The Collegian

Issue date: 1/29/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Andrew Dodson Senior Ashley Jelonek is training for the first annual Hillsdale indoor triathlon which will include biking, running on the treadmill and swimming

Media Credit: Andrew Dodson

Senior Ashley Jelonek prepares for a personal challenge. She is taking water aerobics and weight training. Jelonek has the training down: work with a partner to keep yourself accountable, vary workouts to avoid muscle stress, set reasonable goals.

She is currently training for Hillsdale's first-annual indoor triathlon to be held Feb. 22.

"I just wanted to start living healthier by making small changes here and there," Jelonek said. "I'm normally an active person, but lately not so much. This triathlon came along at just the perfect time and is the motivation I need."

Jelonek began by trying to complete a mile. With that accomplished, she went from a treadmill to pool workout to see if she could endure for a longer period of time in different events: she could. Jelonek said she is excited to accomplish this goal and fitness into a lifestyle.

The event, which will take place in the Roche Sports Complex, is a project spearheaded by Ashley LaCarter, director of campus recreation, as an initiative to get students active during winter months. LaCarter said she hopes this event will inspire students to begin a healthier lifestyle.

"I wanted to offer students an opportunity to compete in the winter when physical activity is limited due to the cold outside," LaCarter said.

The competition was opened to students and faculty, but spots were limited due to the time-dependent format of the race, a style LaCarter copied from a gym by her home. The triathlon will consist of a 10-minute swim, 30 minutes on a stationary bike and 20 minutes on the treadmill.

"There were 21 spots open and they all filled up in two days," LaCarter said, though there is a waiting list.

The competitors are roughly split between males and females, with fitness levels ranging from the average to the avid athlete, LaCarter said. Assistant professor of biology David Houghton, a triathlon veteran and Ironman competitor said, anyone can participate in a triathlon provided they meet the challenge of swimming.

"Anybody can do this if they're comfortable swimming," he said. "That's the trick because anyone can sit on a bike and walk if not run, but swimming...it's a scary thing when you jump in for the first time and sink to the bottom."

In preparing for a race, semi-professionals can do 30 to 40 hours of training a week.

"I can't get that obsessive…you can wreck yourself doing that," Houghton said, adding that he never runs two days in a row.

But considering most Hillsdale students don't have that time to devote to training, a less demanding schedule can be adopted for the event. Jelonek, for example, follows a loose training schedule of four to five days a week depending on her academic workload, putting in time beyond her PE classes.

"Sometimes I call my mom and ask why I ever signed up for this thing," Jelonek said. "Then she reminds me that I signed up because I wanted to make long-term changes."

Houghton said he thinks even if training began today, an individual would have time to bring their body to competition level for the hour-long event. He recommened training be based more on endurance instead of speed due to the nature of the race and setting reachable goals.

Jelonek agreed, "I'm just working on setting goals for myself and achieving them. I really want to feel that accomplishment when I finish the race."

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