What can I do to get faster Quickly? (Page 2)

Goole masters swimming bc and see if any clubs near you have coaches that will do private... maybe try UBC masters

I wish that were true unfortunately I know myself quite well. I train 5 days a week and track Everything I do along with my weight, my pace, etc So I know that if I did the race right now I would be 3:05 - 3:10. However I realized I phrased my original post wrong, that is not what I think I will be able to do on race day that is what I would be able to if the race was today. By race day I know I will be faster and stronger, it is just what to focus on to maximize my efforts.

That is probably a good idea, but I'm trying to minimize costs as much as possible. I'm willing to put in the time, just not the money

...also my 1860 meter swim with strong current today was tiring, but not too bad, so I think I'm ok.

Thanks for that, I was strongly considering getting some, now I won't bother.

Get some in the off season and get used to them. I would ride the course a few times to get set up since its a lap course and its easy to get to.

I haven't read the entire thread but I will tell you what I have to tell myself all of the time.

Improvement in triathlon is not measured in days and weeks but in months and years. If you are looking to be faster next month, you will probably be disappointed. Consistently training in all three disciplines over time is what makes for a fast(er) triathlete. If you look at the training logs of the fast people on this site, you will see that all of them train every day, often twice a day, in an organized way, with a long term goal in mind.

If I were you, I would train diligently for the next six weeks and do your race as fast as you can. I would use this result as your baseline and then get on a training plan and try to improve over time.

My 2 cents. Worth what you paid for it.....

Generally speaking what you are saying is true ...except for beginners. Beginners are able to see the most radical results of type of athlete. Were you able to get faster within the first 6 times you rode a bike? How about within the first 2 times you tried swimming in a wetsuit? How about when you went from no strength training to strength training?

Once you have 5 tri's under your belt improvement is slow and takes a lot of work, but when you are a beginner who barely knows what you are doing it is easy to see significant gains.

To put it another way: I could Easily take a complete beginner 3:10 half marathon runner and get them to 2:45 in 6 weeks (and since there is a lot more to tri racing than just running it should be even easier). Knowledge, technique, drills, proper gear, &strength combine to show drastic results when people are starting from a base of almost nothing.


Edited by Chillin 2013-07-25 12:48 PM

Swim and bike more. A lot more. Your run isn't going to hold you back from your time goals. Unless you get to T2 gassed because you wasted so much effort on the swim & bike.

As others mentioned, you can also probably do some things with your bike position to make sure you are as comfortably aero as possible.

Still, that almost certainly doesn't get you 25min in 6 weeks unless your base time is off (having never done a tri, you really have little idea to base your estimates on) or you have really done very little biking or swimming so far. Beginners do make gains more quickly. But they do it the same way experienced athletes do. By doing the work in the individual sports. Do the work you are able to do and see what happens.

It all comes down to the bold. This discussion will be much more productive after you've done your first race. My first Olympic, I went over everything with my coach and figured that if I had a day when everything went right, stars were in alignment, etc. I might be able to break 3:00. I went 2:53. Then my next Oly, I just couldn't see where I had any room from the first result for significant improvement, and then I went 2:46. And that was with a basis for trying to predict. But at least your first result will help inform this process for you.

1. I have done any oly tri before. I've never competed in one, but I've done one just for fun. I'm confident my estimate is accurate.

2. "Swim and bike more. A lot more." Yes definitely. That I will be doing that for sure. ...now off for a ride.

Here's the strava segment. http://app.strava.com/segments/615212 I know most of the top 15 women quite well. They are all fast, but the fastest woman doesn't have the fastest time. The woman with the fastest time did it in the same tri with closed roads.

16 minutes? Nice you are fast.

When I did it today traffic was a big factor, unfortunately when I did it that time I linked it wasn't so ya that was effectively my closed course time.

not just more or a lot more... harder. much harder. i honestly think my best bike workout of the week where i get most of my gains is less than an hour long.

Edited by Clempson 2013-07-25 8:33 PM

Thanks, I needed that reminder. I tend to go for duration over intensity, but you are definitely right I need to work on power not endurance.

So I just finished a 76.6km ride (followed by a super short 2km brick run) and a few observations:
-My bike sucks. Going downhill at 50+km/h, if I stop pedaling I drop down to ~28km/h in seconds.
-My shoes suck. My toes were numb most of my ride.
-Tourists on rented bikes are a hazard to themselves and everyone around them.

And a couple questions:
1. My lower back started hurting after about 60km. Is this because of my posture? Bike setup? Or I just need to strengthen those muscles?
2. After about 40km my man parts got numb. Is this my seat? My bike setup? Just something I have to get used to? (I was wearing tri-shorts)

everything about your post is screaming incorrect form/fit. numb toes/lower back pain/crotch numbness.

you could fix all of those by correcting your cycling form, and probably increase you power output too. do some google searches on correct cycling form; i had sore back/shoulders/numb feet until i figured out how i was supposed to be riding my bike. biggest thing is to stay loose above the waist as much as possible, drop your shoulders, and open your hips.

a lot of people will tell you to get a bike fit if you have these symptoms, but even with the right fit if you don't know how to ride you aren't going to see any improvements.

Thanks! Will do.

I assumed my numb toes was based on my feet. I get the same thing while running if my shoes aren't wide in the toe box. But I certainly won't discount that it could be part of my form issue.

try moving your pedal cleats back as far as possible and see if you still have numb toes. cleats too far forward are the usual culprit.

Just did that. Seems to feel good here in my living room, I'll see how it feels next time I ride.

Thanks again,

Probably already has been mentioned but you could lose weight. 6 weeks get strict and cut 12-15lbs. You'll be markedly faster

I'm definitely open to that but I'm not sure it's a good idea. With the amount of cardio I do I'd be worried about losing muscle mass instead of fat. Also I think if it came down to it I'd be better off building muscle than losing fat. No? (Obviously both is possible, but harder)

For some reference:
I am male, 5'8", 155.8lbs
Also I weigh myself every day, the least I've weighed this year is 153.6 and the most is 160.4.

Thoughts?

EDIT: In the pic at the bottom of this race report I'm the guy on the bottom: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp...


Edited by Chillin 2013-07-26 4:35 PM

Yep, you can peel 10-15 lbs off that frame. I'd shoot for 1.5-2lbs a week, you'll be ok.

OK, I'll give that a try. Any quick tips on how to do that while not hurting my training and primarily focusing on gaining muscle? I semi recently lost 55lbs but I did that by not eating any carbs for a few months, but quite obviously that would be a very bad plan to do right now.

Here's what you can do - get on a good training plan that stresses your weaknesses and is able to maintain your strengths. The strengths aren't what you need to work on. But swimming 40 minutes will really hurt - physically, mentally and time wise. You need to ride to the point that you can maximize your run - I would look at running around 47-48 minutes if I were you. Backing into the final time:
40' swim, 3' for transitions and a 47' run = 90 minutes. So you have 1:15 to ride 40k. That's 20 mph. That's a tough challenge, but like I said, if you work on the weaknesses (swim and bike) you may be able to do it. Good luck. If you are up for it, I'm over in the Member's Performance Area coaching lots of BT Athletes to Personal Records weekly. If you join, I'll coach you personally and we'll see if we can make it happen for you. Either way, good luck!


Edited by mikericci 2013-07-26 4:50 PM