Join in: Training partners near the Redondo Beach, CA area - Triathlon Week

duggar1 · 01-08-2006, 11:34 AM

An invitation for triathlon training partners:

There is a small group of us who have met through postings here, as well as on Active.com and other triathlon related message boards who get together informally for running, cycling and swimming workouts (and twice for ocean swimming). We all enjoy training and find that the opportunity to train with others is very motivating and makes a positive difference in improving our conditioning.

Although most of our group rides and runs are in the South Bay and West LA areas, some of us are open to other venues.

I'm trying to get more people on our list so there are better chances of at least 2, 3 or 4 people getting together at the same time. There are mostly women but some men in our group, all living around the Los Angeles area. Some are beginners and some have been doing triathlons for 3 years. Several of us swim in the same Master's program.

We don't care how fast you are, we don't care how old you feel, we don't care if you only want to bike, but we do care about helping each other improve. And we all want to compete in triathlons. Some just want to finish, some dream of winning their age group.

I'm hoping to find people to train with at least once a week. But it's up to you and your busy schedule as to how often you make the effort to join us.

If anyone out there reading this would like to get on my email list for group training sessions including group rides, running, ocean swim practices, etc., just send me your email address. I also include other triathlon training related info such as recommendations on training materials, articles, books and web sites, info on Master's Swim programs, plus info on local triathlons (and aquathons), 5K/10K races, pier-to-pier ocean swims, etc.

Just to be clear, neither I nor any of our group are tri coaches, although we do share our accumulating knowledge with each other and discuss our training methods and ideas. This is not a club or anything you have to pay to be part of, just a very informal group of people who sometimes train together.

Email me at [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] and I'll put you on my email list for up coming training sessions.

All are welcome to join the fun, no purchase required!

Doug
Redondo Beach, CA
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

duggar1 · 06-23-2006, 07:47 PM

Update: Still welcoming new training partners!

It's been over half a year since I made the original post above looking for training partners. There have been quite a few people who have emailed me to join our little group of triathletes in the Los Angeles area. Out of that large group, almost a dozen have participated in our loosely organized training sessions. But we are still open to anyone else who wants to join in.

As this thing has evolved, we mostly have people from the South Bay and West LA areas who tend to train together one to three times per week. Additionally, we have others all around the metropolitan area including Orange County, the Inland Empire, etc. So if you live too far from the coastal zone to train with us, there are others looking for training partners who you may be able to link up with through our group. Think of this as a sort of training partner co-op. Besides, sooner or later you will want to do some ocean swimming with a group, and you can do that with us whenever you feel like it.

Let me give you an idea of what we are doing currently. Usually we do a group ride of 2 to 3 or more hours on Saturday or Sunday morning. There is almost always a group starting from Santa Monica and/or Redondo Beach. Also on the weekends, we try to make one day a swim/ride brick or a ride/run brick. The week before a sprint tri we will usually do a time trial on the actual course.

During the week we try to get in a group ride in the early evening for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or do some intervals, and on another day sometimes do an ocean swim practice.

Several of us have joined the same Master's Swim program held at the Mira Costa High School pool in Manhattan Beach on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30 to 8:30 PM. Others swim at Santa Monica College.

Although we do run together sometimes, most of our group training is on the bike, in the water or a brick.

We have all levels of triathletes; from those still gearing up for their first sprint tri, to some who have a couple years experience. Our ages range from the early 20's to over 50, and about an equal number of men and women. Although we are not a formal enough group to be called a club, and no one goes around claiming to be a coach, we do learn a lot from each other's experience.

We have had people complete this year in the UCLA IronBruin Reverse Triathlon, the Redondo Beach Triathlon and even one who did the Brazil Ironman. We have people preparing for the Pendleton Tri (Olympic distance), the Los Angeles Tri (Olympic distance), the Carlsbad Tri (sprint), the Santa Barbara Tri (sprint), the Malibu Tri (sprint) and the Hermosa Beach Tri (sprint). We also have a couple people, including myself, who have done some of the monthly Playa del Run Aquathons (1,000m swim & 5K run, no bike), and plan to do more of them.

The emphasis here is on having people to train with as a motivational tool. It's a lot easier to drag your butt out of bed on a weekend morning if you know your buddies are expecting you.

I normally send out a group email around mid-week with the various options for group training in different areas, plus an overview of how the training went the previous week. We also send out race reports about the triathlons and other events we participate in telling about our own personal experiences and adventures trying to get from start to finish line.

So if you want to join the fun, email me at [Only registered and activated users can see links. ], and I will add you to the group emails and hopefully you will find a new way to stay motivated and improve yourself.

Doug
Redondo Beach, CA
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]