Triathlon training can take over your life. In fact, I think the phrase ‘triathlon widow’ will soon be replacing ‘golf widow’. Triathlon is a way of life and it can be seriously addictive. Most people fall into the sport in their thirties. Gone is the boozing and partying and in comes the married life and mortgage repayments. It is at this stage that many people look for a new challenge in life and triathlon seems to fit the bill for many people. Triathlon training is used by people to lose weight and as a social outlet. Many people enter the sport after finally packing in the field sports they played all their life. People want a new challenge and triathlon seems to be the sport of choice for many.
There are definitely many reasons why someone might start doing triathlons. But once you start people just don’t seem to be able to stop.
Triathlon is Addictive If I had a penny for every person who told me that they were just going to do one simple triathlon and leave it at that then I would be a rich man. They never leave it at that. Before they know it they are off doing Ironman triathlons and travelling the length and breadth of the country to race. The feel good factor from finishing a tough triathlon is highly addictive. Combine this with the feel good hormones that surge through our bodies’ every time we train and you can see how it is hard to give up. You will make lots of new friends by joining a triathlon club. Now triathlon training starts to resemble a night out with your friends. You train as a social outlet. The sense of achievement that you feel after beating your PBs will surely have you coming back week on week for more. There are many positive to the sport, but there is one big negative:
Triathlon is expensive. This is the major negative of the sport. Triathlon combines 3 sports into one. This means that you need to equip yourself for 3 different sports. This costs money. Turn up to any triathlon and take a look in the transition area. You will probably see over a half million euro worth of gear lying around. Everyone these days seems to have the latest model triathlon bike, Garmin GPS watches, runners, wetsuits etc and this is just the amount of money spent on gear! You have to also take into account the money spent on entering races, travelling to races, massages, entry fees to pools, club memberships, insurance and the list goes on.
So does the addictiveness and sense of achievement from doing triathlons outweigh the financial implications? Yes, of course it does. It is better than investing your money in alcohol each and every week. If you are not certain then the best way to test the theory is to take part in one yourself next year. I bet you will feel the same way too.
Save money in this expensive sport by buying your triathlon gear online at Trizone. We sell a variety of gear including wetsuits, bikes, triathlon running shoes and Oakley glasses. Free reprint avaialable from: Triathlon – Rich Rewards / Great Expense.