There are few endeavors, athletic or otherwise, in which fate plays such a decisive role as in an Ironman. In fact one of the few factors over which you have some control is the fitness you bring to the start line. Once the gun goes off, any number of problems can sidetrack your day.

To help you define your goals, we've assembled the collective wisdom of top triathletes, coaches and technical experts. The resultant 10-step plan should keep you on track, both in the months leading up to your event and on race day.

1. Bike basics

Chances are that you carry a couple of spare tubes, maybe even a spare tire, on training rides. This is not paranoia; it is called doing the right thing. Nonetheless, it's remarkable how often athletes forget this simple practice on race day. For an Ironman bike leg, you should carry at least two spare tubes (or tubulars) and two CO2 cartridges. Race on new (or nearly new) tires and know what to do when you have a flat -- this should be inconvenient break in the action, at worst, not a race buster. If the race is on rough, gravelly roads, consider using Slime or another sealant to help prevent flats.

If you're a competent mechanic, give your machine a thorough tune-up a week before the race and tweak it in the days immediately prior. If you're all thumbs, have a professional bike mechanic perform a check-up.

2. Choosing the right event

You know your strengths and weaknesses better than anyone. Armed with this self-knowledge and constructive feedback from your training partners, choose a course suited to your abilities, especially if you're in the market for a Kona slot. Okay, this may not be the most romantic way to select an Ironman, but there's precious little romance at mile 17 of the marathon.

When picking an event, Coach Lance Watson recommends you consider the following:

a. Season goals: Where does Ironman fit in? Are you looking to go fast or just go the distance. Are you a short-course athlete stepping up for one race of the season -- if so, consider an early event such as New Zealand or a late one such as Ironman Florida or the Great Floridian, to maximize the time you're able to devote to your short-course season.

b. Climate: How well do you acclimate to heat, cold, humidity, wind? What is your training environment like? Early-season Ironman New Zealand is usually a solid bet for those who prefer cooler weather. Though be forewarned, getting fit for a March Ironman is no cakewalk, especially if you have snow or cold rain to contend with through the winter. Yes, you can complement your fitness on the trainer, but you need to ride outside as well. If 90 percent of your bike miles are inside, you could be in for a tough Ironman.

c. Mission objectives: Do you want to go fast (say, sub-10) or place well? If you have good strength and ride well in hills and wind, consider a more challenging course like Spain's Ironman Lanzarote or upper New York State's Lake Placid. Sure your time might not be as fast as that at a different venue, but if you excel at strength races you'll likely place well.

d. Convenience: You can cut down on expenses and distractions if you race locally. This also minimizes disruptions to your training.

e. Course compatibility: If you're a strong climber on the bike and a solid marathoner, check out Lake Placid or Ironman Canada. If rolling hills are more your style, pay a visit to Ironman Wisconsin. If you're a flatlander, hit the Gulf coast for Ironman Florida. Check out course profiles online and match them to your abilities.

3. A successful training plan

According to coach Joe Friel, training without a plan is like driving with your eyes closed. Sure, you'll eventually get somewhere, but is that really where you want to go?

At a minimum, you want to begin early-season training with at least eight weeks of aerobic development to create the base upon which you'll build throughout the season.

4. Play by the rules

There's arguably nothing worse than having your race come to an abrupt end as a result of a disqualification -- and it should come as no surprise that the vast majority of DQs are handed out on the bike. This is what the officials are watching for:

a. Blocking: not allowing other athletes to pass.

b. Position fouls: riding too far to the left. So ride right, pass left.

c. Drafting: The draft zone varies depending on the event, but you should generally keep 7 meters back except when passing -- and you must complete the pass within 15 seconds. Note that drafting violations are rarely called in aid stations, on steep climbs or going around corners. The key word here is "rarely."

d. Centerline violations: You don't do it in a car, so why cross the line on a bike? Again, mitigating factors may be considered in this call. For example, were you forced over by another athlete?

e. Foul language: If you are penalized for any of the above violations, just suck it up and move on. You'll only waste time arguing about it. Enough said.

5. The mental game

When do you race your best? Is it when you're wound up, relaxed, alert? Everyone responds differently to race-day pressures (external and self-imposed). And we all require a different level of stimulation to get into a race mindset that allows us to face the big hurt ahead. Often, a bit of tension or pre-race anxiety can be a good thing to help keep you sharp.

There's no simple solution to coping with pre-race nerves. One approach is to:

a. Have all your gear ready well in advance and check your transition bags at least three times.

b. Adhere to an eating and sleeping routine that has produced success in the past -- decisions involve choices, and choices involve stress. By following a routine and cutting the number of decisions, you have a better chance of staying calm.

Having seen his share of wigged-out athletes, Watson suggests that you don't waste mental energy worrying about things you can't control. "You have to believe that you are good enough and prepared enough to deal with whatever comes along," says Watson. "Also, don't make irrational or impossible demands of yourself. Make a decision that you're going to race within your skill set, to the best of your potential."

6. Learn from experience

Ironman rookies can put in spectacular performances, but experience brings invaluable wisdom. Think back to what has worked for you in the past. Do you prefer solid foods or semi-solids? How much salt do you need? What drinks can you tolerate? Should you start drinking Coke at mile 50 of the bike? Does your favorite training jersey really meet the performance criteria of a three-discipline day? Or, conversely, have you ridden 112 miles in your new tri shorts -- race day is not the time for experimentation.

7. Train your weaknesses

Okay, you may not look forward to that weekly suffer-o-rama on the hills, but if you want to place well in your age group, forget about thinking you can get away with a lousy bike. The sport has become too competitive, the fields too deep, at all levels, for you to ignore your weaknesses.

Look at every aspect of your racing and training to capitalize on your strengths and strengthen your weaknesses.

a. Swim: Swimming is all about technique. Work on drills and swim the sets properly. If you try to hammer the whole practice, chances are your form will fall apart and you won't improve inefficient skills. In addition, you likely won't get the most valuable training effect if, as a result of an initial misplaced burst of enthusiasm, you're unable to descend a progressive set or last an endurance one.

b. Bike: The great Olympic marathoner Frank Shorter once noted that hill training is speed work in disguise. Heed his advice and spend a bit of time working on sport-specific strength before launching into speed-building sets. And on that note, take the time to develop fitness properly, beginning with a sound aerobic base that can be built on as the season, and your fitness, progress.

c. Run: Running places the most orthopedic stress on your body of any of the three sports. Be a savvy triathlete and take the "less is more" approach and make every workout count -- part of a progression, not just a one-off endorphin high.

8. An effective taper

How long do you spend preparing for a long-course triathlon? Three months, six months, a year? Whatever the magic number, it involves a lot of hard work, expense and sacrifice. So don't let it all unravel as the race draws near.

A taper for Ironman lasts anywhere from two to four weeks. You need that much time for your body to recover and allow the miles to sink in. What's more, it takes about 10 days for the positive effects of a particular workout to impact the body. Unfortunately it can take only an hour to undo months of hard work.

Regardless of how long you taper, the fact remains that nothing you do in the final week before an event can build fitness. What you can do in all three disciplines are short, race-pace workouts followed by easy recovery days to stay sharp.

9. Look after yourself

You're a disciplined, focused individual, and you're going to have to put in a decent amount of work just to make it to the start line. The three months leading up to an event is the time for focused training. Now is when you want to be including at least one weekly speed session and race pace workout in each discipline. Pay attention to your body and give yourself an unloading week every third or fourth week.

Since the volume of work will be accelerating, you need to do your best to avoid wasted sessions. One good strategy is to hit the glycogen-refueling window after every workout. Get in carbohydrates, in liquid, solid or semi-solid form, within 15 minutes of finishing a workout to avoid going into the day's second or third training session glycogen depleted.

However, be flexible with your schedule or skip a session completely if you're feeling wasted. If you miss a workout for this reason, it's gone. An occasional missed session is not a disaster; however, if you find yourself skipping multiple weekly workouts, it may be indicative of illness or overtraining. In such a case, back off, reevaluate and consult your training log. Check with your coach or doctor if you're finding it difficult to rediscover your rhythm -- it happens to even the most dedicated athletes. Corrective action is usually successful as long as you're not in a state of denial.

10. Enjoy the ride

Why do you race? Everyone has his or her own reasons. This sport, particularly at the Ironman distance, is just too hard for it to be anything other than a passion. It doesn't hurt to remind yourself of this from time to time, especially before a race when you ask, "Why am I doing this?" You're making a decision to be the best triathlete you can be -- and taking risks to achieve that goal is what makes success that much sweeter.