I love Triathlon

I love triathlon – swimming, riding and running – but I am relatively new to the sport. I got a taste for it at a large corporate triathlon event in Melbourne during March 2009 and it has slowly taken over my sporting life.

Within 3 years of taking up the sport, I had moved into the world of long-course triathlons. The more I trained and raced, the more confident I became in my ability to cover the distance of a half or full Ironman. I have completed 4 half-Ironman events to date and I completed the Melbourne Ironman in March this year. I am still improving physically but, also, mentally.

The psychological aspect of triathlon is immense and one can’t reach their full physical potential without building their mental capacity equally as much, or even more so. Both, the physical and mental parts of triathlon appeal to me and the satisfaction of seeing an improvement or having the high of endorphins after a workout or race makes all the hard work very much worth it.

Despite those benefits, I’m looking for something more. It might sound greedy and self-centred but I want to win. I haven’t placed in the top 3 of my age-group category once, since starting the sport.

How do I ensure, even when I don’t win or finish high up, that I will come away from a race with an achievement or not feeling completely disappointed about the event?

My next race is the Shepparton Ironman 70.3. This is a half-ironman distance race of 1.9km swim, 90km ride and 21.1km run. I am aiming to complete this in 4 hours 30 minutes or better. My current personal best for this distance is 4 hours 43 minutes. If I can reach that goal, I may find myself, at least, in the top ten in my age group. If I am really fortunate, it might mean I qualify for the annual Ironman 70.3 World Championships. So what will I need to do in order to achieve this goal, whether it be this year or later? Will this be my only goal during this event and for the entire season?

I am going to take you on a journey in search of this dream. It will comprise many different aspects of my preparation including, training, nutrition, work/life balance, prioritisation, setbacks and more. I want this to hold me accountable as well because I want to help others by giving them something to consider. Consider a new way of training. Consider a new way of eating. Consider a new outlook on yourself, your goals and maybe a new way of challenging your mind. Consider how to make a challenge work for you.

I will attempt to give a daily account as I build up to November 17, 2013 and take on Shepparton Ironman 70.3 for the third time.