you hydrate with plenty of water in the days leading up to the race. Aim to drink regularly throughout the day (a minimum of 6-8 glasses or 1 litre daily). You also need to drink regularly during exercise and rehydrate fully afterwards.  Electrolytes

, find out what gels and drinks will be available to you on race day and try them out.Racing overseasOther considerations will come into play if you are travelling abroad to race, such as how food and hydration strategies change with the climate, what

. If you over-hydrate, you dilute the sodium in your body, which can lead to hyponatraemia and, in extreme cases, death."Acclimatise yourselfIt's important to become used to racing conditions, even if it's a sprint race in a UK heat wave rather than

If transition is triathlon's fourth discipline, nutrition should be the fifth. Making fuelling mistakes could mean your race ends in disaster. And the longer the event, the more critical your food and drink strategy becomes. But it's not easy

brain, a proper nutrition plan may take a back seat.But proper nutrition is central to your training and to race success. By fuelling correctly and ensuring you're hydrated before, during and after training, you will perform and feel better and still

Cramping, gastrointestinal (GI) distress, nausea, vomiting: sometimes a hard workout or a tough race is memorable for all the wrong reasons. You may think these reactions are part of the endless joy of being a triathlete but there are steps you can

. "Duathlons can be a good gauge of performance, and they can replace 'threshold' workouts with something more interesting" says PhysFarm Coach Dr Philip Skiba.Duathlon, which has national, European and world championship races, is governed by British Triathlon

against your skin on race day - and it should not be a new sensation."You wouldn't use a mountain bike to train for a road race and the same rule applies to your triathlon preparations," says Dan Halksworth, a former Commonwealth Games swimmer who is now a

potential in time for your races.For most of us, summer is a reminder of why we took up triathlons in the first place. Coach Dan Bullock (www.swimfortri.com) says, "It's just great to be outside. When the time comes to get away from the chlorine and straight

and British Triathlon's Male Elite Long Distance Triathlete of Year 2007"The day before the race have a carbohydrate-biased day to ensure you are fully fuelled. Keep fully hydrated and keep drinking water up to within an hour of the start."Sam Gardner, former