Emily finished her first triathlon sponsored by Fund Her Tri UK on 25/06/2023 at Dorney Triathlon.
First of all: it was great!
Despite being 29 degrees at 11 am, I still had a really fun time, which is a real testament to the sport. I love an individual challenge and this felt like such a fun way to push myself - as someone who's sporty across the board, I loved the variety of triathlon. I kept thinking to myself, "this is so much more fun than just running or just cycling for an hour and a half". I got to pack in three different activities instead!
The highs and lows of a triathlon in the summer
The high of my first tri was definitely the swim. I love a swim, and, given the aforementioned 29 degrees, I could have stayed in that lake forever! I took it really easy, because I was worried I'd be tired for the other 2 disciplines. So it was all very chilled and refreshing, and I just let my mind wander... When I wasn't getting occasionally kicked in the face.
The cycle was fun, too - nice and flat, and I was pleased I could push myself and even do a bit of overtaking.
The low was - what a suprise - the run. In that heat, with literally no shade anywhere, it was just a bit horrible. But getting to that finishing line (eventually) made it worth it!
Tips for future triathletes
My main piece of advice for anyone thinking of doing their first triathlon is to just practice all three of the disciplines as much as you can. I think, because I've done a lot of long-distance of all three, I felt confident of just knowing what to do. Once you've done your transition, you just get into the groove quite easily if you're used to it!
Speaking of the transition, I'd also say don't worry too much about it - if you just lay out all your kit clearly, it's really easy. And there's no need to rush - unless you're in the World Championship Final or something. It's quite fun to keep popping back to your base, it felt like ticking off a to-do list!
This was my first triathlon, but definitely not my last. I'd like to aim for an Olympic distance one (1.5km swim, 40km bike and 10km run), since the one I did this time was a sprint (750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run). It was great for getting the feel of it, and I'd definitely need to up the training for the Olympic distance, but I feel like that's a good challenge. Honestly, triathlons are just a lot of fun!
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