Unexpected Benefits - Train for a Triathlon

Unexpected Benefits - Train for a Triathlon

Train for a triathlon - or any sport - and you'll hone fitness. But there's more. You'll pick up self esteem, coping methods, management skills, and team-building skills ... maybe even a new career option. Who knew?

By Karen Weir-Jimerson

Getting physical comes with surprise benefits that will serve every aspect of your life. Don't believe it? Figure magazine talked with several Seattle-area triathletes, each of whom reported that the determination, strength, and coordination they gained in pursuing their swim-bike-run event served them with skills they bank on every day.

Faith in yourself. Competing and completing an event builds self esteem. "Once you get one thing under your belt," says triathlete Angela Meeks, "you know you can accomplish anything." And the glow of great self esteem shines on past the finish line, no matter how you place in the race. "If you finish the race," says Angela, "you're a winner." Start but don't finish? You're present and accounted for, working toward a goal, while many people are simply in bed, saying to themselves, "I couldn't do that, I won't even try."

A better choice, a better road. Making positive choices in the face of adversity is a learned behavior. "When my mom died, I thought, 'Well I could (comfort my grief and) gain another 60 pounds, or, I could (train for) a triathlon,'" says Linda Keeney. "It was the first time I decided there was another way to grieve." A year later Linda's sister announced her own cancer diagnosis. Linda immediately signed up for another triathlon, relying once again on her new found method-of-choice to process her feelings about what was happening to her family.

The ability to divide and conquer. "You break it down," says Anne van Leeynseele, of training for a triathlon's components of a swim, bike, and run. She found focusing on each step was the path to bigger things. After all, a mile is just a series of steps. Breaking big things down into smaller do-able components is the essence of project (and life!) management, and Anne taps this now-honed skill frequently in her legal work. Angela Meeks, as well, says this break-it-down skill has served her well in work and home life.

Team building. Trainer and triathlete, Patty Swedburg, explains that training triathletes for event participation has offered her a fulfilling career path. Her method combines working with individuals who are part of a larger team. "I think I've found my life's work here," she says. "I love community building. I love finding a way for folks to connect." Team building creates positive ways to get things done-in family and community. Who knows, what opportunities might be awaiting you?