How triathlon came into my life

I was already a quite active sports lover but at some point I felt I needed more. I needed to increase the dose, to do something that would be more challenging to me. The inner swimmer I have inside (almost since my early years, but temporarily retired…) was telling me to return to the swimming pools. Oh gosh, I’ve really missed that! 

But on the other hand, I felt like that was not enough. I needed more, like for example the freedom I feel when I go running.  That’s it, running! Suddenly, the little light bulb popped out from my mind. The idea of doing triathlon was in my mind since I was very young and I saw a competition in my hometown, but it was always discarded for one reason or another. Stop with the excuses, if you want, you can! And that’s what I did.

A quick research online was made to find where I could start doing these three disciplines and where I could meet athletes with who to share knowledge and experiences.  Then I started from the beginning. Learning from scratch and trying to improve more and more. I did not even consider the option of participating in any competition this year, but I start liking so much this sport that I could not resist the temptation to try it, at least once this summer.

I plucked up my courage and quickly sign in for the Turku Triathlon Weekend, Sprint modality. No way back! I was terrified and excited in equal measure.  I trained as much as I could and then I showed up there full of doubt and very afraid of messing it up in one of the transitions, for example. But now I can say that was the best thing I could have done to get really immersed into the triathlon atmosphere.

I was very nervous before the race started, but as soon as the starting signal was given, my state of mind changed from very terrified to a very focused and eager to do it as best as possible. The race went well for me in every discipline, and I surprised myself with a better performance than I expected.  After finishing it, the only thing I could think about is that I wanted more. Just exactly as a drug.

I am now looking forward to be able to participate in another similar competition, since I had a lot of fun and I truly enjoyed the environment and the nice atmosphere surrounding the event. It was also useful for me to gather some information about my performance: I really-really need to improve my biking skills… But I am looking forward to train more and more to achieve my goals!

‘Go outside your comfort zone’, they say. Well, I did it. And now I feel more comfortable than ever.