comfort zone to gain speed and stamina increases motivation and confidence, making running fun again," says Hamilton. The Sign: You avoid challenges such as racesThe Solution: "Some runners shy away from competitive situations because they fear failure
You've trained for months, but race day arrives and something disastrous happens: a bad night's sleep has drained your energy, a freak hailstorm slows you down, a killer cramp forces you to walk. Was it still worth it? Of course it was, if you heed
Unhappy with your last 10K? Convinced you could have finished a little faster? Unless you’re Haile Gebrselassie, you’re probably right. (If you are Haile Gebrselassie, you can skip this article.) Or perhaps faster race times don’t matter to 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
, 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
Paratriathlon's popularity is skyrocketing. Last year there were more than 350 triathlon race starts by paratriathletes in the UK, an increase of an astonishing 500 per cent on the 2006 race season. And these numbers probably underestimate total
Championship events, is something to aim for. It will give you an incentive to train harder and the races will be like nothing else you've done, if only because the excitement surrounding a championship race is intoxicating.Five-time Olympic gold medallist Sir
easy to maintain motivation at this time of the year, according to two-time Ironman 70.3 champion Emma-Kate Lidbury (eklidbury.co.uk). "People often overlook the mental aspect of training and racing. It can become very difficult to keep going
habit to get into and a hard one to break."8. Train hardTo build the resilience to finish a race, practise in training. "Training hard gives you the confidence to race well," says Hayes.For Annie Williams, the prospect of competition motivates her during
