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Plan your triathlon season like a Pedalcover pro

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Welsh Triathlon talk to two-time world triathlon champion Helen Jenkins

Sitting down at the beginning of every season to plan your race schedule can always feel daunting, so we’ve talked to two-time world triathlon champion Helen Jenkins, co-founder of Pedalcover Insurance, to share her tips.
 
“With so many races to choose from, whether you’re a pro or an age-grouper, choosing which ones to enter can be an overwhelming prospect. 
 
“Putting together a plan for the race season always throws up lots of questions – should I race late, early, how far away, what’s the cost?
 
“It’s impossible to maintain your highest level of performance throughout a whole season so you have a choice between being at your best for one or two key races or racing at as high a level as possible for as long as you can.
 
“Every plan for the season should start with your primary goal. This can be a single race if it’s long distance, or two to three races if they are of a shorter distance. This goal is the anchor for your season. It will give you a reason to train hard and get out of bed on dark mornings. It focuses your training and all other races are built up from the ground around that goal. Choose this race around your strengths. Look at previous results or think about types of training sessions you’ve done well in.
 
“In order to deliver your best performance for your goal race, you need periodisation in your training. This structures your training programme, aiming to peak at a certain time. Taking part in lower-priority races in the period approaching a target race can help increase this ability.
 
 “Working backward from your goal race, you can pick races that will aid your training plan. As a season opener, choose a shorter race, relatively close to home, and use it to have fun and blow out the cobwebs.
 
“It’s also good to put into the schedule a race that contains all the important aspects of your goal race – competition level, terrain, climate, travel – and another race four to six weeks ahead of your goal race to fine tune and test, giving you time to make any necessary last minute adjustments to your training.
 
“An important part of season planning is making sure you’ve got adequate insurance to cover you when you’re training and competing at home or abroad. This is where Pedalcover can help. You invest significant time and money into your passion, so don’t risk not having comprehensive insurance in case something goes wrong.”
 
Pedalcover combines your home and bike insurance under one policy to save you money.
 
Pedalcover’s policy is one of the most comprehensive and cost-effective on the market and includes as standard:
 
Building cover up to £1,000,000
Contents cover up to £75,000
All your bikes covered, no need to specify or take out additional policies
No limit on the value of your bike(s)
Worldwide cover for personal possessions 
Cover for competitions worldwide
New for old cover
Theft and accidental damage
Damage to bike in Bike Box
Transition cover
£2 million public liability cover
Choice of repairer
 
Optional extras include: Travel insurance, Healthcare insurance and Motorhome insurance.
 
For more information and quote request visit http://pedalcover.co.uk/welsh-triathlon-member-quote-request/ or follow @pedalcover on Twitter. To receive the Welsh Triathlon exclusive 10% discount, quote your membership number when requesting a policy quote. For advice on your insurance needs and a customised policy call 0800 121 4424  
 

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