– the difficult one is swimming. In a race we cannot keep looking at our heart-rate monitor or stopwatch,” says Bill Black, who coached the GB Men’s Triathlon Team at the Sydney Olympics. “But if we train at a certain pace in the pool we can keep cross

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

.Review your training planIf you had a training plan, how well did you follow it? How can you improve your plan for next time? Does it need to be more realistic - you're probably never going to be able to do 20 hours' training every week. Review your races

of their training sessions. So, for example, the next time their training plan features a long run in the depths of winter, they know exactly why it’s in there and how it fits into the bigger picture.”There are a few methods Darren uses to help his athletes set

with the motivation to train day in and day out so he can achieve the results he wants. And when things don't go the way they're supposed to, he knows that plans can, and must, be altered to suit new circumstances.Setting a goal is a process that must begin

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

into three time phases - daily goals, midway goals and target goals.Daily goals provide a focus for your daily training sessions and will, like the other goals, depend on your level of fitness and what your plans are for the coming season. Midway goals

from grim experience. He punctured twice in the qualifying bike race for the Beijing Olympics last year and didn't make the team. "I was really low afterwards and didn't feel like training but I did have a Plan B, which really helped me out," he says.Plan

people so you motivate each other. Do a road or cross-country race and use the treadmills together at your local gym. Join a tri club and use the sessions and advice on offer." - Tim Don "Tell yourself that training in the miserable winter makes you a

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