importance of combo training sessions?

[LunchboxMan]

hey guys,

i decided to do a sprint tri for a change this year (did marathon last fall). so i did some searching and following a program on ontri.com which has you doing a session of something almost every day. now, that sounds good but looking at it, it only has a few combo sessions (swim/bike/run or any combo of the 2) which seems odd to me. my initial thoughts were that the primary training should be the combo of the three or 2 on each day you train - am i wrong here or should i be following some other program?

thanks in advance!

[Kevin Littler]

Firstly congratulations on the marathon and deciding to do a tri. Both are great things to train for.

For most tri's the bike to run transition is the most difficult (have you tried your first run off the bike yet? I still remember my very first time - 18 years ago!)

For a sprint you won't need to put in any mega mileage, and with a marathon background you would get away with a few single-training-session-days each week. I would definitely recommend practising the bike to run transition frequently. Also try the swim to bike transition and see how it feels. Different people cope differently with this - for example the swim to bike never seems to bother me too much, and as it is a logistical problem for me to practice I rarely bother.

Transition practice should be used to not only get used to the feeling of running on 'cycling legs' but also to practice the technique. Lay out your gear like you would in a race and practice so you go on auto-pilot race day.

Once or twice a week for this should suffice, although this will depend a little on your goals and your strengths/weaknesses.

[FishrCutB8]

Linguini legs....

Transition work in T2 will help, and you'll be glad you did it.

[LunchboxMan]

Originally Posted by Kevin Littler

Firstly congratulations on the marathon and deciding to do a tri. Both are great things to train for.

For most tri's the bike to run transition is the most difficult (have you tried your first run off the bike yet? I still remember my very first time - 18 years ago!)

For a sprint you won't need to put in any mega mileage, and with a marathon background you would get away with a few single-training-session-days each week. I would definitely recommend practising the bike to run transition frequently. Also try the swim to bike transition and see how it feels. Different people cope differently with this - for example the swim to bike never seems to bother me too much, and as it is a logistical problem for me to practice I rarely bother.

Transition practice should be used to not only get used to the feeling of running on 'cycling legs' but also to practice the technique. Lay out your gear like you would in a race and practice so you go on auto-pilot race day.

Once or twice a week for this should suffice, although this will depend a little on your goals and your strengths/weaknesses.

cool - thanks for the info! on unrelated question, sometiems i have to do stationary bike as my "bike day" and i read somewhere that you should be shooting for 100-110 RPMs - now this seems pretty fast to me. is this really the speed i should be training at?

[LunchboxMan]

Originally Posted by FishrCutB8

Linguini legs....

Transition work in T2 will help, and you'll be glad you did it.

i REALLY have no idea what that means....

[Kevin Littler]

T2 is just tri-speak for Transition number 2 (ie the place you get off the saddle and prepare for the run). When you try a run after a bike you'll understand why Fish is saying you'll be glad you practiced it before a race.

As for the rpm's, a higher rpm is generally more desirable, but there are exceptions. Ask yourself:
1. Are you generally strong or more of a lightweight? Your speed will be determined by the power you can exert on the pedals. Power is a function of strength (how hard you push on the pedals) and speed (your rpm's). If you are strong, you may feel more comfortable pushing hard with low rpms. If you are lacking strength (like me) you may do better at utilising the speed component of force. Of course, training your weaknesses is a good idea as well.
2. What is your current comfortable rpm? If you are currently turning the pedals at 60-80rpm, then a move to 100+ is a big jump. When you make such a big jump cyclists often lose the circular pattern of turning the pedals (ie it becomes choppy). Better to make changes in a progressive manner.

There is some thoughts amongst triathletes that a high turnover on the bike translates to a higher turnover (and therefore speed) on the run (the nervous system likes to fire at the same rate during this transition).

I've covered a few topics here. There are some other factors that might influence your cadence, but consider these first.

[LunchboxMan]

excellent info - thanks!