Rydehm Conversations: Elaine Young

 

Recently Rydehm had a great conversation with Elaine

If you’re not familiar with Elaine Young…

She’s a 2 times Kona qualifier, age grouper triathlete (30-34)...

She has been featured on many online and physical sports publications, such as Run Magazine Asia, Second Wind Magazine, Malaysia Magazine, Run Singapore and many more.

In addition, she partners with Garmin to conduct weekly community runs, and she contributes back to the sports community by being a trainer and running guide with Running Hour, a non-profit running club that promotes inclusion of runners with special needs. 

That’s on top of her profession as a busy tax adviser at a mining MNC.

And the interesting thing is, just 8 years ago, Elaine didn’t even know how to swim, she didn’t own a bike, and she only ran recreationally as a way to stay active.

Pretty remarkable right?

The conversation with Elaine was great. We covered a couple of topics which will be helpful for people looking to start the sport of triathlon, triathletes who are working professionals looking to improve their performance, and also ladies who are pregnant but want to stay active.

In fact, here’s a quick glance at the conversation highlights (along with the timestamps)

2:12 - Everyone has their reasons for choosing this sport. What are Elaine’s reasons, and the various benefits she gained as a person from doing triathlons.

3:52 - If you are thinking of starting triathlons, and wondering what equipment to get, Elaine shares how she got started, and what are the bare necessities she recommends.

7:25 - Training for an Ironman is especially demanding. How does Elaine balance her time as a busy tax manager in an MNC? 

10:40 - What is Elaine’s training schedule each week, and how she manages to stay focused on it?

14:10 - Elaine is pregnant! She’s going into her 3rd trimester. She is still staying active, and she shares how she does it while still being safe.

16:40 - She completed her first sprint triathlon, barely able to get out of the water, barely crossing the finishing line. 8 years later, she improved tremendously to being an age grouper and qualifying for Kona twice. Elaine shares what was the mindset that was crucial for this to happen.

19:14 - Elaine shares specifically the thinking and planning she did, and the 2 year journey she went through to qualify for Kona. 

Even if you just have a few minutes, it’s worth checking out this interview :)