Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much to those of you who sent in your questions. Some were very similar to others so we've condensed them down to the following. Do remember to ask the instructors in your local venue for help and advice - they'll all be ready and willing to help!

Check back next week for our customer's talking about their expereince at our Live Active Race Series Events.

Tracey G

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Q: I want to take on the challenge of a triathlon but I’m a bit worried - what do I need to do to get started?

A: Triathlons are not as scary as you think and you don’t need to be a super-fit club or Olympic triathlete to take part!  Every event we run has first-timers taking part.  To get started in a pool based event such as the Aberfeldy Sprint Triathlon all you need is:

• A swim suit and goggles
• A road worthy bike and a cycle helmet
• Shorts, T-shirt and trainers

You should try to swim, cycle and run at least once a week each, for 6-12 weeks, in the build up to the event.  You may wish to join a triathlon club for training support, however this is not necessary.  Your local Live Active venue will have some options of sessions or classes you can take part in to help with your training and some sites offer Personal Programmes or Personal Training – see our earlier blog for further details:  http://www.liveactive.co.uk/Blog/ready-get-set-time-to-train

If you prefer to plan your own training there are a lot of training programmes on the internet if you search ‘beginner’s triathlon training programme’.  You can watch short videos and tips on the British Triathlon Website: https://www.britishtriathlon.org/training/top-tips

It’s also much more fun with friends so why not get your friends or family involved – if you don’t feel ready to take on all 3 sections yet there is a team option. 

Q: My daughter is interested in the Aquathlon event at Strathearn but has never taken part in an event before – how can I help her?

A: The Aquathlon events are fantastic for youngsters to get their first taste of multi-discipline events.  Last year at Strathearn we had a number of local children who had never taken part in anything like this before and every single one of them had a fabulous time and left at the end of the day with a medal and a smile!

As long as your daughter is a competent swimmer and has a swimming costume and goggles, a T-shirt, shorts and a pair of trainers she is ready to go!  The team at Strathearn are running an Aquathlon Camp as part of the Easter Programme activities and there will also be sessions running in the lead-up to the event in June allowing everyone to have a practise run and feel confident about what they need to do on event day.  Keep an eye on the Live Active Strathearn Facebook page for more details of these great sessions.

If you are happy to travel up to Aberfeldy then your daughter could also take part in the Aquathlon event there in May and then she really would be raring to go for the Strathearn event!

Q: I haven’t run for a number of years but want to get back in to it, where should I start?

A: Pitlochry 5K and 10K are on Sunday 17th September – this gives you lots of time to train for either.  Before you start training you may wish to check with your doctor then, once you have the ‘all-clear’, following a Couch to 5K or Couch to 10K programme would be a great way to get ready for the event.  Also, check our earlier blog out to find a number of options at your local venue to help complement your training or you may wish to sign up for a Personal Programme or some Personal Training sessions to get you started. More on our Ready Set Train blog>>

If you stay in the Perth area then the local parkrun is also a great weekly run that can help you with your training – this is a free timed event every Saturday at 9.30am outside Bell’s Sports Centre.  You don’t have to be able to run the whole way when you start so don’t worry if you are starting off with some walk/running – and as you are given a time each time you run it is a great way to see how you are improving from week to week.

Q: Do I need to be registered with Scottish Athletics or Triathlon Scotland to enter an event?

A: No - our entry fees are lower for members of the relevant Governing Body, however there is no need for you to be registered with them.  The higher entry fee for non-members gives you the relevant insurance cover for the event.  If you are thinking of participating in a few events this year it may be worth your while to join up though – further details and benefits of the memberships are detailed on Scottish Athletics and Triathlon Scotland websites:
www.scottishathletics.org.uk/membership/ | www.triathlonscotland.org/membership/

Q. My partner is participating in one of the events and I will be coming along with them – is there anything I can get involved in to help out?

A. Volunteering is a very rewarding role and we can’t run our events without community and family members – we’re always delighted to welcome new faces to our events. We have a variety of roles at each event depending on what you might want to do and how much of the day you want to help out for – registration, marshalling, finish line (giving out medals and water) etc.

Drop us an e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to let us know what event you want to get involved in and what time of day you are available and we’ll give you a call back to discuss.  Volunteers always leave with a small token of appreciation for their assistance on the day – as well as that warm feeling of having helped a number of people achieve their goal on event day!