Try something new, try a triathlon: All you need to know

There is no better time in the year to start wanting to change your fitness routine and experimenting with something new.

Multi-events are more prevalent during the cooler parts of the year because it reduces body heat naturally, especially in endurance events.

Triathlons seem daunting because it involves a swim, a cycle, and a run and one of the most significant barriers to entry is that you might not like one of the disciplines and shy away because it is not your strong point.

The hesitation and anxiety you are feeling boils down to one question – how do you start?

Training is crucial and I am sure some can “wing” the events, but the point is, it shouldn’t feel like coming back to training for the first time, where everything is a grind and you are miserable.

The more “triathlon fit” you are, the more you are going to love it.

Start at least 12 weeks (three months) before your first event.

Break up your week into one-day swimming, one cycling and one-day running.

Track how long it takes you to complete a 400m swim, 10km cycle and a 2.5km run.

You do not have to be in the open air; if you have a gym contract, start there; if you don’t, you can begin at a public pool and on the road.

You can do your swimming training in a gym pool or public pool. Picture: iStock

Baseline testing is essential to understand where your fitness levels are.

You will understand two things – the baseline measurement, how long it takes you to complete each activity and, can you complete the distance with your current fitness levels?

Even if you can’t finish, don’t get discouraged, you have time, just stay focused and on course.

Week two and three begins with training for volume distance in a week.

If you are doing the sprint distance race, then take the 400m swim and break it down into two days of 200m each, or more.

Do this for all your activities, but make sure you reach your total volume by the end of the week and make sure you keep tracking your times.

You will be naturally stronger in one or two of the activities, and those activities get no more than two days.

As a newbie, focus on pacing yourself through the week rather than pushing too hard, too soon.

Week four you will add 10% distance to your week’s volume, but your goal is to aim for the same time you recorded the previous week.

By adding 10%, you are now elevating your stamina levels, strengthening your lung capacity and building a stronger heart to pump the necessary oxygenated blood throughout the body.

From week seven and eight, focus on reducing your days and training back-to-back and pairing your activities to a swim and cycle on day one and running on day two.

Increase your workload steadily, by 10% each week. Picture: iStock

If you find this is too challenging, break up your distance into two days each for the pairing, but back-to-back. In essence, you will complete your entire Super Sprint event in two or four days.

It is also a good idea to move out of the gym to run and cycle and start to experience the road.

When you reach the end of week eight, you will confidently know that you can or can’t complete a 400m swim, a 10km cycle and a 2.5km run by yourself.

If you still can’t, don’t stress; simply delay your race by a few more weeks and enter the next event, but whatever you do, don’t stop training.

Week nine you will try at a languid pace to complete the entire sprint event.

Don’t go out “guns blazing” but rather perform the test at a comfortable pace to see how your body has adapted over the past eight weeks of training.

The goal here is to complete the event, which will give you confidence and surety that you can finish the event.

Once you know this, you will have a couple of days of light training and then attempt the event again at the start of the new week.

This time your goal is to aim for no more than two hours.

A fast time would be within 45 minutes, and an average time would be one hour and 20 minutes.

Don’t worry about fancy equipment and buying bikes; you are not there yet.

You will wear a wetsuit in colder conditions or a speedo in warmer. It all about less drag in the water, so stay away from board short.

Borrow or rent a bike, and it is not necessary for fancy cleats; you can even use a mountain bike.

For your road running, invest in a good pair of running shoes and make sure they a specific to your feet, build and running needs.

Good luck with your first race and take in the beauty around you.

Triathlons are broken down into various events. Start with the Super Sprint and then work your way up. 

Super Sprint distance – 400m (swim), 10km(bike), 2.5km(run)

Super distance – 750m (swim), 20km(bike), 5km(run)

Standard (Olympic) distance – 1500m (swim), 40km(bike), 10km(run)

70.3/middle/half-Ironman distance – 1.9km (swim), 90km(bike), 21km(run). – Sean van Staden