Training for a Triathlon: Hilary's Edition

We caught up with one of our participants ahead of the Race the Sun Jurassic to hear how they trained, where their thoughts are at ahead of the big day and how they feel the tide is changing to welcome more women than ever to the world of triathlons. However this isn't just any participant, it is none other than the Mum of our Event Director Chris Forecast. Meet the wonderful Hilary before she takes on the Race the Sun challenge this weekend...

• Hello Hilary! Race the Sun Jurassic is almost upon us and this is your first triathlon with us. What inspired you to sign up?

"I have done traditional triathlons around twenty plus years ago, but this is the first event like this where it takes in hike, bike and paddle. Bizarrely it was Strictly Come Dancing that inspired me. So many of the celebrities said how much participating in the show was taking them out of their comfort zone. I thought ‘when did I last do anything out of my comfort zone? When did I last try something, I didn’t know I’d be able to do?’ If I don’t think I can do something, I don’t do it!"

• That is a brilliant way to try something out of your ordinary and open yourself up to a new adventure. What reservations did you have, or barriers did you feel you faced? And what helped you overcome them?

"I’ve always had a thing about having weak arms or little upper body strength. I’ve had various phases of doing something about it whether that be training to do 5 press ups then finding a friend could do 20. Therefore, the kayak phase was originally the big worry and my main focus when it came to training. I seriously did not know if I could do it. I mean how long does a 2 mile kayak trip take? 1 hour? 2 hours? As this was the concern, I began my training with a focus on building arm strength and through training, gained confidence in my abilities and strength."

• Well done! How else have you prepared for the triathlon?

"From January I have been working on my arm endurance at the gym. I found a hand cycle machine and started building up time on that. From 5 minutes to 7 minutes, and up to 10 minutes. Then I progressed to sessions where I’d sandwich my regular spin class with sets of the cycle machine before and after class. Often mixing up my sessions in duration and difficulty. I’d do some hand cycle, then some rowing, then some more hand cycle which built my sessions up to 45 minutes! When it was Easter and the lovely weather appeared, it was time to hit the water. Mike (my husband, ex sea kayaking legend) and I bought a sit on top kayak after we moved down to the coast about 6 years ago. We have only been out on it a couple of times and I tended to sit at the front, paddle a bit and enjoy the view.

Last Easter, on a very still, sunny day we took the boat down to the river and set off with a plan of 1 mile down river and turn round 1 mile back. We managed it under 40 minutes. I couldn’t believe it! So assuming next Saturday is a calm, sunny, no wind day, I’ll be fine!"

• We have been looking into how we can encourage more women to get to our start lines. In your experience of sporting events that you have participated in across the board, have you noticed the tide is changing and how so? 

"How have attitudes changed? Well, I think I was about 22 when I first did a triathlon. There  were 4 ladies in it! By the time I stopped doing them, about 20 years later (I didn’t do that many), I didn’t feel at all conspicuous being a woman!"

• It will be great to see how many women you spot at the start line this weekend! We pride ourselves on having a fantastic women representation and continue to strive to improve. Out of the trek, bike and canoe, what phase are you most looking forward to and which will be the biggest challenge? And why?

"Over the summer we have done lots of longer than normal walks and now this is the phase that concerns me. I had a hip replacement about 10 years ago and I do find after 6 miles my hip aches, or a knee hurts, or a foot hurts. I’ve bought some walking poles and this has particularly helped with alleviating the stress on the joints. Two trips to what we’ve called Brittany Boot camp have also helped!"

• What snacks or extra handy items are you planning on packing with you to help your journey?

"Snacks and handy items; we never go on any bike rides without 'anti grump' bars or cakes for me. Mike is taking bike repair stuff and I’m filling saddle bags and pockets and rucksack with protein-packed high energy bars, flapjacks, cereal bars."

• Perfect fuel to keep you going for miles! Have you been given any advice on your event or have a motto to go by to help motivate you? 

"No one has dared to offer any advice, I give myself enough. Events like this are all about sustaining a pace you can keep up for however many hours. One peddle/step/arm action at a time... And I also firmly believe that Bitburger and red wine help!"

A big thank you to Hilary for her time chatting with us. We absolutely cannot wait to see her at the start line with her triathlon teammate and husband Mike. Make sure you keep an eye out for updates across the weekend and a follow up chat with Hilary as she reflects post-event. 

Itching to get involved in a triathlon? 

Check out our Race the Sun series as next year's dates will be going live soon and all of our events are proudly partnered with SheRaces. Wondering what that means? It means we have seriously considered the barriers that women overcome to get involved in sporting events and have taken steps to help create a more welcoming, inclusive and accessible environment for women in sports.