of anyone’s diet.Over the past decade, researchers have discovered that people who eat fish and other seafood a few times per week have a lower risk of sudden heart attack, vascular disease and stroke. Fish intake has also been linked to lower rates

, an indication that a significant contribution is being made from the anaerobic energy system. Training intensity therefore needs to be low - around 55-70 per cent of maximum heart rate, or conversational effort (if you can't easily carry on a conversation

) will also help you get faster.The question of how fast you should go during these bursts of speed depends on the individual. Nevertheless, the best training effect is gained when your pulse rate is somewhere between 70 and 85 per cent of maximum. This should

too could hold back the years. 20s Your running may still be improving, but your heart is already slowing down – by around one beat per year. Your maximum heart rate controls the oxygen pumping round your body, as you age less oxygen is available

with 10 minutes of very easy running and walking. Stretch gently for a few minutes and mix in four or five 100m strides (at 90 per cent of maximum speed) to get you ready for the upcoming effort. To keep your heart rate up, move around or jog on the spot

it there.Rudd has been competing in triathlons since 1994 and has firm ideas about the swim. "It's about thinking and training smart," he says. "If you only have a few hours in the water each week, you need to use every single minute to its maximum."If your

feel your feet and hands, and there's also an altimeter. The Trek Alpine is fairly easy to fit using the cable ties provided and it is a very user-friendly computer that can also be upgraded to display heart-rate. The choice you would have to make

to let your heart rate return to normal and for your body to clear out any metabolic  waste created during your efforts," says Kastor.7. Don't worry if you ache a littleIf you ease into running, your post-run discomfort shouldn't be debilitating

the distance you will be racing so your body is prepared come race day. If your swim on race day is 750m: weeks 1–6 swim five sets of 100m. Weeks 7–10 build up to 10 sets. Swim at race-pace – effort level 7.5 or 75 per cent of your maximum heart rate (MHR

every Sunday. I have expressed effort in two ways: a) percentage of maximum heart rate, and b) actual running speed. Steady runs will be at around 70-75 per cent effort and you will find that your steady pace will improve over the weeks. When running