People train for a triathlon event for a whole variety of reasons. Some people do it for the challenge, some for the competition, others for charity and still others because of a rashly made New Years Resolution. Personally, I did my first one because my then girlfriend’s dad told me I wouldn’t be able to. Whatever your reason for starting tri, many of you will be taking on new triathlon challenegs in 2012, and we at tredz will be writing a whole series of guides to help you take on your personal challenge.
Motivation is crucial in training for a triathlon event, because there’s no denying this is a tough sport. The physical and mental challenge together make triathlon a genuine achievement, whether its your first super-sprint or your tenth Ironman. And that takes motivation. Without good motivation So in our first installemnt of the 2012 triathlon guide we’re looking at the aspects of good motivation:
1)Know your aims. Targets are great for heading towards, and its important to get the right aim. It should be stretching enough to motivate you to make sure you get that workout in, but not so unrealistic that you’ll never make it. Everybody’s aims will be different, but good exmaples might include completing your first sprint triathlon, or just finishing your half Ironman within the cut off time. Avoid trying to set aims which are way too hard or way too easy for you.
2) Know your mind. Psychology is so vital to human performance that elite programmes all over the world spend millions on giving their athletes ‘the edge’. You might not have access to a shrink but attitude is still important to your race. You need to know why your racing, who you’re fracing for and why you’re going to overcome the challenege. Try and avoid some of the common pitfalls, which include being persuaded into being nervous of something new, by other peoples fears, becoming intimidated by the egos at the pool or being tempted to always measure your performance or training by what someone else is doing. Winning athletes race on race day, and only on race day. Its vital to know your own mind, and use it wisely to get the best out of your body.
3)Know your body. All this training is going to feel like hard work, especially if you’re new to the sport. The purpose of training is after all to make your body tired, so that when it recovers it will super-compensate and you’ll become stronger and fitter. Rest then, rather than training is actually the process that makes you fitter and faster, so its important not to neglect it. If you’re tired from late night TV, get out and train, but if you’re tired from training, get on the sofa and watch the TV. Sleep is the number one most effective recovery aid.
4) Know your plan. The last important motivator is a plan. It holds you accountable, it gives you direction and it lets you know what you should be doing. If your really serious about your aims you’ll want to get in touch with a suitably qualified BTF coach who can write you a personal plan, but many people also complete triathlons on generic plans from reputable training manuals, such as Joe Friel’s “Triathlete’s Training Bible”. It is best to avoid plans found in the back pages of magazines or set my non-tri specific personal trainers. This plan is going to take you on your triathlon journey so it needs to be good, and you should be picky about how you choose your plan and then stick to it (note, that’s stick to your plan, not your new tri club friend’s plan.)
Hopefully these four pieces of knowledge should help you get started on your journey. There is still plenty of time to train for the bigger Welsh events, and for many local ones too, so why not set your aims, find your motivation and begin your triathlon challenge.
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