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I was thrilled when I found out that I’d won the Trigirl competition. I’d wanted to get into triathlon training for a while and didn’t really know where to start, so I was delighted to get the chance to go on the Trigirl Workshop as part of my competition prize. I felt a little bit daunted being a complete novice as to what to expect, but the workshop day was pitched just right for someone like me.

The group consisted of 6 ladies of varying ability, some were runners, we had an experienced swimmer, a couple of ladies that did duathlons and one lady that had completed a couple of sprint tri’s – a really good mixture. Our coach for the day was Kim Ingleby who really knew her stuff being a current competitor herself.

We covered all three of the disciplines starting with cycling. I hadn’t even considered certain aspects such as dismounting and mounting your bike, and how to change your tyre at the side of the road. Kim gave some great advice on choosing the right gear, I don’t have a tri bike just yet so it was reassuring to hear that there are people that compete without them to start with, and that I won’t look daft on a mountain bike! It was great fun to practice this with the other ladies. We went over the details around transition and had a practice at getting our gear ready with tips on how to lay it all out ready for action.  

Roughly every 4th week of my training plan is a test and recovery week. The training volume drops, but I have a series of benchmark session to do so the coach and me can see whether things are moving in the right direction.

So there I was one Wednesday evening in my basement on my trusted turbo trainer churning out my monthly 80k time trial. By now I have a fairly high boredom threshold when it comes to turbo sessions. When I first started I would barely last 20 minutes! But for sessions like that I load up my mp3 player with podcasts, and tune out the world with those beautiful Sennheiser headphones that drown out most outside noise. That particular evening it was IMTalk I was listening to, and they were talking about the mental tricks you can engage to get through those tough sessions. That in turn made me think of what I do (which admittedly is fairly similar).

So here are my top 5 in no particular order:

  • Counting and numbers, and by that I mean anything. Just keep your mind busy. During hard interval run sessions I find myself counting my foot strikes, forcing myself to get to 100 before I will look at my watch again. During swim sessions I often work out the percentages of the total I’ve already swum. I count pedal revelutions too. It all helps.

  • Breaking things up: 2000 m swim test sounds tough? You lose count easily. How about thinking of it as 5×400

The British universities and colleges sport (BUCS) cycling time trial championships were held over two weekends, with the 10 mile event first, and the 25 mile even the weekend after. As usual Oxford and Cambridge university’s cycling clubs organised one event each.

For me the 10 mile event fell on the end of a week 3 of my training cycle (4 is the recovery & test week), so my legs had 3 weeks of accumulated fatigue in them.

Unfortunately you cannot peak for every single race, and Ironman France, scarily enough only a mere 7 weeks away now, definitely takes priority. Said Saturday was however a beautiful sunny day, and I was quite happy about being there. I didn’t ride badly, but the legs didn’t quite respond, and my time reflects that. I was only beaten by Corrine Hall, who is a pretty decent cyclist, so I was pleased that she was only 40 seconds ahead of me. So one silver medal for Sussex uni!

We had an overwhelmingly large amount of applicants to our competition and it has been very difficult to make a decision as all applications were of such a high standard.

Congratulations to Debbie Loughran from Swindon, the lucky winner of our Trigirl Triathlete competition. To start her journey in becoming a triathlete, Debbie will be attending our Novice Training Day in Bristol on the 8th of May. Debbie’s goal is to complete the Cotswold Sprint Triathlon on 4th of September and Trigirl will support her in her training and race preparation.

We are looking forward to following Debbie on her journey and we will be reporting about her progress in our blog.

Women's only novice triathlon training days

Last chance to book onto our women’s only novice triathlon training days! Spaces are filling up fast so get booking at www.trigirl.co.uk/training

Trigirl training days are on the 8th and 22nd of May in London, Manchester and Bristol with expert coaches to build up your confidence and teach the skills you need to complete a triathlon. This is a great opportunity so make sure you don’t miss out!

Book now at:   www.trigirl.co.uk/training

Time trials triathlon trainingThe weekend has been and gone, and last week’s anxiousness is a thing of the past. There were no fireworks at the time trials, but after two good and solid performances I can estimate realistically what the state of things is.

I rode well enough to take a decent amount of confidence from these, and last but not least if I had any niggling doubts about the coach, they’ve now been put to rest. I’d like to think that I’m quite a logically minded person, after all I’m a physicist! But that doesn’t stop me from questioning the wisdom of what the coach prescribes me occasionally. Especially after doing my own thing for so many years, and being fairly successful with this approach.

One of the other reasons I love time trialling is that I actually made a profit. 2 entries = £16, winning both the ESCA 10 & 25 and therefore the combined weekend = £32. But what about petrol, you ask? Well, I’m Ironman training. I can’t afford to give up a whole weekend’s worth of training for two rather short races.

Become a Triathlete with Help from Trigirl!

Trigirl is looking to support one motivated sportswoman towards completing a triathlon for the first time – a great opportunity if you are apprehensive about your first race.

Trigirl will help you to develop the confidence and skills required to achieve this exciting goal. We will provide you with:

  • free admission to one of our Trigirl Novice Training Days (worth £65)
  • an extensive 12 week training plan
  • a gorgeous Trigirl race outfit (worth £85)
  • expert advice throughout the training period
  • race day support

You will need to be dedicated and determined, and have previous experience in at least one of the three sports.

So if you feel you have what it takes, or know someone who does, then send us your application now!

Visit our ‘Competitions’ page for more information. Application deadline 21st April 2011.

GOOD LUCK!

Our Dutch brand ambassador Maryvonne van den Berg is planning to compete in many triathlons this year and is already doing a fantastic job blogging away.

Lizzy Brama has just been appointed UK brand ambassador (see previous blog) and will soon be blogging her progress.

We are now on the lookout for ambassadors in other countries so get in touch if you are interested!

Trigirl is excited to announce that the beautiful new Spring and Summer collection is now available from our online store

The new and improved Trigirl Trisuit is now available in 5 sizes including Petite and XL. It has many tri specific features and comes complete with removable crop top for extra support.

Our new Tri Tank Top has added bust support for extra confidence and is available in two cup sizes to fit A/B or C/D. Both styles come in two stunning colour combinations.

Check out new and stylish designs at:     https://www.trigirl.co.uk/shop/

Trigirl are thrilled to announce these additional training days exclusively for women:

Novice Triathlon Training Days
Sunday 8 May 2011 • BRISTOL • David Lloyd North • £ 65.-
Sunday 22 May 2011 • MANCHESTER • Lymm • £ 58.-

Our training days are run by expert coaches in carefully selected leisure facilities.
For a small extra fee, on-site childcare can be arranged for mums who might otherwise be unable to attend.

See our training day page for more details about these events.

Click here to book your place.

Trigirl will be exhibiting at the TCRshow on 11th to 13th of February. Come and visit us at stand J10. We will offer special show discounts for a number of styles. Try before you buy and grab a bargain.

when: 11th to 13th of February 2011
where: Sandown Park Exhibition Centre, Esher, Surrey, KT10 9AJ

Make 2011 a special year! Compete in a triathlon this summer and let Trigirl help you achieve this fabulous goal. Join one of our Triathlon Training Days this spring where expert coaches help you prepare for the race on a fun girls only day out. Come race day you will whiz through the course with ease. Promised!

Trigirl Training Days in London are now open for bookings.

Sunday 8th of May 2011: Novice Triathlon Training Day
Sunday 15th of May 2011:  Intermediate Triathlon Training Day

Cost £ 65.- for a full day of expert coaching in small groups.

Click here for more information and to book your place.


Watch this space for further announcements. New novice training days in Manchester and Bristol will be open for bookings soon.

“Looking for something to fill the gaps in you gear? The new Trigirl winter warmer set is just the ticket.
Including a Tubette scarf and a pair of wrist warmers it’s hard to find something better to give you that little bit of extra warmth on a cold winter’s day.

The versatile Tubette scarf can be worn as a hat or scarf or both. I love wearing it on the bike to extend my cycling top upward beyond my neck, and keeping the draught out. Take that chilly breeze from the North! In fact I like it so much that I’ve stopped wearing my scarf completely – it’s stylish enough that I can get away with wearing it outside of a sporting environment.