Since the end of last season I have been focusing on getting faster in all 3 disciplines. I have had to juggle the speed work since I’m also making the jump from Sprint distances to HIM distances. So far my training has been going well, my swimming has always been decent and although I could work on getting faster I feel like I can just make it up on the Bike and Run. I do still get in the pool about 2 times a week and work on my endurance. That leads me to my running…I have definitely made a lot of progress since last season on my run speed. In my Sprint’s I usually had a 7:50 pace, I can now do my “long run (9-11mi)” at around an 8:00 pace. So, I think if I continue my run pace will be fine.
So, as the subject says “Faster Bike Splits,” I want to mainly focus on getting faster on the bike. Since last season was my first season I had barely any time on the bike. I would usually go out once or twice a week for 15-20mi (at the time I thought that was a lot :)). Because of work and daylight I usually get on the trainer for an hour a week and then a long ride on the weekend. The long ride is usually 60 to 90 miles with some good hills, I usually average around 19mph. On straight sections I can average 23-26 mph for quite a while.
My question is what should I be doing to get my average over the 60-90miles higher? More spinning? More Hills? More Intervals? Any suggestions would be appreciated, feel free to comment on my swim and run strategy as well.
FYI, here is my goal (G-O-A-L) for my first HIM (+/-0:10 on any of the three, overall under 5 hours):
You just need a lot more time on the bike. 2 X per week is not going to get you there. You should be looking at a minimum of 3 X per week, 4 is better. One of those should be a longer ride (3-4 hours). The other rides will vary depending on how far you are from your goal race, the distance of your goal race, and what your weaknesses are. Rather than a 1 hour workout during the week and then 90 miles on the weekend, you would be much better off getting on the bike 3-4 times per week. If you can do more, great. Remember, more is more…
However, if you can average 19mph on a hilly course for 60-90 miles on two workouts per week, maybe you don’t really have a problem.
Mike
P.S. If you really can hold 19mph on a hilly course for 90 miles, you are getting pretty close. You will likely need a bit more run speed though. Either that or you will need to get stronger on the bike and then dial it way back on race day. Even 56 miles can thrash your legs and add 2 minutes to your mile pace easily.
Ok, so 56 miles in 2.30 hrs. This is 22.5 mph. Not a problem.
Your long rides should be at least 2 to 3 hours in length, to get used to the time you’ll be in the saddle. This you are doing.
You say you can do 23 to 26 on straight sections for a while. How long is a while? and do you mean flat, not straight? Twisty roads will make you slow down, but if you can do 23 mph on a straight 15% grade, you really don’t need our help : )
The trick is to get used to riding the speed you want to ride at, over shorter distances to begin with. For example, do a 10 mile TT, and try to get your time around 26 minutes. Once you can do this, up the distance to 25 miles, and try to get a 1.06 or 1.07. Then up the distance again. This is the really simple approach. If you are having trouble maintaining the speed for the 10 miles, shorter interval style workouts will help get the speed up. Hill riding is always useful to help build the power output.
For some of these TT rides, you’ll want to run off the bike so you can get used to the transition from a long ride to running.
At the risk of being glib and to state what is now a Slowtwitch cliche - do more of everything.
However, you need to be CLEAR as to what a bike ride in 1/2 IM is and what sort of shape you need to be in getting off of the bike, because there is still a long way to go aftre T2. Based on your race goals, you need to be fit enough to ride at about 22 mph for 56 miles and it feel/be nothing more than a moderatly hard training ride. If it’s anything more than that, you will not be able to run to the best of your run ability, all other things being equal.
Ah, sarcasm … I can’t wait until my children are old enough to understand. Vanessa is very quick though; for her it is not far off.
Merry Christmas Brian
P.S. As to the topic, try the Eddy Merckx approach. When asked what young riders need to do to improve he said, “Ride their bikes a lot.” It works pretty well for me. Especially since I got rid of the power meter and enjoy the rides more.
I’ll agree with what most others have said here … find more time to log more miles. More is more, in your case.
Somebody has a great signature line they use here … “speed is the icing on the cake and you don’t have a cake yet.” I think it was MattinSF who actually came up with that line. CLASSIC! For your case, I might suggest a a twist on that and say, “power is the icing on the cake and you don’t have a cake yet.” I’m a long-time roadie and I see some really awful stuff going on at triathlons on the bike. People don’t learn how to spin properly or efficiently, so they don’t stand a chance of applying power efficiently. Spend the next couple of months learning to spin the pedals on your bike as efficiently as you can. Learn to generate leg speed. The spin should come from the hip. Think of it like a big old locomotive engine where there was a huge drive wheel (the hip) connected by rails to the smaller wheels towards the front (cranks). Again, the spin comes from the hip. Teach your hips to help drive your feet in circles so you can efficiently apply power through nearly the full range of the pedal revolution. How? First, by mentally focusing on just what I’ve said. Second, by getting out on the road and finding the gear you’d be most comfortable in, and shifting down one to an easier gear and increasing your cadence instead. Spend a couple of months doing this as often as you can think about it. If you’re out on the road and you find you’ve settled into your favorite gear and you’re grinding away at 85 rpm … drop down a gear and spin at 100 rpm. Spin your legs at 100 rpm all the time. Don’t EVER coast. Don’t DARE ever coast unless you’re descending a 15% grade at 35 mph or more. Teach your legs to go in circles FAST. (Don’t worry … power will come later and, in the meantime, you’ll be building your aerobic engine.)
After a couple of months, you’ll know how to spin. You’ll have a cake to which you can add some icing! Then you can start using some harder gears and applying the power. Your legs will keep wanting to do the 100 rpm they’ve become accustomed to, despite the move to bigger gears. The result will be speed … and efficient speed at that! AND … you’ll have an efficient pedaling style that’ll breeze you through that 56 mile course and leave your legs plenty fresh for the run.
Just my 2 cents (or maybe a bit more). Good luck!
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