The other day I was meeting with a new triathlete and it occurred to me that, before he had even started training, being a triathlete meant doing an Ironman.
I don't know what it is about the people in our town, but for many, the measure of triathlete success means: you have to complete an Ironman. Many athletes have said to me after a race weekend that they just did the Tri-a-Tri or just did the standard distance triathlon. I'm sure there are many Olympic triathletes who would be insulted if you told them they just did a sprint instead of an Ironman.
An Ironman is a great long-distance event but it involves many more hours of training. For most people with a busy career and/or family, the hours involved in training make it difficult to keep life in balance. Why should they feel any lesser of a triathlete for not having the time or maybe the interest in doing a longer event?
As a professional coach and lifestyle consultant, my measure of a triathlete is about so much more than how long you can go. Whether the athletes I coach do a Tri-a-Tri or qualify for Kona I'm equally proud of them for putting their best stroke, spoke or shoe out there and moving it forward.
Success in triathlon is about having fun and enjoying the incredible mental and physical benefits of the training. We are learning from strict Covid restrictions that the beauty of triathlon is that you don't even have to race to be a triathlete!
Triathlon is about training for three sports, learning new skills and improving fitness. By joining a club you get the added bonus of training buddies and many find friends that they count to be their best friends for life.
Success in triathlon is about setting realistic goals and reaching your finish line no matter how far away from the start line it may be. When you get to the finish line success is about the true joy you have in your heart and having a band of merry friends and family greeting you with high fives and smiles.
At the end of the day, are you going to remember every triathlon you completed, or are you going to remember the amazing friends and the incredible health you enjoyed throughout your life?
To requote the words of Martin Luther King Jr...
"The true measure of a triathlete is not only where they stand at times of challenge but also their healthy exuberant smile and the high fives they receive at the finish line."
Julia Aimers is the Head Coach and Founder of Team Triumph Triathlon Club and Online Shop. She is a certified triathlon, cycling, swimming, yoga and accredited Training Peaks Coach. She is a Clinical Exercise Physiologist, High-Performance Specialist and a Coach Learning Facilitator for Triathlon Canada.
(Photo Above from the Musselman Triathlon in New York. From left to right David Goldsmith, Cary Willis, Coach Julia, MJ McCann, Julie Lafrance, Alanna Kellock, Annemarieke Goldsmith, Linda Lafrance)
I love the accountability and the structure of the Virtual 70.3 Half Ironman training program. I don't think I would have gotten this far without the program. The accountability is huge for me!
Deborah Jackman
My coach Kevin Willis is amazing. His swim practices have been a real game-changer for me. A great communicator regardless of your swim level. The whole club is supportive of everything you do. You don't need to be an Ironman to benefit from their programs. 5 stars all around!!! - Denise Pittuck
I just wanted to thank you and your team (Gabi! Brenda! Maggie! Dawn!) for making last weekend's event so amazing. I had tried to do a try-a-tri on my own last summer, and the experience was night and day.
Even though I didn't make every virtual session, I felt so prepared... I knew where to go for information, and I knew I had a team of people (coaches and our beginner tri group!) who were all there to support me.
It was interesting to watch Eric train on his own (without access to the TrainingPeaks workouts and without the weekly meetings to ask questions and learn more about proper form and race-day stuff). When we left on Sunday, he looked at me and was like "we're DEFINITELY doing the training with Julia if we decide to go for the olympic distance, right?".
So glad to have found this club and looking forward to many more triathlons in the near future!!! Tai Teleso
Julia is incredible, I once had a coach who told me to get good at biking and running as he couldn't do anything with my swim technique. Then I was introduced to Julia who is so patient and has an amazing ability to translate it all into a way I could understand. I knocked a minute per 100m off my open water swim times after only a handful of sessions with her. The team is also really welcoming, inclusive and most of all FUN!
Triumph is a warm and fun place for every level of triathlete. Whether you’re just getting started and learning all about triathlon or have been at it for decades, like some of us, you will find camaraderie and expertise in this group with Julia Aimers’ support and caring. She keeps up-to-date in so many areas of training, especially for women and including women’s issues whether it be nutrition or menopause. I highly recommend Team Triumph for swimming, biking, running or putting it all together in one package. There is no other place or group, I would rather be training with. So many of my close friends were met in this group.
A huge thank you to my Triathlon coach, Julia Cooper-Aimers. She took the time last week to drop off (from a distance because of COVID19 restrictions) some tri shorts I ordered along with a well-appreciated note to remind me that there will be ups and downs and that things will get better. She has gone above and beyond to support all of her athletes and our Team Triumph club, by providing almost daily strength, yoga, and spinning videos that have been uploaded to Youtube for anyone who needs a little motivation during these challenging times as well as many words of encouragement. I am grateful for her support and encouragement. ❤️
Anita Lacelle Taylor
Training with Team Triumph for 7 months (so far) made me faster and stronger while building nourishing connections with like-minded fitness nuts and shattering the expectations I had of myself. TT is a crew of inspiring people pursuing epic individual goals and encouraging each other along the way. Julia and her team have expert knowledge and provide a thoughtful evidence-based group program that works. I am privileged and thankful to have Team Triumph in my neighborhood and can't wait to get back to the pool!
Alex Bourne
I want to thank you for always putting our well-being at the forefront of your business model. You suspended face-to-face programs in a timely manner, leading the way in a fitness business world that took much too long to respond and put their members’ health and the community at risk. You « triumphed « in quickly acting to flatten the curve.
Your caring nature resulted in a series of innovative and fun virtual sessions and opened them to the community. I am missing the live interaction now that I am working for a few months but I appreciate that I can access the videos according to my schedule. Yin/yang session tonight, just what I needed.
Not to mention the check-ins, the home deliveries, the charitable events. Priceless.
Simone Rose-Oliver
