- Triathlon consists of three sports,
a lot of kit,
and a significant amount of faff.
- So, to fine tune your performance,
we have nine essential triathlon skills
to help you become a more efficient and faster athlete.
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- Packing and being organised
may not seem like a skill,
but doing it well and knowing what works for you
will make a huge difference on race day.
Making a checklist you can use every time
is an efficient way to ensure
you always have everything you need.
Also, make sure you've practised your nutrition
and you don't want to leave it until race day to experiment.
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- When we're training in the pool,
we have the tiles and the lines on the floor
to follow and keep us going in the right direction,
but out here in the great outdoors,
we lose our guides or our sat nav.
So, that's where sighting becomes
an essential triathlon skill.
So, an effective sight to the buoys
will help us take the shortest and fastest line.
Now, I suggest sighting every five to seven strokes
to really keep us on course.
And rather than lifting your whole head out of the water,
just lift your eyes out to make it
that little bit easier.
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- In some races,
drafting on the bike is illegal,
but in swimming, it's always allowed.
So, why not take advantage of this?
If you want to improve your swim time,
then get onto the feet of a faster swimmer.
However, if you just want to try and save a bit of energy,
then find some swimmers who will be going
at a similar pace to you.
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- Effortless, seamless, and looking like a pro
is what we're all striving for on the swim exit,
but sometimes getting out of this neoprene super suit
can be more stressful and exhausting
than the swim itself.
So, practise makes perfect
and being confident with this skill is essential.
So, don't leave it until race day.
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- Transition layout is an individual process
that will vary from athlete to athlete.
The idea is to have everything you need laid out neatly,
making sure it's easily accessible in the heat of a race.
The bike mount is a pretty hectic stage of the race
where valuable seconds can be lost or gained.
Mastering this skill will not only save you some time,
but it will also help you maintain your momentum
for a smooth transition.
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- This is an essential skill for training,
racing, and general survival.
Ignoring it or lacking in confidence to take on fuel
and fluid on the bike can be a massive mistake.
Allowing your fuel levels to deplete
will not only affect your performance,
but also make you feel pretty horrendous.
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- [Heather] After many miles on the bike,
your legs are likely to be tired.
So, be prepared in case they aren't firing as normal.
With practise, you'll find the best technique for you,
but the main focus is to make it efficient,
smooth, and fast.
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- A pacing strategy or race plan
is crucial for you to achieve your perfect race.
Getting too excited and going too hard
will only end in tears.
So, using heart rate GPS pacing or tuning into your body
will help you control that pace a lot better.
But, of course, it is a race,
so if you're feeling good,
why not crack on?
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So, that's our nine essential triathlon skills.
Let us know how you get on with them in the comments below
or if there are any other skills that you'd like to see.
And you can subscribe to Global Triathlon Network for free
by clicking on the globe
and to see our how to run like a pro video,
just click at the top
and to see our four swim workouts for triathletes,
just click at the bottom.