Stepping Up the Distance: From Marathon Runner to Triathlete

I've always been drawn to challenges that scare me. I love being the underdog and exceeding expectations.

When I first signed up for a marathon in 2019, I had no idea what I was doing. I have always just had this disillusioned optimism that I could do things. I used to say I was just lucky and things went my way, which is true, I am very fortunate with my life but equally you definitely create your own luck by having the right mindset and working hard. Running transformed my life. It taught me confidence, resilienceand showed me that we're capable of far more than we think.

But over the last year, I felt myself looking for something new.

Not because I was bored of running. Far from it. Running will always be my first love. But I wanted to find that feeling of uncertainty again. The feeling of standing on the edge of something and wondering, "Can I actually do this?"

Triathlon gives me exactly that. As runners, we're used to measuring progress in pace, mileage and race times. Suddenly I found myself struggling to swim efficiently, learning how to handle a bike properly and trying to understand a whole new sport. I wasn't the experienced athlete anymore, I had to strip back all the ego and be totally humbled. And honestly? That was refreshing.

One of the biggest misconceptions people have is that because I'm a marathon runner, triathlon mustcome naturally. The reality is quite different.

Being fit does hand itself to most sports, apart from swimming it seems. It’s so technique based I really am starting from the ground up. My boyfriend Joe has been swimming since he could walk, doing double training days in the pool before and after school and having his first energy gel before he was 10. I have asked him for advice on swimming and his response was ‘learn when you are 7’ - which is so helpful now 20 years too late.

As adults, we often avoid things we're not immediately good at. We stay in our comfort zones because being a beginner can feel uncomfortable. But there's something incredibly rewarding about embracing that discomfort.

I have been having adult swim lessons at The Swim Station / Give it a Tri, which of course I was nervous about, but I am seeing real progress.

If anyone asks me ‘How to get good at running’, I will always say consistency. At the start I would run 4 times a week, even the days when I didn’t want to - and I saw rapid improvement. I obviously have to apply the same patience and dedication to swimming because I am not going to see growth with one half arsed swim a week - ultimately I had to throw myself in the deep end and commit to 4 swims a week.

To start with, I wasn’t technically good enough to be able to push myself in the water. I felt like I was swimming backwards. And by all means I am not fast now (compared to Joe), but every swim is a time or pace PB so it’s hugely rewarding and it’s really starting to click.

For a runner coming to triathlon, learning to swim front crawl efficiently is usually the steepest part of the curve, plenty of us can run for hours but can't yet swim 400m without stopping. I've been building from pool sessions four times a week towards open water swimming, which feels like a different sport again: colder, choppier, and with no black line to follow. A good triathlon swim wetsuit, like the Zone3 Agile, makes a real difference here. Its 2mm, 3mm and 4mm buoyancy panels lift your legs and correct your body position, while 2mm Flex-Fit shoulder panels keep your arms free to pull, so you swim faster for less effort, and the extra warmth lets you stay in colder water for longer.

In independent wetsuit testing at Loughborough University, the Agile produced a 2.5% speed increase and a 9% drop in blood lactate at the same effort, which is measurable proof that the right wetsuit does some of the work for you. It's the one piece of triathlon kit I'd tell a beginner not to cut corners on.

I guess similarly to cycling. I didn’t have the bike handling skills or confidence to get my heart rate up. I know I have an engine from my running but that is yet to materialise in the form of watts - especially on a TT bike which petrifies me. Just when I am starting to get to grips with a road bike I am being told I should race the ironman on a TT bike to help give me the best shot at a good run off the bike in the marathon! I would like to preface that expensive bikes that look like space ships are not necessary. I started out with a second hand road bike and my watch to track my speed - none of the fancy gear.

Do you need a TT bike for your first triathlon? No, a road bike is completely fine for your first few races, and most beginners are better off learning bike handling and pacing on a road bike before moving to a time trial setup. A TT (time trial) bike puts you in a more aerodynamic position to save energy over long distances like a full Ironman, which is exactly why I'm being nudged towards one for Copenhagen, but those aero gains only count once you can hold the position comfortably and ride it safely. Start with what you have, build confidence, and upgrade when the bike is genuinely the thing holding you back.

I also found low key local triathlons that are not owned by the big brands like Ironman which made the sport far more accessible to launch myself into.

A 70.3, also known as a half Ironman, is a middle-distance triathlon made up of a 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21.1km run, 70.3 miles in total. A full Ironman roughly doubles everything: a 3.8km swim, 180km bike and a full 42.2km marathon, which is why Copenhagen will take me close to five times as long as a standalone marathon.

Outlaw 70.3 was my first real test of stringing all three disciplines together under race pressure, and it taught me that triathlon pacing is a skill in its own right.

I had dabbled in triathlon but just for a splash, jolly and jog - mainly to accompany Joe on his triathlon pursuit. But Outlaw 70.3 was the first time I actually had any sort of performance in mind.

I’m not going to lie the swim was harder than I thought, the bike was harder than I thought and that made the run was harder than I thought too - but not because I was balls to the walls in each discipline, more like because I didn’t know how it was meant to feel? It’s weird because I am so confident running, feel like I really belong in the races and I’m not scared to push too hard - but triathlon is still so new to me that I don’t yet know the motions. I really have to believe in myself and gain experience of what triathlons feel like so I know when I can push! I love riding that red line but just struggled to push myself there, but maybe that’s because I was racing for 5hrs!

The moment you step outside your comfort zone, you're reminded that courage isn't the absence of fear. It's doing the thing anyway.

1. Being fit doesn't mean being prepared
   
   I arrived with a strong running background and assumed that would carry me through. It certainly helps, but triathlon demands a different type of fitness. Swimming, cycling, nutrition, transitions and pacing all require specific skills. Respect the process and be willing to learn.
   
   
2. Ask questions
   
   The triathlon community has been incredibly welcoming. I've asked endless questions about bikes, wetsuits, nutrition and training. No one starts by knowing everything and I feel like a sponge absorbing all the knowledge from the people I am lucky enough to have around me. I am so grateful to have the support of Zone3 for my swimming, Sigma Sports for my cycling, lululemon for my running and TrueFuels for my nutrition. The fastest way to improve is often admitting what you don't know, rolling the dice a little and not being afraid to fail.
   
   
3. Consistency beats hero sessions
   
   This lesson applies to running and triathlon alike. One insane workout won't transform your fitness. Showing up consistently for months will. The athletes who succeed aren't always the most talented.They're often the most consistent. Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.
   
   
4. Enjoy being a beginner
   
   This has probably been the biggest lesson of all. As athletes, we often become attached to performance and results. Triathlon has reminded me how fun sport can be when you're simply learning. There's freedom in not expecting perfection.

If you're starting triathlon from scratch, plan on six to twelve months to train for your first Ironman, long enough to build swim technique, cycling endurance and the confidence to race all three disciplines back to back. You can rush it in less, but a full training block means arriving at the start line prepared rather than just hoping to survive.

A typical beginner build looks like three to four swims a week, two to three rides, regular runs, and at least one complete rest day so your body can absorb the work.

For myself though, this is a question I am still working out.

If you're starting with no triathlon experience, I'd recommend giving yourself at least six to twelve months. Could you do it in less? Possibly. Would you enjoy the process more if you allowed yourself time to develop confidence in all three disciplines? Absolutely.

The swim takes patience. Cycling fitness builds gradually. Learning nutrition and race strategy takes practice. The goal shouldn't just be getting to the start line. It should be arriving there feeling prepared. It’s far more fun racing than just surviving.

One thing that's surprised me about triathlon training is how much planning it requires.

Unlike marathon training, where many days revolve around a single run, triathlon often means juggling multiple sessions. It’s far more volume and threshold work than marathon training. You can do threshold in the pool whilst your legs recover from a threshold run, and because cycling is so much less impact than running, your body can do so much more. How anyone triathlon trains with a demanding full time job is really admirable - I am super lucky my work is a bit more flexible but the everyday heroes are those who inspire me most.

I try to train twice a day. One harder session and one easier session. So a track session in the morning and a recovery ride or swim in the afternoon. I also try to have a complete rest day every week.

It's a lot. But it's also incredibly rewarding. Recovery is the most important thing because the only sessions that really count are the ones you recover from. Your body has to absorb the training and adapt.

And while some days are hard, I've learned that confidence doesn't come from race day. It comes from stacking those ordinary training days together.

As I write this, Ironman Copenhagen is getting closer. I am very scared. But I think that's normal.

The thing I've learned through running, and now triathlon, is that confidence isn't something you wait for. It's something you build. Every swim session where I feel awkward. Every bike ride where I learn something new. And every training day where I choose to show up.

If you're considering triathlon, my advice is simple.

Don't wait until you feel ready. Because you probably won't. Start before you have all the answers. Start before you have the perfect bike. Start before you think you're fit enough.

Because the truth is, none of us begin as experts. Every Ironman finisher, every elite athlete and every experienced triathlete was once standing exactly where we are now. Unsure. Nervous. Wondering if they could do it. The only difference is that they took the first step. And sometimes that's all it takes.

I'm still learning. Gosh there’s a lot to learn but that's exactly why I love it. Because growth lives on the other side of discomfort. And if running has taught me anything, it's that the most rewarding journeys usually begin with a little bit of fear.

Yes. A running background gives you a strong endurance engine, but you'll need to dedicate real time to swim technique and bike handling, as these are skill-based rather than fitness-based.

Aim for three to four swims a week if you're new to the water. Consistency matters more than long, occasional sessions, frequent shorter swims build technique faster.

No. A second-hand road bike is enough for your first races. Save the aero upgrades until you've built confidence and the bike is your limiting factor.

Buoyancy and a snug-but-non-restrictive fit.
 
An entry-level open water wetsuit like the Zone3 Agile uses 2mm, 3mm and 4mm panels to lift your hips and improve body position, which helps you swim more efficiently for less effort.