Summer is coming!! How is your summer body coming along?

If the answer is ‘what summer body’ then you should consider entering an event such as the Sovereign Tri Series, which is being held all over New Zealand between December 2014 and April 2015.

Dont’ wait for New Years to set a New Years resolution to make a change in your life! Click to Tweet

We all know that the resolution will be long forgotten by the end of January. I challenge you to get inspired by the #lifetakecharge mantra from Sovereign and jump into a challenge now!

Having a goal such as completing a triathlon will give you something to aim for, while getting you out and exercising so you will be well on your way to your summer body, as well as achieving something amazing!

There are no excuses when the Sovereign Tri Series is run over six locations in New Zealand and has a number of different lengths suitable for all abilities. There are also early bird prices for those of you who are conscious about the price! But seriously, who puts a price on health? Click to Tweet

So are you ready to #lifetakecharge??

I’ve put together my top tips for your first triathlon so you really have no excuses.

Top tips for your first Triathlon

// Choose the right event for you
Do you want an event that is close to home or do you want to make a long weekend out of it and explore our beautiful country? Other important factors include the length of your chosen Triathlon – make sure it is a challenge but realistic given your abilities and time frame. Also consider how you will get your bicycle to the event if a trip across the Cook Straight is in the plan. Another important point to consider is how far your support crew (unless you are a lone wolf) will need to travel to watch you/feed you after the event!

// Work out your strengths
Are you a regular cyclist yet never swum in the ocean before? These are good things to think about when you enter. It doesn’t matter if you’re not strong at one (or more) of the sections of the event it just means you need to take this into account when you create your training plan. Knowing ahead of time what you need to work on the most will be beneficial when it comes to scheduling your workouts. You can then spend more time on those events that you are not the most familiar with.

// Get the equipment you will need together
You will be swimming, running and cycling in the triathlon and your teeny weeny bikini unfortunately will not cut it. Make sure you have the appropriate swimming gear, a bicycle you can do the distance on and that you fit well and a good pair of running shoes. This doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy top of the line gear, just find what will work for you. This may mean borrowing or hiring some of the gear.

// Create a training plan
Now that you have chosen your event you will know the distances for each section of the event and the the time you have available to train before the event. Now is the time to crack out your spreadsheet or use it as an excuse to get some cute stationery and create a training plan.

My process for creating a plan is to work backwards with the time you have available. Simply grab a calendar and see how many weeks you have until the event and on the day of the event write down the distances you will need to cover. From here you will know you have 10,15 or 20 etc weeks to work your way to a reasonable distance (you don’t need to cover the full event distance in your training, trust me, event day adrenaline will help push you that bit further!).

If you need to be able to swim 30 meters by the day of the triathlon and have 10 weeks to get there then you could realistically do 30 meters in week one then bump up to 60 in week two etc. I do recommend allowing some lag time in the middle of your training for when you are feeling tired and over it or if something unexpected comes up then you can get straight back on track afterwards. If this all sounds a bit too scary to begin with then I recommend finding either a Personal Trainer or contacting one of the coaches at Triathlon NZ to help you with a plan.

// Keep yourself accountable      

Shout from the rooftops that you are entered into the event, talk to everyone you know about the triathlon until they are sick of hearing about it or rush to sign up and join you. This helps to keep you accountable. Consider signing up to enter the event for a charity – which means even more accountability points, this will help push you through when you have a below average training day. Let me know you’re doing it (@MoveLoveEat) and I’ll follow you and give you a kick up the butt if I stop hearing about your progress 😉

// Set rewards for yourself
I personally don’t like using food as a reward but I do think that rewards can help push you through when the going gets tough in training. Perhaps when you signed up for the Triathlon you were eying up a beautiful pair of running shoes but decided not to get them, maybe once you are halfway through your training you can treat yourself to them. The rewards can be small, like at the mid-way point taking a few days off training to recharge or treating yourself to a nice fresh juice after your big training session for the week. Maybe you could even reward yourself with a Flossie appointment to feel nice and refreshed!

// Get out there
You’ve got the gear, you’ve got the training plan and you have steps in place to keep yourself accountable. There’s nothing left to do apart from get out there and get your training done! Enjoy the process and see how you progress as your training goes. Post lots of selfies on social media, heck even use the hashtag #lifetakecharge and make your friends wish they entered. Every now and again stop to look back at how far you’ve come since you starting training for the Triathlon, your body is a powerful machine.

Who knows you might catch the bug and end up wanting to compete in triathlons all over the world?!

If you do, please make sure you take out insurance to cover you should anything bad that may happen, because as much as we hate to think about it, sometimes the unthinkable happens (Sovereign can hook you up with insurance to cover the unthinkable). Make sure you enjoy a delicious meal after the event (you earned it!) and do take plenty of photos and send them back home to make all your friends jealous (because there’s nothing like a bit of travel envy!).

This post was made possible thanks to Sovereign #lifetakecharge

Have you ever entered a triathlon? Would you give one a go?