By Jill Calvert - Endurance Coach
If you’re reading this article it’s probably because you are intrigued by triathlon training and would love to do one, but your excuses will not let you. Keep reading.
Do you think any of the following? I am not good enough, fit enough or young enough and or I don’t even know where to start. Yes? Keep reading.
I want to start by telling you that I started triathlon training back in 2017 at the age of 30, and by no means is that old, but I had zero experience as a child running cycling or swimming, well apart from splashing around at the Friday night pool dance at my local leisure centre, but you can’t really call that swimming.
In 2017 I got roped into doing a duathlon. If you’re not sure what that is, it is a race that consists of a bike ride followed by a run. To set scene a little bit better, I rode the bike segment on a hybrid bike, and tackled the race with zero knowledge on how to pace myself let alone how to fuel for it. Let’s just say the race was humbling …….. however I was hooked, since then I have completed a number of Half Ironman races, Half Marathon, local triathlons and 5km lake swim, I LOVE IT!
What you might be feeling is what I felt back in 2017 so I want to take a moment and go through those thoughts that and help you tackle them and hopefully it will be the nudge you need towards making possibly the best decision of your life.
You are not good enough, fit enough or young enough.
In the sport of triathlon the most wonderful thing is that the ages can range anywhere between 19 and 85. In the Ironman world championships 2015 the average age of the age group triathletes was 43. That’s the you and me group not the elite athletes.
When clients come to me and tell me that they’re too old to start and they’re not fit or good enough I say, “says you, no one else, and if anyone does, why doesn’t matter?” they’re more than likely not important to you, and probably secretly would love to do something similar. New challenges and goals can be exciting!
Let’s be honest, we have all been there, in situations where don’t feel good enough or be in the position where we think, I should not be here. This is called impostor syndrome, and truth alert, every single person in this world has experienced imposter syndrome but I bet you would never think that.
In order to overcome imposter syndrome or not feeling good enough, we need to stop comparing ourselves to others, “comparison is the thief of joy” What we need to be doing is recalling situations where we did something that we once thought we could not do, use that as fuel and focus on the process rather than the end result. Honestly from my own triathlon experience the community is one of the most welcoming, why? Because each person was once in the same situation as you are.
I don’t even know where to start.
The starting is as simple as this. Just do it. Of course there are caveats to this like all good things.
When starting something new it’s best to surround yourself with a network of people who know what they are doing. Very much like when you go to see a doctor or dentist.
The fact that you’re reading this means that you are at a stage of change and what you have seen from us attracts you, GREAT!
At 24Ndurance we want to make people better at life. We are growing an amazing community with athletes at all levels and abilities. Our amazing team ensures that regardless of your starting point, or your goal you get to where you want to be and ensure that the journey is a fun one!
Still thinking about starting? Let’s take this a step further and have a chat, worst case scenario, you continue thinking about wanting to do a triathlon but you are not good enough!