. "I might have to pee during the race."Think you'll be the first? Any time a group of hydrated, nervous people gather, nature will call. It's a fact of life. Be discreet and no one will notice your pit stop."I'm eating the wrong food before my race

people so you motivate each other. Do a road or cross-country race and use the treadmills together at your local gym. Join a tri club and use the sessions and advice on offer." - Tim Don "Tell yourself that training in the miserable winter makes you a

to the sniffles, University of Colorado researchers report. Apart from food sources, your body gets the vitamin from exposure to UV rays, so levels  slump when there's no sun. First defence: Eat vitamin D-rich oily fish, eggs and fortified cereals. Ditch any

If you don't have a big race in your sights, it can be hard to stay focused. Challenge yourself, or join others with weekly, monthly or annual mileage targets. By setting yourself a mileage challenge you can combine the motivation of having a target

with food and my weight ballooned. By the end of 2004 I was off drugs but hugely overweight. That's when I started running."I did my first run in tracksuit trousers, a long-sleeved top tied around my waist (covering my backside) and a thick cotton T-shirt. I

, and they all get so much from listening to each other; it's very motivational," he says.2. Go the extra mile If you haven't changed your race distance since you started triathlons, then the chances are your training hasn't change much, either. Even if you

by eating foods such as broccoli, spinach and fish. Protein helps to steady hormones so include some in every meal: add dried fruit and seeds to your porridge; cheese to a baked sweet potato and tuna; or make hummus - chickpeas are loaded with protein

’s time to stir up your routine. When you do the same run, day after day, you’re seldom challenged and your motivation is bound to sag. Think of it this way: if you eat a tuna and salad sandwich four days in a row, you’ll probably notice how delicious a

Setting challenging yet attainable goals is key to maintaining a long-term running career. After all, you’re more likely to stay motivated when you have something to work towards and can measure your progress at regular intervals. But picking

deal on a personal level and a massive moment in his triathlon career: the opportunity of a lifetime on the trip of a lifetime.But on the Thursday before the race Pennington was awake all night with stomach problems - food poisoning, perhaps, or a virus