Triathlon Philosophy

Triathlon


The sport of triathlon. It is unlike most others because it involves training for not just one, but three separate disciplines. Training for one discipline is hard enough and requires time, energy, dedication, and a willingness to learn. Sports like basketball, football, track, volleyball, and swimming are hard enough to participate in and excel at by themselves. But to train seriously for three sports? If you really want to be good, then you need to multiply that training time by three. What does that give you?

Not enough hours in the day, in my opinion.

First, let me say that I’m not a sports psychologist, a physical therapist, or even a triathlon coach (edit March '03 - I am now). What I am is a guy who has been training hard since he was a kid, who has been injured, who has been burned out, but who has a positive attitude and knows what it takes to do well at triathlons as well as life in general. And I’d like to share what I’ve learned along the way. What I say may be something you already know, but maybe there will be something I say that will make you think, and maybe that will help you down the road some day. With that in mind, let’s talk triathlon.

There are a number of results from the typical triathlete’s training schedule of one or two workouts a day. The good results are, of course, excellent fitness and health, competitiveness, a good body, an active mind, and the ability to eat just about anything you want. It’s also a great feeling to know that you are using the gifts that you’ve been given in life in a healthy and fun venue like triathlon.

However, there are some negative consequences to this kind of training regimen as well. These include injuries, both new and recurring, over-training, burnout, and time away from friends and family. I’m going to try and discuss these topics during the course of the winter, but what I want to talk about in this article are a couple of methods I’ve discovered over the years to avoid these negative consequences.

First, let’s discuss what a lot of us triathletes go through. It probably has an official technical name somewhere, but for right now I’m just going to call it training addiction. You know what I’m talking about. It’s the feeling that if you miss just one workout, you’re entire season will be ruined. It’s the feeling that makes you get out of bed and go for a run on a morning when, in reality, you really do need the rest and should have stayed in bed. It’s this feeling that ultimately leads to injury and burnout. It is the demon that resides in all of us, and it’s name is Obsession.

Obsession is not uncommon in our sport. You can recognize it in some people. All they talk about is racing and training. It’s all they think about. And the truth is, if someone’s going to be obsessed with something, triathlon is not such a bad thing to be obsessed with. There are certainly worse things in the world.

But there is more to life than training and racing. And old training partner of mine from New Jersey said it best. I was just getting serious about triathlons, and he explained his philosophy to me. Simply, it is all about balance. He liked to train hard, and race hard (and he did great), but his life did not center around triathlons. He was a triathlete, no doubt about it, but he was also many other things.

That’s the attitude I have about it now. I have a great time racing and training, but it’s not the only thing I am interested in. And this brings me back to my original point - training addiction. Sometimes, when you wake up, or when you come home from work, and you feel really tired, just take a break. Skip a workout. Don’t do it a lot, because triathlon training does require a lot of time, but do it once in a while. That rest break will do you much more good than bad, and will most likely help you avoid burnout and injury in the long run.

Let’s talk about that as well - the long run. I’m not talking about a 20 miler on Saturday. I’m talking about staying with triathlons for the long run. We all know those individuals who get involved in triathlons, and who immediately go off the deep end, training and racing all the time, sometimes to the detriment of their personal and professional lives. Sometimes they do great and eventually learn how to balance it all out. Others, and you’ve seen them, burn out in a furious burst of energy, never to be seen on the race course again. Some of these people end up with serious, chronic injuries. Others hang their bikes on the wall and spend the rest of their lives watching reruns of Happy Days. (OK, maybe I’m exaggerating now...)

Then look at a guy like Scott Tinley. He’s been at it for more than 20 years, and he’s still smiling and having a great time. That’s what it should be about. Yeah, he’s serious about triathlons, but yeah, he’s also got lots of other things going on in his life. He’s got a great wife, two daughters, three books, his own clothing line, his own triathlon series, and, just for fun, he’s working on a doctorate. He’s able to stay serious about the sport while achieving a lot in other avenues of life. Now that’s what I call balance.

One of the best ways to keep some balance in triathlon is to take some time off from the sport every year. Every other sport has an off-season, but triathletes always seem to find an excuse to train straight through.

"I gotta beat this person next year."

"I need to get faster in the swim."

"I’m aging up a category and it’s tougher than the one I was in this year!!!"

This is the stuff we tell ourselves. And believe me, I understand it. Having both hurt myself training too hard and burning out while trying to train straight through the winter, in my experience, a break at the end of the season is what everybody needs. Some people need less than others, but even the most competitive, fittest athletes, if they know their bodies and understand their sport, will take some down time. Otherwise they risk their health and their happiness.

That’s what I’m hoping to help you all avoid. So I made up this little list, and if it helps just one person out there avoid burnout or chronic injury, then I’ve done my good deed for the season.

Basically, that’s it. Those are my training secrets. Well, okay, maybe there are a couple other ones, but...;-)

Until next time, train safe and have fun.

Marty Gaal - October 2000