The bulk of your tri time will be spent in the saddle so it stands to reason that this should make up a bulk of your training too. Here is how to keep the cogs whirring come race day.
Fresh from swimming and stripped of your wetsuit, your only thoughts will be of a slick interchange onto your bike and the hard kilometres that follow. Over three-quarters of a triathlon is spent cycling, but this oft overlooked discipline goes undertrained for the more accessible running portion. You shouldn’t make this mistake – and don’t rely on your Ariana Grande fuelled spin class either.
“Make sure at least some of your training is outside,” says Lucy Hurn, Head Coach at Windrush Tri and a PT at Virgin Active Walbrook, “the only way to know what it will be like on race day is to hit the road.”
Compared to the cushy internals of your gym, the roads you will be racing on will be pock-marked with pot holes, gravel and other competitors. “By cycling on the road at least once a week,” says Lucy, “you will improve your bike handling for when you’re part of a bunch of riders in the race.”
But not all outdoor training is made equal. The distance you can cycle in a city before hitting a red light is not enough to make progress so try to factor in a longer ride to a quieter locale at least once a week. You will soon know how much more you need to train for the race you’ve entered by tackling similar terrain.
This isn’t the Tour so don’t expect any hill stages but after hours in the saddle even molehills can feel like mountains. “Start short, and build the distance towards the end,” says Lucy. “Train faster than your final speed, but with recovery persons built in so you are building your fitness up.” This will stop you hitting the wall any time the going gets a little more vertical.
Break up your training rides into intervals and you stand to build serious staying power when you knit them together on race day. After warming up cycle for 5 minutes at 50% effort, then 5 minutes at 70% and finish with 3 minutes at maximum. If you can do this outside then all the better but spinning the stationary bike will suffice.
Spend more time in the saddle and out on the road and it will translate into more comfort, speed and fun come race day. But what that saddle is attached to is equally important. You don’t have to spend a lot on your bike, or even buy a new one, but it does need to fit you correctly.
Lucy advocates getting a triathlon specific bike fit and taking time to get used to that position. This will be based on your flexibility and experience, but mostly you’ll be in the drops of your handlebars or using tri-specific clip-ons.
It also pays to have a really good service prior to the race. Replace worn tires and inner tubes, make sure your brake pads are not worn and lubricate your chain. Even the most battle-hardened will have this done by a bike shop.
In the race however, any mechanical issues you may have are purely down to you to fix. Nothing is worse than not being able to finish because of a misplaced thorn you didn’t know how to fix. “You must carry a puncture repair kit or Co2 canister,” Lucy says with a knowing nod. Store them in a saddle bag and chances are you will only see them again before your next race.
Remember that your first triathlon will never be your fastest and many of those around you will have competed before. For some the cycle is just the necessary bit between the swim and the run, but if you train hard there is every chance that you will drop serious seconds as well as other riders. Ignore the flashy bikes and people sprinting out of the gates and concentrate on even breathing and saving yourself some energy for the run.
Lucy Hurn is Head Coach at Windrush Tri and a PT at Virgin Active Walbrook. She is training for her first Ironman triathlon.