Question for tri-athletes

AlsDonkBoxSquat
AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
edited December 18 in Fitness and Exercise
This is just a general training question. When I was training for a triathelon a few years ago I when I was swimming I would focus on swimming, when I was biking I would focus on biking, and when I was running I would focus on running. The triathelon group that trains at my facility focuses on biking when biking, running when running, but when they're swimming they'll swim a few laps then get out an run around or mix it with dryland. I'm trying to understand the reasoning behind this, if they wouldn't stop in the middle of their weekend ride to run and then get back on the bike, why would they stop in the middle of swimming to run around? Is there something proven about the functionality of this?

Replies

  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    no one around here is training for a tri?
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Well, my swimming group hasn't done the running thing (when we're swimming we're swimming) but we do bricks as part of the dryland.
  • nirvi9
    nirvi9 Posts: 34
    ..
  • miss_september
    miss_september Posts: 153
    I train the way you used to, plus, I find it much easier to transition between the swim and the bike than I do between the bike and the run (my legs always feel like jello with sticks running through them--the sticks being my bones). So, I've never actually heard of that...
  • trijoe
    trijoe Posts: 729 Member
    Sometimes it can be difficult for a person to go from being horizontal (swimming) to being more vertical (biking). People can get woozy, spinny headed, or their bodies can have problems adjusting in a myriad of ways. I'm not saying this is the reason, but I know a bunch of people who do as many swim/bike workouts as they can, because it helps them get a better grasp at going from horizontal to vertical.

    Have you asked these people? I bet if you ask you'll get your answers, AND you may just meet a few great training partners, too!
  • TinaDay1114
    TinaDay1114 Posts: 1,328 Member
    Maybe the swim part of the triathalon they're training for takes place in really really shallow water ???!!?? :wink: OK, no constructive help here, just smart-*kitten* comments. I'd be interested in the real answer, though.
  • PennyNickel14
    PennyNickel14 Posts: 749 Member
    We do focus on swimming when swimming, but we also do some transition drills occasionally when we work on going from swimming to bike. So basically we get out of the pool and run around and try to do our checklists. I think it is more about getting people more used to the process.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    It's to help the body adjust to the swim/bike transition. They probably do the same thing (or will at some point) with bike/run transitions. The bike/run brick is much more common because it's generally harder on the body, but swim/bike bricks shouldn't be overlooked.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    Sometimes it can be difficult for a person to go from being horizontal (swimming) to being more vertical (biking). People can get woozy, spinny headed, or their bodies can have problems adjusting in a myriad of ways. I'm not saying this is the reason, but I know a bunch of people who do as many swim/bike workouts as they can, because it helps them get a better grasp at going from horizontal to vertical.

    Have you asked these people? I bet if you ask you'll get your answers, AND you may just meet a few great training partners, too!
    I have asked, they said something about it's their only chance to cross train. So that's why I asked about the biking and running thing and they said no and looked at me like I had 3 heads (who would even think about cross training biking and running?) So then I asked what their weakest leg of the tri is and they said swimming . . . ? I just can't bring myself to train with them because this logic is completely evading me. If swimming is your weakest leg of the tri why wouldn't you want to focus on it?

    I've gotten into obstacle racing, but have been thinking about returning to some tri training. This is the only group I know of, so I'll just go back to training independently I suppose.
  • koolmum
    koolmum Posts: 39
    It's called brick training and it sounds as though they may be practising their transition.
  • sailorsiren13
    sailorsiren13 Posts: 460
    how hard is it to transition from being a runner to tri-athlete? i have been checking out the magazines and one of the running clubs here did a local tri-athelon so it has me interested. i love all the sports indivually (spelling) but not sure how i would do getting them together i'm not a great swimmer....sorry op not trying to hi-jack you just the first time i've seen something on the subject.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    It's called brick training and it sounds as though they may be practising their transition.

    So should you brick train every time you train? they train swimming for 1 hour every tues and thrus morning and probably spend 25% of their time (or more) out of the water.
  • TinaDay1114
    TinaDay1114 Posts: 1,328 Member
    how hard is it to transition from being a runner to tri-athlete?... i'm not a great swimmer....sorry op not trying to hi-jack you just the first time i've seen something on the subject.

    I've wondered that, too. I also stink at swimming, but a tri still intrigues me.
  • scott091501
    scott091501 Posts: 1,260 Member
    It's called brick training and it sounds as though they may be practising their transition.

    So should you brick train every time you train? they train swimming for 1 hour every tues and thrus morning and probably spend 25% of their time (or more) out of the water.

    I have never seen a training plan written by a qualified coach that would call for this nonsense.
  • worldhurdler
    worldhurdler Posts: 153 Member
    Hmm, my triathlon training group has never done that. We will have 3-event club workout days, where it's 2 hours of swimming, an hour on the bike and an hour on the run, but we don't get out of the water once we're in it. And when I did their 9-week prep class before my first Olympic tri, we had swimming every Tuesday for an hour in a pool, and we never got out. Breaks, sure, but not leaving the water. And even when we're doing our normal Saturday bike + run workout, it's 90 minutes of biking followed by 60 min of running. Not intermingled.
    Strange!
  • chrisdavy239
    chrisdavy239 Posts: 21 Member
    Running goes very well with triathlon - go for it! People who are mainly runners often find the swimming the most challenging, but it just gives you an opportunity to develop another type of skill and fitness base. You'll probably be pretty solid on the bike.

    In ref to the original question re: broken up swim sessions - I hear people's comments re: brick/transition training. However, the swim is such a technical part of the race, much more so than the bike/run sections, I'd be surprised if you need to do this sort of session every time. I would also be getting horrifically frustrated. Can you opt out? i.e. - when they all head off to run or do whatever, just stay in and keep working on whatever you've been doing, or swim a few intervals or something?

    A bit of transition training is useful, but it's a very small part of swimming, especially if, as you say, the swimming itself is indeed the weakest aspect for the club as a whole.

    Maybe you can find a separate swimming group and train with them? Then just do the bike and run sessions with the triathletes? I would also argue that the bike/run brick is of vastly greater importance than the swim/bike transition.
  • koolmum
    koolmum Posts: 39
    It's called brick training and it sounds as though they may be practising their transition.

    So should you brick train every time you train? they train swimming for 1 hour every tues and thrus morning and probably spend 25% of their time (or more) out of the water.

    Not every time. Maybe once a week. It's usually a long session ~ like 3-6 hours depending on where you're at with distance.
    Maybe they're slowly building swimming endurance? Or, waiting until they can swim in a lake? I have no other ideas unless they are all stellar endurance swimmers and don't need to train!
  • scorpio516
    scorpio516 Posts: 955 Member
    This is just a general training question. When I was training for a triathelon a few years ago I when I was swimming I would focus on swimming, when I was biking I would focus on biking, and when I was running I would focus on running. The triathelon group that trains at my facility focuses on biking when biking, running when running, but when they're swimming they'll swim a few laps then get out an run around or mix it with dryland. I'm trying to understand the reasoning behind this, if they wouldn't stop in the middle of their weekend ride to run and then get back on the bike, why would they stop in the middle of swimming to run around? Is there something proven about the functionality of this?

    Cause they hate swimming.

    Sure they are bricks, but they should have real swim workouts too. Usually, you only have a brick once a week or so. And 90% of the time, they are bike-run bricks. Coming off the bike can be odd, because of the change of leg motions.
    People take so long in T1, swim-bike bricks aren't as useful. That and how often are you in a pool that you can be out of and riding a bike within 3 minutes?
  • valeriebpdx
    valeriebpdx Posts: 497 Member
    how hard is it to transition from being a runner to tri-athlete?... i'm not a great swimmer....sorry op not trying to hi-jack you just the first time i've seen something on the subject.

    I've wondered that, too. I also stink at swimming, but a tri still intrigues me.

    Depends on how good you want to be. :) I am a runner only, but I did several sprint triathlons and a run-swim bi while I lived in Hawaii (it was easy there--no wetsuit). I sucked on the swim leg, sucked slightly less on the bike leg, made up some time while running, and finished middle of the pack. It is not hard to finish--just invest in all the gear and spend time swimming. It is harder to be great--then you have to worry about practicing transitions, lots of miles on the bike, lots of hours swimming. I don't really feel a pull to do it again, here, where you need wetsuits.
  • scorpio516
    scorpio516 Posts: 955 Member
    how hard is it to transition from being a runner to tri-athlete?... i'm not a great swimmer....sorry op not trying to hi-jack you just the first time i've seen something on the subject.

    I've wondered that, too. I also stink at swimming, but a tri still intrigues me.

    Good thing for you, swimming is the least important part ;)

    In an Olympic tri, you are swimming for 1500m. You are in the water for 20:00 to half an hour. Then you are on the bike for 40km (one to 1.5 hours). Then you are running a 10k (40:00 to 1 hour). Being 20% slower swimming (2 minutes) isn't that big of a deal ;) .

    Or you could just do duathlons. The ones I do are a 5k running, then a 20km bike, then another 5k running. "Olympic" dus are usually 5k, 40k, 10k.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    It's called brick training and it sounds as though they may be practising their transition.

    So should you brick train every time you train? they train swimming for 1 hour every tues and thrus morning and probably spend 25% of their time (or more) out of the water.

    No, bricks are short and intense. You also want to do base workouts - slower and longer so you can handle the distances of each leg.
  • yokurio
    yokurio Posts: 116 Member
    Brick Training Explained.

    Not sure if you looked it up already.

    http://www.martygaal.com/words/bricks.html
  • down_ell_beez
    down_ell_beez Posts: 23 Member
    I did an Ironman 70.3 a couple years ago. When I first started training only did focused training. My whole workout would be only swimming, biking or running. Some days I would do two-a-days (swim in the morning, run at night etc). Then as my training progressed and I got closer to the event date I would do brick workouts. Swim outdoors straight into a bike or bike right into a run. I never went back and forth though.

    One thing they might be trying to accomplish is to get used to the odd vertigo feeling you get from going straight swimming to the transition run. I know that when I get out of the pool I'm often slightly disoriented, and it takes a few steps to get into that run. So they could be practicing for that. The ironman I did had about a 100 m run to where the bike area was.
  • laurcampbell
    laurcampbell Posts: 54 Member
    how hard is it to transition from being a runner to tri-athlete? i have been checking out the magazines and one of the running clubs here did a local tri-athelon so it has me interested. i love all the sports indivually (spelling) but not sure how i would do getting them together i'm not a great swimmer....sorry op not trying to hi-jack you just the first time i've seen something on the subject.

    I think it depends on how much endurance running you do and how seriously you would look to compete in the tri. I am a longer distance runner so I felt comfortable I had the endurance to finish when I registered for my first tri - granted it was a sprint tri series and all females (SheROX series / .25mile swim / 12 mile bike / 5k run). But I can honestly say that aside from the occasional brick training going from 5-10 miles on the stationary bike to jumping on the tread for 3 miles I didnt do much else to train, never even jumped in the pool or ocean to swim a lap and biked on my beach cruiser the day of haa...now granted it took me about an 1:05 to finish and I did the breast stroke and woke up with a sore neck from it but aside from that I felt great and had a blast(even went for another 18 mile bike ride that night to keep my husband company while he ran)! I was there to just to have fun and all the women were so encouraging - really recommend the SheROX series to anyone looking to get into tri's and for training it is probably best to do more than I did but definitely include brick training (it is the weirdest feeling going from the bike to a run).
    Have fun and good luck!
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