How Do I know If I Can Do a Triathlon?

One of the reasons I am a coach,  is that I love helping people achieve more than they ever thought was possible.   I meet lots of people that think you have to be a super athlete to even attempt a triathlon.  You just have to go to any Triathlon and see the incredible variety of people, all ages, shapes and sizes, completing and competing in this wonderful sport.  Almost everyone can participate, it just takes a little planning.

One of the first things that I do, is to go through a process that helps figure out, "How much time do I have to train during the week?"

In order to do this I have them fill out the following spreadsheet:

Instructions:  Enter in the estimated time for  the different categories for the week.  

    Job:                           The hours you spend working a week.

    Preparing for Job:      How much time a week you spend preparing for your job

    Sleep:                         How many hours you sleep a week

    Eating:                       The time you spend actually sitting down to eat a week

    Travel:                        How much time you spend commuting to and from work a week

    Shopping:                   How many hours a week you spend running errands and grocery shopping

    Time with Family:       How much time you spend with family a week.

    Social Functions:        Time spent going to movies, dates, dinners, etc.

    Home Maintenance:    Stuff you do around the house, or time a week spending on hobbies.

    Relaxation:                  Yoga, meditation, massage, spa time spent for the week.

Category	Time
Job (Working)
Preparing for Job
Sleep
Eating
Travel (Commute time)
Shopping (Grocery, errands, etc.)
Time with family
Social Functions
Home maintenance/hobbies
Relaxation and lost time (yoga etc)
Total	0
Time to Train	168

Once the information is filled out, the spreadsheet subtracts the total from 168 hours; the remainder tells how much time is left over for training.

Each one of the triathlon distances take a different commitment.  For example to do a Sprint Triathlon, you need only about 5 hours a week of training to complete it.  Most people can absorb that time into their schedule, but Half Ironman and Ironman you need 15-35 hours a week of training.  Our next step is to see when and where the races so that we can plan the start of the training and the setting of SMART goals.