Well, it may just be the start of 2019 but before you know it Triathlon season will soon be upon us. But it is still early and a peak time to train for any event you may be interested in so I wanted to get this post out sooner than later so you can sign up for ANY event you might want to do this year!
When is Triathlon Season?
There is no hard-set answer for this as if you are willing to travel, Triathlon is really a year-round sport! Especially if you are competing at the Ironman level!
The majority of regions, especially the United States, keep most of the events in the warmest portion of the year. Summer Time! You can find events as early as March and events as late as November, however, the majority of events occur between May and August!
So for me personally, as a California resident, I compete mostly in events up and down the California coast. The majority of my events being in Southern California. This year my event schedule is a little different as I am also crossing over into Ironman Hawai’i but normally I would kick off my first event in May and my final around September, sometimes October!
The great part about this is it truly means you can compete at almost anytime in the United States and if you get into the sport it works out really well since you make the core months of May to August your competition and race time, as that is the unofficial Triathlon Season. And then during the “off-season” from September to April you focus on Training and maybe do a random event or travel to a new cool destination if you desire!
Can You Compete in Triathlon Season 2018?
So even if you have just got the triathlon itch and are a complete beginner, you can still compete in this year’s Triathlon Season!
I decided I wanted to do my first triathlon only about six months prior to the actual start of the race. I had no background in swimming, cycling or running and just put together a training plan for myself and started to work!
If this sounds like you and you have your heart set on competing in 2018 well just know you have plenty of time!
How long to get ready for Triathlon Season
It is tough to put a specific time on how long it would take to go from an absolute beginner to race-ready. Overall though I would say that I would be comfortable that I could get someone from the couch to the finish line in about 18 weeks!
So with that being said, you would be able to compete in a race as early as June, from the writing of this post. That is right in the middle of Triathlon Season 2019!
Now by getting ready for Triathlon Season, I am talking about completing a race! I am not expecting anyone to be standing on the pedestal at the end of the race with only 18 weeks under their belt. You could be a super athlete so not saying it isn’t possible either.
The main goal of getting ready for the Triathlon season is to finish! That being said here is what I do each year pre-Triathlon Season!
Pick out your Triathlon Season Event
That’s right! I pick out my event schedule before training for triathlon even starts!
Why do I do this?
Well, it helps your motivation to work harder to be ready for the season in my opinion if you already have a race or two on the books. First off you have invested money in the race, so you don’t want to lose that. Secondly, there is pressure to finish which makes you work harder!
Once you have your local event picked out onto step two!
Start training for Triathlon Season!
Now that your event for the 2019 Triathlon Season is picked out it’s off to train!
If you are a complete beginner then I suggest you check out our beginner triathlon guide ! If you want to hear me my experience and initial steps getting ready for my first Triathlon Season well I have those detailed as well in my FREE Intro Training Plan!
When training for the season however I highly suggest you always OVER train for your upcoming race!
What I mean by this is if you signed up for a Sprint Race you should train to do an Olympic distance race. If you signed up for an Olympic Distance, train like you are doing a 70.3 Half Ironman.
The reasoning behind this is simple. Come race day you will be confident and your race will be easy!
I hope these tips help get you ready for the 2019 Triathlon Season and look forward to seeing you all at the finish line!
