Triathlon 'addiction' keeps her running

Who: Tara M. Freeman, St. Lawrence University photographer, wife of Jeremy Freeman, who is the SLU assistant athletic director and the head men's and women's tennis coach. Ms. Freeman, 33, began competing in triathlons in the summer.

What is a triathlon?

"It's any combination distances of swimming, biking and then running. The distances I was doing are a 500-yard swim, a 15-mile bike ride and a 5-K run."

How did you become interested in triathlons?

"My background is in swimming. That's definitely where I'm the strongest. I was on the swim team in high school and I had a couple of school records. I may still. I've always swam over the years.

"I've always ridden bike, but I got really into the road biking over the last four or five years. I kind of got into mountain biking a little bit, probably about six years ago. I had a need for speed, I guess, and started getting into the road stuff. I just love to be out on the road. I've never had a bad bike ride. This year, I had a couple of 50-mile rides. Next year, I want to shoot for a century. I biked 1,000 miles over the course of a summer. After I did that, I thought 'now what?'

"I thought, 'If only I could run, I could do triathlons.' I literally had to teach myself to run. It doesn't come as naturally to me as the other stuff. Running is the challenge. I had successfully avoided it for 32 years. I downloaded a Runner's World eight-week program."

How did you train?

"The running was a slow build. It was run, then walk. You build on the amount of time you ran. I could do better if I ran a little better.

"A lot of adults struggle with the swim. It's not as easy to learn as an adult. It comes naturally to me. I don't think much about it. You can do it any style. Freestyle is the most efficient. I can go full out because it's my strength.

"I don't eat junk food. In general, for snacks, I eat bananas and pretzels and yogurt. I definitely eat throughout the day. I don't eat red meat so I'll do protein supplements. You can feel a fatigue when you're lacking protein.

"Once I decided to do it, I followed a program online. A lot of days called for a double training session. Last year, I started in February and my first race was in June in Pittsford. In August, I did the Norwood Beach."

How did you do?

"In Pittsford, there were 128 women. Norwood had 22 women. In Pittsford, in my age group, there were 56 people and I came in 13th. Overall, there were 335 and I came in 165. Especially with the swim and the bike, I did really well in those. But suddenly, all of those people I had blew past were blowing past me in the run.

"In Norwood, I was nine out of 22. My goal was to do it in an hour, 40 minutes, and I did it in an hour, 40 minutes and 12 seconds, so I can't complain.

"That race in Norwood was an open-water swim. That's definitely a different thing. I was a pool swimmer. In the open water, you can't see anything."

What will you do to keep in shape over the next few months?

"In the winter, I'll take a spinning class. I have a trainer for my bike, but it's a lot of work to ride on a trainer. The road, there's a glide to that. On the trainer, it's all you.

"I'll keep up the swimming once or twice a week.

"The running, yeah, I'll try to keep it up outside as long as I can. I'd much rather be outside."

Does your husband help you?

"He's mostly motivational. He'll kind of pump me up. We laugh and call him my sponsor.

"After Norwood, my husband, being a coach, said I should decide whether to shoot for a longer distance or a faster sprint. I guess that's what happens when you're married to a coach. I really haven't made up my mind yet. You have to have a goal. It keeps me motivated."

Why do you do it?

"All this is very addictive. You feel so good. I've never felt better in my life. The triathlon is just a different kind of level because of the endurance.

"If I can teach myself to run, anybody can do this. You definitely see all shapes and sizes. It does not need to be expensive. You need a pair of sneakers, a swimsuit, a bike and a helmet. That's the basics. A heart rate monitor is good to have because it helps you track where you're at.

"I'm very competitive. I need to tell myself I don't need to win. It's easy to get carried away. You have to enjoy it for what it is. It does not have to be about time."

If you have an idea for a Times Q&A, contact Times staff writer Martha Ellen at mellen@wdt.net.