Look back to the future

As triathletes, we're constantly looking forward. Browse forums and, beneath each post, you'll find a list of the poster's main events for the year ahead. We talk next week's training, how we'll taper for our next race, even the next pair of shoes, wheels or nutritional strategy we're looking to adopt. Such is the intensity and hard work involved in triathlon that it's not unusual for us to plan a couple of seasons ahead, especially if a first tilt at Ironman or a marathon is involved.

This week marks my one year triathlon anniversary. A year since I lined up on the poolside for the Al Ain Sprint Triathlon (Al Ain is a small inland oasis city in the UAE). I swam 500m in a pool wearing supermarket swimming trunks and, despite my background being in swimming, I was exhausted after just 150m. I then put shorts and a t-shirt on and slowly cycled four laps of 5k on a mountain bike (knobbly tyres and all) that I'd never ridden before while everyone raced past on their speed machines. I then ran 5k, as far as I'd ever really run before. It killed me, but I loved it.

My first tri: kid's bike helmet - check; borrowed MTB - check; bad clothing choices - check; still some podge to lose - check check check.

Even arriving at that point had been a three year journey – a super sporty kid who swam at a national level became a lazy student and inactive journalist who played 5-a-side football once a week in an effort to keep the rapidly increasing beer belly and jowls in check.

One day, while living in Spain, I looked at myself in the mirror and said enough is enough. Like Forest Gump, I just started running. And then lifting weights. By the time I moved to Dubai, I was in far better shape and a series of random happenings saw me, firstly, living briefly with three triathletes and, secondly, taking on several sections of the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge as part of a media team to cover and blog on the event. That Al Ain sprint tri was part of the training for that.

By the time the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge concluded after the first week of December 09, I was addicted and committed to becoming a half decent triathlete. Heading into my second year now (and second season – unlike in the US and Europe, summers here are way too hot and so triathlon is effectively a winter sport), I have a whole load of sprints and an Olympic under my belt. I regularly ride 80k+ in a single sitting and can do a long slow run of around 20k.

And this is exactly why it's just as important to look back as it is to look forward. After a bad training session, a slow race or an interrupted week, it can feel like all that effort is getting us nowhere – I've had plenty of those times in training. But I look back on the person who sat on that borrowed mountain bike a year ago, and the difference is startling. 

To see improvements, you need to look at where you've come from, not the baby steps you take each week or month.