Your First Triathlon, Demystified
The Basics of Signing Up For And Completing Your First Triathlon
Everything you need to know about registering for, preparing for, and finishing your first triathlon — from choosing a race to crossing the finish line.
How Long Does It Realistically Take to Go from Couch to Triathlon?
An honest timeline for going from zero training to triathlon-ready, with guidance on what to expect at each stage of the process.
How Much Time Does It Take To Train For A Triathlon?
A realistic look at the weekly time commitment for triathlon training across different distances, so you can plan your schedule before you commit.
A Coach Explains How to Choose Your Next (or Any) Triathlon
How to evaluate courses, distances, logistics, and your own readiness to pick a race that sets you up for a great experience.
Can I Do a 70.3 as My First Triathlon?
Thinking about skipping the sprint and going straight to a half-iron distance? Here’s how to assess whether that’s ambitious or reckless.
What to Look for In a Beginner Tri Community
A great beginner tri community make sure you know it’s okay to be a beginner.
The 10 Most Common First-Time Triathlete Mistakes
The errors I see beginners make over and over — and how to sidestep them so your first race experience is a good one.
No, You Don’t Wear Underwear Under Your Tri Kit
The question you didn’t know you should ask, answered once and for all — plus other race-day wardrobe guidance.
Dear Coach: What Is A Good Triathlon Time For A Beginner?
Setting realistic expectations for your first race finish time, and why the “right” time is more personal than you think.
The Why Behind the Workout
How To Improve Your VO2 Max
What VO2 max actually measures, why it matters (and why it doesn’t) for endurance performance, and the specific training strategies that move the needle.
6 Swim, Bike, And Run Workouts To Boost Your VO2 Max
Targeted workouts across all three disciplines designed to improve your aerobic ceiling.
DIY Lactate Threshold Testing for Triathletes
How to approximate your lactate threshold without a lab — and how to use that data to set accurate training zones.
Dear Coach: What Is Lactate Threshold?
A plain-English explanation of one of triathlon’s most important physiological concepts and why it matters for your training.
80/20 Triathlon Training: The What, Why, and How
The polarized training approach explained: why most of your training should be easy, and how to structure the hard efforts that actually make you faster.
How To Adapt Your Training When Things Go Wrong
Life doesn’t follow your training plan. How to adjust when illness, travel, injury, or schedule chaos disrupts your program.
The Myth of the 10-Hour/Week Ironman Training Plan
Can you train for an Ironman on 10 hours a week? Examining what’s realistic, what’s marketing, and what low-volume Ironman prep actually looks like.
Heat Training Makes You Faster, Even If Your Race Isn’t Hot
In addition to heat acclimation, an extended heat training protocol can yield performance improvements – but it takes diligence and commitment to achieve them.
Dear Coach: When Should I Be Doing Interval Training?
When intervals belong in your training cycle, when they don’t, and how to know if you’re ready for high-intensity work.
Dear Coach: Why Are HIIT Workouts Important for Older Athletes?
Why high-intensity training becomes more important (not less) as you age, and how to incorporate it safely.
Which TrainingPeaks Metrics Should You Actually Care About?
Cutting through the data overload to focus on the handful of TrainingPeaks metrics that genuinely help you train smarter.
Why It’s Actually Not So Bad to Have a Bad Workout
Bad sessions happen to everyone. Here’s what they actually tell you about your fitness, fatigue, and training trajectory.
Swim Training
Bike Training
Run Training
Everything Between the Starting Cannon and the Finish Line
The Top 8 Hardest Moments In A Tri (And How To Conquer Them)
The moments during a race that test every triathlete — and the mental and physical strategies to push through each one.
The Triathlete’s Guide to Race Fueling for Every Distance
A distance-by-distance breakdown of race nutrition: then why, when, and how of fueling, hydrating, and sodium-ing.
Easy Ways to Finish Faster in Your Next Triathlon
Quick wins that don’t require more fitness — the logistical, tactical, and equipment tweaks that shave time without extra training.
Triathletes, You’re Doing Your Practice Race Wrong
How to use tune-up races strategically instead of just “racing them” — and what you should actually be testing and learning.
Aid Station Etiquette: Do’s and Don’ts of Navigating Triathlon Aid Stations
How to move through aid stations efficiently and safely — for your sake and everyone else’s on course.
How to Guarantee You’ll Make the Bike Cutoff at Your Next Triathlon
The math and strategy behind ensuring you make the bike cutoff, especially for longer-distance races with tight time limits.
How to Guarantee You’ll Make the Run Cutoff at Your Next Triathlon
A companion piece on run cutoff strategy — how to pace your entire race day so you’re not sweating the final deadline.
8 Triathlon Questions You Hope You’ll Never Need the Answers To
The race-day emergencies and awkward scenarios nobody warns you about — and what to do if they happen to you.
17 Day-Before-Ironman Questions You Never Thought to Ask
All the logistical and practical questions that hit you the night before your Ironman — answered so you can sleep instead of Googling.
Should You Start the Race or DNS? Use Our Flowchart to Decide
When it’s okay to start despite not being 100%, and when pulling out is the right call — with a decision framework to help you think clearly.
A Primer on Peeing in Triathlon
The question every triathlete has but few dare to ask out loud, answered practically and without judgment.
Dear Coach: How Should I Set A Goal For My Race If I’m Not As Fit As I’d Like To Be?
How to set meaningful, motivating race goals when your training hasn’t gone exactly as planned.
Plan Your Triathlon Season With Intention
The Rest of Your Life as a Triathlete
