Plan remains to be a plan not until some action pushes it to realize its potentials. All of us are capable of making a good start and see our start to its end with each plan that we do. However, our greatest fear is not that we cannot make them. It is the fear that we know our capacities yet we never maximize them nor use parts of them.



In a game of endurance, we have to understand that we should optimize our full strengths and work on our failures as we flex our physical and mental muscles to work. Proper training may help you gather majority of their benefits yet there are always some things that you inertly have which largely contribute to your mastery of the sports.

It all starts with a plan, a goal that is workable. Achievable goals are more likely to lead you to success than those placed beyond your reach. Triathlon training will not only accustom your physical body to the risk of joining the game, it will also recreate your willingness to continue despite the fatigue and the ever-present negative voice that tells you "you wont make it, quit it now or race in vain".

Triathlon trainings vary in length. A few months may move you through a short sprint triathlon but stuffs like Iron Man Triathlon competitions must be taken seriously as to take a minimum of 1 year training period. Considering that the event covers three endurance sports, it is no wonder why even professionals takes years before they can actually master the techniques to win the title.

Anyone has his or her weak sport. And as a rule in triathlon training, one must focus more on the weak sport and save the latter training on your forte. Someone said if you train on a slow mode, you'll get a slow result. If you however modify your training towards the fast mode then the result will also be fast. There must be some truths on this. The sad part though is that we normally can't train consistently.

Your training must not only include routines that will facilitate improvements on the sports involved. You must also get enough practice on adapting yourself on the transition stages. Beginning to train for a triathlon can be as hard as it sounds. Well, it means changing your usual everyday routine and adding some time on the track, on your bike, at the gym, and in the water. But those are not the only things you must consider. You should also think of the possible risks that might happen before during and after your training.

You must remember this: injuries do exist but can be prevented. And the most common are caused by over-training, wrong set of gears, and improper practices. Here are 5 ways to prevent injuries from taking away your triathlon dream:

Stretching - Before you begin your training, you must do some stretching. This would release the tension of your tightened tendon and muscles. There are some studies conducted that people who do not stretch before and after stretching are more prone to injuries. Some also argue about the necessity of stretching but taking outmost precaution would certainly lead you from disregarding this argument.

Training duration - You simply cannot go from 0 to 5k in an instant. You must take it gradually. Over-training often causes injuries. Make sure you take one step at a take and not take on giant leap towards your goal. Keep your training plan realistic. In this way, give your body the time to adapt to the training.

Rest - After training for several hours on one day, your body needs to rest. Again, a good rest would give your body the time to adapt to the training. This would prevent from over stressing your muscles and tendons that can result to injuries.

Footwear - There is a particular shoe for running and cycling. And this should be taken seriously. The most punished part of your body during training and the actual triathlon itself are your feet so make sure that you have the proper footwear for your run and for your bike. Also remember that friction blister is common to those who wear old shoes, shoes with inadequate soles, and improper shoe fitting.

Gears - If you have the history of ankle injury, keeping your ankle protected with braces would be a good idea. Tendonitis, a common effect of over training could be avoided if you wear proper ankle braces. A nice swimwear would give you better movement on water. And since you also have your swimwear on during the entire race, a good and well-fitted one is a must have.

Having the edge on any of the sport would never be enough if all the distance you gathered are bargained with tripping on your swim-run transition. Switching from one momentum to another is not inertly equipped within our system. We must teach our bodies to adjust.