the meals for the night before, breakfast on the day and your recovery immediately after and in the days following the big race.Go longYou can use your long training sessions to find out what works best and you can put it all to the test at some

. Lastly, try one or all of the many triathlon forums and chat rooms online (including the triathletesworld.co.uk forum).  There's likely to be at least one person there who's done your race before or who lives nearby and who will be able to answer your

European Junior Duathlon Champion) and Kat Grimmett (8th in the 2009 European Championships).If you are willing to travel you can race all year round, but in the UK duathlons tend to take place in autumn and spring. But don't think that taking up duathlons

's good to start to eat well, drink plenty of fluids, and prepare for the challenge ahead. Many triathlons start early in the morning, so it's always a good idea to travel to the race venue the day before to register, rack your bike and walk around

probably should because the unfortunate truth is that triathlon can have a negative impact on the environment. You probably love being outdoors and like to see nature at its best, if for no other reason than a healthy environment makes for an enjoyable race

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