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Several years ago, I signed up for my first triathlon. I knew how to swim, could run and could ride a bike well enough. But I didn’t really know how to be a triathlete. I learned by Googling things, asking questions, listening to other athletes and, mostly, figuring it out along the way. Since then, triathlon has taken me much further than I ever expected — from local races to Age Group Nationals, World Championships, my first 70.3 and, most recently, another World Championship race in Spain....

You’ve done the training. You’ve bought the gear. You’ve practiced your fueling. Now what? For a first-time triathlete, the days leading up to a race can be almost as confusing as the training itself. When do you stop training? What should you eat? When should you arrive? What goes in transition? And what exactly happens between waking up and crossing the finish line? Here’s a simple guide to getting from race week to the finish line without overcomplicating things. 5–7 Days Before: Start...

If you’re comfortable swimming laps, you might assume the swim will be the easiest part of your first triathlon. Then you enter open water and everything feels different. You can’t see the bottom, lane lines or walls. Other swimmers surround you, and the water may be cold, choppy or dark. For many first-time triathletes, the swim is one of race day’s most intimidating parts. The good news? Open-water swimming is a skill you can learn and practice. Pool Swimming ≠ Open-Water Swimming The basic...