When 29-nine-year-old Angana Gohain Baruah and her husband Parijat Guha jumped into the open waters of the sea in Miramar on the word go, to participate in the Ironman 70.3 Goa (Triathalon) held on October 20, they weren’t prepared to swim with 900 other participants in such close proximity.
Keeping themselves motivated, they reached the finish line and helped Angana secure the third position (25-30 age category).They both made up for lost time in the cycling and running that follows immediately after swimming.
Recollecting, their initial moments the couple said they were rattled by the water and the crowds in the begining, Angana got kicked and her goggles came off. “Despite the chaos, I kept swimming, bobbing out of the water to follow the buoys that showed the path,” she says.
Parijat used the strategy of swimming away from the crowd. “I covered more than the required 1.9 kilometres but I swam without too many people around me.” However, he reveals all their strategies went for a toss the moment they were in the sea. Yet, they decided to compete and do their best.
Partners in fitness Angana Gohain Barua and Parijat Guha
The couple’s success arises largely from the fact that they have always motivated and spurred each other on. The couple have been married for four years and settled in Hyderabad where they came in contact with the cycling and running community in the city, an association they both immensely cherish.
At first, it wasn’t love for running that made them pursue mini-triathlons. While both started running for fitness, cycling is their favourite outdoor activity which also motivated them to train for a triathlon way back in 2017.
“It was Angana who inspired me. I have been running since 2012, so I could participate in the 1st Hyderabad marathon. I enjoyed that adrenaline rush and continued running more frequently. However, injuries from running slowed me down . Meanwhile, Angana had also started running and we eventually decided to do a triathlon in 2016. She trained hard and completed it. Watching her reach the finish line had a totally different effect on me; apart from being proud, I felt motivated. Post that, we decided to train for a triathlon,” elaborates Parijat.
At that time, Angana had participated in a smaller version of a triathlon, titled Olympic Distance Triathlon where a participant is required to swim for 1.5 kilometres, cycle for 40 kilometres and run for 10 kilometres.
While Angana was a good swimmer, Parijat needed to improve his swimming skills. With the breast stroke he couldn’t cover much distance; since that requires intense leg workouts. Nevertheless he continued doing what he was comfortable with.
Training comprised long rides with The Bike Affair group (a cycling community), swimming for long hours and running. Angana says she started cycling as a means to commute to work. “I love cycling and was glad I could commute to work on a cycle. So, I had that practice to my advantage. Parijat and I both started cycling to work. We also did a a few sessions for triathlon training to get a hang of it,” she adds.
A woman’s needs
While training, Angana also had to keep her menstrual cycle in mind. In the process, apart from educating herself about demands of the body, she needed to take enough nutrients and vitamins to be able to train effectively without giving in to pre-menstrual lethargy.
“ Roar by Dr Stacy Sims was my guide; the book is a physiology-based nutrition and training guide for active women. It helped me while training for the triathlon. We also did a half triathlon to get a feel of what we are working towards. These competitive and challenging events made us push our limits all the more,” she says.
If the half-triathlon was tough, the most difficult part for them was the brick run (set after a full cycle session). For this, they monitored their diet to eat healthy, trained as with a timetable for their weekly workout which included swimming, weight training, endurance running, long distance cycling and a rest day.
