I remember my first triathlon like it was yesterday. I had just finished running my first marathon the month prior and had worked at a bike shop so I “had” to start biking. Well, I loved running so much and I have a competitive swimming background so WHY NOT try a triathlon? I had tried out the bike a solid 5-6 times since I got it and I was confident that I may roll right into a ditch during the race. I had also swam a few times in the local pool to get my muscles ready from roughly 8 years of not lap swimming. I WAS READY! (?)
Don’t worry about doing ALL 3 DISCIPLINES EVERYDAY
Some days you may choose to bike, others you may run, and on weekends you may swim! Don’t freak out about doing them all at once…. just spread them out evenly throughout your workout week in a manner that works with your schedule. Someday’s you will have to do a nice short run after the bike or a swim after a run but that is what makes the work outs fun and interesting!
Don’t be afraid to be lifting weights while you are training for the triathlon. Swimming, biking, and running all use very different muscles groups. You want to make sure that they are all in balance with one another and that you are not only able to take on the endurance, but be strong for the race as well.
Don’t be scared to find others to train with
There are so many triathlon clubs that have many people to train with! Reach out and see if anyone wants to train with you or has any fun “Beginner Triathlon” suggestions. I have made some of my greatest friends from reaching out to groups like these- don’t worry, we are all a little crazy…
PRACTICE staying calm in the water
Think about swimming as you think about yoga. Stay calm, elongate your muscles and BREATHE SLOWLY. You have been taught to NEVER hold your breath during a workout, here you HAVE to hold your breath. The number one rule is to stay calm and “just keep swimming”. The reason I say this is because during the swim of your race…it will be anything but calm. You may have people swimming over you and hitting your body in the water–don’t panic.. you are okay. We are all in this together!