So, let’s start with defining training zone. In this article it is a given level of intensity that is measured by your heart rate monitor. It is your ability for training on the run or on the bike. These training zones are important to you for a multitude of reasons as they help you keep easy days, easy, and hard days, hard.

So you signed up and paid for your first triathlon, you’ve marked your calendar as D Day, you’ve bragged to your friends about your new endeavor and you may have even bought a book about triathlon. Now, you have to train for the crazy event.

What follows is an attempt to help each triathlete for the preparation, strategy, and "game-plan" of racing a "Pool-sprint" style race. We approach this in a format to answer real questions that we have been asked about these types of races.

Triathlon, it's a goal for many to complete a triathlon - fortunately they are not all as long as Ironman! Here is the quick start guide: Swim

With so many beginner events on the scene and numbers of participants on the rise over the past few years, it's often asked, why the numbers of female participants making the leap into competitive sport still relatively low?

I remember my very first triathlon race like it was yesterday, the Capitol City Triathlon in Windsor Locks, CT. I saw some things that day that really stunned me.

Each one of us experienced triathletes, has our own 'first' triathlon story. They usually include harrowing, exciting and nerve wracking details, but more often than not they end in success and a life long passion for the sport. Many stories involve jumping into the event with no training and virtually crawling to the finish line.

Coach Brendon writes: (Note: this article is a bit technical if you are not a technically minded person contact me for heart rate training information: brendon@endurancecoach.com) Got yourself a heart rate monitor? Got any idea about what heart rate zones to use? Ok now what do you do about spending the right amount of time in your zones, read on!

For those first timers out there Ironman is an inviting challenge to take up - there are many traps for new players however so make sure you plan well and set appropriate goals early.

I love cycling; it's got a special ability to make you feel fast and free. Plus, it's not as physically hard as running or as technically frustrating as swimming can be for many of us. Mix your swimming and running training with a little bit of cycling and you can go a long way - that's the beauty of triathlon training.