Sign up for a triathlon this year. Seriously, do it. I talk to so many people who have a mental block standing between them and the triathlon: they think it’s too long, they never learned how to swim any sort of distance, or they aren’t comfortable on a bike. These are people who have run marathons, climbed mountains, and even raised children.
If you have never competed in a triathlon before, it can seem exceedingly daunting. Running a 10km race seems hard enough; why would you want to add a 1.5km swim and a 40km bike to that?
Let me break it down for you:
1) It’s fun. If you are training for a marathon, you run every day. If you are training for a Fondo, you cycle every day. If you are training for a powerlifting competition…you get the idea. Triathlon is a multisport endeavour, so for those of you who are tired of getting up and doing the same thing every day, here’s your chance to beat the boredom.
2) You avoid injury. Beating boredom isn’t the only benefit to training for more than one sport. Doing one thing all the time delivers a beating on your body. Take some of the stress off of your body by giving yourself some variety in your movement.
3) You add structure to your training. You can’t just ‘wing’ a triathlon. Sticking to a program not only makes training more effective, but it gives you a reason to actually go out there and get it.
4) It is a challenge. By challenging yourself, you educate yourself, build relationships, gain new experiences, learn what you’re capable of, avoid complacency, and grow as an individual. What more could you ask for?
If you don’t know where to start, we are running a triathlon club out of Innovative Fitness Kitsilano. We run every Tuesday, bike every Wednesday, and swim every Friday. We will also send you a program to train three more days per week on top of this. The program leads up to the Subaru 5i50 Triathlon on July 10th.
If you can’t make it to this tri, we’ve got loads to choose from through summer and fall. Here is a list of triathlons that we are competing at. Have a look- we would love to have you!
- Suburu 5i50 Triathlon – July 10th 2016
- Langford Triathlon – July 17th 2016
- Kelowna Apple Triathlon – August 21st, 2016
- Portland Triathlon – September 18th, 2016
- Cultus Lake Triathlon – September 18th, 2016
It you are getting complacent in your training, or just want to challenge yourself in a new way, consider trying a triathlon. Push past those mental blocks. It really is all in your head after all!
Michael Chong B.Sc.Kin(H), FMS II
Professional Fitness Coach
Sales Manager
Innovative Fitness – Kitsilano
P: 604.714.1661
C: 604.349.5115
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