1) Resist the urge to discuss your workouts. You’ve done the work so be proud AND quiet. While a century ride may be interesting, telling others about it is certainly not…especially if they are not triathletes. Let your race times tell the story. There is nothing more fun than breaking a Personal Best and letting others wonder how you did it.
2) Eat healthy fuel. Meat fruits and vegetables. Sometimes there is nothing more satisfying than a huge meal of fried carbohydrates or processed sugar after a hard work out. (Read coke and fries or cookies and cream) But you’ve just put on all that weight that you’ve worked so hard to remove. What’s the point of that? Keep in mind that the ideal body of a peak triathlete is that of a 1930’s depression era farmer and you won’t achieve that with super-sized calories.
Nutrition Tip: Brush your teeth after dinner. It will make you less likely to have that late night snack, as you’ll want to keep your mouth clean and fresh.
3) Go For It for someone else. Pick a cause or a charity and or a person and train and race for them. It will make getting up for that 5:00 a.m. morning workout much easier.
4) Race your strength but train your weakness. If you are a great runner, spend more time in the pool. If you come from a swimming background, get to know the track. If you have a passion for biking, invest in some good running shoes and a swim coach.
5) Read a good book in bed. Don’t forget to take some time to do nothing. Your body and mind will appreciate the rest and recovery time, and you’ll have something (besides triathlon) to talk about at your next party.
6) Remember to thank the Iron Sherpas. They could be your spouse, your parents, your kids, your friends or perhaps your parents. All those great people in your life that let you pursue this crazy sport by covering for you when you’re out training, shlepping your stuff, and being there for you at the start and finish lines.
7) Have Fun 2. Unless you have a sponsorship contract with a Tri Dudai or Nike, the results of your next race won’t keeps your kids out of college. Enjoy the race day and give that passing pro a hand because their paycheck really depends on how they finish.
8) Set measurable and attainable goals. “I want to race an Olympic distance tri in 2006,” is not a measurable goal. “I want to finish an Olympic distance tri in 2006,” is a bit better but still not the ticket. “I want to finish the Chicago Triathlon in under 3 hours is 2006,” is a measurable and attainable goal. Now that you have your goal paste it on your computer screen and your bathroom mirror so that you’ll have a reason to train when it would be so much easier not to.
9) There is no such thing as a Sprint Triathlon. Triathlon is an endurance sport. A true Sprint triathlon would look something like this: 1) A fifty meter freestyle swim 2) One lap around a Velodrome 3) A 100 meter dash. For this reason to succeed you must be the turtle and not the rabbit.
10) You can’t DNF in life. In life, everybody finishes, some just finish sooner than others do. So while you’re here, always remember that triathlon is a great way to be alive!