Okay, the 2021 season might not have quite gone as smoothly as we’d all hoped, but there was definitely a lot more racing going ahead compared to last year. And with vaccine programmes seemingly rolling out effectively across the UK and Europe, triathletes up and down the country are dreaming about a continued return to normal and a 2022 season without last-minute cancellations, staggered starts or the need to shove a swab up your nose. Will we get our wish? Time will tell.
For the sake of being ready when racing does return next year, it’s time to start thinking about your off-season plan. These dark, damp months are prime time for building your base fitness, the foundations upon which next year’s successes will inevitably be based. But before you throw yourself head first into this vital phase of training, it’s worth taking some time to refresh and retune your body. Borrowing expert advice from those in the know, we’ve pulled together 15 tips that will help you do exactly that.
MEET THE EXPERTS
James Pryke is a coach, co-founder of Triathlon Coaching UK and former competitive swimmer.
Brad Beer is founder of POGO Physio and the physio for Super League Triathlon.
Nick Beer is a sports injury rehab specialist, a coach and a former elite triathlete.
01 TAKE A BREAK
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How to Carb Load - Packing your working cells with carbohydrates in the build-up to your big race is a proven strategy to race stronger and faster...
Whichever distance triathlon you're racing, the intensity and duration of your activity will see your body tap into its stores of carbohydrates (in the form of glycogen) to power your effort. While it's possible to top up your tank on the go, it's better to start your event with your stores full to the brim.
The Olympic Champion - On 31 July, Great Britain's Alex Yee put together arguably the greatest one-day performance we have ever seen at an Olympic Games to win gold. And we were there at the finish line to speak to tri's new poster boy...
The opening line of the race report read how 20 years on from New Zealand’s first and only Olympic triathlon gold medal, Hayden Wilde had put in a careerbest performance to regain the title for his nation. Then Alex Yee comes around the corner.Yee’s charge, seemingly from nowhere on the final lap of the 10km run in Paris, didn’t just help him become the most decorated Olympic male triathlete of all time, and didn’t just cap a rivalry that has been building for six years, it left seasoned watchers of swim, bike, run in awe. It will go down as one of the greatest triathlon races; Yee, still just 26, as one of the greatest triathletes. His medals from Paris added to the two from Tokyo, leaving his haul at two gold, a silver and a bronze, and counting.
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