You've logged pool time, bike miles and had some good runs. If you're preparing for your first multisport event, it is time to think about smart pacing.

Determining your goal race pace is best accomplished by evaluating your current fitness level. If you are training to finish the event comfortably, pace yourself as you would in a longer training swim, bike or run. If your goal is to go as fast as your fitness allows, I encourage you to build your pace within your races just as you built it into your training. Starting fast is tempting in early races, but a more conservative approach usually yields better results, such as building to your goal race pace in the first 30% of each leg.

Unless you train to your lactate threshold for four to six weeks before your first race, you should use early season events for training and prepare to showcase your goal race pace later in the season.