FAST FIVE - SEPTEMBER 2020 - KRISTEN MCMILLAN

​‘Working with Andy has definitely forced me to be more resilient. A session that was too hard a year ago probably would have led to me getting off the bike and being really shitty about it. Now there is someone watching from the other side I feel way more accountable and know I have to give it a good crack.’

​Our September Fast Five athlete is Kristen McMillan who has been training with T:Zero under the watchful eye of Coach Andrew Perry since November 2019. 

Kristen made her triathlon debut in 2012 as a team swimmer at the TreX cross tri series, later moving into Bribie triathlons and jumping up to Ironman 70.3 in 2019. She recently completed her second Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast a few days ago with a cracking 32 minute PB!

Unsurprisingly, Sunshine Coast Ironman 70.3 has been her favourite race to date - the atmosphere, support from family and friends and race distance (“the sweet spot”) ticking all the boxes. 

Kristen’s favourite leg is the bike where she really looks forward to the weekend long sessions, and is motivated by seeing improvements and progress in this area. A natural swimmer, her favourite training session is “any swim with 200m sets” which suits her lack of patience perfectly ;-) 

Kristen’s currently training for Ironman New Zealand in March 2021 and Ironman Barcelona in October 2021 (rescheduled from 2020 to 2021 due to COVID). 

What’s your favourite thing about triathlon/endurance/multisport?
You don’t have to be the best swimmer, cyclist, or runner, but you can be decent at all 3 and still compete.  

Favourite distance and why? 
That’s a hard question because I jumped from team swimmer, to short course, to 70.3 and back to Olympic and I’m currently training for an Ironman. Looking back, I think the 70.3 is the sweet spot where the training load is pretty achievable to fit around a job and social life. 

Proudest triathlon moment? 
Definitely crossing the finish line at my first 70.3. I was really going through it before I signed up for that race and that finish line symbolised so much more to me than just swimming, riding, and running 70.3 miles. 

What motivates or inspires you to train/race/participate? 
Seeing how far I can push myself and trying to get as mentally strong as I can. I’ve definitely realised how much your mindset affects your training and how you cope with challenges. 

Do you have a race day mantra? Or something you think about to get you through tough periods during the race or calm your pre-race nerves? 
I think about how fortunate I am to even be out there racing. There’s so many people who don’t have the opportunity to, so I think about how lucky I am to even be there. 

And one more for good measure (and a big head) …
 
Why do you love being part of the T:Zero Multisport team?
The T:Zero community is so approachable. Whatever you’re training for, you can bet someone on the team has done something like it and is happy to pass on their advice.