It's not that I don't think I'm capable of completing a triathlon. I'm only aiming for Sprint Distance and have even picked out a tri that, if I do go ahead with it, I want to do. (The Washington DC Triathlon, for those of you who are wondering) But I'm starting to realize the burden that training for a tri would put on me.
Let's get physical: It's no secret that a triathlon is a tremendous physical feat. While I know that handling the run of a sprint distance tri would be a piece of cake for me, even though I'm a strong swimmer, I've never actually swum laps or distances before. I also haven't ridden a biscycle since I was about 10 years old and honestly don't know that I still remember. I know what everyone says...you never forget how to ride a bike, but I'm not so sure about that! As far as swimming goes, my friend Erin (formerly a water polo player) also wants to complete a tri and we've talked about doing it together so she's offered to coach me as a swimmer, so I don't think that would be too much of an issue.
On top of that, I'm already registered for a Half-Marathon and a 10-miler for the spring and really looking to try and squeeze in a marathon somewhere around May or June and I'm not too sure that my body could handle the additional stress of cycling and swimming on top of marathon training. Then again, I could incorporate cycling and swimming into my cross-training workouts but since I typically run 4 days a week and cross-train 2, that probably wouldn't be enough, right?
Mental Preparation: Being in grad school, my life is still dictated by semesters and next semester is going to be tough. Between my job and my internship, I'm working a full 40 hours a week. On top of that, I'm in school full time with 4 classes, 3 of which are until 9pm next semester. I also have a part-time weekend job that occupies my weekends anywhere from 2-12 hours at a time. Let's not even throw school work into that mix. It's because of all this that I don't think I'll quite be able to run a full marathon in the spring. But maybe, if I start tri-training after my Half-Marathon in March, I'll be in good shape for a June tri and can then focus on running a fall marathon and breaking 4 hours!
Financial Burden: Running gear? Check! Swimming gear? Almost check...I would need a wetsuit...right? Cycling gear? Umm...this is honestly where the biggest issue comes into play. Bikes are expensive and I'm not in any position to spend the money on a bicycle to try a triathlon for the first time without any indication of whether I plan to become a triathlete beyond the one. Helmets aren't cheap...and then I would need cycling shoes and who knows what other things triathletes need to get them through training and ultimately, a race. Aside from completing a triathlon, becoming financially self-sufficient is also on my list and being a triathlete is an expensive hobby (so is being a runner, I'm slowly starting to find...but much less so!).
So with all of that said, I'm really starting to consider whether I should change the #3 on my list. I'm not really leaning toward one way or another and that's why I'm writing about this! So what do you advise? Have any of my wonderful readers ever done a tri? Have you considered it and are held back for any of the same reasons I am? What do you all think? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
And while you're thinking about it: meet my newest hero. I haven't read her book yet, but this woman is amazing! She's an 80-year-old nun who has completed over 340 triathlons and I don't know how many marathons. She's responsible for their being a 74-79 age group in the Ironman Triathlon competition and they call her the Iron Nun. I love everything about this.
