I’m relatively new to the triathlon world but have been swimming since I was six and riding for about 6 years. Running is something Im just now trying to learn. So my question is, what is the most effective way to take my strengths (cardiovascular, LT, and VO2) gained from the bike and swim and turn it into speed on the run? An example would be my first TRI I did over this past weekend. I was second out of the water held 26.6 mph on the bike (and had plenty left in my tank) but could only muster up 7.5min/miles on the run (it was a sprint distance). I feel like I should be able to run closer to 6-6.5min/miles. I consider my self to be fairly fit, 26 years old 5’11 and 158lbs. Is there a trick to this? I also am still trying to figure out proper run form but Im trying to learn to run on my forefoot and at a cadence of 90 or above. Any thoughts? or do I just need to run “intervals” more often in training? My goal is to focus on Olympic distance. Any ideas, thoughts, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Fitness is largely specific to the sport you are in. Sure there is “some” (largely negligible) cross over but for the most part do the same things that made you fast on bike and swim on the run but with a fast reduction in how much you do of them. Gravity is a bitch, be careful with her.
I’ve been running my whole life competitively. You answered your own question at the end–Intervals. The only way you are going to get faster is to run 1) intervals 2) hills and 3)plyometrics/strength training or at best, all 3. One thing you should learn from cycling is that you should train like you race. Make sure you throw a couple BRICKS in per week after bike sessions, especially after the bike intervals! And remember, quality over quantity if you are training for Olympic or less!! Happy Training
I’m relatively new to the triathlon world but have been swimming since I was six and riding for about 6 years. Running is something Im just now trying to learn. So my question is, what is the most effective way to take my strengths (cardiovascular, LT, and VO2) gained from the bike and swim and turn it into speed on the run?
Accept that you are going to have to give up some cycling fitness/speed in exchange for running fitness/speed.
One thing you should learn from cycling is that you should train like you race. Make sure you throw a couple BRICKS in per week after bike sessions, especially after the bike intervals!
One thing you should learn from cycling is that you should train like you race. Make sure you throw a couple BRICKS in per week after bike sessions, especially after the bike intervals!
well if the goal is to run faster, bad advice.
My experience with that type of training is it is great if the goal is to develop running injuries.
well if you want to triathlon faster, typically the faster your open run shape the faster your triathlon runs will be.
Fast is fast, to get fast you have to run fast, not feel like you are running fast when you are running :30 or more slower then you should be.
Or should we only do bike intervals after swimming?
“OH DEAR GOD MY COMFY AERO POSITION IS NO LONGER COMFY WHAT HAPPENED”
Or swim more.
But to the OP:
if you are new to running run with lots of frequency. It’s better to run 8-9x per week to get your 25mpw then run 4x.
After a bit subtract some frequency add that time back into 2 runs.
then after a bit of time increase the duration of one of those runs and a different run.
rinse and repeat
Your weight is not the barrier to you running much faster. Yes you’ll probably run faster if you lose a some weight but you should be able to improve quite a bit without dropping an ounce. I’m an inch taller than you and two pounds heavier and can run 5:3x /mile pace at the end of an Olympic-distance race. Of course, I doubt I could cycle within 5 mph of you so there’s your sport-specific fitness coming into play.
The way to get faster in running in a triathlon is pretty much the same as the way to get faster in a running-only. Get solid, consistent weekly mileage over the course of months. Run as many miles per week as you can without getting injured or sick of running or burned out or dramatically impacting your fitness in the other two disciplines. Frequency is important too, not just mileage. One or two of your weekly runs should be speed, the rest should be easy. Don’t turn every run into a speed workout.
And form most definitely does matter - quite a bit - but improving it significantly is something that more often takes years, not weeks or months. For most people, it is a lifetime proposition, not something you fix once and forget about. You will have some natural improvement in form without trying that happens merely from running but if you are like most of us, you really do need to pay attention to it. Treat your easy runs as an opportunity to work on it.
There is an entire WORLD of opinion out there on what is the best form and how best to improve it. There’s a lot of misinformation too. About the safest thing I can tell you on the subject is, every once in a while take yourself out to a smooth grassy field and run easily barefoot across it. For most people, that’s pretty close to how you should be able to run with shoes on pavement. The trick is to find the right form (and shoes) to allow you to do this.
I’m relatively new to the triathlon world but have been swimming since I was six and riding for about 6 years. Running is something Im just now trying to learn. So my question is, what is the most effective way to take my strengths (cardiovascular, LT, and VO2) gained from the bike and swim and turn it into speed on the run? An example would be my first TRI I did over this past weekend. I was second out of the water held 26.6 mph on the bike (and had plenty left in my tank) but could only muster up 7.5min/miles on the run (it was a sprint distance). I feel like I should be able to run closer to 6-6.5min/miles. I consider my self to be fairly fit, 26 years old 5’11 and 158lbs. Is there a trick to this? I also am still trying to figure out proper run form but Im trying to learn to run on my forefoot and at a cadence of 90 or above. Any thoughts? or do I just need to run “intervals” more often in training? My goal is to focus on Olympic distance. Any ideas, thoughts, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Short Answer = min 40 miles a week and 5 runs a week. Don’t worry about doing too many bike to run bricks. Make your key run sessions really count. Do one interval session, one temp session and one longish session a week.
And for God’s sake forget all that forefoot junk. Just run. The more you run the better your form will be. 90+ cadence = yes. short strides = yes. relax your body (arms, hands, legs, etc) = yes.
One thing you should learn from cycling is that you should train like you race. Make sure you throw a couple BRICKS in per week after bike sessions, especially after the bike intervals!
well if the goal is to run faster, bad advice.
My experience with that type of training is it is great if the goal is to develop running injuries.
Obviously you didn’t read the guys initial post. Seems he runs 6-6’30’s right now and during the Tri he ran 7’30’s. This would lead us to believe that he probably needs to work on 1) BRICKS or 2) he doesn’t need to kill himself on the bike and save a little legs for the run.
However, I will agree that if he wants to get faster running, the best practice is as stated earlier in my initial post:
“The only way you are going to get faster is to run 1) intervals 2) hills and 3)plyometrics/strength training or at best, all 3.”
There are many ways to get faster on the run, Vo2max (intervals), threshold, tempo, and simply logging the miles. Hills and plyometrics/strength training are not necessary to running fast.
Best advice. I tried some of the “running” methods, but my body has some abnormalities that go against them. Once I learned to just relax and let my body run how I want to, my speed increased, but most importantly the injuries stopped.
Obviously you didn’t read the guys initial post. Seems he runs 6-6’30’s right now and during the Tri he ran 7’30’s. This would lead us to believe that he probably needs to work on 1) BRICKS or
So how long did it take for you to translate your swimming fitness in to your current good cycling fitness? I’m sure you didn’t have 25mph there as soon as you started.
So your cardiovascular system is awesome. Now you just need to run. And I’m assuming you are very new, as in this is your first season of actually trying to be a runner. So don’t follow all the ‘do intervals’ advice.
You had your sights set too high hoping for 6:30 miles right out of the box (in a triathlon no less). So give it some time. Gradually work your way up to 40 miles per week of running (at 8:00 pace). Run a little every day. If it’s not a running day, do an easy 2 miles off the bike.
Just doing this will give you great improvement in your running, just not overnight. Don’t plan on this season being your running breakthrough. That might come next season.