You Know You Want To

DO a TRIATHLON with ME!*

Look at that face. You know
you want to do a tri with
that girl!

Okay, maybe your first thought when I say "You know you want to do a triathlon with me" is more like "H, no," rather than, "Oh, Jill, I've just been sitting here waiting for you to ask me and now I'm so glad you did so that I can be cool like you."

But I think you should reconsider. Why? Here's why.

1) Swimming/biking/and running keeps your workout routine varied and interesting.
2) Nothing is cooler than being able to say "I'm a triathlete." Trust me.
3) People seem to think that triathlons are  impressive.  They will likely come to cheer you on and maybe make a sign or two (see picture.)
4) It will take effort, but that makes it all the more worth it.
5) I've done it. If I've done it, you can do it.  Period.
6) I will help you figure out what you're doing!
And that's just off the top of my head!

I'm not talking about doing some crazy distance Ironman or anything like that. I'm talking a sprint distance tri.  These usually have short swims (around 500 meters or 20 lengths in my pool), bike rides that seem to take forever (between 12-18 miles) but at least you're sitting down during that part, and 5k runs.  But you know what? If you can't run, you can always walk or run/walk that.

If you've never raced at all you may think you should start with something smaller, with less moving parts. And I agree.  But there's plenty of time between now and your undetermined triathlon glory day to do a 5k or two to see what racing is like.

If you have raced in running races before, but are bewildered by the many legs of the tri, don't be! The most complicated part is getting a bike with two wheels, if you don't already have one.  It doesn't need to be anything fancy, though, and maybe you could even borrow one.  The other complicated part is you do need access to a pool for training.  But we can talk about all of that later.

Here's a list of people who I know happen to read this blog at least occasionally, who I think could train for and complete a triathlon. (in no particular order) Get ready, I'm about to call you out:
1) My dad
2) Cindy
3) Amie
4) Abi
5) April
6) Jess
7) Monica
8) Toby
9) Taylor
10) Cara
11) Britt
12) Jenna
13) Laura J.
14) Matt C.
15) my brother (who does not read this blog, but should totally be triathloning this summer)

Okay, this basically turned into a list of most people I know who read my blog and work out regularly.  Because you can ALL do this. You just have to decide to do it.

March is a great time to start training for a tri.  They're mostly held May through October when the water is warmer, so there is plenty of time.  If I've just blown your mind, and you want to look at particular events with me or ask questions about training or racing, PLEASE let me know.

*If you have never swum at all before or have a big fear of the water, I'm not saying you should not consider doing a triathlon, but I am saying that you may want to work on that first.