Average Jo – Speed v’s Endurance

When I thought about doing my first triathlon, many thoughts went through my head. Most were things like – will i make it around the course? Am I going to be last? Am I going to be so far at the back that they will be packing up the course waiting for me to finish? [...]

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Training through a cold? – Average Jo

At this time of the year and over winter we can often get colds and flu. Many people I know don’t like missing training and continue to exercise while sick. Is this a bad thing or not? Can you train through a cold with a modified program? When should you completely stop and rest? 
What things [...]

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Off Season Training – Average Jo!

As the triathlon season draws to an end you start thinking about what to do in the off season. Often it is a time to get into fun runs or have a break. Others use the time to work on the areas they most need to improve on for next season. What do others do [...]

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The Right Nutrition – Average Jo!

There are a lot of nutritional suppliments, protein powders, gels, sports drinks etc out there. After experimenting with a few I realise you have to find the right one for you. What choice of drinks, gels etc.. do others use in races or training? Does it change depending on the race/session? Does one brand seem [...]

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Choosing your races

This is something that is difficult for all triathletes, whether experienced or a beginner. How many races should you try to do each season, how close together can you do them and what length? Obviously the fitter you are the quicker you will recover between races, but what else do you think about when choosing [...]

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Average Jo – Expectations!

When you first begin triathlons it is hard to know what to expect of yourself. Most people when they hear the distances of triathlons think they do not sound too bad as they can quite easily do all of those distances in training. However putting them altogether with fast transitions can be different than you [...]

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Average Jo – First Race of the Season!

The first race of the season is around the corner and this might be a great time to give first time racers some tips for race day.  Darren has offered to organise someone to help you set up and walk you through the course on the day if you would like – just email him [...]

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Average Jo – Transitions!

Transitions can make a huge difference to your race. Getting your wetsuit off quickly can be hard if your not used to it – i ended up sitting on the ground to get mine off once because it just wasn’t happening. You also have to make sure you don’t take yor bike helmet off too [...]

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Average Jo – Using bike shoes.

The best way to learn how to use bike shoes and cleats is simply to do it! Some people are good at this and just go out and do it. I am not like that and I don’t have a lot of confidence trying new things. I hated the thought of falling off and even [...]

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Average Jo – Triathlon attire

One of the things I was nervous about when competing in my first triathlon was what outfit to race in.  On TV most women wore bathers – either one piece or two piece, the men wore what looked like speedos with a crop singlet. The thought of exposing that much skin in an event I [...]

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Average Jo – Open Water Swimming.

Getting into open water to swim can be daunting for some people. It is not like swimming in the pool, you can’t see the line on the bottom to keep in a straight line! Depending on the weather, the water can be a little choppy. Swallowing a bit of water might occur on these days, [...]

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Average Jo – Learning to Ride!

Learning to ride was all about confidence for me.  Again bike riding was something I only ever did as a child, back when helmets weren’t compulsory! So getting back on a bike as an adult felt like I was learning all over again. My biggest concern was where to ride. You hear stories in the [...]

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Average Jo – Learning to Swim

After you have braved getting on the bathers for the first time in years, you then have to see how many laps of the pool you can actually do. The only time I learned to swim was as a baby. As an adult the only other swimming I did was very sparse and breaststroke, [...]

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Average Jo – introduction!

Hi, my name is Jo (incase you didn’t guess already). When I was in New Zealand last year I was amazed at the way the sport of triathlon was so popular for both males and females. I bought a popular woman’s magazine and inside was a special on training for your first triathlon – something [...]

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