's the message from Sam Murphy, author of Triathlon: Start to Finish. "To establish the correct nerve-to-muscle pathways, you need to perform an action lots of times," says Murphy. "Because they practise, elite athletes can run a triathlon almost as fast

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

you run into trouble during the race, move to one side if you can so you can receive help without causing a pile-up.By remembering these few simple rules and ways of conducting yourself, you'll be helping to make the world of triathlon a happier place