Almost a year since I took part in my first ever Ironman 70.3 triathlon here in Phuket and what the heck, time has really flown by. Last year at this exact same time I was jiggly nervous about my virgin 70.3 (and also excited). I come with a different bag of emotions now, after going through a full season of triathlons this year. Tbh, a bigger part of me just wants to get the race over with so I can have a proper break and go out late at night LOL!!

Omg on that note, yes I hateeee waking up early in the morning even though I’ve been doing it for over a year now, since I started training for Ironman 70.3. I still struggle to get up every day, no matter how early I sleep the night before. You would think athletes jump out of bed every morning ready to slay the workout but no, they (or at least me) don’t.

But wait, I don’t think of myself as an athlete athlete (like our SEA Games peeps); rather, I see myself as a lifestyle athlete.

This is how I define a lifestyle athlete:

A lifestyle athlete is one who has a full-time job (hence not being a full-time athlete) and incorporates a training programme into everyday life, while actively competing or participating in races and competitions.

So, how has it been living the “athlete” life? Here are some insights:

1) Finding time for training around work

I don’t work a 9-6 job so I am not confined to office hours and thankfully, that gives me the flexibility to plan my training. (It must be really tough for those with office hours!!) But even so, I still find myself having to make arrangements to schedule my meetings and trips to accommodate training. For me I mostly wake up early and get my training out of the way in the morning, before getting on with the rest of my day.

Of course, there will be times where you have to skip training or swop sessions around, and then there are times where you are tired from work but you still have to complete that workout! Sometimes I find myself prioritising training over work and I’ll be like, eh woman, work comes first ah, because it’s what’s paying your training and racing bills.

2) Waking up before sunrise

On some days, I wake up at ungodly hours (as early as 3-4am for cycling) because the traffic starts building up from 6am and it is dangerous to cycle with so many vehicles during peak hour traffic. That means not getting much opportunity for sleep-ins, except for rest days. And ironically, I hate weekends… because I wake up earlier on weekends (than on weekdays) and train longer hours.

3) No late night-outs

Your social life will definitely take a hit because you will either be tired from training or you need to wake up early the next morning, so you have to go to bed early. Otherwise, you will be yawning away and not be good company (tested and proven). Where possible, I try to set my last meeting at 4pm so that I can get home by 6pm, before peak hour traffic, and get into bed by 9-10pm.

4) Emptying the bank account faster than you lose weight

I’m not gonna lie – I’ve said this before here and I’m gonna say it again. Triathlon is an expensive sport. Yeah you can do it on a budget, but it will still cost more than say, running, because there are so many things you need to get – for each of the three disciplines.

If you get into Ironman races, be prepared for exploding credit card bills because you will need to travel to these races. Thus, you will need to buy flights, pay for hotels and also get a bike case (and a wet suit for certain races). Btw, the entry fee for a half-Ironman race is like US$300+.

There’s a reason why the younger age groups have less participants and there are a lot of high-level executives/professionals in the sport – because it’s so bloody expensive!

5) Finding the motivation every day

I am not a national athlete, ie. I’m not representing Singapore at the SEA Games / Asian Games / Olympic Games, so my goals are really just personal. That is, I’m setting these goals in the sport mainly for myself. So when things get rough, such as being stressed from work and life and still having to train on top of all of that, it is easy to feel demoralised and unmotivated.

It is just as easy to form doubts and question the purpose and ask myself wtf I’m spending all this money and investing all this time and effort for. Ultimately, you get bragging rights and then? So, there are days when I really have to dig deep and try to find that motivation, and there are days when I just don’t feel it. But, habit keeps you going and that sense of accomplishment can get you pretty far (I think).

6) Fighting different types of fatigue

Physical fatigue from training is one thing, but there’s also the mental/psychological/emotional fatigue to handle. Triathlon training is lonely and boring, so having to go through with it day after day can get quite mental. And if you’re dealing with emotional problems, exercising does help to take your mind off things for a bit but you will end up feeling exhaustion all around and just wanting to eat a tub of ice cream by yourself. There’s also the PMS fatigue which is of a different level – no matter how much you rest, you will just feel super lethargic.

Therefore, it is important not to let yourself burn out and always remember to take time out for yourself. It’s ok to be selfish and take a break from your commitments and responsibilities for a while. Just a while.

7) Dealing with questions from everyone

This can get pretty annoying at times, when people keep asking me things like, “So what do you want to get out of this?“, “Why do you wanna spend so much time and money on this?“, “It’s not like you’re gonna make money out of this.“, “You can spend all that time trying to make money instead of training.“, “When are you going to stop doing this?” etc etc.

If you really care about me, please don’t question me like that. This is my passion and I enjoy working out anyway, so even if I’m not doing triathlons I’ll be busy running out of breath elsewhere. I am also fully aware of the financial and time commitments… so please don’t nag at me unless I go to extremes and start selling away my car and house for this sport lah.

8) Facing sport-related inconveniences

These are the little things that add up and lead to increased frustration, such as having to find time to take your bike to the store and bring it back. I drive so that’s ok, but those who don’t, have to find a cab driver that doesn’t mind or get a friend to help. Also, times like brick training where I have to stuff my bike into the car before I run and end up dirtying the leather or scratching the car can also leave you feeling a bit piss-y.

9) Vacations are planned around races

Nowadays I put my races as priority for travel. Any other non-racing trips will have to be after a race or at least not too close to the next race, so I don’t disrupt my training schedule too much.

10) You realise it’s not your sacrifice alone

Even though you train mostly on your own and you race alone (ie. it’s not a team sport), your sacrifice is not yours only. For example, if you live with others, your alarm in the crazy hours might disturb your partner next to you; your bustling around the house in the early morning might wake them up; your indoor cycling sessions might be too noisy; your clothes form the bulk of the laundry load; your equipment takes up space around the house; your family and/or friends will have to understand when you miss or pass on social outings, etc. etc.

On that last note, you may have to skip/leave early at dinners, functions or parties because you need to sleep early or have a really boring weekend because you rather stay home and rest.

Well, every sport has its sacrifice and it really isn’t all that bad when you’re cleanly showered and/or in a good mood. You just have to make sure your loved ones understand and support you, otherwise you will feel really stressed. Then, besides the pain and sacrifice, there are also the rewards (albeit mostly intangible but still worth it).

Right now I don’t know how long more I will do the sport for, but I hope I can continue for as long as I can afford it. It helps that I live alone and have no kids, so kudos to all those who are juggling office hours, kids and pets!

For now, I can’t wait for this Sunday to be over so I can PARTYYYYYYY!!!