moved to Nashville, I asked around for information about where to bike.  Many people directed me to the Natchez Trace  and I am so glad they did.  Yes,  it is nothing but hills, (at least in the area I bike on ) but it is absolutely breath taking and secluded.  The rule is that cyclists get the right of way and vehicles have to allow them to use the entire lane, so you feel pretty safe.  I am a huge fan of no one being in my way when I’m trying to train on the bike.  A lot of times, if you try to visit a busy trail that lots of people are on, it’s really hard to maintain a pace that you want.  On the Trace, there are not enough cyclists or runners to slow down the pace,  so everyone is happy!  a

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Feeling like I’m not doing enough Training

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Just wanted to jot down my current thoughts that are going through my head.

You ever take a week to kind of rest during your training, and you just feel like you aren’t doing anything?  This week is a little light for me because I have the Dickson Iron Nugget on Saturday and I want to have fresh muscles.  It’s amazing to me what a little rest can do.  It almost makes me feel like I’m going a little stir crazy even though I know it’s helping me.  Everyone needs a little rest when they are training this much to prevent injuries from happening.  I just need to take a deep breath and realize that this is helping me in the long run (especially for Saturday’s race!!)

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What Triathlon Equipment do I Use?

Hello Everyone and Happy Friday!

I wanted to make a quick post about some of the types of equipment and clothing that I use for my training and racing.  There are so many different brands out there, it’s hard to pin point just one to use.  It took me lots of years of practice to find some of my absolute favorites.  Here are just a few:

Running Shoes:  Saucony Kinvara 7   (very comfortable and lightweight)

Triathlon Watch: Garmin 920 XT  (in my opinion, the best watch to use for triathlon training and racing)

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Journey to 70.3- first tri of 2017

First triathlon of 2017- done!!

Hello everyone!  I hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter and is getting some nice family time in- I know I am!

I wanted to post about my first triathlon race of the year.  I race the Alpha-Piathlon in  Murfreesboro, TN last Sunday, April 9th.   This race was a short sprint: 300m swim, 10 mile bike and a 5k run and guys, I’m telling you, hard work pays off.  The race went a whole heck of a lot better than it did last year and I improved my time by 5 minutes plus!!!  My workouts have been solid and I could feel each and every one backing me up while I was out there swimming, biking and running.  When I finished, I felt like I could go run 10 miles more!!! This is the best I have ever felt after a race and I can’t wait to  get even faster and stronger this summer.

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What does a triathlete eat??

Ever wonder what a woman triathlete eats?  Here is a one day food log for you that I took on a random Thursday.

Breakfast-Ground turkey, 3 eggs scrambled  with salsa and orange juice

Snack 1- Greek yogurt and almonds

Lunch-Mixed green salad with grilled chicken and oil and vinegar

Snack 2- protein bar

Dinner-  ground turkey lettuce wraps, spinach, apples with peanut butter

Midnight Snack- bowl of cereal with skim milk

Music City 10k

Let’s talk about the Music City 10k 2017!!  First of all, I was happy with the way the weather turned out. In the early morning, it was misting and very cold and foggy but by race time it was 45 and super sunny.  I was also pretty happy with my time.  My goal was to run 7:30 pace which would have put my time well over 45:00, but I ran 7:06 pace and felt very strong! I beat my time from last year by a 1:40!! PLUS I BEAT DAD!!! (that is a huge thing in our family) .  All in all, the race made me very excited for this year.  So far, I have two really solid races down in the books for 2017 and I’m so excited for what’s to come!

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X3 Coaching- I’m so excited!!!

HEY GUESS WHAT!!!! I finally did what I said I was going to do this year and joined the X3 Endurance Triathlon team in Nashville.  Last year, I saw all of the members at races and kept telling myself I needed to join that team.  I finally did it- and also- I signed up for a personal coach!  So not only am I joining a whole new group of people who have the same passion as me, but I’m finally going to really push myself with my training, like I never thought I could.  I’m so excited.  Come along with me through this journey and watch me go through the struggles and successes of finding out how far I can go.  I’m going to be posting all of my videos on my YouTube channel- KaitlinX3 Kaitlin Switzer.   I’LL SEE YOU THERE!!!

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