Recently by:
Jim P.

Many people become interested in the sport of triathlon in the months of December and January.

Looking ahead to a new year, people set new goals for themselves, which are often associated with some aspect of health and fitness. Choosing the sport of triathlon has become more common as the sport has grown in popularity and offers the advantages of cross-training.

For some, becoming a triathlete is combined with the desire to lose weight and be in optimal health.

The reasoning often used to assure people that anyone can be a triathlete is that it involves doing 3 things that virtually every person enjoyed doing as kids: swimming, biking, and running.

Yes this is true, but there are several elements involved in fulfilling the desire to be a triathlete such as:

Choosing a specific triathlon event to train for

Building a triathlon-ready level of fitness

Selecting the right triathlon gear, equipment, and sportswear

Establishing a year-round systematic training plan and weekly schedule

Fueling your body with proper nutrition

Preventing and treating injuries

Learning proper technique for swimming, biking, and running

Developing the skill of open-water swimming

Managing the specifics of competing in a triathlon event

Like most goals worth achieving, becoming a triathlete is going to require an investment of time, physical and mental energy, and financial resources.

It is likely you will need to make certain lifestyle adjustments in order to free-up the time, energy, and resources necessary to train and race in triathlons.

Though there are certain foundational principles for all triathlon training, there is no one-size-fits-all triathlon training plan. The reason is that there are no two triathletes who are the same.

For example, right now you are located someplace on a long continuum of fitness level, knowledge, and skill. Your physiological and psychological makeup is unique. You may or may not have some background in one of the 3 sports involved in triathlon: swimming, biking, and running. You have certain time, financial, perhaps even physical limitations that you must take into account. All of these and other factors will influence your specific triathlon training plan.

It can all seem quite overwhelming, and sometimes it’s difficult knowing where to begin.

Here’s how I would approach getting started for a newcomer to the sport of triathlon...

The sport of triathlon is a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. We laugh, we cry, we celebrate, we agonize. We train hard, we race hard, and we push ourselves to our furthest limits, and consider all of this fulfilling!

Robin Williams once said, “You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.” Maybe that’s what we are doing as triathletes – giving expression in our own way to that little spark of madness.

So, I decided to close out one year and start a new one on The Fun Times Guide to Triathlons with some special awards.

Jim’s Fun Times Guide Triathlon Awards

It’s the triathlete’s biggest fear – THE OFF-SEASON!

Taking time off, expending less carbs, consuming holiday treats, no more races to compete in – it can only mean one dreadful thing: getting out of shape, putting on weight, setting you back, and losing your edge.

So the question for this post is: Must the triathlete lose fitness in the off-season?

The answer is a resounding, YES! (And by the way, as it should be.)

Green.

It’s not just a color anymore, but identifies an ecological movement that has risen to the forefront of cultural awareness in recent years.

It’s a mentality and way of life that attempts to reduce an individual’s and society’s use of the Earth’s natural resources.

It’s often referred to as “sustainable living” or “ecological living,” which involves reducing our carbon footprints by such things as altering methods of transportation, energy consumption, and diet.

Being green means living your life in a way that is consistent with sustainability in which the Earth's resources are used at a rate at which they can be replenished. Being green is being respectful of humanity’s symbiotic relationship with the Earth's natural ecology and cycles. By minimizing our “ecological footprints” — the extent to which we create an environmental impact — we hope to preserve the Earth for future generations of human beings and other life.

It’s not easy being green, but there are a wealth of resources aimed at educating us about ecological living, and offering practical guidance in this way of life. For example, there is Wikia Green, which is a database of resources related to living green. The singular most practical site I have come across about living green is The Fun Times Guide to Living Green, written by Jeffrey Davis.

So, what does this have to do with the sport of triathlon and you as a triathlete?

“They” say real men (and women) do free-weight squats.

“They” say those leg machines are for wimps.

In the weightlifting world, free-weight squats separate the men from the boys and the women from the girls. There’s a certain squat snobbery you find among serious weight lifters.

Putting all that aside, there may be good reason for you to be doing free-weight squats as a triathlete.

First off, hopefully you know the importance of strength training for a triathlete. We’ve discussed strength training for triathletes here before.

This post is specifically about evaluating free-weight squats for the triathlete...

People in their 40s represent the fastest-growing segment in the sport of triathlon.

This is but one expression of the “fit after 40” time we live in. An increasing number of people are becoming involved in endurance sports in the second half of their life journey; maybe you are one of them.

Coach Don Nava, in his book Fit After 40: 3 Keys To Looking Good And Feeling Great, says there are 5 major questions people ask as they cross the line into the second half of their lives:

Will I ever feel young again?

Is my life going to make a difference?

Have I reached the pinnacle of my ability?

Is this all the happiness I can ever hope to have?

What will happen after I die?

Nava also defines true “fitness” to include 6 areas:

physical

directional

nutritional

emotional

mental

spiritual 

 

It’s no secret then why the sport of triathlon has become increasingly popular among the over-40 crowd. Training and competing in triathlons can help shape an answer to some of the above questions, and provides plenty of opportunity to grow in each of those 6 areas.

This is the third post in a 3-part series: 3 Things Every Triathlete Should Learn From Lance Armstrong. This final post of the series unpacks how Lance Armstrong turned endurance sport training into a discipline of applied science.

Applied science is the art or science of applying scientific knowledge to practical problems. When it comes to sports, this is often referred to as Sports Science, which is a discipline that studies the application of scientific principles and techniques with the aim of improving sporting performance.

The study of Sports Science traditionally incorporates areas of physiology, psychology, motor control and biomechanics, but also includes other topics such as nutrition and diet, sports technology, anthropometry, kinanthropometry, and performance analysis.

Lance Armstrong was a master at applying scientific knowledge to the task of becoming a better cyclist and endurance athlete. To be the best triathlete you can be, you must do the same.

Endurance sports training such as triathlon training is an applied science or Sports Science.