Triathlon basics – getting started
Triathlon Basics – Getting Started
Triathlon Basics – Getting Started
The majority of first time triathletes will ofter start with one of the short sprint type events, such as a half mile swing, a 12 to 16 km bike ride and a 5 km run to finish. There certainly are shorter events, but this one is good to set as a goal to get yourself into good shape. After completing a short event, the world is your oyster. Consider training for an Olympic, Half -Iron or full Ironman event.
It’s worth finding an event that is fairly local, and far enough in the distance to give you time to put in a good training effort. The worst thing can be leaving it to late before starting your training. Some people can ‘wing it’ if they’re already fairly fit, but you’ll get far more satisfaction knowing that you trained properly and that your results demonstrate that. Choose a race that is set up with first timers considered.
Setting your Goals
Depending on how your training went and your fitness levels on the day, you goal may be to just finish the event, or to complete it within a certain time. You need to stay positive and focus on what you will achieve, NOT what you may not. A positive outlook will make the event fun, and help with your performance too.
Make the goals about you, not about anyone else. Forget the other competitors, treat the whole event as your own personal challenge. What anybody else does or doesn’t do is irrelevant in these formative stages of your triathlon career.
If you do want to start setting time goals, it’s a good idea to set these for your training days, not for the actual event. There are a multitude of factors that will effect your performance on the day, and if you fail to achieve some lofty goal, your confidence will be dented. The idea is to succeed on the day, giving you confidence to move on with your training and to set high goals for next time. It’s amazing that the power of your mind really can make or break you, set yourself up for success, not failure.
I hope this article has given you a little background on how to become a triathlete. In the next article I will be looking at the equipment needs for successful triathlon competition. Shoes, bikes, clothing etc. It’s certainly possible to do all of this on a budget, so don’t panic, it’ll all become clear very soon.
