After IM WI in 5 weeks (2nd IM), I am going to embark on “rebuilding” everything triathlon related. I am a recreational (never did endurance sports in H.S. or college) triathlete that wants to make a leap for next year. My “natural capacity” for endurance sports is probably a little below average for triathletes in general, but not so bad as to make me give up.
Where I stand right now:
Swim: I am a very slow swimmer due to bad form.
Bike: Decent cyclist, but only because of decent natural capacity - I am unpolished to say the least
Run: Slow runner due to both semi-inefficient form and lack of natural capacity
Metrics regarding above comments:
Swim: 45 min 1/2 IM swim time + 37 min Oly time + 1:35 IM time. Bottom 20% for most tri’s.
Bike: Usually in top 25% in my age group for bike portion of most tri’s
Run: 50:00 min stand alone 10K’s and 23:30 5K’s. 4:21 IM run. 50th percentile for most tri’s.
What I have been doing:
Swim: Swimming on my own. No masters or anything formal.
Bike: Mainly trainer, with a few outside sessions when I have time. Very little group riding.
Run: Winter on treadmill, summer outside. Again, mostly on my own and exclusively long-n-slow.
So I am soliciting thoughts on how I should go about a “year of rebuilding” before next years IM WI, which will be my target race to mark my improvement (or not) from this year to next. I know I need a masters swim program and get a coach, but should I get a running coach too? I have never joined a running group, is that a good way to go about improving running form/speed/endurance? Should my focus be on improving the already (relatively) “strong” bike, or concentrate on swimming and running? For all the areas, should I be doing long endurance sessions, or intervals to get me faster?
I have a fixed amount of time (like most people) in the week to work on getting faster, so I am looking for bang for the buck over the course of the next year.
There are advantages and disadvantages to riding/running with groups. The primary advantages are the camaraderie, the development of bike handling skills and the fact that you can often push harder in a group than by yourself. The biggest disadvantages are the convenience factor and the lack of control you have over the pace of the workout.
Focus on your weak points (swimming/running). Intervals are a great way to get faster if you have a limited time to train, but it’s easy to do intervals improperly or to do too many of them. However, during the off-season it can be tough to do lots of interval sessions due to weather and motivation, so LSD is probably fine.
Generally, your toughest interval sessions should be scheduled relatively close to next year’s Ironman. If you do too much early in the season, you’ll burn out or peak at the wrong time. Take it easy early in the year, ease your way into structured training and gradually build volume and intensity with no huge leaps.
A triathlon and/or running coach would certainly be worthwhile. You have good long-term goals and a target race in over a year, which is very helpful from a planning standpoint. A good triathlon coach will be able to help you with running as well as triathlon, so you probably only need one coach for now.
To summarize, judging by your post you seem to be very organized and self-aware. Both of these qualities will help you immensely to improve your skills. Create some specific, measurable, attainable goals, both for your race next year and for various points mid-season. Focus your training on attaining these goals. Train your weaknesses and ride/run with groups when it fits your schedule. Get a coach for motivation and for additional long-term planning.
Do not take any of what I say here personally, but this would be my advice to you base on your abilities now…
You are a horrible swimmer, 1;35 for a wetsuit swim is pathetic. In a year you could easily become just a bad swimmer and do about a 1;10. That is 25 minutes right there. I met John Howard after his 80 Ironman where he swam a 1;52 non wetuist swim. He worked on it, and for about 5 weeks prior to the next hawaii, I worked with him a bit on his OW skills and some stroke work. He went 1;11 a year later, a 41 minute improvement, and that is without a wetsuit. It is much easier with one…
Your cycling is ok, and as someone else stated, ride in some groups if you have a chance. Get you fit looked at my someone that knows what a good fit is. That alone could save you 10 to 20 minutes…
Your run is slow, so focus on getting your average mile times faster. IF your 1 mile gets faster, it translates all the way down the line to the marathon. Of course you have to incorporate a long run every once in awhile, fit that into your schedule.
There is no reason that if you have 10 to 15 hours a week for most of your lead up, that you cannot knock off at least an hour. If you have more training time, it could even be higher… Good luck and have fun…