On becoming a triathlete

#41: A journey of 3 months.

On August 4th, 2024 I dove into a local lake and swam for 750m, then hopped onto my cycle and completed a 20 km loop, then ran for 5km in the end. It took me one hour and forty seven minutes to complete all three legs of triathlon. I went through this ordeal by my own choice and even paid $150 to a company who organised the event.

But 3 months ago, triathlon for me was something that other people did. It was as distant as lifting Thor’s hammer—an act of worthiness, a feat that seemed reserved for gods, not someone like me. No one I knew ever did a triathlon.

One day, a work colleague -Ed- was telling stories about completing Ironman triathlons - one of the toughest. Those stories fascinated me. Ed was other people. For some reason, I felt the necessity to boast about my swim routine and my cycling expeditions back in college. I wasn’t sure why I did it, maybe to feel a connection to this other world, or maybe to convince myself that I could belong there too.

He said, “Well, you’re 2/3rds of the way to a triathlon. You should totally do one.”

“Sure Ed!” I said, with a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

A few weeks pass by and Ed asks me,“So how’s the triathlon training going?”

I was too embarrassed to admit that I wasn’t training for anything, even my swim routine that I had boasted about was in shambles. Every few days when he asked me on progress, I came with a new excuse on why I couldn’t do it. Ed had an encouraging answer for each excuse.

But Ed, I cannot run long distances. Well, you can walk to the finish line.

But Ed, I cannot afford the gear.Well, you already have running shoes, swimming shorts and glasses, you can find a used bike online for a couple 100 dollars. That is all you need for your first triathlon.

But Ed, I cannot do it because it is hard. Well, start with a Sprint Triathlon.

But Ed, I cannot [insert excuse here]. At one point I ran out of excuses.

Finally, Ed sent me an email with a link to signup for the local triathlon. I signed up for it and had 10 weeks to train until race day.

Of the three disciplines, swimming was my strongest because I had been swimming at my local YMCA. But running was my weakest. I didn’t have the cardio fitness to run longer distances. On my first day of training, I could run only 3 minutes of the 40 minutes that it took me to cover 2 mile distance. It was a battle of sore muscles and burning lungs. Every step felt like a reminder of how far I had to go, how unprepared I was. Over the course of the training, I got to a point where I could run 5km non-stop.

The swimming portion of a triathlon happens in a lake, which is a different experience than swimming in the pool. In the pool, there is a black line on the floor that you sight for navigation in the pool. But in the lake, you can barely see a few feet beyond the surface of the water. It feels like you are floating in the dark expanse of the space. Open water swim navigation happens by sighting buoys floating at certain distances. For that, you take a few strokes and look up to sight the buoy breaking your flow and momentum. It was frustrating. I did two training sessions in the local reservoir to get a handle on my sighting techniques. I knew my swim time in the lake weren’t going to be as good as my time in the pool, but at least I got enough confidence for my race day swim.

I had a good rhythm going on with training. Some days were better than the rest. But because this was my first triathlon, my goal was to be in a position where I complete my race.

Things that helped me

Journaling Everyday: I journaled everyday that I trained. I wrote about how I felt after the session and how I could improve for the next session. It helped me see the patterns over a longer time.

We think that our brain remembers things, but when life takes over, it dumps out old information to make room for new information and erases the mundane feelings and thoughts you experience everyday. But the paper doesn’t forget. Also, looking at the highly optimistic journal entries at the beginning of the journey to the struggle filled middle days to the cautious prep before race day, is fun to read in hindsight.

Consistency over Intensity: I made it a point to not skip 2 days in a row. On the days, that I didn’t feel like training, I would still train, even it was for 20 minutes. The key was to build the flywheel. It wasn’t about how fast or far I went on any single day; it was about showing up, again and again.

Once you start to build that consistency, the dopamine kicks in. Every completed workout, no matter how short, became a small victory, making it easier to lace up my shoes the next day. Over time, those 20-minute sessions began to add up, creating a rhythm that made training feel less like a chore and more like a habit I didn’t want to break. The more consistent I was, the more I felt the momentum build, carrying me further and faster than I thought possible.

Controlled Content: Your inputs determine your outputs. I realised that if I scrolled Instagram reels of people dancing to the trendy songs, the thought of finishing a triathlon isn’t going to come to my mind. So I tired to consume triathlon related content as much as I could.

I watched several Youtube videos of people who ran their first triathlons and shared their journey, Global Triathlon Network videos that explained techniques for beginner triathletes, followed races of professional athletes. The algorithm Gods eventually started feeding me more triathlon content which helped me focused on the path ahead.

Encouraging Mentors and friends: I got lucky having a mentor like Ed who encouraged me from day 1. He helped kickstart this journey. Every step along the way he had anecdotes and advice for me and my doubts.

Find a mentor and friends who have similar goals as you do, for motivation and support.

Finisher Medal

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Lesson Learned

Don’t compare as per your convenience: For some time after the race, I felt a bit distant from everyone. I was basking in my glory, riding my high horse, proud to have done more than those cheering on the sidelines. It was as if I had crossed some invisible threshold, entering a realm that separated the “doers” from the “watchers.” I couldn’t help but feel a bit holier-than-thou, convinced that my achievement had somehow elevated me above the crowd.

When I was reflecting on it, the harsh reality hit me hard. I was making comparisons based on what I had accomplished today, totally blind to the fact that the fastest finisher completed the race in 56 minutes, that 60+ year old grandparents passed me on the bike and the run, that I finished 202nd out of 248 overall, that the top 3 people in old age groups still were quicker than me.

Comparison with others is sad in the first place, but I had climbed on my high horse by comparing with those on the sidelines while conveniently ignoring those who finished significantly ahead of me.

It took some time to climb down from that pedestal and realize that my accomplishment didn’t make me better than anyone else; it simply made me more aware of what we’re all capable of when we push beyond our limits. The race was a personal triumph, a win over Shubham from 3 months ago who had a million excuses to not sign up for a triathlon.

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In the end, completing the triathlon was an accomplishment—a goal I had set out to achieve 3 months ago. The feat of lifting Thor’s hammer, which once reserved for others, is now something I can feel a connection to. Not because I am now a God worthy of lifting the hammer, but because I’ve realised that the true Thor’s hammer is something different for me now—a full Ironman. I was proud of myself when I received that medal.

It was a good feeling to become a triathlete, especially with my family and friends there to support me.