Sounds like you have a plan. Get in as many open water swims as you can. When you get out of the water practice getting into your bike stuff. You will find that putting on a shirt and socks while wet is difficult. I don't care how much you towel off, it will still be hard. Also practice biking for half hour to an hour and then run a kilometer. Your legs will feel wonky for the first half kilometer or so. After that you will be fine. You just want your legs to know what it feels like so you dont freak out on race day. And get up to race speed right off the bike. If your swim is in sea water, you want to be familiar with the salt taste, and how to get it out of your mouth once you are out of the water. You will want a race belt. They are cheap around 10 dollars US. You don't want to have a race bib on you in the water, but you will need it on the run. Sometimes the race director wants the number on you while you ride too. It is just an elastic belt with clips for the holes in the race bib. The ones with the bungie cord fasteners works better for me than the ones with the plastic buttons. When you start the swim, everyone will be jumbled together. It is pretty common for hands and elbows to hit you as they all thrash around in the water. No one is trying to hurt you, they are just all moving arms and legs as fast as they can next to dozens of bodies. When you practice in open water, practice looking up every few strokes to sight the buoy. Then back to face in the water. Its really easy to swim a lot farther than you need too, by swimming off course. Welcome to tri's. Most races require you to wear a bike helmet, and you have to have it on and buckled before you get on the bike. " On your left" means someone wants to pass you on your left. So move to your right. You say the same thing when you want to pass. Since you are in Oz, you may say right instead of left. Check with your local athletes down there. Saw someone crash at the UCLA tri last week end since they didn't know what it meant, they got confused when someone passed them, and they rode right into a hedge.

have you done any "Bricks" yet? Bricks are a bike run followed immediately by a run - sounds easier than it is. do a couple of these before the big day to get your body used to the sudden transition of blood flow from cycling muscles to running muscles. stay relaxed on the big day and try to focus on finishing with a smile. good luck and have fun

Hi guys, completed the tri on the weekend and have posted a report under the race results forum title "10 years on, my first triathlon" Or try this link. It may or may not work. Thanks agian for your help, Joe_H, i should have done more brick, my legs collapsed when I got of the bike http://www.runningahead.com/forums/topic/da83e057f9724442b76e060f6201278d