Last weekend, I took part in my first novice triathlon and it was quite the experience. It was challenging, tough both mentally and physically, but it was an extraordinary experience. I’m now officially a triathlete!
I signed up at the end of May, giving myself just about 9 weeks to train from basically zero. I’m not an unfit person, I walk about 1h to and from work, but, as I go to the gym only sporadically, I was in no way a fit person either at that point.
I found that working toward an event really helped get me motivated! I wanted to go to the gym and train. The triathlon prep is great because you can’t get bored, you can always alternate discipline.
The novice triathlon is like a quarter of an olympic distance triathlon: 400m swim, 10km bike and 3km run (or around these numbers). My main goal was to not finish last and I was hoping I’d finish in around 1h30.
Here’s the story:
It started the night before when, after a summer of sun, it started pouring. While it was set to be the driest year ever for the Loch Lomond triathlons, it definitely wasn’t on the day.
We headed out on Saturday morning around 7h30, arriving at Balloch Country Park around 8.15. We registered, got numbers written on our arms and legs, and got chipped. The sprint triathlon started around 10.30 and it was impressive to see. The first swimmer finished within about 6-8mins.
Finally it was time for the novice triathlon. I was super nervous about the swim but it ended up being my best discipline and the most enjoyable. I even improved my practiced open-water swim time from 20 to 17 mins. Because of the rain, the water temperature had dropped to a frigid 13 degrees, meaning wetsuits were compulsory. It was quite a shock to the system going in, it slammed the breath out of me. Thankfully it was a deep water start so we had some time to get used to the cold before the start of the race.
From the water, we were back to transition to get on our bikes. Taking the wetsuit off wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but our transition time was still upward of 3 minutes (which is long).
The cycling was…how to say it lightly…hell. The terrain was rocks, mud (because of aforementioned rain) and grass nearly the whole way and we were not ready for mountain biking at this level. It’s mostly my fault as I hadn’t researched this well enough and we never practiced off road. Also most of the bike route at Balloch Country Park was on an ascent (of 57m), which we had to do twice.
Within the first kilometre my chain came off, which dampened my spirit, I fell over some cobble stones, and cried twice. It really broke me, physically and mentally. I think it was both how difficult it ended up being compared to what I expected, and the shame that I was being passed by everyone. Thankfully my amazing friend and training partner was there waiting for me at every turn (and hill) and encouraging me. I wouldn’t have finished without her support and positive attitude.
Finally, we left the bikes in transition (thank god!) and went off for the track run. It was tough as well and I wasn’t able to run the whole way. I found a good pace at some point in the second half, but the last few hundred meters were up hill and I struggled again.
We crossed the finish line together in 1h52, which was about 20 mins more than we expected. But we finished and we weren’t last! Which was the goal!
With some perspective already, I have to say I feel so proud of myself! Of how much I’ve improved since the end of May and how much I’ve accomplished. I’ve also learnt so much from the experience and will definitely be signing up for another one!
I found that the best part of the triathlon was the people. Everyone was so supportive. If you were coughing in the water from swallowing water, other swimmers would turn and ask if you were okay. People asked if I needed help and gave me encouraging words during the cycle. And during the run, the last hurdle to finishing the triathlon, every other runner we encountered whispered ‘good job’. It was a fantastic human experience. The camaraderie alone is worth signing up again for this challenge.
If you are interested in taking part in a novice triathlon, here was my training plan:
Week 1
Monday: Swim
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Bike
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Run
Saturday: Rest
Sunday : Rest
Week 2
Monday: Swim
Tuesday: Bike + arm strength
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Run + core strength
Friday: Swim
Saturday: Leg strength
Sunday : Rest
Week 3
Monday: Bike
Tuesday: Swim + leg strength
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Run + swim
Friday: Bike
Saturday: Run + arm strength
Sunday: Rest
Week 4
Monday: Run
Tuesday: Arm and leg strength
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Swim
Friday: Bike
Saturday: Run + core workout
Sunday: Bike + swim
Week 5
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Swim + bike
Wednesday: Run
Thursday: Arm and leg strength
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Swim + core workout
Sunday: Bike + run
Week 6
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Bike + run
Wednesday: Run
Thursday: Swim + bike
Friday: Arm and leg strength
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Open-water swim
Week 7
Monday: Run
Tuesday: Bike + swim
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Bike + run
Friday: Arm and leg strength
Saturday: Open-water swim
Sunday: Run
Week 8
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Swim
Wednesday: Bike + run
Thursday: Swim + bike
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Run + strength
Sunday: Open-water swim + bike
Week 9
Leading up to the race, it’s lots of rest.
Monday: Swim
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Bike + run
Thursday- Friday: Rest
Saturday: RACE DAY
Note: I didn’t follow the plan exactly. I had a week when I only exercised twice because we were off on holiday and a week where I went on a hike so couldn’t move for a few days. But generally I tried to match each week’s programme around my plans for the week. I definitely improved from week 1 to week 9! From swimming only 100 meters to 600 meters, to running for 2 minutes to 18 mins in a row.
Have you ever taken part in a race of some sort? How did it go the first time?xx
