Triathlon Training Advice

Triathlon with Nadezhda

Action Stations – with Nadezhda Pavlova


Having Nadezhda on the team allows us to bring the very best triathlon training advice, detailed triathlon training plans and fitness training tips to you, using her internationally recognised triathlon coaching skills and her wealth of knowledge as a competing elite triathlete.
This page is full of useful triathlon training articles, blogs and kit tips to help you to design your own triathlon training plan on your  journey into the tough world of tri sport training. Simply read, inwardly digest and allow Nadezhda to guide you on, as you set and then reach new triathlon training goals in your quest to be the best.


The main goal of any training plan, be it triathlon training or other training is to set the necessary level of physical fitness for a certain moment during the sports season. Each passage and element  of the race requires months of hard and painstaking work 😉 However, not many athletes reach their maximum form. Even fewer of them know how to achieve this. Triathlon training is complex, due to the 3 disciplines involved and the level of effort required.  These blogs are designed to be bite-size and easy for you to take on board and to develop into your own unique training plan for triathlon.

When you find yourself on the verge of a true peak, you will experience a series of physical changes, the combined effect of which will lead to an amazing result. These changes are an increase in leg muscle power, a decrease in the amount of lactic acid produced, an increase in blood volume and red blood cell concentration, as well as a significant accumulation of energy reserves. In addition to physical changes, you will notice an improvement in mental skills, concentration, increased self-confidence and motivation. All this will mean that you have really reached the form necessary to participate to your best in races and for this you will not need to take any questionable substances at all… your fitness and your own individual triathlon training programme will lead you forward.

Triathlon is often a journey into the unknown, as you test yourself to ultimate limits. Let’s help you to reach those personal goals, with the useful triathlon training advice and  articles that we’ll be publishing for you, helping you to create your own triathlon training plan to guide you to the top!

Training for triathlon, like any sport can improve the level of physical fitness, but first you need to remove all unnecessary obstacles. After a stressful exercise with a high load, your form will be much worse than before the start of the lesson. This is easy to notice if you try to repeat it again immediately after completing the exercise. If the load level is acceptable, and the exercise is followed by rest, your body will recover in a few hours or a couple of days, and as a result, physical fitness will become a little better. This principle is called “overcompensation.”  😉 Let’s train for triathlon together then, using the triathlon training advice on our website and make sure that you don’t overtrain. I’ll guide you to be better able to develop your own unique triathlon training plan, as you discover your own limits – and beat them!

Repeated overcompensation, aimed at improving physical fitness, becomes effective only when you apply the right overload at the right time 🙂 Knowing what an optimal load is and when to apply it is one aspect of the art of training. Science can point the right way, but you must yourself, through trial and error, determine what exactly is acceptable to you.

The articles and information that we’ll provide you with, will allow you to properly structure your own triathlon training plans, as we establish and seek  out  our triathlon limits together 🙂

Nadezhda

Roadcode – Revolutionizing the Road Cycling Experience

Roadcode.com has emerged as a game-changer in the world of road cycle racing, offering fans an unprecedented level of engagement and insight into their favorite riders' performances. Developed in collaboration with Velon, the renowned company owned by top cycling teams, this innovative platform is transforming how fans experience and interact with road cycle racing.
July 15, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

Barcelona to Calella Cycle Route

The ride from Barcelona to Calella is a popular route among road bikers. The distance between the two cities is approximately 50 kilometers. This route is also used for one of the most popular Ironman races in Europe - Ironman Barcelona.
May 22, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

The famous 20/40 Interval Cycling Workout

This is a popular cycling workout that many riders utilize competing in criteriums, circuit races, or road races. It is popular among those preparing for events where the level of effort required shifts regularly- repeated surges, attacks, change in speed of the bunch, sprinting out of the corner. 
January 2, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

Developing Cycling Efficiency and Power

You might think that riding more often will make you a better rider. Yes, it's partially true, but if a rider spends many hours in the saddle riding inefficiently, then he spends a lot of time teaching his body to ride the wrong way.
October 14, 2022/by Pedalnorth Website

9 Ways of Effective Post-Race Recovery

Your main goal for any event could either be reaching the finish line, breaking your previous distance record, or qualifying for a major event. While achieving those goals is admirable and shows the fruits of months’ worth of labor, as soon as the race stops, you also need to consider how you can help your body come back stronger. For peaking at your next competition it needs to be more done just simply crashing on the sofa.
October 1, 2022/by Pedalnorth Website

Goal Setting in Triathlon Training

Athletes who set goals are more likely to achieve their desired results than triathletes who do not set goals. To become a successful triathlete, you need to create your training plan or follow a plan from a coach.

By setting manageable goals, you will have something to strive for and are more likely to stay motivated throughout your training. Additionally, goal setting can help you track your progress and identify areas that need improvement.
September 22, 2022/by Pedalnorth Website

Triathlon Mindfulness and Self Discipline

Since childhood, I had a passion for running. During my school and university days, I participated in a lot of such events. Ten years ago, however, my life changed dramatically after I was diagnosed with an explosive fracture of two vertebrae.
August 27, 2022/by Pedalnorth Website

Positive Effects of Cycling and Triathlon on the Brain

We all know that cycling does wonders for your body-improves muscle tone, helps you to lose weight, create a stronger cardiovascular system - but that’s not all the benefits of cycling. It can also improve your brain performance and make you smarter - cycling can do all of these things!!
July 24, 2022/by Pedalnorth Website

Master T1 and T2 Transitions

Transitions 1 and 2 in triathlon are technically different, but they can be mastered in a similar manner. Most triathletes use the gaps between transitions to get warm again and soak up some energy for the next leg of the race. How you approach these transitions can make a big difference in your time and overall placing.
June 5, 2022/by Pedalnorth Website

8 Habits of Successful Triathletes

Triathlon is an all-around endurance sport, which means that you need to be well-rounded to be successful. You need to be strong, have good endurance, and be able to swim, cycle and run well! In this article, we will be exploring 8 habits that successful triathletes have in common. These habits are the cornerstone of their success.
May 26, 2022/by Pedalnorth Website

The Best Place To Buy A Triathlon Trisuit

The right trisuit is a key purchase for your race to reach your personal best. I've recently come across the tri specific brand Sumarpo which aims to provide the most eco-friendly and professional triathlon gear for triathletes and I thought that I should check it out
May 11, 2022/by Pedalnorth Website

Blood Testing to Increase Performance

Traditionally, blood testing only serves diagnostic purposes in hospitals, clinics, and other medical laboratories. However, it’s now becoming more popular for professional use, including sports. In fact, many athletes are wondering if they could use blood tests to help them improve their performance.
March 16, 2022/by Pedalnorth Website

8 Efficient ways to improve your triathlon self-discipline

Developing self-discipline can be quite a challenging undertaking for many people for various reasons. Your mind or way of thinking is the biggest culprit that kills your sense of discipline most of the time. However, self discipline is a useful toool for the traithlete.
February 27, 2022/by Pedalnorth Website

Zone 2 Triathlon Training

You might be thinking that training at a steady and easy pace will not help improve your triathlon performance at all. This is also probably why you are neglecting Zone 2 training. However, although it might not seem like it, endurance is crucial for any successful training - especially triathlon training plans.
February 2, 2022/by Pedalnorth Website

How to do Triathlon and be a Woman

Enjoy the strength and beauty of your youth. As long as life is not pleasant to us, it passes. In 20 years, you will look at your photos with a feeling that you do not understand now. How many possibilities were open to you and how amazing you really looked.
November 24, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Taking a Training Break

It's an off-season for many runners, cyclists, swimmers, and triathletes. It’s crucial to take a break from intensive training and to allow yourself to rest and recover properly before the next race season. Not only does your body need a break, but your mind does too. 🙂
November 24, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Tips for Female Triathletes to Complete the Perfect Race

Here's some really useful tips that I wished I had known when I first got into the sport, and which I now want to pass along to other women. The physical and mental aspects of women are different from those of men - and that's something we should celebrate. However, whenever women are training for triathlons, they have specific motivators and different challenges to overcome. These are the issues that I'll cover in this article - helping you to train as a woman 🙂
October 20, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

The Ultimate Naroo Mask Review

As cyclists, we know that environmental factors such as weather, pollen, and pollution can make it difficult for us to breathe and this can affect our overall performance. As a solution, sports masks have been created to be highly breathable to help us and other athletes breathe with ease when performing outdoor activities like long rides, training sessions, a leisure hike, or a marathon.
October 19, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Best Supplements for Endurance Athletes

Being an athlete requires the right nutrition and supplements to maximize your performance. Sometimes, food and exercise are not enough to reach the athletic productivity you’re aiming for. Supplements become handy at times like these because of the performance boost that they provide.

First Up, Have You Nailed The Basics 😉
October 19, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Choosing The Right Skinsuit

Whether you ride a road bike, time trial, triathlon or MTB, you've probably landed on this website looking for the best skinsuit for your needs. For those who are unfamiliar, a skinsuit is an aero short-sleeved or long-sleeves onesie made of lightweight cloth that is particularly developed for cycling.
September 10, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

The Athletes Guide to Hydration and Recovery

Along with the rigorous training and exercise that are routinely accomplished, athletes must be more health-conscious and pay attention to signs of stress on the body. They heavily invest in their bodies because it is the most important asset for an athlete. Of all the energy drinks and products available, how many actually deliver?
August 14, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Skincare for Triathletes

Triathletes are considered some of the healthiest individuals on the planet. Apart from the constant exercise, most of them are often incredibly conscious about what they eat and their health.

However, because of constant exposure to the sun and other chemicals, these triathletes are also in danger of having their skin damaged or, worse, having skin issues. With that being said, here are some skin care tips for triathletes.
August 3, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Signs and Symptons of Overtraining in Triathlon

Most beginner athletes, including triathletes, have the opinion that at each training session you need to give all the best - only then you can achieve the result 🙁
July 31, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Triathlon Training – Brick Workouts

Training for 2 disciplines back to back - brick training. It'stough but worthwhile, and triathlon coach Nadezhda guides you through the process with this great article.
July 5, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Achieving Your Best Time Trail Race

A time trial is racing at its most basic level, with just you, your bike, and the time to contend with. It tests the cyclist’s and machine’s ability against the clock.

A time trial bicycle (TT bike) has a shorter wheelbase, more aerodynamic, places the rider nearer towards the front of the bike in aero position. Besides, it can have solid disk wheels. It comes with some complexity and you need to know the tricks to ride a faster time trial.
May 25, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

How to increase your FTP on the bike

I want to talk with you about performance - how to increase power and performance. Cycling performance depends on increasing the Functional Threshold Power, also known as FTP. If you are wondering what is FTP and how to increase it, read on to learn more. Nadezhda 🙂
May 23, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Top 5 Traits of Thriving Endurance Athletes

The success of endurance athletes is not measured by how fast they achieve something. It is about the commitment of doing something that they set their minds to do. This definition of their success is encapsulated in the say-do gap, which refers to the space between what athletes say they will do and its potential result.
April 28, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Mandy Marquardt Interview

As part of her series on inspiring women athletes, Nadezhda interviewed Mandy Marquardt,from the USA Track Team. Mandy Marquardt is a professional track sprint cyclist racing for Team Novo Nordisk, the world’s first all-diabetes professional cycling team and for the USA Cycling National Team. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 16.
April 27, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Looking After Your Female Body

Enjoy the strength and beauty of your youth. As long as life is not pleasant to us, it passes. In 20 years, you will look at your photos with a feeling that you do not understand now. How many possibilities were open to you and how amazing you really looked.
Nadezhda Pavlova
April 12, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Embracing a Positive Mindset in the Pandemic

In an ongoing global pandemic, many athletes feel frustrated, angry and overwhelmed. This is because they had greater goals for 2020, only for news of race postponement or cancellation to hit home.

Instead of looming on despair due to the compensations we had to adjust, it would be essential to have a positive mindset to keep us going in the trials of this plagued year. Read through to see how to keep alive a positive mindset.
December 21, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Foot and Ankle Strengthening For Runners

There is the idea that a person who includes running as part of their workout also helps the feet to exercise in the process. This is a wrong assumption. In daily routines, a runner should exclusively set time for strength exercises for the foot, knee and ankle.

Strengthening exercises helps one to maintain endurance throughout the miles that they plan to run.
December 16, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Common Newbie Running Mistakes

Often, the most common mistake beginner runners make is too much mileage, too fast and too soon. They go from nothing to relatively high-volume training in a short period of time. They get so excited and enthused about their running that they mistakenly think more is better. The results are injuries, loss of interest, and burn-out too quickly.
December 11, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Bike Handling Skills

A pro cyclist and former Tour de France rider once told our editor, Robert that riding in the peloton was a dangerous place, needing good peripheral vision and confident handling skills. Riding cross-disciplines can help you develop your skills on the road, as both cyclocross and mountain bike will test you out. However, I wanted to give you a few simple drills that will give you confidence and make you safer when riding in your own groups with friends. It'll also help you as you as develop as a triathlete, as cycling may not be your natural discipline.
September 27, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Identifying Cycling Pain

Many of you are asking me about different pain issues you experience after riding a bike, such as neck pain, back pain, knee pain, hand numbness, etc. It’s hard to suggest something without seeing you, and I’m not a doctor. It may be down to an ill-fitting bike, as too often, people simply buy an off-the-peg bike and don’t have it properly sized for them. This article by Nadezhda looks at some common cycle pain issues and gives you some advice on how to avoid it.
September 27, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Exercise Hydration

Sodium is a main electrolyte found in sweat and plays an important role in fluid balance in the body and in athletes' performance. Sodium loss can vary a lot between individuals and is also pretty stable within an individual too. How do you determine if you are a salty sweater and how much sodium should you consume to keep hydration levels optimized? One thing is certain, and that is the issue of correct hydration and fluid replacement for athletes, so let's examine this.
September 23, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Triathlon Final Sprint

Need a final boost in your triathlon race/at the foot of a big climb/ at the end of a run or ride? We all do at times,it's perfectly normal. You seem to have done everything, but for some reason you just feel under power. You've followed your nutrition plan, yes - but that doesn't help at this moment; so what can you do?
August 24, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Ladies Bike Saddles Review

A bike saddle is the most personal part of your bike, and it can make all the difference in the world. That’s why getting the right saddle for road cyclists and triathletes is so important. While a good saddle is barely noticeable, the uncomfortable one will make you beyond miserable. Unless you want to make your best friend’s thigh chaff and lower parts numb, you need to find the right saddle. But what exactly does that mean?
Well, to put it simply, women-specific saddles usually have a cut-out to relieve soft tissue pressure. The use of a wider saddle helps to accommodate a woman's wider-spaced sit bones. Sit bones are the bones that make up the area in your buttocks that are the most likely to feel pressured during a ride.
July 30, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Ladies Bike Saddles

Whether you’re viewing the rolling greens of the countryside, conquering the mountains or planning a cycle across the bustling streets, the bottom line is – your bottom is in the line. No matter what the scenery might offer, without the right saddle and perfect padding for your tush it isn’t fun and you won't be able to push as much power as possible. There’s no reason to tolerate aching muscles and pressure points when you can find a seat that goes the extra mile.
Know your body
July 23, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Vitamin D Deficiency In Sport

Vitamin D is vital for growth and maintenance of the bone and in regulation of electrolyte metabolism, protein synthesis, gene expression, and immune function - lots of important things for athletes. These vital functions are essential for all individuals, and they're especially so for the elite and recreational athlete.
July 12, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Choosing a triathlon bike

There is a lot to think about in triathlon for beginners, three sports to master, the fitness levels needed to finish a race, the mental pressure and so on. However, equipment is also important, and while the right swimwear and running shoes are crucial, the biggest investment for most new to triathlon is the bike.
June 17, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

How to choose a triathlon suit

For triathlon athletes, everything matters and can have a significant impact on overall performance. Not just training and mindset, but equipment too, and an important part of that is the triathlon suit itself, as it is worn throughout the entire event.
June 15, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Cycling Hydration Advice

It's critical as an athlete to stay hydrated, and also to know what to drink when,if you're to maximise your performance. Nadezhda gives some useful advice to guide you in your training and nutrition plan
June 13, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Things Go Wrong In Triathlon

Triathlon training gives you an opportunity to look at the possible things that might go wrong on race day. Nadezhda talks through this for you...
June 11, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Practical training tips for staying motivated during COVID19

Living through a pandemic is a stressful experience. With races being canceled all over the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, it can be tough to stay motivated with your training. Especially when no one knows when the races could be continued.
May 11, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Cycling Safety

These days when road cycling, were faced with the growing battle between cars and bikes for space. Whilst some countries embraced cycling as a general form of transport many years ago: Holland, Belgium, parts of Germany and France; elsewhere in the world you can take your life into your hands by riding the roads.
February 20, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Food Power For Triathletes

Food is the fourth discipline in triathlon. When preparing for a triathlon race, you should pay close attention to your diet to proper recover from intense drills and get the energy for the following workout sessions.
February 4, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website
Ladies fitness training strength exercise

Fitness For Cyclists

It's time to get cycle fit, with our own Nadezhda. Here's some super training ideas from this exceptional triathlon coach and athlete, to help you get the most out of your cycling.
January 9, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website
Nadezhda Pavlova running

Missing A Workout

Pedalnorth.com triathlon editor and independent tri coach Nadezhda Pavlova is an inspiring and talented athlete, bringing a sense of simplicity and fun to training. In this article, Nadezhda talks about missing a training session and advises you on the best way to address your schedule gap.
December 21, 2019/by Pedalnorth Website
Nadezhda Pavlova Triathlon Suit

Designed for Cycling Triathlon One Piece Suit

DS Pro make stylish performance sportswear for ladies who like to be chic and stylish when active. Their latest range includes this colorful one piece triathlon suit for spring and summer. Triathletes are noted for their tough nature and mental strenth; now they can been noted for their style too 🙂
December 19, 2019/by Pedalnorth Website
Nadezhda Pavlova triathlete

Triathlon – In The Swim

There are always things to consider in each of the 3 triathlon elements. In this post we'll deal with some simple but effective tips to help make your swim more comfortable and more effective.
November 20, 2019/by Pedalnorth Website

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