Our wonderful fitness instructor Taylor Cairns recently took part in the Accuro Jersey Triathlon, his first full Olympic distance triathlon.
When asked what inspired him to take on his first triathlon, Taylor said: “I personally love sport and physical activity as it is one of the very few things in life that you reap 100% of the benefit from the work you put in. I find it very satisfying seeing how your body can develop and progress when the right stress is applied. I also already really enjoyed all 3 disciplines of the Triathlons, so thought the next logical step would be to challenge myself and put them all together in a race event.”
His vigorous training routine consisted of two gym sessions, two swim sessions, two bike sessions and two running sessions per week, which meant that most weeks would require a double training session on some days.
“Time was the most challenging part of my training, as there is so much variation of training. Finding the time to do everything that was needed was tough as well as maintaining a full-time working schedule and a healthy social life. The balance of everything was rather difficult at first.”
And how did Taylor find the event on the day?
“The swim was my favourite part for sure, the weather was not very good on race day, so the conditions were rough. But I found it quite fun being chucked around by the waves, while I imagine others did not!
“I was happy with my performance for the cycle, as my background had been primarily cycling out of the three, this was the one I was probably most confident on as I knew my limits and how hard to push myself.”
“For anyone who has ever ran straight off the bike you’ll know that it is a very humbling experience as you find yourself negotiating with your own legs to keep throwing themselves in front of you. Running is my toughest discipline anyway, so lucky me, it was the last part of the event...”
“I think an underrated part of an event like that is just the amazing support from everyone there on the day. When you're on the course and there are so many people encouraging you, most of which you don't know personally. It just makes for a really nice atmosphere.”
“Although the event was tough, I knew I had put in the hours of training needed, over all I was a confident I would perform well on the day. When it did get tough, I would just reflect on the training I had done leading up to it, and I knew I was more than capable of powering through”.
“I didn’t really encounter any unexpected challenges during the triathlon, although I had a fun time during one of the laps of my run where my quads nearly cramped with every step I took, so had to dig deep to plough through it. It was my own fault for being a bit late with my nutrition that caused it.”
Huge well done to Taylor for taking part in his first Triathlon!
Taylor’s advice for anyone wanting to enter their first triathlon:
“If it is your first one, just enjoy the process. Don’t get too caught up in hitting targets and beating yourself up if you miss a session. Just remember that every session you complete is always one step closer to achieving your goal! Enjoy the process of consistent training and watching yourself progress, not only physically but mentally. Then the rest will fall in place before you know it.
“I was lucky enough to have some very knowledgeable friends, colleagues, and coaches to help me prepare. But there is so much information available and people who have been in the exact position you're in now, so it’s always good to ask them questions if you can.”
Taylor takes our Gentle Aqua classes on Thursdays at 2:45pm at Les Quennevais, as well as Circuits on Thursdays at 5:30pm at Les Quennevais, and Boxfit at 6:45am every Monday at Les Quennevais.