10 Great Reasons to Do a Triathlon

[The following is a modified excerpt from Eric Harr’s book: Triathlon Training in 4 Hours a Week: From Beginner to Finish Line in Just 6 Weeks.]

10 Great Reasons to Do a Triathlon

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”

--Henry David Thoreau

People are motivated to “take the plunge” and do a triathlon for reasons that are as varied as those setting out on this mission. Some are obvious: “To lose weight fast!” Others are personal: “To boost my self-confidence and feel good about myself.” Others are spiritual: “To find more meaning in my exercise,” “To live more fully.” A few are social: “To brag to everyone in the office that I did a triathlon,” and some are inspirational, “To serve as a model for others and show what is truly possible in life.”

Although the reasons people do a triathlon differ, the benefits are universal. That’s what this column is about--it outlines the 10 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 this triathlon isn’t going to consume your life. I’ll help you blend the workouts 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 over the next six week and, yes, without a doubt it can. It has for 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--10 of them. Let’s start with the most observable payoffs: what will happen to your body.

1. 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 program 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: This program 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.

2. 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.

3. 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 I’ll set out over the next six weeks 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 over the next six week 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, 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.

4. You Will Get More Out of Your Workouts

Nobody likes to waste time. But that is precisely what most people do when they exercise – because they’re not doing it right! Over the ensuing weeks, I show you how to work out 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.

5. 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.”

6. 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 my training program, and you’ll spend less time at doctors’ offices and more time enjoying your life!

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.

7. 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!

You’ll also grow more motivated to work out. 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’ll give you several other strategies for keeping your enthusiasm high throughout your training.

Not only that. This undertaking 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.

8. 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.

9. 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. 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’ll also be a hero to your kids!

10. 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.

Those are some powerful reasons! Now, empower yourself and go for it! Are you with me?