by Rich Strauss and Patrick McCrann, Endurance Nation With mere weeks left before race day, athletes preparing for Ironman Arizona in Tempe, AZ, are starved for any information to help them prep for this late-season race. After months and months of training and enduring multiple seasonal changes, race day is looming and it's time to get focused.

by Rich Strauss and Patrick McCrann, Endurance Nation

 With just a few days left before race day, athletes preparing for Ironman Wisconsin are eager for any information to give them a leg up on the day.

by Rich Strauss and Patrick McCrann, Endurance Nation
 We’d like to share with you our double top secret squirrel race day hill climbing technique. We’ve learned this method through having training and raced with power for years, and having guided thousands of athletes through successful half and full Iron-distance races.

by Rich Strauss and Patrick McCrann, Endurance Nation We continue our US Ironman Preview Series with a quick look at Ironman Louisville, the next race on the US Ironman schedule.

Many athletes have been training all summer for your first triathlon, which is usually accompanied by anxiety and nervousness. That being said, we have created a pre-race checklist that covers just about everything that you will need for your first triathlon in addition to some tricks of the trade. Pre-Race:

With just about seven days left before the race, athletes are in full-on taper mode, packing and reviewing final preparations before making the trek to beautiful Coeur d'Alene, ID. Without a doubt, a large part of pre-race anxiety is due to not knowing what race day will bring in terms of the course, weather, the competition, etc.

Perhaps you have just finished your first race of the season and found yourself fatigued for days, muscle sore, and that the race was an overall shock to your system. Maybe your performance did not meet your expectations either. This should be your wake up call; you are not training at intensities or durations that mimic that of your races.

1. Should I wear a wetsuit? It depends on if wetsuits are allowed in the race. Most of the age group races allow wetsuits. In this case, by all means, use a wetsuit! You will not only be able to withstand cold water, but you will also be given the gift of buoyancy by your apparel- which will make it a lot easier to get through the swim.

Dealing when the temperatures rise Across North America, racing in July, August and early September can be challenging due to the temperature. Racing during these months usually means you are performing in hot and humid conditions. If you train in this type of environment, that is optimal for conditioning your system to the stress.

It's that time of year again, when shaking in our legs from the cold is replaced by the shaking from pre-race anxieties! As you dust the cobwebs off your wetsuit and dig out your tinted goggles, there is a lot to think about when you toe the line in your first few races of the year. Here are some specific pointers for you to consider. Check the Race Priority