As some of you may be aware, I will be turning the big 3-0 on Monday (no, I hear the rest of you gasp, you don’t look a day over 21!). A tale almost as old as time itself, I have heard my more mature triathlete friends warn me about the perils of turning 30 while doing our beloved sport. You don’t recover as quickly and you get injured easily. It doesn’t exactly sell ageing gracefully does it?
That being said, age in triathlon is not necessarily as detrimental as it would be in a sport such as swimming. Laura Phillip has just set the new women’s Ironman world record at the tender age of 38. Anne Haug was 36 when she won Kona in 2019, and Jan Frodeno was 38 when he won it in the same year. Clearly, particularly in the longer distances at least, maturity in the sport could be seen as an advantage.
Since I am not a world champion triathlete (yet, there’s still time), it would be remiss of me to ignore the advice of my friends. And so, I’ve listed out the best bits of advice that I’ve received over the years as I approach 30.
Strength and Conditioning
The number of sessions a week varies considerably depending on who you talk to but once you hit 30, S&C is your new best friend. This is more about building muscle mass than building endurance, especially as muscle mass starts to decline after age 35. Mark Allen has previously suggested lifting heavy weights designed to challenge the muscles in smaller reps, around 6-10.
Flexibility and mobility
Get stretching team because it will help ensure your longevity in triathlon. I personally like yoga for mobility, but any kind of stretching that works for you is great! Don’t over complicate it, the more difficult and long you make it, the easier it is to put off doing it. Little and often tend to work best. I like to stretch my shoulder while brushing my teeth!
More protein
As you get older, you need a higher percentage of protein in your diet in order for your body to utilise it to repair muscles. Protein rich foods include lean meats such as turkey and chicken, fish such as salmon, cottage cheese, Greek yoghurt, lentils and beans. I don’t like the term clean eating, everyone needs a treat now and then, but a balanced diet with a high percentage of protein is a must.
Consistency is key
It’s a phrase that applied to any stage of the triathlon journey, but it’s very important for the older athlete. When you have days of not training, fitness drops off quicker and regaining fitness takes longer, and the risk of injury increases. You don’t need to be doing the same sessions that you did when you were younger, heroics will not achieve anything and you are more likely to get injured. Train to the level that you’re at in the here and now, not where you used to be.
Ageing in triathlon is nothing to be scared of, but something that can be approached with good old fashioned common sense to get the most out of yourself for as long as you can. And for those of you who may need a little more convincing that you have many years to come in this sport, 92-year-old Hiromu Indu from Japan completed Ironman 70.3 Cairns this year. I can only hope I’m still competing into my 90s!