Written by: Jason Mucher / USAT
Posted: Thursday, 08 May 2008
Julie Swail Ertel, who won a silver medal in water polo at the 2000 Olympics, is going back to the Games - this time as a triathlete - with a goal of winning a second Olympic medal. In April, she won the Olympic Trials in Tuscaloosa, Ala., joining Laura Bennett on Team USA.
Endurance Planet had a chance to sit down with Julie to talk about her training plan leading up to her Olympic Trials win and about the differences between a team sport and an individual sport. Below are some excerpts from that interview, followed by a link to the full audio interview.
Endurance Planet: What is your biggest piece of advice for fellow triathletes?
Julie Ertel: The most important thing I tell people is, 'Make sure you're having fun.' It seems to me that people join the sport because they want to have fun and then they get so caught up in times or beating a certain person that I think that a certain element of that enjoyment gets lost.
EP: Making the Olympics in a team sport is not the same as making the Olympics in triathlon.
JE: It's a big difference from being on a team sport. A couple of the advantages are that I can train when I like, I can rest when I like. But it's also different in that I don't really have teammates that I'm being pushed by and pushing every day and getting excited about the Olympics with. With that said, even though it's an individual sport, I have a huge group of supporters and friends that I train with.
Listen to the full interview at EndurancePlanet.com.
Visit EndurancePlanet.com for more interviews with those helping to fuel the multisport lifestyle.
About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the national governing body for triathlon - the fastest growing sport in the U.S. - as well as duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USAT sanctions 2,300 races and connects with more than 100,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work with athletes, coaches, and race directors on the grassroots level, USAT provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including World Championships, Pan American Games, and the Olympic Games.
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Website: http://www.usatriathlon.org
It's a really cool concept. We pick one day – Sunday, August 31 – and find out how many people around the world can lace up their running shoes and put in a whole bunch of miles. 
