Having had my hopes for an early British summer dashed by recent snowfall here in the Peak District, I found myself back on the turbo and thinking about restructuring turbo sessions in preparation for the season ahead.

While I am a firm believer in getting out on the road and building plenty of miles in the legs, there is certainly a strong case for not packing the turbo away over the summer months and continuing to use it for some key sessions.

With that in mind here are some turbo tips along with some commonly asked questions we find our TCUK triathletes asking:

The 'Kick on Side' swim drill witll help you to develop good alignment and prepare you for the catch set up.

Using fins kick on your side at 90 degrees. Pay attention to drawing your shoulder blades back and maintaining the lead arm pointing down the pool. Fingertips should be below the wrist and wrist below the elbow - try and feel for water running across the top of the hand.

Pre-race

I started training for Ironman Staffordshire back in November. That’s seven months from race day which can seem excessive but it really works for me.

‘If one muscle is overactive and tight another is underactive and weak'

Once enrolled on a triathlonCoaching.uk.com programme we ask you to perform a simple movement and provide us with feedback on the results. You may upload a video of yourself performing the exercise should you have the necessary technology or simply supply the relevant information in an email.

'For a muscle to contract it must first lengthen'

There is much debate about the benefits of stretching. You will find some triathletes and runners that have never stretched but have gone on to improve their performance year after year. Then there are others that swear by stretching and its benefits.

What is our view?

Many triathletes endure hour after hour of swim, bike and run training but often neglect strength & conditioning training. For many, the thought of lifting weights leads to concerns about weight gain, muscle bulk and wasting valuable training time.

Without strength and conditioning training you will never achieve your optimum level of performance.

After a long hard season it is important to take a mental and physical break from the demands of triathlon. Competing in any sport that requires a high volume of training can have a detrimental effect on the body. If we continue to push it, it will eventually lead to pain and injury. Many athletes develop symptoms associated with overtraining, including aching legs, restless nights, uncontrollable eating, mood swings, and sometimes only feel better after performing a workout. This is the time to ease off and enjoy the break!!

Q: John, what was your situation like before you started working on your nutrition with Jon?

A: My main problem was making poor choices with food. I work long hours with added travel time to and from work into London and tended to be quite lazy with my food intake, convincing myself that I haven’t got time to make my own food up for the following days.

Also, added to that, I tend to use food as a stress release mechanism as many people do nowadays. So, a stressed-out or unhappy me resulted in poor choices and bad food!!

#TeamTCUK athlete, Tom Austen, gives his personal account of Outlaw Half Holkham 2017, a race that is fast becoming one of the most popular half Iron distance events on the UK calendar.