EDMONTON – Olympic triathlete Paula Findlay was back in her hometown on Saturday to help prepare aspiring triathletes for the upcoming 2014 Grand Final Corporate ‘Try-a-Tri.’
“For a lot of them, it’s their first time racing,” said Findlay.
“It’s always a little scary going into your first triathlon or your second, or third.”
She tried out the race route in Edmonton’s Hawrelak Park with a large pack of cyclists before offering some advice on how best to prepare for the event.
“I love passing that knowledge along to other people who can’t spend their full day thinking about triathlon,” said Findlay.
“It’s all I do, so I become an expert at it. For people that haven’t done it before, I think I have a lot to share.”
Findlay has eight years of experience under her belt, and trains roughly five hours a day.
“Today we kind of went through training tips and nutrition tips, and racing tips and how to prepare themselves for the race… When it comes to pre-race nutrition and managing nerves, those are all things we all have to deal with.”
Findlay – who was the first Canadian triathlete to win a World Triathlon Series event – battled a nagging hip injury in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
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The 25-year-old is now healthy and back to rebuilding, currently living and training in B.C.
So, what are her top tips for new triathletes?
“The basic tip is to not do anything different than you normally do every day,” said Findlay.
“When you’re training and your body gets used to certain fuel, certain breakfast, just maintain that… Consistency trumps all, that’s my biggest tip.”
“You don’t have to do epic, huge miles and hard sessions, it’s just that if you can consistently train and not get injured, that is the number one key to being successful.”
The 2014 Grand Final Corporate ‘Try-a-Tri’ will take place on Sunday, Aug. 31 at Hawrelak Park.
The World Triathlon Grand Final will take place in Edmonton from Aug. 26 – Sept. 1.
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