When newbie triathletes first coming into triathlon aside from the mechanics of swimming and getting their bikes set up correctly correctly to optimise efficiency along the road, it is often the run which causes them the most discomfort. After all, if you've come from a fun run (or no training) background into triathlon, running off the bike can be a real "experience" to say the least. In order to make this experience a little more pleasurable for you I've assembled some common Q and A's with some answers I hope that you'll find helpful.

1. Why do my legs feel dead?

I'm new to triathlon and I've started training for the upcoming season when I go out for a run my breathing is fine, I comfortably chat most of my aerobic runs but my legs always seem to feel flat and dead. I feel like I'm dragging lead legs along. I'm pretty sure that I'm not overtraining, I only do one to two short runs, plus a long run on the weekend. Why is this happening? Am I just out of of shape, undertraining, or nutrition? I've got a few kilograms to drop. Sienna

First up Sienna, welcome to triathlon! Tired and dead legs, to some extent go with the territory of the multisport athlete. Here's some ways I've found to help avoid leg fatigue during your runs:

Try running a minute or so slower per kilometre on your long runs from the beginning. It doesn’t matter how slow you go on these; you will receive the same endurance benefits.

Take walk breaks more frequently. This will help lower your leg fatigue.

Slow down a little in hotter climates.

Increase your CHO intake post-exercise - this will help with your recovery.

Practice running off the bike in training so it isn't so unusual when race day comes around.

2. I'm new to triathlon but have been pretty consistent in training over the winter. Once I got over the beginning hump everything hurt I really started to enjoy my training but of late during my past few runs I've felt like crap and I'm starting to freak out! Runs that I was doing beforehand are taking my longer than a few weeks ago. Do I just need to push through this? Jolene
Hi Jolene. One of the most common things I see is enthusiast novice triathletes pushing too hard too often in training. Training has a cumulative effect on the body. You have to stress it and then allow it time to recover. If you're forever going out over the same course and timing yourself and comparing those times you end up "racing" yourself every session. That's not a good idea. Once you've over that initial honeymoon period of getting into triathlon training what then counts is consistency. Over the years I've found some of the most common reasons are the following why training goes pear-shaped to be:

Improved fitness allows for a faster starting pace than you can hold for the whole session, so by the end of the session you're feeling nailed.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - majority of triathletes I work with that up the training simply don't have adequate CHO in their diets, which, over time progressively leads to fatigue. In this instance you'll feel fine at the start of the run, but by the end (when you've emptied your muscle glycogen stores) you'll feel wasted.

To combat this, again, initially slow down your pace - run a warm up for at least 10-15 minutes.

If you're new to this add in some walking breaks (e.g. 5 minutes jog, 1 minute jog and progress up by adding another minute of running each session before you slow to a walk again. This is progressive overload and your body will adapt to it).

3. I'm really enjoying triathlon. I started competing last year. I played footy (Aussie Rules) before that for about 10 years. Is it possible for me to train up for an I.M. in 12 weeks? Greg.

Greg, what's the rush? Triathlon is a lifestyle sport, hopefully something you'll continue to do for a long time yet. Depending on your athletic background it is possible to "complete" an IM on 12 weeks training, but the question I ask athletes I work with is do you want to "complete" or "compete"?

If you train correctly, the experience can be wonderful. But 12 weeks would be a real challenge for body and mind – I’ve found it best to ease into ironman training over a couple of seasons moving up to half ironman distance initially.

I'd be picking an ironman that is that is 6 to 8 months away. Once you've chosen a race, train smart by following these tips:

1. Get in with an experienced coach and training squad.

2. Slow down down and build a base – especially on your long rides and runs. By reducing the pace, you cut the chance of injury, metabolize fat more effectively and lower the incidence of psychological burnout considerably.

3. Build recovery into your program. You only need 1-2 quality sessions in each discipline and remember you'll need more time to recover from the run than swimming or cycling as the run is full weight bearing.

4. Have your biggest volume week of training 5-7 weeks out from competition to allow adequate recovery going into the event.

4. I'm getting really painful foot and leg cramps of late. What can I do to stop these. James
Believe me James, you aren't alone. The most common causes of cramping are over-exertion of the muscles, poor blood flow, dehydration and inadequate sodium intake. Some suggestions:

1. Before running, have a walk to warm up the feet and increase blood supply to your legs/feet.

2. Ease into your runs by warming up at an easier pace for the first couple of kilometres.

3. If you're sweating a lot salt your food a little more liberally.

4. Visit a speciality running shoe store and make sure you've got the right shoes for your foot type.

5. Stay well hydrated by drinking 150-250ml of an appropriately formulated sports drink during your longer runs in particular.

6. Warm down at the end of your session.

4. How many days a week should I run? Krista.

This is a very open ended question Krista and largely depends on age, fitness, goals, etc. Way too many triathletes just got out and "run" without a training plan. Injuries often result as a consequence of this willy nilly approach. As I've often mentioned in my columns; physiologically speaking running is the most demanding of the disciplines for the triathlete because of its weight bearing nature. Many running injuries result from not having enough rest between runs, especially your harder ones.

Those who run every second day have a lowest incidence of injury because of increased recovery time. And that is the beauty of triathlon, those days during which you're recovering from your running can be spent swimming and/or cycling.

If you don't have any biomechanical or orthopedic problems there's no reason why you can't schedule in 3-4 runs per week as a novice. Remember the key is to build a base and strengthen your skeletal-muscular system as your heart and lungs will be able to cope with more intense training than your limbs can. As this strength improves you'll be able to run more regularly, but in the early days of your training, start conservatively. Also, for older triathletes/runners (40 plus), often "less is more" - if you've got a bit of a running background you'll probably find yourself getting away with less runs per week at a slightly quicker pace intespersed with more recovery.

5. I've upped my training miles and I've got black toenails. What should I do? Cathy.

Good question Cathy, no-one likes ugly black toenails! When you run your feet swell, the longer the run the more your toes slam into the toe-box at the front of the shoes. In hot humid conditions the amount of swelling increases even more so. Fluid behind the toenail builds up and you can get bleeding into this cavity. Try using a sterile needle to lance the area under the toenail and let this fluid build up out. If it continues to accumulate it'll blacken and the toenail will die and fall out - that looks even uglier!

Here's some suggestions to help prevent black toenails:

1. When you buy shoes, make sure there's at least a centimetre between your longest toe and the front of the shoe, when standing. Be sure to wear the same type of socks you'll be using in.

2. Powder the inside of your socks and shoes to reduce friction.

3. Put a skin lubricant on your toes.

4. Keep your toenails trimmed and short.

5. Wear thinner socks during the warm-weather months and if you're racing longer races have a slightly bigger shoe.

6. Be careful when lancing under the toenails. If you do drain the fluid be sure to apply some sort of antibiotic solution around the drainage point to avoid infection.