Learn these 12 lessons now with no regrets ever.

You’re hanging your entire body for the public to see, flaws and all. You are covered in sweat. Most people think you’re wearing some weird outfit instead of some modern running gear or maybe just a skintight bathing suit. You think you’re incognito with sunglasses and a hat. But underneath the costume you’re performing half-naked at a sporting event in which you paid over $1,000 out of your own pocket to compete. You put your personal reputation up for all to see, judge and comment on your efforts in the race. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy the positive stimuli and ignore the other content to stay in a sport that requires tough skin and a lot of guts to compete.

Learn 12 triathlon lessons now with no regrets ever.

1. Be confident. If you think you can, you will. If you think you’re going to fail, you will. What’s your choice? First triathlon, another Ironman race? Get “AA” status? Confirmation of the result reveals our choice. Accept that confidence builds confidence and courage to expand your comfort zone. Don’t be arrogant. It is a fatal flaw.

2. Follow your journey. Unknown destination? She decided. You control that determination. A defined trip helps you know when you got lost. Support your partner’s efforts this season for their KQ’er efforts next year. Family vacation in Hawaii next season? Why not? However, the local races are fun, but if your travel plans include other races, continue on with your adventure. You will never regret the race of your life.

3. Talking about training doesn’t improve your conditioning and worrying about racing doesn’t improve your performance. Start beyond inertia with a focus on defined learning objectives. Manage your time properly. Measure progress. Race. Then celebrate and talk. You will never regret saying something you wish you hadn’t said.

4. Train with people faster than you for speed. Aspire to your abilities. Don’t let them weaken your confidence. Yes it will hurt. Everyone else will hurt you too. A decade or two of delayed regrets for not trying your best will hurt you more than the physical pain of not letting yourself down when you made the effort before.

5. And train yourself to improve race hunger. Yes, it’s lonely, but this experience will prepare you for the final charges of the race to the finish line. Do not spread your energy on negative thoughts that arise during long workouts. You will never regret thinking positive in training and racing. Be positive with yourself.

6. Smaller runs also build confidence and build racing skills better than training. Racing exposes gaps and provides feedback faster than training. They are also an opportunity to build resilience that remaps the brain for reward and motivation benefits. You will never regret your investment of time from the knowledge you gain in any career.

7. Manage your risks, not others’. Plan race event scenarios to maximize recovery if something like a puncture or crash occurs. If you don’t prepare for the unexpected, you will regret it when the unexpected happens. Don’t waste emotional energy worrying about them. Just be prepared if a tire blows out.

8. Control your time. Manage to avoid time poverty. Schedule periods of time established by priority and availability. Include spaces to rest, sleep and play. Your controlled timing will minimize time regrets in any retrospective of your life.

9. Say “no” to “yes” unless: 1.) you can keep your commitments, 2.) a request aligns with your life’s journey, and 3.) you won’t delay your existing commitments. Too many “yeses” leads to stress, perceived lack of ability in you by others, and possible depression. You will never regret your “no’s” if you achieve your “yeses” that guided you throughout your journey.

10. Take advantage of your endorphins. Exercise generates a better body image, self-esteem and increases people’s confidence. You will never regret investing in yourself to feel better about yourself.

11. Ignore any thoughts of being your own worst critic. Seek continuous improvement. Keep learning from others. Always be a tri-it-all rather than a know-it-all when self-improvement opportunities arise. Don’t let temporary setbacks keep you from the sport. Leave them behind like you do equipment used in a transition. People who stop learning regret not knowing more about the possibilities of improving their passions.

12. Be the best you can be, not perfect. Focus on performance, not on failures or potential problems. There’s a reason why triathlons are timed because no one would get a perfect ten. Don’t train for perfection. you are human. Economics dictates the law of diminishing returns. You control when your best is good enough. It’s before motivation wanes and always before you give up.

You will never regret not going that extra step to achieve perfection.

At my 25th high school reunion, I spoke with a classmate who went on a journey to run a marathon in each of the 50 states. He had a state to reach his goal later in the year. His determination inspired me to set a goal to compete in a triathlon in each of the 50 states and Washington DC. For five years I was stable competing in only 14 states. Finally, my wife Chris said:

“It’s time to sign up and compete or you’ll be a bitter, miserable middle-aged man who regrets missing out on an opportunity.”

Telling others about my planned trip was not the same as going out and competing in the races. Think of it this way, my inaction put me in the undesirable position of violating one of the main reasons change management projects fail. Or in my case, an uncompleted milestone racing journey. Instead of getting angry or getting back at her, I heeded her advice. She was as wise a coach as she was a wife.

Avoid regrets by doing what you can now, instead of waiting until tomorrow to think about what you could have done yesterday. Build relationships with great teammates. Find a mentor and a great coach to learn the sport of others sooner with no regrets later.

In a demonstration of best manners, think of your life as always going (forward). You will never let yourself down by not responding to an invitation from life denoted as “RSVP, only regrets.”

Have any of you convinced your fellow triathletes to trade a regret for a recovery so you can continue enjoying the sport?