Average Tom
Do you ever just wake up and go I’m going to start something new today? Set myself a new goal?
I did. I wanted become a Triathlete.
Who am I?... Good question!
My Name is Tom Norton, 29yrs old, Retail Store manager & DJ based on the Gold Coast.
Why get into Triathlons? Who in their right mind wakes up one morning and goes yeah! I think swimming 1.5km then cycling 40km and finishing with a 10km sounds like a fun race? I’m going to do it. That’s pretty much what I did.
Decision made I was going to get into triathlons. Anyone that knows me and my personality, know I’m not the kind of person to do things half-hearted. I’m 0% or 100% in everything I do. I just don’t want to complete a race, I want to be the best I can be at this sport and give it my all, full dedication.
All right I’m going to do triathlons, cool. I know I have running shoes, swimming goggles and speedos. But a bike I certainly do not have. First obstacle. Where do I get one from? What do I get and am I going to be able to afford this as I know they aren’t cheap. I trawled the Internet. I asked friends for advice and went into multiple cycling shops for weeks. Getting a bike wasn’t as easy as I thought. I was faced with two choices. Do I just get something around $1k mark? Something to get training & riding on? Or save for a couple more weeks and get myself next price bracket of bike? (which is what nearly everyone suggested I do).
Carbon/composite frame something, which is a lot more expensive to start with but will last longer once the ‘addiction’ kicks in. So I decide to wait and search for a ‘better’ bike. Long story short I got a second-hand Giant Propel off a good friend of mine who is a professional triathlete and happens to be similar size and build to myself. BOOM bike acquired.
I now had everything I needed to compete. One problem! How do I ride? How do I train for this sport? I needed direction to make sure I’m doing each discipline right and without getting myself injured.
So I got a Coach.
…Fast forward to now. I’m 2 weeks into full time Triathlon training with a dedicated coach. Is it tough? F*cking oath it is. As much as I’ve been training 5-6 days a week for the past 6 months just doing mixed training keeping fit and healthy. I assumed the transition into the ‘triathlon’ based training would be pretty easy. Didn’t I under estimate the workload my body was about to endure. 7 days a week of training with no rest days. Putting my body through exercises I hadn’t done for a good 7-8 years at a high intensity and a high work load. This certainly was a good wake up call, a shock to the system and I realized I wasn’t as fit as I thought I was compared to these other Triathletes I was training with.
Doing each discipline was one thing but doing consecutive days of it was tough. Arms hurt, legs were tight and sore, bike seat was killing my ars*e (if you have ever done a spin class or cycled you will understand). Within these first 2 weeks I had clocked up 11.10km of swimming, 7hr 20mins on the bike, 4hr 56mins of running and 4hr 40mins of Brick Sessions (sessions in which you do 2 or all 3 disciplines in one session). As much as I was tired and sore, call me crazy, but I absolutely loved it.
Cycling was the one aspect I thought I wouldn’t like. Wearing lycra, silly shoes, getting hassled on the roads by motorists. I actually love it! Riding around the Gold Coast can be bit scary at times as some people just don’t give a f*ck about you as you ride on your bike. But every Saturday I get up early and head down to Murwillumbah with my squad to hit the hills for a 50-55km loop. Hardly any cars and amazing views. It’s my favourite day of the training week.
Addicted to triathlons? I certainly am and I haven’t even competed yet!
I look forward to sharing my ups and downs with you as I transform into a Triathlete. I’m off this weekend to Noosa Triathlon. It’s the 35th anniversary! Can’t wait to see all the elite races and get amongst the vibe these events have and of course check out the new Camino Range that’s going to be on show!
Massive thank you to the Camino team for kitting me out and getting behind me on this. See you guys at Noosa Camino Comrades #flytheflag
