The Plant City Family YMCA’s newest offering encourages members and non-members alike to “tri” something new this February.
The Y is kicking off its triathlon training program on Feb. 1 for athletes of all skill levels. You can be totally new to the world of triathlons and looking to dive in, or you can be an experienced participant looking to stay in shape for your next event. Whatever the case may be, there’s a spot for you if you’re willing to work in the 12-week training program.
“We were working on our Healthy Living Committee and trying to think of ways to bring life, to bring a program for everybody, into the facility,” Plant City Family YMCA Wellness Director Hannah Franklin said. “We’re not looking at this as a way to make money. We’re looking at this as a way to get involved with the community and give somebody something to work toward.”
This program has both virtual and in-person elements so anyone can participate from the comfort of their own homes or in socially distanced group settings. Participants can get their running, biking and swimming workouts done wherever they’d like and track their progress with the Y as they go along. The program includes gear and information sessions as well as form clinics with FITNiche.
“Every single month, we’re going to be focusing on a different event,” Franklin said. “So starting in February, we’re going to focus on running. FITniche is going to come out Feb. 1 and Feb. 8, Monday nights at 6 p.m., to do a form session and a shoe fitting, which is really cool. At the end of the month they’re going to try a 5K… in March, they’ll do the biking portion and we’ll have a gear session and a form clinic. Same thing in April (for swimming).”
It’s based on the Life Time Tri program created by multisport coach Troy Jacobson. This program features five workout days per week that go beyond just telling participants how long they should work for — they’ll know what their target heart rates should be, how many pedaling revolutions per minute they need to maintain on the bikes, when to turn up or tone down the intensity of the workout and more.
At the end of the program is a “race week” where participants will try their hands at a mini-triathlon on their own time, wherever they’d like, and the Y will promote use of the honor system to compare everyone’s race times at the end of the week.
“They don’t have to do every single event together at the same time,” Franklin said. “They can do separate days. So they can do swimming on Monday, biking on Wednesday and their run on Saturday.”
The program starts Feb. 1 and runs through May 8. The cost is $40 per member and $235 for non-members (a three-month Plant City Family YMCA membership is included). For clinic and gear dates, registration information and more, contact Franklin at hannah.franklin@tampaymca.org or call 813-757-6677.