Can a complete beginner like “me” realistically complete Kilkee Triathlon?

Of course you can, with 6 months to go and the right training! Triathlons are not actually as hard as Triathletes would like you to think! After all, almost every day of our lives we achieve feats of endurance greater than what’s required for a triathlon like kilkee.
Have you ever stood on your feet working in a shop/factory floor for a whole day?
Ever spent 3-4 hours scrubbing or cleaning your house or garden?
Ever gone on a long walk up a mountain?
Ever spent 2-3 hours cutting the grass?
Ever gone days without proper sleep minding sick children or studying for exams?
……and any mothers out there – Triathlon has to be a walk in the park compared to childbirth!

So most of us have at some stage in our lives completed tasks far more difficult that a 3-4 hour triathlon!

So you have plenty of time to train correctly and wisely to get you through kilkee. The following advice may not get you first place, but it will get you home. This is not for the elite but for the regular “Joe” and “Josephine” who would like to wear a kilkee shirt and say “yeah, I did it!”. Often getting to the start line in one piece is the hardest aspect of triathlon – once you get to the start line, the rest is easy……-ish!

The thing key to keep in mind is that finishing kilkee is all about swimming, cycling and running within your own limits. It’s when we try to go beyond our limits that things go wrong and the same should be applied to your training.

Before we get into actual training schedules it is important to make sure you try to do as many of the following during the next 6 months:

• Sleep 1 more hour a day – so turn off desperate housewives and go to bed early– the best recovery is done while resting or asleep. Training on top of already busy lives will place an extra strain on you so be sure to compensate with more sleep.
• Eat better - try and cut out fast energy junk food/snacks and replace with proper wholesome food that will give slow release energy and the proper vitamins and minerals needs. Eat good meals early in the day and avoid late night eating.
• Dress, eat and drink properly while training – stay warm, dry, well fed and hydrated.
• Try and get in the key following sessions at a minimum – 1 hour long swim, 1.5-2hr bike and aim to work up to a 40-60 min run.
• Keep the late nights-out and alcohol to a minimum - no point training hard during the week and wasting all the effort by staying out till 5am at the weekends and wondering why you can’t cycle the next morning. Hangovers are not conducive to quality training. Nothing wrong with a glass of wine in the evenings or 2-3 pints on a sat night. Its good to reward your effort …….just don’t make it 23 pints!
• Don’t feel you need to train if you are over-tired or stressed out trying to balance family, life, career with training – usually something gives, so strike the balance! 
• Enjoy the journey – try and train with others rather than on your own – it’s supposed to fun as well you know!
• If you get injured or strain a muscle – let it recover or alternate your training so the injury is not aggravated and allowed sufficient time to recover.
• If you get a cold or sick, mind yourself – they say if an illness goes below your neck not to train at all till better, and for head colds etc above the neck be sure to take it very easy. But consult your doctor for professional advice. Don’t try and “sweat it out” – “Rest is Best” when it comes to getting better from colds/flu’s etc.
• Don’t start training again until you are 110% recovered – many of us have gone back training to early only to get a relapse.
• Try and get in at least one yoga, Pilates or stretching session a week to help increase your core strength, flexibility and help prevent injury.
• On bad weather days (icy roads, gale winds) etc alternate your training indoors or onto suitable surfaces – run on forest trails instead of icy footpaths etc.
• Use quality gear and clothes running and on the bike – others you are training with who perhaps are more experienced/fitter will likely have good quality equipment – so leave the wind-cheaters aka “parachutes” at home when cycling. There is no need to spend €100’s on gear, just dress in layers and appropriately and have your tyres pumped up properly. If your runners are old and worn look at replacing them – running injuries are often due to “dead” runners and a new pair could save you lots of €’s on physio’s etc.
• Make sure you enter and race smaller races before the big day so you have an idea how to pace yourself and know what’s ahead of you! You’ll learn more from one race than you would from months of training. Plus they are fun.
• Bedtime reading! There is a very good book for beginners called Triathlon Training Basics by Gale Bernhart which covers programmes for beginners to people who have one or more of the sports background.  she gives training plans for sprint and Olympic distance for both individuals and relays.  Its a real no nonsense, easy to understand programme.