Triathlon Training - suggestions?

Well done for signing up! I did one last year and very glad I did. My swimming was very much my weakest. I'd second looking on beginner triathlete - lots of good advice and support for all abilities.

The best advice I can give regarding swimming is get involved in a masters swim program. A good c coach will help you with your form, which is a significant part of efficient swimming.

Swimming is my kryptonite hence I don't tri , I du..... but I digress...swim, swim & swim some more. You also want to incorporate some bricks too, the first time you run off the bike it's almost comical - your legs may feel rubbery - but practice makes perfect. Speaking of practice, rehearse your transitions, lay out your gear the same way every time.

If you're already running good distances and are comfortable on the bike you're already 2/3rds there.....

This will be a long rambling reply with lots of personal observations and my experience only. It is opinion. Maybe some will be helpful. I hope so!

It is deep in the off season for most of us. Right now and for a few more month I would build you base with lower intensity 75% HRM type workouts and some similar exertion level bricks that are not too much longer than your regular workout. If you ride 40 miles, do a 30 mile ride and 5K to get the weird feeling of running after riding.

Look up exercise TSS calculations. Unfortunately toxic shock syndrome results will dominate your google search. Just keep looking till you find it.

My trainer has done many Iron Man Triathlons. We are working on volume right now. I do 90 minutes every morning on the Tri bike. Recovery ride is the pace. If you don't know what a recovery ride is, just google it and the theory behind it.

Just a thought to consider on cycling. If you get into an aero position you seriously reduce your drag. People spend thousands on aero wheels! You can just learn to ride on the drops on a regular road bike or in the aero position on your Tri bike and save way more energy per mph. You don't need to spend money buying speed until you master the basic skills. Dont buy into the hype.

On bikes- Tri bikes center your hips more over the pedals. You can drive with your glutes and hamstrings more. It is easier to get more aero. If you really enjoy triathlons you may want to consider one. They are a little different feeling to steer but it is a skill you can master. Not required to do triathlons. You can do perfectly fine on a road bike! The Tri bike riding position will spare your running muscles a bit, so it is more than an aero advantage. A brick on a Tri bike will be easier than a brick on a road bike. I have both. I notice it.

Another important thing is your venue! If you are swimming a river, as my year end main Tri , it will matter if you are swimming with the current and how much easier that and your wet suit make it. You may find the swim will be much much easier than an open ocean swim. So looking at it in balance, you could spend lots of time training for a swim that will be so easy you will spend 30% of your training volume to only gain 6 minutes on your swim. That would be focusing on the area with the least to gain.

If it has a hard ride in hills, that is where that extra training time could have been better spent. You can pick triathlons that match your skills. A bad skill set match can make it much more difficult. If you struggle swimming, an open ocean swim would be brutal.

Anyway... As you can see, it is more than just swim, ride, run.

Triathlons are train to complete at first then train to compete.

Being able to do a brick and keep at 75% heart rate throughout is a critical skill!! It takes discipline to not want to ride too fast when people pass you on the bike. Go too fast on the bike and you will be setting yourself up for a bad run. It will be all about balanced exertion.

As BrianSharpe said, practice your transitions. Little things all add up! 3 minutes wasted fumbling in transition is very very hard to make up on course.

Good luck and have fun with it.

lyttlewon wrote: »

rbiss wrote: »

A good rule of thumb is to practice your weakest sport 3 times a week and you best at least once. The middle one twice. Work in brick workouts into training. When you feel comfortable you can stucture it more.

This is super helpful. Swimming is terrible for me.

BrianSharpe wrote: »

Swimming is my kryptonite hence I don't tri , I du..... but I digress...swim, swim & swim some more. You also want to incorporate some bricks too, the first time you run off the bike it's almost comical - your legs may feel rubbery - but practice makes perfect. Speaking of practice, rehearse your transitions, lay out your gear the same way every time.

If you're already running good distances and are comfortable on the bike you're already 2/3rds there.....

@BrianSharpe I did this once last year, went from stationary bike to treadmill, and it felt really weird. I didn't do it again. I don't see many of du races. Do you sign up for a tri, and just skip the water part?

@lyttlewon Late reply, sorry....

No a duathlon is run, bike, run. Some say they're more grueling than a tri because it's all legs. Normally the longest distances you'll see for duathlons is Olympic which is a 5K run, 40km ride & 10K run

I've done two half ironmans and grew up swimming and playing water polo. Totally willing to give you any advice you might want/need. Feel free to friend me!!!