Although the reasons people do a triathlon differ, the benefits are universal. That's what this chapter is about -- it outlines the 20 benefits you can reap from training for and completing a triathlon. The bottom line is that this process is one of the most rewarding things you will ever do in your life, not just physically, but mentally, spiritually and socially as well. Ask anyone who has done a triathlon, and they will tell you the same thing.
But for all its power to change your life, training for a triathlon isn't going to consume your life. The training program set forth in this book is designed to blend seamlessly into your busy schedule and requires just one day, a total of 24 hours--four hours a week for six weeks. The payoffs, however, are timeless: You will lose loads of weight, feel better than ever, and gain self-confidence that will last a lifetime.
Lofty promises, indeed. Can doing a triathlon really deliver? Follow the advice in this book and, yes, without a doubt it can. It has for hundreds of thousands of other triathletes, and it will for you, too.
Physical Benefits
For you to consider training for and completing a triathlon, there have to be some serious, long-lasting benefits, right? Well, here they are -- 20 of them. Let's start with the most observable payoffs: what will happen to your body.
You Will Lose Weight
The first thing you'll probably notice as a Triathlete-in-Training is that your clothes will become too big. That's because training for such a three-sport event will make you as fit and healthy as you have ever been in your life. When you engage in a well-balanced program of swimming, cycling and running--known as cross-training -- you will burn an enormous amount of fat from every area of your body. Better yet, the weight will come off as a natural consequence of your passion-driven quest to complete a triathlon, rather than from a guilt-induced diet, a boring exercise plan or a bizarre fitness implement.
The principles and strategies in this book are built on passion, not deprivation. As you progress on this program, you will gain momentum: You'll lose a couple of pounds in the first week and you'll begin to feel stronger, which means you can do a little more -- and lose a little more weight. The workouts will get easier, so you'll be able to go even farther and lose more weight. Before you know it, you'll be sailing!
Keep this in mind: The program in this book isn't based on some untested herbal weight-loss product. The principles at work are basic scientific ones that your body cannot disobey. Like the apple that must fall from the tree, your body must lose weight if you're consistently burning more calories than you're consuming. And nothing burns more calories than training for a triathlon.
Plus, you'll likely find that when you're training for such an athletic event, you'll want to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet that supports your training. Overeating or indulging in lots of less-than-nutritious foods will leave you feeling dull and tired during your workouts, so you'll quickly learn to eat what's good for you -- and that will accelerate your weight loss even more.
You Will Look and Feel Years Younger
When we neglect our bodies, imperceptibly over time we gradually accept lower standards of fitness, of health -- and therefore of living. Worse, we don't even realize how bad we feel, until we wake up and get fit again.
Training for a triathlon will reconnect you with your body and make you feel like you haven't felt in years: young, energetic and powerful. And you'll not only feel years younger but you'll look better than ever, too. Triathletes are legendary for having some of the best physiques in the fitness world. That is because cross-training shapes the body in complementary ways: running develops long, lean muscles; cycling builds strength and tones your lower body; and swimming increases your flexibility and sculpts your upper body. Take a look at any triathlete over age 55 and you'll see what I mean. These people have the look -- and swagger -- of 20- and 30-somethings.
You Will Have More Energy
Energy forms the basis of our existence, yet it seems that we all have less and less of it as our schedules have grown increasingly hectic. Unfortunately for some people, exercise can exacerbate this problem by draining their energy rather than replenishing it. In an effort to get results or lose weight fast, they may wind up overtraining and exhausting themselves.
Not so on this program.
The strategies in this book will show you how to exercise so that each workout refreshes your body and clears your mind, over time giving you more energy -- so that you can perform better at work and at play. That, I guarantee.
You're likely wondering "How can training for something as rigorous as a triathlon actually give me energy?"
This program is for real people--not for elite athletes. By following the principles in this book and exercising at the right pace for your fitness level, you'll get fit without fatigue.
When I took a year off my triathlon-training program (to write this book!), my energy plummeted. I couldn't believe it. It was as if someone pulled the plug on my life force. When I returned to consistent training, I felt fully alive again. You will, too.
You Will Get More Out of Your Workouts
In this book, I show you how to exercise more efficiently by using a few simple strategies, such as monitoring your heart rate and breathing properly. Follow these and other techniques set forth in the training program, and you'll get fast results from your workouts -- without expending a huge amount of effort. It's all about training smart, not hard.
You Will Injury-Proof Your Body
When you stick with one sport like running, for example, you continually stress the same parts of your body -- and that can result in overuse injuries such as shinsplints, stress fractures, knee problems and tendinitis.
Training for a triathlon, however, incorporates three very different sports. This cross-training, as it is called, isn't as hard on the body, because it distributes the stress more evenly to your bones and muscles and develops more balanced fitness. That means less pain, fewer injuries, and a stronger body. Or as Donna Carlysle, a mother of three from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, put it: "I like training for the triathlon because of the variety -- it strengthens every muscle in my body, and it keeps me fresher as opposed to getting all the aches when I'm just running or biking or lifting weights all the time."
You Will Improve Your Health
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, regular exercise can lower your blood pressure, prevent diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers, and reduce your risk of osteoporosis and depression -- just to name a few. Follow the training program in this book, and you'll spend less time at doctors' offices and more time enjoying your life!
You Will Live Longer
By preventing disease and fortifying your body, regular exercise can help you live a longer, more productive life. Training for something as complete as a triathlon lays a foundation of fitness that will ensure that your later years are more pain-free and fun filled -- so you'll not only add years to your life but you'll also add life to your years.
Mental Benefits
Although the physical payoffs of doing a triathlon are thrilling, the mental rewards you stand to reap are even greater -- because they are truly timeless. The mental edge you'll develop by becoming a triathlete will never fade.
You Will Be More Productive
Training for a triathlon will clear your mind and sharpen your focus. My most lucid and creative thoughts invariably arise during bike rides, after swims or while running with my dog Owen around the lakes of Mount Tamalpais in northern California first thing in the morning.
Not only will you have these "lightbulb" moments during exercise, you'll also return to your day feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the tasks that lie ahead of you. Essentially, as your body becomes stronger, your mind will follow.
You Will Learn to Handle Stress More Effectively
You will learn the profound skill of developing grace under pressure -- that is, increasing your composure as the pressure around you heightens -- as well as how to apply that skill to any stressful situation. If you can learn to "relax into" more intense physical efforts during a 45-minute run, for example, you will be more able to maintain mental equanimity during your morning commute. One of the most rewarding outcomes of my triathlon career is that few things in my daily life unsettle me. I am now more mentally resilient. You will be, too.
You Will Build Rock-Solid Self-Confidence
To develop a strong, "in-your-bones" confidence, I believe you must achieve something that deeply challenges you. Training for and finishing a triathlon is certainly a remarkable achievement and a powerful way to build self-confidence that will last a lifetime.
Your Mood Will Improve
Research shows that exercise improves your mood and lifts your spirits. And no wonder! When you put your body in motion, you can't help but feel alive and invigorated. They don't call it "runner's high" for nothing. Plus, training for a triathlon gets you outdoors, and spending time in the beauty of nature is bound to boost your mood!
Your Motivation to Exercise Will Soar
Studies on exercise adherence show that many people quit their exercise routines because they become bored or burned out. This can happen when you do the same thing day in and day out. Incorporating three different sports into your weekly exercise plan helps you to avoid burnout. When you grow tired of swimming along that godforsaken black line in your local pool, you can go for a run, a hike or a bike ride around town or through the countryside. After all, each of these activities directly contributes to your triathlon success.
If the variety of training for a triathlon isn't enough to keep you motivated -- don't worry. I give you several other strategies for keeping your enthusiasm high throughout your training.
Not only that. The training program in this book will help you redefine how you see and do exercise so that you can alter your long-term view of physical fitness. You will begin to see each triathlon training session for what it can be: a unique opportunity for personal growth, a celebration of life and a relaxing pause in your otherwise hectic and stressful life. You'll learn to make exercise about letting go, stepping out into the world, getting sunshine on your face and having fun.
You Will Learn to Strengthen Your Weaknesses
As we age, we begin erecting physical and psychological walls, brick by brick, made of our fears, doubts and excuses. And we do it without realizing it. This wall begins to widen the distance between ourselves and our human potential. Before we know it, we're nowhere close to the person we once were -- or to the person we wanted to become. That can be a very scary realization later in life.
Training for and finishing a triathlon forces you to smash through that wall and deal with your weaknesses (for example, chronic knee pain, poor self-image, fear of failure). When you strengthen your weaknesses, you become more capable of setting aside your fears and doubts to achieve other extraordinary things in your life.
Social Benefits
Whether you train for your triathlon alone or with others, you're sure to meet fellow triathletes along the way. You'll find that the camaraderie within the triathlon world is unmatched in any other sport. In addition to making new fitness friends, you stand to reap other social rewards as well.
You Get to Rub Shoulders with the Best Athletes in the World
In a triathlon everyone completes the same course: mother of three, 56-year-old age-group competitor, world-champion professional. That's one of the truly unique things about this sport.
Can you imagine golfing alongside Tiger Woods? No way. But you can compete in the same triathlon as World Champion Ironman Tim Deboom. You may not be immediately impressed with that, but when a pro like Tim Deboom gives you a thumbs-up or a pat on the back as he goes by, you'll get chills.
You Will Join the Fitness Elite
If you complete just one triathlon, you will become one of the fitness elite no matter what your finishing time. You will have accomplished something that only one percent of the population even dare try. That puts you in more of an elite class than a Hollywood star. Now that's sure to impress your friends and coworkers, not to mention anyone you're meeting for the first time.
Inspirational Benefits
Perhaps the most profound benefits of all to training for a triathlon are those you least expect. Setting out on this mission will not only shrink your waistline and give you more confidence, it will transform your life in ways you never imagined.
You Will Have an Increased Sense of Purpose in Your Life
There are times in our lives when we find ourselves unfulfilled on deep, intangible levels -- and we cannot explain why. We may have everything we want: a fulfilling career, a wonderful family, a strong network of loving friends. We just can't put our finger on our underlying restlessness.
Focusing your attention on an exciting, positive and challenging goal such as a triathlon can breathe renewed purpose into your life and channel away some of that restlessness. The triathlon is a noble pursuit and an outside-the-box undertaking, and because of that people tend to wake up each morning feeling that they are on a mission.
You Will Become the Best You That You Can Be
Are you tired of others telling you (or implying!) that you shouldn't, you can't or you won't? Daily life rarely, if ever, provides us with the opportunity to be truly courageous, to show the world what we're really made of -- and to be recognized for our own greatness. Completing a triathlon will provide you, and those around you, with physical proof that you are capable of more than anyone realizes.
In this quest, pushing past what you thought was possible might be your barometer of success. For others, it might be setting a personal record. Regardless of your goals, you will glimpse your true potential by completing a triathlon.
Steve Prefontaine, one of the best competitors of all time, saw a race not so much as a competition against other people, but as a test to see how far the human heart can go.
That is what participating in a triathlon is all about.
You Will Be a Hero to Your Kids
If your children watch you finish a triathlon, they may never look at you the same way. How do I know? My mom was a triathlete back in the formative years of the sport -- the early 1980s. At that time, people knew very little about how to train for the triathlon; trailblazers like my mom were making it up as they went along.
When I watched my mom train and compete, I gazed at her like I did at any celebrity sports figure. I remember thinking, honest to God, that Fleer should make a "Judith Harr, Triathlete" card with stats and everything on the back. As I've grown older, my admiration for what my mom did as a triathlete only grows. She's even more heroic to me now.
You Will Motivate and Inspire Those around You
The courage and determination you show in pursuing a triathlon may inspire those around you to elevate their fitness and their lives--or at the very least, your quest will spark in others the possibility that they can do more. ("Hey, if this bozo can do it, surely I can!") Bringing people to that realization is a wonderful gift. Knowing that you have set an example for someone to go after their dreams or to make a positive change in their life is a reward that simply cannot be matched.
You Will Set Other Positive Things in Motion -- Things You Never Imagined
I know from personal experience that training for a triathlon event can totally transform your life. In 1994, when I decided to train for my first triathlon in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the extent of my exercise was walking to the local mango stand for lunch. It took courage to register for the race, but taking that one simple step set dozens of other unforeseen, positive steps into motion. I began eating better, I had more energy and I grew more sensitized to the joys of everyday life. I was a much more passionate and giving person because I felt so good about myself. That meant I could begin giving to others more. It may sound trite, but I began racing on behalf of animal welfare -- something I likely would never have done if I hadn't pursued the triathlon.
The moment you finish a triathlon, you will be astounded at the new realm of possibilities that open up to you. The only obstacles barring your way are your self-imposed excuses, fears and doubts. Overcoming them, and moving past them to where your real power dwells, is what the next chapter is about.
