Triathlon Training

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Mr_Knight
Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
edited February 1 in Fitness and Exercise
Sprint distance. Competitive on the cycling portion means doing ~300W for 33 minutes.

Question: how best to get there?

1. Train the 20km distance, gradually decreasing time (hence increasing power)
2. Train the time, with 300W intervals that lengthen until the whole time (and hence distance) is at 300W
3. Something else

Current status: can do about 110W over the time/distance, and can hold 300W for about 1 minute before my heart explodes.

Replies

  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,247 Member
    4. All of the above.

    Cycling is a lot like running in this respect. You need to do a mixture of longer, slower rides to build endurance mixed in with interval & sprints to build speed. Do you have any good hills to ride?

    Do you have a tri club where you live? If you do consider joining them, if it's anything like the OTC you'll have some very experienced people who are more than happy to share their knowledge.

    Also check out http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/

    and join this group here at MFP

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/105-triathletes-duathletes
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Thanks, Brian, sounds like solid advice.

    Plenty of Cat 2/3 hills around here, and I don't have to go far to find HC/Cat 1 if necessary.
  • cwsikes
    cwsikes Posts: 86
    Also remember on the bike you can ride a lot harder and more frequently and not get injured like with running. Also remember you have to be able to run after that bike :)
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Yeah, I've been warned to make sure I get some "bricks" (?) into training. What I'm doing is one day a week, I take a shorter run and shorter ride and slap 'em back to back.

    God help me, I have no idea what I'm getting myself into, lol. :)
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,247 Member
    Yeah, I've been warned to make sure I get some "bricks" (?) into training. What I'm doing is one day a week, I take a shorter run and shorter ride and slap 'em back to back.

    God help me, I have no idea what I'm getting myself into, lol. :)

    The head coach of my club's favourite word is specificity, try to get your bricks up to a distance approaching your ride and then do at least 3 or 4 km after that but it doesn't need to be anywhere near race pace (mine today - 20km ride & 5km run - was 83 min) more than anything else you're preparing yourself mentally for the run after the ride (it's pretty comical the first couple of times - your legs feel a little like rubber).

    Which tri are you planning on entering? I was looking at some local results on sportstats.ca and at the national capital (which has a very flat bike course) the top 3 in your AG were riding between 34:00 and 37:00.

    Is biking your strongest of the 3?
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