I’m 30 days into learning how to train for a triathlon, and I will tell you why.
It’s not impossible to go from no physical activity to being able to train for a Triathlon or a Marathon or a Century (100 miles.) It isn’t a secret. It’s what you do every day of your life:
The power of change sleeps in your habits and awakens when you make the decision to change.
Over the last 4 years I’ve been reading every personal development book I can get my hands on. I’ve learned about craft beer, about dating beautiful women, sales, running, muscle building, nutrition, internet marketing, autobiographies, meditation and much more.
And I’ve actually dated beautiful women, sold door-to-door, learned techniques to make my learning faster and efficient, ran 10 miles, built muscle, etc.
Reading so much (and taking drastic risks) have taught me the true value of decision.
You make or break your foundation based on what you choose to do daily. You are your thoughts and actions manifested.
Beginner Triathlete Gear
- A solid bike and helmet, nutrition supplements, sports drinks, a trainer (for bike), good shoes, a whistle, HR monitor.
- Goggles, swimming lessons, wet-suit (if cold water)
- Running shoes, windbreaker, sunglasses
- Lots of good food
You can also spend thousands on other gadgets that are cool to have but not yet essential, but why the heck would you do that?
I will, in future articles, show you how I am doing this on a stable budget. You won’t break the bank, but you’ll bank your breaks. I’ll explain later.
Training like a Turtle (A Badass Turtle though)
Ever been asked the idiom, “how do you eat an Elephant?”
I say it all the time and confuse the shit out of people. And that’s okay.
“One bite at a time.”
If you tweak 1 small thing every 30 days (ideally), then you can become almost anything.
That’s how I’ve learned it- based on what I have read and the relatively small changes that build up to bigger changes in my own personal and public life.
The First 30 Days of Triathlon Training
I use the time-span of 20 days as an example of how I’ve been doing this. Keep in mind I have been consciously working on my habits every day for the last 4 years.
For the person that has tried to exercise before and failed, listen up:
Change one small habit every 30 days. The first change I made for about 30 days was very simple…
I started doing push-ups at home as soon as I thought about it. And I did it. Then- automatically and without pushing myself or straining- I decided to start doing door-frame-pull-ups since I have no pull up bar. Then I did other calisthenic and plyometric exercises.
This is called the absolute threshold: the smallest detectable level of a stimulus.
- In fitness, it’s that point where you are willing to exercise and actually stimulate muscle growth, weight loss, etc.
- In socializing and dating, it’s that slight discomfort you get used to and then add to overtime to become charismatic and confident.
- In habit-building, it’s those 20 minutes of learning Photoshop, Photography, nutrition, etc.
You wouldn’t guess it but I’m one of the laziest people I know– despite reading every day, training daily, changing my habits, taking big risks and always learning– I much prefer to accumulate easy tasks that create massive progress.
In triathlon training, the absolute threshold can be to:
Do only push-ups and change nothing else for 30 days.
[Notice I bolded, underlined AND italicized that line. Read it 7 more times.]
Only way to eat an Elephant.
Observe how your body reacts during those 30 days. I noticed bruising would occur in the muscles I worked out, so I started to eat more. That made a HUGE difference.
If you eat well and don’t over-train which is almost-impossible in the first 30 days, unless you have horrible form. Learn form.
Do every exercise at a 4/4 cadence: meaning you count 1-one-thousand, 2-one-thousand, 3-one-thousand, 4-one-thousand during the top push-up position to the bottom position (nose near the ground.) Always hold for a second before moving back up.
[another tip: if you already have a habit of reading everyday, then go ahead and pick up a book on nutrition- compare Amazon reviews, get the popular 5 star one(s)]
Training for a Triathlon: the next 30 days
Now you think about exercise everyday. You are more aware of what you eat. You see yourself in a new light.
Exercising is starting to make you high and happy. What’s next? Time to learn techniques.
Not speed. Not power-endurance. Technique:
- Running form, swimming technique, bike form.
-more COMING SOON-
Focus on living in the moment as you train your body and mind.
“Flow in the living moment. — We are always in a process of becoming and nothing is fixed. Have no rigid system in you, and you’ll be flexible to change with the ever changing. Open yourself and flow, my friend. Flow in the total openness of the living moment. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Moving, be like water. Still, be like a mirror. Respond like an echo.” – Bruce Lee
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