TRI SPEAK

Wondering what ‘bonking’ 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 Bilateral breathing Breathing every 3 strokes when swimming

bonking Running out of energy mid-race or training session

Brick session When you ‘brick’ two disciplines together, e.g. bike & run

Catch The part of the swim stroke where you pull on the water

DNS/dnf/DQ Did not start/Did not finish/ Disqualified

Drafting Hitching a ride on someone else’s slipstream in the bike or swim HIT High-intensity training HRmax Your maximum heart rate

Intervals Intensive training using repeated on/off efforts

Lactic acid Produced in high-intensity workouts, it can inhibit oxygen movement around the body and slow you down

Main set A block lasting 40-50% of a session where the heart rate is elevated M-dot Abbreviation for the Ironman logo – often seen as a tattoo!