The definition of the Swedish word Fartlek is 'speed play' in English and it means running, cycling and swimming at different speeds. 　　What is fartlek running? 　　Using running as an example, fartleck involves no more than picking up speed when and wherever you feel like it on, say, an eight-mile run. There’s no structure and nor should there be. So...

　　To minimise the risks of coming unstuck at your first triathlon, we’ve asked some top coaches to provide expert insights to take you through that first event, from the nail-biting build-up to the celebratory beverage after the race, whatever triathlon distance it is; super sprint, sprint, standard distance – or, for the crazies among you, something even longer. 　　How fit...

　　1.MAKE SURE THE BIKE FITS 　　An ill-fitting, high-end bike won’t serve you as well as a correctly fitting, entry-level one. A good local bike shop should be able to at least help you get the correct size of bike and many shops are now offering fit services. If you have the budget, getting a full professional fit before you venture...

　　A brick session is a training set that involves more than one discipline/sport back-to-back. The most common example in triathlon is the bike/run brick, where a bike session will be followed by a run. 　　An example could be a 30min road bike ride followed by a 10min run straight away after (you can steadily build up the duration and intensity...

　　In short, the answer is yes, you will still benefit from doing some of your bike training with someone slower than you. In fact, with indoor training, you can do sessions together and never drop them! 　　Unless you're on the turbo, though, you shouldn't do all your workouts with them, but you can manage your training to make the sessions...

　　When people typically make their first foray into triathlon, motivation is high while fitness is low. It’s a combination that means large gains can be made in a relatively short period, which helps to embed the philosophy that hard work pays dividends. 　　But while it’s true to an extent, those who stick with endurance sport soon learn a harsh lesson:...

　　I might be biased as I’m primarily a cyclist, but, especially in middle-distance and long course non-drafting events, it really is all about the bike. 　　Time-wise it constitutes the biggest proportion of the event and not only can a strong rider make up huge chunks of time on the ride but, if they're able to put in a decent bike...

　　The shortest form of triathlon at an event is generally the super-sprint distance triathlon or what can be called the ‘Starter Triathlon’. 　　Why you should do a triathlon 　　What are the different triathlon distances? 　　How fit do you have to be to do a triathlon? 　　Held at a wide number of beginner-friendly races, a super-sprint triathlon involves the following: 　　Swim:...

　　Shingles has been hitting the headlines recently, with the elderly and those with a weakened immune system more at risk of developing this painful condition. 　　So what exactly is it? And are triathletes more susceptible to getting shingles due to their often-intense training schedule? Let's find out… 　　What is shingles? 　　Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a painful viral...

　　Worrying about finishing last is a concern many people have when racing a triathlon for the first time but it shouldn’t put you off giving triathlon a go. 　　It really doesn’t matter where you come in the race, it’s just about trying to enjoy it. Also regardless of speed you’re doing better than most people, more than a third of...

　　As triathletes, the volume of training that you put your body through is intense, and it’s common to get aches and pains associated with a long period of repetitive exercise. 　　Not only that but even though you are working with three different disciplines, you are still prone to using a lot of the same muscles groups, in similar ranges. 　　One...

　　Born in the early 1970s at the San Diego Track Club, modern triathlon has grown enormously over a relatively short period of time into a variety of popular formats. 　　There are now thought to be around 100,000 active participants in the UK alone, and the sport has seen tremendous growth over the last decade. 　　We’re not bad at it either:...