, injury. Be assured, you are not alone.World-class triathlete Richard Stannard (10 times the fastest swimmer in the London Triathlon) was gearing up for a great 2009 season when, at the end of May, he was hit by a car while training on his bike

Go easy more oftenThe physiological adaptations that increase your speed happen during recovery, not training. Leg-searing rides and runs put your body under great physical stress. To cope with that kind of pressure your body strengthens itself by building more muscle fibres and ...

. Capitalise on your fitness and the warm(ish) weather by entering some events that are different to those you'd usually do: shorter, longer, more hilly or in a great location you've always wanted to visit. Outside triathlon, there are plenty of ways

as an opportunity to evaluate what you have done and what you want to achieve, and then plan your training for when you return home. "Remember that we improve while we rest and recover," he says. "So take a book or magazine and find out more about triathlons

, 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

In triathlon men and women race side by side. This wise policy engenders a sense of camaraderie that is one of the most appealing aspects of our sport. But there are certain physical attributes and psychological traits specific to each sex

. "Unfortunately, they often fail to advertise this." The British Triathlon Federation runs an accreditation scheme for triathlon clubs and can advise on improving accessibility to venues and, if needed, provide special training for coaches. Working with disabled

a life, and you do. With three sports to juggle, as well as a full-time job and maybe a family, training for triathlon is a compromise between training you know you should do, and the training you know you can do.  But that doesn't mean you can

Federation runs an accreditation scheme for triathlon clubs and can advise on improving accessibility to venues and, if needed, provide special training for coaches. Working with disabled athletes has, in any case, become part of the syllabus on courses

hours; and the weekends are cold, damp and miserable. Your first triathlon of the year may be months away. All things considered, staying in bed with a mug of hot chocolate has much more appeal than a bone-numbing bike ride. After all, missing one little