you must reach to perform well at any distance of triathlon. Improving base fitness is essential if you want to improve your performance. Every athlete must return to base training every year, regardless of his or her experience or ability, and keep

It is normal to have mixed feelings about the swim portion of a triathlon. Even experienced triathletes can feel nervous about the washing machine-experience that is the swim start. But with the right guidance you can make a first-class start

Don't dismiss free weights as the preserve of oiled-up gym bunnies obsessed with six-packs and their reflection. Normal people can use them to burn calories and become stronger, which will help improve both technique and stamina for next season

the simplest actions, such as standing up, and challenging activities, such as, well, triathlons. But it also needs nutrients to keep it in the best shape possible. So you need to be eating good food, not any food. The right amounts of vitamins and minerals

faster for no extra effort. And many small gains can be made from improving your technique and training."Triathlon kit has evolved, too; the hi-tech fabrics and materials in your trisuit, and on your bike and running shoes, have been developed to maximise

and perhaps even take your running to a new level.One answer, and a possible way to improve your running time at the next triathlon, may be cross-training. Substituting some of your running with other cross-training enables you to complete extra endurance

the national long-distance triathlon championships, and decided to take three months unpaid leave from work so that I could train full-time. I ended up finishing tenth. I had a terrible race, and was exhausted from beginning to end. I had overdone my training

.While the average man needs 10mg of iron daily, the average woman needs almost twice as much - 18mg per day for those of childbearing age. This is why anaemia is more common in women. It's easy to improve your iron levels by taking a supplement or asking your GP

against your skin on race day - and it should not be a new sensation."You wouldn't use a mountain bike to train for a road race and the same rule applies to your triathlon preparations," says Dan Halksworth, a former Commonwealth Games swimmer who is now a

groups. It is the perfect endurance sport for those who are less inclined to swim, as a form of cross training, to improve bike-handling skills under race conditions in autumn and spring, to build run strength off the bike and for transition training