During our cruise it was my intent to continue my triathlon training throughout the voyage. This is what I learned about triathlon training on a cruise ship. Despite crowded and irregular facilities, unfamiliar equipment, and rough seas, you can successfully conduct triathlon training on a cruise ship. Granted it may not result in your best effort, but you can complete the training you need.

To start – Running. This is probably the easiest of the three disciplines to train for on a cruise. There are basically three options available on most cruises:

1. Treadmills: most cruise ships are equipped with a ample quantity of treadmills. That said, they may not all be operational at one time and during peak times you may find most if not all are in use. It is best to get to the gym early or you will have to exercise your patience!
2. Designated running/walking decks.  Most large cruise ships have a deck or course designated for running/walking. Our ship even had signs stating how many laps equaled a mile. This can meet your running requirements. However, you may have to contend with several obstacles:
   a. Instability while running on a moving ship. Particularly in rough seas.
   b. Wet and slippery decks.
   c. Walkers, casual strollers, and deck hands during certain times of the day.
   d. Deck closures when the tenders are in use or during debarkations.
3. Running ashore while the ship is in port. Although doable there can be a lot of unknown concerns in doing so. Traffic and personal safety being among the biggest concerns. It is very much destination dependent.

I also noted that my Garmin Forerunner 935 did not function well on a moving ship. Apparently, it tracked the movement of the ship rather than me.

I have little doubt that whether running on the deck or on a treadmill, the best time to run on the ship was while it was in port and not moving.

Next – Swimming. Although there are usually several pools on most cruise ships, only one or two may be suitable for lap swimming. There were two pools on our cruise ship that were 11 meters (12 yards) long. Not ideal, but I made it work! If you are wearing your GPS watch, make sure you adjust the pool distance on your swim settings. Although, I did not do any open water swimming this could have been an option in ports like Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Tips for swimming on a ship:

1. Plan your swims when the pools are less crowded i.e., early morning, late evening, cloudy or cooler days. Note most ship’s pools are heated.
2. Although there are a few, most people using the pools are not serious swimmers apparently unfamiliar with the common courtesies related to swimming. It is likely you will have to exercise a high level of patience while swimming.
3. Cruise ship pools are no different than most public pools. They are highly chlorinated. Goggles are recommended.

Next, Bike training: There are not a whole lot of options for this. Unlike the tread mills there appears to be a limited number of stationary bikes. Most are recumbent bikes or spin style cycles. Some cruises ships may have spin classes. These may be offered for an additional fee. There may also be opportunities to rent standard bikes while in port.

This is the very basic training equipment/clothing I recommend taking with you on your cruise:

1-2 running shirts

1-2 pair of running shorts

2-3 pairs of running/biking socks

1 pair of running shoes

1 swimming suit for lap swimming

1 pair of goggles

Water bottle

Optional – 1 pair biking shorts

Optional – swim cap

As stated earlier, if it is your intent to continue your triathlon training while on an ocean cruise it can be done to an acceptable level with some planning, flexibility, and patience. So, train on, have fun and don’t forget to enjoy your cruise!

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