Tutorial

This tutorial is aimed primarily at beginners who are just entering the sport of triathlon. However, more advanced competitors may also find it a useful refresher. The contents below provide a brief (VERY brief) summary regarding the origins of the sport, equipment, and training, and is intended to serve as a light-hearted--but informative--primer answering the most frequently asked questions the club has encountered from new members.

Be advised that this tutorial is NOT a replacement for training or coaching. All readers are advised that nothing replaces the lessons of proper training and good coaching, and are strongly encouraged to find them. This tutorial, however, can be used to help readers educate themselves so that they can form a foundation from which to begin their pursuit of triathlon and from which they can better understand the lessons of training and coaching.

1) Beginners
2) The Sport
3) Equipment Tips
4) Training Plans and Scheduling Tips
5) Swim Training Tips
6) Bike Training Tips
7) Run Training Tips
8) Brick Training Tips
9) Nutrition Tips
10) Weight Training Tips
11) Warm-up, Cool-down, and Stretching Tips
12) Transition Tips
13) Race Tips
14) Mental Tips
15) Rules

Beginners

As a beginner you will need to assess your fitness and activity level before implementing a training regimen and race goals. You should be honest with where you are at, and you should avoid comparisons to advanced triathletes (regardless if they're in the club or not). Obviously, beginners who are making a transition from other sports (particularly endurance sports) will find their entrance into triathlon easier than beginners who do not have a history of consistent physical fitness. But anyone can enter, progress, and succeed in the sport of triathlon, and every beginner will find that in endurance sports (such as triathlon) success is often predicated on mental ability as much as it is dependent on physical ability.

The greatest mistake made by beginners in training is to exert maximum effort at every workout every day, and to attempt to take on advanced workouts before they are ready. While laudable, this is not an advisable course of action, as it may lead to injury or burn-out. You should maintain expectations in line with your current level of fitness, and set goals that will stretch--but not break--your mind, body, and spirit.

Different people have different bodies. Some can live with no training, and show up on race day and complete an Ironman, while others will need to train every day to finish a sprint triathlon. Some can train hard every day, while others will break down training hard every day. Know your body, learn to read its signals, and know the difference between pain that is simply suffering (and therefore won't really hurt you) versus pain that points to a real injury (and therefore will hurt you).

In addition, you should understand the following concepts:

Periodization - Triathletes, just as other athletes, set their training schedules in "periods" of varying duration and intensity, so that each workout for each event during the course of a week is different, and that workouts for each event during the course of several weeks is different. For example, in a given week, a triathlete will have multiple workouts for swimming, but one swim workout may be longer than the others, and another swim workout may be faster than the others. The same applies to bike and run workouts in a given week. Most triathletes schedule at least 1 distance workout per week for each event of swim, bike, and run. Most triathletes also schedule at least 1 high-intensity workout per week for each event. The purpose is to allow the body sufficient time to recover and incorporate the gains of particular workouts, and also to prevent the onset of monotony.
Progression - All athletes build, or "progress," in their workout duration and intensity towards race day. The workouts that a triathlete will have in the months before a selected race will be different (usually, shorter and lower in intensity) than the workouts in the weeks before that race.
Macro-cycle - Most sports have athletes train in workouts following a pattern stretching over months that are "macro-cycles" encompassing patterns stretching over days of "micro-cycles." For triathletes, macro-cycles are usually meant to provide variety to encourage the body to adapt to a higher level of fitness, and are often used to work on specific elements of triathlon. For example, one macro-cycle can be swim-focused to help a triathlete build swim endurance and speed, and then the next macro-cycle can be bike-focused to help the triathlete build bike endurance and speed while building on their improved swim fitness.
Micro-cycle - A "micro-cycle" is the training schedule during a single week. For triathletes, training workouts are scheduled so that they follow a cycle stretching a week, with a set number of workouts for each event each week. For example, one micro-cycle might last 7 days, with 3 workouts each of swimming, biking, and running scheduled over 6 days (with 2 workouts per day for 5 of the days) and 1 day of rest.
Build week - Macro-cycles are usually divided into weeks. Build weeks are the weeks where the triathlete has organized a workout schedule focused on improving, or "building," endurance and speed.
Rest week - Rest weeks follow build weeks, and are meant to allow the body to recover from build weeks. Triathletes in rest weeks usually maintain workouts that are reduced in endurance and intensity, so that their bodies can rest and incorporate the gains of the previous build weeks while still maintaining a level of fitness. Sometimes triathletes will choose to do no activity at all during a rest week.
Active rest - Active rest is NOT complete rest. "Active" rest is a workout of lower duration and intensity than those conducted in "build" workouts, and are generally meant to allow the body to increase bloodflow to a level that flushes out the oxidants created from "build" workouts.
Taper - Before each race, triathletes reduce ("taper") their workouts in duration and intensity. The purpose is to allow your body to recover and heal, but still maintain sufficient fitness, so that it is fresh and rested for race day. Sports medicine research has found that the body will "remember" a fitness level, so the taper does not impact overall fitness, but will compete better if provided a measure of rest in the form of a reduced workload prior to a race. The length and manner of taper varies according to personal preference of each athlete and the respective distances of each race.
Over-training - This is what happens when you train too hard, too long, or too frequently. It is the result of not providing your body sufficient time for recovery. It is characterized by sluggishness, irritability, perpetual exhaustion, reduced appetite, and an inability to accomplish basic workouts that you would ordinarily consider easy. Scientifically, it is the condition where the body has exhausted its glycogen stores (the material muscles use for energy) and the muscles have no source for energy or rebuilding, causing the body to alter hormonal chemistry in an effort to limit energy expenditure. The best recipe for recovery from over-training is rest (anywhere from a few days to a few weeks), to allow your body to replenish its glycogen stores and restore hormone balances. In severe cases, you will also need to visit a doctor.

Training Zones - For athletes, it is as important to develop your heart, lungs, and your body's efficiency in utilizing oxygen as it is to develop your muscles, reflexes, and coordination. Endurance athletes, in particular, will organize their workout schedule based in part on the level of exertion that will be placed on their aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Generally, sports medicine science has recognized different levels of exertion that are used in assessing a workout, and which can be used in developing a training schedule and describing the nature and purpose of a training session. An exact breakdown of levels for your body requires calculation of your lactic acid threshold. For purposes of conceptualization, however, beginners can interpret the levels of exertion as roughly falling into the following categories, with some variation for individual bodies:

Zone	Approximate Heart Rate	Purpose	Description
1	less than 120	Aerobic conditioning Active rest	Primarily used for active rest, but provides little training effect. Workouts in this zone are usually less than 1 hour. Breathing should be easy and you should be able to easily maintain a conversation about the meaning of life and your crisis of existentialism.

2	110-150	Aerobic conditioning Endurance building Fat burning	This generates the biggest gains in endurance and fat-burning, with the greatest improvements occuring after around 45 minutes in this zone. Most triathletes spend at least 50% of their training time in this zone. Workouts in this zone last about 1-3 hours. Breathing should be relatively easy, and you should be able to maintain a conversation with a moderate amount of effort about last night's Lakers-Clips game-winning shot or USC's national title hopes in a random sport of your choice.

3	140-170	Aerobic conditioning	This is used for tempo workouts, and your body is burning a combination of fat and glycogen. Most triathletes race in this zone, and spend 25-30% of their training time in this zone. Workouts in this zone last 1-3 hours. Breathing should be moderately difficult, and you should find it possible to hold a conversation only in brief sentences about your O-Chem professor's grading.
4	150-180	Anaerobic conditioning Building lactic acid threshold Building anaerobic threshold	This is used to build the threshold levels at which your body switches to anaerobic activity (anaerobic threshold) and lactic acid starts to accumulate (lactic acid threshold). Most triathletes spend about 20-25% of their training time in this zone. Workouts in this zone have a work:rest ratio of around 3:1 (3 minutes work to 1 minute of rest). Breathing should be difficult, and you should find it hard to maintain a conversation about even major things like tomorrow's Delta Gamma party.

5	170+	Anaerobic conditioning Building VO2 max	This is used to increase the body's maximum capacity to utilize oxygen for power generation (VO2 max). These hurt. A lot. Most triathletes spend only 1-2% of the training time in this zone. Workouts in this zone have a work:rest ratio of around 1:2 (1 minute of work to 2 minutes of rest) or more. Breathing will be labored, and conversations will be impossible, even if you were invited as the guest of honor to tomorrow's Delta Gamma party.

For more detailed and complete information beyond the information presented in this tutorial, you can refer to the following list of texts that club members have found useful:

Triathlon 101 (John Mora) - An excellent source for beginners
Triathlons for Women (Sally Edwards) - A women-specific introduction to the sport of triathlon
Triathlon Training Basics (Gale Bernhardt) - Provides the basics for triathlon training
The Complete Triathlon Book (Matt Fitzgerald) - An excellent source for beginners
Training Plans for Multisport Athletes (Gale Bernhardt) - An excellent summary of sample training plans for all triathlon distances
Going Long (Joe Friel and Gordon Byrne) - An excellent source for Half-Ironman and Ironman distances
The Triathlete's Training Bible (Joe Friel) - An excellent source for training-obsessed intermediate and advanced triathletes interested in the technical side of training
Swim, Bike, Run (Wes Hobson) - An introduction to training for the sport of triathlon

Additional information can also be found on-line at the following websites:

The Sport

The origins of the sport of triathlon are well documented. The San Diego Track Club sponsored the first triathlon as we know it today, involving swimming, biking, and running, in San Diego, California in 1974. The first Ironman was held in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1978, when United States Navy Commander John Collins, in order to settle a dispute among U.S. Navy and Marine officers as to which athlete was the most fit--a swimmer, biker, or runner--decided to combine 3 of Hawaii's great endurance events: the Waikiki Rough Water Swim, the Oahu Around-the-Island Bike Race, and the Honolulu Marathon. The first Ironman had 15 competitors at the start, with 12 finishing. The first Olympic distance triathlon was held in Avignon, France in 1989, and had its Olympic debut in the 1994 Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia.

At the University of Southern California, the sport of triathlon has a somewhat mysterious story, with unclear origins and only recent life. Triathlon at USC had a brief, but glorious, moment in the early 1980s. Unconfirmed rumors tell of a triathlon club that had enough organization, membership, and resources to actually hold a Bud Light-sponsored triathlon race around the USC campus and Coliseum. Later that decade, however, triathlon disappeared from campus life.

In 2002 (yes, 2002, it was only that long ago), a small group of enthusiasts made up of USC swim team members, ROTC students, and university faculty decided to form the current incarnation of USC Triathlon. With the determination and relentless drive that is the hallmark of all triathletes, these founders organized USC Triathlon under the Rec Sports Department, and proceeded to garner immediate attention with eye-raising performances in races around Southern California. They then proceeded to introduce the sport to the USC community, and bring in as many members as possible to grow the ideals of the sport on campus. Towards this end, the club endeavors to include all members of the USC community--undergraduates, graduates, faculty, or staff--regardless of their experience or skill level. We seek to bring all Trojans to triathlon, and to increase the impact of Troy upon the sport. Let the spirit of Troy be felt! Let the world tremble beneath the onslaught of Troy. Let the world bow down before the warriors of Troy. Let the world be struck with awe...oh, you get the picture. Fight On!

Triathlon races vary in length and order. The most common distances are:

Race Category	Distances
Sprint	Swim: 400 yards, Bike: 12 miles, Run: 3 miles (but these distances vary from race to race)
Olympic	Swim: 1500m, Bike: 40km, Run: 10km (these are the distances featured at the Olympics, and is the standard at all ITU events)
Half-Ironman	Swim: 1.2 miles, Bike: 56 miles, Run: 13.1 miles (the running joke is a half ironman is just half a man)
Ironman	Swim: 2.4 miles, Bike: 112 miles, Run: 26.2 miles (so you want to be an ironman? do you?)

There are also off-road triathlons (as opposed to the above, which rarely ever go off-road), such as the ones featured in the Nissan Xterra series, and the distances for these races vary to each individual race.

Generally, the order of events in triathlon are swim, bike, and run. Some races (such as the Tinsel Triathlon) are run in reverse order, with run, bike, and swim.

Equipment Tips

Basic equipment that you will need are:

Swimsuit
A real swimsuit. The kind used by swimmers in competition. You can try swimming in board shorts, or in your grandmother's bloomers, but you'll be dragging a boat anchor in the water. Don't be embarrassed by how you look in competition swimsuits. Because after all, what's more important, looking fat or not drowning? Coming out of the water at a race so dog-tired you can't finish, or coming out of the water just tired but still able to finish? Besides, after several months of triathlon training, you'll have a gorgeous triathlon body to show off in that competition swimsuit (flat abs, firm butt, shapely legs, well-toned back, you get the picture...), and other people will be embarrassed comparing their bodies to yours.
Swim goggles
You will need to find goggles that seal out water and do not fog up during prolonged swims. This is important, as in the pool unprotected eyes will get burned by the chlorine and in the ocean unprotected eyes are susceptible to salt and infection from pollution. You will need to try a range of goggles to find one that fits your face. Not all people can use all goggles, and most people find that only particular styles of goggles work for them. There are generally 3 kinds of goggles: 1) the kind with foam around the edges, 2) the kind with plastic suction seals around the edges, and 3) the "Swedish" style that has no seal and relies purely on suction around the eyeball to seal out water (invented and popularized in--you guessed it--Sweden. Skol Sverige!).
Bicycle
You will need either a road bike or a triathlon bike. You can try using a mountain bike or a hybrid bike, but you'll feel like you're riding a tank. Use the mountain bike or hybrid bike for off-road triathlons. One of the biggest hurdles in endurance rides is rolling friction and rolling momentum, both of which are greater for mountain and hybrid bikes, with their large knobby tires. Road and triathlon bikes, with their narrower and lighter wheels, have less rolling friction or momentum, and hence are better suited for long rides integral to most triathlon race courses. Road bikes are the kind you see during non-time trial stages at the Tour de France, feature drop handlebars and 700cc tires, and are meant to be the standard bike for bike races on the road. Triathlon bikes are the time trial bikes seen during time trial stages at the Tour de France, and feature "longhorn" handlebars and often 650cc tires. Triathlon bikes, while typically lighter and better relative to road bikes in races focused on time over relatively straight courses, are also typically more expensive and poorer in handling over curvy courses. Make sure the bike fits you. You can get your appropriate bike measurements by getting fitted at a reputable bike shop (such as Supergo or Helen's Cycles). Ask club members for help on researching bikes. This is the single most expensive piece of equipment you will spend on in the sport. Spend wisely.
Bicycle helmet
You will need a bicycle helmet. It's club policy, required by USC, and it's the law in the State of California. You'll also realize how much you need one when you get into your first crash. What about Lance Armstrong riding without a helmet at the Tour de France, you say? Well, HE is freakin' LANCE ARMSTRONG. And even he wears a helmet during risky stages at the Tour de France. And even he will be pulled over by California Highway Patrol and issued a citation for riding without a helmet. Wear a helmet.
Sunglasses
This is not for style, although everyone wears one that accentuates their face. Sunglasses you will protect your eyes from wind, rain, dirt, and the insects that will hurtle into you when you're riding along on your bicycle at 30 mph. It will also help you see through the glare of the sun. The club story (now since passed into club lore and legend) is one of us went riding without sunglasses one day, and a bee flew right into his eye. Choose a pair of sunglasses that will stay on your face, will not fog up during prolonged rides, and are meant for rugged sports. Of course, you can also make sure they look good, too (hey, it's LA...come for the silicon, stay for the Botox).
Running shoes
Running shoes are the subject of great personal preference, mercurial disposition, finicky beliefs, and superstition. The greater the distances you run, the pickier you will become regarding running shoes. There is no greater agony than a burr of seam-stitch over a 26 mile run. Properly fit, running shoes will help save your feet, your shins, your knees, and your hips. Invest in good running shoes. Do not use running shoes past their expiration. Use only shoes that fit your feet. Love your shoes, and your shoes will love you. Different people have different running styles, and so you should make an effort to find running shoes that match your running style. Also, some people may have structural defects that impede their running, and may need to have a doctor prescribe orthontics to insert into their running shoes to prevent injury. If you have any concerns about the correct shoe, you should try stores specializing in running shoes (like A Snail's Pace) where they understand the needs of runners, can check your running style on in-store tracks, and identify the shoes appropriate for you. Of course, checking with a doctor won't hurt.

In addition, triathletes are often advised to have the following equipment:

Wetsuit
A wetsuit is a huge asset in ocean swims. The ocean can be cold, murky, full of waves that disorient you, littered with pollution that infects you, and has currents that can slow you down. A wetsuit will keep you warm, provide buoyancy, and offer some measure of protection against pollution. A wetsuit, because it provides buoyancy, improves your swim performance because 1) with it your body has to devote less energy to staying afloat, 2) it helps align your body in proper swim form, 3) presents a more streamlined surface to water relative to human skin, and 4) lets you rest and float without having to tread water if you ever get tired. It is recommended that you get a triathlon wetsuit, which is specific to the sport and features greater freedom of movement and allows easier breathing than diving or surfing wetsuits. They are, however, expensive.
Race Suit
Triathlon race suits are suits that are suitable for swimming, biking, and running. Typically, swimsuits do not offer any padding for bike seats, and bike shorts will fall off in water. Triathlon suits have padding to cushion your rear end and groin during extended bike rides, but are designed to stay on during swims. They are also designed to shed sweat while allowing breathability. They are, however, expensive.
Clipless Pedals
Athletes who ride frequently for extended periods on road or triathlon bikes will find that it is more efficient and safer to have clipless pedals. Clipless pedals attach a rider's feet to the pedal, so that you can turn the bicycle crank with an up-force in addition to the down-force. This allows the rider to commit more energy to pedaling, produce smoother pedaling form that minimizes wasted energy in pedaling, and helps the rider maintain more control by keeping the feet in the pedals on curvy race courses and hill climbs. They are relatively inexpensive.
Water Bottles and Bottle Cages
While included as a recommended item, water bottles should be considered as strongly recommended, particularly for longer-distance races. While triathlons always have aid stations on the race course, it is invaluable to have a water bottle with water or energy fluid so that you can quench your thirst when you need it, want it, or have to have it. There is no feeling like pedaling for miles on a bike underneath a baking sun with nothing to drink. You'll want bottle cages that keep your water bottle securely attached to your bike. Both are inexpensive.
Bicycle Computer
Bicycle computers are small computers (about the size of your basic MP3 player) that attach to the handlebars of your bike. They take data from a magnetic sensor on your wheel to present you with information regarding RPM, speed, and distance traveled. Some computers provide more information. While not necessary, bike computers are an asset during training in that they help you recognize if you are achieving desired training goals, and are an asset during races in that they let you know just how well (or poorly) you are doing. They are relatively inexpensive.
Running Hat
A running hat is a hat made from material that allows circulation of air, wicks away sweat, and protects your head and eyes from the glare of the sun. Not all people are comfortable wearing a running hat during runs, either because 1) they fall into the group of people for which running hats don't work, or 2) they find that running hats make them look goofy, even if they have a gorgeous triathlon body to show off. They are relatively inexpensive.

Training Plans and Scheduling Tips

Training plans are useful for scheduling your workouts, particularly in organizing your micro-cycles and meta-cycles in such a way that your workouts follow a progression with sufficient periodization that allows you to recognize a goal and understand how each workout fits in your drive towards achieving that goal. However, creating a training plan require knowledge about training, your body, your personal schedule, and your personal priorities. Beginners often have insufficient knowledge about these items, since they have not been exposed to the demands of triathlon training.

You should understand that not all training plans are alike. Training plans differ depending on the race distance chosen and the person training. Some people train 24 hours a week, others claim 12 hours a week is sufficient. Some club members swear that the only way to compete in triathlon is to set a training plan with 5 workouts of each event stretched over 7 days each week, and other club members think these sado-masochists are crazy. CRAZY. C-R-A-Z-Y. But aren't we all? Be advised that you will have to tailor training plans for your individual body, preferences, and lifestyle.

Feel free to consult with club members regarding training plans. You can also refer to the sample training plans listed on the following websites:

Swim Training Tips

Beginners are strongly encouraged to take the Masters Swim classes. Masters Swim classes are run by a qualified swim coach, allow you to associate with other swimmers and triathletes, let you receive expert instruction regarding proper swim technique, and help you learn the differing types of swim workouts to improve swim speed or endurance. Masters Swim classes are already scheduled for periodization and workout variety, and can be further tailored for a triathlete's training schedule by the coach.

Do not be alarmed or discouraged if you do not have the swim speed or endurance of other masters swim participants or other club members. Particularly if you do not have a swim background. We all started out somewhere. Your swim speed and endurance will improve dramatically as you progress in Masters Swim and you improve swim technique and conditioning. Build slowly and gradually towards your target race distance.

You should periodize your swim workouts. You should have 1-2 workouts per week in Zone 2 or 3 to build aerobic conditioning and endurance, and 1-2 swims per week in Zone 3 or 4--and occasionally Zone 5--to build anaerobic capacity and stroke power. The endurance swims will cover greater overall swim distances than the speed workouts. Keep in mind that Masters Swim classes are usually geared towards athletes who swim exclusive of other sports, and so may feature swim sets of greater distances than required for triathletes. Triathletes, whose bodies are additionally stressed by bike and run workouts, usually have to exercise greater caution in scheduling and planning swim sets. You should take time to notify the Masters Swim coach that you are a triathlete, and schedule your Masters Swim schedule accordingly.

Beginners will need to work on swimming form. The biggest obstacle to improving swim speed and comfort in the water, apart from aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, is swim technique. Masters Swim classes are beneficial for acquiring proper swim technique, as the coach will be able to observe and correct your swim form. Proper swim technique is somewhat complicated, and is achieved through practice, practice, practice, and more practice...and just when you think you've had enough practice, more practice. Enough to make Allen Iverson go apoplectic. So make Allen Iverson apoplectic. You go to practice! And when you swim, talk about practice! And when you're not swimming, go back to practice!

Good and experienced swimmers have usually spent years working on swim technique. However, this should not discourage beginners, because it is with beginners that improvements in swim technique often produce the greatest gains in performance. Generally, for beginners, it helps--at least for freestyle swimming, which is the technique most often used in triathlon--if you can remember the following tips:

While swimming, keep your body horizontally aligned face-down and parallel to the surface of the water, so that your body is presenting as small a frontal area as possible to the water and reducing the drag your body is producing as it goes through the water.
While swimming, your shoulders and body should roll from side to side with each stroke around an axis that points in the direction you are swimming, so that you reduce the frontal area your body is presenting to the water so that it is limited to only your head and the shoulder of the arm moving underwater.
Have your hands enter the water in front of you, with the fingers and palms vertical to the water surface, and approximately shoulder width apart.
Have your hands follow a horizontal path underwater parallel to the direction your body is swimming, so that your arms go from pulling water at the start of the stroke to pushing water past your hips at the end of the stroke.
Visualize your hands reaching forward to catch the water and pushing past your hips to push the water.
Visualize your hands as paddles, always vertical to the surface of the water.
Feel most of the work in the stroke in the latimus dorsi muscles of the back.

Be advised that most Masters Swim classes are designed for pool swims, and so are usually not oriented for the distances or ocean swims typical for longer-distance triathlons. For sprint triathlons, Masters Swim classes will be more than adequate. For longer distances, however, particularly for Half-Ironman and Ironman, you will need to supplement Masters Swim classes with over-distance swims and ocean swims.

Over-distance swims are swims that accommodate at minimum the full distance of the swim portion of a triathlon. For example, an over-distance swim for an Ironman will mean a swim session involving a continuous, uninterrupted swim of 4000-5000 meters (roughly 2-3 miles). Over-distance swims are meant to build your swim endurance so that you can complete the swim portion of your target triathlon race still feeling relatively fresh. Over-distance workouts are more typical with swimming relative to biking or running, since swimming is a low-impact activity and requires comparatively less recovery time.

Ocean swims are common with most triathlon races. You are strongly encouraged to have a few ocean swim sessions before a triathlon. An ocean swim--particularly in Los Angeles--presents several unique challenges compared to pool swims: 1) murky water that prevents you from seeing your progress or position in the water, 2) no lane markers providing you with direction, 3) waves that disorient your balance and interfere with your swim technique, 4) cold (oh...the cold...the water off the coast of Los Angeles is the same water that was off the coast of Alaska 6 months ago--it takes that long for the current to carry it down here, plan accordingly), and 5) pollution that can hurt and infect you (club members have encountered syringes, cans, plastic bottles, cigarettes, and sewage during triathlon races in Southern California). A tip to remember about ocean swims: DO NOT PANIC. As a club member once stressed, you must suppress your initial panic and remember that you can complete the swim--and it helps by focusing your attention on your swim form, since that is the greatest contributor to your swim speed and comfort level in the water. The more you practice ocean swims the more comfortable you will be. But always swim with a swim partner or in a group (so the sharks are forced to choose between you and the other bait), and always swim with a lifeguard present (so someone is available to pull you out after the shark is done with you). Shark bait...shark bait...shark bait...

For additional help with swimming, you can consult the following websites:

Bike Training Tips

Beginners are strongly encouraged to take training rides with club rides, or with the USC Cycling Club. You are discouraged from riding alone as a beginner. Riding with other USC Triathlon club members or USC Cycling Club members will provide you with the companionship of other athletes, the advice and expertise of experienced riders, motivation for training rides, and provide the safety of other riders who can assist you should you have trouble. Riding alone as a beginner is dangerous, and leaves little margin for error or safety in the event of a crash, a flat tire, or worse.

Do not be alarmed if you cannot maintain the speed or ride the distance of other triathletes. Particularly if you are a beginner. Again, we all began somewhere. Your biking ability will improve dramatically as you improve your conditioning, leg strength, and cycling form. Build slowly and gradually towards your target race distance. A rough rule followed by some club members is to increase your long distance ride by 10% with each build week.

Cycling is fun, cycling is fast, cycling is a rush. Especially when you blow by people on a sunny Southern California day in your tight cycling shorts, flashing your fabulous smooth-shaven triathlon legs and your ripped, super-toned, tanned body. Let them stare. Let them wonder. Let them worship. Let them wish they were you. Awwwwwww yeah, baby, just imagine it. That's you. That's right. That's you...Now get on that bike and ride!

You should periodize your cycling workouts, with 1 or 2 long distance rides per week in Zone 2 or Zone 3 to build endurance, and 1 or 2 shorter distance rides per week in Zone 3 or Zone 4 focusing on leg strength. Rides in Zone 5 will develop your sprinting abilities, and should be scheduled infrequently. Endurance rides are usually on flat or moderately hilly routes. Strength rides are usually on hilly routes. For endurance rides, the club usually follows routes that start from campus and head either to the South Bay area (Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes, etc.) or Malibu. For hill rides, the club usually goes to Griffith Park.

Beginners, in addition to endurance and leg strength, should also work on cycling form. Proper cycling form improves the efficiency with which your body transmits energy to the pedals, and reduces the level of exertion your body will have to apply for a given level of speed, thereby improving your endurance and speed capacity. You can improve your cycling form by observing the following tips:

While pedaling, your feet should follow a circular pattern with consistent speed, so that the pedals have a smooth upstroke and downstroke, and your knees should be aligned in a vertical plane parallel to each pedal's plane of motion.
You should have your pedal speed around 90-95 RPM on flat terrain.
You should not bounce in the seat, but instead try to keep your upper body stationary.
Visualize your upper body being fixed, with the only moving parts of your body being your legs.
Stay in the seat, unless you need an extra amount of power, such as when accelerating or climbing.

Since biking is a low-impact activity relative to running, triathletes sometimes conduct over-distance rides, similar to swimming. In fact, many club members regularly ride farther in training than they do in sprint or Olympic distance races. However, this changes dramatically with Half-Ironman or Ironman races, where the distances are so great that significant time is usually required for recovery, calling for fewer (if any) over-distance rides.

Some triathletes substitute road rides with spinning classes or stationary bike cycling sessions. Be advised that these sessions, while beneficial for developing cycling form or building leg strength and pedal speed, are not replacements for road rides, particularly if the goal is building endurance.

For additional help with cycling, you can refer to the following websites:

Run Training Tips

Beginners are encouraged to take training runs with the club. Running with the club offers the community and motivation of working out with other club members, the chance to share experiences and information, and the opportunity to learn from more experienced runners.

Do not be alarmed if you cannot maintain the speed or run the distance of other triathletes. Particularly if you are a beginner. It may be a tired phrase, but it's the truth: we all began somewhere. Your running ability will improve in endurance and speed with the right training, right nutrition, and right dedication. Build slowly and gradually towards your target race distance. Similar to biking, a rough rule followed by some club members is to increase your long run by 10% with each build week.

Running is fun, albeit sometimes painful. Always monitor any pain in your shins, joints, or muscles. If you have any persistent problems, consult a doctor. Otherwise, just imagine how wonderfully built, ripped, and strong your legs are becoming with each mile or kilometer you run. Oooooooooooooooohhh. Nice legs, dude.

Just as with swimming and biking, you should periodize your run workouts, with 1 long distance run per week in Zone 2 to build endurance, 1 tempo run per week in Zone 3 to improve muscular conditioning, and 1 shorter high-intensity run per week in Zone 4 or interval workout in Zone 5 to build anaerobic capacity. You may have to adjust this schedule to accommodate your fitness level and body.

Beginners will likely need to devote some time to running form. Fortunately, running is a fundamental movement in human life, and usually requires only a little tweaks in form to become more effective. Beginners will find it helpful to remember the following tips:

Run upright, with only a slight lean forward.
Run with loose shoulders.
Arm motion should contribute to forward motion and minimize energy expenditure. For distance runs, this means hands close to the body and arms swinging comfortably in rhythm with your body. For sprints, this means hands up and arms extended, arms swinging high to shoulder height and back so that the hands go behind your hips.
Leg motion should contribute to forward motion and minimize muscular effort. For distance runs, this means legs reaching forward only slightly ahead of your body with each stride, feet striking the ground at a point directly beneath your hips, and your legs extending back comfortably to finish each stride. For sprints, this means knees up high, feet striking the ground at a point in front of your hips, and your feet kicking up into your rear end to complete each stride.
Feet should hit the ground in a way which eases the impact of your legs on the ground. For distance runs, this means having your feet strike the ground relatively flat, NOT on your heel. For sprints, this means having your feet strike the ground on the balls of your feet.
Visualize your core body (chest, abdomen, etc.) moving forward with minimal bouncing, with your legs and arms being the major moving parts of your body.
Visualize your legs as springs that propel you forward with each stride.

Be advised that you will need to exercise caution running on pavement. Living in wonderful South Central Los Angeles, it is tempting and easy as a USC resident to conduct all of your runs on the pavement. Some people can run on pavement all day, every day, and suffer no ill effects, while others cannot tolerate any pavement running whatsoever. If you begin to feel persistent pain in your joints or shins, you will likely need to reduce your pavement run sessions, and replace or supplement them with runs on grass, dirt, or trails.

In addition, because running is a higher-impact activity relative to biking or running, you will need to allow for a longer recovery period between run sessions. As a result, triathletes generally do not conduct over-distance runs.

Club members have found alternative non-pavement running trails around the city. San Vicente Blvd. in Santa Monica has a long grass median that can accommodate long runs. Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach have a wood chip trail on a former railroad line that can also accommodate long runs. Griffith Park has several trail runs that wind around the hills. The Rose Bowl in Pasadena also has a large grass field as well as a dirt trail that can also be used for long runs.

You may conduct sessions on a treadmill. Some people find treadmills a useful, lower-impact means of conducting run workouts. Others find it boring, monotonous, and dull. Painfully so. Besides, how are you going to show off your amazing triathlon physique unless you run outside in public? But if you find that a treadmill workout is effective for you, by all means feel free to continue with it.

For additional information about run training, you may visit the following websites:

Brick Training Tips

Bricks are the cornerstone of triathlon training. They are strongly advised as part of training, as most triathletes find that the transition from one event to another is the greatest challenge posed by the sport, since it imposes disorientation, disruption in concentration, and calls on your muscles to adapt to an entirely different type of motion.

Bricks are workouts that involve 2 of the 3 events in triathlon. They are called "bricks" because 1) they usually consist of a bike workout followed immediately by a run ("bike"+"run"="brick"), and 2) your legs will feel like a ton of bricks. Bricks are sometimes composed of a swim workout with a bike ride immediately following. Usually, however, triathletes train with bricks involving a bike and a run, since this often poses the greatest source of difficulty between the 2 transitions.

The bike-to-run transition provides supreme discomfort, as you will leave the bike portion of a triathlon with legs accustomed to the circular motion of pedaling and quadriceps heavy from cycling, only to enter the run with legs having to adjust to the linear motion of running, the pounding of pavement, and hamstrings being placed into emphasis. In comparison, the swim-to-bike transition is relatively easier, as the swim portion relies mostly on upper body movement, leaving your legs fresh for the bike, where your upper body is largely allowed to rest.

An effective brick typically involves a run of 20-30 minutes commencing immediately after the end of a bike ride. Resist the temptation to rest. You'll want to. But remember, in a race you won't be able to. You might as well get used to it in training. Some triathletes run farther than 20-30 minutes. How far you run is a matter of personal preference, training schedule, and target race distance. But remember that running is a high-impact activity that calls for a longer recovery time, meaning that the longer the run in your brick the longer the recovery time you'll need. The purpose of a brick is not necessarily to build endurance, but more to help your body learn to accept the transition from bike to run.

For swim to bike bricks, the distances again are a matter of personal preference, training schedule, and your target race distance. Since swimming and biking are low-impact activities and involve less recovery time than running, many triathletes will do a full swim session with a full bike session.

For further information regarding brick workouts, you can consult the following websites:

Nutrition and Science Tips

Triathletes eat. Triathletes eat a lot. Triathletes eat a lot often. But they are not fat. This is because they burn a lot of calories. Calories are energy, and so burning calories means depletion of energy. Your body only has so much energy stored within it, and you must replenish your body's energy to maintain the performance standards required for the sport of triathlon. You must also replenish the nutrients that are used by your body. However, it is important that you consume the types of food that will appropriately deliver energy and nutrients to your body.

Generally, sports medicine research suggests that endurance athletes consume a balanced diet encompassing carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Proportions vary, but range between 40-70% from carbohydrates, 10-30% from protein, and 10-30% from fat. Individual athletes will have to tailor these ratios to their particular bodies. Note that these ratios are a percentage of total daily calories (so that a 70-20-10 ratio would indicate 70% of total calories from carbohydrates, 20% from protein, and 10% from fat). It is sometimes easier to visualize food quantity in terms of mass instead of weight, in which case you should be aware that different types of food have different levels of energy:

Carbohydrates: 1 gram = 4-5 calories
Protein: 1 gram = 4-5 calories
Fat: 1 gram = 9-10 calories

Carbohydrates are converted by the body into glucose, which the body uses for energy, or is stored by the body as glycogen, which is the reservoir the body uses to convert to glucose when a ready source of glucose is not present. Protein is used by the body to produce amino acids which are the essential materials for building muscle tissue. Fat contains more energy than carbohydrates or protein, and thus serves as the storehouse of the excess energy your body cannot use as glucose or store as glycogen.

For purposes of visualization, a typical triathlete during a 1 hour bike ride at a constant speed of 20 mph (or roughly 30 kph) may burn approximately 400-600 calories. During a 1 hour run a triathlete may burn 500-700 calories. As a point of reference, the FDA recommends that a sedentary male consume 2700-2800 calories per day, and a sedentary female consume 2000-2200 calories per day. During training and races, a triathlete will consume significantly more. Club legend has certain mysterious members ingesting 7000-8000 calories per day during training.

In terms of nutrients, you will need to consume vitamins and minerals to help your body maintain proper functioning. This includes, but is not limited to vitamins A, the full range of B complex, E, and C, as well as electrolytes such as potassium, niacin, and sodium. Some club members also take supplements such as calcium, zinc, chromium, and magnesium.

You should be aware that there is a difference between caloric density and nutrient density. Foods that are calorie rich are not necessarily nutrient rich. Do not deprive your body of calories or nutrients. You must give your body the fuel it needs to grow.

Beginners are often confused as to whether they need to lose weight or eat adequately for proper nutrition. Ironically, beginners can actually lose weight by eating properly. Moreover, it may matter less what you weigh and matter more what physical effort your body is capable of producing--such that your body's form will follow its function. As you become more physically fit, your base metabolic rate will increase, meaning that your body will naturally burn more energy. In addition, as you become more physically fit your body will gradually shed fat and gain muscle, since training is forcing the body to retain only those elements that can contribute to high physical performance. In which case, continuous exercise and proper nutrition will naturally result in a healthier physique and a jaw-dropping, eye-ball swiveling, head-turning, gasp-inducing, knee-shaking, hormone-accelerating reaction from all those cuties who used to ignore you only a few months before.

For help with nutrition, you may consult the following websites:

Weight Training Tips

There are several schools of thought regarding weight training. Some swear by it. Some don't. Some say you won't improve without it. Some say you'll never improve with it. Some say it's helped them get faster and go farther. Some say it's slowed them down. Even in the club, there's differences of opinion.

Regardless, there are some truths that should be observed:

Weight training does allow muscles to grow, but it doesn't mean you'll like like Ah-nold in his prime.
Weight training will not automatically make a woman look like Ah-nold--women lack the testosterone of Ah-nold, and testosterone drives the muscle growth process.
Weight training, just like all other training, will not produce its desired benefits without proper nutrition.
Weight training, applied properly, can increase strength.
Weight training, even if applied properly, will not by itself be a substitute for the aerobic and anaerobic conditioning you must gain to compete in endurance sports.

Beginners who are not familiar with weight lifting should understand the concept behind it. When lifting weights, you are producing micro-tears in your muscle fibers. In response to the micro-tears, your body will break down amino acids to create building blocks for new muscle tissue, and then regenerate new muscle tissue to repair the micro-tears. The result is more and larger muscle fibers, which can then be used to lift more weights and start the process over again.

The muscle groups involved in triathlon are the shoulders, backs, and legs. Most beginners will need to focus their weight training in these areas, particularly if they do not have a history of physical activity. For each sport, the specific muscles that are primarily used for movement are:

Swim: For freestyle, the stroke mostly used in triathlon, the muscles primarily involved are deltoids (shoulders, particularly rear deltoid), teres major and minor (back muscles near the shoulder blades by the armpits), and latimus dorsi (back). To a lesser degree, the other muscles used are pectorals (chest), serratus (upper rib cage), abdomen, thoracolumbar fascia (lower back), gluteus (butt), quadriceps (front thigh), hamstrings (rear thigh), and gastrocnemius (calves)
Cycling: The muscles primarily involved are quadriceps and gluteus. To a lesser extent, the other muscles used are abdomen, thoracolumbar fascia, hamstrings, and gastrocnemius.
Running: The muscles primarily used are hamstrings, gluteus, and gastrocnemius. To a lesser degree, the other muscles used are quadriceps, abdomen, and thoracolumbar fascia.

To support the muscle-building process, just as with all other training, you will need to provide your body with the right nutrition and adequate rest. The right nutrition will provide sufficient carbohydrates to replenish glycogen stores and protein to supply amino acids. Adequate rest will provide your body the time it needs to repair and build muscle tissue.

Some beginning principals that you may find useful in learning about weight training are as follows:

Weight training workouts are always organized around repetitions, sets, and exercises--repetitions are the number of times you will lift a weight without rest in a single set, a set is a group of repetitions where you rest between multiple sets, and an exercise is the particular weight station and movement for which you are performing sets and repetitions.
For building muscle volume and strength, you will want to use heavy weights with low repetitions (generally less than 8-12) and low sets (generally less than 3-4).
For building muscle with less volume and greater endurance, you will want to use lighter weights with higher repetitions (generally more than 8-12) and more sets (generally more than 3-4).
Slow-twitch muscle fiber development is induced by slow movements of weights. Slow-twitch muscles are used for endurance, but not speed.
Fast-twitch muscle fiber development is induced by quick movements of weights. Fast-twitch muscles are used for speed, but not endurance.
Always control the weights to reduce the chance of injury (do not drop, throw, or jerk weights--this increases the risk of injury).
Always warm up with light weights and stretch before and during weight training to reduce the chance of injury.

There are many different ways to conduct weight training, even if focusing purely on endurance or speed. Sports science has generated an extensive variety of weight-lifting exercises and workouts that can be used for the full range of muscle groups and individual sports. You will find knowledgeable staff at the Lyons Center, knowledgeable teachers in a university weight training class, or knowledgeable club members with whom you can consult regarding proper exercises and weight workouts.

For additional information about weight training for triathlon, refer to the following links:

Warm-up, Cool-down, and Stretching Tips

Most athletes, to some degree, engage in a warm-up, cool-down, or stretching routine before or after a workout or race. Warming up is the process of light physical activity prior to later, more intense physical exertion, with the purpose of increasing blood flow so that your muscles and cardio-vascular system are better prepared for the effort of a workout or race. Cooling down is the process of gradually reducing physical activity by slowly decreasing blood flow so that your body can comfortably achieve rest. Stretching is the process of extending your muscles and joints to increase blood flow and pliability.

You don't have to do either one. Some people claim that they find no benefit from warming up or stretching, and find it just as constructive as picking grass and looking at ants. For the majority, however, who find it a challenge to get out of bed and deal with the prospect of a maximum effort race, warming up and stretching is strongly advised--both before and after a workout or race.

Beginners may find it helpful to remember the following tips:

Generally, prior to a workout or race, you should warm-up first, then stretch. Some people find it helpful to do the reverse. A few find it necessary to perform an alternating sequence of warm-up, stretch, and further warm-up. This will help provide your muscles with increased oxygen and nutrients needed for impending physical effort.
It is equally as important to cool-down and stretch after a workout or race. This reduces the shock on your body from hard physical activity to complete rest, and aids the recovery process by allowing blood flow, which pushes out oxidants in the muscles that have accumulated from exercise. This reduces the danger of injury.
Some athletes have found that recovery is greatly enhanced when your cool-down routine incorporates a process of ice and heat, with ice (or cold water) being applied to your body first and then heat (or warm water). The purpose is to ice first to reduce joint swelling and tears in the muscle fibers, then heating to encourage blood flow to flush out oxidants and provide nutrients to joints and muscles.

There are many different ways to warm-up and stretch, and different sports have different methods. Beginners are advised to consult with a coach, or ask a club member. You may also refer to the following websites:

Transition Tips

Each triathlon has 2 transitions: T1, the transition from swim to bike, and T2, the transition from bike to run.

Beginners have a tendency to treat transitions as a time to rest and socialize. You may choose to do so, but be advised that time in the transition counts towards your total race time. The more time you spend in transition the more time will be added to your race time.

Tips for T1 are:

Bring a bucket or pan, and fill with water before the race. Since most triathlons have ocean swims, your feet will accumulate sand as you exit the water. You can use the bucket or pan to wash the sand off your feet before getting into your bike shoes.
Try to wear the same clothes for bike and swim. This will save time changing in transition.
Learn to ride without socks. This will save time having to pull on socks.
For those of you with contacts: wear them during the swim. Your goggles, if they fit properly, will keep the water out and protect your contacts. Some club members learned the hard way how long it takes to put on contacts in the transition.
Sunscreen. The transition will be the best and only time to put it on.
Energy bar. For longer race distances, the transition area is a good time to refuel.
Water or energy drink. For longer race distances, the transition area is a good time to rehydrate.

Tips for T2 are:

Have a pair of Yankz! on your shoes. This will save time tying shoelaces.
Learn to run without socks. This will save time having to pull on socks.
Sunscreen. The transition will be the best and only time to put it on.
Energy bar. For longer race distances, the transition area is a good time to refuel.
Water or energy drink. For longer race distances, the transition area is a good time to rehydrate.

For help with transitions, you can visit the following websites:

Race Tips

Much of race tips incorporate the Transition Tips above. However, there are some useful points to remember:

Before the race:

Shave your legs. Okay, that was a joke. You don't have to. Just shave all your body hair, including your legs...Okay, that was a joke, too. You don't really have to shave any hair if you don't want to. But for whatever reason, triathletes do it. Club members do it. Birds and bees do it. Elephants and pekinese do it. So let's do it. Let's fall in love...with shaving. Seriously though, shaving can help make it easier to get in and out of a wetsuit, ease the pain when you swab and band-aid a bad case of road rash, and makes you feel downright speedy on the run. 'Cuz you see, shaving makes you look good. And if you look good, you feel good. And there is no greater feeling than rolling down the race course with all the hotties checking out your smooth-shaven, tan, ripped, SMOKING HOT body flying by on the race...and hearing them lust after your body. Talk about motivation. Talk about a reason for racing. Talk about a reason to FINISH. Awwwwwwwwwww yeah, baby. Smooth. Smooooooooth. Smoooooooooooooooooooooth...
Scout the race course. Know the swim course, the bike course, and the run course. Observe water temperature, wave sets, and tides. Identify tight turns, bumpy roads, and hills. Watch out for complicated race routes. Look for shade areas. Identify milestones and markers that can help you gauge your progress.
Eat well in the days before a race. Build up your glycogen stores. But avoid experimenting with your nutrition--you don't want a sudden digestive problem the night before a race.
Eat breakfast, preferably complex carbohydrates that are slow to digest. Eat about 1-2 hours before race start to allow time for the food to digest and settle. You want something that will release energy as the race goes on. The running recommendation in the club is a bagel with peanut butter, a banana, and a Clif bar. Again, avoid experimenting with new foods you haven't tried before--you definitely do NOT want a gastro-intestinal problem during a race.
Warm-up and stretch. Your muscles and cardio-vascular system will be asked to work. A lot. Let them get going. Some athletes actually do a short 5-10 minute run, or spin on the bike, to help get their blood flowing. Others also find it helpful to get a short 50-200 meter swim. Find what works for you and stick with it.
Focus yourself mentally. It may be hard, given the anxiety. But taking a moment to focus will help you direct your energy towards the race.
Allow enough time so that you can comfortably set up your transition area. You want enough time so that you can review your gear and make sure everything you need is there.

During the race:

If you're not used to swimming in a pack, with hands and feet within inches of your face, or battering you as you try to stroke, then lay off the surge at the race start. A lot of triathletes--even good ones--will linger at the side or rear of the pack to avoid the initial turmoil at the swim start. Once people get a few minutes into the swim, they naturally start to sort themselves out between faster and slower swimmers, and you'll find more maneuvering room then.
Drafting is allowed for the swim. You will find that it saves an enormous amount of energy and will increase your speed if you draft behind other swimmers--the more the better. Drafting in swimming requires staying within an arm's reach of the kicking legs in front of you, within the wake created by the swimmer ahead of you.
If you start to panic or struggle during the swim, DO NOT PANIC. Have confidence in your training. Remember your swim technique. Focus on your form. If necessary, take a moment to tread water and re-orient yourself in the water. You will get through the swim.
Start the bike in an easy gear. Easy enough that you're at high revolutions (90-100 RPM). Your muscles need time to warm up after being chilled by the swim. Switching into a higher gear too soon will place your muscles under a high resistance sufficient to induce lactic acid burn and subsequent muscle cramping--and you don't want that at the start of the bike, especially when you have the rest of the race to finish. You can switch into a higher gear once your legs have warmed up.
Eat and drink either in T1 or as soon as you get on the bike. Because of the impracticality of eating or drinking during the swim, you will get on the bike with a body that has been depleted by the swim. You need to replenish your body to face the remaining bike and the run. It doesn't have to be a lot--your body can only absorb 200-300 calories an hour during strenuous physical activity--but enough to sustain you. Continue to eat and drink periodically during the bike--some club members have found they perform better eating and drinking every 30 minutes, others 1 hour, others even longer. Experiment to find the period interval that works best for you. Most club members choose to consume gel-like products such as Gu or Powerbar Gel, others prefer solid food like Clif bars or Powerbar, and almost everyone drinks fluids like Gatorade, Powerade, Accelerade, or Endurox. Just make sure you've tried all these products before the race to make sure they're easy on your stomache--you do NOT want them to give you digestive problems in the middle of the race.
Ride with spare tubes and either a tire pump or C02 for your bike. Know how to change a flat tire. Not that you will get a flat tire, but you never know.
Know the rules of the road. Whether in a draft-legal or a non-draft race, you will always be expected to follow road rules during the bike. This means pass on the left, and if you know you're slower ride on the right. It also means to make sure to NOT allow pieces of you or your bike (such as food wrappers, water bottles, grip tape, etc.) to fly off onto the road where they may endanger another competitor. In addition, ride under control--do not be reckless in your riding, since you may endanger not only yourself but the competitors around you.
Start the run slow. Your legs will feel like jello as you come off the bike. Give them time to adjust. You're asking your legs to go from the quad-heavy requirements of cycling to the hamstring-heavy demands of running. After about 5-20 minutes your muscles will start to adjust and you'll feel your running legs coming back. At that point you can start to hit your stride.
Drink during the run. If necessary, eat. Aid stations are there for a reason. Use them. By the time you start to run, your body will need to be rehydrated. You don't have to drink so much that you can hear the fluid sloshing in your stomach, but you do need enough to continue moving. For longer distance races, you will also need to eat to give your body additional fuel.
DO NOT BE A JERK. DO NOT BE A JACKASS. Triathlon, while competitive, is also about camaraderie, about a shared experience. You will not make friends--and you won't be accepted into the community--by being a jackass to others. In addition, you will not experience the true experience that all triathletes receive. Triathletes help each other when it needed--in races you will see people share spare tubes, water, food, and even company to help each other finish. Because, sometimes, finishing is the greatest challenge of all.
If you have a problem, or start to struggle, DO NOT PANIC. Relax. Everyone encounters a problem during a race. Everyone. Just deal with it and move on.
Have fun. Enjoy the course. Enjoy the people. Enjoy the thought that you are engaged in a triathlon. Savor the thought of you being a triathlete. Awwwwwww yeah, baby. Bring it on.

After the race:

Stretch and cool down. This will ease your muscle recovery, and will prevent injury. It will also you make a feel a whole lot better the next morning than you would otherwise with no stretching or cool down.
Hang out at the finish. Most races have a reception at the finish line. You'll find a whole army of competitors relieved, happy, and ecstatic with whom you can share your race experience. You'll also find some of the most interesting people doing triathlons. You'll also get to share the event of the race, and will also find out that no matter what happened to you, you are not alone.
Eat. Post-race recovery is greatly enhanced by an infusion of healthy food. You will need protein to provide amino acids to rebuild your muscles, carbohydrates to replenish glycogen stores, and glucose to boost your energy. You should also consume foods with vitamins and minerals such as potassium, niacin, and sodium to restore you electrolyte balance. Of course, drink fluids to rehydrate yourself.

Additional race tips can be found at the following websites:

Mental Tips

Many athletes find that endurance events require a certain amount of mental, emotional, and spiritual preparation, particularly for longer distances over which an athlete will spend hours upon hours of actual racing time, not to mention the hours upon hours upon hours upon hours of training time. Whether it is the physical challenge of pushing your body to reaches unimaginable to it (and you), the burden of injury, the hyper-sensitivity you develop to correctly interpret and read the signals of your body, the complexities of scheduling, or the sheer unadulterated mind-numbing monotony and seemingly intense solitude verging on loneliness, you will at some point find yourself having to exert the ultimate muscle of all to overcome the hurdles before you: your mind.

Preparing your mind for a race requires the same kind of preparation placed upon the body for a race. While it is possible to enter a race on a whim and to actually be successful, many athletes still find it helpful, if not necessary, to train their mind as much as their body. Your ability to persevere and to overcome unexpected obstacles during a race (such as a kick to the face during the swim, a flat tire during the bike, or broken shoelaces during the run) is built on the mental toughness you gain in training, when you pushed and struggled and strove to see workouts through. Your performance, while dependent on physical ability, is based in part on the mental toughness you develop in training. Quite frequently, races will often hinge on the competitor who was able to endure, as opposed to the competitors who did not.

The nature of endurance events, including triathlon, places emphasis on qualities such as diligence, commitment, foresight, and perseverance. The longer the race, the more these qualities are at a premium. While training for these qualities will at times make you feel like a raving neurotic, the experience you gain in training will make it easier to exercise these qualities in a race.

Club members have found the development of the mental side of the sport is helped by a number of tips:

Have a mantra. No, this does not mean convert to an Eastern religion and live in one with nature. A mantra is a phrase or a word that you can repeat to yourself during times of struggle, and is meant to help you focus your thoughts and motivate yourself. The Little Red Engine had a mantra of "I think I can...I think I can..." Bela Karolyi made infamous the line "You can do it! You can do it!" (or as one club member says: "Ju can doo it!"). Arnold Schwarzeneggar often chanted during his workouts "Bigger...bigger...bigger..." Who knows, maybe he still does now. Whatever. Choose a word or phrase you can use to help you gather your determination and thoughts just enough for you to focus on finishing, winning, or meeting your goals.
It pays to be a winner. The U.S. Navy SEALs constantly emphasize this point in training. This can be a mantra. But it's also a reminder that many things in life can only be received with some type of accomplishment, whether it be self-respect from achieving a personal goal, a high GPA from hard-won test scores, a pay raise from exemplary work, or glory from an impressive race performance. You don't necessarily have to come in first at a race to be a winner. You are a winner if you set goals and achieve them--real goals, the kind that make you stretch yourself and your abilities. Like finishing a triathlon if you've never done any exercise in your life. That's a victory. That's being a winner. It pays to be a winner.
Win in practice, win in race. This follows from above. If you want to achieve your goals in a race, you need to achieve your goals in practice. Part of performance is based on confidence, which can help you confront your fears and anxieties during a race with a belief that you can overcome all challenges--and that you can win. You can build your confidence by achieving your goals in practice, since this will give you the experience and knowledge that you can overcome challenges and that you can achieve goals that you set for yourself.
Find some reward. It helps to deal with challenges in a race or training if you feel you are receiving something of value. Some athletes look for life lessons. Others believe they are improving their willpower, and in so doing their character. Others find spiritual reward in the ardor of the race. Still others find it a means of intense (and recuperative) self-reflection. A few even consider it a party, and a chance to meet with other people. A race, or a training session, is not so painful or exhausting if you find that you are receiving from it something you find of value.
It's not if you face adversity, it's how you deal with adversity when you face it. John Elway, "Captain Comeback" of the NFL, continuously says this when people ask him how he was mentally tough enough to lead his team to so many come-from-behind victories under insurmountable conditions. You will face adversity during a race. You will have a moment when you will face your fears. At that time, at all those times, you will have the option to quit or to continue. Achieving your goals is about deciding to continue. It's not a guarantee, but it's sure as hell a better chance than the one you will have if you quit. One club member had 7 flat tires (!!!) during the bike portion of an Ironman race, but continued to repair each flat and kept going, and he still finished. Everyone faces adversity. Life is about adversity. It's how you deal with it that distinguishes the remarkable from the mediocre.
Think about your motivation. Everyone comes to triathlon for a reason, and there are as many different reasons as there are triathletes. Remembering your motivation for entering the sport can motivate you to get through a race. You may have decided to make a lifestyle change to become more physically healthy. You may be following in a family member or friend's footsteps. You may be looking for a different sport to interest you. You may have been dumped by your Significant Other, and needed something to work out your frustrations. You may be looking for meaning in life, and the self-flagellation of an Ironman is the best way for you to find it. You may enjoy the feeling of having other people calling you crazy, deranged, mentally incompetent, or just outright stupid. Or maybe you just got a wild hair up your butt and decided it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Remember. Remember there's always someone else in worse shape than you. There's always someone else hurting more than you. There's always someone else who's farther behind than you. And you are not alone. Triathletes are a club...a very special club. And in a race, we're all in it together.
Pray. Even if you're not religious, pray. Praying means thinking about something more than yourself, about something that puts the universe, your life, this race, and each moment your are in now in perspective. Sometimes perspective can go a long way to helping you realize just how simple a thing it is to JUST KEEP MOVING. And it helps to focus your energy on what you want--sometimes what you need--to do: FINISH. And WIN. Pray to whoever or whatever you want. Pray to Buddha, Allah, Jehovah, Coca-Cola, Bill Gates, George Bush, Oscar Meyer, Warren Buffett, General George S. Patton, your dog Skip, your great-uncle Wilbur, your aunt Sally, or the Big Guy Upstairs. But pray.
Have fun. Last but not least. HAVE FUN. Triathlon is an amazing sport, with races in amazing places, and with amazing people in those amazing races. Enjoy the experience. Enjoy the people. Enjoy your life. It sounds like a lot to ask, especially when you're huffing and puffing and bent over with your hands on your knees. But really, how many other people in this world wish they could be you? You. Yeah, you. The triathlete. The TRIATHLETE. Ooooooooooo...say it again. The TRIATHLETE. Awwwww yeah, baby. You. You. You. They just want to be like you. Just one more time before you kiss goodnight: The TRIATHLETE.

You can find additional advice regarding mental preparation in the following websites:

Rules

Rules for triathlon are pretty consistent from race to race, but there are sometimes variations for individual race courses and there are distinct differences depending on whether you are competing in a non-ITU event or an ITU event. The ITU is the International Triathlon Union, the international body organizing the sport of triathlon in international competition.

Individual race courses will sometimes place restrictions regarding course paths, course width, and on-course conduct. The California Half-Ironman in Oceanside, CA., for example, has several "no-pass" zones on the bike zone where competitors are NOT allowed to pass each other, as well as several speed zones where race officials have placed speed limits. Almost all triathlons will place time penalties for violating race rules, and some will even expel competitors for infractions. The club sometimes will see a member incur a time penalty at a race, sometimes for something as seemingly minor as riding a bike too far into the bike-to-run transition zone.

Non-ITU races are the kind most prevalent in North America. ITU races are the kind most prevalent in the rest of the world. Non-ITU events are most notably distinguished by the "no-drafting" rule--competitors are NOT allowed to ride behind another competitor during the bike portion of a race, and no one is allowed to form a peloton. ITU events, in contrast, do allow drafting, and often feature strategic games during the bike portion of the race, with pelotons, breakaways, drafting, etc.

The reason for the difference is the subject of triathlon legend, but the generally accepted story is that in California and Hawaii, where triathlon began, the sport of triathlon was created as an individual sport with individual athletes competing against nature as much as they were competing against themselves and other athletes. This spirit of individualism meant that no athlete should ever be in a position where they could benefit from another athlete--such as following closely behind another cyclist to hide from a battering, nerve-wrattling, spirit-sapping headwind. In contrast, Europeans clung to their traditions of cycling, and insisted on maintaining their traditions when embracing triathlon. As a result, ITU races feature all the strategy and tactical maneuvering of a Tour de France stage, with drafting, a peloton, breakaways, and sprints.

Non-ITU rules can be found at the USA Triathlon Rule Book.
ITU rules can be found at the ITU website.