Triathlon

Triathlon Journey: From Olympic Swimming Dreams to Olympic Triathlete

Well, I got started with Triathlon, kind of like who incident good timing. A bit of luck. I'd always applied to being an Olympic swimmer from as young as I can. Remember, but something was my passion and I remember watching the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 and sitting on the floor. Watching our Australian Summers and just saying, I want to do that one day. I want to serve my country. I want to wear the green and And I want to have the Australian flag and I want to compete for my country and that Olympic dream to Triathlon. All through the culminated around a similar time of changing schools to a highly Force for excellent school, where I wanted to pursue my ceiling further where I was not forced, but encourage quite a lot to, to compete in. Cross-country running and then it was around this time that this whole concept of trust funds, you came into my world, you know, girls from my son Club. We're doing a bit of triathlon. And some of the runners that I somehow, we're competing against where triathletes, and I was like, what to translate and I'll run coach was actually the Run coats of one who is now, Melissa, rowlandson or so is now Melissa, Mel hassle, I should say at that time Melrose. To me and she was running around the tracks and I was just fortunate. I think with the timing of the introduction of the Olympics in 2000 and Sydney and being in the Australian and my home country that Triathlon just became this, you know, the sport that the started encompassing me and I was on the sidelines of Sydney, 2000 Olympics and add had done. The few School triathlons and taking part. But that was my defining moment where I really decided that I wanted to convert my swimming aspirations at the Olympics and convert that into Triathlon and someday go to the Olympics for trifling.

I got into triathlon through a combination of luck and good timing. I had always wanted to be an Olympic swimmer, but something about Triathlon caught my eye when I watched the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. This dream was furthered when I went to a school that encouraged me to compete in cross-country running, as well as Triathlon. My passion for Triathlon was solidified when I was on the sidelines of the Sydney 2000 Olympics and decided to convert my swimming aspirations into Triathlon and one day go to the Olympics for it.

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I got started with Triathlon through a combination of good timing and luck. I had always dreamed of being an Olympic swimmer since I was young. Watching the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 ignited my passion even more, and I knew I wanted to represent my country one day.

Around the same time, I changed schools to a highly competitive institution that encouraged me to pursue my swimming further. It was during this period that I became aware of Triathlon through some girls in my swim club who were involved in the sport. I also discovered that some of the runners I competed against were triathletes.

I was fortunate to have a running coach, Melissa Rowlandson (now Melissa Hauschildt), who introduced me to the world of Triathlon. The timing aligned with the introduction of the Olympics in Sydney in 2000, which further fueled my interest in the sport.

Attending the Sydney 2000 Olympics as a spectator was a defining moment for me. It solidified my decision to transition my swimming aspirations to Triathlon and set my sights on competing in the Olympics for this multi-discipline sport.

Do you miss being an active triathlete and do you consider coming back as an age grouper ?

Former Triathlete Reflects on Missing Competition and Dreams of Kona

Do I miss being an active triathlete? Yeah, there's parts of it that I really miss. I love competition. I really miss competition, the thrill of the adrenaline, the aiming towards the goal. I think that's something that's just been a part of my life so I think it's a little tricky when your goals are not as quite easily defined. I wouldn't say I miss the fatigue. That's something that I think also becoming a parent you realise that well for me I feel like I'm not able to give probably in both pots to that. To be honest I think my only dream would be to ever do Kona once. That's been a lifelong dream of mine but to do it on a regular basis probably not.

Yes, I miss being an active triathlete. I miss the competition and the thrill of the adrenaline and aiming for a goal. My only dream is to compete in Kona once.

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Do I miss being an active triathlete? Yes, there are aspects of it that I genuinely miss. I have a deep love for competition and the adrenaline rush that comes with it. Working towards a goal and striving to achieve it is something that has always been a significant part of my life. However, I can't say that I miss the fatigue that comes with being an athlete. Becoming a parent has also made me realize that my energy is divided, and I may not be able to give my all in both areas. If there was one dream I would still pursue, it would be participating in Kona once, as it has been a lifelong aspiration of mine. However, engaging in triathlons regularly is probably not something I would consider at this point in my life.

Before the Beijing Olympics you said you actually had to stop training as hard as you were. How did you know to make that decision?

Olympic Champion's Surprising Decision: Letting Go of Perfection

Before Beijing, I did mention that in the lead up to the last three weeks in my preparation that I had to pretty much let go of what I now realise was a very regimented plan in which I had started thinking that everything needed to go perfectly in order to have the perfect race at the Olympics. I needed the perfect preparation and therefore all my training had been dialled in and it all needed to go accordingly. So I think when I basically hit a point about two and a half, three weeks out where I had peaked too early and essentially that can have a negative effect and basically mean you can be over trained and have a more detrimental result to not just your race but you're not able to get anything more out of your training. So I think for me what I had at that time was Dennis Cottrell as my sounding board and I had to take his advice as hard as it was to understand at the time. But I think upon reflection even in that day or two afterwards I realised that I was striving for perfection in the Olympics and this race and therefore the build up which was something I'd actually never done before and it was also creating I think an unrealistic pressure for myself more coupled with the fact of what I was probably pretty good at ignoring per se but was putting aside the outside expectations. So I think for me it was just about changing my mindset and realising that I'd done the work and it could be more detrimental if I kept digging myself down that rabbit hole.

In the lead up to the Olympics, I had to take the advice of my coach Dennis Cottrell and let go of my regimented plan. I was trying for perfection and this was creating unrealistic pressure for myself as well as ignoring outside expectations. I had to change my mindset and realise that I had done the work and that it would be more detrimental if I kept pushing myself too hard.

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Before the Beijing Olympics, I made the decision to stop training as hard as I was because I realized I had become too fixated on having a perfect race. I had developed a regimented plan where everything needed to go flawlessly in order for me to have the ideal preparation and performance at the Olympics. However, about two and a half to three weeks before the event, I reached a point where I had peaked too early and risked overtraining, which could have a negative impact on both my race and overall training progress.

At that time, I had Dennis Cottrell as my mentor, and he served as my sounding board. It was difficult to accept his advice initially, but upon reflection, even within a day or two, I realized that my pursuit of perfection in the Olympics and that particular race was creating unrealistic pressure for myself. Additionally, it was important for me to set aside external expectations that were lingering in the background.

Ultimately, it was about changing my mindset and understanding that I had already put in the necessary work. Continuing down the path of excessive training would have been more detrimental than beneficial. I needed to shift my focus and avoid going deeper into an unproductive mindset.

Emma Frodeno answers your Triathlon questions. See all the advice Emma Frodeno has and get answers to your own Triathlon questions.

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OAM : Olympic Champion : Commonwealth Games and 3 x World Triathlon Champion:
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