First tri done, now help me get faster

stumblinthrulife

(originally posted over on Beginner Triathlete, posting here too to get broader array of responses)

Hi all,

On Saturday I did my first triathlon. Well, my first race of any kind, ever, actually. The Lake Saint Louis Olympic distance [race report available on BT]. To give a little context, two years ago I was a fat couch potato who got out of breath running for the bus.

I came in at 3h23m, which I believe to be respectable given my beginnings. I've set myself an ambitious goal to complete it next year in less than 3h. I'd like your feedback on how to make that happen. The rough plan in my head at the moment is to use the BT Intermediate Olympic distance training plan, and focus on the following -

Swim

My swim time was 43m, just under a 3m pace. My training was mostly about making the distance, and I left little room for quality work. I plan to get some 1 on 1 coaching over the off-season, really put in some time in the pool, and then be certain to incorporate more quality work into next year's plan. Hopefully maintaining my new found aerobic base will allow for this, and carrying an improved stroke into the training plan will get the most out of it.

I hope to drop at least 5m on the swim leg.

Bike

My bike leg time was 86m, a 16.7mph rate.

Having my first accident the week before the race destroyed my confidence in the bike and myself on corners. So that's an obvious point of improvement. Also, I was riding a regular road bike with no aerobars. Some clip-ons will definitely be in my future. I'll be getting a trainer set up in my office to log some miles over the off-season. Again, there will be more quality work in my bike training next year, and plenty of hill repeats.

With faster cornering and climbing, improved aerodynamics and hopefully increased overall bike fitness, I'd like to drop 10 minutes from my bike leg.

Run

My run time was 1h10. This is where I should have done much better. My stand alone 10k record is 53m. I lost a lot of time to two things - I burned out too quick on the bike leg, and it was just horribly hot. Not much I can do about the heat, but I plan to leave a little more in the tank for the run, and train more specifically for running straight off the bike. I'm pretty sure I can make up more time in the run, than I lose from the bike.

I believe given my standalone 10k time, it's a realistic goal to drop 10m from my run.

Any thoughts? Am I crazy? Going about things completely the wrong way? Or do I have the beginnings of a recipe for success.

scott091501

(originally posted over on Beginner Triathlete, posting here too to get broader array of responses)

Hi all,

On Saturday I did my first triathlon. Well, my first race of any kind, ever, actually. The Lake Saint Louis Olympic distance [race report available on BT]. To give a little context, two years ago I was a fat couch potato who got out of breath running for the bus.

I came in at 3h23m, which I believe to be respectable given my beginnings. I've set myself an ambitious goal to complete it next year in less than 3h. I'd like your feedback on how to make that happen. The rough plan in my head at the moment is to use the BT Intermediate Olympic distance training plan, and focus on the following -

Swim

My swim time was 43m, just under a 3m pace. My training was mostly about making the distance, and I left little room for quality work. I plan to get some 1 on 1 coaching over the off-season, really put in some time in the pool, and then be certain to incorporate more quality work into next year's plan. Hopefully maintaining my new found aerobic base will allow for this, and carrying an improved stroke into the training plan will get the most out of it.

I hope to drop at least 5m on the swim leg.

Bike

My bike leg time was 86m, a 16.7mph rate.

Having my first accident the week before the race destroyed my confidence in the bike and myself on corners. So that's an obvious point of improvement. Also, I was riding a regular road bike with no aerobars. Some clip-ons will definitely be in my future. I'll be getting a trainer set up in my office to log some miles over the off-season. Again, there will be more quality work in my bike training next year, and plenty of hill repeats.

With faster cornering and climbing, improved aerodynamics and hopefully increased overall bike fitness, I'd like to drop 10 minutes from my bike leg.

Run

My run time was 1h10. This is where I should have done much better. My stand alone 10k record is 53m. I lost a lot of time to two things - I burned out too quick on the bike leg, and it was just horribly hot. Not much I can do about the heat, but I plan to leave a little more in the tank for the run, and train more specifically for running straight off the bike. I'm pretty sure I can make up more time in the run, than I lose from the bike.

I believe given my standalone 10k time, it's a realistic goal to drop 10m from my run.

Any thoughts? Am I crazy? Going about things completely the wrong way? Or do I have the beginnings of a recipe for success.

Swimming: Get some lessons. You more than likely have major technique flaws. Swimming is fairly unique in that if you put in the time with major technical flaws you're not going to get much faster. Ask around the local tri clubs about the top coaches in the area.

Biking: Time in the saddle. At least you realize you overcooked the bike. This is rare in athletes. A trainer will help. At the Oly distance shorty aero bars are nice, but if you can ride in your drops it may be a better option. I generally schedule beginner athletes with a long ride on the weekend and interval work (45 mins to an hour) during the week.

Running: Without your training logs it's hard to tell, but build a strong base. It's like the foundation of a house. Many people are going to say speed work this or track work that, but that is like trying to put a million dollar house on a slab that has multiple structural issues. The winter is a great time to build a ton of base fitness and then work in speed work as your "A" races approach.

KathleenKP

Nope, you are not crazy. You will improve.

I'm kind of a beginner (just finished my first half-Iron, though just before the time cutof = I'm slow), but here's my take on it:

Swimming - get stroke help. It's all in the stroke/position. I am a swimmer and swim year round. But most people like to work on swimming in the off-season so I think you are on track.

Biking - find a group to ride with if you can (even if it's next spring if you have weather issues like I do). Most guys I've talked with seem to improve 2 mph in a year when they start out - wth consistent riding. That might not be on your race pace, but on your daily ride pace. Even if you only come in close to 17 mph next year, you will be in better condition for your run.

Run - well I'm just slow at that, so can't help you much there. But I suspect your results will be better than mine.

Congrats on your Oly - I think that's a fun, but still challenging distance.

stumblinthrulife

<snip>

Running: Without your training logs it's hard to tell, but build a strong base. It's like the foundation of a house. Many people are going to say speed work this or track work that, but that is like trying to put a million dollar house on a slab that has multiple structural issues. The winter is a great time to build a ton of base fitness and then work in speed work as your "A" races approach.

Running is the one area where I did a lot of quality work. I started running with the couch to 5k program about two years before the tri, so that's the discipline I was most advanced with at the time I started Tri training. I was logging about 20 to 25 miles per week, with interval runs, tempo runs and steady long runs. I was using the Endomondo dynamic training plan, following their 10k plan. If you aren't familiar, it periodically tests performance to re-assess your warmup, easy, tempo, hard and very hard paces. It follows the Jack Daniels VDOT training principles.

KathleenKP

I think you are going to be fine - just keep building base.

I did my first Oly this summer one month before my Half-Iron in a total time of 3:16. Our bike mph is pretty close. I did 16.4 mph in the Oly (a flatter course than I typically ride), and I intentionally stopped a few times (it was a practice race for my Half-Iron and I was working on fueling and other things I would need to do for the bigger race as opposed to going all out). I'm doing about that pace on 25-40 mile with more elevation rides now with my group. Once I backed off on the intensive tri training this past month, I've started seeing some better bike group ride times. With some recovery now, I'm able to push harder and can tell I'm getting stronger. So keep riding - just time on the bike (and best if you can ride with others). And you will be able to hold that pace (or better) on your next race AND get run times closer to what you are capable of.

I also need to work on transitions (I am BY FAR the slowest at that part as I spent 15 min of my 3:16 there).

cavewoman15

congrats on your first oly! i just finished my first oly distance race a week ago - exhilarating! i have similar goals to increase my fitness over the off-season, especially on the run and swim. 3h may not be realistic for me unless i can drop about 20 pounds, but think i can get closer to 3h than 3.5h next season - i finished this one in 3h28m.

my run plan to is to one interval-type run a week and one longer run. i find that if i run more than 2x a week i tend to get injured. this may be because i'm overweight. plus i have a lot of other activities i am doing. i'm running a 15K in early november, so i'm hoping to work on my pace as i train for that race this late summer/fall. my run pace is pretty solidly slow - 11-11.5 minute/miles. i'm hoping some interval training will get me closer to a 10 minute/mile. my oly run time was 1h22m = super slow. AND i did it without walking. i didn't feel like i ran that slow, but it was really hot and humid and the lake swim had thrown me around like a rag doll, so i'm sure i lost a lot of energy there. everyone had slow run times for this race.

my swim plan is to take some time off this fall so i can focus on biking and running goals while it's still nice out. when the weather turns, i plan to join a master's swim class. i second the recommendation to get a few swim lessons based on my own experience. i started swimming about a year and a half ago from COMPLETE scratch - just watched some videos on the net and taught myself freestyle and breast stroke. i was swimming 2m30s/100m for a year. i could swim a mile or more freestyle without stopping, but i couldn't seem to increase my pace no matter how many drills i did and how fast i tried to swim. turns out my technique needed a lot of work (duh). i got just three swim lessons and it made a huge difference. i can now swim a 100m in 2m10s consistently, and i think i can cut quite a bit off that time if i work hard this winter.

for biking, i have a 60 mile ride scheduled before the weather turns this fall. i'm going to try to work on speed over the winter on the trainer, but for now will just focus on the longer distance. bike is my best sport - my bike was 18.2mph. i can probably increase that pace, but i think i have a lot more to gain this off-season by focusing on running (mostly) and also swimming.