I’m trying to evaluate my training, checking if I need to refocus my efforts. Tell me what you think. It seems pretty obvious, continue to focus on the bike. So far this season I have focused on endurance and force on the bike. Swimming has been cut back to minimum.
Here are the results from my last 1/2 IM, note the bike was reported to be 59 miles.
Swim 32:15, 12 out of 80
T1: 26 out of 80 T2: 19 out of 80
Bike 3:12, 54 out of 80
Run 1:58, 31 out of 80
Total 5:47:30 to finish 33 out of 80
I feel like I could have easily gone 2:00 faster in the swim. At least my transitions are OK!
How long have you been doing triathlons? Your limiter might simply be time to develop. Those aren’t bad times at all. What are your goals? To be fit? You’re doing that. To be top of the heap Elite? Better get a coach! Just to be “faster”…keep doing the training and it will come.
That last race was the end of my second season, and the end of about 15 months on a bike. I’ve got another 1/2 in 2 weeks, and then I’m going to do the same 1/2 in Oct. that the above results came from.
My goal is to make 5:30 in that Oct. 1/2. I’m pretty confidant that I can take 10+ minutes off my bike time right now. I know that my running is faster, but not much. In running, I can crank out 9’ miles for hours on end, literally, but I have a hard time going faster.
I’ve focused 5 months this season at building my steady state speed. I’ve used fewer number of weekly workouts but kept the same number of weekly hours (therfore each workout is longer). My speed and power at LTHR hasn’t really changed at all, but I have noticed that my steady pace speed (top of Friel’s zone 2) has increased quite a bit.
I’m definitely thinking about a coach, but my budget tops out at $100/month for a coach.
I would add that working on your biking would improve your biking and theoretically put less pressure on your run or allow you to save energy for the run
if you can run 9 min miles for hours on end, you need to figure out a way to run faster. especially if your doing that in a race. tempo’s, 2k repeats, 400’s etc.
With lots of base work, I’d recommend you add some speed(ier) workouts. It doesn’t have to be ridiculous, just pick up the pace to a level that you know you can’t sustain for an hour, and keep it there for 20 minutes, ease off just long enough to recover, and do it again, rinse and repeat. This should help raise your LT, wait, let’s don’t get into terminology, sometimes that gets in the way. Let me put it another way…this workout should help you to go faster without running out of gas. Same for your running…if 9:00 per mile is all you can do in a race, pick your pace up to 8:30 for half a mile, slow down to recover, and go again, rinse and repeat. These “interval-type” workouts are harder, but, if you don’t get carried away and try to run 7:00 mile pace, or 28 mph on the bike, it shouldn’t be too hard.
Just remember, when you take this interval-type medicine, just take a couple of pills, not the whole bottle.
Good points on the running speed. I’ve actually been trying that recently, first doing 4x8’ with 2’ rest at 10k pace, working up to 30’ solid at a little slower than 10k pace. I know I’m getting faster but the heat in this upcoming race may cause me to slow down a little. Otherwise, I’m really excited to see how things come out in 2 weeks.
With two weeks to go, don’t get too ambitious with changing things around much…you certainly don’t want to risk pulling up injured! Good luck on your race, let us know how it goes for you.