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July 20, 2006
ULM professor and triathlete named alternate for Team USA
Kinesiology professor and triathlete Dr. Lisa Colvin was rewarded for her extra effort when she was named an alternate for Team USA after competing at the USA Triathlon 2006 Age Group Triathlon National Championships near Kansas City July 8.
Approximately 800 athletes competed. The event resulted in national champions in 26 age groups, with the top 16 in each category gaining positions on Team USA for the World Championships in September, to be held in Lausanne, Switzerland. If necessary, Colvin will take the place of a team member who cannot compete.
This honor came after Colvin was named 2005 Mid-Southwest Regional Female Triathlete and MSW Elite Athlete. When ranking athletes for the USA Triathlon (USAT), officials consider all regions. Colvin placed tenth out of thousands of women in the country to be named a USAT All-American.
Colvin, who works a full class load and trains for hours almost every day said, “It’s a balancing act, but it can be done. It’s all about time management.”
Colvin attended college at ULM, where she ran cross-country and track. After graduating and moving from Monroe, she took a 13-year hiatus from triathlons, which consist of three different exercises: swimming, cycling and running. She has since moved back to Monroe and has been teaching at ULM for the past 3 years.
The students have become a big inspiration to Colvin in her pursuit of athletic glory, she said. While witnessing her students’ efforts to stay in shape, she was moved to reach her own personal best.
“I feel I should be a role model for the students I teach,” Colvin said. “I am asked questions in class about how they can prepare others and themselves for a lifetime of fitness activities. Triathloning is a natural lifetime activity that anyone can get involved with no matter their age or initial fitness levels.”
A typical training week:
Monday: Swim 3500 yards with Indian Aquatic Club (IAC) at 6 a.m. and run 4-6 miles afterwards; bike 1-1.5 hours easy (25 miles) in the p.m.
Tuesday: Hard group bike ride for 45-50 miles in the p.m.
Wednesday: Swim 3500 yards with IAC and perform a track workout of 5-7 miles in the p.m.
Thursday: Bike time trial intervals of 30-35 miles in the p.m.; run 5 miles after ride.
Friday: Swim 3500 yards with IAC at 6 a.m.; bike 25 miles easy in the p.m.
Saturday: Bike 60-70 miles in the hills of West Monroe and Ruston; run 6-8 miles if time permits.
Sunday: Off
Colvin said that most women in her division devote even more time to the training, depending on how much employment they simultaneously have. She intends to continue her own balancing act with athletic triumph in mind.
“I know now what I have to do to compete at the national/international level. I will have a full winter of training.”
USA Triathlon is the national governing body for triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USAT sanctions 1,800 races and connects with more than 60,000 members each year.
For more information, go to: www.usatriathlon.org.
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