Triathlon is such a fantastic sport. Some people might think it’s a case of “jack of all trades, master of none,” but I say it’s three times as much fun and excitement as any other sport.
I did my first triathlon when I was 15 years old. I used to swim for my local club, and I spent weekends working at Hampton pool in London, where Thames Turbo, a local triathlon club, was based. They suggested I give it a go, and I loved it straight away. By my second race, I made the national team and began training in earnest.
Five years later, in 1998, I won the junior world championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. That year, it was announced that triathlon would make its debut at the Sydney Olympics – a prospect that drove me even harder to better my performance.
The Olympics is the pinnacle of every athlete’s career, and I’ve been lucky enough to compete at all three Olympic triathlons, as well as winning the world championships in 2006. I finished fourth in the world rankings last year.
Training for triathlon at the top level requires a lot of time and dedication. My motto is “train hard, race easy.” I cycle 400km, run 100km and swim 30km per week. On top of that, I’ll do two or three gym sessions each week during the winter. Strength and core conditioning are vital for triathletes. Your body is constantly fatigued by the demand of training for three sports, but you still need to be able to hold good form throughout the race.
At any level, it can be challenging to fit in all the training, so you have to try to make it part of your routine. If you are new to the sport, perhaps try cycling to work and back, squeeze in a 20-minute swim or run at lunchtime, jump on the treadmill or join a spinning class at the gym. Focus on your weakest of the three disciplines, but don’t neglect the other two. It’s better to train little and often, rather than doing a four-hour bike ride at the weekend and nothing during the week.
One of the great things about triathlon is its variety and unpredictably – no two races are ever the same. For that reason, instead of training for the distances involved [an Olympic distance race involves a 1,500m swim, a 40km bike ride and a 10km run], I base my training regime on time targets: 18.5 minutes for the swim, 56 minutes for the bike and 30 minutes for the run.
My perfect race would entail a non-wetsuit swim (in elite races, wetsuits aren’t allowed when the water temperature is higher than 20 degrees), a hilly bike and a flat, fast run. A non-wetsuit swim is good for strong swimmers like me, because a wetsuit aids buoyancy, so less energy is wasted on staying afloat.
Once I know what races I’m doing the following season, my coach and I will tailor my training according to the course demands. Familiarising yourself with the course enables you to plan well.
It’s been great to see triathlon getting the wider recognition and interest it deserves over the past decade – I think its appeal will continue to grow, especially with 2012 coming up.
I would love to be part of the 2012 Olympics in London, my hometown. I will have to see if my body is willing. I know my mind is.
Good advice for first-timers
If you are new to triathlon, why not start off as part of a relay team? You can stick with your strongest discipline and get a feel for how the sport works. Your next step might be a race with a pool swim, so you don’t have to contend with the challenges of open water. After that, try a sprint distance race or two, before moving up to the Olympic distance.
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