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5 Painful reminders from your first triathlon of the season

Racing is back ... but after a long break there are likely a few things you've forgotten!

Photo by: Kevin Mackinnon

For many of us it’s literally been years since we raced. It’s hard to believe that the last full season of triathlon anywhere in the world was 2019! As many of us make our comeback to swimming, biking and running, we’re getting rude awakening as we re-live some of the challenging parts of triathlon racing. Here are a few of the things that are coming back to us this season

Race pace is painful

Remember all those interval workouts where you dialled things back a bit because, well, you didn’t know when you’d be racing again? There’s a reason the best coaches say that there shouldn’t ever be any surprises in races, and make you push to your limit during some key workouts.

Getting a wetsuit on isn’t easy

And that’s especially true if you haven’t put it on for a few years! Do yourself a favour if you haven’t done an open water swim with your wetsuit for a while – jump in a lake or a river and test it out!

It might have been a good idea to practice transitions

All those things that simply came automatically in T1 and T2 when you were racing four or five times a year? Yeah, those don’t come quite as naturally after a two or three year break! Definitely worth some practice.

What’s the right amount for breakfast (and Port A Potties aren’t the best)

Remember all those years that it took to dial in just the right amount of food you can eat before the race, and when, so you wouldn’t have any issues? It might be time to revisit all that with some practice before some hard sessions!

Your legs really do feel like bricks after you bike hard and try to run

You know how you still have nightmares about your first triathlon and how dead your legs felt as you came off the bike and started the run? Guess what that run feels like when you haven’t done it for a few years?

Despite it all, though, you will get through it, and you will also remember just how much fun it all was! See you at the races!