How can you improve your triathlon run times?
In this article Coach Alan writes about the four big ways you can run faster in your triathlon events. Often, athletes leap straight into doing more running, but the answer is slightly more nuanced than that. Learn about them here.
If you want to know how to run faster in your upcoming triathlon races, you’d naturally turn to think about running first, but let’s come back to that later and look at a few other significant ways we can set ourselves up to run faster on that final leg of the race.
1) Become a better triathlete
Improving your swimming performance will help you run faster in a triathlon due to carrying less fatigue; the same can be said for T1, Bike and T2 leg. The more efficiently and quicker you can get to that run section, the better you will perform regardless of the race distance. Fatigue isn’t reserved for certain parts of our body; it is system-wide for many reasons. One crucial part of this is psychological fatigue, which is especially true for the longer distance races. In these races, the difference in plain ‘tiredness’ is vastly different between starting the run after 6hrs and starting the run after 10hrs.
2) Get to T2 with less fatigue
A) Pacing
The above could be read as meaning that you should get to the run start ASAP, regardless of any pacing strategy, but that isn’t quite correct. The state in which you get to the run start is of equal importance, and this balancing act is known as pacing. Often with the athletes that I work with, I talk about a little bag of fatigue. If I gave you a little bag of fatigue for the rest of the race, would you like to carry it with you? Or would you prefer I give you that little bag of fatigue towards the end where you only have to carry for it a short while?
In short distance races, this ‘bag’ is created when we deplete our anaerobic energy supplies and going into oxygen debt. Micro-recoveries on descents or through other sections that involve coasting or cruising with a tailwind are possible, but they only work with short anaerobic efforts. When it comes to pushing the big red pacing button and going all in, we still need to leave that until we can get to the finish line and then stop to recharge our batteries.
B) Maintain form
In longer distance races, this fatigue accumulates throughout the event as our ability to sustain the load deteriorates, our form may deteriorate, and our efficiency drops away. This decrease in efficiency during the swim and the bike will mean more fatigue during the run. Ultimately then, at some point during the marathon where basic run form (not perfect high-speed form) being maintained is critical, the athlete will falter in their form, and a compensation movement will kick in. This compensation movement is not trained and, therefore, will rapidly crumble into walking.
Maintaining form and function is an essential part of pacing for all distance of races but most often significantly challenged over the longer distances; the deeper you can get into these races whilst maintaining form, the greater the performance will be. Strength and conditioning work, which are two distinctly separate components of performance, is an essential part of running well in a triathlon.
For all distances pacing and maintaining posture and technique (form) are key differentiating factor between those who run well and those who don’t run so well. I have split them into A) and B) as these are the most common mistakes.
3) Pace like a triathlete!
Forget your swim, bike and run split!! I realise I have mentioned this already, but the attitude with which you approach races is important. The way we talk to ourselves and how we verbalise our assessments of our performances has a big effect on our psychological performance and outcome performance on race day. How many times have you heard athletes talk about the following;
“My swim was rubbish.”
“My bike wasn’t very good.”
“My run could have been faster.”
Well, “coulda, shoulda, woulda” is a large part of the answer here. Instead, ‘perhaps’ could be a keyword. “Perhaps I could have gone a little harder here or there to balance my overall performance.” Assess swim, bike and run on the process of executing them but crucially also consider how they affected your overall race performance. Perhaps that slightly slower swim or slightly slower bike led to better overall performance. Your finishing time is ultimately the measure of your triathlon success, not the individual components.
Overall these first three points can be summed up as, ‘get to the start of the run in a better state’! So what is the fourth point?
4) Run faster!
The obvious answer: focus on running and get better at it. Try to develop the mindset of a runner and be confident in your ability to perform. Triathletes with a running background perform better on the run because they are better-trained runners and more confident in it. ‘Runners’ will also likely give more energy to the run sessions in their training plan and ‘hit’ these sessions that little fresher and harder. Do you prioritise any run sessions in the week? ‘Runners’ also see this part of the race as their opportunity to shine. Do you see it as your opportunity to shine? #believestrideachieve
If you can change your mindset even just slightly to say, “maybe I could run well”, that can make a world of difference to your performance. Once you are comfortable and confident in executing points one, two and three then step four will become all that much easier! What can you do to put yourself into an environment that helps you become a runner and not just a triathlete?
Alan has worked with Tri Training Harder since 2014. During this time working with a wide spectrum of athletes from beginner, to youth and junior elite athletes through to 70.3 and Ironman AG winners and Ironman Kona Qualifiers.
An active Triathlon coach since 2007 Alan has been fortunate enough to work with athletes, peers and support staff who have continutally challenged him to evolve and develop. Building on a solid foundation in swimming teaching, Alan has specifically developed swimming coaching experience having worked in High Performance Swimming environments. Alan's other passion is all things fast on a bicycle!
Since 2015 Alan has worked in conjunction with the other Tri Training Harder Coaches to significantly develop collective coaching practice both on camp and online.
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