Getting fit is something many people want to do but quite often find that it's a difficult resolution to maintain. We've found, however, that there's a few things that you can do to make it stick and really start to enjoy it.

Click here to find out

There are many benefits to stretching that go beyond the scope of this short guide, but in short it helps to make your muscles stronger, leaner and more resistant to injury, which are all great things for a runner or triathlete. The five top things to remember are

• Only stretch to the point of mild discomfort. If you feel any sharp pains then stop! You're supposed to stretch your muscles, not snap them. You don't need to worry about touching your toes, just feel the stretching sensation

• Hold a stretch for a slow count to 8-10.

• Muscles work in pairs and should be stretched as such i.e. for your leg to bend your hamstring tightens and your thigh relaxes and for your leg to straighten again your thigh tightens and your hamstring relaxes. You should stretch both.

• Although there's some uncertainty about which is best, we'd recommend you stretch AFTER your work out. One of the reasons for this is that your muscles will be properly warmed up by then!

• Use your breath to try and get more from the stretch. As you count to 8 breathe in slowly and as you breathe out try and push into the stretch a bit more (but only to discomfort- not pain).

 

Stretching can be hugely beneficial to your performance and, done frequently, can give results fairly quickly. We often tell people that they're better off cutting a workour short by 5-10 minutes and spend that time stretching.

 

Try right here! You can calculate your speed from your time over a certain distance or what speed you'll need to maintain to achieve a particular time over any distance.

Click here to see the calculator

 

Picking the right running shoes for you is extremely important. The right footwear can help reduce the risk of injury and improve efficiency, which in turn can help to improve your performance. With so much choice out there it can seem like a daunting choice which will be easy to get wrong and cause you no end of problems. Following our simple guide will help to make sure you get what's right for YOU.

Click here to see it

 

Gait analysis is a more reliable way of choosing the most appropriate shoe for your needs. Your gait is your way of running, which may be more or less efficient that was is considered to be the best. We start by videoing you running in a neutral, unsupportive shoe. This allows your natural gait cycle to show. We then use computer software to digitally analyse this information and make judgements about your needs. We can then suggest different shoes for you to try and we repeat this process in the new shoes to see how your natural gait is altered. We do this again and again until we both you and ourselves are happy that we have found you a suitable pair of shoes. We have shoes to suit almost everybody, be you a supinator, neutral, over-pronator, heavy heel striker, mid/fore-foot striker and so on.

We take pride in how this technology sets us apart from a standard sports shop and our goal is to provide you with exactly what you need. Call us, or pop into the shop for more information.

We get asked this a lot! Triathlon seems like a sport where every bit of kit is vital and to go without is to set yourself up for failure, but that simply is not true. The most vital bits of kit are:

• Trainers and some comfortable cycling and running kit
• Goggles and something to swim in
• Cycling helmet

A bike is obviously a must, though many first timers borrow a bike. Any road legal bike is fine for most races, though some events do have some criteria (e.g. you would only be allowed a road bike for an Ironman). Also the majority of open water races in the UK will require the use of a wetsuit, though this will also be stated in the race information. A surfing wetsuit is fine, though a triathlon specific wetsuit would make a huge difference.

If you really feel you need to buy something, the best investments would be a tri-suit and a race belt. The whole race can be done in a tri-suit (swim, bike and run) without the need to change in transition and a race belt allows you to put your number on after you get out of the water and adjust it as the race goes on (most races state that you need the number on your back for the bike leg and on your front for the run leg).

Pre-race nerves have been guilty of causing poor performance more often than we care to imagine. Have I trained hard enough, am I capable of this, everybody else looks so fit and has better kit...

But, like many "negative" aspects of sport they can be controlled and some simple techniques can get you to start line without having had anything to worry about at all.

Click here to find out more

It's no coincidence that the most mistakes in a race occur in the least practiced part of it. Transtions can go a long way to helping you have a great race and you'd be surprised at some of the simple things you can do to make sure yours are efficient and fast!

Click here to read more

Cawl- This is a wonderful winter meal when you’ve been training in the cold. It is based on the traditional Welsh dish which is made with lamb and leeks (obviously!) though you can use any meat and any vegetable in this. All you need is a pressure cooker (or stew it in a saucepan). Because we're really lazy we use pre-diced frozen meat, and a bag of frozen mixed veg. Chuck these into the pressure cook, slice a few potatoes, add a few stock cubes and then add hot water until it is all just under the surface. Cook for 20 minutes (it may take longer in a saucepan) and you have a great meal that will serve 4 (or serve you 4 times!). This is great to put on to cook while you have a shower after training. Serve with some bread and cheese- delicious!