Please critique my triathlon

[shorewife]

I raced in an Olympic tri yesterday and am not too happy about my results so am looking for some advice on how to improve.  I finished in 3:15 but thought I could finish around 3 hours.  The big problem appears to be my biking but I'll summarize the whole race.
   
The swim was .9miles in the river.  It was cold but calm.  I didn't really calm down though until about halfway but I also didn't get in any open water swims before this race so I'm mostly happy with my swim.

As soon as I got on the bike I started getting passed like I was standing still.  I have an older entry model road bike and I know now that the air pressure in my tires was a little low but I'm pretty sure the problem is more the biker than the bike.  The course was a little hillier than I'm used to and it started to rain about 5 miles into the 25 mile ride, but I don't think the weather really slowed me down all that much.  How do I improve my biking - just lots more time in the saddle?

I'm mostly happy with my run too (it was a 10k).  It turned into a little bit of a trail/mud run in the middle which is out of my comfort zone but I felt okay during the run.

As far as transitions, they seem to be about average although there is probably room for improvement here too.

Here's the link to the results (I'm Ginny Kropac):
raceforum.com/2013/RBTriAG.htm#%20122

Thank you in advance for your help!

[sadlebred]

If your bike is not in good working order it could affect your time. Tires should generally be run at 100-110 psi. If they are too low it increases the rolling resistance. Pump up your tires daily. Have your LBS give your bike a thorough tune up (this will not be free).

What was the distance and what was your average speed?

[sadlebred]

Tires in the above post refers to road bike tires that are being used on a paved road in dry conditions. Run 90-100 when it is raining.

MTB and cyclocross tires are totally different.

[shorewife]

I just had my bike tuned up a few months ago. I had my chain slip on a hill so that's why I just took it back to LBS today and he said they were too low and he was surprised I didn't pop a tire (ack!!)

The distance was 25 miles and I averaged 14.8mph

[sadlebred]

You need more time on the bike. The best way to become a better cyclist is to ride your bike. Do you have a training plan? That's component number 3 (after more saddle time and a good bike tune up).

[kams]

Seriously, take my "advice" with a grain of salt because I am at a place in my training where I feel like I don't know my ass from my elbow, and there are much more experienced triathletes on the board.

This wasn't black bear, was it? Bc I heard that bike course was a mothereffer and the weather was terrible.

First, though, is that it's super hard for me to look at the data and tell you what you should have done better, on a course i dont know, especially with the weather. Your bike time is disproportionately slower than your swim/run, but you already know that that was the weaker spot on the day. Weather and tire pressure absolutely matter, though.

I think with a faster t1 and a better day on the bike, you would have been right at about 3. Don't get too down - an Olympic is a big accomplishment at any speed and you did a great job. Jump on the bike a bit more (which is exactly what I really need to do), and enjoy your next one! Every race is a good race.

[kams]

Oh, and the only other thing I would personally do is spend a bit more time in open water. If I didn't calm down until the second half of the swim, it would mean I wasted a lot of energy. That may possibly translate to more difficult bike & run legs if you're anything like me.

[shorewife]

I do have a training plan but I'm planning to add 2 more bike sessions per week to it and possibly cut out one of the 2 swims(I actually am a pretty strong swimmer). And make the 1 swim in open water whenever possible!

Thank you for the positive feedback. It does make me feel (a little) better

Oh and no - it was the Red Bank tri in NJ.

[katandkevin]

The tires could be part of the problem. The best way to improve on the bike is to spend more time on it. Work in a speed workout every week. How many bike workouts do you have per week? i don't know that adding more bike days is necessary especially if it means cutting out other workouts. I wouldn't cut out swims even if you are a strong swimmer. The biggest problem I saw in your results was your transition times. You were in there for 6 and 4 minutes respectively. I would spend some time streamlining what you are doing in there and practicing so you can get your times down.

[trigal]

Adding more cycling workouts isn't necessarily the answer. You have to make sure you are not only putting the time in on the bike, but use the time wisely - speed/tempo rides, hill repeats, etc. Also note that it takes much longer to build a cycling base than running or swimming, so be patient!

Great job!

[shorewife]

The plan I used for this tri was from training peaks with 2 swims 2 runs and 3 bikes per week. I was going to add a 4th bike to the plan for this next time, and after yesterday was when I thought to add the 5th bike and cut a swim but that doesn't seem to be the answer. I'm trying to find some group rides too so maybe that will help? I'll definitely work on practicing my transitions.

How much longer to build a base for biking? In time for my next tri in August??

[katandkevin]

My training plans have me doing an easy ride, a speed workout, and a long ride along with 2 one hour runs and a long run and 2 hour swims. I don't think adding more bike days will help, you just need to work out smarter. Do you have a trainer?

[shorewife]

Ok that makes sense. No trainer but it is something I have considered.

[joenali]

Also, I looked at your transition times in T1. You could also work on that. It was almost 4 minutes. Maybe that is because swim finish was further away, but transitions are always something you could practice as well.

[gumi]

I actually think you did well. Everyone has a long T1 (it took some lady 10 minutes!!) But your T1 time seems on par with the rest. It doesn't mean it cant be faster, but it wasn't bad. In a race where top athletes are doing 2:30, a 3:15 is just fine. I imagine most people could go faster on a different course/different conditions.

But it's good you realize your weakness and the bike is the worst place to have a weakness because it takes the most time. Sometimes we have to alter our training plans to accommodate our weaknesses. For example, I friend who recently got her PRO card. She has been doing great on the ITU circuit (definitely Olympic bound). She was a swimmer her whole life so out of the 3 disciples, she swims the least. She "only" swims 4 times a week. You know how many times she said non-swimmers swim per week? NINE. And this is why I will never be professional!! And, I know that is not your goal either but you get the idea behind success - we need to train our weaknesses, even if its not what we love to do. Training plans (not designed specifically for you) do not take into account what you are good at.

With just a little bit of work, I have taken my bike time down from 1:20 to 1:08. That is 12 minutes. With even more work, I have taken my swim time down from 29 to 27 minutes - 2 minutes. So -- if time is an investment, invest on the bike first.

Also realize that bike speed is not just how fast you peddle, but how efficient you peddle. Do you have a good upstroke? Also, how well you handle your bike. Do you break a lot on turns? Can you do a tight u-turn? Do you know when to change gears? Do you keep your cadence up on the downhills? A lot of these things are really easy to learn and make a huge difference.

[katinthehat]

Have you ever done a lactate threshold test on your bike? My husband had me do one and I was really, really surprised at the results. Actually, I had to do two because I sold myself short on the first one. I just thought I couldn't push hard or fast on the bike but doing that test told me otherwise. Since doing that, my average speed has jumped up by about 2 mph.

[shorewife]

Gumi - I'd say I'm not 100% comfortable riding my bike on the roads at this point so my turns and braking are probably not great. I do think I know how to shift pretty well and try to use this to control my cadence. I have clipless pedals but I don't know if that means it helps my upstroke or not?

Katinthehat - no but it sounds fascinating....what is it?!

[katinthehat]

here's a brief description of it - Start the stopwatch, or use a cyclocomputer with a stopwatch mode, as you begin the test. Perform a 10-mile time trial or long, moderately steep climb at the fastest pace you can sustain and at a steady effort with no loss of speed. Your heart rate should stabilize after about five minutes. Record your finishing time. Assume that the average heart rate you achieved and sustained is your lactate threshold. Make sure you complete a cool-down after this hard effort.

www.active.com/cycling/Articles/_i_Serious_Cycling__i___How_to_determine_your_lactate_threshold

What I did (riding on a 1.1 mile closed to traffic loops) was I took my watch off of auto lap. So I started with a ten minute warmup and hit the lap button. Then I rode, hard, for 10 minutes, hit the lap button again, rode hard, but at the same steady pace, for 20 minutes, hit lap, ride has hard as I can for 1 mile, hit lap, and then did a cool down.

My lactate threshold pace is the average speed at which I rode that 20 minute portion. I throw in that extra mile surge at the end to judge how hard my efforts were during the 30 minute portion. The first time I did one, my average speed on that last mile was higher than my 30 minute speed, meaning I didn't go hard enough. The second time, it dropped, meaning I was d.o.n.e.

Here's how that translated in real life for me. Before doing this, most of my rides averaged about 13 mph. Ouch. My first test, I averaged 16.3. My second test, I averaged 17.7. Since the second test, my workout rides have all averaged above 15 mph. I know I can push myself more than what I was doing before. Then the bike leg of the tri I just did (over a much hillier course than I usually ride), my average was 17.9 mph.

It seems like a technical thing that a lot of people don't know about or how to do (or even why you would do one) but just in the short time since I've done mine, it's helped immensely.

[gumi]

May 22, 2013 15:35:28 GMT -5 shorewife said:

Gumi - I'd say I'm not 100% comfortable riding my bike on the roads at this point so my turns and braking are probably not great. I do think I know how to shift pretty well and try to use this to control my cadence. I have clipless pedals but I don't know if that means it helps my upstroke or not?

Katinthehat - no but it sounds fascinating....what is it?!

If you haven't concentrated on your stroke, that is a good thing to work on.  There are actually 4 components (since its a circle):  the kick out, the push down, the pull back and the pull up.  A lot of people just focus on the push down, and then they only get half the power.  If you are riding indoor, you can watch/listen to your chain.  A good peddle stroke will result in a smooth, quiet chain.

If you are not comfortable on your bike, I suggest a bike handling class.  It doesn't matter how much speed you can produce if you I am going to catch you on every corner.  An object in motion stays in motion so its easier to maintain speed than it is to break, accelerate, break, accelerate.

It reminds me of a hilly race last year - I asked the winner what her top speed was...mine was like 32 (downhill, obvs) and hers was like 45!  I immediately thought, "well, it must be her awesome tri bike."  But like you said, it's the rider, not the bike.  While I was putting energy on being steady and gripping my handle bars, she was putting energy into her peddle - high RPM, high gear.  Someone once explained it to me as "there should be no easy or no hard part of any course.  Your output (effort) should always be the same."