This summer I completed my first triathlon. I half-heartedly participated in the TriZelle triathlon training program in anticipation of the sprint triathlon I identified as my end-goal event. Note: “in anticipation of” not “in preparation for.” I am confident the program would have prepared me well for that event had I actually followed the training schedules and advice of my coaches. I intended to prepare for that triathlon but that’s not what actually happened.

I’ve been running for many years. Some of those years I ran competitively for a team or in pursuit of age group placement. Other times I ran for stress relief, fun or general fitness. I’ve competed and participated in many road races of varying distances. It wouldn’t be a big deal for me to show up at the start line of a running race unprepared. I wouldn’t recommend it nor consider it “smart” but it’s doable. I can get through the race and pick up some ice on the way home to treat the soreness that will surely follow.

To show up at a triathlon without preparation or training, that’s a new level of stupidity for even me. As I packed my transition bag and drove to the race site, my mind was racing (pardon the pun): “What was I thinking?”

The good news is that when you do your first event of any sort, it’s a PR. You have no previous splits or finish times to which compare it. When I’m coaching run groups, I advise beginners to not set time goals for the first half-marathon or the first-marathon. Just experience the event and enjoy it for what it is, I tell them. That so easy to say but for some of us, difficult to follow. But when you go to your first triathlon without adequate training, it’s time to be humble and experience the event and enjoy it for what it is.

I made it through the swim without assistance from lifeguards, had a fun time on the bike and survived the run. And hey, I got a PR!