First time poster. I've just finished my second triathlon season and I've gotten the bug. I've done two sprints and one Olympic each of the last two years. Next year I'm contemplating a HIM. I'm 48, an ex-HS competitive swimmer, and have run for general fitness off and on for last 15 years. Before starting tris I had no real biking experience. What's gotten me hooked is my bike performance. What has me frustrated is my slow running.
By way of example, here are my splits for the Chicago Olympic distance last weekend:
Swim: 29:52 (satisfactory but not stellar IMO)
Bike: 1:05:54 (Suprisingly strong, only 14 seconds behind my AG winner)
run: 52:34 (yuck!)
I don't feel I over cooked the bike and don't think I could have run much faster even if I backed off during the bike. I've never "raced" more than a 5k as a standalone run and my best 5k is 23 minutes. In training my best 10k is just under 50 minutes. In other words, I just run slow. For training this year I did nothing scientific. I was swimming 2 x per week approx. 2500 yards per session; biking 2-3 times per week with typically 2, 45 minute sessions on a stationary bike and one 2 hour "long" ride outside on the weekends. I'd run 2-3 times per week 4 to 6 miles each session, combination tempo runs and fartlek intervals.
I'd appreciate any thoughts on how to best improve my run without sacrificing the swim and bike and what a realistic goal for improvement would be given my age and limited time to devote to training. Also, how much additional training do I need next year to get ready for HIM.
By way of example, here are my splits for the Chicago Olympic distance last weekend:
Swim: 29:52 (satisfactory but not stellar IMO)
Bike: 1:05:54 (Suprisingly strong, only 14 seconds behind my AG winner)
run: 52:34 (yuck!)
I don't feel I over cooked the bike and don't think I could have run much faster even if I backed off during the bike. I've never "raced" more than a 5k as a standalone run and my best 5k is 23 minutes. In training my best 10k is just under 50 minutes. In other words, I just run slow. For training this year I did nothing scientific. I was swimming 2 x per week approx. 2500 yards per session; biking 2-3 times per week with typically 2, 45 minute sessions on a stationary bike and one 2 hour "long" ride outside on the weekends. I'd run 2-3 times per week 4 to 6 miles each session, combination tempo runs and fartlek intervals.
I'd appreciate any thoughts on how to best improve my run without sacrificing the swim and bike and what a realistic goal for improvement would be given my age and limited time to devote to training. Also, how much additional training do I need next year to get ready for HIM.