Triathlon. An endurance event comprised of swimming, cycling and running in quick succession and varying distances. A physically and mentally demanding sport designed to test an athlete’s commitment, patience, pain threshold and passion.
For me, it’s something that offers immense joy. It’s hard work, highly competitive and can be exhausting, while at the same time energizing, exhilarating, gratifying and thrilling. It is an independent yet socially supportive sport that requires self discipline, knowledgeable physical training and immense desire. The triathlon allows for ultimate calorie burning potential while building cyclist’s quads, swimmers abs and giving you a runner’s high. With all of that you can also expect missing toenails, chaffed thighs, a helmet head hair do and possibly meeting the occasional lake snake.
In my mind the triathlon is really a metaphor for life. It can be long, it can be short, there will be joyful times and there will be agonizing times. Along the way you’ll see beauty and you’ll see pain. There will be uphill climbs and downhill coasts. Sometimes you’ll do better than you’d hoped for and sometimes you won’t. You can count on falling down or getting a flat every now and then, but you can also rest assured that someone will feel compassion and stop to help you. When it comes right down to it, the only one responsible for getting you across that finish line is you, but there are always friends and family lining the sidewalks, cheering you on.
In the triathlon, the goal is all about time. Ideally you’ll need to swim, cycle and run your best times while also getting through the transitions as organized and quickly as possible. Aside from the physical training there really is a lot of organization involved in getting prepared for a race. While the swim, bike and run training is the meat of the program, triathletes also need to practice shedding the wetsuit as fast as possible, mounting their bike and changing shoes all while performing these things in the proper order so as not to get disqualified. This may explain why so many triathletes are Type A personalities.
Triathlons come in many various distances. The most popular are the Sprint, Olympic, Half Iron and Ironman. The Sprint Triathlon (also known as the puke fest due to the short duration yet extreme intensity) consists of a 750 M swim followed by a 20 KM bike and then a 5Km run. Since the distances are short, the intensity is high and ideally all three events are performed at the highest level of exertion.
The Olympic distance is the most popular and begins with a 1.5 KM swim, followed by a 40 KM bike and a 10 KM run.
The half Iron is half the length of an Ironman with a 1.9 KM swim, 90 KM bike and 21 KM (half marathon length) run.
The Ironman which is probably the most famous is also the longest starting with a 3.8 KM swim, 180 KM bike and 42 KM run which is a full marathon in itself.
When it comes to choosing a length it’s basically just ‘different strokes for different folks’. Personally I am a fan of the Sprint triathlons because I like to go really really fast!! This distance allows me to put in a full, all-out effort for a short amount of time. The Olympic is also suitable for me because although you can’t go as hard as the Sprint, it’s faster paced than the Iron or Half Iron. The Iron and the Half Iron are extremely long and require an immense capability of endurance. Just imagine a 3.8 KM crowded open water swim immediately followed by a hot, long bike ride that equals the distance from Los Angeles to San Diego, all while sitting on a very small, hard seat. Once you’re done that, hurry up and change your shoes because you have a marathon to finish! Wow! That takes some serious passion and dedication. Yet if you talk to any Ironman or triathlete competing in any distance for that matter, they will likely tell you that they live for it! The training and discipline becomes a way of life, almost an addiction.
Have you ever thought about it? It’s such a great sport and a true test of physical, mental and emotional strength. If triathlon is something you have ever considered doing, I highly recommend it! You’ll learn a lot about yourself and feel the intense confidence that comes with crossing that finish line! Most communities offer a Mini tri or a ‘Try a tri’ for beginners interested in getting their feet wet (pun intended). The Mini tri is usually half the length of the Sprint so it is short enough to see how the sport fits before committing too much to it. Keep it fun and try not to take things too seriously which is often easier said than done. Just focus on the completion and not the time on the clock. Check with your local running store, sporting goods store or athletic club for information on how you can get started in the world of triathlon!
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