Used to be…about 30 years ago. I ran on the university XC run team, but I think I pretty much got the times (32:30) because I also raced on the NCAA nordic team & at that time…my lungs were larger back then from all the ski training. The only thing I really recall from those days about the training, was that nordic ski training made triathlon training seem like “Beginner Session” no matter which of the 3 sports it was. I think the pain wiped out my memory of exactly what we did, but old training logs may tell the story. But it was painful.
While I don’t do too much triathlon these days, and have been focusing mainly on running for the past few years, this might be relevant.
2015 - 35:02 after a bit of downtime
2016 - 33:08 after more run focus
2018 - 31:32 a month after a 2:27 marathon, ran a 15:10 5k although I’m sure I could have been quicker had there been more competition to work with
2019 - goal is a sub 31 on Monday, a month after a 2:23 marathon. This was off the P&D 18 week 85+ plan, averaging 100 miles a week during the build
I ran 32:40 in 2015 while training purely for triathlons.
There wasn’t any real magic formula for it that I can remember. I started running when I was 27 and went through a long period in which I was getting injured frequently (stress fractures). 2015 I think was just a combination of being the right age and finally staying healthy long enough. I was running about 50-60km / week with a lot of it being at fairly high intensity. At the time I was training with a number of junior elite athletes who have since gone on to run on scholarship in University so I had a lot of people to chase after.
I was one at one time - from a long time ago.
But I came to triathlon from a high level running back-ground and had run 31 mins for 10K on the road when I came into triathlon.
I did not lose that much in my first few years in triathlon - as I recall standalone runs breaking 16 a few times for 5K, running a few 32 min 10Ks and 1:12 for a few 1/2 marathons.
What changed was that the “filler miles” when I was only running were replaced by swimming/cycling. I was still running 3 - 4 days/week, but it was almost all “quality” work of some kind- a track session or hard fartlek, a tempo run holding sub 6:00 min/mile pace for 30 - 40 mins, maybe a hill workout and perhaps one longer steady run!
Do you think that applies within a certain range only or is it generic? //
Well looking at our 70+ year old friend here on the forum, it looks to be pretty generic, regardless of age. Of course it is not a universal thing, but even the pro guys are pretty close.
And I almost never ran on a track, all our hard runs were mostly fartlek in big groups back then. It was great, no matter what run you went on, there was someone faster, or having a better day, or would go in the tank further. It was like going to 2 or 3 running Races every week, then doing an actual race on the weekend.
And the bike and swim definitely helped fill in fitness gaps. The bike especially, since it is using your legs, it was good for hill strength running. Volume was not that high, 200 to 250 miles a week, to go with about 30 running. I recall Simon Lessing commenting that he rarely ran over 30 miles a week, and it was very rare that anyone every outran him in a race…
I came from a cycling background and started running some for fitness and ended up becoming a triathlete. These times are what I recall all as a triathlete:
2003 I ran 15:12 at the Carlsbad 5000 (22 years old)
2004 31:30 ? at Phoenix New Times 10k
2009 1:09 at Rock n Roll Seattle Half Marathon
2016 32ish in a couple of 10k’s
2016-18 hurt my heal and didn’t run much for 2 years.
2019 Just ran 15:44 at Carlsbad 5k, the day after a hard cycling road race… Now 10+ pounds heavier than 2003, (But I do have the fast 4% shoes 
getting serious again and want to run faster than ever as a new goal, within triathlon training, we’ll see… 39 years old now, will be a challenge!
I’ve always mostly just run, I’ve never run as well off the bike as I “should have”. Lots of 45 minute treadmill runs at 7 minute pace. Maybe averaged around 30-35 MPW.
—Adding the session I was proud of, I think probably the best I ever ran (by how I felt) was before Kona in 2007. I ended up walking a lot of that Ironman “run” unfortunately. I recall running mile repeats prior to that, 6x1 mile descending starting mile 1 at 4:55 and finished around 4:40 for mile 6. These I believe were on a 7:30 send-off so roughly 90 seconds between each just standing rest. I did very few sets like this over the years, but I was trying to do something serious for run training for that Ironman. It didn’t seem to translate to the big race day.
Finally broke 33 in a 10k ans actually felt pretty good doing it.
Over the last 8 month or so I tried to run around 50k a week and I also rode quite a bit and hard.
Did some shortish Duathlons and running races this season. I never swim. My bike training looks like that of a long course guy. Lots of steady 4-5h rides in the mountains and some long 10-20min grinding intervals.
I have no running sessions I am really proud of other than races. I never really pushed the envelope in training. A lot of intervals were comfortably hard. Always finished with a good feeling.
I tried to do a road session like 8 x 1k or 10 x 2’ once a week and that often was with a pace between 3:10 and 3:20 per k.
Most of those sessions were on tired legs though, for example the day after a hard 6 hour bike ride.
Some other hard runs were straight off the bike as bricks or some were just hard uphill running.
I think the most important factor that 3:18 pace suddenly felt natural and runable in a “relaxed” way was consistent work without pushing too hard.
Hope this helps you.
I’ll brag a little. In 2018, I ran a 15:15 road 5k, 31:03 road 10k, 1:13 half (in a 70.3), and 2:24 marathon all while triathlon training. I was running 40-50 miles per week average (along with swimming and biking), and a few key workouts I did that I think helped were:
4 x 1 mile repeats in 4:50-4:54
3 x 5k in under 16:20
a few times I did 3 x 10 mins @ 5:20 at the tail end of a 20+ mile long run
Most of my speed sessions were done on a track because I was focusing on speed, not terrain. I’m hoping to drop all those times in 2019.
what is your rest between sets?
1 lap jog for mile repeats (~2:00) and 2 laps jog for the other two sets (~4:00).
I’ve run sub 33 off the bike a handful of times, but came from a running background (5km PR 14.27/ 10km 30.29). When I started triathlon I definitely slowed quite a bit, but as I improved on the bike I began to pick the pace up again - being strong on the bike definitely helps the run. Now at 37 yrs old I can run 33 off the bike again and 1.15 in a 70.3 on my best days, still yet to run a great IM marathon.
My favourite workouts in prep for Standard distance or 70.3 are time based rather than distance, this alleviates time pressure. Sets like 6x 5mins off 90 rest, close to @3.00/km. 8x 2mins off 60 secs build (1min just above 3.00/km/ 1min below 3.00/km). Also highlighting good strength from the long run, I consistently run 18-25km for long runs, but only clear about 50km/ week.
**Triathletes running a sub-33 almost certainly had years of running in their legs starting at least in high school and likely in college as well. So unless you have a pure running background and the genetics, good luck. **
True. I was doing this (running sub 33 min 10Ks) when I first got into triathlon in my early 20’s. I had come from a running back ground starting to get serious about the running at about age 15 - so it had been 5+ years of some higher level running prior to that.
When I got into triathlon, what fell by the wayside for running were those filler-runs, that really did nothing and I focused on the tempo runs, intervals and hill sessions more, with longer slower runs up to 2 hrs ounce per week in the true off-season.
Here I am trying to run a sub 40, 10k. lol
Triathletes running a sub-33 almost certainly had years of running in their legs starting at least in high school and likely in college as well. So unless you have a pure running background and the genetics, good luck.
Agreed. Might be able to do it on genetics alone, but most unlikely…
started as a pure runner in HS, after ten years of consistent run training, age 24, got to 33:40 at Denver altitude… converts to sub-33 at sea level. Typically 60 miles/week and more in ultra training.
5k time 15:50 on the road, at sea level. Many 16-low times at altitude, never got under 16 but once, on the track (getting lapped by the first 3 finishers).
Best interval session, 24-hour relay race, ran a mile every 55min or so averaging 5:19…
then took a 50-hour week job, added postgrad studies to that, and stalled out in run progress for a couple of years. Then cerebral malaria which was the end of run PRs altogether…
I don’t have a “running background” and sometimes I wonder how fast I could run now had I trained with a track club from age 14.
I had an alpine skiing background and took up running for myself at age 17. I never trained with a group or a coach and had to figure it out all by myself.
At first I did every mistake out there. Pushing too hard all the time, eating too little, being impatient etc.
It took me 9 years to get to sub 33. But I guess it took a fair bit longer than necessary because of all the mistakes I made in the first years.
I hope I have some more years of consistent, smart training ahead and then I’m sure I can improve further. It’s all about thinking long term and being patient.
My first few years in the sport I could do it almost anytime. I come from a running background and ran 31:45 when I was 17 so I had a good start. When I first got into tris people would look at the results board and wonder if they screwed up since my 1500m swim was only a little faster than my 10k run and my first few years I would regularly break 33 at the end of a tri… 20 years ago I did my first ironman and raced a mid-33 10k 6 weeks later but haven’t been sub-33 in 20 years … but I did get faster with my tri-racing and swimming!
I found it hard to keep the real high end run speed along with doing high bike miles and trying to improve my swimming. Too much risk of injury doing the necessary intensity the day after a hard bike, etc. and trying to balance work and family.
I turn 53 next week and would like to try and break 39 next time I race a 10k… but it will have to wait since IM Lou is next on my priority list.