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Top 7 Mistakes Beginner Triathletes Make

Updated: Feb 1, 2023


Cap Tex Triathlon Austin Triathlete Kathryn Markiewicz Cothern Competing

Most of us on our team remember what it was like when we were first starting out in our triathlon journey and getting a few sprint races under our belt.


Consensus:


Everyone else made it look so easy. Seems like a lot of people in our Facebook triathlon groups, people we followed on Instagram, and even some of our club friends were training for triathlons and competing hard on race day without any problems.


But not us.


Or so we thought...


Once we started to pay attention to what others were doing in a different way, we soon learned that they were also making the same beginner triathlon mistakes and they only shared half-truths in social media and of course they left out the bad.


Now if you’re a triathlon/duathlon beginner, we can almost guarantee you’ve felt the same way.


Top 7 Mistakes Beginner Triathletes Make

As beginner triathletes we realized that most of us at one point in time became obsessed with the following things in our quest to get better at Tri'ing:

  1. Watching YouTube training videos

  2. Reading blogs & articles for tips

  3. Searching for gear and jazzy kits online that was affordable

  4. Sought out training/nutrition advice from strangers in Facebook groups

  5. Followed a Pro on social media so you can be like them

  6. Gadgets - we wanted them all and thought we needed them all

  7. Training Plans - figuring which one was best for performance results.

We only need to do one thing to get better at triathlons….


Train, that means to swim, bike, and run and do it consistently -- this & only this -- will give you your biggest gains.


Learning to recover well from hard workouts, making sure you keep up your strength work, and training with others for safety --- are the ancillary activities that will sharpen you.


Our desire for beginner triathletes in our club and part of our online tribe is to learn from our mistakes and save yourself a lot of time, grief, and money.


We’ve asked some members of our Tribe to share their best triathlon training/racing tips and top advice for beginners in multisport.


Our goal is to share them with you weekly and we are kicking off this series with the spirited Kathryn Markiewicz Cothern, affectionately known as Mamma K. Here is her advice, in her own words, to you.


Best Beginner Triathlon Tips From Real Triathlete Mama K

Austin Triathletes Leslie Lewis & Kathryn Markiewicz Cothern Give Beginner Triathlon Advice
Mamma K

[1] Do not worry about what anyone else is doing. It will steal your joy. Here are a few things NOT to worry about when it comes to other triathletes or duathletes:

  • What their training & race times are

  • What their training plans are like

  • What gear they have.

DO NOT COMPARE! You are your own being. 🙂


[2] Take one step at a time! Do not rush the process. There is no place for InstaPot here. 🙂


[3] If possible, find similar athletes in your area to train with. It could be a Triathlon club or similar. This kind of support and encouragement is very helpful in so many ways. 🙂


[4] Do this sport for you. This is pertinent. 🙂


[5] Most of all, HAVE FUN! 🙂


Wow - Thanks Mamma K!


We can pretty much sum up the bottom line, DO YOU & JUST TRAIN‼



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