Tanja Slater (former Professional Cyclist and Elite GB Triathlete) & Sara Northover (multiple World & European triathlete Age Group medallist) are offering women’s only triathlon and cycling camps for a beginner to advanced level. In fabulous locations (including upcoming camps at Fleur Au Soleil in France), the camps feature small group size and beautiful accommodation at a reasonable price.

We’ve pulled out our diaries here at the Trigirl offices to see if we can squeeze in one of Tanja and Sara’s camps for ourselves!

For more information on Up And Active, visit their website here.

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Congratulations to Eddie who on Saturday, at 70 years of age, became the oldest British Ironman finisher in history. Not only that, but she set the record in Lanzarote, considered one of (if not THE) most challenging Ironman course.
From the Ironman Lanzarote blog feed:They started in pouring rain this morning and had to contend with very wet roads on the bikes. Then they climbed 8,000 feet into a testing headwind. By the time they got back to transition the sun was searingly hot as they began their run. As the sun went down, they dealt with running into it, and once it had gone, the temperature dropped dramatically. Lanzarote has once again served up a dramatic and fascinating race and has lived up to its reputation as one of the world’s toughest.

Eddie, you are AMAZING!

We’re also quite proud that Eddie reported back that she wore her Trigirl armwarmers throughout the 112-mile bike!

For more on Eddie (and to be inspired by her energy!) see our video here.

We’ll need to get to work updating our article to include her latest and most amazing accomplishment yet!

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So we bring you without further adieu… Trigirl Tips for Conquering Your Triathlon Swim Fears.

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Get a triathlon kit.  It is not arrogant or showy-offy to get a triathlon kit. Good kit makes triathlon a little bit easier for you – and therefore more fun! I was sceptical but am now a convert. You don’t need to spend hundreds of pounds, either. Here are my top 3 tips for triathlon kit that have made a huge difference to me in training:

1. I bought Look Keo pedals and some road racing shoes for the bike. They made such a difference. I had been riding in trainers with cages for so long; I thought I was doing OK. But what a leap forward in power! I kept up with the men for the first time ever. I wish I had bought them sooner. And I didn’t fall off at any junctions, which apart from looking silly, was my main worry!
2. My gorgeous Trigirl tri suit – oh so, so comfy. Both under the wetsuit and whilst cycling and running. No more pulling my run top down over my bum. No uncomfortable pads between the legs. No tummy squashed by too-tight shorts. Another revelation. Once you get over feeling a bit of a tri-fraud it is a joy to wear – it really is worth investing in.
3. Wetsuit hire can cost around £35 per race. I’m doing two races so far this year, so I bought a £99 Orca wetsuit online. I’m 5’11’ and it fits great, works well (tested in a 13 degree lake in Essex) and psychologically – it’s mine. It boosts my confidence and removes another layer of stress.

Improve your diet. You might well need a tonne more food than you’ve been eating. I took some nutritional advice and discovered I’m often around 1,000 calories short on training days. That’s  a lot of wine (just kidding! A-hem…). I was a relatively healthy, simple bowl of porridge, banana snack and chicken and avocado sandwich kind of eater. Just not enough – who knew?! Jo Scott-Dalgleish, a sports nutritionist knew. Visit her at endurancesportsnutritionist.co.uk or follow her at @jsdnutrition. My personal top tips are:

1. You need protein for muscle power and for recovery, not the fabled huge bowls of pre-race pasta carbs. If you can’t face a full breakfast before training try some crunchy peanut butter on apple slices, or grab a protein-filled Nakd bar.
2. If you are doing a sprint triathlon you won’t need to worry about gel packs and on-bike munchies. Jo advises a good energy drink early on in the cycle, to refuel you for the run. Tried it this weekend – worked a treat. Hurrah!
3.  The difference in energy when training, especially on a two-sports-training-day (which I only manage once a week) was immense when I had fuelled my day properly, from start to finish. Instead of a bowl of porridge, it became a large bowl of porridge with a big handful of flaked almonds on top. Little changes really add up over the course of a day’s eating.

Get some training. It has a big impact on your ability – but most importantly it significantly boosts your confidence. Probably my biggest ‘I wish I had done it sooner’ advice. My top 3 tips are:

1. Go on a triathlon-specific training day. My Trigirl training day was a revelation! It was so encouraging meeting other like-minded (and like-terrified) women. Some experts with great stories, some novices as nervous as me. And Kristin, our trainer, shared top tips and advice: yes, wear socks,  but no not cotton; scoop water into your wetsuit as you exit (helps to get out of it); and put your helmet on before even touching your bike. We learned about cadence, pace rates, you name it! Sign up for the full fabulous experience.
2. General swim/bike/run training. Whichever is your weakest sport – take a few lessons from a coach. I had swim lessons at the local pool. (Read my earlier blog Spring forward and you’ll find out why!). It really does help – and you’ll find at least one other person who signed up for a triathlon and then panicked about at least one sport, too!
3. Don’t put off your lake practice. Swim coaching in a lake is the single best thing I have done and should have done months ago, instead of avoiding it. I took a beginner coaching class, alongside experienced pool swimmers, who were glad they joined the coaching class too. As a weak swimmer, this was inevitable and essential for me. (And it really wasn’t that bad). The tips were great: slow your arms down, slow your breathing down and don’t panic!

So, these are my top three tips for nutrition, kit and training. I hope they help you a little. Do share your own top tips please – I still need all the help I can get!

And please come back soon to find out how THE DIRTY COLD LAKE SWIM went.

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There were just so many options to discuss: sports bra or built-in support top, a fetching little two-piece or an all-in-one trisuit, socks or bare feet, trainers or cleats…but most of all the sports bra…

Our coach for the day Kim Ingleby (GB triathlete, personal trainer, mental performance coach of Energised Performance) was patience and optimism personified! With a packed schedule throughout the day, we covered an array of topics including kit and clothing, mending a puncture, transition set-up, swim technique, efficient bike mounting and dismounting, running with wobbly bike legs (a technical term I’m sure), running technique, nutrition before and during a race, training ideas…oh and did I mention what to wear?

With just 12 women on the course, there was plenty of time for individual attention as and when required, and building confidence so we could all finish our first couple of races with smiles on our faces was top of the agenda.

After the training day I certainly feel I can make the transition (can’t resist a good pun!) from simply aiming to complete a race (see my last blog post) to being competitive (in terms of my own performance, not necessarily the overall race result). So for my next race I’ll be setting myself the challenge of achieving PBs in at least one of the disciplines!

For any ladies out there wondering whether to enter their first race – I would say YES!

And for anyone wondering how they are going to get through that first race – get yourself along to a Trigirl women only triathlon training day!

Click here for more information.

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