Introduction from Ohio

You sound like you are right about where I am.  My first 70.3 was in April of 2015 and my second was in May of 2016. I want to do a pair of Olympic tris next June/July and do a pair of 70.3 tris next Aug./Sept.  Since I didn't have a fall race this year I started on the Winter Cycling when I got back from vacation in August. My goal is to get from 20 MPH to 21.5 MPH.  :-)

 I wanted to get leaner and to faster on the bike. Nutrition is probably my weakest area in the longer races.  I am guessing I could get through an Olympic race with out any refueling, but in the 5-6 hour 70.3 I fell that my nutrition have hurt me on both races.

The only race I have done in Ohio is the Air Force 1/2 Marathon.  That was an great event.

I am 10 weeks into the Winter Bike program.  This is the first bike plan I have followed in my year and a half cycling and my first time to slow down my running to do a bike focused training plan. I have heard other report gains in the range of 1-1/2 MPH with the plan so I am hoping I will have the same success.  

Equipment choices make a big difference.  I have gained about 1-1/2 MPH just in equipment upgrades since I started cycling.  If you can get some free speed through upgrades and you really push yourself with the winter bike program then yes you can get to 20 MPH.  

I have been focusing on cycling 4 days a week with the cycling plan and then run 2-3 days.  Most of my runs have been with a friend who forces me to run about a minute a mile slower that I would run if I were on my own, so the runs are all really easy recover runs to get me ready to hit the next bike training at full force.  If you want to improve on the bike I would just focus on that and not try to improve on the run and swim at the same time.  Let them be your recovery work.  Once you are through the 16 week plan then you can change your focus to a balanced plan between Swimming/Cycling/Running.

P.S. I never though of myself as a fast cyclist.  In 2008 I signed up for my first 1/2 marathon and joined a marathon running group. Another guy a year older than me joined at the same time.  We completed against each other at a bunch of 5K's and 1/2 marathons.  I beat him pretty easily in 2008 and 2009 but in 2010 he started to peak and was getting really fast.  Our last race together before I moved in the fall of 2010 he gave me the run of my life.  I had to PR by a full 2 minutes in a local half marathon to beat him.  He started doing triathlons about the time I moved while I stuck to running.  When I started doing Triathlons in 2015 it was just before I moved back to same state that he lived and to a city just 75 miles from him.  I got back in contact with him and he is doing 23 MPH for the bike pace of 70.3 races.  I haven't raced against him in a Triathlon yet but will likely see him at all my races next year.  20 MPH is pretty slow when your are trying to save face with a former training buddy who is doing 23 MPH.  I have a year and a half of cycling under my belt and he has 6 years of cycling under his belt.  When he was a year and a half into cycling he probably was about as fast as I am now. When we ran together in the Marathon group my friend worked 2-3 times as hard as anyone else in the group.  I have not doubt that he has continued with that work ethic in Triathlon.  I bet he does 6 hour bike rides every week.   Speed comes from a lot of volume and consistency over a long period of time.