It was a couple of years ago: I went round for a girly supper to a friend’s house.  It was one of those lovely London evenings in winter, when one too many glasses of wine is consumed after a long day at work.  Before I knew it I had promised my friends I would do a triathlon… Hang on a minute.  Rewind.  George do a triathlon.  Oh dear.

I lead an active life. I am always out and about.  I like to swim.  But really, a triathlon?  Swimming, cycling and running competitively.  Me? Unfortunately, I am one of those stubborn people who when I say I will do something, no matter how foolhardy, I will do it.   So I went and read about what I had let myself into.  The more I read, the more I realised it was aimed at exactly people like me.  People who spend tot loog behind a desk and need a bit of a goal so that they can up their fitness levels.

Don’t get me wrong.  I was realistic.  There are different categories of Triathlon from the Iron Man to the shorter Sprint categories.  I decided to enter the Super Sprint category at the Blenheim Triathlon: a 400m swim, a 13km bikeride and a 2-3 km run.  My triathlete friends are of a mixture of abilities; from competent ironman competitors to the people like me who should be in the kids’ category.

Even for the super sprint,  though, training is necessary;  I bought a bike and started to commute to work.   For the ultra competitive a decent bike is crucial, be it a mountain, racer or a hybrid variety.  It can shave minutes off your time and ensure that you are given the edge and able to keep at the front of the field.  However, my bike was a heavy-hybrid and I called her “Peg”.  An ironic nickname that was short for “Pegasus”… she didn’t exactly fly, but she got me safely to and from work each day and proved her worth on the day of the Triathlon.  I also invested in a helmet as you are not allowed to race in a competition without one.

The next crucial piece of equipment is a wetsuit.  Again, this can take a lot of thought for the more competitive triathlete.  The time it takes to get in and out of a wetsuit can also have an impact on your time, as the “transitions” (the move from one activity to the next) are considered almost as much of a skill as the sports themselves!  Not being the most competitive soul I purchased a practical and cheap supermarket wetsuit.  It was made of “neoprene” which I highly recommend as though it is not a fancy “tri suit” it does the job and is not too tricky to put on and take off.

Lucikly my commute at the time took me past the Serpentine in Hyde Park, so when the season came along I would cycle to the park, have a quick (and bracing!) dip in the Lido there and then have a shower at work.  I felt as though I had achieved a great deal by 9a.m! I also enjoyed that rather smug feeling when everyone else grumbled about the start of the day.

The outdoor swimming element of the triathlon proved to be my favourite activity; come rain or shine I love starting my day with outdoorsy pursuits.  For a comprehensive guide to London Lidos have a look at: http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/whatson/london-lidos-feature-1172.html

The lidos in London do not open until April/ May.  Depending on which triathlons you enter, the season (oh yes, there is a season) starts around May too.  Thus although the lidos are excellent and enable you to hone your outdoor swimming skills, it is crucial that you start some swim training in an indoor pool during the colder months.

My least favourite section of the Triathlon was the  running part, which made me feel nauseous.  However, I loaded up my i-pod with some cheesy and motivating music which helped to distract me from the pavement pounding and knee grinding. In the end I felt that it was the only form of exercise that pushed me and came to find it really satisying.

As I mentioned, I opted to participate in the Blenheim triathlon.  Blenheim Palace is a spectacular stately home, in a  beautiful estate in the heart of the British countryside.  The grounds are  pleasure to spend time in whether you’re a triathlete or a picnicker, and as I chose to participate in the shortest race, I managed to fit in both! It’s a cliché, but it really is the taking part that counts.

On the day of the triathlon the excitement of the event adds both excitement and adrenalin. My front crawl goes to pieces when I am swimming in a pack of frantic athletes and I try not to be too embarrassed by swimming breast stroke when it all gets too much.  The cycle course is filled with obstacles; chains will inevitably fall off and gears will fail. To reduce the risk of these mishaps, make sure you send you bike in for a service a couple of weeks before.  And what about the run? Well, at least it’s the last part of the triathlon!

The original ironman triathlon was developed in 1978 in Hawaii and since then the sport has gone global, so if you get truly addicted it’s a great excuse to travel to exotic lands!  The IronMan triathlon, organised by the World Triathlon Corporation starts with a 2.4 mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112 mile (180.25 km) bike ride and a marathon (26 miles 385 yards, 42.195 km) run, completed in that order and without a break.  No matter how much of a triathlon evangelist I am – you wouldn’t catch me doing that for all the pina coladas in the Pacific!

Triathlons are one of the fastest growing sports in the UK.  Be warned though, many of the events are really popular and you need to book in advance. For more information on Triathlons in the UK see: http://www.britishtriathlon.org/clubs/index.php

There is a comprehensive list of the Triathlons around the UK and details of clubs up and down the country.

The Blenheim Triathlon is organised by the same people who organise the London Triathlon However, there are events across Europe from Stockholm to the Alps and Barcelona to the French Riviera.  The organisers of the London Triathlon offer training days starting in April, ahead of the season, with coaches on hand to help you with your technique in all three disciplines.

I recently moved to Paris and I must confess that I have not found a tri-club here yet but I hope that it is not too late to enter the Ile de Paris Triathlon in August!

If you are thinking that you can’t run, no matter what the distance – then you can take part in a team event and just do one leg.  If you hate the idea of swimming – you could do a duathlon andcompete in two disciplines.  If you feel that your summer is just too busy – fret not there is a Winter Season too!  No excuses, get on your bike! And in the pool. And on the road…