Triathletes lead pretty hectic lives. From when we get up in the morning to when our head hits the pillow that night, it’s non-stop training—or thinking about training or talking about training.
But what exactly goes through our mind on a given day? If you’re a triathlete, the following will probably look quite familiar.
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A Day in the Life of a Triathlete
Written by
Triathlon Taren Gesell
4:30 a.m.
1 of 16
Alarm goes off to wake you up for morning swim practice. Everyone within earshot (your spouse, the dog, your neighbors, even the little voice inside your head) says, "I hate you."
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Your Next Race4:35 a.m.
1 of 16
Stumble into the bathroom for your standard high-performance triathlete, Tony Robbins-esque morning primping routine: Check Instagram for new followers while you're *ahem* dropping weight, step on the scale and instantly assume it's wrong because you haven't lost two pounds since the day before, check the mirror to see if your rock hard washboard abs are coming in from all the workouts you're doing… They're not.
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Your Next Race4:50 a.m.
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Open the fridge and consider the following breakfast options: carbs with peanut butter, carbs with Nutella, carbs with milk, carb energy bar, carbs and coffee or carb-based leftovers. Decide on all of the above because it's a big training day and every triathlete worth anything should consume a solid 1,500 calories before burning 750.
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Your Next Race5:45 a.m.
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Strut onto the pool deck wearing your newest Speedo or one-piece, certain it serves up a deadly one-two punch: 1. Speedos and skimpy swimsuits are guaranteed to shave 10 seconds per 100m off your time, and 2. Everyone looks good in a Speedo. Everyone!
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Your Next Race6:00 a.m.
1 of 16
After 15 minutes of successful procrastination spent deciding your pull buoy isn't the right size, your kickboard isn't the best color for speed, realizing you need to pee one more time, doing nine minutes worth of arm circles, tying, re-tying and re-re-tying your swimsuit... You finally dip your toe in the water to test the temperature and magically remember it's a rest day and walk over to the hot tub for a 30-minute soak.
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Your Next Race8:30 a.m.
1 of 16
Arrive at work and walk into the break room where a co-worker greets you with, "Morning! How you doing?" To which you naturally reply, "Excellent, I just nailed my morning swim which is really weird because I killed myself so much on the evening run yesterday. Yesterday was speed work at the track, and I'm sure I don't have to tell you how important speed work is, amiright?! But I just keep pushing through because that's what you've got to do when you're training for an IRONMAN. Have I told you I'm training for an IRONMAN? Two dozen times? Well I'm training for an IRONMAN, which is a really big task but you've just got to focus. It's all mind over matter. If you're tough enough, you can do an IRONMAN…"
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Your Next Race9:00 a.m.
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After spending a half an hour telling your coworkers all about the intricacies of your IRONMAN training, chaffed spots and heroic feats from the weekend, you sit down at your desk and open "the" desk drawer. This drawer is filled with enough food to get a family of four through two months in an underground bunker. Before starting to actually work, you down a banana, two cups of coffee, an energy bar, three spoonfuls of Nutella and five ketchup packets you found in the breakroom.
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Your Next Race9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
1 of 16
Crush a typical workday, alternating between five-minute bursts of productive efforts on work projects and 25-minute stretches of checking how many people liked your morning workout photo on Instagram, commenting on your friends' Strava activities, eating every 20 minutes and checking all the finishing times in your age group from the previous 14 years of results in your upcoming race.
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Your Next Race4:45 p.m.
1 of 16
Leave work and head to the bike store to ask your bike guy a dozen questions—for the sixth time—about the latest $15,000 triathlon superbike, while having no intention of actually buying the bike until you win the lottery.
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Your Next Race5:45 p.m.
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Arrive at the local gym where your tri club trains, and empty your car of all the necessary supplies for the upcoming brick workout: bike, bike trainer, running shoes, backpack with workout clothes for the bike, second backpack with workout clothes for the run, third backpack with nutritional requirements for the workout, an electric fan to keep you cool while riding and a 32" flatscreen TV so you can monitor your power numbers while riding.
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Your Next Race6:53 p.m.
1 of 16
Throw up in a garbage can two miles into the brick run then high-five a friend for crushing the workout!
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Your Next Race7:30 p.m.
1 of 16
Arrive home for dinner and consider becoming a paleo, gluten-free, vegan, fruitarian, kosher, calorie-restricted Atkins dieter to shed those last few pounds before the big race.
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Your Next Race8:00 p.m.
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Head to bed because it's your normal bedtime, and you crushed the day of training. While on the way to bed your spouse and dog say, "I hate you," for once again going to bed while the sun is still up and well before most toddlers. But it's the price you pay for being a triathlete, so you don't care.