Q. I want to practise my nutrition for race day but my trainer says I should wait until a few weeks before the race so I get the maximum benefit - is he right?A. It's imperative that you experiment during training to find out what will work best

probably should because the unfortunate truth is that triathlon can have a negative impact on the environment. You probably love being outdoors and like to see nature at its best, if for no other reason than a healthy environment makes for an enjoyable race

of some of the country's finest athletes and a sports scientist, we've come up with a list of the most common training and race-day misdemeanours and the tips you need to tackle or avoid them. These people have experienced them all, so now you don't have

're not getting enough omega-3s," says Leslie Bonci, one of the authors of Total Fitness for Women."What do we athletes do instead? We go straight for anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen. What we should be doing is aiming for 1,000g to 2,000mg of omega-3 a day

depends on how much contact you choose to have with your coach.If you can't afford a coach, have a look online or in specialist triathlon books for a programme that will give you a structure to follow in preparation for a race. Another option is to go

.swimfortri.com).Pool session"This session involves holding race pace over an extended period and will help to simulate race-day conditions," says Bullock. "Do this 10 days before the triathlon." Warm up, doing 6-8 x 50m, with a 10-second rest between each. Do front crawl

. "Duathlons can be a good gauge of performance, and they can replace 'threshold' workouts with something more interesting" says PhysFarm Coach Dr Philip Skiba.Duathlon, which has national, European and world championship races, is governed by British Triathlon

's the message from Sam Murphy, author of Triathlon: Start to Finish. "To establish the correct nerve-to-muscle pathways, you need to perform an action lots of times," says Murphy. "Because they practise, elite athletes can run a triathlon almost as fast

. "Training rides are prime opportunities to practise race-time eating and drinking strategies," says Eberle. Once you discover a winning formula, you'll approach your next triathlon with a foolproof plan.Change it: Test new foods on shorter rides before

feeling weak, hungry and craving more carbs. This is not an ideal situation when you're halfway through a 40K cycle."The primary source of energy for an athlete is carbohydrate, because it's the easiest fuel for the human body," explains nutritionist