Tri / Triathlon / Triathlons - do they float your boat?

2 out of 3 performance tests completed, and both have shown some improvement but not as much as I'd like.

I think although the tests have felt hard I think my technique is holding together much more than last time, and hopefully at the next test date I'll actually be smooth throughout the tests.

Just the bike test to go now, which I'll do tomorrow, hopefully that will give me a lift ahead of the next training block.

Same here...

How did your Swim test go? I knocked 1.5secs off last month's CSS pace, but still 3 seconds down on where I was a few months ago pre-technical changes, and 7seconds down on my previous best CSS estimate (shortly before Ch Henley '13). With hindsight I realise that I was concentrating far less on my new technique in this test than previously... that either means that the technical changes are eventually getting embedded, or alternatively I was reverting to my old (and still possibly faster) technique.

Bike on Saturday, but my bike (CP20) tests are always way below what I end up doing as soon as I pin a number on my back for a 10mile TT.

I don't think I got it. It was on biomechanics of knee movements comparing running with and without a cycling component beforehand.
I still haven't started training for the IM in July. I'll start as soon as the exams are over.

Swim test was a bit meh as well, my last one was after two weeks of not swimming at all and was 7.02 for 400m, this one was 6.33 so a chunky improvement but my two excuses are that there was a lot of traffic in the lane, and I've been swimming faster in normal sessions so I think i'll repeat on Friday in the hope of a more representative result...

My increasingly smooth technique was verging on ragged today - amazing how 3 months of work can be undone by the ambition to make a big improvement.

Agree about the CP20 but its closer to lab conditions on a turbo!

right so test week is complete.

CP 20 Bike Power 239 watts => 275 watts
400m Swim 00:07:02 => 00:06:33
VDOT 3k Run 00:10:45 => 00:10:37

got to say on balance i'm pretty pleased with the last 3 months work, there's some decent progress, maybe not the leaps in swimming and running I'd like but there's 3 months to go before the Euros!

Nice improvements (especially on the bike)!

Tests early January Vs early February

Bike CP20 test
Average power: 252w => 276w *
estimated FTP: 239w => 262w

Swim CSS test
200mTT: 2:52.1 => 2:52.6
400mTT: 6:06:0 => 6:03.6
CSS: 1:36.9 => 1.35.5

Run VDOT test
2mile (3.2km) TT: 11:50.0 => 11:52.5
VDOT: 53 => 52

*January's CP20 test was a disaster and I blew far earlier than I'd have expected so we ignored it and continued using my FTP as calculated from summer TTs (CP20 = 295w / e.FTP = 280w, CP60 = 278w), however that is clearly an overestimate at the moment. This test I felt better and paced it better and so I think it's a reasonably accurate reflection of my current position. Looking forward to my first TT of the year though as I always perform better with a number pinned on.

That's quite a short time frame you are giving yourself to improve, I realize most of the tests have a bit of validity as a session, but if you aren't rested before the tests then are you even giving yourself a chance to show any improvement made?

interesting that according to the numbers there's not much between us for cycling and running, you'd wipe the floor on the swim though!

Feel like things are beginning to come together, although my coach has changed the way things are scheduled, to put bike and run session on the same day - I understand the logic of this - but its frustrating to have spent 2 months getting into a nice routine, and then to have the cart thrown over...

I've done 10 mile TT at a better power than my CP20 avg. before but it'll be interesting to see what happens this year when I'm training in a structured way rather than just going out and riding and doing the occasional test to understand what my threshold is for races.

Yes, I'm surprised about the frequency of testing as well. Looking at the annual plan drawn up by my coach it seems that she wants me to test on a repeating 4wk - 4wk - 8wk cycle, I'm not sure of the underlying logic but I'll ask next time we speak. I'm owed a chat but cramming everything in is a bit difficult at the moment so I've let it slide recently.

Swimming has always been my best discipline, but I've been a bit frustrated recently. Before christmas I had a load of coached sessions and my stroke was completely re-constructed... I lost a lot of speed at first, but I was hoping that once the technique had bedded in I'd begin to see a big increase in speed. As it is, it's been 3 or 4 months and I've still not got down to my pre-change 400m time and I'm along way off my pre challenge henley 400m time:

30/07/13     16/10/14     01/12/14     05/01/15     03/02/15
05:44.0     05:58.1     06:18.0     06:06.0     06:03.7

My big goal this year is also to improve on my aeros. Doing a few TTs and comparing power files with the good guys is really very revealing in terms of how much I'm losing out on.

I'm unfortunately never going to be a pack leading swimmer, at 5ft7 I don't think i'm built for swimming, but that's not to say that there's not still some big improvements to be made.

Interestingly when I look at my results swimming was my relative strength last year in races, ironman was a good example, I was 183rd out of the water, 247 off the bike and 205th at the end of the run. in one race I remember the marshal at t1 calling out I was in 8th pace which nearly made me fall off my bike!

My big goal is top 10 in age group at the European middle distance champs in May, which probably requires taking something like 20 minutes off my 70.3 time, which in my mind is about 2-3 minutes in the swim, 12-3 minutes on the bike and 5 minutes on the run.

The bike I'm pretty confident in, as I had a really bad day in my one and only 70.3 race, and hopefully there is more to come from improved aeros + new bike, not having a head on collision in the swim, pushing a bit harder on the run and just experience racing at the distance...

Yeah for sure. I recon the best combo is to be great on the bike and a good runner. If you can ride a fast bike split and still leave yourself enough in the tank for a good run then you stand a good chance of doing well overall. You just need to be good enough to survive the swim comfortably and without too much stress.

Part of me wishes I'd been born with better bike legs instead of a good swim, but then again I can see how the swim is by far the most daunting part for someone without a swimming background, so maybe it's not that bad :-)

@Sainsburys_Ed, Re. your wales bike split, I did have a little look and it was very informative, thank you.

My tentative plan/goal for Wales is to build up my FTP to c.300w. If I aim to ride the bike at 70% FTP then that gives me an average power of about 210w on the day. Using this link and if I assume my current estimated CdA is accurate at 0.27, that would give me an estimated bike split of around 6:18. If I aim to get my CdA down to 0.23 (still worse than poor according to Xav's chart) then that would give me an estimated time of 6:07 which I'd be pretty happy with!

The interesting thing looking at your bike on strava is that you rode with an average power of 164 and an NP of 194. I don't know which is better to use from a performance modelling perspective but using that website hints that NP is better (power=194 ~> Time =6:37 with average aeros). If that's true then you either went far harder on the bike than conventionally recommended, or your FTP was actually higher than you thought.

Either way I had fun thinking about it :-)

Right, having just got myself a road bike (that has some fancy newfangled gears) and wanting something to target to encourage me to get fit, I thought that doing one of the smaller tri distances might be the right thing.

What do I need to know, and what other kit do I need?

• Some running shoes.
  
• Target a sprint triathlon with a pool, so you don't have to spend ££ on buying/renting a wetsuit.
  
• Do some brick sessions (e.g. Bike & run)
  
• Watch a few Youtube videos on Transitioning. Carefully read event maps/instructions on where to enter/exit transition. Go through your kit list a number of times the evening before. Lay out your kit in such a way that it's ready for you in order when you get out of the water.
  

• Have fun
  

You're doing it wrong.

I'm meant to be doing an olympic duathlon at the end of the month but it's just been cancelled :(
So, does anyone have any recommendations for early season olympics (du/tri)? I would like to do 2 before the 70.3 in June...

How far are you willing to travel @Hats ?

Within the UK...

How early is early?

Pretty sure there is only one more Olympic duathlon at Dorney also there's the dambuster duathlon this weekend.

Little beaver is on 17th may...

Sprint duathlon this weekend assuming I survive this week in The Hague....

Plan is just to smash it as hard as I can and see where I go pop!

Back into the swimming routine. 2.7km today in just under an hour. Need to do a full 90 minute job one week soon to see if I can make 3860m. Will hopefully go for another 45 minute session on Sunday to make up for missed weeks.

No time for a cycle today though, and interesting ache in my foot from 5-a-side last night means I'll save the run for tomorrow's parkrun; haven't done a parkrun in ages and want to get under 25 mins.

More interrupted training the next few weeks with a few days skiing/drinking and Easter school holidays coming up (should manage a nice coast path run or two when down in Cornwall though) but after that I've got 13 out of 14 weeks to hammer it before the summer holidays. Getting down under 76kg by then would be perfect. Then I'll have to come good on my promise of getting proper technique coaching for swimming and upping the cycling distances. Ugh.

Get the swimming coaching ASAP. The more you practice your current way the more you are reinforcing your incorrect swimming style. You want to be practicing and perfecting your new and improved stroke.

I am half way through a 6 week course with Strictly Swimming and I am really enjoying it and improving as a result of it.

Yep, swimming fast is all about technique, which is why...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cT_Ulmcrys

no popping occurred, 1:11:09, did 19:20, 29;20 and 20:20 for the 5/20/5, need to do more brick run sessions, as i was running squares for the first 3k of the second run, i was supposed to be running about 20minutes for the first 5k and ended up getting a bit carried away, which on reflection wasn't a bad idea and perhaps i should have gone hard, and kept with the front group! 2nd in age group so not a bad morning out!

bike was faaaast!