I’ve been asked time and time again “I want to compete in triathlon, where do I start?” Triathlon is unique because within a year or two of training you can realistically cross a huge milestone of the sport, which is running an Iron Man.
Knowing what step to take first was a challenge for me and is a common challenge for others. So here is how I got over that first hump.
The very first thing you want to do before thinking about getting equipment or jumping in a pool, is to set goals.
Find a race, or an event that you want to compete at and make that your north star. It’ll give you purpose and more importantly a deadline. I decided to make an A,B and C goal. A being the IronMan, B being a long course race, and C being the Toronto Marathon. It gave perspective and priorities to what I was doing every day.
Next you’re going to have to think about equipment and resources available. Triathlon can be an expensive sport, but early on while you’re testing the waters it doesn’t have to be.
In my case I found a public pool that cost $3/swim. I used a hand-me-down bike, and I used existing running shoes. Some people don’t have access to a bike, so I suggest either finding one on Facebook marketplace, or start using a stationary bike at a local gym. This will push you enough to see if Triathlon is for you.
The third step is to get comfortable in each discipline. Take a few weeks (in my case it was four) to just consistently try out each of the three sports. You will be uncomfortable with at least 1/3 disciplines. That’s okay. It’s completely normal. Don’t worry about speed, just get comfortable.
Once you feel comfortable, there’s going to be so much information that you’ll want to intake. It’s confusing and way too time consuming for people starting out.
I started with a book to streamline the information for me. The Triathlon Bible really does have a perfect name and is a great resource for all beginners. It helped me better understand the sport at a foundational level and gave me confidence to start.
I then highly recommend checking out my tiktok if you’re interested in a super smart, confident, attractive and humble voice to answer your biggest questions. This newsletter is also a great resource to anyone starting out.
Yes, that was a quick plug and I’m not sorry about it.
If you become serious about achieving those goals you set, there are a few options:
Option 1 is to build out a training schedule yourself.
Option 2 is to buy an affordable training plan, I use this website
Option 3 is to hire a coach
Each option comes with varying costs and benefits, but they all solve the information overload challenge most athletes face.
Finally, some fun little facts that surprised me when starting out.
It was isolating, especially for a young person. (Although I do love my older training partners).
Apparently you need daylight to bike? Lol
When you tell people about doing an IronMan, be prepared for “Is that the Spartan race thingy where you jump over barriers and swing on ropes and stuff??”
Thanks for reading and get after it this week,
Lauren “planned to do my bike rides at 9pm” Hogg
Weekly Q&A (If you have a question, comment at the bottom or dm me)!:
Q: What watch did you start with??
A: I started with the Garmin Forerunner 735XT, which I bought on fb marketplace for 50 bucks, worked great for what it was. I then upgraded to the Garmin Forerunner 955 which I paid full price for :/ but is an amazing piece of machinery. Click the link to see how stupid I am when it comes to buying equipment.
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