Better than finding that out in the race! 
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Have you tried dialing the bike back slightly and seeing how your running times respond? I assume your bike times are improving? If you are pushing the same RPE race after race, perhaps you are just pushing the same RPE on the bike (at a higher wattage) and when you get off the bike you are at the exact same place as before to set up for the run (with a much faster bike time).
I recently decided to dial the ride back in my last race as I had similar issues, unable to push past a sub 1:44~ run on 70.3 courses. Perhaps it was due to the course profile but I pushed a 1:33, much faster than the 1:40+ times I did prior and imo much faster than a flat profile alone could have gotten me. I feel like there is a range of RPE zones that are different for everyone where you maximize efficiency in your overall race time. Perhaps you should try and see how shaving a few minutes off your bike could affect your run (a trade of +4-5 mins on the bike could net you -7 on the run). Also for me, I have not really changed my overall swim times but have really been able to relax and conserve in the swim and it has netted me a lot of time over the course of the race as a result. Yes it’s the most obvious thing to improve based on times alone but I don’t think its the limiter for me yet, as I would like to improve my run times before I start targeting my swims specifically, as I feel like it is the lowest value for training vs time saved.
I’m in a very similar position to you. I try to get in 1 swim a week because of that huge time commitment required for me as well. I figure I might give up 5-10min on the swim in an IM, but I’ll easily gain that back on the bike and run. BUT I’ve had a couple seasons of doing this in shorter races with just the “minimal maintenance” swimming and I know what it takes for my swimming to remain static. I think you need to ask yourself how well you know your own swimming form as to whether or not you can use that strategy. If you are a weak swimmer and pretty new to the sport, you might want to find a way to get a couple more swims in just so that you don’t completely tax yourself and ruin the rest of your day.
Did my first sprint tri. I guess that’s my first step towards and Ironman within the next 7 years lol
I’ve got my race report there if anyone is interested.
I really need to learn to stick to the plan next year though and to respect the trainer more. It’s been gathering dust for the past 4 months and i’m ashaaaammmeeeddd lol
But haven’t top 10 age group goals for next year, i will have further incentive to keep it going next year.
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Well done getting the first one under the belt. 
Looks like there’s a lot of “easy” changes you could make, like practicing transitions, to help you speed through the next one! Consistency will take you a long way, so just keep at it.
My takeaways and lessons learned:
-Practice transition and get a tri top (took me forever to get into that compression top)
-Do more bricks
-Stick to the plan gaddammit
-Even for a sprint, get a minimum of nutrition during the event, nobody is trying to be a hero
As you said, very low hanging fruit. Now that i’ve got an idea of what the flow is like and i have a goal for next year, it should be easier to focus on training.
I’m thinking sweet spot base 1 and 2 + calisthenics strength training until december and then start up the tri plans again.
Just opening up the whole recovery posts of a couple of weeks ago. Hope people are going well after their races, I was doing ok until today, rubbish nights sleep, stress at work and could only do 40mins of Bald Knob this evening!!
Got the open water swim nationals on Sunday, could be a swim too far how I am feeling at the moment. So clearly after nearly two weeks from Kalmar I ain’t ready.
Key, eat properly, sleep and rest up folks.
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I am assuming most of you all have a tri bike. When I did Chatty 70.3 (first ever) in 2018 I used clip ons and did 3:06 with a NP of 202. For reference during the race I was 190 lbs and now at 175. I am 6’2. After about 3 months of riding on TR I am back to that level if not higher and feel like I could do even better and next 70.3 in 2020 looking to destroy that time with better fitness/base.
Am I missing out by not having a tri bike? I dont mind buying used as I know there are some deals as long as it fits which I knkw my size. Cervelo comes to mind but what other brands (Felt?)
Loss of weight, increased fitness → You will go faster.
Road bike w/clip-ons < Tri-bike. In theory, you should go faster on the tri bike. However, with a bad fit position on a tri bike you might as well be on a road bike with or without clip-ons.
Good point. I have a lot of time before the race and have a much better idea this time around with the experience and my limiters.
It’s a good question and well put. A lot of people ask about speed or other individual elements, but your question encompasses the whole issue.
It’s true that broadly speaking you are better off from a biking and running perspective to use a tri bike. Simply speaking, aerodynamics and the open hip angle that a tri bike can give.
In my experience you can get away with a half assed bike/position at half iron man distance, but at full iron distance you need - sorry, want - to go full ass and get a tri bike fitted to your spec.
Even if you’re not a great athlete, it will play on your mind as you spend hour after hour out on the bike that you could be faster for less effort with the right bike.
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That is what I thought and you hit it exactly. I did college track (decathlon) back a while ago and just need to put it the work which is what I am working towards.
At some point I probably will get a tri bike to maximize my gains with everything being equal. All of the support and help here and finally getting a solid plan together is helping for sure.
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If it’s that much of a hassle, then get yourself some good swim bands. This is the one I use. Doing 20-30 min of it 3x per week will be nice on top of your swims.
One other thing, if you go 2-3 min slower on your swim, you’ll more than recoup that in your run.
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Nice report. It’s your first one so forget the performance. If you had fun and enjoyed it, is all that matters. Looks like you have work to do in all 3 phases. More than sticking to a training plan, what’s most important is consistent year round training. Good luck.
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Yes. You’re missing out. But that depends on the size of your wallet. Any tri bike with a good fit will prob gain you at least 10 min on the bike and maybe more on the run.
What is your budget? The best way to do this is to first get a fit from an independent fitter on a fit bike. Let them know you are doing this to purchase a bike. Once you have the fit dialed in, they should give you a list of all the bikes you can fit in with exact stem sizes and stuff. Get your bike and go back to the fitter for final fitting.
Having just done Traverse CIty 70.3 bike course at 3:03 with 216NP I have to consider a tri bike for next season, no question. For reference i’m 5’11" 185lbs. I could work on my road bike position a little more but I’m leaving too much time on the table without the tri bike. Seems like I can get into a pretty decent setup for $1,000-1,500, and if i want to continue with the sport i think it’s worth it.
Let’s talk Hydration, specifically being over hydrated. The morning of my 70.3 I drank 32 oz of water with a Nuun tablet. I had a warmup swim and peed a few times (seems normal) and then peed again during the swim. On the bike I had two 32 oz bottles of my own endurance mix and two bottles of on course endurance. I had to pee the entire time I was on the bike and eventually decided to just go with about 10 miles left. I made sure I had a large gap behind me. It wasn’t that bad honestly. Roll into T2 and had to use the bathroom again and peed for a solid 30 seconds. I guess I overdid it on the bike, but damn I peed a lot that day. Do I just dial back the fluids or am I doing something wrong?
Depends on your goals. A tri bike is never really required. But it is almost always faster. And faster is usually also more fun.
I’ve got mine because I want to be up there with the big boys. Also because a modern day tri bike is such a beautiful piece of machinery. Having a reason to own one was among the reasons I got into triathlon. Coming from a DH background it is exactly the opposite but just as extreme. It is built in the same no compromise mindset in the pursuit of sweet sweet self propelled speed.
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LOL thought I was bad, how were you on the run, did you have stomach cramps or swishing about, feel full or bloated.
It could be race nerves, maybe you were completely hydrated from the day before so took on more liquid than needed. What is your sweat rate, was it normal on race day?
No stomach issues or discomfort on the run, thankfully. Started getting cramps in my legs around mile 10 and had a few walks to straighten things out. Mostly took a cup of water and Gatorade endurance and mixed them at each aid station. The endurance mix was so strong on the run course. Good point about sweat rate. The bike was relatively cool, around 60-65 degrees, so I hardly sweat at all. Meanwhile I’ve been training in 80 degrees and high humidity all summer. I probably could’ve cut the fluids in half on the bike and taken some solid foods to keep the calories up.
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