New to triathlon or taking on new challenges in the off-season? Find out how your other sporting loves can impact on your triathlon progress.
Adrian Savery played American football as a student at Birmingham University. He now relishes the challenge of triathlon, from the tough Hellvelyn Tri to Upton’s long party weekend.
Benefits: Mental strength and stamina - we trained to keep going even when we were completely exhausted, with endless sprint repetitions. We also worked on explosive speed - good for sprint finishes - through resistance and interval training.
Baggage: The organisation around our football team was very strong. We spent a lot of time analysing performances and identifying weaknesses and were educated about what to do before game day – nutrition, easy exercise, stretching, strategy. I now have to get used to the fact that in triathlon there’s no-one else to rely on – you must think for yourself.
Biggest difference: A big part of American football was team camaraderie which I enjoyed. The best way to find this in triathlon is to get involved in a lively club, which I have at Clapham Chasers.
Verdict: Helpful - especially when compared to cricket, another sport I enjoy, which essentially involves standing in a field for long periods of time and then drinking cider - neither of which are particularly useful!
Picture credit: Thomas Barwick/ Getty Images
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I was a squash player who turned to Triathlon for fitness, now its Triathlon that's my main sport and only play squash in the winter months, the extra fitness and stamina has made me a better squash player even though I have a 6 month break each year!!
