My Triathlon PR at 45 | Lessons from 30 Years and 90 Triathlons to Break Three Hours

I have never been a naturally fast athlete. I came in dead last in every elementary school field day event from first through sixth grade. Yet, endurance, innovation, and persistence have always come naturally to me. That’s why triathlon is the perfect sport for me.

I competed in my first triathlon with my dad when I was 15. We were comically ill-prepared. My dad used the commuter bike he had purchased as a freshman in college and wore a hockey helmet because he learned at the last minute that helmets were required. I used a knobby-tire mountain bike that was purchased from Target on my 11th birthday. I wore a bathing suit and baggy running shorts. My dad wore a banana hammock Speedo, which he covered with heavily padded bike shorts for the bike and run.

We both knocked out the swim with no problems. The triathlon was held on the lake we had both swum in since birth. All of the years my father spent swimming and teaching me to swim across that lake paid off. Despite being the only two contestants without a speed-enhancing wetsuit, my dad was one of the first men to pop out of the water, and I finished shortly thereafter. Then… we started to unravel. My dad’s 30-year-old bike blew a tire on the bike course. I watched 75-year-olds on fancy road bikes pass me as if I were standing still while I pedaled with all my might on my shoddy mountain bike. I quickly learned why loose-fitting running shorts are no match for a bike seat. My dad figured out why heavily padded bike shorts go south when you run. Neither of us knew when or what to eat or drink. Yet, we both finished. When I crossed the finish line way behind the pack with athletes three times my age, I felt defeated. Yet, my mom was cheering with all of her might while hysterically crying. “What are you crying about?” I asked. She replied, “Do you have any idea how heartbreaking it was to watch my daughter come in dead last in every field day event from first through sixth grade? I never in my wildest dreams thought that you could FINISH A TRIATHLON!!!”

My mom’s heartfelt encouragement helped me reframe my disappointment to learn two of the most important lessons I’ve learned in triathlon and in life—sometimes simply making it to the finish line is a massive accomplishment in itself, and sometimes it takes 30 years to achieve a goal worth striving for. I finally reached my goal of completing an Olympic-distance triathlon in under three hours last Sunday, in my 90th triathlon at age 45, 30 years after I set that goal.

I’m competing in the Montana Women’s Triathlon, my 91st triathlon, this Sunday. There are several 15-year-old girls participating in the race. Here are a few of the lessons from my 30 years of triathlon that I wish someone had shared with my former 15-year-old self, and that I think are applicable to anyone who wants to compete in a triathlon or accomplish a similarly seemingly impossible endurance racing feat:

1. Less than 2% of the US population has completed a triathlon. Finishing is an extraordinary accomplishment in itself.
2. Adrenaline will carry you 20% further than ever before. I have arrived at the starting line of dozens of triathlons, doubting my ability to finish because I had struggled to find time to train at the level I had hoped for. I have only failed to finish one of the 90 triathlons I have started, and that was because I was sick. In every other case, the adrenaline from the race has fueled me to swim 1.2 miles when I had only trained for one, bike 56 miles when I had only trained for 40, or run six miles when I had only trained for four.
3. Strength training, stretching, and rest matter more than miles. Weight-bearing gym workouts, core strengthening, and ample stretching are more effective than a continuous push to get as many miles in as possible before a race. I created a lot of problems for myself from running straight from my desk and then straight back to my desk without warming up or stretching afterward because I was struggling to find the time to tackle my miles. I am also continually amazed by how much further and faster I can go if I allow myself to rest for at least three days before the race.
4. Food is fuel, not a reward. There was a time when I would do an entire Half Ironman just so I could enjoy a jumbo-sized Dairy Queen Blizzard and a few trips to Taco Bell. Trust me. That does not go well. Twenty-five years later, I’m still unwinding the damage that habit created. Eating normal-sized, balanced, whole food meals the week before and after the race, and adding enough calories to account for those burned during the race, is key. I have also found that drinking an entire water bottle and eating something with protein, like a protein bar, on the bike prevents bonking on the run. Ideally, it’s best to try anything you plan to use as fuel during your training rather than at the race. If it’s too late for that, remember that imperfect fuel is better than no fuel.
5. Body Glide matters. Even if you’ve never chafed on a run before, you will need Body Glide. Put it under the collar and armpits of your wetsuit, and under every seam and fold of the clothes you will be wearing on the run. Definitely put it under your butt cheeks! If you aren’t able to get some before the race, announce this when you are setting up your bike transition before the race: “Does anyone have any Body Glide they’d be willing to share with me today? I will wipe off the top of it after I use it.” Someone will certainly say yes to that.
6. Ask your supporters to cheer you on somewhere other than at the finish line. You will need the most encouragement about a half mile into the run because your legs will feel heavy from the bike ride. That feeling will get better after mile one. You will also likely need encouragement midway up large hills and about a mile from the finish line.
7. Be your best self even if you finish last. As I mentioned, I am not a naturally fast athlete. Despite my 30 years of triathlon experience and disciplined training, I finish in the middle of the pack. I’ve learned the power of competing against myself rather than against others and have found great gratification in finding ways to become my fastest ME.
8. Persistence and innovation are key. I have been trying to do an Olympic-distance triathlon in under three hours for 30 years. I finally accomplished this in my 90th triathlon at age 45. While my body certainly could have gone faster at 25, I needed to learn how to innovate—to eat, strength train, stretch, and rest to be my best self.

To underscore lesson number seven, the average Olympic-distance triathlon finish time for a woman is 3:07. It took me 30 years to be slightly better than average, and my friend Marika, a triathlon newbie, blew by me like I was standing still despite the fact that she has 1/30th of my experience. Yet, I feel GREAT about my own accomplishment, genuinely happy for my dear friend, and inspired to see what I can achieve at 75, given what I’ve pulled off at 45. That might be my best triathlon accomplishment yet!

Onward and Upward.