Triathlon - One week before first tri, what do I do

I signed up for a tri last week. It is short, 400 meter swim, 10 mile bike and 5 k run. I have been running and bicycling for a while but haven't swam in months. I know one week is not enough time to be prepared, but is there anything I can do? I am not interested in competing, just completing. How much should I lower my activity for the week? I usually run 4 miles two days a week and cycle 5 days 30--60 miles.

Swimming: you can actually make a lot of progress in a week. You can go from hanging on the side of the pool after a few laps to struggling thru it.
I would go swim 20 min a day this week.

Pre-race activity: I don't think you need to "taper" prior to a sprint. If the tri is on Sunday take Friday and Saturday as complete rest days.

What you'll find with a sprint is that the swim is so short that even if you don't do well you can make up a lot of it on the bike and run.

I just did my first. I'd say you are as fit as you are going to be, and agree: not much point in tapering prior to a sprint, just take a day or two off (or do light workouts) prior to the event. You CAN make a significant dent in technique, which for me was the biggest factor in getting thru the swim w/o blowing up.

Follow the usual advice about eating/drinking of course. Good luck.

I just competed in my first sprint last weekend. The two standout things I was told were,

1. You can't win because of the swim. You can lose because of it, but you can't win. So, go to the pool and make sure that you're comfortable swimming 400, even if it's slow and stead, and be happy with what you can do.

2. Take two days before as a complete rest, and take the day before as a relaxing bike ride. This is to make sure your bike is in working order if nothing else.

And my own personal advice, which everyone here will repeat: Have Fun! There isn't any other reason to do it.

Have Fun! There isn't any other reason to do it.

...unless you buy into that "propoer diet and excersize can lead to a longer, healthier life" concept that eludes so many people. ;)

Hit the pool a time or two. Your goal won't be to become a great swimmer, just to get comfortable in the water. Your goal is to survive the swim, so a little familiarity won't hurt. =)

The only other thing I would recommend is to start planning out your transitions. Transitions are hectic, and you don't want to get there and think "Oh no, I forgot my _____". Make a list of what you'll want handy, and pack them all. Even better, practice transitions once or twice.

Good luck!

I've got a sprint tri coming up Sunday and I've got my long run ( 8 miles) Saturday morning for my marathon training. Gotta do it. Personally ideally I would swim and bike on Friday at moderate levels and take Saturday off before a sprint. Get in the water and scope out the swim course in advance. Do yourself a favor and stay off the line on the swim start or you will be "run" over as soon as you start slowimg. Start later in your group or try to angle in the first mark. Good advice on making sure you got the gear you need but don't freak on the T1 time particularly. I'm alot more comfortable wearing socks and having a shirt on and that takes additional time. Make sure you get a number belt that you can clip your number on instead of using pins. Do a gel on the bike ride about half way and wash it down good. Get stretchy laces for your running shoes so you can just put them on in T2. Put your bike number where it belongs in the front triangle. Most of all have fun!