Our final couple for Couples that Train Together, Stay Together Part 1 Series is:

Heather Wilson & Jake Salmon

@hevs_8 & @gubba87

Heather and Jake are the ultimate travelling triathlete couple from Townsville, North Queesnland. They have recently found the sweet spot of destination races and sharing what you love with the one you love. After returning from Kuala Lumpa last month competing in Ironman 70.3 Putrajaya they sit down to share their experience of training together: the pros, the cons and the advice for couples.

Pros of Training Together

Heather: Motivation, encouragement and convenience. Rather than calling friends and organising training around them, living together makes it easy to always have a training buddy close by.

Jake: Accountability. Knowing that the person lying next to you is also getting up a stupid o’clock in the morning for the next session makes it heaps easier for you to do the same. We’ve recently made the jump to the racing holiday model. Combining a race in an exotic location mixed with a cheeky holiday tacked on the end.

Cons of Training Together

Heather: The arguments, I tend to not like him telling me what to do. Also, he’s at a faster pace as me so for longer rides we try and meet up with other couples so there are similar people at both our levels.

Jake: It is really important to make the very clear distinction between partner, training partner and coach. We have found that it’s best we keep the coaching to an independent coach and “try” our best at directing our questions to him rather than each other. Sometimes it’s easier to hear the hard things from a third party than your partner in crime.

Advice for Couples

Heather: Although it is wonderful training with your partner and sharing something you both enjoy, make sure you train with others too. Mix it up and keep it social with different people.

Jake: It’s pretty special to share your love of racing with the one you love. Just get the balance right, ensure you spend as much time with each other off the bike too, and remember that you will achieve nothing by being competitive with each other. Use each other’s drive as motivation to improve, be there for each other when the struggle of training takes its toll, pick them up after a bad race and remember to keep it fun.