When I entered my first triathlon in 2011 my goal (one I probably am not alone in setting) was just to finish. I approached the event from the perspective of a runner in terms on training, and a total novice in terms of preparation. I knew little about transitions, other than it involved changing some gear.
A sprint triathlon is ideal for newbies. Make the swim take place in a pool, an little can go wrong. The weather’s warm, so no need for wet suits. No salt water means one can live with the taste of inadvertently swallowed water. Unlike Ironman, half-Ironman, or Olympic distance events, the distance varies for Sprints. In my case, a 400 meter swim meant eight times up and down. During the summer leading up to the event I built up my distance from 50 meters to 1000, which concluded my first basic goal for the swim portion.
I figured when it came to cycling, I could hop on the bike with minimal training and then run like I usually did, covering the 2.6 miles at my regular pace. I had read that your legs didn’t always feel fresh getting off the bike, but dismissed that as for distances greater than a Sprint. I had, after all, finished a marathon an ran 40-50 miles per week during the summer training for a second marathon. Reality never fails to bite you where it hurts.
I took my time during transitions. I wanted to make sure I had on the right stuff, rather than rush through and miss anything. The swim sapped a lot into strength through a combination of nerves and under training. The bike sapped more, as I powered through everything on legs not used to sustained speed. The run crushed me. My legs moved sluggishly, and not until mile two did they recover. But I finished, and I learned from the experience. I looked around at the other triathletes, a mix of seasoned veterans on tri-bikes and other newbies with heavier bikes than my old roadie, and felt somewhere in the middle. Even a sprint triathlon at that point felt like the hardest event I’d ever attempted.
In 2012 I finished four triathlons, including two open water events, one of those an Olympic distance effort. I haven’t “geared up” as much as a serious triathletes, but my prime goal remains just finishing. Any secondary goals deal with improving, and that is good enough for me.
