Photo: JY7929/Flickr

You probably already know that, around these parts, we highly recommend triathlons. After all, regardless of your athletic ability, there's a race that will suit you -- and when a great workout is as much fun as an event like this, what's stopping you?

Oh, right, the training. No worries -- Aflac Iron Girl has lots of tips for triathlon training. Whether you're hoping for a faster swim, bike or run, these suggestions will help you cross the finish line well before your goal time.

Swim
Fix foggy goggles by leaving a bit of water in them. And, drink up! Many swimmers get dehydrated because they don't think to drink water while they're in the water. Get your fluids both before and while you swim.

Bike
Good pedaling technique requires practice -- your muscles should "turn off" on the back half of your stroke, which will save energy. Relaxing your upper body (hands, shoulders, etc.) will help. Additionally, be sure to change it up by training leg speed in easier gears on flat stretches.

Run
Mix up tempo and interval runs. Tempo: Run 20-30 minutes at a "comfortably hard" pace. Intervals: Go hard for a fixed amount of time, then take it easy for a set period of time. Repeat as many times as you like. And don't forget hill training -- this is essentially like running-specific strength training, so even if your race course doesn't have hills, you'll benefit from the training!

Holly has some triathlon tips for the over-40 crowd too -- see what she has to say about the swim. And stay tuned because she'll soon weigh in on the bike and the run.