Innehållsförteckning för February 2024 från 220 Triathlon

JULIYA AZZOPARDI Juliya Azzopardi lives in Kiev, Ukraine, with her husband and two children. The 36-year-old finished in 12:03:53 at the Ironman World Champs in Hawaii this October, leaving her 145th in the 35-39 agegroup category. I didn't take part in sport until I was 28 because I suffered from anaemia and was excluded from PE at school. When I started, I couldn't run 2km without stopping. But I stayed consistent, slowly improved, and went from zero to 5km, 10km, 21km and 42km. I considered triathlon would be impossible, but my coach was a triathlete and when I got injured running, I tried swimming, learning from scratch. I got my first bike when I was 30 years old. I've completed three full Ironmans and got a roll-down spot at Ironman…

MEET THE TEST TEAM OUR RATINGS 90+% BUY NOW A GENUINE CLASS LEADER 80-89% IMPRESSIVE ONE OF THE BEST YOU CAN BUY 70-79% GOOD A DECENT PERFORMER 50-69% AVERAGE IT'LL DO THE JOB WELL ENOUGH 0-49% POOR SIMPLY PUT, DON'T BOTHER! HELEN WEBSTER 220’s editor is also a qualified open-water swimming coach. ROB SLADE 220’s content editor and resident adventure seeker. MATT BAIRD Has spent years testing tri kit and accessories for 220. JACK SEXTY A strong age-grouper focusing on top-end gains. JAMES WITTS He's a published author writing about sports science. SUUNTO RACE £479 Can Suunto's latest release rival leading tech from Garmin? AMOLED wars have begun. This crisp, vivid display technology is now the preserve of sportswatch manufacturers looking to impart a hint of luxury into a triathlete's performance.…

P56 RUNNING TECHNIQUE MASTERCLASS ANDREW WOODROFFE Andrew Woodroffe is a performance triathlon coach and long-distance triathlete based in Zurich, Switzerland. P61 FOUR NUTRIENTRICH RECIPES KATE PERCY is a nutritionist and keen amateur athlete. She's written three books on sports nutrition and founded Go Bites energy balls. P64 ASK BEN BRIGHT AND EXPERT Q&AS BEN BRIGHT Ben is a former triathlon Olympian (Sydney 2000) and head coach of British Triathlon's Olympic Programme. P68 HOW TO GET BETTER QUALITY SLEEP LAUREN DRINKWATER is a personal trainer and group exercise instructor specialising in ante- and post-natal fitness.…

NUTRITION TRAINING Overdosed on the mince pies and mulled wine this Christmas? Feeling ready for a nutritional reset? January is the ideal time to revitalise your eating habits and get back on track, and this month's four vibrantlycoloured recipes will help you do just that. I'm not one for a complete January detox. I'd rather encourage habits you can sustain consistently for the next 12 months, embracing a good balance of macronutrients (carbs, protein and fats) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and keeping well-hydrated. Focussing on a wide variety of fresh ingredients and cooking from scratch will help you avoid ultra-processed foods and nutrient-poor calories. A better-nourished body for the long term is a more resilient one, so getting your diet right for 2024 will not only give you improved energy…

Wondering what the ‘washing machine’ is, or where to find your M-dot?! Make things easy with our guide to common tri terms… ‘A’-Race The most important race of your season AGE-GROUPER Non-pro triathlete (most of us!) AEROBIC Aerobic exercise involves or improves oxygen consumption by the body ANAEROBIC How much energy your body can produce without using oxygen AQUABIKE Race with just swim and bike elements, no run BILATERAL BREATHING Breathing every 3 strokes when swimming BIOMECHANICS The forces applied to your body during exercise BONKING Running out of energy mid-race or training session BRICK SESSION When you ‘brick’ two disciplines together, e.g. bike & run CADENCE Pedal rate on bike, in revolutions per minute (rpm) CARB-LOADING Eating a carb-heavy meal prior to a race to boost energy CATCH The…

STAR LETTER Got an opinion to share? Then email us at fao220@220triathlon.com THE POWER OF SPORT I was delighted to read your article with Dr Liz O'Riordan in November's issue. Her wonderful blog and book got me through tough times dealing with cancer. I too am a doctor, a triathlete and was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2021. I realised early on that exercise would be my saviour during 21 months of tough treatment. I continued to race, although more slowly, and I'm sure many thought I was nuts to do the Hever Middle Distance Tri and London Olympic Tri while still receiving chemotherapy. I'm so glad I did – I felt like me again. When treatment finished in December 2022, I had one mission – to be triathlon…

GILL AQUA PARKA ISSUE 413 £145 In a congested market, this is one fine garment. Heavy duty with taped seams, it's fully waterproof even in the heaviest downpours, and seems to offer a halfway house between a waterproof coat and a swim robe, though there's still plenty of room to change. Zipped pockets, a large zip pull and a generous hood add to the quality offering. HW gillmarine.com 92 % MAGIC5 BLUE MIRROR GOLD ISSUE 420 £62Yes, these are over £60 but the Magic5 boast one USP – your goggles are made-tomeasure. How does this work? You download the app, which scans your face, and then feeds your dimensions back to the company. And it's worth it as they're possibly the most comfortable goggles we've ever tested. They don't let…

Keeping your open-water swimming going through winter may seem like madness, but there are real benefits for triathletes – you'll be more acclimatised come spring, plus you'll receive the mental and physical benefits of swimming outdoors. Adding some neoprene accessories can make things much more comfortable, though. A neoprene swim cap helps prevent heat loss from our heads and improves comfort if swimming front crawl. As for gloves and boots, these keep our delicate extremities – which don't receive much blood flow in cold water – much more comfortable. One note: for the photos we wore the accessories on top of our wetsuit to show the features, but you should tuck them inside as you swim to stop water ingress! 2XU PROPEL GLOVES £45 These are well-considered gloves, with several…

PREP 5mins COOK 10mins SERVES 2-3 INGREDIENTS • 300g fresh tortellini (any sort) • Juice of 1 1/2 lemons • 800ml vegetable stock • 4 eggs • 100g spinach • 25g dill, finely chopped To serve • Grated parmesan and extra virgin olive oil Bring the stock to the boil and add the tortellini. Cook for 2mins, or according to the pack instructions. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, keeping the stock water in the pan. Add the lemon juice to the stock. Remove from the heat. Break the eggs into a heatproof bowl. Add a pinch of salt and a good grinding of black pepper and whisk for a couple of mins. Add 1 tbsp of the stock to the eggs, whisking all the time. When that…

THIS MONTH'S COACHING PANEL DR HUSSAIN AL-ZUBAIDI Swimming with a cold Dr Al-Zubaidi is a Channel4 TV doctor on Steph's Packed Lunch, host of The Movement Prescription podcast, a Team GB AG triathlete and a Swim England clinical advisor and UK athletics coach. ANDREW SHEAFF Gauging swim progress US swim coach Andrew has been helping swimmers improve for 20+ years. He specialises in helping triathletes improve their swimming through online coaching. HELEN O'LEARY Pilates for the menopause Helen is a physiotherapist and Pilates instructor/ director of Complete Pilates. JAMES WITTS Training to the beat Former 220 Triathlon magazine editor James is a cycling and sports writer, editor and author. SWIMMING WITH A COLD Q Can I swim with a cold? Does it make it worse? Seth Coates A If you…

 ENTER THE EVENT Find out more at knysnaextreme.co.za. There's also a half-distance race (ish!) which incorporates a 2.5km swim, 100km bike and 30km run.  HOW TO GET THERE British Airways, Finnair and Virgin all currently fly direct to Cape Town from London. Several other airlines fly there from other parts of the UK with a flight change and these tend to be cheaper. From Cape Town, you can hire a car and drive to Knysna (475km) or you can take a short flight to George, hire a car from there and then drive an hour to Knysna, as I did. Same side of the road for driving as the UK.  WHERE TO STAY Self-catering, good quality accommodation is plentiful in Knysna and easily found online. The pound is very strong…

WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS 01 @klyfxyldy Successful morning of running – 1st place lady and 3rd team as part of the Invictus Triathlon Club team at the Three Counties Trot trail race 02 @_billegrey_ Team Tri Relays this afternoon. Pedals swapped for cages #OldSkool 03 @ reallyaveragetriathlete Trying to upgrade the pain cave… though I'm not sure this interim solution is quite what I had in mind! 04 @boydy52 Training continues towards @ outlawtriathlon 2024. Swim around St Michael's Mount, Penzance. 05 @triwolfcoach Self-belief – important for personal development and success for several reasons 06 @tri_sports_pilates What's on your running agenda this weekend?…

Triathlon is a wonderful sport that appeals to many folk who are all about the marginal gains, about digging into the data for a series of micro-improvements that results in one maximal boost. As you've just read with our 2023 Gear of the Year review, it's also fertile territory for all sorts of cutting-edge equipment that'll drive you to evergreater heights. The art of swimming, biking and running can become a complex pursuit of selfimprovement. But it needn't be so… Even a sport that covers three disciplines plus transitions can be simplified and still deliver the results you're after. You can strip back your training, strip back your gear and not strip away the fun. Which is exactly what this feature's about. We've brought together five experienced coaches to lay…

The benefits of trail running for triathletes are huge, from building core strength to technique gains and, ultimately, pure off-season enjoyment. Trail running shoes can make going off-road a more enjoyable and beneficial experience, so we've rounded up and reviewed some of the best options on the market for men and women. But what makes for decent trail shoes? Well, a breathable upper for a start. This is key because lightweight material also aids drainage come the muddy and wet off-season. Traction is also vital for staying the right way up come field or fell. Lugs come in varying sizes and depths, so select to suit your intended terrain types, from tow paths to ragged mountain routes. Good stability is also needed to avoid any issues on technical terrain, while…