Triathlon prep

Sounds like a solid 1st IM. Swimming under 55 is no joke!! I'm an adult onset swimmer & am extremely jealous. Feel like I'm in the pool a ton & getting out comfortably in sub-1:05 is what I'm looking to do. Seems like the bike is where you would want to focus more time if you stick with triathlon. Saw some really fast splits from the race & know it's a flat/fast bike course. 3:45 off the bike in your first full is solid. Also was 80 degrees by the finish right?

Yeah the bulk of my season is ahead of me. I did 70.3 Oregon. That was my focus the 1st half of the season. I debated IM Maryland but ultimately chose to stack 70.3 Worlds & IM AZ. Gave me more time to train rather than rush into the full distance. Also figure AZ will have better weather than Maryland and that it makes more sense to hit the 70.3 before the 140.6. Basically training through Worlds for AZ. Won't be able to gain fitness after Worlds so just looking to get as strong as I can, recover, & head into AZ ready to roll.

I think sub-9:30 is very possible depending on weather. Feel like 9-flat isn't out of the realm of possibility but think I'm better off riding > 5 hours and trying to run people down in my first go at the distance. Thinking 1:05/5:10/3-flat + transitions.

I'm a terrible swimmer, period. I only started last year and have not gone more than 500m at once (current ability 12-13 mins?). Races have all been time-trial starts (one person in the water every 5 seconds or so) and I haven't even experienced the chaos of a group start yet. My hope for this winter is to force myself to improve to the point that next year I can move up and try an Olympic, or even a a half-Ironman.

Has anyone tried cycling in supershoes? I imagine the stack height and squishiness will harm the bike portion a little bit but then you could fly into the run and start to make it up?

Well, I'm doing my 3rd swim today. The first two outings I was just getting used to it all. While I am a strong swimmer, and I very comfortable in the water, I have no history in swimming on a team or anything close to that.

I don't even know my pace.

NERunner - The swim was much quicker than I thought I had in me and Im really happy with it. It is such a small portion of the race that 65 min will not really hold you back in terms of overall performance (looking at typical top AG splits).

The bike is certainly my weakness, apart from the equipment itself I am a really lanky guy and don't know if I will ever have the power needed to be a decent cyclist. The 3:45 was pretty embarrassing but I know overall for a first timer it was an OK race. It was 80deg for the end of the ride and for the run. Low 60s for the start of the ride though. The course is definitely a flat and quick one. I did the race with one of my best friends who I swam/ran with as a kid and into HS, he went 9:34 via 52:30 4:46 3:38

I'm not sure what my future holds, I enjoyed the training cycle and will definitely at least do some sprints/olympics next year along with a swimrun and a few open water swims, after all I do have all the gear now. I'm not a particularly talented runner and I dont think I will be at triathlon. Ive always imagined myself as a lifetime runner until injury forces me out.

I have Philly and Boston Marathons up next, will be doing 10-12hrs/wk running and 1hr/week swimming for the good part of the next 7 months. I'm thinking about doing something like 8.5hrs running, 3hrs cycling and 2hrs swimming per week next summer to see if I can still run well but hop in some olympics. I think I would be willing to go all in on tri again the summer after, I would be 30 then (31 AG for tris sake). There is a very good tri coach (and affordable in terms of triathlons) who is close and I am acquaintances with. (YP) He has a cycling background and his athletes take the top AG spots in a lot of races.

We all only have so long to be at our athletic peak, I don't think Im done setting running PRs but some of them are getting pretty old (2015 8k, 2018 mi, 5k, HM)

I've obviously been doing some thinking the last few days so sorry to take it out on you.

Your race set up makes sense, I obviously chose to forgo doing a 70.3 first but you can't get better transition and fueling training then during a race. You are going to be much more knowledgeable than I but I will say to plan on being fairly self sufficient during the ride at the full and plan to take electrolytes! I'd assume you are good on the mental aspect but with so many aid stations on the bike/run it is very easy to break it up by 'just get to the next aid station'. Obviously don't linger at aid stations or in transition as they are huge time sinks. (this is more for others reading-in, not you)

speed guy - Find either local triathletes or a masters group to swim with. I think most trithletes use clip on shoes so no supershoes. If you don't want to use clips then try to practice on the bike in supershoes to see how it feels. The extra stack height could change your fit enough to cause discomfort somewhere (knees?).

EZ10 - Let us know what a moderate 100yd time is, and what a harder 100yd time is.

RS- Yeah I think the IM distance will be good for me because the swim isn't as much of a limiting factor compared to an Olympic or 70.3. You should feel good about the debut. Tons of potential. Don't be hard on yourself for a 3:45 in 80 degrees at the end of that. Your friend has pro card potential with a stronger run. I don't think I'm particularly talented. Started off running 5k's in 24-25 minutes. Have trained & logged high mileage & still can't break 16. But in triathlon my run is very competitive & close to my open times. When I did my 1st 70.3 I had a 1:15 open PB & ran 1:19-low. Now I'm at 73 open & think I can run 1:17ish in a 70.3. Hoping for at least 3:00-3:05 @ AZ but would be lying if I said I wasn't going to shoot for sub-3. We sound like we're in the same boat. I kind of got burned out a bit with pure running. Got some injuries. Ran a ton but couldn't find PRs. It's nice doing triathlon & not caring about times because courses are so different & weather varies so much. It's all about effort & you get rewarded for the hours you put in, more than with running I would say. I almost signed up for Boston but think I'm going to try the triathlon thing full time. I'm 30 so I know I have a limited window to give this a go. FWIW I had a solid Boston in 2021 at the end of tri season. I think the 8.5/3/2 would put you in position to PR but not destroy your tri base.

speed guy- I did this for my 1st tri ever & got made fun of it lol. I did have a great T2 & the fastest run. I just didn't feel comfortable going straight to cycling shoes and rode with flat pedals the 1st summer I got my TT bike. If I could go back I would have just gone to clip pedals. It's definitely faster -- especially when climbing or trying to put down big watts. But there's also a comfort level. Don't let anyone make you feel a type of way about whatever choice you make.

How was 70.3 Worlds?

I completed the 70.3 yesterday.
I spent 5 mo. training for it. Here is my take aways for any other runner considering a try at the Tri:
- it's a cycling event with 2 other things tacked onto it. It's all about the cycling.
- Swimming is least important, just get to where you can swim the distance. All those drills all those gadgets in the pool are a waste of time . Just build up to where you feel confident about swimming a mile+ and you'll be fine.

- Spin class/Spin workouts are legit: This was my #1 take away. I was getting in two threshold sessions per week without the wear and tear of just running. I saw a big boost in fitness when I started incorporating these into my week.

-Resist the urge to go gear crazy but some stuff is definitely needed: I used my old road bike and just got it tuned up. I didn't go buy a new fancy carbon tri bike. I figured that's something you earn if you decide this is now "your thing", but the what I DID buy that was very helpful was 1) Garmin that tracks swim bike run and HR. 2) water proof ear phones to get you through the long boring swim sessions. 3) decent set of goggles and swim jammers.

- rent the wet suit, don't buy it. You can rent it and receive it up to 2 weeks prior to the event so you can try it on, swim in a few times and get used to it.

I was happy with how my race turned out. I trained twice a day 4-5 days per week. I was just going for a finish. I wasn't trying to hammer this thing so my advice is for anyone in that situation.

I'm glad I'm done with it. I will never do another one.

my 2c

I have a couple Open Water Swims, olympic tri, sprint tri and SwimRun on the docket this summer.

Didn't catch this so here's my 6 month update -- 70.3 Worlds went well. Finished just off of the pro score rating. It was a cold day but that didn't bother me much. Swam a PB (~30:00-flat) and got onto the bike. Very honest course in St. George. Took a while to warm up. I'm not great on the downhills but ripped Snow Canyon. Ran a hilly 1:20 half. I did my debut 140.6 a few weeks later. Had a really solid day but fell off on the run after being on sub-3 pace through 16 miles not because of fitness but because of stomach issues. The legs never cramped or went but the stomach started to hurt a ton and I couldn't eat/drink anything. Ended up back at race pace the last 4 miles. Basically had 20 miles @ 6:40-6:45 pace & 3 > 8:00 pace. Left me with another good, but not pro, score rating.

I got hurt early spring so I'm focusing my attention to late season races. 70.3 Worlds in August will be my season opener then some local races before a late season 70.3/140.6 tbd. Still want to give the pro standard a go this season. That's the big goal.

As far as the review goes, swimming does give you the least bang for your buck on limited training time. But it does matter the better you get at the sport when you start thinking about who you're coming out of the water with. Latching onto a good swim pack can set you up for a good bike. You don't want to come out of T1 with nobody to ride with or having to put in a big surge to catch up to people riding at your speed. Agree with the bike/wetsuit stuff. You can buy stuff on sale or rent (bikes too) on race day. Wheel set matters a ton for biking.

What made you say you wouldn't do one again EZ10Miler? Was it the distance or would you do a shorter one or just not that interested after finishing one?

Is there a reason why most of you are focusing on long course and not short course? IM distance seems so boring to me cus it’s just a slow slogfest.

I don't enjoy cycling much at all and I hate swimming. Neither of those two activities give me any joy or sense of accomplishment.

It wasn't that my race experience was bad, far from it. It went really well, the race was perfectly organized, and I felt very well trained for my modest goal of finishing mid pack.

I was doing this just to check a box. Zero desire to do it again.

Nothing wrong with checking boxes, not enjoying cycling and swimming are good reasons not to continue with tri. I'm still a little sad on how slow my run was, so hopefully yours was at least ok.

I did do Olympic/Sprint during my build up, similar to 10min/mi runners and the appeal of the marathon but for the IM I guess.

Sounds like a low 4 hr 70.3 which is really impressive. If you did that well on your first IM it could mean good things for the next, as it relates to procard.

For me it's about where I can be competitive & what gives me the best shot to try and turn pro. I haven't even been swimming for 3 years. A good swim matters but matters less over the longer distances. A 1hr Ironman swim is ~10% of the race. In an Olympic the swim might be 20-25% of the race.