New To Tri Blog: Introducing Joanne Weadick

Hi Guys,

My name is Joanne and I joined Piranha in September 2011. By chance I met Tadhg through work in August 2011 and he told me all about Piranha and training for a Triathlon. As soon as I heard about it I knew this was for me.

After going from 2 years of Kettlebell training and a year and a half of pure Bikram yoga and not being able to run for a bus, I decided to look into doing a sport with an actual goal at the end of it. I am a pretty determined person when I put my mind to something but without a goal it is too easy to fall off the wagon and take a ‘break’, resulting in not going back to the sport for a month.

I started with the swim sessions on a Tuesday and Friday morning. Lee coaches the beginner lane on a Tuesday and Friday. Not having swam with a club since I was 16, this was going to be certain drowning. It actually wasn’t too bad and really enjoyed it. I pretty much got to know everyone in the beginner lane over the first few classes which made it a lot easier hearing other people were in the same boat. Instantly feeling my self improve, I made a small promise to myself that if nothing else I would go to the 2 swim sessions every week. People talk about the swimming being the hardest of the 3 disciplines but I was finding it quite enjoyable so thought this was my opportunity to get ahead. Within a few weeks I was leading the lane and in January moved up to the Intermediate lane.

My running on the other hand… dire. My chest was always my weakness with sport and so the running has remained my bugbear. Although it is probably the discipline I have learned the most. I have attended a few Tuesday evening sessions in UCD. Always being at the back of the group and really struggling to keep up can be disheartening. But the encouragement and support you get from the group and hearing stories of how other people have come on in their first 12 months, it really helps. The lovely Petrina told me ‘it does happen very quickly, but when it does, it happens all of a sudden’ so worth sticking with it. It is also the easiest of all 3 to get an injury from which has happened me already. I am taking a break from running at the moment and getting in lots of swimming, cycling and a couple of pilates classes to recover from the injury.

I got my bike about 2 weeks ago and I LOVE IT. Cycling is tough but so much fun. The Sunday cycles are great and good practice. Padded shorts are a must and the clip on peddles not as scary as people have made out.

Some important things I have learned over the past few months;

Prepare to spend a bit of money getting yourself equipped. Remember you are about to master 3 sports so you will need the gear for all 3. It has been a bit of a shock to the bank account.

SLEEP.. every night, 8 hours, it’s the only way to make all training sessions and remain consistent with your training from week to week.

Listen to your body – eat if you are hungry, sleep and rest plenty if you are tired, stop if you are injured. You are putting your body through something that it has never been through before so take your time. Patience is something I was never good at but definitely a quality required with Triathlon training. Aisling who was new to tri last year summed it up well when she told me for your first year, don’t try and compete with anyone just be consistent and get through it as best you can. And girls.. stay away from the scales!!

Talk to the coaches – they have all been through what we are going through and are very approachable .. well, most of them J your fellow club members are a great support as well.

Saturday morning sessions are a must. The swim followed by a run is a great session but the coffee and chats after make your week of training worth it!

Friends – your friends will think you are crazy – get used to it. I have learned to leave all ‘tri’ talk to the Saturday morning coffee with the club, your friends just won’t get it. It will hinder your social life as well but the social side of Piranha is great. ( .. and after a boozey night in Fallon & Byrne and a weekend away in Waterford and you’ve pretty much made friends for life!)

So I have signed up for my first triathlon on 12th May in Valencia. I have heard it’s a tough one but I have never been one to shy away from a challenge. It’s hard to believe a little over 4 months ago I had never even considered Triathlon and now I am well on my way to completing my first and hopefully quite well. Shows what you can achieve when you really want something!