#triathletes

Naomi Brown, Nata Kolesova and Molly Lakustiak (Saskatchewan) 🇨🇦

While writing about my journey, I tend to forget that a lot of people that read my blog have never entered a triathlon.  I mean, make no mistake about it - I’m by no means a seasoned triathlete.  I did a very short sprint before I jumped into my first Ironman, so don’t think that it takes years of preparation to enter a race at any distance.  If you want to do it, you can.  If I can finish an Ironman, you can.  But this post isn’t so much about Ironman as it is “your first” triathlon.

I could go on and on about the technical aspects, but the first step is the hardest:  Getting started.  Swim, bike, run.  While there are more workout routines than there are triathletes, the three events need to be your primary focus.  

In most cases, the swim is the shortest discipline, but if you can’t swim the distance in your race, it’s the most important, as it is typically the first event.  So obviously, getting a core competency in the water is important.  Once you’re “good enough”, there are small improvements that can be made.  I’ve been very open that in my first Ironman, my goal was to “survive the swim”.  Now, I’m a much better swimmer, but at the 2.4 mile distance, my goal is to basically shave 25 minutes off of my swim.  That’s not a lot over 140.6 miles.  That’s why I think your biggest room for improvement will come from the bike and the run.  But to get started?  You need a swimsuit, goggles, and a place to swim.

In most triathlon formats, you’ll be on the bicycle longer than anything else, so a majority of your training will include pedaling.  To get started, you need a bike of some sort.  Don’t be like me and splurge on a bike that’d make Lance Armstrong envious.  No need for that.  Hell, for the first 4 months, I trained on my Peloton.  I love the bike because it’s great exercise, it isn’t a complete beating, and it will allow you to build a great aerobic base without crushing your joints.  A helmet and sunglasses are important, but first, just get on a bike!

Finally, there’s a better than 99% chance that if you make it to the finish line of a triathlon, you’re going to do it on your feet.  If you’re sitting on the couch reading this and you haven’t run in years, but you’re intrigued by my journey or one of the other thousands that have entered a triathlon, you’re going to have to run.  Newsbreak:  If you haven’t run in a while, that shit is going to hurt.  It’s going to be uncomfortable, but you can do it.  It may hurt your knees.  If you’re heavy, it’ll hurt everything.  At first, it hurt my pride far more than it hurt anything else - but every run has an ending.  And you will survive, even though it feels as if you’re going to die.  What do you need to start running?  Shoes.  

Don’t fall into the trap of “chasing easy” (in triathlon OR life).  It’s easy to convince yourself that ditching the runs or the pool is ok, as long as you’re on the bike, but for the most part, remember this:  To become a better swimmer?  Swim.  To become a better cyclist?  Ride.  To become a better runner?  Run. 

Put it together - going for a run after a ride or a ride after a swim is a different animal at first.  It’s also a hell of a workout - with three different sports rolled into one competition, getting bored isn’t likely.   Also, it’s tough NOT to lose weight when you’re working out like a triathlete!

Keep balance in your life - training for three different disciplines can become a full time job if you let it, but remember why you’re doing this.  Goal setting, discipline, health/weight loss, and confidence are great reasons to be a triathlete, but not at the expense of the other aspects of your life.  When it switches over from being fun and rewarding to a task, it’s time to scale it back!