Triathlon Then and Now

Triathlon Then and Now

Before the gadgets and the graphs – what really made us better athletes.

Why am I writing this now? Is it because we’ve been talking about magnetic turbo trainers, running with Timex watches, and swimming using the pace clock? Is it because I’m bringing new athletes on board and explaining all the new concepts, technology, and kit they think they need is, frankly, mind-blowing?

Or maybe it’s because much of the “noise” around the sport seems to focus on bike fits, grams of carb per hour, carbon shoes, electrolytes – and not on the actual training process.

It’s made me stop and think about how far triathlon has come, how different it is now, and what actually matters for an athlete – especially someone just starting out.

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Looking Back

Fifteen to twenty years ago, triathlon looked very different – smaller, simpler, a bit rougher around the edges. And yet, in some ways, more personal.

We trained without smart trainers or structured data. No ERG mode, no FTP targets, no coloured training zones to hit. Just a magnetic turbo, a creaky fan, and a towel that was never quite big enough. You judged effort by breathing, by heart rate, by how much the front wheel rocked when you were pushing hard.

Long rides meant getting lost on country lanes with a paper map in your back pocket and reading road signs. Long runs were done with a Timex stopwatch and a vague sense of distance. You’d come back home saying, “must’ve been about 10 miles,” and believe it.

There was a rawness to it – no auto-sync, no instant uploads, no data validation. You trained, and you remembered how it felt. You didn’t need a graph to tell you it was a good session.

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It Wasn’t All Better

Of course, it wasn’t all better. We’d probably cringe at the fuelling strategies (if you can call them that) – a few gels in the back pocket and a bottle of sports drink that had been sitting at the back of the cupboard for as long as you could remember. Recovery meant compression tights and a glass of milk. Strength training and yoga instead of a bike or run … are you mad? Stretching was something you did for the first 30 seconds of the next session.

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Barriers to Entry Today

Fifteen years on, the tools have changed. But the work, the effort, and the feeling you chase when you train – that’s still the same.

What’s different now is how high the entry gate has been built. Back then, you could get started with a second-hand bike, a borrowed wetsuit, and a bit of curiosity. You didn’t need to know much – you learned as you went.

Now, the first steps can feel harder. A smart trainer, a power meter, a watch that costs more than your first bike – these tools are brilliant once you know how to use them. But for newcomers, it can feel intimidating. The key is to focus first on the fundamentals: learning your body, developing consistency, and enjoying the process. Everything else – gadgets, data, and subscriptions – is a way to enhance that foundation, not replace it.

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The Cost of Entry vs the Value of Experience

It’s tempting to focus on the price tag, but the truth is that so much of what actually makes you better doesn’t cost anything at all. Experience is the most valuable “tool” an athlete can develop. The hours you spend learning how your body responds to training loads, how to pace on the bike, how to manage nutrition, and how to recover – that’s what builds intuition and confidence.

One of the smartest investments an athlete can make, especially in the early days, is a coach. A good coach doesn’t just hand you training sessions; they help you navigate the process. They save you time and energy by showing you what really matters, help you avoid mistakes, make the journey more enjoyable, and help you reach your goals faster. In many ways, getting guidance early can be more important than waiting until you’re experienced – it’s how you turn raw effort into meaningful progress.

When it comes to spending money or effort in the early days, the priorities are different than they might first seem. Focus on what shapes you as an athlete, not what looks impressive.

Once you’ve built a base of experience – consistent training, awareness of your body, and confidence in your routine – then and only then does it make sense to layer on tech and upgrades. They refine what you already have; they don’t replace the work.

So yes, triathlon can be expensive. But the things that make you a real athlete – discipline, awareness, patience, and experience – remain free. And if you invest wisely in guidance early, that experience comes faster, with fewer missteps and more enjoyment along the way.

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Experience Over Perfection

One lesson that comes up again and again – in swimming, on the bike, and on the run – is that progress comes from experience, not perfection.

I told an athlete today: training doesn’t have to be perfect. We just need to keep moving forward. It’s a simple statement, but it carries a lot of weight. There’s a temptation to micromanage every stroke, every pedal revolution, every pace. To tweak and adjust constantly, in search of the “perfect session.” But that can be paralyzing, and it rarely produces lasting improvement.

In swimming, for example, an athlete can spend a whole session being told to fix every small detail. Often, in my experience, it’s more effective to focus on one or two key points, and then let them swim. Improvements come through practice, awareness, and time in the water – in other words, experience.

The same principle applies across triathlon. Gadgets, apps, and wearables are helpful, but they cannot replace the lessons learned through consistent effort. They are tools, not magic. The hours on the bike, the miles in the pool, and the runs in varying conditions – plus the small failures and adjustments along the way – build understanding and confidence.

Early in a season, or early in a triathlon journey, athletes should focus on what really matters: showing up, doing the work, and learning through doing. Everything else – perfection, the latest gear, obsessing over every metric – can come later, once the foundation of experience is built.

In short: move forward, trust the process, and let experience do its work. That’s how athletes grow.

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Closing Reflection (with a Cautionary Tale)

Triathlon has changed in countless ways, but the fundamentals remain the same. The tools, the tech, and the guidance can accelerate progress, but they cannot replace the hours, the effort, or the lessons that come from showing up and learning as you go.

And here’s a cautionary tale: gadgets are brilliant, but only if they serve the work – not the other way around. Swim session didn’t load onto the Garmin? So you didn’t swim. Spent 30 minutes trying to get Zwift to sync? Gave up. Couldn’t hit your power numbers? Cut the session short. Garmin wasn’t charged? Run tomorrow instead. Pressed stop on the swim already? Skip the cooldown because it won’t record. Tomorrow’s four-hour ride route wouldn’t sync? An hour on the turbo will have to do. Modern training logic: if it’s not tracked, it didn’t happen — or at least, the session has to fit within the tech.

I have seen and heard all of the above many times over.

Don’t let that happen to you. Focus on the fundamentals – consistency, technique, effort, and learning from experience – and let the tools support you, not hinder you.

Whether you’re on a magnetic turbo, watching the pace clock, or scribbling your session reflection in a training diary, remember: consistency, experience, and thoughtful guidance are what turn curiosity into progress. Everything else – gadgets, data, and noise – is secondary.