Women balancing triathlon training: learning all three sports

Pulenaz: making room for three unfamiliar sports

Pulenaz is preparing for her first triathlon without arriving as a standout swimmer, cyclist or runner. Her appeal is the candid middle of learning: a pool session that feels awkward, a bike ride that takes planning, and a run that starts with tired legs. She lets each session be a step toward the event rather than proof that she has mastered it.

In the pool she stops at the wall to catch her breath and talks about how quickly her breathing gets messy when she tries to hurry. On the next visit she swims manageable lengths with pauses instead of forcing a continuous effort. That makes the ordinary-swimmer experience recognizable: she is learning to settle into the water while still finding time for the other two sports.

On the bike she checks the route and practices getting comfortable with the gears. A short run after a ride reveals how different her legs feel when she changes sports. She slows down and treats the transition as something to learn, not a test she has failed. Watch her for the choices and adjustments that make a first attempt feel approachable.

What happens when the week gets crowded

Pulenaz lays out the three sessions she wants to fit in, then has to rethink the order when a day becomes busy. She keeps the swim because pool access needs more planning, shifts the ride to another day and makes the run shorter. The useful moment is her decision about what can move: she does not try to squeeze every missed minute into the next session.

Jordan Smith, who shares recipes and athletic pursuits at Jordo’s World, describes training for her first triathlon as a scheduling puzzle. She was following a marathon plan and trying to add two bike rides and two swims each week. Work schedules, gym and pool hours, and weather all competed for space; a plan made for the week could change the next morning.

References: Jordan Smith / Jordo’s World · Jordan Smith / Jordo’s World

Smith calls scheduling the biggest training challenge in her account of the TriZou sprint triathlon. She went on to describe race day as well, including checking out the transition area beforehand. Her written story is the direct choice for someone who wants the difficulty of fitting sessions around work and the other fixed parts of a week, through to a first race. Her running preparation also makes her starting point different from Pulenaz’s ordinary-at-all-three experience.

References: Jordan Smith / Jordo’s World

Heather Fell: an experienced multisport perspective

For a different starting point, look for Heather Fell on Global Triathlon Network’s shared YouTube channel. GTN describes her as an Olympic silver medallist in modern pentathlon in 2008 who later moved into triathlon; in 2017 she qualified for Kona by finishing second in her age group at Ironman South Africa.

References: Global Triathlon Network

Fell is a useful choice if you want a presenter bringing a long competitive multisport background to triathlon. Pulenaz is the closer match for the uncertainty of learning all three from an ordinary starting point; Smith’s first-race account shows the challenge of fitting training around work and other commitments.

Sources and attribution

1. Global Triathlon Network

   Heather FellPublication date not listed · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

2. Jordan Smith / Jordo’s World

   First Triathlon ExperiencePublished Jun 20, 2019 · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

3. Jordan Smith / Jordo’s World

   Meet JordoPublication date not listed · Recorded Oct 29, 2026