Preparing for the prestigious Auto&General XTri Cross Triathlon

When training for the Auto&General XTri Cross Triathlon, our customer and staff participants looked to experts in fitness, for advice and support, as they prepared for this exhilarating challenge. Susan Gerber, an Enablement Manager at Auto&General, compares this thorough preparation to the service we provide our customers.

“Our customers look to us for expert advice and exceptional service based on our decades of experience in the insurance industry,” explains Gerber. “In much the same way, I turned to the experts in fitness when preparing for the XTri.”

Among these experts is Nike, which has over 60 years of experience in creating world-class gear for world-class sporting events. In a recent article, published by Nike, their panel of experts provide these tips for triathlon training:

1) Ease in — this applies to both volume and intensity. It’s important to adjust to the frequency and volume of training, every day, before adding intensity to your workouts.

2) Set your workout goal — create a clear intention of what you want to achieve in each workout, including a focus on building form, strengthening an aerobic base and hitting paces for the race day.

3) Avoid stacking hard days —this is especially important if you’re new to a sport. If you do two consecutive hard days, you risk an injury and recovery will set back your training regime.

4) Add brick workouts — these involve doing a short run straight after a cycling session. This is vital to preparing your legs to run directly after the cycle leg of the triathlon.

5) Include strength training — this will increase your overall strength and is vital for preparing your body for the high-performance challenge ahead.

6) Take rest days — allow yourself at least one rest day a week, and include recovery methods like massages and epsom salt baths, after tough workouts.

In addition to the above, Susan stresses that resilience, endurance and support are the core pillars of competing in a triathlon. These also happen to resemble the ethos of Auto&General.

Susan goes on to compare her XTri experience to that of her daily job, as both require dedication, perseverance and courage. The other staff and customer participants echoed Susan’s sentiment, sharing a similar experience.

We had the privilege of seeing Susan and her fellow competitors in action at the 4th annual Auto&General XTri Cross Triathlon, which took place on 15 February, at Steyn City. And we look forward to another exhilarating event next year.

Auto&General is a licensed non-life Insurer and FSP