Thursday’s Tips of the Trade

Yesterday I got “the call”.

An old friend tracked me down and announced she was going to start training for her 1st triathlon.

She’s in good shape, having worked out for years, and she runs fairly regularly. Apparently she was a spectator at a local sprint triathlon this past fall and decided she HAD to TRI.

Her question was simple she thought, “What tips do you have to pass along?”

WOW!

Now there’s a loaded question. It’s kinnda like asking Chef Ramsey if he has any advice on how to cook dinner for 500+ (except I’m nicer…most days).

Point is, there is A LOT of information that goes into preparing and participating in this sport. It can become extremely overwhelming even for those of us who have the benefit of experience under our belt.

Time is often the best teacher in this situation, but being the good friend I am I did offer some hints and tips….and I will probably continue to do so as I’m never shy about offering my thoughts and opinions.

Solicited advice is actually a very rare treat for me! Someone actually WANTS to hear what I have to say about triathlon??!!! Glory Days are here again!! 🙂

Since talking with my dear friend, I decided to put up some tips to both help new triathletes entering the unknown world of multi-sport events and to remind the rest of us of the basics.

I think sometimes we focus on the big picture and lose sight of the little details which are so very important.

So with that mind, I’m just going to put up SHORT, hopefully self-explanatory, tips every week or so.

If you have any that you feel would be beneficial, and you’d like to share please email me and I’ll be more than happy to use it and link it back your site or blog!!

Today, I’m going to share the 1st thing I passed along:

People will call you anal, obsessed, over the top, way too structured….the list goes on and on…BUT if you don’t have a plan for EVERYTHING (workouts, hydration, nutrition during each leg and during the hours before and after each workout) then you WILL NOT succeed.

And I’m not talking about success in terms of winning, I simply mean crossing the finish line. As you progress, the plan may become more about podiums, times and placement….right now it’s simply finishing in 1 piece, which is no small task in and of itself.

You MUST have a PLAN…ideally a good one, but the 1st step is to actually HAVE one.

So have a plan and tweak it as needed. It’ll reduce your stress, keep you on track and allow you to see what did and did not work over time, making changes easier as well.

It’s what will ultimately get you to the finish line…

Hell, it’ll be what gets you to the starting line!

Good Luck!!

Train Happy, My Friends!!

The Finish Line

A picture is worth a thousand words –Napoleon Bonaparte

Race photos came out yesterday from last week’s Shadow Creek Ranch Tri.

This is me as I came across the finish line.

I was a bit shocked to see it as there were not the usual happy smiles, high fives, or fist pumps that normally come along with finishing a race.

Instead just a quiet, reserved, conscious effort to simply make it to the end.

There was nothing left to give. On this day finishing was good enough.

Run Happy, My Friends!