Getting your recovery right is almost as important as the training itself – especially if you have a packed race diary. It’s also particularly true as you get older when the body is less forgiving of strains, bruises and stiffness. So what’s the approach of the pros? Triathlete and XTERRA champion Conrad Stoltz is known as ‘the Caveman’ for his warrior spirit and ability to take hits – just the man in other words to offer some advice. He is famous for being hard on himself and his gear and in his younger days used to sleep on benches and once (willingly) in a police station before races. These days, looking after his body is the number one priority. “I believe in a good warm up and cool down after racing,” he says. “Plus regular massage and self massage on the foam roller.”Gone are the days when Conrad would blast through injuries. These days he listens to his body. “If I have even a small injury, I’ll try to get it resolved as quickly as possible,” he says.He adds that one of the most important things after a hard ride, run or swim is to take on fluids right away. “When I get back from a hard training session I’ll have a drink with carbs and some protein right away to get the recovery process started.”This is in line with the latest advice from sports nutritionists who recommend taking on fuel and fluids during a 30 minute window after exercise, or even within 15 minutes.  “Within 30-40 mins I will sit down to a good meal,” says Conrad. “Caveman style – meat, potatoes, vegetables and maybe some chocolate or ice cream.”But some habits die hard. There’s no cross-training for Conrad. “I’d like to say I ride my enduro motorbike for cross training in the off-season,” he adds, “but I race all year round!”

Conrad Stoltz is the proof that you don't have to slow-up as you get older. In fact, the XTERRA athlete and former pro triathlete says he's just as fit as he was 20 years ago – and he's regularly beating guys half his age. What's his secret? “I think it's part scientific training and part experience,” Conrad tells us. “At age 40 my power on the bike is as good, if not better than ever.” He says this is partly due to the rigorous training program and partnership he has with his coach, Ian Rodger. “He comes from a Sport Science background where he has done a lot of research and testing on athletes in the lab,” says Conrad. “He lives in Cape Town so we only see each other a handful of times a year but we spend hours and hours communicating via email, skype and text. All of the coaching gets done over the internet. After training I share my workout, and accompany it with a thorough description of how I felt before during and after the session. Ian analyses the data and fine-tunes my training for the next day. So every day is custom made for me.” “It's very effective,” he adds. “Thanks to that I haven't had any stints of overtraining, under training, or unnecessary injury or sickness.” It's all a far cry from when Conrad started out as an athlete. “Back then I wanted to train super hard every day, I wanted to race every weekend, and I wanted to win every race! It's simply impossible – I made every mistake in the book, and learned all the lessons first hand. Also, 26 years of triathlon racing – 22 as a pro – has given me a lot of experience and confidence to draw from.” 

Love triathlon but want to see more fun? Get some fat tires, put some suspension in those forks and cross to the dirty side, says XTERRA champion Conrad Stoltz. Triathlon may be growing in popularity but road races are not the only ones out there. No one knows better than Suunto ambassador Conrad Stoltz, who crossed to XTERRA after competing at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. “After Sydney I was a bit burnt out and thought I'd just do one or two off-road races just to clear my head for fun. But I fell in love after my first race,” he says. “Road triathlon is all about following the white line and taking as much pain as possible,” he explains. “The reason I love off-road triathlon is the adrenaline rush and sense of adventure you get – as well as the lactic acid! Nothing beats the feeling of flashing through the woods at top speed, railing turns perfectly and that rush you get when you clear that hectic drop-off or rock garden. Plus you need to memorise the course, pick fast lines, make tire and suspension selections and mentally and physically overcome a wide variety of obstacles depending on where in the world the race is.  And of course, you get to go 100% flat out! The people are also quite laid back, relaxed and no one takes themselves too seriously which makes for a nice 'family atmosphere' at races. It's really a great life style sport,” he adds. To follow Conrad's XTERRA adventures, check out his website: www.conradstoltz.com 

Doing you swimming drills in the pool is important, but nothing beats the outdoors, says Stoltz. It's one of the biggest issues for triathletes and something of interest to anyone who loves open water – how to improve your technique. As everyone knows – and often dreads! – being disciplined about swimming drills is essential to improve your performance. But not everything can be learned in a pool, says Conrad Stoltz. “Good open water swimming comes from lots of practice,” says the multiple XTERRA champion. “You have to learn different kinds of open water. Lakes are easy, but ocean swims have waves, currents and sand bars, and river swims are tricky because of currents.” He says there's no substitute for getting out there into the wild and just getting the feel of different water types. Of course, when it comes to actual swimming race preparation, he says the trick is to swim as often as possible in a group. You should also ask yourself important tactical questions. “Where to position yourself at the start? How to pace yourself to start fast without blowing up? How to draft, where to postition yourself around the buoys?” he says.  “Building fitness in a pool with a swim squad is good,” he adds, “but I try to spend as much time as possible swimming open water. There is no substitute for open water – plus it's usually more fun than staring at the black line!” Conrad's top 3 tips:  Swim outside in different conditions – lakes, rivers and the sea. Swim in a group and practise drafting. Plan your race tactics.