1. Sleep well"In reality, trying to sleep well the night before a race never works," says triathlon coach Rick Kiddle (www.rickkiddle.com). "The best sleep will be the night before the night before. Many athletes can survive with little sleep

to drying out, which can be uncomfortable for cycling and running." Whatever your triathlon vision, kit yourself out with the right eyewear both in and out of the water and you'll maximise your performance at the same time as maintaining your eye health. 

or the really bad news?" he asks. With a week to go until we tackle the Norseman, the world's toughest long-distance triathlon, I'm hoping he'll tell me the event has been cancelled. I ask for the really bad news.  "I've just looked on Facebook and someone has

-torque spikes that can cause your rear wheel to lose traction. Cycling coaches teach a smooth spin by telling riders to imagine wiping their feet on a doormat as each pedal passes through the six o'clock position. Your best bet is to aim for the strip of mud

When you incorporate hills into your triathlon training, you'll develop strategies for climbing efficiently, but you can also learn from the experts. Mark Hartell, winner of the 2008 Vasque Ultra-running Championships, always prepares himself mentally for a

running economy with some simple drills and technique work. Click on the link below to go to the exercises.We all know that running immediately after cycling is tough on the legs. For most of us the run is an exercise in durability. From my point of view

You've been training for a few months, maybe completed a sprint triathlon or two, and you want to move to the next level. As well as spending more time training, getting to grips with the latest gear and honing your technique, joining a triathlon

. If you cycle too hard, you won't have enough gas left for the run - no matter how strong a runner you normally are.3 Join a triathlon clubTraining for an Ironman can be lonely, so training with others can be a huge benefit on a five-hour ride. Moreover

, injury. Be assured, you are not alone.World-class triathlete Richard Stannard (10 times the fastest swimmer in the London Triathlon) was gearing up for a great 2009 season when, at the end of May, he was hit by a car while training on his bike

's leading contenders for an Olympic triathlon medal. With British triathlete talent booming, Jenkins explains why she'll be racing harder than ever - and how she keeps motivated. Q. How have you found the new World Championship Series format? A. It's a big