For most people, fitting in a workout every day is a tricky task. Most people are happy to make it to the gym a few times a week. 

But if you are looking to take your training to the next level—maybe you’re a CrossFitter aiming to move up the leaderboard during the CrossFit Open, or a keen ultra-marathon runner—you may find your weekly training plan features at least seven sessions.

If you’re wondering how to help your body cope, the best advice we can give is to start thinking like an elite athlete and train like an Olympian.

To help you figure out what that means, Coach spoke to four athletes from various disciplines who train twice a day about their schedules and training styles, and came back with plenty of dos and don’ts.

Lucy Charles-Barclay, World Triathlon Long Distance Champion

If there’s one sport that requires a busy and varied training schedule, it’s triathlon. With three disciplines to train in, it makes sense that elite triathletes might have to train multiple times a day.

Lucy Charles-Barclay is a triathlete and Red Bull athlete, who won the World Triathlon Long Distance Championship in 2022 and became Ironman 70.3 World Champion in 2021.

“I’m training a minimum of two times a day,” says Charles-Barclay. “An easy day for me would be a swim and a gym session—that’s as light as my training will get.”

A more intense day could comprise a swim in the morning, a three-hour cycle and finally an hour’s run in the evening. “I try to cover at least two of the three sports each day, but if I can only cover one sport, like swimming, then I’ll go and do a solid gym session that will support all three of those disciplines.”

According to Charles-Barclay, her gym sessions are the backbone of her training to keep her strong and injury-free. “With the volume of training I’m doing when I’m preparing for an Ironman triathlon, the injury risk is extremely high,” she says, adding that she also takes recovery extremely seriously, including mobility work, physio and regular massages to her routine.

Charles-Barclay explains that she only takes rest days with no activity the days before and after a race. Otherwise she schedules recovery days that involve light exercise. 

Twice-a-day training might be beneficial for intermediate triathlon athletes during the run-up to races, for a specific period of time that’s part of a triathlon training plan that’s managing your training load, and with at least a week before the race where you cut back on training to recover. But Charles-Barclay stresses that this is not suitable for beginners, and she would only suggest training twice a day for intermediate athletes.

Chris Hunt Skelley, Judo Paralympic Gold Medalist

For sports that don’t have multiple disciplines, there are still plenty of benefits to training twice a day, although this doesn’t just mean practicing your sport once in the morning and again in the evening.

Chris Hunt Skelley won Paralympic gold at Tokyo 2020 in judo for the visually impaired, and he combines judo sessions with other activities that support this in order to keep on top of his strength and fitness.

“I train between two to three times a day,” says Skelley. “It doesn’t have to be high-intensity either—it could be an hour-long walk at a good pace, or a sport you enjoy.”

Finding ways to move that you enjoy to keep you fit and strong is crucial, and Skelley says that alongside treating judo as his full-time job, he also does jiu jitsu. He usually does one judo session a day, along with something that will support this, like a strength-based workout, conditioning or a technical session, and then jiu jitsu in the evenings as a hobby.

Like the other athletes, Skelley stresses that recovering from all the training is crucial, and he cites ice baths, compression boots and a massage gun as some of the tools he uses to aid recovery.

Reggie Fasa, CrossFit Athlete And Fittest Man In The UK 2022

CrossFit is a sport made up of a wide variety of disciplines, including weightlifting, gymnastics and conditioning-style workouts. The benefit of CrossFit is that it allows you to practice all these forms of movement within one session. 

But elite CrossFit athletes like Reggie Fasa tend to dedicate entire sessions to each discipline, training two or even three times a day to get as strong and fit as possible.

“The off-season is when all the work tends to get done,” says Fasa, explaining that he scales his training down in the weeks leading up to competitions but aims to train multiple times a day during the rest of the year.

If you are an athlete with a competition coming up, Fasa warns against panic training and packing lots of sessions into one day if you usually wouldn’t. “Your fitness is set two or three weeks between the competition,” he says, explaining that suddenly increasing your volume will lead to injury or fatigue.

Fasa takes one full rest day a week, usually on a Sunday, and also uses Thursday as a “down” day, which includes aerobic work such as swimming and zone 2 cardio (also known as low-intensity steady-state cardio or LISS). 

He explains that recovery is key to his training routine. “Recovering between your sessions so you can give them the most purpose is key,” he says, adding that planning a routine that is manageable for your schedule and your body in the long term is crucial.

On the five days of the week that Fasa does train intensely, he usually combines two different sessions, one in the morning and another in the afternoon or the evening. His training varies a lot but a typical day might involve a long zone 2 session, followed by a weightlifting workout and rehab. Some days Fasa he will also do two threshold sessions, like rowing followed by a run.

For CrossFit athletes who want to up the volume of their training, Fasa stresses the importance of prioritizing quality over quantity. “It's all about bottling the energy and emotion you need to train so that you get the best out of a session,” he says.

Hannah Walsh, Ultra-running Coach

If you or anyone close to you has ever trained for an ultra-marathon, you’ll know that it is time-consuming. It involves numerous long runs, which can be difficult to fit in around a busy schedule. So is training twice a day the answer?

Hannah Walsh is an ultra-marathon coach who helps women train for seriously long distances, as well as running them herself. “The women I coach are all ‘normal women’—they’re not professional athletes,” she says. “The challenge that I have with these women is finding the time.”

Walsh explains that there are two instances where she’d encourage twice-a-day training. “Firstly, anyone that comes to me and is limited with their volume due to injury,” she says. If someone is coming back from an injury, she explains, it can be potentially dangerous to jump straight back into long runs, so instead, she encourages short runs paired with a bike ride or some cross-training. 

She also recommends two sessions a day for people who are training for ultra-marathons on the trails and in the mountains, because strength training for runners is essential. “Often they might have a long run in the morning, have four to six hours’ rest, eat something and then in the evening do a weights session,” says Walsh. 

But what about running twice in one day? “If you have the time, I’d always encourage you to get your miles in during one run, rather than splitting them up," Walsh says. Professional athletes might run twice in one day but for amateurs who are training for ultra-marathons, running long distances more than once in a day could lead to injury and fatigue, without proper recovery.

Swimwear specialist Zoggs has announced a new range of wetsuits set to go on sale in January 2024. 

There are 10 wetsuits in all. The Predator and Hypex wetsuits are aimed at triathletes and the Explorer is for open-water swimmers, with three different versions of each designed to meet the demands of beginner (Tour), enthusiast (Pro) and elite (Ultra) swimmers. The 10th wetsuit is the Scout, designed to be used for all open-water sports.

The Predator is built for those whose swimming technique means they could benefit from some extra buoyancy in the legs, while the Hypex’s neutral design is aimed at triathletes who are strong swimmers and don’t need any additional support to hold a streamlined, level position on the water’s surface.  

The Explorer prioritizes durability and the design adds bright colors to make open-water swimmers more visible.

I’m a cyclist and runner, but I also swim a couple of times a week so I can tackle triathlons. I decided the Predator Pro suited me best and got to try one at a Zoggs test event held at Shepperton Open Water Swim in Middlesex, England.

Zoggs Predator Pro Wetsuit: Materials

The Predator Pro is made entirely from Yamamoto #39—the second-best material in the neoprene specialist’s line-up—to improve durability. Zoggs designer Marco Gnecco explained that differences in thicknesses at seams can create issues in any wetsuit and adding a difference in neoprene grades into the mix means issues can appear earlier.

The thickness of the neoprene is as follows: the torso is 4mm/3mm (front/back), the arms are 2mm and the legs range from 4mm (thighs and front of ankles) to 1.5mm (back of calves). In the lake’s mild, late-summer temperature of around 20°C I felt warm and comfortable. I can imagine you’d only need to switch to a thermal wetsuit in the depths of winter.

Zoggs Predator Pro Wetsuit: Fit

A triathlon suit is only as good as its fit, and the Predator Pro was one of the most comfortable suits I’ve ever worn. At 5ft 11in (180cm) and a smidge under 155lb (70kg), I was given a medium to wear and it was a cinch to get on and—more importantly for the first transition of a race—off. 

Compressive without being restrictive, it felt like a second skin in the water, and I was able to comfortably complete my full stroke. 

A lower neckline seemed to minimize the irritation and chaffing I usually get on my neck, although I would need to test it for longer to be sure of that. The wetsuit also had clever ways of shortening the arms and legs to achieve a better fit—ideal if you wear a triathlon watch.

Zoggs Predator Pro Wetsuit: Performance

Testing was limited to a single loop of the 400m lake, but it was clear from my 10-minute dip that the Predator Pro lives up to its billing of a suit with extra buoyancy that helps triathletes achieve a hydrodynamic position. In the chest, the wetsuit’s 5mm aerodome panels—where air bubbles are locked into the neoprene to add buoyancy—kept my upper body elevated making sighting (quick glances forward to navigate) easier. The suit’s buoyancy meant my legs were also kept level with the water’s surface—a position I struggle to maintain when training in skins or the pool. Even though the test was on the short side, the wetsuit’s support left me feeling fresh and confident I could have swum another lap to two.

By the time you hit the run leg of a triathlon, you’ve already put your body through a lot, especially if it’s a half Ironman or Ironman. At this point you want a shoe that’s built for running fast so you can hammer your way home, but it also needs to be cushioned and comfortable to help your jelly legs recover as you kick on.

Fortunately, those properties are not hard to find with racers these days, because the best carbon plate running shoes almost all fit the bill. The best triathlon shoes are very similar to the best running shoes for racing, which is why all the pro triathletes are using them at any distance.

There is one caveat to this, which is that triathlon shoes need to be easy to pull on in a hurry during transition. Some super-shoes are better than others for this, though you can swap the laces for pull toggles to make any shoe a little easier to slip on. 

Another thing to consider is that slower runners might want a softer and more stable shoe for the final leg of longer triathlons like Ironman events, when a stiff carbon plate shoe might prove uncomfortable.

How I Tested These Shoes

I am not a triathlete, but I am a very keen runner with a 2hr 28min marathon PB to my name, and I’ve been able to test almost all the best carbon plate running shoes on the market. I’ve picked out the fastest options below for racing at any distance, plus a couple of more supportive and comfortable options.

The Nike Vaporfly remains the easy pick for runners looking to race over any distance. It’s lighter than most carbon shoes while still being comfortable enough for the marathon distance, and the ZoomX foam in the midsole is very springy, especially in combination with the carbon plate.

Unlike the Alphafly 2, the Vaporfly is pretty easy to pull on in a hurry, though the Asics and Hoka shoes below are faster options on that front. The main downside to the Vaporfly 3 is that the outsole is not very durable at the back, so it’s one to keep for race day.

Read more in our Nike Vaporfly 3 review

Another light and speedy carbon option, the Metaspeed Sky+ is specifically designed by Asics for runners with bounding strides, but I’ve found it a great racer even as someone who has a shuffling gait and I think any runner will enjoy the bouncy ride of the shoe. 

The Metaspeed Sky+ is a little more stable than the Vaporfly and easier to put on quickly, but suffers from the same problem in having an outsole design that shows wear quickly. On performance alone it’s a great pick for triathlons of any distance, since it’s light enough for short sprint events and cushioned enough for marathons.

Read more in our Asics Metaspeed Sky+ review

Hoka has been a major player in the long-distance triathlon scene for years, but until the launch of the Rocket X2 in 2023 it did not have a carbon super-shoe that could rival the best on the market. The Rocket X2 is light, bouncy and propulsive, and also a little more stable than most super-shoes which helps with cornering at speed on tired legs.

The very soft heel design on the upper also makes it easier to pull the Rocket X2 on quickly, but the downside is that design did lead to me getting heel rub on longer runs with the Rocket X2. Heel-locking the shoe reduces the risk of this and I’ve had no problems in shorter races with the shoe, but it’s something to consider if you’re lining up an Ironman event.

Read more in our Hoka Rocket X2 review

The Endorphin Speed 3 is a plated training shoe, but the plate in its midsole is made out of TPU plastic rather than carbon, which means it’s more flexible and comfortable than a full carbon shoe. You lose a little of the pop of a carbon shoe, but it’s still very fast and kinder on the legs. It’s also a more stable shoe than most carbon options, with a wider base and wings on the plate to help keep your foot centered. 

I have loved the Endorphin Speed line since the original and it’s a shoe you can use for pretty much any kind of run, from long easy plods to all-out 5Ks, so it will serve you well no matter what state you’re in during the running leg of your triathlon. The PWRRUN PB midsole is bouncy without being squishy, and Saucony’s Speedroll rocker helps keep you rolling even as your legs begin to tire.

Read more in our Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 review

If you’re just looking to complete your event and want a running shoe that’s comfortable for the final leg of your triathlon, the Asics Gel-Nimbus 25 should be on your list. The high stack of comfortable FF Blast+ foam protects the legs without feeling too hefty, and the shoe has a smooth ride that will help you tick off the miles to the finish line.

It’s not a fast shoe compared with the plated options above, but if you do have a finishing kick in you the Gel-Nimbus 25 won’t feel completely leaden either. It is worth noting that because the shoe’s stack height is 41.5mm at the heel it technically breaches the 40mm limit for competition, but that’s a rule aimed at elites who might want to use super-shoes like the Adidas Prime X, which has a 49.5mm stack and multiple plates in its midsole. No-one is going to disqualify an amateur for pulling on a comfy cushioned shoe like the Asics Gel-Nimbus 25.

Read more in our Asics Gel-Nimbus 25 review

Sam Holness is a 27-year-old triathlete from London, which on the face of it isn’t all that remarkable. What is remarkable is that Holness has autism – and he has ambitions of being the first athlete with the developmental disability to go pro.

Holness, a Hoka One One ambassador, is well on his way to achieving that feat and is targeting the Ironman World Championships. Despite being a high flyer, his advice is relevant to anyone with any kind of disability wondering about how they might go about getting into sport.

How did you get into triathlons?

I started swimming when I was three years old but didn’t ride a bike before I was 14. I then joined a running club in 2015 to get some exercise and socialise. I moved on to parkrun which became my favourite Saturday morning activity. I did the London Duathlon in 2017 in Richmond and my first sprint Triathlon at Dorney Lakes. I was hooked.

What appeals to you about the Ironman distance, as opposed to shorter events?

I think that my autistic traits make doing long-distance endurance events (Ironman, trail running, marathon swimming) more suitable. The biggest benefit that autism provides is my ability to focus for long periods and the ability to do the repetitive training necessary for long-distance events. I have never missed or failed to complete a training session unless I was injured, or the weather was very bad.

The shorter events require speed at all phases of the race and provide few opportunities to recover if you get something wrong. It is also more technical. I don’t have the best fine motor skills so am not the fastest during transitions; however, during longer races I can make up for any shortcomings.

Do you have a background in other sports as well?

I tried several sports along with swimming when I was young and have a brown belt in judo but I don’t really have a sporting background. This may partly be because there aren’t many clubs or coaches that are trained to coach people with autism.

How does having autism affect your training?

My autism doesn’t affect my training negatively except where finer motor skills are required. I love working on the aerobic and anaerobic machines in the gym. I normally swim up to 180 lengths in the local 25m pool, will happily row for 30km on the indoor rower and love pounding out the miles on the treadmill. I just get on with any targets that my coach [Holness’s father Tony] sets. To compensate for any issues around strength and conditioning that require strong motor skills I do yoga, TRX, kettlebells and plyometrics – no barbells or heavy weights.

Were there specific barriers you had to overcome because of your autism? If so, do you have advice for people on how to overcome them?

Riding a bike and running properly were the two issues. I could swim well and was always fairly strong but wasn’t very co-ordinated. I had to work on this. The other barrier to triathlons is the costs of wetsuits, bikes, running shoes and the entry into triathlons. I have been supported by my mum and dad, and I am also sponsored by Hoka One One, which gives me access to their newest and best shoes and apparel.

My advice to people is to learn to swim as soon as possible. It provides enormous confidence and can save lives. To people with autism and other disabilities: don’t let your disability be a reason for not doing sport – get out there and get active.

See related 

• The UK’s Best Triathlons To Enter In 2021
• Train Like A Wheelchair Tennis Champion With This Workout From Gordon Reid
• What’s It Like To Run The London Marathon With Sight Loss? Amazing!
• How To Use Exercise To Help A Long-Term Health Condition

What has been your proudest moment in the sport so far?

There are a couple of races that I am really proud of. The first is cycling around Estoril during the Cascais 70.3 Ironman race and competing at the Superhero Series every year since it started.

What are your goals in the sport?

To compete at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii and to become the first athlete with autism to become a professional triathlete.

Do you have any other advice for people with a disability looking to get into sports?

Sport can help with your confidence and self-esteem, and it will also make you healthier. In addition, so many people with a disability have mental health issues and sport is a great way of helping them to manage it. Get out there and try some sports until you find one that you like, and work at it every day.

Triathlons might seem daunting to the newcomer, but at the core of these events are three types of cardio exercise that most people can manage individually. Consisting of a swim, cycle, and run, the multi-sport discipline is actually a lot more accessible than it seems. And if you’re already cycling to work or are a regular at parkrun, the shortest type of triathlon (a super sprint, which is made up of a 400m swim, 10km bike ride and 2.5km run) probably wouldn’t require too much training. Browse our sprint triathlon training plan, Olympic triathlon training plan and half Ironman triathlon training plan to see if you can fit in the appropriate amount of training to your schedule.

The UK has a great variety of races throughout the season (April-September) that cater for all experiences and fitness levels—from super sprints through to full, official Ironman events (3.9km swim, 180km bike, 42km run). But there are a handful of triathlons that are heads and shoulders above the rest, and these should be on your bucket list.

Whether it’s the world’s biggest mass participation triathlon in the center of London or a unique take on the multi-sport discipline that sees competitors toil their way from Windsor to Brighton under their own steam, here are the best UK triathlons to sign up for.

Royal Windsor Triathlon 

Next event: 11 June 2023

Entry fee: From £85 (Sprint and Olympic)

It doesn’t get grander than this Berkshire-based event, which takes place in the shadow of Windsor Castle, with Sprint (750m swim, 20km cycle, 5km run) and Olympic (1,500m swim, 40km cycle, 10km run) courses on offer for both individual and team competitors.

Visit the Royal Windsor Triathlon website 

Castle To Coast

Next event: 22 July 2023

Entry fee: £195, £215 with return bus

Participants in this point-to-point event start with a 1.2-mile (1.9km) swim in Dorney Lake in Windsor, then embark on a 66-mile (106km) bike ride through the Surrey Hills down to Hassocks in East Sussex, rounding off the day with a 14-mile (22.5km) trail run through the South Downs to Brighton. The route means you can expect significantly more ascent than in most triathlons, with over 1,000m of climbing in the saddle and just shy of 400m on the run, but that work will be rewarded with both epic views and long downhill stretches as you return to sea level. Once there you can choose to stay in Brighton and toast your achievements all night long, or enjoy a shorter celebration before jumping on a bus back to the start in Windsor.

Visit the Castle to Coast website 

London Triathlon

Next event: 6 August 2023

Entry fee: £70 (Super sprint), £77 (Sprint), £109 (Olympic), £116 (Olympic plus), £205 (Warrior)

The world’s largest triathlon sees more than 11,000 participants make their way around the central London course while being cheered on by 30,000 spectators. There are Super Sprint (400m swim, 21.2km cycle, 5km run), Sprint, Olympic (1,500m swim, 42.4km cycle, 10km run) and Olympic Plus (1,500m swim, 80km cycle, 10km run) races, as well as a Weekend Warrior pass if one of those alone won’t suffice. The swim is held in the Royal Victoria Dock and the run section also takes place in Docklands, while the longer cycle legs take you along the Thames to Westminster and back.

Visit the London Triathlon website 

Blenheim Palace Triathlon

Next event: 3-4 June 2023

Entry fee: £106 (Super sprint), £107 (Sprint)

This popular triathlon enjoys about as pleasant a setting as you could ask for: Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, a Unesco World Heritage site. There are Super Sprint (400m swim, 13.2km cycle, 2.9km run) and Sprint (750m swim, 19.8km cycle, 5.4km run) options available, and its relatively flat bike and run legs make it a great choice for those new to multi-sports.

Visit the Blenheim Palace Triathlon website 

Outlaw Nottingham

Next event: 29-30 July 2023

Entry fee: £325

Looking to take on a full-distance Ironman triathlon (3.9km swim, 180km bike, 42km run) without having to stump up the entry fee for an official, branded event? The Outlaw has been offering an alternative for ultra-distance athletes since 2010, and its numerous awards suggest that it knows what it's doing. Setting off at the National Water Sports Centre’s Regatta Lake, participants are then tasked with an undulating ride (featuring two calf-burning climbs) before two out-and-back loops along the banks of the River Trent for the run. Breathtaking views and support are guaranteed throughout, whether you’re going for a PB or just looking to finish.

Visit the Outlaw Triathlon website

Superfeet Sandman

Next event: 9-10 September 2023

Entry fee: £89.99 (Sprint), £105 (Standard), £199 (Legend)

Not many triathlons can claim to take place on their very own island, but in the Sandman series participants swim, cycle and run their way around Anglesey in north Wales. The event hosts Sprint, Standard and Legend (70.3) races, and the latter is the best pick for those who want to experience Anglesey fully with a cycle leg that circumnavigates the island. It’s worth noting that the bike and run legs of each event are slightly different from “official” distances if you’re targeting a new PB, but the epic backdrop should more than make up for it.

Visit the Sandman Triathlon website 

Ironman 70.3 Weymouth

Next event: 17 September 2023

Entry fee: £339

It would be remiss not to include at least one Ironman-organized event in a round-up of the UK’s best triathlons, and this 70.3 half-distance (1.9km swim, 90km bike, 21.1km run) event is probably its most accessible—and, importantly, still has availability for 2023. Although an ocean swim does come with the risk of the swim leg getting canceled if the sea is choppy, the cool, late summer conditions and a rolling cycle with only one monster climb make this Dorset-based event a real winner.

Visit the Ironman website 

Dorney Lake Triathlon

Next event: 18 September 2023

Entry fee: £54.95 (First Timers), £79.95 (Novice), £89.95 (Sprint), £99.95 (Olympic)

A range of distances is available to competitors of all abilities and ages at this event held in the environs of Dorney Lake in Berkshire, which was known as Eton Dorney when it was used to host the rowing at the 2012 Olympics. Triathlon newcomers can pick from First Timers (200m swim, 5.3km cycle, 2.5km run), Novice (400m swim, 10.6km cycle, 2.5km run) and Super Sprint options, while more experienced triathletes can opt for an Olympic distance event. Its September date makes it a great season-ender or gives you time to start training if you only decide to give triathlon a go halfway through the summer.

Visit the Dorney Lake Series website 

This is one of three triathlon training plans created exclusively for Coach by endurance coach Steve Whittle. The sprint triathlon training plan is aimed at first-timers and then there’s the half Ironman triathlon training plan for more experienced triathletes.

“This plan is aimed at people who are looking to take the next step up having completed two or three sprint distance events,” says Whittle. “With this in mind, it’s 12 rather than 10 weeks long.”

12-Week Olympic Triathlon Training Plan

This is a straightforward training plan with sessions measured by duration, rather than a distance to cover or intensity to hit. This will help to progressively improve your endurance, as well as making it simpler to fit all of this training into your work, family and social commitments.

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More Great Triathlon Training Advice

• How To Train For A Triathlon
• Triathlete Gordon Benson’s Olympic Training Regime
• 9 Ways to Boost Your Triathlon Endurance
• Total Immersion Swimming for Triathletes
• Triathlon Gear Buyer’s Guide

Once you’ve thrashed out a few Olympic-distance triathlons and decided that it’s time to make the leap to a half Ironman, this training plan from endurance coach Steve Whittle will help you to do just that. 

“If you’re comfortable with the Olympic distance, this 12-week plan will allow you to progress to the half Ironman,” says Whittle. If you haven’t completed an Olympic tri, sign up for that distance first and use Whittle’s Olympic triathlon training plan to guide you.

We've also got some triathlon training tips from tri coaches, below the training plan.

12-Week Half Ironman Triathlon Training Plan

The plan below has been specifically designed to help intermediate-level triathletes prepare for the 1.9km swim, 85km ride and 21.1km run of the Woburn Abbey Half-Iron, presented by tri for life.

The plan keeps things simple and uses duration for each session. This ensures the body gets used to working for sustained periods and you don’t need to worry about covering specific distances. It also makes it easier to schedule all the hours of training in around other commitments.

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Triathlon Training Tips

Fuel Your Engine

Aim to eat a meal containing a mix of complex and simple carbohydrates, plus some lean protein and healthy fats, two to three hours before your session. Scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast with some fresh fruit is a good example—it’s light and easy to digest and it’ll provide you with a sustained energy boost.

Improve Your Swimming Technique

If you are more efficient in the water, you’ll save energy for the rest of your half Ironman while still speeding through your swim. “Find a group to train with, or get a few private coaching lessons,” says triathlon coach Ian Rooke, who contributed to our guide on how to train for a triathlon. A dedicated tri coach is a better bet because tri swimming technique uses less kicking than traditional front crawl, conserving energy for the road.

Practice Swimming In A Wetsuit

“While wetsuits are great at providing extra warmth and hydrodynamics, they can feel tight and restricting at first,” says Phil Paterson of coaching company RG Active. “It’s important to work with the buoyancy of the wetsuit. The suit’s buoyancy should make everyone quicker, since you sit higher in the water and your legs don’t sink as much.”

Don’t Just Train Indoors

This goes for all three disciplines in the half Ironman. While smashing out sessions in the gym is convenient and great for your fitness, the best prep for your event will be outdoors.

“You need to learn how to tackle wind and rain, particularly on the bike where you’ll be required to brake and corner,” says Paterson. “Another key area not being used when training indoors are the stabilizing muscles in your hips and core, which are essential for efficient running and pedaling. Not only can weaker stabilizing muscles slow you down through inefficiency, they can also lead to a greater risk of injury.”

Signing up for your first triathlon can feel like a big leap into the unknown, but rest assured the sprint distance is actually quite manageable. We enlisted endurance coach Steve Whittle to create three plans, one for the sprint distance, then an Olympic triathlon training plan and half Ironman triathlon training plan. And now you know what you’re doing for the next three years.

“This 10-week plan is designed for beginners looking to take part in their first ever event,” says Whittle.

10-Week Sprint Triathlon Training Plan

To keep things simple, all the sessions in these plans are measured by duration rather than distance, ensuring that your body gets used to running, cycling and swimming for sustained periods of time without you having to stress about exactly how much ground you’re covering. Knowing exactly how long you’ll have to spend on the road and in the pool each week will make it a lot easy to schedule your training around work and social commitments, too.

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Nutrition Tips For Your Training

Good nutrition starts long before race day. Get the process right in training and stay strong to the finish.

8 weeks out

“Keeping your body well fuelled throughout your training and recovery will help you get you through the race,” says Toby Garbett, a two-time world champion British rower and a competitive triathlete. Most athletes do well on a 40:20:30 split of carbs, fat and protein, but experiment to see what best fuels your effort.

48 hours to go

“With two days to go, it’s worth making sure your glycogen reserves are topped up,” says Garbett. “Fuel with slow-release carbs, including sweet potatoes and vegetables.”

2 hours to go

“On race day, stick to what you’ve used for your extended training efforts,” says Garbett. “There are plenty of gels out there, but I once ran an entire Ironman race fuelled by peanut butter and jam sandwiches and diluted orange juice.”

On the bike

“For any endurance effort longer than an hour you should take some extra fuel along the way,” says Garbett. “This could be squash or diluted orange juice in a sports bottle.” Remember to drink it while on the bike – if you leave it until the run, it’ll be too late to get the effect.

On the run

“On the run you might want a final drink, gel or snack – maybe just 100 calories to get you to the finish,” says Garbett. Have it as you hit the road. Hot day? Chuck another bottle over your head – in a 2012 study, “external cooling” beat actually drinking the water for efficiency.

More Great Triathlon Training Advice

• How To Train For A Triathlon
• Triathlete Gordon Benson’s Olympic Training Regime
• 9 Ways to Boost Your Triathlon Endurance
• Total Immersion Swimming for Triathletes
• Triathlon Gear Buyer’s Guide

 In This Series 

• Introduction
• UK Triathlons 2019
• How To Train For A Triathlon
• Triathlon Training Plans for Sprint, Olympic and Half Iron Distances
• 9 Ways to Boost Your Triathlon Endurance
• Total Immersion Swimming for Triathletes
• Triathlon Gear Buyer’s Guide
• Triathlon Kit

Marathons? Everyone in the office has done one. Tough Mudder? They don’t even give you a timing chip. For anyone in search of a serious test, a triathlon is your go-to. It won’t just test your endurance and fortitude – it’ll force you to learn new skills and confront weaknesses.

“Triathlon, out of all the sports I have tried, is a huge learning experience, especially the amount you learn between your first and second races,” says Toby Garbett, a two-time world champion British rower and a competitive triathlete. “This is one of the things that makes it so appealing – there’s lots to learn and so much improvement to be made.”

You’ll find Garbett’s tips for completing an Olympic-distance triathlon below, but if you’re completely new to triathlons a shorter sprint distance event is the natural place to start, even if you’re already a fairly confident swimmer, cyclist and runner. Getting used to multi-discipline events is as much about the challenge of switching sports as the individual effort of each, and starting with a sprint distance will help build expertise in that area. Sprint-distance triathlons are half the length of an Olympic event, and involve a 750m swim, 20km on the bike and a 5K run.

To nail your first sprint triathlon, follow this advice from Phil Paterson of coaching company RG Active, the official training partner of the AJ Bell London Triathlon.

Sprint Triathlon Training Tips

Training plan tips

Everyone is different and the kind of training volume you can handle will depend on your exercise background and how active you are currently. It’s important to stay within your limits during the first two weeks of training to establish a routine.

Establish a baseline for each discipline. Try to do the full distance in each discipline and record how long it takes you. Use this as a rough estimate and add a little more distance to each training session. Once you feel comfortable with your technique, then think about improving your speed. This should be a gradual process – don’t overdo it because this could lead to injury.

If this is your first triathlon, start training around six months before the event. Schedule in four hours a week to start with, and work up gradually to six to eight hours as your fitness improves and you build up the distances. Spread out your sessions to avoid overworking muscles and don’t ramp up the distance before your body is ready – both will put you at risk of injury.

Do at least one session of each discipline per week as well as one strength and conditioning session.

Once a month include a lower-volume week to give your body time to recover. For example, do 30-40% less than you did the previous week, then build up again the following week.

Take your training outdoors. Although the gym is a great place to build your fitness and is especially appealing when the weather is bad, you really need to get outside and experience running and cycling on different terrains. Weather is an important factor too – you need to learn how to tackle wind and rain, particularly on the bike where you’ll be required to brake and corner.

Another key area not being used when training indoors are the stabilising muscles in your hips and core, which are essential for efficient running and pedalling. Not only can weaker stabilising muscles slow you down through inefficiency, they can also lead to a greater risk of injury.

What a typical training week should look like

Training weeks will vary depending on the time of year, access to facilities and people's work schedules, but here’s an example, ranging from four to six hours. Defining sessions by time rather than distance allows people to go at their own speed and it can change throughout the programme. Complete beginners can start with much less than this and increase their training time as the programme progresses.

Monday: Swim – technique and endurance (45min)
Tuesday: Run – endurance (20-45min)
Wednesday: Swim – speed work (30min), plus strength work in the gym (45min)
Thursday: Bike – turbo trainer or exercise bike intervals (30-45min)
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Bike – outdoors endurance ride, with hills, and practising gears and riding position (45-90min)
Sunday: Fortnightly brick session – bike (35-45min) and run (15 min)

An extra swim session is always recommended, since this is often where many can make the most improvement to fitness and confidence. Once your swimming is up to speed, focus any extra time on different disciplines each week. For example, one week do an extra run, and the following week an extra cycle. This also allows muscles to rest so they’re not overtraining.

In summer aim to get a weekly or fortnightly open-water swim in to work on wetsuit swimming as well as your open-water skills and confidence.

See related :

• Triathlon Training Plans for Sprint, Olympic and Half Iron Distances
• The UK’s Best Triathlons To Enter In 2021
• 9 Ways to Boost Your Triathlon Endurance

Open-water swimming tips

Swimming is nearly always the biggest hurdle for newcomers to the triathlon, since it’s likely to be the one sport they’ve done the least since they were a child. And open-water swimming is very different from swimming laps in a poo – the water is significantly colder and usually very dark.

Practise swimming in a wetsuit. While wetsuits are great at providing extra warmth and hydrodynamics, they can feel tight and restricting at first. It’s important to work with the buoyancy of the wetsuit. The suit’s buoyancy should make everyone quicker, since you sit higher in the water and your legs don’t sink as much.

Focus on your breathing. Cold water makes people hyperventilate so focusing on your breathing will help calm you down. Also, since you cannot see your speed or heart rate in the water, there’s very little to go on in terms of your pacing, so using breathing to control your rhythm should help you swim more smoothly and quickly.

Sighting is another essential skill you’ll need to pick up, so you can see where you’re going in the water, and so is being able to take your wetsuit off quickly while on the way to your bike in T1.

Start practising early. Don’t get to a week or two before an event having never swum in open water, thinking you’ll only need one quick practice.

It’s essential to get used to swimming with others, especially since mass starts can bring a sense of dread to newbies. Truth be told, most races are pretty good at dividing people into smaller waves or seeded rolling starts, but it’s still worth getting outside your comfort zone during your training.

Switch disciplines in training

One of the biggest challenges of any multisport event is switching between disciplines. Changing the working muscles, and therefore the required blood flow to different areas of the body, can take a little getting used to. For example, switching from pedalling a bike to running can be a shock to the system, which can result in the feeling of “jelly legs”. This happens when your legs have been moving in a circular motion without impact, then switch to a more elliptical running gait with the added impact forcing blood flow to the bottom of your legs. Learning to get into your running rhythm quickly off the bike will make your whole run a lot easier and quicker.

Bike-to-run brick sessions are the best way to train for this. Depending on your location and access to suitable training areas, you can do these in a number of ways. You can either plan a bike route of between half to full race distance and then have your run kit set up ready to go as soon as you’re back from your ride, aiming to be back out and running as quickly as you can.

The other fun way is to select a short bike route of around 5km with a run route of around 1km – these can be loops or out-and-backs. Repeat bike-run-bike-run as many times as you like. Aim for a minimum of two, working up to four times through as your training progresses. You’ll either need to do this in a training group, with a coach watching your bike while you run, or enlist a willing family member to help you out. Cake is always a good bribe.

Olympic Triathlon Training Tips

Training Tips For The Swim

The most intimidating leg for many, but also the area where you’ll make the biggest time savings through technique. Commit to the crawl now – and invest in quality goggles.

The Foundations For most people, the swim is the limiting factor – but even if you can get the distance done, better efficiency in the water means you’ll save energy for the other two legs. That’s why, in the early going, technique improvements beat raw cardio prowess. “Find a group to train with, or get a few private coaching lessons,” says triathlon coach Ian Rooke. A dedicated tri coach is a better bet because tri swimming technique uses less kicking than traditional front crawl, conserving energy for the road.

Speed Up Endless lengths aren’t the answer. “To improve on your speed I would suggest not swimming any more than 400m in one go,” says Rooke. “You need to maintain good form and technique throughout the whole distance, whether it’s 100m, 200m or 1,500m. To work on speed I would suggest swimming 100m efforts using a given ‘turn-around time’ – for instance, 10x100m off 1min 50sec means you’d aim to swim 100m in around 1min 20sec, rest for 30sec, and go again when the clock hits 1min 50sec. Aim to reduce the swim time and increase rest time.”

Advanced Tactics If it’s tricky to get to the pool, top up your training and build swim-specific strength in the gym. You’ll want to work on your shoulders and core for full-body efficiency, and you can use the renegade row to build both. Get into a press-up position holding a pair of dumbbells on the floor, do a press-up, then row one weight up towards your armpit, keeping your core tight and body parallel to the floor, then the other. That’s one rep. Aim for five sets of ten.

The Bike

The longest section of the race is the chunk where PBs are made or lost. Think quality not quantity in your training, and make sure you know how to change a flat.

The Foundations At least one of your sessions a week should be a long-distance, low-intensity effort done at a comfortable, controlled pace. Work according to perceived endurance, not a heart rate monitor: your breathing rate should be relatively low, and you should feel like you’d be able to hold a conversation throughout the session. Your legs should start to feel less fresh, and then a bit tired – that’s the sweet spot where you know you’re putting in quality kilometres.

Speed Up To improve your performance on flat courses, work on high gear intervals (or “big gear” as cyclists often call it). Do six sets of eight minutes in a big gear with two-minute spinning recoveries. Use a threshold effort, where you build to a burning in the legs then back off a little.

Advanced Tactics “If you have access to an indoor trainer – otherwise known as a turbo trainer – these are great bits of kit to help improve cycling fitness,” says Rooke. “Try to make your training race specific by holding a pace for a given amount of time, rest, then repeat for a number of sets.” To improve your ability to hit hills and recover, do 12/3s, where you alternate 12 minutes at race-pace intensity with three minutes at a higher pace. Build up to a 45-minute set for an Olympic-distance tri.

The Run

You’re nearly there but even for veteran runners, the final burst can be tough on bike-ravaged legs. Here’s how to finish strong and put in a time you can be proud of

The Foundations First you’ll need to make sure you can cover the distance. If you’re new to running, increase your training volume gradually, and don’t increase it every week because your joints and tissues need time to adapt to the new stresses they’re under. Aim to do one long effort, building up in distance each week, alongside one faster-paced but shorter session and one “brick” effort (see below). Start the speed sessions by doing fartlek – just speeding up and slowing down according to your own internal sense of pace – before you start playing with intervals.

Speed Up “The best way to improve speed is to go to a running track and do efforts ranging from 400m up to 1,200m,” says Rooke. “Use a similar method as with the swim – say, aiming for a 90-second 400m with 30 seconds of rest, then going again. Alternatively just give yourself the same rest each time no matter how fast your effort.” For a triathlon-pace race, a 2:1 or 3:1 work-to-rest ratio can be one of the most beneficial. Keep the total distance of each session relatively consistent so you aren’t overtraining.

Advanced Tactics Visualisation can work, but make sure you’re not picturing too easy a race. In multiple studies, psychological research indicates that the more time people spend fantasising about desired outcomes – everything from passing school exams to losing weight – the less effort they put into actually achieving them.

If you’re picturing a perfect, hassle-free race you’re more likely to fall apart, or at least slow down, when adversity strikes. Instead, use an effect known as “bracing”. Expect your race to be hard, and mentally rehearse how you’ll feel and what you’ll do if things go wrong. Prepare for the worst and take responsibility for your race.

Brick Training

Brick sessions - two disciplines back to back – are key part of your training, so do them properly

Start Easy You’ll take time to adjust, so don’t push too hard too soon. “Start with a gentle five-minute jog after coming off the bike,” says Garbett. “Once you’re used to how this feels, increase time, distance and intensity gradually so you avoid injury.”

Talk Yourself In “Once you complete a session in one discipline, it’s easy to feel you’ve done some good training and talk yourself out of the next bit,” says Garbett. Resist by going through mental cues as you come off the bike: say, “quick feet” or “loose shoulders”.

Do A Multi-Brick Help your body adjust to different disciplines by giving it a few chances. Do a 30-minute bike warm-up, then alternate between ten minutes’ cycling and ten minutes’ running three or four times. Finish with a warm-down on the bike.

Add Jumps In a University of Queensland study, triathletes improved their running mechanics with plyometrics. Once or twice a week, warm up with a ten-minute jog or bike spin, then do up to five sets of five box jumps. Aim for quality, not quantity.

Mimic The Course In the final weeks before the race, simulate the course as closely as you can during your brick sessions. If you’re going to hit a big hill 1km into the run but you’ve trained solely on the flat, you’ll struggle on the day.

When you catch the fitness bug there is always a chance it will quickly escalate and what might have started out as a gentle plan to cycle to work or run your local Parkrun every week suddenly morphs into an all-action training schedule for a marathon. Or a 100-mile bike ride. Or, in the long run, a triathlon.

First-timers swell the ranks on the start line at every mass participation triathlon nowadays, and the sport is growing at a furious pace. Sport England stats show that over 200,000 people tackled a tri in 2016 – 67% more than in 2009 – and that there are now an average of 26 events every week.

Training for a triathlon, especially when it’s your first, requires a firm plan and a very capable multi-sport tracker that can help you analyse your performance across the three disciplines. The new Apple Watch on EE is not only such a tracker, it will also keep you in touch with the rest of the world during your training thanks to its mobile connectivity with an iPhone that is on EE. The Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + 4G) uses the same number as your iPhone, so both the iPhone and Apple Watch need to be on EE if you want to call, message, use apps and stream music, without having your iPhone on you. If your iPhone is on another network and you buy the latest Apple Watch, you simply won’t get access to all of the great 4G functionality.

Considering how much time you need to spend on the bike, in the pool, and pounding the pavements to prepare for a triathlon, taking calls, receiving emails and streaming an unlimited choice of music while on the go is very handy indeed.

The latest Apple Watch’s great strength when it comes to fitness tracking is the vast amount of apps available for it, and that holds especially true for triathletes, as you can pick out the perfect app for you in each of the three sports, or use the native Workout app for all three of them.

You are spoilt for choice when it comes to running and cycling, with all of the most popular fitness tracking apps – including, Nike+ Run Club and Cyclemeter – available as Apple Watch apps. The most common route into a triathlon is for a keen runner and cyclist to take up swimming, in which case they probably already have a favourite app for tracking running or cycling, so it’s great to be able to simply carry on using that app on the latest Apple Watch.

There are also impressive third-party apps available for swimming such as MySwimPro, but the recently revamped swim support through the Workout app is perfect for the first-time triathlete. When you’re in the pool the new Apple Watch counts lengths automatically and divides your workout into sets for you – so if you take a breather after 10 lengths before going for another 10, your post-swim report will break down your stats – like distance, time, pace – by set.

Most impressively of all, the Watch automatically recognises your stroke type in the water and divides your workout up accordingly. So, if you do five lengths of front crawl, then five of breast stroke and then five backstroke, you’ll get details on your performance with each stroke. You don’t need the flawless technique of Michael Phelps for the Watch to recognise the stroke either – even beginner attempts at each type will be picked up and categorised correctly.

The new Apple Watch on EE also offers open-water swim tracking, which is essential for triathletes. When it comes to race day, you’re not going to be knocking out 50 lengths at an indoor pool, you’re going to be plunging into the open water, so you need a tracker that can take that plunge with you. With open-water swims the new Apple Watch uses its in-built GPS to provide a map of your workout afterwards, as well as your stats including distance, time and stroke types.

If you also track your runs and cycles with the Workout app, you can take advantage of another new feature on the watch, which is the ability to transition between exercise types at the click of a button. Well, two buttons, but that’s still pretty quick. Swipe left from your current activity and you’ll see a ‘+’ icon, click that and it will save your activity while offering the sports menu for you to select your next workout, allowing you to switch from say, running to cycling, in rapid fashion. It’s not hard to see how useful that is for triathletes.

Of course you might want to use three different apps for running, cycling and swimming, depending on your ability in each, and the Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + 4G) will let you do just that. For running you might fancy the Nike+ Run Club, which offers training plans tailored to your ability, as well as guided runs where a coach (or a famous athlete like Mo Farah) will talk you through the session from the Watch itself. If you are a new runner, you can select the distance of the run in your triathlon and Nike+ Run Club will set up a training plan for you that builds up to race day. Easy! Although you will have to do the running yourself.

You could rely on the native Apple Watch Workout app for your cycling, as it does a very good job, or you could go the third party route with something like Cyclemeter if you’re looking for more in depth analysis of your rides.

Likewise, if you’re looking for an alternative to the excellent swim tracking on the Workout app you can also get a training plan for the wettest part of your triathlon with an app like MySwimPro, which will guide you through workouts in the water and help improve your technique via videos on the partner phone app.

That’s just one possible combination of apps you can use for your triathlon training with the new Apple Watch. There are thousands more, and if you can’t be bothered to pick through them all, there is always the easiest route of using the native Workout app for everything.

So the Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + 4G) is a tremendous tri tracker, and that’s before you even get to the extra benefits of its mobile connectivity available on EE. If there’s one thing all triathletes share, it’s a busy training schedule, so having a watch that can handle all your emails, calls and texts, and help manage your work and personal calendar on top of tracking your workouts is a real bonus. You can leave your phone behind and go for a run, or a ride, or jump in the pool – you really shouldn’t have your phone with you for that last one anyway – and stay connected to the world, taking calls and replying to texts and emails by dictating your response to Siri, or using a pre-loaded template response.

On top of that, the latest Apple Watch’s mobile connectivity through EE also allows you to stream music directly through the device, so you can access both your music collection and the entire Apple Music library from your wrist. When you consider the hefty workload of a triathlon training schedule it’s impossible to overestimate the value of having instant access to unlimited entertainment while you workout. It’s also a great way of making the most of your 6 months of free Apple Music that you can get with your iPhone’s EE pay monthly plan.

With a huge variety of running, cycling and swimming apps to pick between, the Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + 4G) is the perfect fitness tracker and coach for a triathlete, but it’s not content to do just that. On top of tracking your activity the cellular connectivity on the Watch allows you to manage your life alongside your training schedule, as well as entertaining you through the long hours of training. It is, in short, the perfect training tool for the first-time triathlete.

EE offers the Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + 4G) from just £25 per month with unlimited data, and customers require an iPhone 6, SE (or later) on a EE pay monthly or EE SIM Only plan.

www.ee.co.uk/applewatch

Eton Dorney is a regular haunt for triathletes, with many mass-participation multisport races hosted at the lake in Windsor every year, but this weekend’s event is different to most in that it is open to everyone – disabled and non-disabled alike.

The Superhero Tri features three distances – Sprint, Half and Tri – all of which can be tackled solo, as part of a team, or with a Superhero Sidekick, who helps a participant around the course.

There will be some famous faces on the start line, including newly minted World Para Athletics T44 100m champion Jonnie Peacock, who won gold in London to add to his impressive collection of medals, which also includes Paralympic golds from 2012 and 2016.

Peacock is running ten times his usual distance at the Superhero Tri, tackling 1,000m as part of a team in the Sprint event, so we were keen to get an insight into his tactics for the event.

What’s your plan for the run – cane the first 100m, then jog the rest?

I’m trying to think what to do, whether it’s best to start at a good pace and try and hold on, or to take it nice and easy, and keep it for the sprint finish.

Have you done mass-participation events like this before?

This will be a first for me. The Superhero Triathlon is the first event of its kind, where every single person can get involved. I’ve never been involved in anything like it.

Why is it important for these inclusive events to exist?

There are so many mass-participation events around the UK and globally, but very, very few are for everybody. They are all more… not elite, but for able-bodied people.

This is the first one where anybody can get involved. People with different kinds of disabilities and different severities of disabilities. Their Superhero Sidekick can help them, whether that’s a family member or a friend, providing moral support or a physical push through some of the course.

I think it’s completely new, completely different and really important.

There are quite a few celebrity teams lined up – is it getting competitive?

I don’t think so. I’m sure there will be some competitiveness on the day, but for now it’s about getting people involved. That said, I don’t want to let Team npower down – but I’m not feeling too confident about my endurance!

What advice would you have for beginners looking to become more active?

Find something you think is fun, that’s the main thing. Try lots of different things because you don’t know what you're going to enjoy. I never tried sprinting until a talent identification day where I tried out lots of different sports. One of them was sprinting and it turned out I was OK at it and I fell in love with it.

Nobody really knows what they might enjoy so give everything a go at least once. And don’t go too hard too soon – lots of people do loads for a month, then they don’t do it for six months. Take it nice and steady.

The Superhero Tri takes place on 19th August 2017 and will also be held next year on 18th August 2018. The Superhero Series also includes Winter Wonderwheels on 3rd December, which has 1km, 5km and 10km events. For more info and to sign up head to superheroseries.co.uk

Having the right equipment will help you perform better in any race. Each item you use is an opportunity to find a marginal gain and edge towards a new personal best.

If you’re entering a triathlon, the subject of gear becomes especially important because there’s so much of it. Get it wrong and you risk undermining the hard work you put in during tough training sessions; get it right and you’ll post a time that makes all those hard sessions worth it when you cross the finish line.

But it’s not just the end of the race you’ve got to worry about. The start line can be equally important. “You don’t want to stand out from the crowd,” says triathlon coach Ian Rooke. “When you’re at an event everyone’s looking at each other to see what wetsuit or what bike you’ve got. Having the correct kit makes you blend in. It can also provide motivation – you want to do it justice and get the most out of it.”

After the bike, wetsuits are the most technical items. “If you’re wearing an ill-fitting wetsuit then you won’t perform well,” Rooke says. “You’ll get off to a bad start and you’ll feel deflated.” That doesn’t mean you have to splash the cash on a top-of-the-range suit. “If you’re doing two or three races in a season it’s worth investing in a wetsuit. But if it’s just one race you may want to hire one to train and race in. If you decide to carry on you can buy one for the next season.

The type of race is also important. “Is it a sprint or a half Ironman?” says Rooke. “And what type of terrain? Because there’s no point in buying a time-trial bike if it’s a long-distance bike leg in Exmoor, which is notoriously hilly.” Use Rooke’s gear advice to race like a pro.

Swim Gear

“The wetsuit is the second biggest purchase a triathlete will make, after the bike,” says Rooke. “The suit needs to be well fitted, ideally by an expert, as fits can be very different between models and brands. The thicker the fabric, the more buoyant but less flexible your suit will be. The Orca’s a good entry-level option.” £169, buy on wiggle.co.uk

“It’s worth investing in a decent set with anti-fog technology,” says Rooke. “These give you a tight fit, with a low-profile design for comfort and streamlining.” £11.25, buy on 2xu.co.uk

“A tri-suit’s designed to be worn under your wetsuit, letting you swim, bike and run in the same item of clothing without having to change in transition,” says Rooke. “This one minimises drag through the water and dries quickly.” £95, buy on racezone3.com

Bike Gear

Bikes

The three main categories are Endurance Road, Aero Road and Triathlon Specific, also known as Time Trial (TT). “On a hilly course, I would use one of the road varieties,” says Rooke. “If the course is flat and fast then the TT’s geometry would suit it better.” Endurance Road pick: Cannondale Synapse, buy on evanscycles.com; Aero Road pick: Cervelo S3, buy on sigmasport.co.uk; TT pick: Trek Speed Concept, buy on trekbikes.com

“Much like bikes, the right helmet depends on the rider, the type of course and the conditions,” says Rooke. “This one is entry-level – it’s really a road helmet, but it’s a solid all-round option.” £65, buy on sigmasport.co.uk

“Good road cycling shoes will help you push the pedals hard and make full use of your muscles,” says Rooke. “You can get tri-specific shoes which reduce transition time because the straps are simpler, but road shoes are probably best for your first tri.” £55, buy on evanscycles.com

Run Gear

“Run shoes come in all types to suit every running style, and you should always try them before you buy,” says Rooke. “Look out for comfort, weight and breathability.” Rooke’s pick, the Cloudflow, is supportive and highly breathable. £120, buy on on-running.co.uk

“These are elastic, so there’s no need to tie your shoes up – and the laces won’t come loose when running, which saves crucial seconds in transition,” says Rooke. “They’re precise, lightweight and quick – the cheapest way to save time.” £9, buy on sigmasport.co.uk

Made for running, 2XU’s Compression Run Socks have zoned breathability panels, a linked toe cage and PWX compression help to increase blood flow, reduce fatigue and improve performance. £35, buy on 2xu.co.uk

RECOMMENDED: The Best Running Compression Socks

Once seen as the preserve of only the very fittest among us, triathlon’s growth as a mass-participation sport has been remarkable. According to stats from British Triathlon, there were 220,000 race starts in Britain in 2015, an astonishing rise from 120,620 in 2009.

The number of events available also continues to rise in line with this increasing demand, and many of these offer shorter routes than the classic Olympic distance, giving newcomers more opportunities than ever to give it a go.

But to do so, you need to ensure you have the right kit. Since three different sports are involved, trying to work out what you need can be a daunting, not to mention expensive, affair. We enlisted Phil Paterson from RG Active – the official training partner of the Bloodwise Blenheim Palace Triathlon and AJ Bell London Triathlon – for some advice on what gear you need for a triathlon.

Swimming

1. The most important element to the swim is purchasing a comfortable, well-fitted suit. For men, it’s wise to invest in a “jammer” suit which is tight-fitting and comes down to the knee.

2. Invest in a good-quality pair of goggles and make sure that they fit correctly to your face. Clear lenses are better for darker days when visibility is difficult.

3. Invest in – or be prepared to hire – a reliable wetsuit specifically for triathlons as they differ from traditional surfing or diving suits. Triathlon suits are much thinner on the arms, providing better flexibility when swimming.

4. Always try on the suit before purchasing – this is a must!

Cycling

1. Almost any bike will be fine to race with, providing it meets the British Triathlon Federation safety guidelines. Bikes must not have fixed gears and will need to have brakes.

2. If you are going to buy, invest in a road bike. They are the most versatile and useful for everyday training. Head to your local bike shop and ask to test ride some bikes – this is a great opportunity to get a feel for the bike. Stay within your budget – don’t be talked into buying the most expensive bike in the shop.

3. Think recycle – second-hand bikes can be a brilliant way to get a much higher spec bike for a lower cost.

4. Bike shoes are not essential, but they are great race-day time savers because they improve efficiency.

5. Cycling shorts are essential because they provide vital comfort and support, and make sure you get tight-fitting thermal base layers (indispensable when training in the colder months).

6. Other smart layers include non-padded fleece tights, a windstopper jacket, leg warmers, gloves and a headband. Goggles will also help protect your eyes from the, dust and stones.

Running

1. The best running shoes can really make or break the race. I recommend getting a running assessment done before purchasing so that your shoes are tailor-made for your gait.

2. Runners should wear whatever feels most comfortable. Breathable materials are a must. In colder weather make sure to layer up.

RECOMMENDED: The Best Men’s Running Gear and What to Know Before You Buy

Triathlon Accessories

1. Invest in elastic laces. This could save you bundles of money, not to mention time while transitioning.

2. Get a race belt. They will keep your number securely in place and are far more convenient than faffing around with safety pins. They’re cheap to buy and you’ll only ever need one.

3. Trisuits are a personal preference – they will undoubtedly help make your race more seamless, but they’re not essential.

4. The “nudity in transition” regulation means you must always be covered when changing from the swim to cycle. A good tip is to wear a tight-fitting top and a pair of cycling shorts underneath your suit.

RECOMMENDED: Triathlon Wetsuits, Bikes, Cycling Shoes And Running Shoes

For more information and to sign up for the AJ Bell London Triathlon or the Bloodwise Blenheim Triathlon, visit livetotri.co.uk/london-triathlon or livetotri.co.uk/blenheim-triathlon

There was a time when taking part in a marathon was an undertaking only for those hardcore and devoted. Now? Chances are if you haven’t done a triathlon, you’ll know at least one person who has.

The combination of swimming, cycling and running was chosen because it is the best test of your overall endurance. Jack Maitland, head coach at Leeds Triathlon Centre, who has helped the UK’s Brownlee brothers secure a cabinet full of world triathlon medals, says, “Triathlon’s sports are ones that pretty much everyone has done at some point,” Maitland says. “So the muscle memory for those sports is already in our bodies, making triathlons uniquely accessible.”

Despite this, many are put off from taking the plunge, possibly because swimming outdoors in a rubber suit seems a bit, you know, odd. But wearing a wetsuit will actually make you more buoyant. Once you’re over that hurdle, then the bike and run seem like a doddle. But before you sign up, there are unique challenges to prepare for. Here’s your cheat sheet.

The Golden Rules of Racing

Survive the Swim

The swim is usually the most intimidating part of any triathlon – fighting through a mob of wetsuits in dark, open water can be a shock to the system. Know these five things

1. Fit your suit. A well-fitting wetsuit reduces your heart rate by an average of 10 per cent in a swim, due to the performance boost the extra buoyancy gives you. If the cost of buying a wetsuit is a barrier, then rent one for your first triathlon. “That will allow you to get an idea of the size and type of suit you prefer before forking out,” says Maitland.

2. A strong start is vital. In most races you don’t want to go off too fast and burn out. But in a triathlon, the most important thing is to get clear water so that you can settle into your own swim rhythm. Sometimes this means expending more energy at the start to get clear of a knot of swimmers and maybe even to draft behind a stronger swimmer. So make sure you are used to fast efforts followed by race-pace swimming.

3. Don’t take things personally. The first thing to realise about a mass start is that you will get bumped. A lot. “There are very few intentional acts of foul play – it’s more often a case of individuals seeking their own clear water,” says James Beckinsale, MSc, Olympic coach and founder of Optima Racing Team. If you get caught between two swimmers you can use a move to get clear. “Drop back slightly and roll over their hips and legs, with your back to their hips to avoid getting kicked in the stomach and winded.”

4. Sight the buoy. There’s no line on the bottom to follow in open water so you can go off course easily. It’s not unheard of for the whole leading pack of swimmers to go in the wrong direction so don’t just assume that everyone else has got it right. Every three to six strokes look for the buoy to make sure you are on course.

5. Prepare for the bike. “When you are about 100m from the end of the swim increase your kick slightly to get the blood flowing more to your legs from your upper body, which will make the run to your first transition easier,” says Beckinsale.

Boss the Bike

Cycling is – in theory – the easiest part of the event. But it might not feel that way when you get in the saddle after a tough swim. Se here’s how to make good time in the second stage.

1. Drop down. Keeping your body low and riding on the drops of your handlebars [or on tri-bars, a pair of forks that you can clip on], will save you energy because your aerodynamic profile will be smaller. Practise this during your training so you can use it in the race. “You may need to work on stretching out your hamstrings and lower back if you find it awkward,” says Maitland.

2. Breathe right. An efficient cycle is a fast cycle. “The more control you have of your breathing, the more control you have over your heart rate – which means the more efficient you will be,” says Ian Stokell, author of Triathlon. Breathe deeply and rhythmically and avoid taking short, sharp breaths, which fail to exploit your full lung capacity.

3. Save your legs. Maintaining a constant, steady cadence or pedal rpm (90rpm is popular with triathletes – you can practise this on a stationary bike) without pushing a big gear will help to keep your efforts in the aerobic zone, using slow-twitch muscle fibres. This will avoid completely fatiguing the fast-twitch fibres that you will rely on for a fast finish. “Experiment with riding at different cadences in training to see how they make your legs feel in the run,” recommends Beckinsale.

Run for Home

The finish line is so close you can taste it – hopefully that doesn’t mean you’ll end up falling face first at the end. Your legs may feel like they’ve been tasered when you get off the bike and you’ve still got 10km to go. Thankfully help is at hand.

1. Fast feet. Good running technique can save you energy as well as seconds. Research has shown that by increasing running cadence from 170 to 175 steps per minute gains you eight metres per minute. And dropping your pace not only cuts cadence – it uses more energy.

2. Fight the fade. There is a point usually about halfway through the run when it feels really tough. “You need to work hard mentally to get through this ‘no man’s land’ – visualise the times in training when you felt strong,” says Beckinsale. When you start to feel better, don’t be tempted to raise the pace – simply maintain your goal race pace.

3. Finish proud. If you have anything left in the tank, once you can see the finish line – or another triathlete is making a dash for it – lift your knees, put on the afterburners and sprint for the line. Savour the sense of pride that finishing strongly gives you and store it for motivation in your next training regime.

Seamless Transitions

“Make sure you know the mechanics of what you’re going to do in each transition and take into account your equipment – some of it may require modifying – adding elastic laces to your running shoes, for instance,” says Maitland. Another time-saving kit hack is to trim your wetsuit’s wrists and ankles back to make it easier to peel off in a hurry.

T1, as the first transition is called, is often the most crazy. Beckinsale has a tick list for a fast transition: know where your bike is; put your goggles onto your head; peel off your wetsuit, arms first, down to your waist; dump your hat and goggles; put your helmet on as you stamp on your wetsuit to get it off; grab your bike and run to the exit; mount your bike.

T2 is a less crazy transition but your legs may be “jellyfied” as you dismount. Beckinsale recommends taking your feet out of the shoes 400m before the dismount line and pedal over your shoes. Rack your bike and slip on your running shoes, remembering to turn your race number to the front.

Jack Maitland is head coach of Leeds Triathlon Centre, James Beckinsale is author of The Triathlon Training Book (published by DK), Ian Stokell is author of Triathlon (Bloomsbury)

Avoid Chafing

Graham, 31, triathlon coach, on what it’s like to be struck by the chafing curse

I started out as a swimmer, but moved to triathlon later. When I was first starting out, I would get pretty bad chafing around my neck on the swim – I was using a wetsuit that was meant for surfing, rather than swimming, and I paid the consequences. In my naivety, I didn’t even know there were different kinds.

I remember as well starting out and seeing a bunch of older guys slathering on Vaseline or Bodyglide, and I was foolishly confident that I wasn’t going to need it. Then I could barely turn my neck for the chafing, and I felt a bit of a mug.

I was already quite an experienced cyclist, so I knew how important it was to wear proper triathlon shorts and not the bike shorts I was used to. I’ve seen people just get that completely wrong, and the triathlon is such an unforgiving event they definitely lived to regret it.

I resisted the practice of taping my nipples for a long time – it always seemed a little pervy to me, for some reason. Then I got unlucky one run portion, and by the end of the race it looked like I was lactating blood. That was another lesson learned…

The big lesson is that bravado is not the way forward – you’ve got to be sensible and understand that, in particular in endurance events, your body is really fragile. The frustration factor in letting something so simple as chafing get to you is huge – it’s so easily avoided.

RECOMMENDED: How To Prevent And Treat Chafing

Losing sleep over the triathlon that's fast approaching? Fear not. Coach’s sister magazine, Men’s Fitness, has compiled a list of brilliant pro training tips that will bump up your endurance in all three of the stages, and will give you a fighting chance of crossing that finish line with a smile on your face...

Swimming

Focus your training

“Aim to do two 20- to 30-minute technique sessions during the week where you focus on improving a specific aspect of your stroke like your breathing or kicking,” says Sam Williams, swimming coach at Swim Studio London. “Then do a longer session at the weekend where you add extra lengths or time each week to monitor your progress.”

Stay relaxed

“Endurance sports like cycling and running are all about exertion, but if you’re doing it properly, swimming should be the opposite,” says Williams. “If you’re too tense in the water, you’ll end up thrashing around, wasting energy and tiring yourself out. Instead, focus on staying balanced in the water and maintaining a relaxed stroke.”

RECOMMENDED: Total Immersion Swimming for Triathletes

Know your kit

“Make sure you train wearing and using the kit you plan to race in,” says Williams. “You wouldn’t try to break a new pair of running shoes in the week before a marathon, and swimming is no different – the last thing you want is a new pair of goggles that start letting in water on race day. Having battle-tested gear that you trust and feel comfortable in for hours at a time will stand you in good stead.”

Cycling

Frequency is key

“Aim to ride every other day if you can, making sure you have at least three rest days a week,” says Cyclist magazine’s James Spender. “Even if you only have time for short, 30-minute sessions, a few of these spread across the week will be more productive than just doing one three-hour ride on the weekend. The regularity will help you become more comfortable on the bike and improve your muscle memory for pedalling.”

Nail your nutrition

Using the correct fuel will help you train and recover to the best of your abilities. “Have an easily digestible meal that combines healthy carbs and protein – say, wholegrain rice with chicken breast and green veg – about two hours before your session and a similar meal afterwards,” says Spender. “During the ride, top up your energy levels with a bar, gel or swig of energy drink at 20-minute intervals once you pass the two-hour mark.”

Learn roadside repairs

It might sound obvious, but being able to change a flat tyre is an absolute must, whatever your level of fitness or experience. “Even if you’ve never had one before, do a practice run during training to familiarise yourself with the process,” says Spender. “You can’t always rely on having other cyclists around to help you if something goes wrong, and the last thing you’d want is for a mid-race puncture to undo all your hard work.”

Running

Make a happiness plan

Even if you stick perfectly to your schedule, it’s not a given that you’ll feel great while you’re training. “It’s normal at times to feel unhappy about how you performed in a training session,” says Kim Ingleby, a British Athletics Coach and personal trainer. “So write down the runs that you’ve really enjoyed and how they made you feel. Then write down what you are unhappy about. Write these on one side of the paper and then, on the other side, write down what you can do to become happier with them. From that list, choose a maximum of three areas to focus on each month to improve and create goals that you can work on.”

Find mid-session strength

During hard training sessions there can be a voice in your head telling you to stop. “This is so common, and it’s our mind’s way of looking after us,” says Ingleby. “When this happens you have two options. First, you can decide you are going to walk or slow down for a minute and get your focus back, breathe deeply and start again. Second, breathe it out: as you inhale, say a positive word like ‘strength’ and exhale out the stopping thought for six breaths, focusing on growing in strength and letting go of fatigue. This sounds too simple to work – but it does.”

Get a winning mindset

Towards the end of any race, whether it’s a 10K or a triathlon, is where the going really gets tough. “When you start to struggle, think of all the people who inspire and motivate you, the people you love in your life and your reasons for taking part in the event,” says Ingleby. “I also find it useful to break the longer running events into 5km or 10km chunks so that as you complete each one, you realise you can do it. Another trick is to have a mini-movie or soundtrack in your mind for near the end, which you can ‘play’ to keep you going until you cross the finish line.”

European Games triathlon gold medallist Gordon Benson is heading to his first Olympics in Rio this year. We caught up with the 22-year-old proud Yorkshireman to find out how he’s preparing.

I’ll be going to Rio in a support role for the Brownlee brothers, Alistair and Jonny. I’ll offer them protection during the swim and they’ll draft behind me. On the bike I’ll chase down breakaways and do the majority of the work for them so it puts them in a position to win.

I train with the Brownlees in Leeds but our training differs because of our roles in the race. Whereas they do more hard running sessions, I add in more swimming and cycling.

RECOMMENDED: Triathlons – The New Fitness Frontier

I train about 30 hours a week. Monday is a relatively easy swim, cycle, run and gym session. Tuesday is more intense with a hard swim in the morning and a cycling session in the evening. Wednesday is a long aerobic day, with around 4½ hours on the bike, a 5K swim and a run.

On Thursday there’s a really intense swim in the morning and then a bike session in the evening, which is good fun. There’s a group of about 60 guys – called the Leeds Chain Gang – who roll out from Leeds to Ilkley and back every Thursday, doing about 40km in just under an hour. Friday is an easy day – just a swim and gym session in the morning.

Weekends involve quite long hours of training. The Brownlees usually do a run session on Saturday morning but I’ll be doing a swim instead, then we’ll ride for 4½ hours. Sunday is another long ride and I’ll also go for a jog and a swim.

RECOMMENDED: Triathlon Training

The majority of work we do in the gym is focused on injury protection. We have a screening at the start of the year to find the weak points in our bodies and then we target them because they’re a potential source of injury. We’ll be doing things like calf raises and Bulgarian split squats with 8kg weights.

My favourite discipline is probably cycling. Until this year it wasn’t my strongest but I’ve worked on it a lot. It’s good riding in Yorkshire and our long training rides across the Dales are really sociable – we usually stop at a café halfway through.

I particularly like cycling when you’re overseas because you can go a long way and explore. When we were at a training camp in St Moritz you could pass a couple of borders and be riding through Switzerland, Austria and Italy. I like the aspect of speed too, descending Alpine passes at 80km/h.

We go to St Moritz for altitude training. This year was my first year because the physio told me I needed to wait until I was 21 and fully developed cardiovascularly. There are some really nice running trails around the mountains there.

We train in Spain for eight weeks in the winter too, two weeks on, two weeks off. Where we go is around 10km from Benidorm and a lot of pro cycling teams go there. It’s really good for riding, the running’s nice and you’ve got great weather.

I’ve used a heat chamber at Leeds University to get used to the Brazilian environment. It’s like a big sweaty box. You turn the temperature to 35°C and 70% humidity, so it’s quite extreme, and get on the turbo trainer or treadmill. It’s a good resource because you can monitor how your body reacts, look at your core temperature and sweat loss and work out how much you should drink in a race.

Now the weather’s picking up we’ve started swimming in the lake in Otley, just north of Leeds, which is good because we can do more race-style training. It’ll be a sea swim in Rio so we went to Australia in April and learned how to body-surf waves. If you get that opportunity in a race you can build a good lead.

My diet is fairly balanced. I studied nutrition at university and try and eat healthily, but I wouldn’t say I never eat unhealthily either. I’ve never really counted calories – I just eat to fuel and stop hunger. I like cooking and I try to push myself, but I mainly like making a stir-fry because you’ve not actually done much but it looks quite good.

I did yoga for a period and I found it a really good mental break, and a chance to relax and finish with a clear head. I felt like that was the best psychological training I could have. You’d finish by lying on your back in a really relaxed state for five minutes – I’d fall asleep every time. It really helped my bike position through back flexibility as well. I put it on the back foot when I was doing my dissertation but I’m going to get back into it.

I'm really looking forward to being part of a big multi-sport Team GB in Rio. I have friends in other sports that have qualified and a guy I went to school with has just qualified to dive for Jamaica, so it’ll be great to share it all with them.

Müller Rice is the official British Triathlon partner, helping Team GB go the distance in the lead-up to Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games. Look out for Gordon fronting the campaign on TV and in magazines until October.

 In This Series 

• Introduction
• UK Triathlons 2019
• How To Train For A Triathlon
• Triathlon Training Plans for Sprint, Olympic and Half Iron Distances
• 9 Ways to Boost Your Triathlon Endurance
• Total Immersion Swimming for Triathletes
• Triathlon Gear Buyer’s Guide
• Triathlon Kit

What is Total Immersion?

Swimming, but not as you know it. Originally developed in the 1970s, and long considered endurance sports’ best-kept secret, Total Immersion (TI) is making an impact today with a new generation of triathletes adopting the technique. TI flips the traditional approach to teaching front crawl on its head, providing serious speed and efficiency gains in short timeframes by encouraging swimmers to work with the water, rather than against it.

“Most people learn to swim when they’re at school – where the emphasis is on not drowning rather than developing an efficient stroke – and carry the bad habits they pick up into adult life,” says TI coach Sam Williams of Swim Studio London. “This generally leads to a wild, thrashing style born of survival instinct, all windmilling arms and aggressive leg kicking. As a result, only 4% of adult swimmers can manage 400m or further continuously, because their stroke isn’t sustainable.”

This is my problem in a nutshell. I can doggy-paddle all day, and I’ve even managed to bob my way through a couple of sprint-distance triathlons using a granny-like variety of breast stroke, but when it comes to front crawl my technique is so poor that doing a few lengths at the local pool leaves me utterly gassed, watching ruefully from the shallow end as old ladies and armband-clad children cruise effortlessly past me.

Could TI really redress a lifetime of terrible freestyle form in a few weeks?

The Method

“Traditional swimming is based around power,” says Williams. “You’re kicking and pulling your way through the water, using roughly 80% of your energy expenditure and oxygen consumption just to stay afloat and counteract the fact that you’re not very streamlined and extremely unbalanced. TI, on the other hand, is an exercise in control. Your body is naturally unstable in the water, so we slow everything down to find the point where you’re balanced. For example, people tend to look forward rather than down when they’re swimming, which causes their legs to sink.”

Once a TI coach has identified and corrected these kinds of postural issues and you’re comfortable in a balanced position, they can teach you new movement patterns. “These help keep you streamlined – such as spearing your left hand forward as you kick your right foot – and develop an efficient stroke,” Williams explains. “Once you’ve got this established as a base, you can then apply power purely for the purpose of propelling yourself forward faster.”

The benefits extend beyond performance, too. “Traditional front crawl leaves you far more susceptible to injury, as you’ll often end up internally rotating your shoulder joint, and straining your neck and back,” says Williams. “TI develops a relaxed stroke that helps to extend the spine and improve joint mobility, making it an ideal, full-body, low-impact aerobic activity that’s sustainable into later life.”

The Test

Less than five minutes into my first session, Williams diagnosed a multitude of issues that have been holding me back, including an over-aggressive kick, a lack of inter-limb co-ordination and a jerky, panicked breathing style. The first thing I needed to do was learn to relax in the water, which involved pushing off very gently from the side of the pool and simply floating forward, with my arms extended and face down. It felt odd – and more than a little ridiculous – for the first few sessions, but I rapidly became far more aware of my body position in the water, and was able to adjust accordingly so that my legs rose to the surface rather than sinking immediately as before.

Over the weeks that followed, Williams began rebuilding my stroke one element at a time. Once I was comfortable maintaining a balanced floating position, he showed me how to replace my previously wild kicking style with a gentle, controlled flutter that I could actually sustain for minutes at a time without exhausting my legs. This reduced range of motion also ensured that my overall body position remained far more streamlined in the water.

The next step was to generate efficient power. Previously I’d been trying to pull myself through the water, which required constant, energy-sapping tension in my hands and arms. Williams instead taught me to propel myself forward by rotating my torso and hips in unison, using a piston-like motion with my arms and hands relaxed throughout. And although it took weeks of practice to reach a point where I could sustain it, the difference during the short bursts when it did click was immediate and marked.

The Verdict

After just over four weeks of TI, my max distance front crawl jumped from an utterly exhausting 50m to a manageable (if far from pretty) 400m – an 800% increase. What’s more, the logical, progressive nature of the methodology meant that even if I couldn’t maintain every element of my newly developed stroke simultaneously – usually due to a lack of concentration – I was always aware of what had started to slip and when, ensuring that I was able to focus on and attempt to correct it on the next length.

And although it did require a reasonable time commitment of two to three 20-minute sessions a week on top of my weekly hour-long lessons with Williams, the relaxed stroke style and low-impact nature of swimming in general meant that it didn’t negatively impact or compromise my regular gym workouts or my performance on the five-a-side pitch. If anything, hitting the pool after a tough weights session actually worked as an excellent mobility-based warm-down.

And at the end of the day, picking up a legit life skill that will still be physically viable when my joints become too knackered for anything else is more than worth a month of dedicated training. Next stop: using it to smash my doggy-paddle triathlon PB.

RECOMMENDED: Half Iron Triathlon 12-Week Training Plan

It was back in 2011 that I first really started getting into triathlons and, with Blenheim Palace being only five miles from Charlbury – the Oxfordshire town where I live, it was the logical race to cut my teeth on. Four years later and my triathlon journey has seen me take on four Olympic distance events, three Half Iron races and a full Ironman.

The Ironman was the hardest endurance race I’ve ever done – or will ever do. For many months after finishing it my passion for three-legged racing, in fact any racing, was burnt out. But it wasn’t just the will that had gone, so too had a way to compete – labral cartilage tears in both hips and bone spurs in one ankle made it tricky to put in the training volume needed for longer events.

Back in the game

But as the winter of 2015 faded, the hunger to race began to come back – and a plan to reset and gently rebuild up to longer distances meant that the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Blenheim Palace Triathlon was once again a good starting point.

Back in 2011 I did it in 1 hour 26min 16sec, and I was desperate to beat it to prove to myself that my triathlon journey had improved my overall fitness in some measurable way. The 2015 race, however, does not start well. Sticking my head underwater as I tread water at the start gate makes me realise I’ve brought the wrong goggles – leaky ones. Too late to do anything about it though as the klaxon goes. The goggles immediately fill up with water on one side and I have to swim one-eyed, which makes it very hard to see the buoys I’m swimming towards. I also lose a bunch of time to emptying them every 20 or 30 strokes. I eventually clamber out the water and start to pull down my wetsuit some 16min 28secs after the race started. That’s 15 seconds slower than in 2011.

Wardrobe malfunction

Rookie error number two: don’t wear braced cycling shorts and nothing else under your wetsuit. With my wetsuit pulled down to my waist it looks as if I’m wearing a mankini and the crowd lining the route to transition lets me know it. Confusing Blenheim Tri with Magic Mike one excited spectator slaps me on the bum as I go past. My red face of shame is nicely hidden by my red exercise face though.

The 19.8km cycle route at Blenheim is an amazing tri bike course. Fast, short and hilly, it rewards lactic-building climbs with snappy, winding descents through lush woodland. I push through it in 37mins 19sec compared to my 39min 58sec time in 2011, meaning I’ve clawed back the time I’ve lost during the swim.

Let it go

The 5.67km run is made up of two loops around part of the main lake at Blenheim. It features a long uphill section that, while not particularly steep, makes up about a third of each loop and really takes it out of your legs. The solution is to let your legs go during the course’s short sharp descents so you build up a good head of speed into the climb. I complete the run in 23min 13sec, 1min 17sec faster than in 2011.

That puts my overall time at 1hour 24min 47sec, 1min 27sec faster than my 2011 of time and that’s with the handicap of faulty goggles, sloppy transitions and injured pride. I can't help but think what i could have achieved if I’d have worn a less revealing tri suit.

To sign up for next year’s race, go to theblenheimtriathlon.com

Many triathletes neglect their core, flexibility and mobility work when in the peak of training season, but these should be the last things to drop from a routine. Now, coming into the off-season it’s the perfect time to get these elements back into your training programme so that they become a staple aspect to your workouts all year round. 

Training on the TRX Suspension Trainer builds a solid foundation, more efficient movement patterns and an increased explosive power through a vast range of dynamic movements, with adaptable progressions to increase difficulty as you progress.

The versatility of the TRX means it can be adapted to movements and muscle groups that are essential for the swim, bike and run phases, also allowing a deep stretch into muscles.

Mobility focus

This block of TRX exercises are great to perform before heading out on a bike or run as they increase mobility and prep the body for activity. Triathletes benefit from mobility training as it makes their movements more efficient whilst decreasing stress and potential injury to the body.

TRX Leg Lifts: Hamstring mobility

• Suspend leg in line with the anchor and find a point of hamstring stretch.
• Lift other leg to parallel position with suspended leg.
• Lower leg back to the ground with control, whilst bracing the abdominal muscles.

TRX Leg Lowers: Core activation

• Lie facing away from anchor.
• Hold arms at 45 degrees with knees lifted over hips.
• Press hands down into foot cradles.
• Brace core and lower one leg at a time.

TRX Air Squats: Core activation and strength

• Lie facing away from anchor.
• Hold arms at 45 degrees with knees lifted over hips.
• Press hands down into foot cradles.
• Brace core and lower both legs and then raise again in a squat pattern.

TRX ½ Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch: Lower body mobility and posterior core

• Face away from anchor point
• In a ½ kneeling position, place arms level with chest and press down on handles.
• Brace core and shift hips forward and backward while pressing on handles.

TRX Overhead Squats: Lower body mobility and posterior core

• Face the anchor point with arms in straps
• Extend arms overhead with arms behind ears, anchor and shoulder blades
• Brace core then lower hips into a squat down while pressing hands back

TRX Lunge with Chest Fly: Full body mobility

• Stand facing away from anchor, extend arms at shoulder level and keep palms facing down
• Take a long step forward, and reach arms open in “T” position
• Drop back knee and drive back up by pushing down on front heel

 TRX Lunge with hip flexor stretch: Lower body mobility

• Face away from the anchor point with arms extended in straps.
• Lunge forwards and rotate to alternate sides reaching back with arms and keeping feet aligned forwards.
• Rotate until hip flexor stretch felt

Core focus

The core is the body’s centre of power, the point where movement originates and the source of stability. Core strength keeps triathletes streamlined in the swim, prevents pressure through the back in the cycle and maintains a tall, straight running technique.

 1.    TRX Plank:

• Kneel facing away from anchor with both feet in foot cradles, and align hands under shoulders
• Lift knees up off the ground
• Maintain body alignment from heads to toes

2.    TRX Body Saw:

• Kneel facing away from anchor with both feet in foot cradles, and forearms down, elbows under shoulders
• Lift knees up off ground
• Maintain body alignment from heads to toes
• Drift body forward and back in a controlled movement 

 3.    TRX Side Plank:

• Lie sideways to the anchor point, place both feet in front cradles with top leg forward and align elbow under shoulder
• Line up front heel with back toes and lift hips up off ground
• Maintain body alignment from head to toes

 4.    TRX Pike (with Mountain Climber option):

• Kneel facing away from anchor with both feet in foot cradles and align hands under shoulders
• Lift knees off ground, keeping legs straight, raise hips toward the ceiling
• Maintain alignment at fully extended start position

Mountain Climber option:

• Kneel facing away from anchor with both feet in foot cradles and align hands under shoulders
• Lift knees off ground, raising hips slightly, bring one knee into chest
• Extend leg back, bringing in other knee to chest, alternate

Flexibility focus

Working on flexibility often gets forgotten but there are major benefits. Flexibility will create a greater range of movement, reduced injury risk and a faster recovery from training and the physical toll that competition takes on the body.

 1.    TRX Lower Back Stretch (with rotation):

• Stand facing anchor, feet hip width apart, arms straight, palms down
• Lean back and drop hips away from TRX
• Bend one knee and rotate toward straight leg and drop hip; repeat other side

 2.    TRX Off-set hamstring stretch:

• Stand facing anchor, arms straight at chest height, take wide offset foot stance
• Keeping back straight, hinge forward from hip, pressing down on handles
• Bend back knee and lift hips slightly

 3.    TRX Long Torso stretch:

• Stand with side to anchor, cross front leg over other, maintaining straight arms and body
• Lean back and drop hips away from TRX
• Drop head in between arms and release tension in shoulders

 4.    TRX Single leg squat (*option heel down):

• Stand facing anchor, keep elbows under shoulders and palms facing each other
• Centre working leg to anchor point and extend
• opposite leg in front
• Drop tailbone towards the floor and drive up through heel

 5.    TRX Crossing balance lunge (*knee to outside of calf):

• Stand facing anchor, keep elbows under shoulders and palms facing each other
• Centre working leg to anchor point and move other leg back into lunge, crossing behind working leg
• Drive up through front heel, returning back leg to
• starting position

 6.    TRX Lunge:

• Stand facing anchor, keep elbows under shoulders and palms facing each other
• Centre working leg to anchor point and move other leg back into a lunge dropping back knee straight down without touching foot to ground
• Drive up through front heel, returning back leg to starting position

 7.    TRX Hamstring Curl or Hamstring Runner:

Hamstring Curl

• Lifting hips adds resistance, strengthens back extensors and increases strength and stability challenges to lower body and core
• Keep feet flexed toward shins to maximise movement
• Hamstring Runner
• Press heels evenly into foot cradles and simulate a marching movement to fully engage targeted muscles 

The triathlon season may be over but Alistair Brownlee, Britain’s all-conquering triathlete, is already back in training, targeting his third ITU World Championships title.

Below he’s provided his current swimming training sessions that help him establish and then maintain his triathlon race pace. Try this workout in the comfort of an indoor pool over the winter so you’re ahead of the competition when the season begins next year.

How to find your race pace

“In training it’s really important to swim at different paces,” says Brownlee, 26. “It will help you find your race pace so you can cover the 1.5km swim of an Olympic triathlon efficiently without your bike and run suffering. I estimate mine to be about 70 seconds for every 100m but for a reader that will more likely be around 90 seconds. Use the pool clock and look at doing long swims 10 or 20 seconds above your race pace, constantly playing around with the pace.”

Brownlee’s Swimming Efficiency Workout

Warm-up with 200m at a gentle pace.

Swim 200m at 1min 40sec/100m pace
Swim 200m at 1min 50sec/100m pace
Swim 100m at 1min 30sec/100m pace (your race pace)

Repeat five times.

“Assess how quickly you recover and how out of breath you are at each speed and note it down once you’re out of the water. This will help you establish an even pace you can hold onto when you start the swim in competition and mean you know how hard you can push your speed for a sprint finish – that’s really important for triathlon.”

The holidaymaker wandering into the hotel’s breakfast buffet presumably thinks his T-shirt bearing the slogan ‘Your Workout Is My Warm-up’ makes him seem pretty hardcore and, in normal circumstances, he might even be right. Unfortunately, as he is about to discover, these are not normal circumstances.

The hotel is the official residence of the annual Abu Dhabi triathlon and is teeming with race-ready long-distance triathletes, many of them card-carrying pros, piling their plates with healthy fare from the buffet bar. The normal rules of the hotel breakfast buffet have been turned on their head this morning. Doughnuts and croissants lie untouched, while the waiters are constantly replenishing the muesli and salad.

It’s the same story elsewhere in the hotel. The gym’s treadmills and bikes, often casually used by ladies who lunch, are being hammered into the middle of next week. The pool, instead of playing host to leisurely splashers and volleyballers, is overrun with cap-clad folk in wetsuits ploughing purposefully back and forth.

Back in the restaurant T-shirt man finds a quiet corner, eats quickly and departs just as fast, quite possibly for another hotel altogether. Meanwhile, the triathletes prepare for a serious race.

Gulf course

For anyone who has endured the joys of training through a northern hemisphere winter and its associated frozen fingers and dribbling nose, any chance for a run in the sun is to be leapt at. But beyond its obvious climatic advantages, the Abu Dhabi Triathlon course looks like a dream. It’s easy to see why it’s become a major headliner on the world tri circuit since its inauguration in 2009.

The sea swim, complete with golden sand beach start, is in the shimmering blue waters of the Persian Gulf, while the bike leg takes competitors out of the city into the desert along billiard table-smooth Tarmac before sending them hurtling around the state-of-the-art Yas Marina formula one circuit. After they pedal back into Abu Dhabi, the run follows the city’s waterfront and deposits exhausted finishers back on the beach where they started.

It’s an enticing menu and with assorted distances from an easily achievable sprint (750m swim, 50km bike, 5km run) right through to a long-distance headbanger (3km swim, 200km bike, 20km run), there’s something for everyone. I’m taking on what the organisers call the Short Distance course and its 1.5km swim, 100km bike and 10km run.

It turns out I’m in good company too, since a certain Alistair Brownlee of Olympic triathlon gold medal fame is racing the same course. I suspect our goals may be somewhat different: his probably isn’t just to survive.

Walk on the beach

Actually, this doesn’t seem too tall an order as I line up for the swim just after 8am. With the real heat of the day yet to come and the water a balmy 21˚C, it’s just cool enough for wetsuits to be allowed – a bonus for all mediocre swimmers like myself keen to take advantage of the buoyancy benefits of neoprene.

The klaxon goes and we leg it into the water. Having swum the course during the previous day’s practice session, I noticed you could wade some distance before needing to swim so as people all state-of-the-art Yas Marina formula one circuit. After they pedal back into Abu Dhabi, the run follows the city’s waterfront and deposits exhausted finishers back on the beach where they started.

Middle of the road

Half an hour later I’m back on the beach for a quick change in transition before leaping on to a super-light carbon-fibre Bianchi Oltre XR Athena EPS road bike. Now this I am looking forward to. After a frigid couple of winter weeks getting used to the bike on southern England’s grimy, pothole-strewn roads, being able to get my head down properly in the sun looks like sheer bliss.

For a short while it is, as I sail along with the speedo showing higher average speeds than I’ve seen in a long time. Then things start going south. First comes the headwind that settles in as soon as I am in the desert proper. The speedo drops correspondingly. Then comes the boredom.

While the bike course delivers on its promise of being smooth and flat, it does so by being a closed motorway.

As I now know, cycling on an empty motorway for 100km in a featureless desert is chronically, desperately, incredibly dull. Without a change in scenery or even a corner to speak of, it quickly starts to feel like being on a turbo trainer. Except that, thanks to the climate and headwind, it’s actually like being on a turbo going nowhere inside an oven, with someone pointing the world’s largest hairdryer at you.

The tedium means a lap of the Yas Marina circuit just before halfway is a real soul-stirring delight. Unfortunately, it’s over in minutes and makes the return to the monotonous drudge of the motorway even more painful. Gah. Taking solace from the fact that at least I’m not doing the long course – whose 200km cycle is made up of further loops of this infernal road – I dig in for the rest of the journey to transition two.

Dead heat

By now it’s midday and, while the pros and handiest age-groupers have bagged their runs ahead of the day’s fiercest heat, us steadier competitors are about to have our suffering cranked up a notch. Thankfully, the aid stations are loaded with ice-cold sponges, water and cola, which grateful runners grab by the handful.

Roasting like an ant under a magnifying glass but still running, I cross the line at the beach I left five hours earlier a mere 487 places behind Brownlee, who has indeed comprehensively smashed the competition. And that’s despite him getting lost during the bike section.

Back in the buffet the following morning, the final transition is under way as the triathletes ebb away to catch flights and normal breakfast service is slowly resumed. I guiltlessly grab a plate of doughnuts and tuck in.

Thanks to Bianchi, Polaris and Cycleworx for the Bike Pod Pro hardcase bike box. Warren Pole is an ambassador for 33Shake sports nutrition.

Tip 1: Work hard on the things you hate

‘Triathlon performance is related to all three disciplines, not just your favourite,’ says Whyte. ‘Maintaining your strong events while working hard to improve the weaker elements of your triathlon will produce the greatest gains in performance.’

Tip 2: Make up time with less effort

‘You can lose significant amounts of time in transitions. Practising your transitions will improve your technique and enhance your physiological and psychological response, leading to a faster transition to race pace. Brick training, where you switch from one discipline to another within one training session, is critical and can improve performance for little additional effort.’

Tip 3: Recovery is the key

'When planning your training don’t forget one of the most important elements: recovery. Maintaining quality in your sessions will optimise the training stimulus. A well-planned taper providing optimal recovery is fundamental to optimal competition performance. Never panic-train in the two weeks leading up to the event – you won’t improve performance, but you could destroy it by not giving your body a chance to rest properly.’

Tip 4: Protein for recovery

‘Protein intake is vital during training, particularly for post-session re-fuelling to support muscle growth and recovery. Ideally, go for real food – high-protein strained yoghurt such as Chobani has the right ratio of protein to carbohydrates, so it makes an ideal post-workout snack. The protein supplies amino acids to repair muscles and the carbohydrates replace your muscles’ depleted energy stores. Try making this berry banana smoothie for a post-training snack that has all your body needs for optimum recovery – with the added bonus of tasting amazing.’

This article was provided by Chobani. For more information visit chobani.co.uk

One thing that I really struggled with in my first tri was getting my nutrition and hydration right, two subjects Maxifuel nutritionist Sharmain Davis knows all about.

“Obviously you don’t want to be dehydrated during the race, but you don’t want to overhydrate either,” says Davis. “The key is to be aware of how much fluid you’re losing during the race, and take on the correct amount to compensate for it. To do this, you need to measure your fluid levels in training.

“In a triathlon, there are three different disciplines involved, so ideally you should try and weigh yourself before and after a training session for each of them, preferably on separate days, taking into account the temperature and whether you’re training indoors or outside. Whatever weight you’ve lost in kilograms, you need to replace with litres of fluid. So if you run for an hour and lose one kilogram, you need to drink a litre of water. Measuring this in advance will enable you to plan how much fluid you need to consume during each discipline to maintain optimum levels.

“You only really want to dehydrate up to 2% of your bodyweight, as that’s the tipping point where dehydration begins to affect performance. So if, for example, you weigh 100kg, you don’t want to lose more than 2kg of fluid. If you do, you’ll start to feel a lot more fatigued, because dehydration causes your blood to thicken, which makes it harder for the heart to pump it around the body and makes it less effective at transporting carbohydrates to fuel your muscles, which you definitely don’t want!“

Sharmain Davis’s Triathlon Nutrition Plan

The Night Before

“Eat a carb-based dinner, nothing too spicy or fibrous that might upset your stomach,” says Davis.

The Morning Of The Race

“Aim to eat 2g of carbs per gram of your bodyweight – so if you weigh 80kg aim for 160g – starting four hours before the race and finishing 90 minutes before it. You can either spread it out or eat it all in one go, depending on what you prefer. Go for white carbs rather than brown and avoid high-fibre foods so you don’t risk upsetting your stomach during the race. A good example would be four slices of white toast with jam and a glass of orange juice.”

During The Race

“Don’t bother with any energy gels or energy bars till you’ve been going for at least an hour, then take one an hour from then onwards.”

In July, I will be competing in the London Triathlon. It’s not my first tri but I’m still a relative newcomer to the sport. The big difference between this triathlon and my first one, the Ardingly Sprint, is that the swim leg at Ardingly took place in a pool, while London will be in open water. This means I’ll have to get to used to swimming in a wetsuit, and learn how to take it off as quickly as possible to ensure I don’t get held up for too long during the swim-to-bike transition. Luckily, Maxifuel open water swimming coach Kevin Wallace has a foolproof plan for getting out of your suit in a hurry.

Kevin Wallace’s Wetsuit Transition Plan

“Often you’ll have a short wait before you’re helped out of the water at the end of the swim leg,” says Wallace. “This presents an excellent opportunity to start getting out of your wetsuit.

‘As you approach the exit, reach behind and unfasten the Velcro strap on the back of your wetsuit, then drag the chord and pull your zip down (it’s important to spend time practising this in advance, especially if you’re wearing a wetsuit that you’re not that familiar with). You’ll feel a cold rush as water starts to circulate inside your suit.

‘As the people in front of you are getting out, dip one of your shoulders underwater, then roll the sleeve all the way down and off your arm. The water will act as a lubricant, and should allow you to get your whole arm free in one motion with minimal resistance. Once one arm’s out, repeat the process on the other side.

‘Just before you get out of the water, roll your wetsuit down to your waist and pull it out from your stomach. This will allow water to start circulating in the lower half of the suit.

“As you get out of the water, you’ll feel the water in the suit start running down your legs. Once you’re clear of the exit, stand still and roll the wetsuit down to your ankles on both sides.

‘Bring your left knee directly upwards, then step it out to your left. This will turn the wetsuit leg inside out, and pull your leg most of the way out of it. Then, step your right leg up and across, bringing your right foot down on the trailing left wetsuit leg as close to your left ankle as possible.

“Step your left foot out of the wetsuit. The water should act as lubricant, allowing your foot to slip out with minimal effort or resistance. Once your left leg is free, repeat the process with your right leg. Freeing both legs should take no more than seven seconds.

“If you practice this technique in advance – most swimming pools will be happy to let you use your wetsuit if you don’t have access to an open water venue – you’ll save yourself precious time during the transition on race day. I’ve seen people whose wetsuits have gone bone dry spend two or three minutes struggling to get them off, but if you get this technique right, the whole process should take less than 10 seconds, the first half of which you can get out of the way while you’re still in the water.”

Have you always fancied taking part in a triathlon, but been put off by the amount of gear required? Men’s Fitness has teamed up with Wiggle UK to bring you the ultimate Triathlon starter kit, including a top-of-the-range Verenti Insight 105 Bike, dhb cycling kit and a Blue Seventy Pivot Wetsuit. Simply click here and enter for your chance to swim, cycle and run in style.

The prize

• Verenti Insight 105 bike
• Blue Seventy Pivot wetsuit
• Zone 3 Aquaflo tri suit
• Zoggs tri bag
• Zoggs Predator Flex Polarized goggles
• Orca race belt
• DHB T1.0 triathlon cycling shoe
• DHB Pro triple lens sunglasses
• dhb Team Wiggle Honda short-sleeve jersey
• dhb Team Wiggle Honda bib short
• dhb two-pack lightweight cycling sock
• GARMIN Forerunner 10 GPS
• ASICS training gear including shoes, jacket, shorts and shirt

I set off for the Virgin Active gym at Swiss Cottage on race day feeling pretty well prepared, but still not sure exactly how I'll get on. I’ve done a triathlon before – a sprint distance earlier this year – but this event is so unusual that, despite my month’s training, I don’t really know how my body will respond to the challenge.
 
On arrival I’m given a reminder of the race rules. The running leg will be 1.2km long and it’ll be up to me to control my tempo on the treadmill. Then comes a two-minute transition period – which unlike a normal triathlon won’t count towards my time – to prepare myself for the second stage, a 5km cycle on an exercise bike at a set resistance. After another transition period, this time five minutes, I will swim 200m in the pool, which means eight lengths.
 
I get changed for the start and, although the transitions aren’t being timed, I decide to wear my triathlon suit anyway. This is both for the sake of convenience and to help get myself in the mindset of it being an actual race as opposed to a normal gym session.
 
After a brief warm-up, I head to the treadmills, where a race official is waiting to time my run. I’ve decided on 14km/h as my baseline speed for the run leg, with the option to ramp it up towards the end if I’m feeling fresh enough, so I speed up the treadmill to that speed as quickly as possible. A few minutes later I’m three-quarters of the way through and feeling good, so I up the tempo to 16km/h and power through the last minute and a half.

The transition seems surprisingly long – clearly the interval running and cycling training sessions are paying off – and I get on the bike feeling confident. With the resistance set at level 5, I’m aiming to maintain a minimum pace of 130rpm throughout. To my surprise, I settle into a comfortable rhythm at 140rpm and maintain it for five minutes. With the ending in sight and buoyed by my successful late push on the run, I up my pace to 150rpm for the final kilometre, pedalling like a maniac until the official shouts ‘stop!’
 
I’m panting hard after the cycle, so I take full advantage of the five-minute transition period to get my breathing back under control and my heart rate down. Swimming is by far my weakest of the three disciplines – in my previous triathlon I swam breast stroke the entire way. I’ve been working hard on my front crawl though, and I’m determined to use it for as much of the 200m as possible.
 
Pacing myself is crucial, so I start slowly to establish a comfortable rhythm. I feel good for the first three lengths, but as I reach the halfway point I can feel my calves getting heavy – probably thanks to getting carried away on the final kilometre of the cycle – and my form begins to degenerate, which saps my energy and makes my breathing far more laboured. Halfway through the fifth length I bite the bullet and revert to breast stroke. I’m disappointed in myself for not being able to sustain the front crawl, but my speed immediately increases, and I complete the final two and a half lengths strongly. Exhausted but pleased with my run, cycle and overall performance, I emerge from the pool and receive a medal.

A few days later I check the Virgin Active website and find, to my surprise, that my 4min 50sec run, 7min 2sec cycle and 4min 45sec swim placed me first out of the 27 competitors at Swiss Cottage, and 152nd out of the total 2,093 nationwide. Having enjoyed the experience and exceeded my expectations, I’m now looking to push on and compete in a full Olympic length outdoor tri next year.
 

For more information about other Virgin Active events, visit virginactive.co.uk
 
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You’ve put in all the hours of hard training in the pool, on the bike and on the road. You’ve tapered perfectly and eaten all the right foods to guarantee your muscles are firing on all cylinders on race day. But you need to do more. That’s because there are so many potential problem scenarios during a triathlon that all your hard work can be undone by not taking the right course when an obstacle arises. Here’s my advice on overcoming the make-or-break moments we all have to face.
 
Start safe
The first few minutes of a triathlon are more like a mass underwater brawl than the start of a normal race so if this worries you, start to the side of the main pack where there are less people to knock you about. Once you've got a few hundred metres under your belt, your confidence will grow and you'll feel more comfortable about brushing up against other racers.
 
Stay on course
It’s tempting to keep your head still and concentrate on breathing while swimming. But you need to look up every six to eight strokes to ensure you're swimming in the right direction. Failing to take the direct line between the buoys means you’ll have to swim further, putting a dent in your hopes of a PB.

Nail the transitions
A triathlon actually consists of four disciplines, not three, because of the two transitions. It’s easy to overlook this aspect of a race while focusing on your main training, but smart preparation will help you transition quickly and effectively so you don’t lose any momentum from the swim and bike. Scout the entrances and exits in advance and have all your kit ready laid out, marking your spot with a bright, over-the-top towel so you spot it easily. It’s easy to panic in the two transition zones, especially if you are desperate to make up lost time but keep focused, do one job at a time and get racing again sooner.
 
Refuel on the bike
Don’t get caught short of energy during the run. It’s easier to take on water and calories while riding, so make the most of this stage to refuel and rehydrate to keep your energy levels topped up. Carry water and energy and drinks on your bike and tape energy gels to your frame so you’re not faffing about in the first transition. Your legs will thank you for it once you start running. Just ensure you have tried the energy products in training first – you don’t want to risk consuming anything that might disagree with you.
 
Don’t quit
It’s common to hit a point when you think your body can’t go on, but dig deep. Once you stop, you release chemicals and hormones that are responsible for the recovery process, so starting up again becomes that much harder. If you’re really struggling slow down a little, get your breath back, take on some fluid and energy and keep on going. Chances are you’ll get a second wind.

 
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You’ve put in all the hard training hours and entered your first proper triathlon. So you’re good to go, right? Not quite. You want to make sure all your hard effort is rewarded come race day, so make sure you have all the right kit. Here’s everything you need to leave the competition eating dust. 

Wetsuit

If you’re taking part in a UK race that involves an open-water swim, you’ll need one of these. Not just because it will prevent you from turning into a giant ice cube but because it’s compulsory. Invest in a special triathlon suit that’s designed not to chafe, to allow maximum freedom of movement at your shoulders and, handily, to make you more buoyant. 

Tri suit

Let’s be honest: no-one picks up a tri suit and says, ‘I’m going to look great in this.’ But this is a race, not a fashion show. A tri suit is lightweight and fast-drying and will fit under your wetsuit, so you don’t have to change costumes in transition. The panelling is stitched and contoured to allow freedom of movement and prevent chafing.

Sunglasses

Shades aren’t just for poseurs. It’s important to get a pair that protects your eyes from the dirt and the sun and gives a good field of vision. You’ll also want them to be secure so you don’t have to fiddle to reposition them.

Tri bag

It may sound trivial but a robust and roomy tri bag comes in very handy. Go for one with plenty of compartments for all your different bits of kit, including a dry storage one for your wetsuit and post-race kit. 

Goggles

It’s essential to know where you’re going when open-water swimming if you want to avoid obstacles and stick to the most direct line through the water. I prefer mask-style goggles, which give me a better range of vision. An anti-fogging pair with tinted lenses will help you see better in the sun. The most important factors are that they stay on and they’re comfortable.

Training watch

A water-resistant heart rate monitor will allow you to keep tabs on your performance, both in training and in races, so you can spot where you may be letting yourself down. Get one with a speed and distance function for even more feedback on how you’re progressing. Many models also allow you to download the data to your computer so you can track your long-term improvements. 

Running shoes

Regular running shoes are fine – if you don’t mind losing valuable time tying the laces. Every second counts when you’re racing competitively. So go for triathlon-friendly brands that come with elastic laces, friction-free lining so you don’t need to worry about socks, and a drainage system that lets water from the first stage slip out through the base. 

Cycling shoes

You can wear regular cycling shoes but a triathlon-specific pair will save you time and effort in transition. Single Velcro strap shoes are quicker to get on and off than those with three straps. A seamless, quick-drying lining means you won’t get blisters if you don’t wear socks.

For more expert advice from athletes, sportsmen and professionals from the fitness industry, get Men's Fitness. Subscribe now and we'll give you five issues for £5.

Zoggs Mallory Park Triathlon
Mallory Park, Leicestershire, 02/05/11
750m lake swim, 20k bike, 5k run
In the UK’s only race circuit triathlon, run and cycle around the motor sport race track and swim in the lake in the centre of the track. Go to dbmax.co.uk for more info.
 
Keswick Mountain Festival Triathlon
Keswick, Cumbria, 21/05/11
750m swim, 36.6km bike, 10km run
This is a wonderfully picturesque course – the swim is in scenic Derwent Water while the run and cycle legs take you through the hills of the Lake District. Go to trihard.co.uk for more info.
 
Gower Peninsula Triathlon
Port Eynon, south Wales, 16/05/11
750m swim, 24km bike, 5km run
This race, a winner of British Triathlon Event of the Year, takes place in picturesque village of Port Eynon. It includes a sea swim, mountain climbs and a multi-terrain course of sand, grass, footpaths and roads. For more info, go to gowertriathlon.co.uk.

Hever Castle Triathlon
Hever Castle, Kent, 24/07/11
400m swim, 20km bike, 4km run
Swim, cycle and run around historic Hever Castle, which dates back to 1270 and was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn (after whom the sprint option is named). For more info, go to castletriathlonseries.co.uk.

With the triathlon session well underway and just over five months to the Rough Track triathlon, I decided it was time to push myself out of the comfort zone. I've done enough running and gym workouts - I'm ready to enter a race.
 
Except... I'm not quite ready. When people ask me why I don't do triathlons, my immediate response is that I am a crap swimmer. I don't like being cold and I vividly remember being rescued from a pool at four years old, when I thought I was a good enough swimmer to tackle the deep end without armbands. I haven't liked the water since.
 
To overcome this, I went for a swimming correction lesson with Olympic coach Sean Kelly. This in itself was pretty daunting - Kelly coaches the Olympic medal-winning open-water swimmers Cassie Patten and Keri-Anne Payne, among other members of Team GB. His patience was certainly going to be put to the test with me. Fortunately he turned out to have a calm, reassuring nature.
 
Kelly asked me to swim a length. I decided against doing my usual breaststroke and instead did my best front crawl, which involves a fair bit of splashing around and avoiding putting my head into the water at all costs. Kelly's response: “You're scared of water, aren't you?” Was it really that obvious?

For the next 30 minutes he had me swimming with a float with my face under the water, learning to breathe correctly, until it was time for Kelly's verdict. The good news was that, as it turns out, my technique is actually pretty good. The bad news was that I would have zero hope swimming in open water until I became confident with the breathing.
 
I now have the perfect excuse not to enter a triathlon - a top Olympic coach said it was a bad idea! But now I know where I'm going wrong, I'll try hard to improve. When I can fit it in between my long-distance runs, that is. Sometimes you just have to stick to what you're good at.

6 months to go

It's time to get used to some regular training, although we've kept the sessions reasonably short for now.

5 months to go

This month you'll get used to the idea of switching from one sport to another within the same race. To achieve this you'll do 'brick’ sessions. These are back-to-back sessions of two disciplines. Where possible you should dothese bricks outside using race equipment. To do the swim/cycle brick it's acceptable to use your gym's pool and then an exercise bike. Aim to improve on your times every week.

4 months to go

The training programme enters its long-distance phase this month, and here you'll lay down kilometre after kilometre to increase your stamina. You will complete one longer swim, cycle and run every week, keeping Combined (or 'brick') session from last month to stop your routine changing completely. If you miss one of the long sessions, sacrifice the Sunday brick in favour of it.

3 months to go

This month you'll be upping the pace to build your fitness up to race readiness. Tempo training is done in the 80-90 per cent range of maximum heart rate (MHR). You find your MHR by subtracting your age from 220. Where tempo training is indicated, do sessions as intervals with two-minutes rests in between to build your fitness.

2 months to go

Race distance training. Over the next four weeks you'll attempt one full leg each week: one swimming, one cycling and one running. The remainder of your training will be as normal. You will aim to go faster than in the long-distance sessions you did in the previous month, but you'll maintain a constant race pace.

1 month to go

Tapering. The next four weeks will see you continuing to do your tempo sessions to increase your fitness while doing less long-distance work because you should have already built up your baseline aerobic capacity by now. Keep preparing for the bike/run transition by doing brick sessions, and push yourself to go faster than race pace on the shorter tempo training intervals. In the last week before the race, you will ease off to avoid going into the event exhausted.

Key: RP = race pace. FRP = faster than race pace.

This article was first published in 2008 then updated in 2022 to improve the formatting.

For many athletes, the swimming leg is the biggest challenge in a triathlon. 2006 Junior World Triathlon Champion Alistair Brownlee shares training tips to improve your triathlon swimming and facilitate a speedy transition out of the water. 

We've also got advice from pros on how to improve your triathlon cycling and improve your triathlon running. 

If you're training for a triathlon, check out our pick of the UK's best triathlons and follow one of our triathlon training plans.

Train indoors and outdoors

"Ok, so during the winter you’ll have to train in a pool," says Brownlee. "But when it gets warmer you should practise in open water so you’ll know what to expect during a race. You want to do one speed session and one distance session per week."

Get some coaching

"It’s a good idea, no matter what your level," says Brownlee. "Even if you’re doing loads of training on your own, there could be crucial technical aspects you’re getting wrong."

Warm-up properly before the event

"I do two or three sprints of around 20 strokes and go for a short jog just before a race," says Brownlee. "Keep moving around right up until the race starts so your muscles are warmed up."

Make sure you have enough in the tank

"I have a good breakfast on the day of the race – something that’s packed with slow-release energy, such as cereal or porridge," says Brownlee. "I’ll have an energy bar just before the race which delivers a quick-hit of fuel."

Be prepared for some argy bargy

"The first 200 metres of the swim are really frantic," says Brownlee. "People will try to get past you by grabbing your shoulders, pulling your suit down or elbowing you in the face. If you’re new to triathlons and are more concerned about finishing than winning a race, I’d recommend starting on the outside of the pack. That way you’ll avoid the worst of it."

Slipstream to save energy

"You’ll want to save energy for the next two stages, so ideally you want to find someone who’s slightly faster than you and get into their slipstream," says Brownlee. "If you swim on their feet, they’re breaking up the water so there’s less resistance to slow you down or tire you out. It’s also important to scope out the route so you know where you’re going – you want to take the fastest, straightest line between the buoys."

Break up your breathing

"Normally people breathe once every two to five strokes," says Brownlee. "If you take a breath every stroke it will stop you building up the kind of speed that two or three strokes in a row generate. If you’re in a scrum someone could stop you lifting your head out of the water when you plan to, so you have to be able to break your breathing pattern. You should practice breathing at random intervals during training – look up every ninth or tenth stroke to get your bearings. Just make sure it’s a continuous part of your stroke or it will slow you down."

Use your arms more than your legs

"Your arms should be doing most of the work so you’ve got power in your legs for the next stages," says Brownlee. "You need to reach ahead with your leading hand while raising your other elbow so you’re pulling water back with a sculling motion. The most powerful bit of the stroke should be from when your arm passes under your shoulder until it comes out by your hip. Pull it out of the water in a relaxed manner so it can recover a bit for the next stroke. Kick from your hips and keep your leg straight so the whole limb is generating power."

Get the right wetsuit

"You need one that’s buoyant and gives a lot of freedom of movement around the shoulder area," says Brownlee.

Alistair Brownlee

Age: 20
From: Horsforth, Leeds
Achievements: 2006 Winner, Junior World Triathlon Championships. 2006 Winner, National Junior Triathlon Championships. 2007 2nd, Junior World Triathlon Championships.

Transition like Alistair Brownlee

Getting out of your wetsuit efficiently is the key to a fast swim/bike transition – here are Alistair Brownlee's top tips for getting out of the water and onto the bike. 

Goggles off first

"Leave them on your swimming cap," says Brownlee. "If you’re holding them in your hands it will make it harder to get your suit off. You should aim to replace your goggles every three or four races because they will fog up. You can use anti-fog agents, but they're not that effective."

Unzip your suit

"Rip apart the Velcro at the top of the suit, then undo the zip by pulling the leash up," says Brownlee. "You want a wetsuit with a zip that opens upwards because it’s easier to release and harder for people to pull down during the swim."

Pull it down

"Yank the wetsuit over each elbow – if you try to tug it down your upper arms in stages you’ll lose time," says Brownlee. "Remove the legs by rolling one down and standing on it before you pull down the next one. Some people cut up their wetsuits in order to get them off faster, but putting baby oil or KY jelly on your arms and legs is just as good."

More About Triathlons

• Master all three elements with this how to train for a triathlon guide and get triathlon training right
• Looking to buy triathlon gear but not sure what to get? Our beginner's guide has the kit you need to master a multi-sport event
• Boost your triathlon endurance and go harder for longer on your bike, in the pool and around the track with these useful tips
• Writer Ben Ince learns total immersion swimming for triathletes and transforms his swimming stamina 

  In This Series 

• Introduction
• Run like Olly Freeman

Get your training right
'You need to do lots of regular running,' says Freeman. 'As you get closer to the event you should introduce brick sessions, too. This is where you practise biking and running with no rest in between. It teaches you how to cope with the jelly-leg sensation that occurs when switching between using different muscles. Do interval training, too. Combining short, hard sprints with easier recovery periods enables you to produce intense bursts of speed, which can help you during sprint finishes.’

Refuel during the bike stage...
‘I refuel with energy drinks and gels during the cycle,' says Freeeman. 'This gives my body time to digest them before the run, meaning I have a good supply of energy.’

...and on the run
'If you're doing a shorter run your body won’t have time to absorb anything,' says Freeeman. 'But the odd sip of something might give you a psychological boost.’

Change your pace
‘There will be times when you need to speed up – when you’re chasing a breakaway pack, for example,' says Freeeman. 'I find it easier to run in the middle of a pack. Running behind someone protects you from the wind and because you’re sandwiched between people you don’t need to think about your speed – you get dragged along at the pack’s pace.’

Buy the right shoes
‘Buy your trainers from a specialist triathlon or running shop,' says Freeman. 'If they don’t fit you properly, blisters will be the least of your worries – you could roll your ankle or damage your lower leg muscles. Once you have the right pair, rub Vaseline on the inside to stop them rubbing. Use elastic laces fitted with toggles, too. This will turn your running shoes into slip-ons.’

Run after the race
‘Do a ten-minute jog,' says Freeman. 'This will lower your body temperature and get the blood flowing. Dip your legs in cold water to flush out lactic acid, then get some warm clothes on so you don’t catch a chill. I drink lots of water and eat within an hour of finishing to replenish the glycogen stores needed for muscle recovery.’

Struggling with the swimming stage? Then read our tri swimming tips.

Olly Freeman

Age: 23
From: Pembury, Kent
Achievements: 2006 Winner, Blenheim Triathlon. 2006 2nd, Macau Asian Cup. 2006 3rd, London Triathlon.

There's a lot to think about when training for a triathlon. Champion triathlete Will Clarke has some advice for training and cycling form tips that will help you cycle your best ever bike leg.

Once you've sorted your cycling, it's time to improve your triathlon swimming and have a look at our race-winning triathlon running tips. 

Thinking of signing up for a triathlon? Check out the UK's best triathlons and follow one of our triathlon training plans.

Train hard

"In total I do about 30 hours of training per week," says Clarke. "In the hard weeks I try and hit 14 to 16 hours of cycling. I have a block of two hard weeks and then an easier week."

Do intervals

"We do it on the bike, especially leading into races," says Clarke. "When I was training for the [2006] world champs, I found a training route that was similar to the two hard hills on the course. I went hard up the hills and recovered on the flat. When it came to the race, I felt better than everyone else and got away on the bike."

Build cycling endurance

"The best way to do this is by going out for long rides," says Clarke. "They need to be hard enough that you're tired when you get to the end."

Do shorter training sessions in the week before a race

"Cut down on miles and throw in some intensity," says Clarke. "You can’t get any fitter the week before a race. You can only get more tired. I might do three three-minute bike intervals three days before a race."

Speed up your transitions

"Clip your bike shoes onto your pedals before the race so you can slip straight into them when you get to the cycle stage," says Clarke. "At the other end, practise getting off your bike while it’s still moving."

No straight-armed biking

"Make sure you’re not reaching too far with your arms," says Clarke. "If you ride with straight arms you’ll start rocking, which is inefficient."

Go wide into corners

"Go in wide, cut in at the shortest line and come out wide," says Clarke. "That way you can maintain your speed. Lift up your inside knee and put your weight on your inside handlebar. Brake before rather than in the corner to avoid crashing."

Go hard at hills

"Some people like to sit, others like to stand," says Clarke. "It depends on the athlete but it's best to keep as high a cadence as possible. It's important to really bend your elbows and transfer all your weight to your legs so you don’t bob around."

Save some juice for the run

"Don’t cycle too hard in the last 5K because you’ll be absolutely dead," says Clarke. "Shake out your legs and stretch while on the bike."

Will Clarke

Age: 24 
From: Cambridge
Achievements: 2006 Winner, World and European Under-23 Triathlon Championships. 2006 2nd, Royal Windsor Triathlon.

Will Clarke's cycling form tips

Bend your knees…

"Stand up straight and bend your knees just enough to unlock them – that’s the bend you need in the lowest part of the revolution," says Clarke. "If you’re cycling with straight legs you can’t generate as much power."

…and your arms

"Bend your elbow to transfer all your weight into your legs," says Clarke. "You’re locking out the upper body so your effort is all from the legs. Your arms should be extended slightly beyond 90° but not locked out."

Use your heels

"Your heel should drive your feet during each pedal stroke," says Clarke. "It’s the most efficient way of exerting power. You can develop that by riding using only one leg."

Get comfortable

"Flatten your back and try to be as aerodynamic as possible," says Clarke. "But don’t sacrifice comfort because it will make for a hellish race."

More About Triathlons

• Looking to buy triathlon gear but not sure what to get? Our beginner's guide has the kit you need to master a multi-sport event
• Master all three elements with this how to train for a triathlon guide and get triathlon training right
• Boost your triathlon endurance and go harder for longer on your bike, in the pool and around the track with these useful tips
• Writer Ben Ince learns total immersion swimming for triathletes and transforms his swimming stamina