Why on earth would you ever consider doing a Triathlon? I mean seriously, those people are crazy!
I hear it all the time. Intimidated by the perception of Triathlon is like being afraid of driving a car. Once you do it, it’s easy and you’ll take it for granted while wondering why you haven’t been doing it the whole time! As an added bonus, Triathlon may be the best sport that you can do and feel like you are in the Olympics!
So how did this perception come to be? Well, the reason the sport became popular is the same reason for this perception – the Ironman, which consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and then it finally concludes with a marathon run. So unfortunately, when most non-triathletes hear the word “Triathlon”, they think “Ironman”. To add perspective here, the “Olympic Distance” Triathlon race is a .9 mile swim, 25 mile bike and 10k run.
In reality, Ironman races makes up a minority percent of Triathlons. The most popular Triathlons are actually “Sprint Triathlons”, which are anywhere from 250 to 750 meter swims, followed by 12 to 16 mile bike rides and 5k runs. Now that is much more manageable, right? Triathlon is great! With smart training, you get a diverse set of exercises that keeps you interested and may limit overuse injuries, especially for you runners!
The key to Triathlon is pacing! It’s easy, you learn as you go along. For those who don’t like to pace and just want to go fast – no worries, Triathlon can help you with that as well. (It’s called a Super Sprint!) It is that simple. Coaches at the DFW Tri Club are at every workout to help you fulfill your goals. With time, you pick up form and training tips and become more efficient. But if you’re swimming, cycling or running exclusively on your own, those efficiency gains will take longer to materialize. Furthermore, if you have very bad form, you may become injured before you get a chance to improve. An injury usually means setback, which means loss of fitness. This leads me to another good thing about Triathlon: Diversity! If you get a shoulder injury, you may still be able to bike and run. If you get a knee injury, you may be able to swim and bike, etc.
Another great thing about “Triathlon”? You don’t have to do all three sports! We also have Duathlons (Run-Bike-Run), Aquabikes (Swim-Bike), Aquathlons (AKA Splash & Dash: Swim-Run)… as well as events for those who just wish to swim, bike or run! Who doesn’t like options?
Triathlon is a very inclusive sport, filled with supportive, like-minded people. DFW Tri Club workouts are built with this in mind. They accommodate all levels of fitness and experience. Come give us a Tri and see for yourself!
-Mark Reisman, DFW Tri Club
