As coaches we often hear ´ my friend ran a sub 3hr marathon´ or, my 2nd cousin recently did sub 10 hour Ironman. So what? We are all privy to comparison and try and benchmark ourselves, its natural, perhaps naive but rather than picking numbers out the air, consider the below first:
TIME:
Endurance rewards time. Everyone we work with has a different amount of time they can allocate to training on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis. This is totally individual. Some athletes have 4 hours others 15 per week to play with. Make the most of the time you´ve available.
BUDGET:
Triathlon is secondary to equestrian when it comes to $$$. Bikes, kit, travel, racing are very expensive and aerodynamics are an arms race. As coaches we can help advise what gives you most bang for you buck and for most that's calf sleeves not a 10k bike! Focus on getting the best from the resources you have & if you invest - invest in yourself first.
BACKGROUND:
Some people come to us with 10 years as a junior swimmer others have just started. Others spend their youth racing cross country and some started running at 50. Background counts & we all start the race at a different point.
TALENT:
huge topic here, but we are all armed with different vo2 max, trainability, propensity for injury, strength, ability to sleep well, loose weight, compartmentalise stress, the list goes on. Some factors can be influenced more than others. Play your cards to the best of your ability they are unique to you.
COMPETING DEMANDS:
In your 20s, your career and sport could be your main priority, in your 40s it maybe kids and running a business. Juggling these demands & performing consistently well across the board is the real skill.
So, when you next stand on a start line or look at a start list, forget who has done what and where, and focus on where you are, how far you´ve come and how far you have to go.
Judge yourself on the effort not the outcome - comparison really is the thief of joy.
Col
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