RUTH PURBROOK
She works 70hr weeks and won her age-group at the 2018 Ironman World Champs. So if anyone knows how to balance work and training, it’s Ruth…
1 SOAK UP THE SUPPORT
From the local tri club, to competitors on the start line, all the way up to the pro’s, every event or training session I’ve been to, I’ve felt truly welcomed and supported by everyone I’ve met there. I’ve made lifelong friends, but, more than that, the support from other people I’m racing (even in Kona at the Ironman Worlds) is awesome. Make sure you soak it all up and use it to fuel your training and racing.
2 KNOW YOUR ‘WHY’
Unless you know why you want to do triathlon, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to find the motivation to train, especially when it’s cold, dark and wet outside over the UK winter. The ‘why’ can be anything from wanting to challenge yourself, stress relief from work, to just wanting to have an excuse for coffee and cake on a bike ride! Having a clear ‘why’ will make a big difference to your motivation.
3 DON’T GET LOST IN ALL THE DETAIL
There’s a lot of opportunity in triathlon to get a bit carried away with unnecessary detail, trying to save an extra two or three watts here and there, or getting a bit obsessive about training. But you can take triathlon seriously without getting too caught up in the detail, which, I can assure you, will make it much more fun!
4 TRAIN HARD, RACE EASY
The racing should be the cherry on top that makes all the hard work worth it. If you get the hard work done in training, then once you’ve tapered you should, generally, feel pretty magic on race day. Obviously there are some occasions where that doesn’t happen, but then that’s all part of the art of working out the taper and which process works best for you in the lead-up to the all-important race day.
5 HARD WORK TRUMPS KIT
It may not feel like it when the super bikes and fancy aero helmets line up in transition, but it’s much better investing your time in training than your money in kit. There’s so much to buy, even at entry level, that it’s easy to get carried away and think you need to buy everything. You don’t! You really can complete a triathlon with very basic kit. And just think, the time invested in training will be that much more satisfying when you overtake those super-sleek looking riders on their £10k bikes and wearing their £500 tri shoes.