Am I slow?

Pull up an upcoming tri, one you have sheduled or are considering scheduling. Then check last year's results to see where you stack up.

Yeah, those times are slow, the run is average to slow. But so what? Everyone has to start somewhere.

+1 on what Bear said.  Your early in your training, you will get faster.  Have fun and don't sweat it.  Good luck!

Don't feel bad man.  This is my first year and I'm slow too. 

When you say you bike 15-16 is that flat or hilly areas and at what distance?
When you say you run at 6.2 MPH, at what distance is that and is it treadmill or hilly terrain outside?

6.2 MPH, sounds like you're running on a treadmill?

To answer your question, who cares!  Once you cross that finish line, be it sub 1:00 or more than 3:00, you will be so extatic that you finished your 1st tri and be driven more than ever to get faster next time!

Don't let your  speed/time deter you! You are not looking to qualify for Kona are you? I'm really slow too and finished in the top 1/3rd of my first tri and the top 1/4 in my second.  You may be surprised how well you do. 

I love the quote that goes something like, "You finished what 99.9% of people never started" So true!

All these times are outside, on somewhat hilly terrain. I always tend to focus on distance rather than speed.  This bike speed average is on rides over 30 miles. My runs right now are usually about 4 miles. This morning I did a 4 miler in 39minutes flat. I did my first 1000 meter swim last night.
BTW, I intend to find out exactly where I'll finish next spring!!

Gonna start with a sprint. I'm sure my race times will be faster. i've run a few half marathons, and my race day times are always faster than my training times. Adrenaline I guess.

Edited by titeloops 2009-08-28 2:07 PM

Yes, you are slow.

I ask because I know that the biking around me is very hilly.  In fact, I really want to find a flatter route so I can see if I am really as slow as my average mph show.  haha  One thing I notice in your logs is that your heartrate doesn't seem to high while you are averaging 16mph so it would seem you have quite a bit left in you to push harder.  What I have read on this forum is that these folks usually recommend lots of time in the saddle and interval training to build up speed. 

For the swim, if you are doing 3-4 min / 100's, you may see the greatest benefit from a coach to make sure you have your technique right first.  My 100's are at 1:40 and I want to get a coach to get that down a bit before I just work on getting faster.  I don't want to just put a lot more effort and energy into moving with bad form.

You will be in great shape for a sprint in the spring.

You will be a BOPer, although most everyone starting without a competitive swim bike or run background starts there too, so no problems!

Agree on the swim thoughts above.  3 min per 100 is slow, but 4 is really slow.  Case in point:  My last sprint Tri had a 1/2 mile swim in good conditions and there was only finisher out of 332that swam slower that 3:00 per 100 and he swam 3:08.  If you are at all swimming efficiently you should be able to take it easy and swim sub 3:00 per 100.

Good idea on starting with a sprint.  You have all fall and winter to get prepped!

If Stewie was answering he'd probably say something like this:



But seriously, most triathlons won't cut you off if you're real slow.  You're doing it for yourself.  Just being out there and participating is what it's all about.

You go the speed you go right now.  Training will improve everything.

My first tri goal last March was to finish, and not come in dead last.  I fell off the bike at T1, lost my water bottle, and had to walk up one of the hills, and walk on the run, but I did finsih and not last.  In fact 1st in my age group (56 years old).

Now after this year of training, I am much more ready for Pumpkin Man and my first Marathon in December.  Bring it on. 

You will see how so much improvement after some serious training.  Good luck and have fun.

You're fast compared to me.
It's all relative.

My motto is someone's gotta come in last, might as well be me, heh heh.

Agreed with it's all relative.  Once I stopped obsessing with how slow I was (similar times to yours) I started having way more fun with tri.

I tell ya one thing, I'm a hell of a lot faster at the race than the folks still in bed that morning!

It also all depends on the race, around here we have some races that people consider 'entry level' because they have a lot of first timers, riding mountain bikes, swimming in swim trunks etc. Slow is a relative term, so BoP... probably, but as people above have said, it gives you a direction to progress. I started off this season towards the middle, pushing the back of pack. I saw significant throughout the year and my last tri was 7/42 in my AG. If you spend the time in the pool, you will get quicker on the swim as long as you are doing the right things. The main thing I can say here is do not fight the water, you want to glide through it, not beat it up so it gets out of your way. The easier it feels like you are moving, the less tired you get, and eventually you will start gaining speed from it.Bike, you said it is hilly around you, thats not a bad thing. My first race my bike was between 17 and 18 average. Hills are good for training, anybody I have biked with look at me like I am crazy when we get done riding up a big hill and I turn around to do it again. The only way to get stronger is by pushing yourself. I did not make my 20MPH average goal this year (may have 1 more shot at it) but I expect to work hard on the bike over the winter.Run - 6.2 sounds like a treadmill speed. Keep working on running, do some reading about HR training, and look at getting some sort of HR monitor. It makes a difference, especially if you are headed into the winter season to train. You will be amazed at the progress you can make with a good plan.

You will be near the back in most, but keep at it.  

Just enjoy it, we really are fortunate to be in a position to compete in such events.  Go have fun, enjoy the people and the healthier lifestyle.  Next year worry about times.  It is a great group of people in this arena of sport.

I think your approach is right for you for right now. You said your training is mainly focused on distance, not pace. IMO, this is a very wise way for you to approach your training as a beginner. Forget about pace for now. Build up your distances at a pace that is comfortable for you right now, and that will help you avoid injury. The speed will come, grasshopper.... I believe you said your first race will be next spring, which gives you LOADS of time to prepare. Continue to build your distances, and after you have been comfortably training for serveral months, you might want to consider adding some speedwork to your training. If you were to race TODAY, your paces would probable be low-middle to back of pack. But you're not racing today, so don't sweat it! With several months to prepare, your times WILL improve. I predict you will finish solidly MOP by next spring, maybe higher. Good luck, and keep up the good work!

I agree 100%.  Just knowing you can handle the distances first is a great confidence builder.  It makes you feel as though you have achieved a milestone within the process.  Besides, once you know you can do the distances, the goal of "just finish" can easily be bumped up to something a bit more aggressive. 

Are you on a program? I did the Couch to 5K when I first started in April and now I can run 5K in about 35 min. Not fast, but I can do it with something left in the tank. Volume before speed. Keep on truckin'.

Thanks for the input folks. I really appreciate the feedback. i want to pick your brains a bit about improving in each of the 3 areas;
The swim: I'm horrible! But I actually timed my swim last night, and my 100 meter time is closer to 2 minutes. problem is, i have to stop after every 250 to catch my breath. Swimming is really new to me. Gonna definitely get a catch over the winter. I like the anaolgy one of you maid about beating the water out of my way. Thats what I'm doing. Beating the hell out of it. I can see improvement though. A month ago, I had to stop after each 50.
The Bike: I am slowly getting faster. This morning I did a 25 miler, with the goal of improving my speed while keeping my cadence up. Finished with an average speed of 15.8 mph. Was a little disappointed as I was sure I was gonna finish with an average over 16. Let me ask you all this. Do you focus on cadence or speed? The guy at my local bike shop suggested I focus on keeping my cadence up (near 90) even if I had to stay in the small chain ring.
The run: In high school (many years ago, I'm 34) I ran a 4.4 sec 40 for football. So i used to be somewhat fast. Now I just tend to run at the pace that is comfortable. Several of you mentioned my HR being a little low. IMO, Bingo! I think that is the issue. i need to push myself a little harder. So where should my HR be?
Thanks for any advise!!

6 months ago, I couldn't even run for 2 minutes at any pace.  Now I can average nearly a 10 minute pace for 7 miles.
6 months ago, I rode at 13.5 mph for 10 miles max.  Now I can average 17mph (did 18.1 in my sprint tri) over 40 miles.
I've come a long way and so will you.  I'm happily back of the pack with my times, but it sure beats not even being in the pack.
Besides, it's a nice slow number to improve on for next year, and the year after!
Good luck!

Fast or slow, its all relative. One of the most rewarding things for me over the past 7 seasons is looking back and seeing how far I've come and how much I have improved. Every time I step up in distance or PR in a leg or for a particular course it is personally very rewarding. But many of my "fastest performances" would be considered slow by some of my friends and many of my "so-so" races would be considered fast by others. The only perspective that matters is yours because only you how how hard you worked to get there in the first place and how hard you pushed yourself on race day.

Do your best and enjoy yourself. Remember this is fun.

when starting out the good news is that the improvements will be dramatic after you start training...