@emrungee Last year my best result was a 2.48.55, so we’re very similar!
Anyone any suggestions for a last few days running? My last run was 7km low tempo 7 days ago, since then I’ve had a sore throat and my daughter’s been in hospital so training has taken a back seat. I’ve a strong background in swimming and cycling, but my running is weaker. The race is Sunday. So four days left to do something.
At this point training wont make you faster but i find some comfort in confirming i can do the distance - maybe do an easy run to the full distance? It could help put your mind at ease?
Get injured. No fitness gains in this period just keeping fresh with short, easy stuff.
How best to pace the run on an Olympic distance tri? My last 10k Tri run was 54.09, paced badly.
Km 1 was 5:08
Km 2 was 5:18
Km 3 was 5:40
Km4 was 6:08
It then fluctuated between 5:42 and 6:09 until km 9 5:24 and the last 600m 5:05.
Assuming I’m aiming for the same time, should I try to go out on pace at around 5:30 minutes/km, or deliberately start slower e.g. 5:45 and increase the pace after the first km?
Just short easy runs 20-25 minutes with strides or a couple of 200m efforts at race pace to 5 second per km faster than race pace just to retain the feel for pacing.
If you had not mentioned your poor pacing I would have said RPE and check the pace every 500m to km to check if the pace is unrealistic or you are sand bagging or your on a good pace. Empty the tank once past half way.
However, given your last race, I said 5:42 ish for 3km then negative split. Depends on the bike compared to last time though. IMO you want to keep the HR under control as much as possible for the first 2 - 3 km and then once things have stablised start to build the pace a bit. Sounds like you did the opposite last time.
How you run is all down to how you swam and bike paced, fuelled and prepped, and the course profile.
54 would be good if your standalone 10 is around 50 on a similar course profile. If you’d normally race a 10k at 45mins then a 54 means you overbiked or underfueled.
I finished in 2.48.03, a small PB.
Swim 33.40
T1 3.53
Bike 1.11.54
T2 3.12
Run 55.24
Any comments on my run pacing?
I don’t think I overcooked the bike, my average HR on the bike was just 148bpm NP251W, but there were a few steep pitches and drags so it wasn’t a steady effort.
Congratulations 
Argh. OceanLakeTri Sprint distance. 1h18.
Messed up on the bike a few times thanks to traffic and missing signage.
Given my 2h26 Olympic PB I should be capable of more but my run training has taken a back seat to bike.
Swim 00:13 
Predicted 00:12:50 as last years PB standalone 750m swim. Lots of ducks. 
Bike 00:31 
Messed up a lot and power looked eratic. But it was good fun.
I was looking for 30 or less, maybe with the errors I’m okay. But I wanted near threshold and 220W is 30W below.
Run
00:29 
Always my weak point but this is waaaay off. 10k time was 52mins a couple of months back so even on recent weak training I should have got 26mins. Maybe the illness fri/sat, maybe burned too much on the bike, maybe baby who cares? Just a bad run end of - it happens.
On the positive side I did this race eight years younger, and five or six kilos lighter, and got the same time so not all bad 
And given the bike antics, I loved racing on my new roadie. In fact I probably would not have avoided the car collision I did if I’d been in aero on the tri bike.
My “A” race of the season was my local sprint race. It’s a destination race, so it brings out a pretty competitive field. I have competed in this race 4 times since 2019 with steady progression, and my goal was to get on the podium this year.
Training: I had a very solid block coming into the race. Travel and sickness had complicated the early part of the year, but the 6 weeks leading into the race were on target. FTP was comparable to last year, but based on a few key workouts in the lead-up, I knew my run was improved.
Gear: I had just done a wheel swap on my TT bike at my LBS, but for various reasons, I had to pick up the bike about 15 hours before the race start. There was noticeable back wheel rotor rub when I checked the bike at home, so I opted for my road bike.
Swim/ T1: the swim was uneventful - 6:57 over 0.25 miles. I swam on some decent feet and came out of the water 7 seconds slower than last year, but I shaved off 13 seconds in T1.
Bike: I was aiming for an NP of ~245 on the bike and finished at 241. Most of the ride was spent swapping turns with another fast cyclist. At times, I felt like I could have pushed a bit more watts, but I figured the most efficient strategy was to ride with a partner and capitalize on draft where I could. By the end of the ride, we had caught the AG leader, and the three of us went into T2 together. 32:54 over 12.4 miles - 17 seconds slower than last year.
T2: after this hive mind’s feedback last year, I skipped the socks. Between no socks and more controlled/ efficient movement, I improved by 32 seconds in T2. However, I still started the run ~30 and ~15 seconds down from the two guys I came into T2 with.
Run: I came out running near goal pace (~6:40/ mile) and passed #2 in the first quarter mile. By 0.75 miles, I was a couple of meters back from #1. I put in a small dig to test him, but he surged, and I decided to save my matches, staying about 1-2 meters behind him at ~ 7/ mile pace. Around 2 miles, we got passed by a runner who must have been pushing sub-6 pace. I wasn’t sure if he was in my AG, but at that point, I knew it was go time. I surged to get a bit of separation from the guy I had been running behind and then settled in at a 6:30 pace. Over the final 0.25 mile, I was cruising at <6:15 pace. Final time over 3.3 miles 22:15, 40 sec faster than last year.
Overall: improved transitions and a faster run shaved off a minute from my time last year and got me into 2nd place in the AG (2/77) - final time of 1:05:04. I wish I had had my TT bike, but I am pretty happy with my performance; I could have pushed on the bike and run but made racing decisions and feel OK with output. In terms of improving, my swim and T2 will be key points of focus. That said, a podium at this race has been a long term goal, so I may take a racing break.
Thanks again for all the feedback over the last few seasons.
Fantastic, well done!
I had a similar goal but totally failed at this.
My course started with jagged speed bumps and gravel for 500m to the road, then essentially dual carriageway with large roundabouts - but open roads. I’d call it lumpy, not flat, but only +130m over 19km. You can see my HR is around my LTHR threshold 168 the whole time but I barely had a few minutes at FTP 250ish.
I felt like I was fighting the whole way, not the steady power I’m more familiar with in long course, or even an Olympic.
Can you share the course details and power graph?
Sure. Here are some more details. The course is pretty dynamic; there are quite a few turns and rolling hills. By my Garmin, the total ascent is 453 ft (138 m).
My current FTP is ~270, but that is based on the Quarq power meter on my TT bike. The Garmin pedals on my road bike seem to read lower, but I haven’t tested. If I had to guess, I would say they read ~5% lower (adjusted FTP ~257).
In terms of HR, if my HR reads above 170 in a high sweet spot effort, something is wrong. My average HR over the race was 170.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks. Cant see any obvious areas of difference, and my power distribution is similar to yours. Maybe a little more time in anaerobic for you.
I thought my recent outdoor training would help me do better, but I guess more practice is needed.
It wasn’t terrible, I’m just analysing for gains. And it’s a local course so I could race again next month.
——-/
The big issue is run, so most of my focus will go there.
Ramping up my run volume now to three per week; tempo, intervals and long. A couple of optional short easy too
As always, body recomposition needed.
I am a cyclist with years of riding under my belt ( long granfondo events). I wanted to find some new goals and decided to go for a 70.3 triatlon next year in June. I used to be soccer player so running is not new but have not done a single run last 3 years. I can freestyle swim but also not done that much.
What should I do before following a tri plan? Focus on 2 a week swims working on technique and start with small steps of Running again…
And still continue cycling ( I do between 10-15h a week).
I don’t want too loose that much cycling fitness ( if possible)
You can start now. 
The LV Sprint and Olympic plans are fairly lightweight. Swim will benefit from the longest run up. Frequency and consistency is much more important than distance.
Run needs to be reintroduced the slowest, building up to three runs per week.
I would suggest planning out a regular run and a regular swim that can anchor you through the winter, then load up with the Half Distance Tri plans in the new year.
As for bike volume, I’d suggest being realistic. You can’t expect to tag on 5-6hrs swim and bike per week without giving something up next year.
But a Sprint or Olympic is much more achievable on lower swim and run volume so you might want to give a short course race a go this autumn?
Thx @JoeX! I found some guidance for my running and will try the BarryP running approach. But because coming of the couch for running (run muscles not used last 3 years) it will be very conservative. And I will try for 2 (maybe sometimes 3) swims per week.
But I still have a off-road MTB race planned in November so trying to stay constant with my cycling training till then. At that time my running volume will be better. So in December I can try to start a 70.3 training plan for my event in June 2025? Goal is then also to drop my cycling volume, as running volume will increase so that is normal I guess…
