How to Become a Triathlete Ep 53

Every endurance athlete remembers the moment when things finally click. Your swim feels smoother, your pacing makes sense, your fueling works, and suddenly the sport feels not only easier, but more fun. And for many athletes, that moment happens at training camp. That's exactly why we created the Endurance Edge Triathlon Training Camp happening April 22nd through 26th at Lake Jocassee in South Carolina. For 4 incredible days, you'll train in a small group with expert coaches, sports nutrition support, and sports psychology guidance, all designed to help you train smarter, race stronger, and finally connect the dots in your performance. We swim in crystal clear mountain water, ride beautiful and challenging roads, run scenic trails, and spend the rest of the time recovering, learning, laughing, and eating some seriously amazing chef-prepared food. Mm-hmm. Camp is intentionally small, just 20 athletes, so you get real coaching, true connection, and amazing breakthroughs. So if you want an experience that can transform your entire season, we invite you to join us. Head to theenduranceedge.com and click training camp and reserve your spot with just a $100 deposit. Come train hard, learn a ton, and leave stronger than you ever imagined. I'll see you there. Welcome back to the Find Your Edge podcast. I am so excited to be back and we are here to stay. There is a big goal that we have as the team at the Endurance Edge is to really build our community. And whether you are a community in California or in Australia or England or North Carolina where we are, That is wonderful. And furthermore, our goal is to really empower people just like you be as healthy as you possibly can. So we're gonna make part of that process podcasting more often, even if it's short ones, so that we can get some really great and helpful information out to you. So stay tuned. Make sure that you follow us on your favorite podcast platform. You can also listen to all of our episodes on our website, theenduranceedge.com. Today's episode, however, is all about how to become a triathlete. There is probably nothing more rewarding to me personally as a coach is to see people go from sheer terror starting off to crossing the finish line. Like that is what truly wakes me up in the morning. Now that's not to say that our other clients don't get me jazzed cuz I love seeing people break through performance barriers or lose the weight that they they really have been wanting to lose, or just think about nutrition or training differently or better taking care of themselves or improve self-awareness, et cetera, et cetera. But this is just such a fun one for me. I really love it. So let's waste no more time and jump into some of our tips for how to become a triathlete. Okay. A number 1 is what we like to say. Be brave. It really does take some bravery, some courage to try something new. This is a, this is a big lift. Not only, you know, a lot of people, and that's not to say anything bad about people who do running races, but if you're training for your first 5K, 10K, ultramarathon, marathon, half marathon, whatever, you got one sport to think about. Like, okay, you know, it's a lot to train for, don't get me wrong, But now you have 3 and then you have to do them all in one day. So it's a lot to think about, especially if you're someone who doesn't come from a swim background or don't feel comfortable riding a bike. Or, uh, we get a lot of people who are like, I hate running. I'm air quoting right now. I know you can't see me. Um, so people come from a lot of different backgrounds. We get a lot of soccer players. I don't know if that's because they hated running when they were doing in their soccer years. It doesn't matter. Um, but it's just different. So you really have to get some courage up. You've got to know that you can totally do this. It is terrifying. It can feel overwhelming. There is so much going on, but just know inside you, you got it. You totally have the guts to do this. You absolutely can. It is really nice if you can find the support of a local triathlon club. So wherever you are, um, we have got a freebie on our website, so don't feel like you have to write any of these tips down necessarily. So you'll be able to find it in the show notes, but we have it listed out. There's a link that gives you, um, a place to find a local triathlon club. So we at the Endurance Edge are considered a triathlon club. So if you're local, come check us out. We'd love to have you. Second tip on how to become a triathlete, you gotta know all the things you need, because I ain't going to lie, there's a few of them. We always sort of joke anytime we go to a sport that only— or a race or event that only requires us to, you know, do one sport, we always feel like we're missing something. Like, what did I forget? It's like, oh yeah, I don't have my bike and I don't have to have all that other stuff with me. So this is not a light on stuff sport because again, you're dealing with 3 different sports. But as long as you have some sort of a swimsuit, if you got goggles, it is nice to have a swim cap, but not necessarily, uh, critical. But typically in races they will offer, they will provide one for you. Um, we like our athletes to have an open water swim buoy. In fact, when you join our club, uh, you get one. Um, a bike obviously is really important. This is oftentimes where most people need the, um, need help. They don't know what size, they don't know what kind. And let me tell you, there are so many different types of bikes and for all good reasons, because you should have a lot of bikes. Uh, the average triathlete has something like 2.5 bikes. It's kinda like kids. There are gravel bikes, there are road bikes, there are tri bikes, there are fat tire bikes, there are downhill bikes, there are all mountain bikes, there are hybrids, there are commuter bikes, and the list goes on. So we don't blame you for being overwhelmed, but there are some tips that we try to direct you in the right place. And then also like, okay, I don't wanna buy a new bike and I don't blame you. I tell you what, when I first got into this sport, I bought the cheapest thing I could possibly find. Now granted, I was like still in college, um, but still, um, my boyfriend at the time, who is now my husband, he was big into mountain biking. He didn't do, uh, triathlons and he didn't do road biking, but we went into a bike store and we bought the cheapest thing we could find because I figured, hey, why don't I do this, try it first, and then if I like it, great. Then maybe I'll figure out what I want to get from there. And that's exactly what happened. I fell in love with sport, like, pretty much as soon as I got on my bike. I hadn't even done a triathlon. I was like, this is really fun. I felt like, you know, like a little kid in a candy store, just like, we— so that was me on my first bike ride. So perhaps apologies to all of those of you who were with me at the time. It was also raining, and so most people would think that that would be misery, but oh my Oh my gosh, I just had the best time. And then I ended up going to more of a triathlon type of setup. But again, a lot of people have, uh, road bikes or, and tri bikes and gravel bikes and mountain bikes. Y'all, the, the happier your bike barn is, the better, the happier you are. Uh, you absolutely have to have a helmet. You have to make sure that it's not like 10 years old and growing dust in your, um, shed or in your garage because, uh, foam does deteriorate. So make sure to check the label on it. It is nice to have some sort of like tri or cycling shorts, um, some sort of a bike pump. You gotta put air in those tires and no, a compressor is not what you wanna go for cuz I have, I know so many people who have blown tires because of that. You do need a flat kit. Um, that includes things like tire levers and, um, some sort of a portable bike pump or CO2 and, uh, throw a couple of bucks in there. They have multiple uses and, you know, obviously, uh, a spare tube or two. And then come to one of our tire changing clinics for sure. You definitely need run shoes and it is nice to have a race belt, just like I had mentioned with the swim buoy. Anybody who becomes part of our club also gets a race belt. Um, kind of nice. So that was a quick and dirty list of all the things you need. I hope you were not writing that down necessarily, cuz like I said, we have this list for you. And it will be in the show notes so that you can get this list directly to your inbox. All right. How to become a triathlete. Tip number 3 is to slow down. That sounds really bizarre, but most people who get into triathlon, especially if maybe this is something like just to get you fit, maybe you don't come from a background of some, like you don't come from a swim, bike, or run background, or you haven't done exercise in a while and you want this to be a way to get fit, and that's awesome. That is so fantastic. Sometimes you just have to remind yourself to slow down. So this is endurance. This is aerobic activity. I tell people this all the time in our metabolic testing, which, like I said, is why I'm going to bring it to you on the podcast, because I feel like I am a broken record sometimes, but also I need to shout it from the rooftops. And it just so happens that my rooftop is this microphone. So aerobic exercise means that you are using fat as an energy source. We like fat. Fat is a great thing. It is something that delivers a whole lot of energy to us when we are exercising. So we really need to slow down. You can use the talk test. That's a really great way of making sure that you are at the appropriate intensity. You should be able to say a sentence to your running buddy and not have to be gasping for breath. Um, another tip on this is, um, anybody who— my young gents who like to come into this sport, they think that running, or pick your sport, is all about just pretty much putting the pedal to the metal like all the time. And that is definitely a way to not improve fully. We wanna make sure that easy days are easy, and then you've got good, more methodical interval workouts. So think of basically slowing it down. So we use the RPE scale. There are a couple of different ones. We just shifted maybe in the last, I don't know, year or two or so from the Borg scale, which was 6 to 20, which, you know, it's kind of like, I, I don't know how to relate to that. Um, Or let me say it a different way. It is hard for me to say how, for how other people can relate to that scale other than being, you know, we used to use that in our exercise physiology lab, but now we've shifted over to a 1 to 10 scale because that is something that we not only use in our lab, but then we're also able to use in some of our training plans, especially for people who may not quite yet have a heart rate monitor. And notice how that wasn't, one of the things that I mentioned in getting the right gear, you don't necessarily need all the bells and whistles. Honestly, a lot of people just start off and they have an Apple Watch. That does not mean you need an Apple Watch, but a lot of people like to know, they like to track their activity. Again, doesn't mean you have to. Anyhow, on that scale of 1 to 10, 10 being an all-out effort, like a total sprint, and 1 being like, uh, you know, I could probably whistle right now. Um, most of your training should be like easy to moderate. So like a 2 to 4. All right, so that is really important so that you don't get totally exhausted and wanna give up or quit, cuz that's not an option, friends, because you're brave, remember? Okay, just making sure, just making sure we're all on the same page here. So number 4 is, okay, so we gotta do some triathlon-specific training. It is 3 sports all in 1 day after all. So how the heck do you go from one to the other to the other? Now that is what we call transitions. So typically you have what's called a transition area on race day, and typically the order of operations is swim, bike, and run. That can be different based on the race that you do, but generally speaking, that is the order of operations. So you need to get used to trying to ride a bike after you are sopping wet. You also need to more importantly get used to running what we like to call running off the bike, or basically making that transition from bike to run. That is really, it's relatively easy to do on your own, whether you're on an indoor trainer or whether you're on like a Peloton or some sort of indoor bike. Hop off the bike, pop your running shoes on, head right out the door, get right on the treadmill. Um, if you are outside and you are mountain biking or you are on your road bike or whatever, You know, rack your bike up or lock it up or put it in the garage or put, or lock it up on your car, pop your running shoes on, off you go. So just practicing that transition from cycling to running is a good one to practice. And typically I encourage people, newer triathletes, to do that maybe once a week. I know some people are big into like run every single time after you ride. I'm not necessarily opposed to that as long as your body can take the additional running. If you are someone who hasn't run in a long time and that means that you're gonna be running, say, 5 days a week, that might be too much for you and then we might see you injured. So that's why I typically encourage, if you're, if you're newer and you are training for something like a sprint triathlon, which is typically, uh, anywhere from 200 to 300 yards, maybe up to 750 meters. In either the open water or in a pool, and then cycling somewhere typically between 9 and 12 miles, and then running somewhere around 2 to 3 miles. Um, yeah, we, we just definitely don't wanna get, we definitely don't wanna get injured by doing too much running, even if it's small amounts. But again, everybody is unique and you are too. But it is important to do some of that triathlon-specific training if you are training for an open water swim event. You have to get in the open water. Just a little hint there. Um, the number of people who come to our open water swims that we do as part of our team program, um, and who have never done it before, it can be a lot going from a chlorinated pool with these beautiful black lines on the bottom and you can see the end and you know where you are and you can see your friends in the lanes next to you, you might get in that open water and freak out. I'm not saying that that is absolutely the case, but we've oftentimes had people, that's typically where they struggle because there is no black line. You can barely see your hand in front of your face and you don't have any spatial relationship as to how far you have gone or are going. So you just keep swimming and keep swimming and keep swimming. There's also some skill sets that you need, like sighting and just feeling comfortable with being around other people, you might need a wetsuit, um, et cetera, et cetera. It is really great to start off with a pool swim if you've never done a race before. Highly encourage starting off with that. That at least gets your feet wet. You're welcome for the pun. And just kind of gets you used to this new transition and riding your bike while you're wet and running off the bike. And then of course, savoring the sweet glory when you cross the finish line. So try specific training. Make sure to incorporate that into your training plan. All right, last but not least, in order to become a triathlete is prepping for race day. So there are a few things that you need to know that are just a little bit different than say, just showing up for a half marathon and making sure that you know what time to be there and what corral you need to be in. And if there are porta-johns, and again, that is nothing bad. About running races at all, there are just a few more logistical things that you need to consider when you're doing a triathlon. So a common one that we get is people showing up late. So because they're used to, again, showing up for a running race and they're like, oh, I can get there 10, 15 minutes early, no problem. I just hop right in the line, you know, hop right into the chute and off I go. Not so much with triathlon. Oftentimes transition area will close at a certain time before the race actually starts. So try to get there at a minimum an hour beforehand, but it totally depends on the race you're doing. You need to look up the athlete guide. Hopefully your race has an athlete guide. If it doesn't and you don't know certain things or can't find the answers on their website, shoot the race director an email. Hopefully those are things that that race director considers putting up on the website cuz it is nice to have all the things. But also speaking from a race director's perspective, There are a lot of things to let you guys know and a lot of things for us to check, uh, the box. So sometimes, you know, little things you might not know, shoot 'em, shoot 'em an email. It's all good. Make sure to review your course and know the rules. Those are two other things. Reviewing the course, hopefully again, that's something that they have up on their website so that you can evaluate, is this course flat? Is it hilly? What are some of the things that I need to consider? and then also knowing the rules. If it is a USA Triathlon sanctioned event, then USAT has very specific rules in terms of drafting. What drafting means is how far behind someone you are cycling. There are rules about that, and then how quickly you need to pass someone before they are overtaken. These things again are all in the rule book, ways that you can get disqualified. Like not having your helmet clipped or, you know, going over the mount or dismount line. That is basically the space where you go into transition. You have all of your things piled up all in one space. Well, hopefully not piled up, hopefully nice and neat. Although I have seen some things, I feel like I wish I had like a, like a album to give you guys of various transition area photos because it's like going into somebody's bedroom. You're like, wow, that bedroom is beautiful. I mean, you go into other people's bedrooms and you're like, what happened here? Did a bomb go off? There can be a lot of different things going on with people's setups. My personal opinion and what I tell all my athletes, keep it simple. Keep it simple. Like, if you have everything and the kitchen sink there, like, Something's gonna get destroyed, stolen, lost, stepped on, melted, and then you might be sad. So let's, let's avoid that. Keep it super simple. So anyway, when you head into transition to get all your stuff that is waiting for you in your specific spot, and then you exit transition and go to say, get on the bike course, for example, there is a line that you have to cross called the mount line. We need to go over that line. and then you can get on your bike and start riding. Same thing, vice versa. When you are coming off of the bike course, you get to that line, you have to get off of it before you cross over, right? To, to ensure that nobody's cheating. If there is an athlete briefing, make sure, especially again, if you are brand new to this, make sure to go because the race director will answer so many different questions that you may just It just makes you feel a little bit more confident, a little bit more comfortable. And at the end of the day, that is what it is all about. Most importantly, on race day, you gotta have fun. Like, just remember that you are doing this amazing, brave thing. You are being super courageous. You have taken your fitness to the next level. You are having fun with cross-training, hopefully meeting some new people and just doing this wild and ridiculous thing that we call multisport. I mean, it really is, it really is reserved for some special people. And I mean that in the kindest of way because you know, that's who I am too. It's, it's fun, it's wild, it is crazy, and you are just gonna be so stinking proud of yourself when you cross that finish line. So just to tie it all together, those tips in order to become a triathlete. Number 1, you gotta be brave. You gotta be courageous. You gotta know that you can totally do it and step outta that comfort zone and go for it. Number 2, make sure you get all the right gear. Again, that list of gear is on our website, so check the show notes and we've got a downloadable guide that will have all that listed for you as well as where to find a club. Number 3, make sure you slow down, especially in your training. This is not all about like the pedal to the metal all the time. This is about developing your aerobic endurance, develop your cardiorespiratory fitness, so the efficiency of your heart and lungs. So make sure to do that. Make sure to tie in some of that triathlon-specific training, transitioning from swim to bike, bike to run. Or if you come to our race, Humans of Steel, it's the other way around. How about that for blowing your mind? So run, bike, swim, which the feedback that we got was most people really liked running dry. So how about that? And also riding their bike dry anyway. And then last but not least, Go for it on race day. Have a great day. Make sure you're well prepared. Make sure you got all your stuff in one nice big bag and have some freaking fun. I'm telling you what it is. I, I hope you love it. I hope you stick with it. And like I said, we are all about building community. So if you do one, if you are really thinking about getting prepared and becoming a triathlete, reach out to us, like send us a DM at the Endurance Edge on Instagram. So hopefully I can say that again, @TheEnduranceEdge on Instagram. So feel free to send us a comment, feel free to send us a DM like, oh my gosh, what are the things that you are maybe a little bit nervous about for your first race? And we're happy to help you out. So we've got a ton of coaches. Ooh, and one last thing to tell you about. If you made it all the way through this, congratulations. I'm so excited that you are listening again and or listening for the first time if you've never heard us before. One other thing to tell you about, it is totally free. It is our triathlon Facebook group. So if you search for us, and again, I'll put this in the show notes. If you for search for the Endurance Edge team, we have a community in Facebook and we are all about being super welcoming, super inclusive. So we don't care what size. What age you are, what gender you are. Just come enjoy multisport. Come hang out with some other people virtually in our Facebook group who really just wanna have fun, wanna do something challenging for themselves. And hopefully you're local, but if you're not, great. That's great too. Just come, come hang out with us. We like to share wins. We like to share what races people are doing and throw out some questions because that group is actually managed by our coaches. So you might get some really valuable feedback, not only from the other members in the group, but also from the coaches. So again, that's on Facebook. It's the Endurance Edge Athletes or the Endurance Edge Team, and I will provide the link in the show notes as well as the link to this free checklist so that you too can become a triathlete. I'm super excited for you. Let us know how it goes, and thank you so much for listening. I will catch you guys next time. Thanks for listening to the Find Your Edge podcast. If you like what you heard, don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. And if you're interested in learning more about our endurance coaching, sports and wellness nutrition, metabolic and sweat testing, triathlon training team, or our triathlon training library, be sure to check us out at theenduranceedge.com. And don't forget to follow us on social media at the Endurance Edge. Thanks again, and we'll catch you next time.