Triathlons as a Well Balanced Part of A Race Repertoire

Variety is the spice of life. The same I think holds true for your racing life. I have been racing for the past five years, started with a handful of road races and then was introduced to trail running. The mix of trail training and racing made a marked improvement on my road race times. This just speaks to cross training (I said cross training not cross dressing – to each his own) as a valid and fundamental way of strengthening other aspects of the sports you do. Three years back I tried a Try-a-Tri (Subaru race series – Orllia) and enjoyed it very much. this year I took a bit of a plunge and signed up to do three Tri races. As part of the Multi-Sport series I did Belwood Lake, Wasaga Beach and Georgina – all at the Give-it-a-Tri level. For those that are not strong on the swim (like me) or who just prefer a shorter race – 45 minutes or so (like me) these races are a great way to get introduced to the sport and build up confidence, technique, skill… Then if you want, off to the longer distances – Sprints, Olympic… Ironman (Person for the politically correct).  Unlike just road or trail racing, the triathlon really tests you in putting three skills together. The beauty of this type of race is that you don’t have to be superior in all three disciplines (swim, bike, run) to do well. Unless at an elite level, my experience (albeit limited) has shown me that you can be strong in two of the disciplines and still do relatively well. This has given me some enjoyment in “racing to place” knowing that I need to work my swim this year in order to improve. I have found the sport of triathlon to be more “technical” than traditional racing – not only do you need to good at three disciplines but you need to able to weave them together one after the other – so transitioning becomes an important part of the race focus as does training across the disciplines so your body can move from one discipline to the next. As part of the Orangeville Running Free group I have seen the interest in Triathlons rise with the forming of the ladies Tri group last year. As part of a varied training routine and lifestyle I have enjoyed adding the sport of Triathlon this year and intent for it to be a regular part of my race diet next year. Give it a Tri (pun intended) – you won’t regret it. Cheers