In the kit-crazed world of triathlon, we are sometimes judged by our fashion sense as well as our sporting ability, often by the more elite (and more than a little vain) among us. But many style rules exist for a purpose - not only do they prevent

easyand RUN for 20 minutes easy SWIM for 10 minutes easy; CYCLE for 10 minutes easy Sun Strength train for 20 minutes Strength train for 20 minutes Strength train for 20 minutes Race Day KeyBilateral Breathing to both sides

in place with rubber bands. 10. Leave your bike in an easy gear (middle on the back cogs and small front chainring) so that pedalling is easy when you jump on. 11. Put baby oil or Vaseline on your shoulders, wrists and ankles; this helps you remove your

riding with a high cadence on a lower gear to replicate the looser motions of the run. Once off the bike take a few seconds, even on race day, to really focus on the length of your strides. Bricking itPractise, practise and practise again. That

is plenty. If you are training for a sprint- or standard-distance triathlon, building your long training sessions to twice the race distance is the best approach. If you are preparing for a half-Ironman distance race, aim towards 1.5 times the race distance

. "Duathlons can be a good gauge of performance, and they can replace 'threshold' workouts with something more interesting" says PhysFarm Coach Dr Philip Skiba.Duathlon, which has national, European and world championship races, is governed by British Triathlon

100m at race pace. CYCLE 20 minutes, checking gears, tyres etc.Evening RUN: 15 minutes with 3 x 30 seconds fast strides, alternating with 60 seconds recovery jog. Sun CYCLE: Warm-up: 10-15 minutes steady. Main: 1 hour 15 minutes easy spinning

cycling @ 100+revolutions per minute (rpm), 40 seconds recovery), 5 x (20 seconds harder gear, 40 seconds recovery), 10-minute recovery easy cycleFriday Swim session BSaturday Run session: 5-minute warm-up jog, 3 x (2-minute run, 1-minute jog, 30 seconds

and you're more likely to feel every bump.Gear Guide"The most important part of mountain bike racing is getting gear changes right so you have good exit speed," says Dixon. "It doesn't matter the speed at which you go into a section, if you come out fast

're training six to eight weeks before the race, include hills and pushing big gears to build pace and cycle some sections at race pace. To make the most of this race preparation, practise eating and drinking what you plan to consume in the race as well