'Tri' another sport...

As kids we never used to ‘play’ at one thing – we’d be out running, getting on our bikes, swinging on rope swings, climbing trees, throwing water bombs – you name it, if meant we didn’t have to sit down and do some school work we would be up and out.

It seems funny when you get to ‘adulthood’ – you survive high school and all the challenges that comes with it – you ‘become’ a runner, a swimmer, a cyclist, a hiker, a mountain biker – you become a label.

I get it, if you want to compete for your country – but most of us here are about enjoying life and getting the most out of it, looking after ourselves and our mental health (whilst – usually – sitting at a desk/computer to do work that pays for the fun stuff).

So why not do 3,4,5 sports? If you’re simply ‘a runner’ – what happens when you get an injury? You end up not being able to do the thing you love – icing, compressing and elevating that injury, all the while feeling bad that you can’t get out and enjoy your thing. If you have several other sports to turn to, you can at least keep some sanity.

It isn’t about being the best or the fastest at something – it’s about looking after yourself and your mental wellbeing. If you haven’t tried another sport and you’re suffering with an injury, just try something else – anything!

If you’re anything like me – I told myself (and everyone else) I hated cycling, it was pointless, dangerous and I just didn’t like it and couldn’t see the point in it. I told myself that for years and years – having had 1 bad experience as an adult (as I child I was never off my bike, but something happens when you go to high school – all confidence gets knocked out of you, but that’s a whole other blog post). So from that one bad experience I decided cycling was a terrible sport.

Until one day (many, many years later), I got on a bike!  Ask me now about cycling and I love it! I always get excited if the weather is forecast to be nice at weekends, because that means a trip out on the bikes. I’ve also just got a spin bike for the house, so I can still cycle through the winter and dark nights!!

Obviously my first love is swimming, but finding something else to share with others – going out on rides (to cafes to eat cake!) with a group or with my other half – you just can’t beat it. I never fail to come back from a bike ride without a smile on my face!

Even if you’ve told yourself you hate any other sport – just have a go – you never know, you might surprise yourself!