include getting swimming coaching to help you identify ‘dead’ parts in your stroke and practising drills to improve, or following a strength and conditioning programme to help you improve your hillwork on the run and bike, for example

room in your training plan for regular open-water sessions in a wetsuit.Starting the swim too fastIt's natural to want to get off to a flying start, but exploding into the swim will eat into your energy stores.Emma Smith, a European duathlon champion

: for many people swimming is the least-favoured discipline but others have no more than the most rudimentary understanding of a bike: 'you pedal and it moves' seems to be about it. But if you're going to be a strong triathlete you need to understand how your

. And they work hard to make it look so easy. Olympic champion Jan Frodeno finished last season as the top-ranked runner - he was among the top three runners in five of the seven events in the ITU World Championship series - but he recently added new run drills

. Fiona Ford, a professional triathlete, coach and founder of coaching service Triathlon Europe, says February is the ideal time to work on your weaknesses. "For many triathletes swimming presents the biggest challenge and winter is the perfect time

sessions at a higher intensity to train the body to delay the onset of lactic acid.As with running, good technique is also a performance factor in cycling. For example, the best runners perform drills to help them run efficiently, while top cyclists

Armstrong charged ahead for a mile or so, Isaacs, whose shaved head, Marine’s physique, and South African accent give him the bearing of a really friendly drill sergeant, said his approach was to keep things interesting and Armstrong injury-free. "The