Want to do triathlon but you're on a budget? Yes, you can do it!

Let's be honest Triathlon is an expensive sport, there are 3 different legs and you have to buy apparel, gadgets and equipment X 3. The good news is that you can still do it, enjoy it and get the best out of your bucks by being money wise and savvy. Here are some excuses that I've heard from people and how I manage to solved those "problems" in order to control my budget and expenses doing one of the sports that I love:

Coaching: Coaching, Triathlon Club, Trisquads and Internet training plans are expensive. 

Get a coach is a most if you want to be successful in this sport but yes, coaches, triathlon clubs, triathlon squads, and triathlon programs are going to drain your money a lot (between $60 till $200 per club membership and a training plans in Australia around $230 till $400 for an depending on the distance of training). 

Solutions:
1.- Get online training plans, some of them are incredibly good and they're free 

2.- Buy magazines, triathlon books or even better rent it from your local library, there tons of information, training plans, diets and nutrition advice that are waiting for you to read.

3. Train casual with a triathlon club or cycling club, is cheaper and you can take advantage of what the squad I doing, be a sponge and absorb everything from that training.

4. Get into social rides or runs, park run for example is a great way to test yourself doing 5km run every Saturday, ride with your mates or family.

5.- Get use to train alone, triathlon is a lonely sport, is just you and the course, enjoy your company and learn to motivate yourself in every session. It worth it, mostly when you're racing.



The Swimming: being the cheaper sports from the three legs it shouldn't be a problem but some people think that wetsuits, swimsuits, speed suits and swimming toys are expensive.

Solution: 
In this case there's no excuse, why do you need to practice? Swimsuit, goggles and a pool. Some ideas to keep this on a budget?

1.- Swimsuits are cheap, get them from your local pool or online to get the best offers.
2.- Invest in a nice pair of goggles it shouldn't be more expensive than $30 for a good pair.
3.- Swim in your local pool, forget about expensive gyms and health clubs.
4.- Usually swim squads are cheaper than tri clubs get some casual training with them and absorb every knowledge from the coach.
5.- Wetsuits and speed suits: leave them for racing and open water swimming on the cold months of the year, yes, they are expensive but you can get them second hand online, or buy them from the outlet of the specialised wetsuits store or even rent them for a tiny percent of the price of a new one.



The Bike: well this is the most expensive sport from the three legs but you can still enjoy triathlon with any bike.

Solution:
1.- Ironman champion Chrissie Wellington did her first triathlon with an used mountain bike, you can do it as well with any bike with two breaks and in good condition to ride safetly. You can even borrow one from a friend.
2.- Buy your bike with your budget on mind, do not get into debt for a top of the range bike, remember the most important thing is the rider not the bike, get them a second hand, used, on outlet or entry label or off dated model, later you'll get the one of your dreams but now the most important thing is start riding. Always check the size of your bike and do not buy bikes "blindly" check it before buy it to see the condition of the bike.
3.- For cycling apparel you'll need your cycling shorts or BIB, cleats and shoes get used to catch offers on line or in your local store always with the budget on your mind. Get into social or find racing cycling races usually they give as part of the entry nice cycling jerseys.
4.- Ride with your family, friends, find your local cycling club and go with them on their long rides in the weekend, is cheap fun and you'll practice how to ride in pack.



The Run:

Solution:
Here I firmly believe that you need a good pair of shoes suitable to your weight, and foot strike to avoid injuries and enjoy running, you can use the Runner's World Shoe Finder and get an idea of how should be your running shoe. 

Don't panic with this, you still can find good offers on off dated models.


Gadgets:

Solution:
They're not a must in triathlon but if you have spare money you can buy a GPS watch with heart rate monitor to check your label of exertion in every training session, monitor your calories and see the distance you run/bike/swim, I recommend you the Polar M400 great model with amazing features at a great price.

Finally I would like to help you gear up to start with your triathlon training, that's why I want to give you this special discount voucher to buy ANYTHING on my online store Energia Sports code: salecode10

I hope you like my present that definitely will help you gear up money wise 😉

Thanks for reading and see you on the next post, please leave me your comments.

Oscar Mendez
Remember to Swim, Bike and Run with Energia Sports

Unknown

Triathlon Officer, Triathlete wannabe and starting to do Trail Running lately

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