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triathlon training advice
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Hi guys im after some advice for the situation im in, hopefully from experience but anything would be great. I have talked to a few people and got really different answers so interested to get some more views on it.


I havent raced many tris, I ran a bit when i was younger and been doing some racing on the bike recently. I want to be competitive in tri (non drafting oly and half) and am wondering the best way to get there. Im finding it really hard to balance and improve in all three, so is it best to focus on one or two sports or keep balancing all three? Im happy not racing tri for a couple of years to focus on one or two disciplines.


So has anyone given up one or two sports to get the big gains or would it be best to stick at all three and get the improvements slowly?
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Re: triathlon training advice [aaa333] [ In reply to ]
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You should give up swimming, biking and running. Get good at biathlon and then use those gains to be good at triathlon.


You have to train in all 3 to be 'competitive' at triathlon. My definition of competitive is to podium in age groups at medium/large races.

If someone is telling you that to become competitive at triathlon you should abstain from triathlon for a couple of years, then they are largely an idiot.

Sounds like you don't have a clue (sorry to be blunt). If you have the money get a coach as it'll save you lots of time in the long run. If you don't have the money find a online free training program and follow it religiously until you stop seeing performance improvements.

Some general rules (I'm sure someone will prove the first point for me shortly):
  • You will always get conflicting advice
  • Even if you get a coach, the advice they give you will probably conflict with advice others give you
  • There is no one training plan that is optimal for everyone
  • If you're brand new to the sport, you'll probably see lots of time savings by focusing on the bike early on
  • There will always be someone that tells you to not worry about the swim because it is so short it's not worth focusing on. Then a couple years into the sport, you'll wish you had worked on the swim more
  • You can buy a bunch of time with $$$$$, but you can buy 80% of that time with $$$$

The good news: just by getting out of bed and doing a bunch of swimming, biking and running you're going to improve a lot over the first 6-12 months.


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Re: triathlon training advice [dado0583] [ In reply to ]
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^ that. Well said
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Re: triathlon training advice [dado0583] [ In reply to ]
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dado0583 wrote:
You should give up swimming, biking and running. Get good at biathlon and then use those gains to be good at triathlon.


You have to train in all 3 to be 'competitive' at triathlon. My definition of competitive is to podium in age groups at medium/large races.

If someone is telling you that to become competitive at triathlon you should abstain from triathlon for a couple of years, then they are largely an idiot.

Sounds like you don't have a clue (sorry to be blunt). If you have the money get a coach as it'll save you lots of time in the long run. If you don't have the money find a online free training program and follow it religiously until you stop seeing performance improvements.

Some general rules (I'm sure someone will prove the first point for me shortly):
  • You will always get conflicting advice
  • Even if you get a coach, the advice they give you will probably conflict with advice others give you
  • There is no one training plan that is optimal for everyone
  • If you're brand new to the sport, you'll probably see lots of time savings by focusing on the bike early on
  • There will always be someone that tells you to not worry about the swim because it is so short it's not worth focusing on. Then a couple years into the sport, you'll wish you had worked on the swim more
  • You can buy a bunch of time with $$$$$, but you can buy 80% of that time with $$$$

The good news: just by getting out of bed and doing a bunch of swimming, biking and running you're going to improve a lot over the first 6-12 months.


Thanks for the info, I think I should have added some more info like where im currently at and my definition of competitive but you are the first person to say to train all three sports.

I was really hoping someone would be able to tell me their experience of how much backing off one or two sports effected their triathlon racing in the long run?
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Re: triathlon training advice [aaa333] [ In reply to ]
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I know what you are saying, and you are probably getting reasonable proposals in that regard.

It's kind of like do you want to go to school to get a job or get an education? And it depends on your situation:

I always wanted to learn to swim well, love the water and I love biking (been on a bike since I could walk!) so both were really no-brainers - and since I had a chronic and slow healing Achilles/ankle issue - boom there is your concentration on just the two sports, sacrificing the third which is the run. Not that I was a runner to begin with - never even owned a decent pair of shoes until a few years ago. But I got hurt just after entering my first track race, a 3000M and steeplechase.;0. After that event I was so stoked I over cooked it and damaged my Achilles.

Anyway after more than a year of all healing, witch doctors and no running, I went into two races this summer, did manage 2nd in the sprint tri and put together a solid 1-2 punch leading in the Oly, I got passed by my age groupers (and everybody else) in the run and just missed the AG podium on that one. Glad to survive to race another day tbt.

So this fall I am going to try to build up some run capability. But I have to sac biking for two reasons: #1 Mashing pedals aggravates my ankle/Achilles condition and #2 I need legs that are not knackered, so I can run evenings and weekends. Solution: the electric bike. I can still spin, commute on flat pedals and save my body for the training I need to do!!

I am still going to swim, how hard remains to be seen (3-4 times a week? I swim ~2-3K per day now).Bottom line this fall/winter is going to be a two-sport focus. And running or walking is so good for overall health/biking, I won't be losing much. Just hope the ankle hangs in & gets stronger.

Training Tweets: https://twitter.com/Jagersport_com
FM Sports: http://fluidmotionsports.com
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Re: triathlon training advice [aaa333] [ In reply to ]
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You're asking a bigger question than you realize, probably why there haven't been many replies - there's a lot of it depends in here.

First I'd want to know if there is any one of the sports you already have a knack for or seem to be improving quickly at? If so, then in the first year you may want to use that as the vehicle through which you gain entree into triathlon. As Sharkbait pointed out earlier, you sometimes have the emphasis thrust upon you and made obvious. For instance if you are in north america and seem to be getting better at running right now, then the fall is a great time to do a run block and target a fall half marathon or something like that.

Though if you truly are a blank slate, and all sports are equally accessible and doable for you, then I'll go ahead and suggest that you start on a balanced triathlon training program and within a few months, what you like more or what you do better, and what you need improvement on will make itself evident.

I don't think there are a whole lot of completely wrong answers when getting into endurance sports.

Good luck on your journey
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Re: triathlon training advice [aaa333] [ In reply to ]
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Get a training plan from the internet, and stick to it. Do a few races, and keep training. You'll see where your body responds, and figure out where to spend your time. But this little jewel here can be a guide for now:

Train for your weakness, race for your strength.

Simple enough, but if you are particularly strong, or weak, at one leg, this will help you figure out where to focus. I'm strong on the bike, weak on the run, so I tend to focus on run training to cover the weakness.

But, do not stop doing any of the 3 as you will see benefits from cross training. Swimming is less 'impactful' to joints, and cycling is less impact than running. Just pick a plan, start training, and you'll figure it out through experience. If you're just getting started you will improve a lot initially.

Most importantly, try to enjoy it.
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Re: triathlon training advice [aaa333] [ In reply to ]
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Something to keep in mind is that if you look at the splits of the top finishers at any race, all of the splits are also at the top. You aren't going to see someone who is disproportionately slow at one leg finish in the top. One leg won't win a race, but it will lose it. From my personal experience, I had one race where I finished 3rd, and each of my splits were in the top 10.

Train for all 3, but focus on your weakness.
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