I signed up for my first ever triathlon

It was a Sunday morning, and I had just finished my first attempt at swimming after injuring my ankle. I couldn’t kick, there was just no range of motion, and it hurt across all strokes. I felt defeated and hopped out of the pool much sooner than I had hoped, telling my mum that I’d wait for her in the entry/foyer/cafe. It was then and there where I decided I’d participate in my first ever triathlon.

I’d walked out of the change rooms, upset over the fact I couldn’t swim and my ankle and truly thrown everything out of the window. I was slightly concerned about my lifeguard update and making the swim. I felt bummed out.

Sitting down I contemplated ordering a coffee, but I wanted to go to my favourite cafe which was in the main street. And then I decided to take the time to read the signs that were around the foyer. I’d already gotten an email about the triathlon, as I was a past member of the gym (and for some reason, I still occasionally get emails), and while I didn’t think anything of it, I was intrigued.

And despite all rational thinking – you know, the fact I had just finished a failed attempt at swimming – I asked the at the front desk about it. All she knew was the information on the posters, so, I took to their website, and decided it was plausible. When mum came out, I said I was signing up.

The triathlon is an indoor one. It’s different, and I’d call it a stepping stone for beginners, returning athletes and those looking for something to do.

The triathlon

It’s a Trix3 indoor triathlon, and to put it simply, you’ve got a set time to complete each section. You’re competing against yourself in the timeframe, and there’s no set distance you need to complete.

This is what intrigued me the most. I want to compete in triathlons, but injuring my ankle meant I couldn’t jump straight into training how I wanted to. Doing the triathlon will really be the kickstarter I need, or I’ll realise they’re not for me.

So, let me talk you through the triathlon style.

There were two options to choose from: 30 minutes or 60 minutes. Obviously, I decided straight off the bat to go with the 60 minute one – go hard or go home mentality is strong.

The 60 minute breakdown

It’s far more straight forward than what I thought it would be, but I don’t know what I was thinking?

Anyway, it’s a :

• 10 minute swim
• 30 minute bike
• 20 minute run
• 10 changing stations

Pretty easy right. You swim for 10 minutes, have 10 minutes to get to the bike, ride for 30, then I think it’s a 10 minute break again before the 20 minute run.

My aim is to swim as far as I can without stopping within the 10 minutes. For the bike, it’s to ride more than 10km and for the run, more than 3km.

It’ll be fun, and I’m excited.

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My training

It’s flexible and nothing too serious. Obviously, I’m taking it slow because of my ankle. My swimming goal is the hardest out of the lot to complete. I can ride 10km in 30 minutes on a bike already, and doing my test run I ran 3km in 20:53. So, I’ve just got to shave off 53 seconds.

My training plan is:

• Swim 4-5 times a week
• Run 3-4 times a week
• Ride 3 times a week

I’m going to try and stick to that from next week, as well as getting back into the habit of working out in general. But like I said, it’s flexible. I don’t want to push myself too hard. I’d rather ease back into training than throw my hands in the air and give up.

And that’s the plan to complete my first triathlon. I’m very excited, but also a little nervous. I really want to push myself to see how far I can go in the 60 minutes.

Have you ever completed a triathlon of any sort?