but your tanks are empty. Your training was spot-on and your race was going well so what happened? Your nutrition strategy was wrong, that’s what, and now your body is making you pay. It has happened to the best, but the best learn from their mistakes. It

1. Beware the labelsFood labels that say ‘low-fat’, ‘light’ or ‘healthy’ don’t always tell the whole truth. A product must contain less than three per cent fat to earn the ‘low-fat’ label, but that can mean it’s full of sugar instead

. The trick is to get maximum muscle repair and metabolism boost with minimum belly expansion by opting for lean, nutrient-rich cuts. Chicken breast is the obvious choice, and though this low-fat protein hit should definitely be part of your nutrition plan

, such as peanut butter on toast with a glass of milk, or baked beans in a jacket potato with low-fat grated cheese.Try to include quinoa (grain) and soya products such as tofu, as both are complete vegetable proteins. Those who avoid all animal protein sources (ie

Lynn Clay from Maxifuel is a sports scientist, nutrition consultant and freelance journalist with eight years' experience in the nutrition industry. She’s a former AAA gold medallist runner, a keen cyclist and she’s competing in Ironman Austria