7 lessons I've learned from triathlon training that help me run a business

There are times when inspiration and valuable lessons come to us from the most unexpected places.

For me, it was training for a triathlon that helped me discover and uncover some powerful insights that now help me run my design studio better.

“I could never.”

^^^ Those three words are insanely powerful.

They’re what I told myself about a lot of things (that’s another blog post, though), but particularly whenever I saw someone or something related to triathlons... which happened relatively often, because I’ve got a friend who competes in them.

The idea of a triathlon just seemed like such an unattainable feat to me. Swimming is fraught with anxiety and insecurity from primary school, I only learned how to properly ride a bicycle in my 20s, and running is fine... but after swimming and cycling a bunch? No way José.

And then, last year, I decided to prove myself wrong. Because why the hell not? So I challenged myself to sign up for a triathlon sprint. And then I did it.

However, even though the race itself was the milestone event, it was the training experience that had a lasting impact on me.

The lessons I learned while preparing for the race have influenced the way I approach running my design business. And that’s why I still train as is I’m training for a triathlon today. It reminds me about some really valuable things, and I want to share those today.

(Side-note: Challenge yourself to do something you say “I could never” to. It’s transformational, truly. You’ll see why.)

1. “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right.”

This Henry Ford quote resonated with me throughout my triathlon training. In fact, it epitomises the entire experience for me: Until the moment I stopped saying “I could never do a triathlon”, I couldn’t. Then I registered for one, said “Now I’m going to do one”, and then I did.

It sounds so simple, that it sounds STOOPID... but it’s literally the entire formula for life.

Mindset and the stories you tell yourself play a significant role in determining success. Doubting my ability to complete the triathlon slowed down my progress, but once I shifted my focus and began to believe in myself, I found the motivation to push through.

And I apply the same principle to my business: My ability to succeed only goes as far as my belief in my ability to succeed.

2. Willpower is unreliable

Do not — I repeat — do not wait until you feel like doing something to do something.

Willpower is like a muscle that gets tired and cramps. You can’t just push and push and push and expect it to hold out. You need to find other ways to keep up the pace, because willpower will fluctuate and change all the time.

During my training, I needed to create systems and routines that made it easy to stick to my training schedule. If I waited until I felt like jumping into the pool, I might never do it. I had to visualise what the race would look like, and how this session would help me do an extra 30 seconds on race day. And then it wasn’t about whether I wanted to or not; now, I needed to. I knew I needed those 30 seconds.

With my design studio, I’ve created similar systems that help me stay focused and motivated:

• I work to a pomodoro timer when there’s a lot to get done.

• I have templates for my proposal writing and contracting, so that I don’t have start from zero every time.

• And I have a really good “why”...

3. It’s easy when the “why” is strong

Know your “why” and the “how” will follow (so will the motivation).

The best alternative to willpower is to uncover the deep deep deep reason behind what you want to do. And if is isn’t strong enough, you’re going to falter.

How? Ask “why” until you hit a loop:

• Why am I doing a triathlon? Because I want to prove to myself that I can.

• Why do I want to prove that? Because I always thought I can’t do one.

• Why did I always think that? Because triathlons look really hard.

• Why do they look really hard? Because I’ve never tried doing one.

• Why have I never tried? Because I’m scared I’ll fail.

The thing that got me to gym on those meh days was knowing that this was me getting comfortable with that feeling of failure. When I thought “What will people think if I pull out?”, I didn't actually want to go to gym. The “why” of impressing people didn’t push me. But the “why” of changing my brain chemistry did.

In my business, this is the only way to get over those dips in purpose; those days when you feel like throwing it all away, not getting up, being really stressed... It’s the “why” that cuts through that noise.

So, make damn sure you’ve got a good one.

4. Urgency is a convenient cover-up

Training takes time. It’s a good 1-2 hour chunk of my day, including getting to gym and showering afterwards. And I often feel rushed to get all the things done in my day.

Well... I learned a lot about how I use work and urgency to BS myself out of doing uncomfortable things.

It might be a task I’m not looking forward to doing, an email I’m dreading sending, a gym session I’m not excited to get up for... it’s not a coincidence that there’s always something “more urgent” that comes up in those moments.

This is a lesson I think I’m going to be learning for the rest of my life. But it’s a useful reminder to be OK to take it a little slower. Those 25 minutes in the pool, that 45 minute cycle, that 30 minute run... it’s a nice time to breathe through that feeling of urgency, and just notice it.

And I have yet to fall behind on work due to taking an hour to go to gym. Or even reading. Or napping. (Take that, inner-voice!)

5. You have to move, to move forward

There are moments when I’m in the pool, on one end of the lane, staring at the other side. And I float there, wondering how I’ll make it from here to there.

News flash: The only way is to actually kick off the wall, and take that first stroke.

You can’t think your way through action. Don’t get me wrong, thinking is valuable; but it can very easily turn into a trap that stops you from ever actually doing anything.

6. The scariest thing is my own mind

It isn’t muscle fatigue that makes me want to get off the Wattbike 20 minutes into my 45 minute cycle; it’s being uncomfortable with sitting in my own thoughts. I don’t have any of my normal distractions, so I have to sit there and listen to all the thoughts that come up:

• This is boring.

• Why are you doing this?

• Who are you trying to be?

• Are you even doing it right?

• I don’t feel like cooking today, I’m lazy.

• Ugh my knee is starting to hurt, I wonder if I should just stop?

God... the voice I have to listen to in my own head is torture. And I only realised just how annoying and noisy that inner voice can be when I started sitting with it for 1-2 hours a day. And hearing nothing else.

That voice is my own worst enemy.

It’s the thing that knocks the wind out of my sails. It’s what turns a passing comment from someone into a lifetime insecurity. It’s what makes me feel like the most inadequate human being on the planet.

Overcoming those mental hurdles was one of the most significant challenges I faced while training. But once I learned too hear my inner critic, and focus on the present, I found it easier to make progress.

Am I perfect at this? Not even close. But I can notice it better now. And I get to listen to it, and notice it, and care 1% less about what it says, whenever I go to gym.

As a freelancer, no one is going to pat me on the back every time I do something. I have to be that for myself. And I can’t let that inner voice hold me back.

7. Progress isn’t linear (duh)

Finally, one of the most valuable lessons I learned from my triathlon training was to zoom TF out. On a day to day rhythm, I went from feeling like a fucking dolphin to barely getting through 10 laps in the pool before wanting to cry. From a week to week rhythm, though, I could do 2 more laps on average.

Look, progress is a corrupted concept in this day-and-age. It’s curated, filtered, edited, and put under good lighting for virality’s sake. So, when we look at yourselves in the mirror, we see a wrinkle and blame ourselves for not being a beauty filter. And think that’s totally rational???

Training really helps remind me that things fluctuate. A lot. Just because today I feel strong and motivated doesn’t mean tomorrow will be the same.

It’s kind of a lesson in expectations: If you expect tomorrow to go as well as today, you might be disappointed; if you’re open to whatever it brings, you adapt.

In work, this keeps me nimble. It helps me move through bad days and be humble about good days.

Sure, I still get this wrong a bunch, but that’s why I keep up the triathlon training. On a daily basis, I put myself in a position where I have to confront that sometimes I feel strong and look fit, and sometimes I am tired and flabby. And expecting anything else is just not realistic.

Conclusion

It doesn’t have to be quite as crazy as training for a triathlon. That might just be me.

But finding something that pushes you a little out of your comfort zone every day — just slightly, not a huge amount — can really do wonders for teaching you stuff and reminding you about what’s really important.

Would recommend 10/10.