Stuck in a Fitness Rut
Why Triathlon Might Be Your Answer
You know the signs.
Your run feels less “runner’s high” and more “why am I doing this again?”
Swimming laps? Yawn. You’re convinced the pool is getting longer, not your strokes stronger.
You check your watch five minutes into a workout like it’s going to offer you a medal just for showing up.
It’s not that you’ve lost your love of fitness. You’re still out there. It’s just… flat. Predictable. Safe and honestly tedious.
That, my lovely friend, is a training rut — and its way more common than anyone wants to admit.
But here’s the secret: ruts aren’t a sign you’re lazy or unmotivated. They’re a sign your body’s moving but your mind’s checked out (lying on the beach in The Maldives). The spark that first got you lacing up your trainers or belly flopping into the pool has disappeared under routine. Or maybe you’ve outgrown the goals you once set.
That’s not a problem. It’s a signal. A little nudge from your inner athlete saying, “I’m bored. I can’t keep going on like this.”
When Your Usual Exercise Gets Boring
Most of us start running, cycling, or swimming for simple reasons: fitness, stress relief, a bit of peace. No big focus — it just feels great! Well, it does afterwards when you are having a hot bath and thinking my body is a temple.
But after a while, those sessions you once found fun become uninspiring. The feeling of progress fades, and suddenly you’re wondering why you’re even bothering. You’d far rather go to a café and have a hot chocolate and a piece of cake.
This is the plateau nobody warns you about. Not the physical one (though that happens too), but the mental one — when exercise slides from “I am a fitness goddess” to “I just want to chill out on the sofa with my cats.”
I remember hitting this wall. Months of the same swim sessions. Yes, I’d feel great afterwards and enjoy catching up with friends in the changing rooms, but in the water? Up, down, up, down, repeat. I was bored out of my mind. My enthusiasm was dying a slow death. I’d finish a workout feeling “accomplished” in the same way I feel accomplished after unloading the dishwasher. I wanted it to feel exciting again. I wanted the buzz that you feel when you pair up two odd socks!
The activities weren’t the problem. Running and swimming are brilliant. But I’d turned them into routine instead of adventure. I was going through the motions without the emotion.
Signs You Need a New Challenge
Here’s your checklist:
You finish workouts but rarely feel proud or satisfied. Tick.
Your goals are stale. That 5K PB you once obsessed over? Who cares!
You’re scrolling social media, seeing other people train for marathons, triathlons, or crazy adventure races, and thinking, “I wish I was fit enough for that.” (Newsflash: you may not be now, but you could be.)
You’re wondering if this is it. Maintenance mode forever?
You’re making excuses and skipping sessions, and honestly, you don’t even feel that bad about it as you’d far rather be watching Netflix.
You’re exercising out of habit, not desire. You show up because you always show up, it’s just what you do.
If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not broken. You’re not lazy. You’re just ready for something new.
How Triathlon Reignited My Love of Movement
At 51, I was in the same boat. Exercise felt like a chore. Triathlon changed everything. Not because it’s inherently superior, although nailing three sports does feel rather brilliant, but because it demanded something different.
Suddenly I wasn’t just maintaining fitness — I was building it in three disciplines. Every session had a purpose. I was actually learning to swim properly for the first time in my life. Learning to ride a road bike with cleats (terrifying at first). Running with intention instead of just as escape.
The beauty of triathlon is its variety. Just when swimming starts to bore you, you’re on the bike. When the bike gets predictable, you’re lacing up your running shoes. Your brain stays engaged because you’re always working on something different.
And the mental challenge? Massive. Triathlon is like a puzzle: transitions, nutrition, managing energy across three sports. My workouts became problems to solve, not boxes to tick.
Most importantly, triathlon gave me permission to be a beginner again. It’s oddly freeing to admit, “I’m terrified of cleats. I still don’t know how to put a wetsuit on properly. Changing a flat tyre mid ride? My absolute nightmare.” The learning curve is steep — which means progress is visible and exciting.
Small Goals That Lead to Big Changes
You don’t have to sign up for an Ironman today. The magic of triathlon is that it offers challenges at every level.
Start with a super sprint: 400m swim, 10K bike, 2.5K run. Intimidating on paper, totally doable with a few months of focused training. Even prepping for short distances makes you think differently.
Maybe your first step is just completing each discipline separately. Can you swim 400m without stopping? Bike 10K steadily? Run 2.5K comfortably? These little goals suddenly have meaning when they build toward something bigger.
Or maybe your entry point is even smaller: join a swimming class, try a spin class (my definition of hell!) or do a bike-to-run “brick” session just to experience the weirdness of jelly legs.
The key: pick something that scares you just enough to be exciting, but not so much it paralyses you.
What to Do Next
If any of this feels uncomfortably accurate, good. That discomfort is where change starts.
Write down what you actually want from fitness right now — not what you “should” want. Adventure? Challenge? Community? A sense of progression?
Sign up for something that scares you a little but excites you a lot. Triathlon, adventure race, hiking challenge — whatever sparks you.
Listen to that small voice saying, “there’s more in me.”
If the thought of doing something on your own terrifies you find a community. Being around people who are also pushing their boundaries is infectious.
And if you want to dig deeper, check out my book Stronger Every Mile. It walks you through my own training from start to finish and shows you what the commitment really looks like.
Where you are now isn’t where you have to stay. A rut isn’t the end. It’s just the edge of a new beginning. Your next chapter of growth, challenge, and rediscovering what your body and mind can do together is waiting.
The spark that drew you to movement is still there. It’s just waiting for the right challenge to reignite it.