7 Things triathletes love to complain about

We all know that triathletes aren’t normal. Those of us who swim, bike and run on a regular basis face challenges that, well, only we understand. For those who are new to the sport, here’s some of the things you’re going to hear the most griping about at your club’s next training session:

Swim training

Most of us came from running backgrounds. There ain’t no water to deal with in a 10 km, a half, or a marathon. The times when the pool is open never work – and masters swims are either crazy early in the morning, or nutty late at night. The water is cold … OK – we’ll stop before we get too riled up.

Open water swimming

The waves. Looking into the sun. The crazy current that added so many minutes to our time. The opening leg of a triathlon is brutal …

Non-wetsuit swims

While Lisa Becharas might be celebrating the fact that she can show off her awesome swim suit at the next non-wetsuit swim, most of us dread those awful race morning words: “Wetsuits are NOT allowed.”

Workouts not saving to Strava

This always happens right after you’ve nailed that segment that’s eluded you for years. You’re finally ready to show all the rest of the crew and … are you kidding? It didn’t load?

Ironman

Yes, we know that we all want to get to Kona (don’t get us started on Nice), so we should absolutely love this company. And, yes, most of us have an M-dot tattooed on our body. But that doesn’t stop us from complaining about the price of the race merchandise, the fact that our favourite nutrition isn’t available on course, or that there are way too many fast people in our age group …

Drafters

Did you see all the wheel suckers at that last race? And then there’s that time you did all the work at the last workout and everyone just sprinted by at the end!

Wind

Have you ever noticed that pretty much every Kona had the toughest winds? Actually, it seems like a lot of races and training sessions were the windiest ever …