In Trigirl News

Top Tips to a Perfect Running Form

April 19, 2016 No Comments

Perfect Running Trigirl Triathlon coach Kristin Duffy helps you to perfect your running form with her latest article. Working her way from the top – your head, that is – all the way down to your feet, you can achieve an effortless running style that will make you faster and prevent injury.

Kristin explains: “The key to good running form is to stay relaxed, which isn’t always easy, especially as you tire. Try to check in as you are running, doing a quick head-to-feet scan. It will stop you from thinking negative thoughts (about wanting to stop, maybe?) and will keep you running with your perfect form!”

To read her full article, click here: Your Perfect Running Form

In Trigirl News

New Trigirl Styles On the Way

March 4, 2016 No Comments

Spring Highlights

Coming soon… new Trigirl styles and size replenishments on Trigirl favourites! Highlights include the Zest, a long-legged trisuit with fabulous style, Strength long-legged tri shorts, inspired by our best-selling Speed shorts, and the all-new Spirit tri top with C/D cup size.

Our new colours are Ferrari Red and Barbados Blue. Let the season begin!

We are also awaiting new stock on some of your old favourites, so don’t miss out! We’re expecting from late March and we don’t expect it to last long!

Check out our webshop at trigirl.com

In Trigirl News

Trigirl Review by Seonaid Thompson

May 30, 2014 No Comments

It’s always nice to get positive feedback, but we’re especially excited when the favourable Trigirl review comes from Seonaid Thompson. Seonaid is a Scottish triathlete, rising star in the triathlon world, and Commonwealth Games hopeful. Since competing in her first triathlon just four years ago (using her husband’s bike and wetsuit!), Seonaid has been building on her triathlon success with 2014 already being her strongest to date. Thanks to Seonaid for the lovely review- we’ve got our fingers crossed for the Commonwealth Games selection!

Seonaid’s Trigirl Review

I’ve been a fan of Trigirl since I first tried some of their lovely kit last year, so I was very excited to have the chance to try out one of their fantastic new designs, the Dazzle and Dash tri top and shorts set. I had high expectations and I wasn’t disappointed:

My first impression was, ‘It’s very pretty’. The coral pink colour is lovely and even more vibrant than it appears on the Trigirl website. I also love the unique crossover design on the back of the top. I’ve enjoyed running and cycling in the new kit for the past few weeks now, at home in Yorkshire and also when away for races in Portugal, Turkey and Slovakia.

In Trigirl News

Trigirl Ambassador Katie J Synge on Racing… and Race Day Breakfast

April 9, 2014 No Comments

Katie J Synge is Trigirl’s Elite Ambassador for the 2014 season. She trains full-time with the High Performance Squad at Loughborough. This squad is coached by Gavin Smith and is a small group of dedicated athletes committed to success in triathlon. Loughborough is also British Triathlon’s National Performance Centre. Katie has had a great start to her season with a big running win at Grizedale in the Lake District. We caught up with her as she prepares for the National Duathlon Championships on 30th March. She also recently received the exciting news that she has been selected to compete in a European Triathlon Cup race in Portugal competing alongside GBR triathletes Vanessa Raw and Katie Hewison:

Many congratulations on your Grizedale win and on selection for the European Cup in Portugal. I imagine this season couldn’t have got off to a better start?

In Trigirl News

Trigirl Ambassador Katie J Synge – It Started With An Ambition

February 19, 2014 No Comments

Sport is such a massive part of my life, it has been for as long as I can remember. I wasn’t a budding academic at school – I tried, but it certainly didn’t come naturally.

I was lucky enough to have some amazing opportunities to try different sports – which quickly became an outlet from academia and the love for it started early.

When I was 7 my family moved to the countryside, which is where the journey began. I began riding aged 7, and when I was 13 found my love for running. This led me to Pony Club tetrathlon (swim, run, shoot and ride), and once I finished GCSE’s I decided to go to Hartpury College, where I had an offer to train with the Modern Pentathlon Academy (so I added in the fencing!) alongside studying for a sports BTEC.

In Trigirl News

Rachael Willis – So How Was This Triathlon Season For You?

October 4, 2013 1 Comment

As the triathlon season comes to an end, so does Rachael’s tenure as a Trigirl ambassador. However, (lucky us!) she has offered to continue to blog for us from time-to-time, offering her advice as a personal trainer and triathlete.
Big thanks to Rachael for her blogs thus far and congratulations on your season!

As the 2013 triathlon season draws to a close, it’s a time to reflect on our successes and the things that may not have gone exactly according to plan.

In Trigirl News

Natalie Johnson – When Your Biggest Triathlon Fear Comes True

September 26, 2013 2 Comments

What’s your biggest triathlon fear?

I’ll take a guess that it isn’t getting a puncture. That doesn’t really enter your head. I bet it isn’t getting stuck in your wetsuit or falling off your bike on a tight turn, either? I’m sure for most people the real fear of triathlon, certainly if – like me – it is your first season, or if – like me – you aren’t a strong swimmer, the fear is that open water swim. The cold water. The dirty water. The mass start. And the gnawing fear that you know isn’t really likely to happen, but might do (because said fear is beginning to consume you!) the fear of being last out of the lake. It’s a big one. And it happened to me this weekend.

I’ve competed in two triathlons this (my first) season, the Eton Dorney SuperSprint and Blenheim Palace Sprint tri. Next week I’m competing in the Hever Castle Olympic distance tri. Slightly ambitious you might think? Very, I now realise.

In Trigirl News

Rachael Willis – Top Ten Thoughts on Nutrition for Triathlon

September 9, 2013 1 Comment

Food, Food, Glorious Food! – Nutrition for Triathlon

As triathletes (whether you’re going for your first or fiftieth race) you will already be aware just how important nutrition is. Get it right and it can help you power to a PB. Get it wrong however, and you will probably hit the dreaded wall halfway through your training session.

I am a firm believer in real food for real people (though supplements do have their place). And one of the best things about training hard is that it can help move you towards a healthy, sustainable relationship with natural ingredients.

I wanted to share my top ten thoughts on nutrition for triathlon (and for life):

1. Fuel your body
The classic analogy is to compare your body to a car. Put in quality fuel and you will get a good performance over a long distance. Scrimping on fuel in terms of quality and quantity is a false economy – you will hit the wall and soon be running on empty.

In Trigirl News

Rachael Willis – Importance of Stretching after Triathlon Training

August 11, 2013 1 Comment

Bend me, shape me…

Triathon training. It’s all about swimming, cycling and running, right? Well yes…and no.

It’s so tempting to finish a tough training session and promptly collapse on the sofa (that’s not just me is it?). But what you do immediately after exercise could be the most important few minutes of all.

Arguably two of the best additional elements you can add to your training are stretching and foam rolling. They might not represent the most glamorous side of triathlon preparation but a few minutes a day will be a valuable investment of your time.

Stretching after Triathlon Training

There is an ongoing debate in the fitness industry about the benefits of stretching, but in my experience a few minutes of stretching at the end of a training session can save a couple of days of aching muscles!

What does it do?

In Trigirl News

Rachael Willis – Practical Tips for Triathlon Training Motiviation

July 17, 2013 1 Comment

Don’t Just Think, Do!

Good intentions. We all have them: to train more, to do our swimming drills, to make time to stretch, to avoid that piece of cake after a long ride… But between thinking and doing, it is all too easy for our good intentions to get lost in the maelstrom of daily life. If you aren’t feeling very motivated, any excuse is sufficient to let you stray off track: family, friends, work, Facebook, the local pub! And even the more dedicated exercisers sometimes just can’t face another run at the end of a long day.

Here are some practical tips for triathlon training that can help you sidestep the obstacles that life throws at us, and stay on track to achieve your goals:

1. Planning is key

Sit down with your work and social diary and add in all your training sessions for the week ahead. Make training one of your key priorities, not just a ‘nice to do’ – remind yourself how good you feel when you’ve exercised, and how you’ll feel even better when you cross the finish line!

In Trigirl News

Natalie Johnson – My Race Support Crowd Carried Me Home

July 12, 2013 No Comments

Husband and I, plus two friends, entered the 2013 Blenheim Palace Triathlon, for a dare. You may think this unremarkable; however I was a renowned couch potato and he hated running. We began to exercise, but as spring crept closer, we realised that we were going to have to practice doing a triathlon. Before the proper triathlon, if you see what I mean.

We entered the Human Race Super Sprint at Eton Dorney, simply to find out what it was going to be like. (And if I would drown in the lake). Olympic venue, too – exciting. Standing where the greats stood etc etc. That would be inspiring, I thought. Plus, I simply wasn’t prepared to panic or suffer overwhelm at Blenheim. To practice properly I decided that no parents or children were allowed; we (husband and I) just wanted to get a feel for it and see how it all worked.

In Rachael Willis

Rachael Willis – Train Hard, Race Easy!

May 31, 2013 No Comments

Well I hope you’re all been enjoying the gorgeous summer weather…oh wait, that’s right – it’s been cold and wet again! Not quite the perfect conditions we’ve been longing for after the longest winter since records began (or something), but at least we don’t have to worry about dodgy tan-lines from Lycra shorts and cycling tops!

Since you last heard from me I have been mainly, well, swimming, biking, and running! I decided I needed a couple of months to consolidate after my first race and training weekend before my summer race (which has just been cancelled incidentally, so any recommendations for races in the Oxfordshire area gratefully received!); a time to establish a routine and try to put some of what I’ve learnt into practice.

In Natalie Johnson

Natalie Johnson – Swimming in a Lake. What is it really like?

May 29, 2013 2 Comments

Soon enough the lake swim comes to all novice and aspiring triathletes. I’d avoided it for months. I left it as late as I possibly could: just one week before my first triathlon. If I could have left it until the day before I would have, truth be told.

I was terrified. I was terrified for many reasons, one being my struggles with swimming – in a pool. I did not have the confidence to head out of the relative safety (and warmth) of a pool to attempt to swim in a lake. Every pool swim, or delayed swim confounded my panicky preconceptions of how damn awful it would be. And of what a rubbish swimmer I am.

In Trigirl News

Natalie Johnson – Be Prepared for Triathlon

May 14, 2013 No Comments

Let’s talk about being prepared for triathlon: what you eat; what you wear; and how you train. I know it feels like a lot in one blog, and a bit rich coming from a novice triathlete! But as the triathlon season really gets underway this month, these are the things that I wish I had known earlier…

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:

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!

In Trigirl News

Rachael Willis – Trigirl Women Only Triathlon Training Day

May 6, 2013 No Comments

There are many aspects of triathlon to worry about when you are first setting out in the sport. Trying to master (or at least have a go at) three different sports seemingly thrown together in a random act of masochism, all the kit (so much kit!), the training, the lingo… But for a group of novice female triathletes attending Trigirl’s Women Only Triathlon Training Day in Bristol, the most pressing question was “but what do I wear?”.

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!