220Triathlon Edição 334

We all have reservations

about joining a new group,

especially if you think you might

be judged by physical prowess.

Luckily, triathletes are mostly a

very accepting and unassuming

bunch, and tri clubs are the perfect

place to develop and improve as an

athlete. What you need to

remember is that the other athletes

have all been in the same ‘newbie’

position as you at some point!

Triathlon is an individual sport,

but the benefits of group training

far outweigh going solo. A tri club

will have athletes of all abilities, all

ages and with very different goals,

so you’re much more likely to find

somebody else with similar

objectives. Some will be Ironman-

focussed or competing for the GB

age-group team while others will be

focusing on their first sprint tri. But,

ultimately, everybody plays an

important role in the club and you’ll

also make new like-minded friends.

Most tri clubs have a head coach

who will be responsible for

structuring regular training

sessions, and they will be a useful

source of information. Many

athletes get stale when they train

on their own as they repeat the

same sessions each week/month/

year, so having a coach to organise

sessions for you gives a fresh buzz

to your training, while you get the

competitive nature of group

training. You don’t have to attend

every session on offer, but it helps if

you commit to attending regularly if

you want to see the best results.

Being part of a club also gives

you the opportunity to learn new

bike and run routes (without getting

lost), and it can mean that travelling

to events is no longer a lonely solo

journey – nor will your partner have

to make the journey every time to

help you with set-up!

So do your research, speak to

people at different clubs and see

which one is the best fit to suit

your needs. Contact them and ask

if you can come along for a trial

session before you take the

plunge. Good luck!

One of the best things about

joining a tri club is the

fantastic array of nutters you’ll

meet along the way, who will slowly

convince you that swimming in

water cold enough to make the

enamel drop off your teeth is

perfectly normal behaviour, and

that running races actually don’t

count unless you cycle to them.

People in tri clubs are almost

always welcoming and friendly, not

least because with a fresh arrival

they have someone new to

stealth-brag to about their PBs!

There’s a high likelihood that

after getting to know people you’ll

be lured into going to some mad

event with them, and I’ve ended up

doing Ironmans, a Channel swim,

Belgian bike races and cross-

country runs that looked like the

closing credits to Dad’s Army, as a

direct result of being swept up in

the enthusiasm of training with a

group of highly-engaging loons.

Existing ability matters not

one jot when joining a club,

because we all remember how

clueless we were when we started,

and you’ll find members happy to

share knowledge and experiences

– indeed you’ll probably find that,

being triathletes, they’ll start

competing with each other to be

the most helpful.

You’ve also got the whole

social scene to look forward to

with events like the Club Relays

and annual dinners almost making

up for the inevitable hell of the

AGM. Awards nights are always

particular fun giving excellent

opportunities to gloat if you’ve

won a club trophy, and to laugh

at old photos of ‘senior’ members

racing in Speedos.

I joined my club in 2002 and the

people I met then remain among

my closest friends to this day –

meaning that we still try desperately

to beat each other in local races.

Join a club and expand your

horizons – I guarantee it will be one

of the best things you ever do! [For