Quit running to try to pursue triathlon?

If you have enough money, go for it.

Triathlon is very expensive.

imposter89 wrote:

I'm a collegiate runner in my sophomore year. Not crazy fast: high 14s for 5k, mid 25s for 8k. I feel like this year with covid has made me lose my care for college running and the NCAA. I was a triathlete as a junior and grew up swimming and running primarily. I cycle a lot now as I have been injured a lot this past year (3 separate injuries). Ive found myself this year putting all of my self worth and depending my happiness based on my running performance. I know the chances of being a pro runner or anything like that is very low.

However, I have been thinking about quitting running in college and pursuing a potential career in triathlon while finishing up my degree. I believe I could be decent at it and might have a possible future in this sport.

Thoughts and opinions?

Don't do it. I did triathlons many years ago. Was very good runner and swimmer. The biking sucks. Spending 5 hours out cycling really is something I had never done. Running - you spend an hour or bit more and you are done. Triathlon - you always have another workout to prepare for. I would eat dinner twice. Don't do triathons.

If you are a good swimmer. What's your best 100m? You definitely have the engine. It can be very expensive and time consuming. You only live once.

imposter89 wrote:

I'm a collegiate runner in my sophomore year. Not crazy fast: high 14s for 5k, mid 25s for 8k. I feel like this year with covid has made me lose my care for college running and the NCAA. I was a triathlete as a junior and grew up swimming and running primarily. I cycle a lot now as I have been injured a lot this past year (3 separate injuries). Ive found myself this year putting all of my self worth and depending my happiness based on my running performance. I know the chances of being a pro runner or anything like that is very low.

However, I have been thinking about quitting running in college and pursuing a potential career in triathlon while finishing up my degree. I believe I could be decent at it and might have a possible future in this sport.

Thoughts and opinions?

You won't be winning an Olympic medal in either sport so you should pick the one you think you will enjoy the most. I would choose running because it's requires less of a time commitment. In HS and college, my self worth was all so based on my running performance and it wasn't a good thing.

if you want to be a pro triathlete then it really depends how well you can swim and bike

if you want to do ITU shorter distance tris then you need to be a great swimmer. if you cant swim fast then you arent going to do anything. youll be behind the top group who will draft off each other on the bike and you will be even further back.

if you want to be good over the half and full ironman distance you need to be a great biker

learning to run well off the bike is also very challenging in and of itself. Especially if you are forcing yourself into a more aggressive TT position

honestly tris can be fun but if your goal is to go pro then you might want to re-evaluate your expectations

You'll have a fun time in triathlon because 90% of your age group struggles to run a 7 min mile split on a 5k run.

If you can bike fast you'll mop the floor on the runs if you are better than average at running alone. Biking stupidly fast is easy, you just need to optimize your aerodynamic position which is responsible for 90% of the energy you are putting into the system.

I am trying to train like a runner this year simply because it's the easiest way to win a tri without even trying, SOO many people suck horribly at running it's hilarious that I was able to get some AG podiums on absolute shi* MPW.

90% of runners at any local 5k can't run 7:00 minute miles

You do realize that triathlon involves running, right?

Sounds like you have come from a swimming background and are already a pretty decent runner when not injured. How good are you on the bike? The downside to triathlons is that they take up a crazy amount of your time.