To the Finish Line

FACE FEARS: FINDING YOUR PASSION

My initial plan after graduating from the University of Birmingham in 1998 was to become a solicitor. A London-based law firm offered me a two-year training contract and financial support to undertake the obligatory law-conversion course. That course was due to start in September 1999, and in the interim I decided to go travelling. I bought a round-the-world ticket and left the UK in November 1998 for Africa, thereafter journeying to New Zealand, Australia and several countries in Asia. I returned not after nine months, as planned, but almost two years later. This trip changed the direction my life would take.

It was a friend I made in Africa, Jude, who encouraged me to question my choice to pursue law, look deep inside myself and work out what my passion really was. Through introspection, I realised that I had chosen the legal profession, not because I was truly passionate about it, but because I felt I ought to: because I had been academically successful, and wanted a label with which to define myself career-wise. I realised that my true interest—ever since I was a young girl—lay in international development. After much soul searching, I decided to renege on my contract with the law firm and instead embark on a Masters in development studies. It was a fork in the road and, this time, my passion was my compass.

Fast forward a few years to 2006 and I encountered another such fork. This time it was after having won the World Age Group Championship. I had to decide whether or not to give up my job as a government policy advisor on international development and become a full-time triathlete. It wasn’t an easy decision. Yes, my love for triathlon was growing with every week of training and every race I did. Yet, it was still uncharted territory. I didn’t know much about the professional side of the sport and what being a professional athlete entailed. And I was scared. Scared of what people would think of me. Scared of not being able to make a living and support myself financially. Scared that I may give up everything and not enjoy the lifestyle. Scared of the unknown and, ultimately, fearful of failure.

However, I never want to look back and think “what if.” I never want to be left wondering what might have been. To me the biggest failure of all is the failure to try. Hence, despite the fears, nervousness and anxiety, I decided to leave my job, take the plunge, follow my passion and travel down the unfamiliar path of professional triathlon.

I’m sure that many of us experience such emotions at some point, or points, in our lives. We are worried about making changes, anxious about how we will be perceived, nervous about trying something new. We can either let those emotions impede us, or we can look our fears in the face and follow an existing passion or embark on a journey that could potentially catalyse a new one.

I often think about what would have been had I decided to stay as a civil servant. I would not be sitting here as four-time Ironman World Champion, and nor would I have had the wealth of opportunities that this title has afforded me. On reflection, I’m so glad I chose the path that scared me.

So, if you are reading this and facing a crossroads in your life or have a nagging feeling that something needs to change, spend some time on introspection. Think about occasions in your life when you have been happiest, and the reasons behind this; or something that may have piqued your interest but you never pursued. There doesn’t have to be a huge flame: a little spark is enough to start a fire burning. Then vow to take that one step forward: to try. That way you’ll never be left wondering. You’ll have your answer. You’ll be following a passion.

Assuming that, for you, triathlon or endurance sport is what lights your fire, the next step is to set yourself a goal to give your passionate pursuit some clear direction and focus, and it is to that subject that we will now turn.

Q&A

Q & A: Picking a Winner—Choosing Your “A” Race

Q “I want to do a triathlon next year but there are so many races to choose from! How do I decide which one would suit me best?”

FIONA SMYTH

A It’s always hard to “pick a winner,” isn’t it? I’m not referring to my father’s sage advice when he (repeatedly) caught me with my finger up my nose, but instead to the difficult decision about what triathlon you throw yourself into. If you had entered the sport in the 1970s or 1980s there would only have been a handful of triathlons to choose from, in addition to dayglo Lycra and Dave Scott handlebar moustaches (and that’s just for the girls) being de rigueur. In fact, you could probably have participated in all of the triathlons in the UK over the course of a year, so few and far between were the events. How times have changed. Fast-forward a few decades and dayglo went out of fashion (and is now apparently back in), aerobars are more common than handlebars and the triathlon calendar is bursting at the seams.

Whether a novice or a seasoned veteran, you only have to look at a credible triathlon website to see super-sprints, sprints, Olympic-distance races, half Ironmans, Ironmans, aquathlons, duathlons, bonker-thons that go beyond Ironman distance… You name it, there’s a ’thon for you.

There’s the chance that you may simply enjoy the process of triathlon training without ever wanting to race. That’s perfectly fine; however, for those reading this whose goal is to do a triathlon of whatever distance, it’s likely that you’ll want to select an “A” race—“A” hopefully stands for “awesome” but it’s generally used to denote the event that is the focus of your season. Of course, it’s possible to have a couple of A races spread throughout the season. I felt that I could realistically and successfully peak for three races throughout the course of the year, essentially having about three months to prepare for each. I therefore prioritised the Ironman World Championship in October but also selected a couple of other Ironmans, one in the northern hemisphere spring and one in the summer, which I considered high priority.

So, if you’re planning a triathlon season, what factors come into play in deciding what your “awesome” race should be?

Race distance

Decide what distance you want to focus your efforts on. If you’re a novice, there’s nothing to say that your first race has to be a short-course triathlon. I know quite a few athletes who have thrown caution to the wind and made their first A race an Ironman event, but I would advise doing some shorter races beforehand to help you prepare effectively.

Course

Even for races of the same distance, the type of swim, bike and run course will be different. For example, the swim can be in a pool or in open water. If open water, it could be in the sea (which could be rough or calm), a lake or a canal—with a variety of water temperatures. Bike courses can be hilly or flat or a mix of both. The run can be on the road or on hard-packed trails and, again, can be bumpy or pancake flat. There are also races that are multi-lap and those that have a single lap for each discipline. Race choice is down to personal preference and once you have made that decision you can tailor your training to suit.

Timing

Think about what time of year you want to race. This is strongly linked to your current fitness level, your goal for the A race and how long it will take you to reach your desired standard. It usually takes considerably longer to prepare for an Ironman than it does a super-sprint, but much depends on your athletic background. You may also need time to save money to pay for everything associated with this crazy sport, as well as the next factor—the weather.

Weather conditions

You may have a preference for a particular type of weather conditions in which to race. I personally love it when the temperature climbs (and luckily for me Hawaii is rather more tropical than your average British summer) and usually underperform in colder conditions when my polar-bear competitors thrive. Hence, I chose races where warmer weather was almost guaranteed. This is linked to the location but also the time of year. If you want to race in the UK and prefer warmer weather, then you may want to hedge your bets and enter a race that’s between May and August (although granted this is no guarantee that there won’t be biblical rain and/or single-digit temperatures). If you don’t want to train in the cold, it may be sensible to avoid entering a race that’s in the early part of the year (if you live in the northern hemisphere) as it would mean training in freezing conditions or inside. You might want to take a look at the heat acclimatisation section on here if you fancy racing in the heat yet live in a place where rain/cloud/snow features strongly.

Altitude

Think carefully before you enter races at a higher altitude, particularly those above 1,500m, as this can impact you physiologically, especially if you’re not acclimatised.

Location

Do you want to do an event in the UK or travel abroad? If the former, do you want to race close to home or venture to far-flung parts of the country—maybe somewhere you’ve never been, such as Tenby, for instance? The same applies if you want to go overseas. Do you fancy racing in Europe, or have you always wanted to go to the triathlon mecca that is Timbuktu? The decision is obviously linked to many other factors, including cost, travel time, whether you want a holiday afterwards (I hear Tenby is very nice) and if you would like family and friends to be able to attend. Racing in or near a big city might appear to have its advantages, but some of the most revered races can be found in places slightly off the beaten track, in part because the local communities fully embrace the sport.

Budget

If your wallet isn’t supersized, then you’ll probably be watching your pennies. Travelling to Timbuktu is far more expensive than getting to Tenby. Of course, racing abroad also means transporting your bike without it resembling a mangled mess (see here for more information about pre-race preparation). You’ll also want to consider the cost of race entry, as this can vary considerably even for events of the same distance. Bear in mind that just because you have paid an eye-wateringly large race fee, it’s no guarantee that the race will be run to a higher standard than cheaper alternatives.

Brand

There are many different race organisers out there, from the local triathlon clubs to big global corporations and everything in between. If you’re focusing on Olympic distance, think about whether you want to race an International Triathlon Union (ITU)-organised event or are happy doing the local triathlon arranged by John or Jane Bloggs. If you want to do an Ironman race, there is a similarly large range of options: from the official “Ironman” branded series of events, i.e. owned by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC); those organised by other large global companies, such as Challenge; or races put on by smaller, national or local operators that may be less costly and offer a slightly different Ironman race experience.

Atmosphere and extras