What My First Triathlon Taught Me About Entrepreneurship

I did my first triathlon last weekend.

I wouldn’t say I did well. In fact, it was a lot like my first foray into entrepreneurship — a.k.a. we made it out alive.

Before you take that as a joke, I’m actually serious. I achieved all three goals I set myself for triathlon #1:

• I didn’t die (despite the triathlon swim being in anti-freeze green-coloured water);
• I finished the race (thank God it wasn’t a single step longer); and 
• I didn’t come last (although my shockingly long run /walk time put me close).

There’s something to be said for keeping your expectations low when you’re new to the kind of challenges entrepreneurs and triathletes face.

Anywho, having achieved my goals, I thought that was more than enough reason to give myself a treat. So post-triathlon I went to Five Guys and ordered:

• a juicy, cheesy burger with all the toppings (except pickles, yuck);
• salty, crispy skin on fries that easily beat any other fast food fries you can find in Australia; and
• a smooth, creamy and crunchy milkshake with peanut butter and bacon.

Now your mouth is watering (sorry, not sorry), let me tell you about the thoughts that occurred to me while I was driving home, because while I could talk food all day, you probably don’t want me to.

Anywho, those thoughts…

Some of them are about triathlon, most are about entrepreneurship and there’s even mention of a shovel and wheelbarrow (I know, I wasn’t expecting that either).

Let’s dive in.

1️⃣ Even the best plans will fall apart; find an alternative solution

Initially, I registered for the Hawks Nest Triathlon in late November. Then I discovered I have to have surgery in early November, followed by a 6-8 week recovery, so Hawkes Nest was off the cards. 

Instead of stressing about it, I looked at alternative triathlons I could complete before surgery. That’s when I discovered the Nepean Triathlon in Penrith in late October and registered immediately.

Suddenly, I had 4 weeks less than I thought to train for my first triathlon. So I made some adjustments to the training plan and got to work.

💡 The ability to stay resilient and roll with the punches is critical as a triathlete and a business owner (holy crap, I’m a triathlete 😊).

2️⃣ Unexpected challenges will arise

In the lead-up to the triathlon, I’d been worried about the water being too cold and not being fit enough.

Turns out, I should have been worried about the 1.3ish tonnes of soil I had to shovel and wheelbarrow into my backyard and the 90+m of turf I had to lay in the days leading up to the race.

Thankfully, I’ve been working on my strength and stability for years now, along with building a quality support network to deal with the times when my body gets mad at me.

So, I pushed through, laid the turf, and then used my regular Friday exercise physiology appointment to foam roll the bejesus out of all the sore parts of my body.

I can’t say I felt perfect for the race, but I did feel much better than I expected considering the work I’d done just days before the race.

💡 Fact is, challenges will arise in your business too. The key is to have a solid support system in place so you can reach out for help when you need it.

3️⃣ Quality tools won't make tough tasks run perfectly, but they will run smoother

I spent quite a few $$ preparing for this triathlon. I bought a triathlon bag, a wetsuit, a tri suit, a race belt and some new running shoes. Did I need any of this stuff? No. Did it help? Hell yes. 

Case in point… I was so tired during the transitions that there’s no way I was in a fit state to pin my number to my tri-suit. Thankfully, I had a race belt that clipped on easily. 

The tri-suit was another important investment. I’ve struggled to get comfortable on the run because my stupid pants always roll down (if you know, you know). Wearing a one-piece tri-suit meant I didn’t have any of those issues on the day. Now, I can’t say it was pretty… but I was comfortable, and that’s all I cared about until I saw the photos.

💡Here on LinkedIn, people often ask if Sales Navigator or LinkedIn Premium are worth the cost. I say ‘yes’. Not because you’ll definitely get an ROI from utilising these products, but they will make outreach run much smoother than if you didn’t have these tools.

4️⃣ You don’t have to go it alone

I struggled on the run. 

Actually, ‘struggled’ might not be a strong enough word. You see, I have some pre-existing injuries that create horrific calf pain when I run. So much so, I walked probably half of the run leg. 

That is until a fellow competitor ran up to me and said “c’mon, you’ve got this”. Even though she had more in the tank, she chose to run with me, talk me through and push me harder than I was able to push myself. 

We crossed the finish line together and I will be forever grateful for her support to ensure I finished my first-ever triathlon.

💡I’m also incredibly grateful for the amazing team I have around me at Introvert Enterprises . We always have each other's backs, we pick up the slack when someone else is struggling and we consistently work to raise each other up. Honestly, on the days when I don’t want to be in business anymore, it’s my team that gets me through. Sometimes I yearn for the simplicity of the solopreneur life, then I remember I couldn’t do what I do without my crew.

5️⃣ Never underestimate the value of your person

Our pet sitter cancelled the day before I was meant to travel to Sydney for my triathlon. Initially, we’d planned for Charlotte, my partner, to come with me because I wanted some support. But the cancellation meant I had to go alone. In a way, it was good because I got a great sleep the night before the race, then sat around all day Saturday relaxing until it was time to prepare for the race. But when I arrived at the venue, I started to get nervous. I had to take all of my gear into transition before 4pm for a race start time of 5.15pm, which gave the nerves more chance to stress me out.

That is, until Charlotte arrived. You see, she decided to drive down on the day to watch my race and then drive home that evening to be with the animals. I wasn’t really involved in making this possible, she just did it because she knew I wanted support, and she wanted to be there for me.

💡If you’re an entrepreneur who’s in a relationship, that is the most important relationship in your life. Your person will pick up the slack when you’re totally consumed by work and they will be your shoulder to cry on when things aren’t going your way. Regardless of whether they are in the business or not, your person will be your rock along your entrepreneurial journey.

6️⃣ Take time to enjoy your achievements

It’s easy to move on to the next thing without stopping to appreciate what you’ve done. In fact, I’ve done it far too many times in both my personal and professional life. So this time around, I planned to celebrate well in advance of actually completing the triathlon. I knew I was going to Five Guys for dinner after my race and honestly, it was a big factor in deciding to go ahead with the race despite the tough week I had in the leadup. I hadn’t been to Five Guys since moving back to Australia from the UK in 2019, so I enjoyed every mouthful of the burger, fries and milkshake I had for my post-race dinner.

💡I didn’t celebrate my first $100, my first $1,000, my first $10k month or my first $100k year. I honestly didn’t even notice I’d achieved the last two goals until well after I achieved them because I was too busy to stop and look. So now, when I’m having a tough day, I go and look at the Stripe dashboard then go to Slack and see how many staff we have… because even when I feel like I’m not achieving what I'd like to be, knowing we bring in enough money to support multiple families is incredible.

7️⃣  The hard work is worth it

I finished my first triathlon and I’m so proud of myself. I’ve had this goal for at least 15 years and I could have kept putting it off. Instead, I chose to bite the bullet and get it done. Yes, it was tough. But last weekend I proved to myself that I can achieve something incredible, despite all of the physical challenges I’ve faced throughout my life.

💡Entrepreneurship is tough. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s life-changing. There are some days when I wonder if it’s worth it, but then I look back at what I’ve achieved and how much I’ve grown and in hindsight, I know it’s worth the effort.

The TL;DR

Whether you’re completing your first triathlon or completing an entrepreneurial journey, here are 6 important things you need to remember:

1/ Even the best plans can go awry

2/ Unexpect challenges will crop up a lot

3/ Quality tools aren’t essential, but they sure make tasks easier

4/ You don’t have to go it alone

5/ Never underestimate your person

6/ Take time to enjoy your achievements

7/ The hard work is worth it

What else do you think is important for entrepreneurs (and triathletes) to know?