How to Increase Your Triathlon Endurance
Contributed by Vanessa Davis
If you’ve never been much of a sports’ aficionado, then just the word triathlon can make you sweat. To people who haven’t spent much time in these waters, cycling 40km, followed by 1500m of swimming and finally running 10 km sounds almost impossible, not to mention painful. However, for those who have taken this discipline into their lives, triathlon is a lifestyle, they live and breathe by it and constantly strive to be better. The mentality that is needed for completing a triathlon is the one of discipline, perseverance, and strength, all working in perfect sync. If you skimp on one, your body, as well as your results will suffer. If you’re training for your first triathlon experience, and you’re constantly on the lookout for useful tips, here are some general rules on how to increase your triathlon endurance.
Know Your Body
If you want to be a successful triathlon athlete, one of the very first things to do is to know what you can expect from your body. You can listen to advice, opinions and little cheats that your senior colleagues will share with you, but knowing how you react to exhaustion, injury and how well you manage under pressure is something that no one can tell you so you have to find out on your own. How do your joints react to longer runs? Is there an old injury that could present a problem as preparations move forward? Do you know enough to get you started on your preparations in the first place? There are all very general questions, but it is important to ask them because triathlon is a serious exertion for both the body and the mind, and you have to know what you’re getting yourself into. If you’ve never run a half-marathon and you want to dive headfirst into triathlon workouts, you might be in over your head. This doesn’t mean that you should give up, just slow down and let your body get accustomed to a rigorous regime you’ve got in store by going into it gradually.
You Need the Right Equipment
Getting ready for a triathlon won’t be the cheapest endeavor equipment-wise, but you can bet that it will be worth it in on the track and in the water. It all trickles down to one and the same – if you want to achieve maximum endurance, be explosive or steady whenever you need it and not think about whether your equipment will survive the day, you will need to spend a bit more. Let’s start with the running shoes. Here’s the deal – most running shoes worth their salt will be comfortable, but if you’re training for a triathlon, you’ll need far more than that – you will need a shoe that fits just right. To find a perfect shoe fit might be a bit of a hassle, depending on your body type and your running style but the difference you’ll see in your endurance and cadence will not be negligible. When it comes to swimming, same rules apply – you will need a good-quality wetsuit that will give you lightness of movement, buoyancy and won’t restrict you in any way. You’ll want the wetsuit to fit you tightly so that there isn’t any loose material that could slow you down. The material should also be elastic, flexible and soft and it will help you feel like a fish in the water, allowing you to swim to your best ability without any hindrance.
Recovery Is Vital
Triathlon workouts are tough, that is no secret, and once you get hooked up on chasing your goal time, it’s difficult to give yourself a break. Maybe you’ve never been too enthused about exercising but once you feel the adrenaline of the need to be better every day, the struggle to let your body recover is real. If you’re training hard for five days a week, then you better have enough sleep throughout the week, so that your body has the time to restore and replenish. It’s important to do your best to get good shuteye, and that means getting rid of any nuisances that could disrupt your sleep, which in most cases is snoring, as well as not being able to sleep due to surrounding sounds. Invest in solid earplugs, and if you have a problem with snoring or sleep apnea, then get a good snoring aid that will help you eradicate all the breathing problems you might be facing. Even if you’re not familiar with what could help you, read trustworthy reviews like Theravent review to find your best fit. Allowing your body to replenish through good sleep is absolutely vital in your triathlon preparations, so take your sleeping routine seriously and constantly work on improving it.
Have a day or two of active recovery, during which you can do yoga or stretching to keep your muscles flexible and in optimal shape. Of course you’re trying to do your best, but it will not be achieved by overworking yourself and you can be sure that the endurance on the track and in the water will suffer, as well as your entire body. It’s true that our minds sometimes stop us from getting to our full physical potential and you should certainly push your limits, but it’s also true that you should know when to stop.
Facing the Shortcomings
Among the three disciplines you’ll be competing in, there is always one that will give you more grief than others, one that will require more work that you don’t really want to do. Though it might not be a joy to commit your entire workout to swimming when you’d much rather cycle, it is essential to face the shortcomings you’re facing in your performance and find ways to overcome them. You’ll never be able to compensate the poor swimming time with your running skills, so hone and work on your weaknesses, the payout will be manifold.
Being a triathlete will be one of the most demanding physical challenges you will face and once you pull it off, you will feel like Atlas. Constantly expanding your boundaries and pushing yourself to be better will prove beneficial in every aspect of your life and if you have any doubt, just give triathlon a chance.
“To people who haven’t spent much time in these waters, cycling 40km, followed by 1500m of swimming and finally running 10 km sounds almost impossible, not to mention painful.”… what kind of race is this? Bike, swim, run?! WTH? Not to be overly picky, but hard to take this article silly when it can’t even get the swim, bike, run order correct!