Racing Myths, practical considerations and common mistakes

Racing Myths, practical considerations and common mistakes

by Emma Carney (AUS) -
Number of replies: 0

Dear Athletes,

Today we are going to have a look at some myths of racing, some practical considerations of your triathlon career and some common mistakes. There will be more than what I have considered today, so if you have more please add to the forum.

To start with, let's look at some racing myths - 

Swim myths

  1. ‘You cannot win a triathlon from over 45seconds down out of the swim’. If an athlete is 45seconds down out of the swim, and given the fact that pure swim specialists in triathlon have not been capable of running world class 10km running track times, if a run specialist is to, at minimum hold the lead swim group at 45sec (ie ride the same time) they will be capable of running down the swim specialists in the run section. This has been proven countless times. A run specialist need only hold the swim deficit time on the bike so the triathlon is won on the run. This fact emphasises the importance of bike fitness for runners.
  2. The race is won in the swim. It is a fact you can mess up your race in the swim, but given the swim is less than 15% of race time your race is not over. If a front bike pack can form on the front, a chase back can also form. Understand your race ability and work your strengths

Bike Myths

All chase bike packs will need to ignore some widespread myths of triathlon racing and remain mentally tough when chasing lead packs. Major myths to ignore include -

  1. ‘Save your legs for the run’. Often coaches instruct athletes to save their legs for the run by avoiding working on the bike. This is pointless for two reasons.  Firstly, if every athlete chasing is to adopt this view, they will all lose more time and make winning almost impossibleThe fastest runners in a triathlon usually come out of the fastest bike pack – or all those who worked hard on the bike
  2. ‘No one would work with me’. Often athletes blame the fact that they could not get athletes to work with them to form a chase group. If you are a strong cyclist and are making an impact on a group off the front, you will receive help. If you are the strongest cyclist you must be prepared to do the majority of the work and entice others to help in the easier sections of the course. Athletes chasing also have no choice. They must be fit enough to cope with their weaker swim. In situations where athletes are bullied or forced to contribute to a chase on the bike, they will generally not ride well and actually slow the progress of the group. The strong cyclists of each group (usually 2-3) are better off focussing on the task at hand and just ignoring those who aren’t contributing. In actual fact, by getting the slower riders to the back will drop them sooner, so the entire pack will become more efficient.
  3. A faster bike cadence will allow you to run faster. Not necessarily. You only have so much energy, so when you are on the bike, you really want a return for every pedal stroke you make. If you are simply spinning, you are not moving forward effectively. When you push a gear slightly bigger, you will be pedalling more effectively. Obviously you need to train the bike and be aware of the gears you can push and hold, but spinning is not the answer to running fast.

Every athlete, regardless of their bike ability must train to be fit on the bike – aerobically and anaerobically. It is also important athletes learn to cope with the bike leg of the triathlon on their own, as often they will find themselves in situations in races where other athletes will not ‘help’ or be as cooperative as they may like. Athletes must be coached to understand triathlon is an individual event, and opportunities to work with others may arise – particularly in the bike leg - but more often than not, cannot rely completely on this occurring.

Run Myths

  1. You need to practice running tired.

No you don’t. When training for the run discipline in triathlon, it is important to remember when speed is the key to running fast, an athlete should never stray too far from speed in training.

While the run leg may be the last discipline raced in triathlon, it is very beneficial to train athletes in running speed sessions while fresh in training, so they develop the skill, ability and technique to run fast. Running fast in races requires fast running in training, and against popular belief, continuous practice in training of tired running off the bike is not going to constructively develop fast running – in fact it will often hinder it.

The best run training program for a triathlete is one designed off the similar program requirements of the key speed sessions for a middle distance runner.

Track running racing is a very good tool for athletes to not only sharpen their speed, but also practice racing tactics and decision making under pressure.

  1. You need to run as fast as you can out of T2

No you don’t. It is true you need to remain in contention, but it is a common tactic in triathlon to run out of T2 very fast, so as to demoralise anyone who is trying to chase or hang on to the running pace. You should be aware and also diligent with the efficiency of your T2, but you also must remain aware that the hot pace run exiting T2 will usually slow as athletes settle into their natural race pace. Run your race by knowing your pace.

Training myths

Some individual discipline coaches believe their discipline is the key to developing fitness. While it is true there is a cross over with regard to fitness and general conditioning, every athlete must be aware that they will only become efficient and fast in a discipline by training technically well in that discipline. In other words, you will not improve your bike by increasing your swim volume. Quite obvious, but often if you are working with a swim coach, they will tell you swimming is the key to aerobic fitness. This is not true. It will contribute to your fitness but it will not develop your bike fitness.

While there are some training myths, triathlon is also a complex sport with regard to equipment. Do you need the latest gear, do you need to spend the money..? Generally no, not in your development years…

Practical Considerations

Do you need to have the latest shoes?

The current trend in the run is to have the latest shoes designed around breaking the 2-hour marathon barrier. With these shoes, the midsole acts like a spring, compressing when a runner lands, storing the energy from that foot strike, and expanding again to return that stored energy into the ground to push them forward. While the shoes have a curvature to push you onto your toes, if you haven’t developed your run technique and running on your midsole you aren’t getting the advantage.

You are better off working on developing your run technique to ensure you have an efficient run. Do things better and you will be faster.

Do you need the fastest bike?

If affording a fast bike is out of the question, the most important things to get right are – your frame size, your bike position, your bike fitness, your bike skill and the equipment that will affect your speed - your wheels should run well (ie – check the hubs are clean). Make yourself a better cyclist before you get all the gear. Training on the slow stuff will actually help you develop into an even better cyclist.

To improve my swim all I need to do are hours of swim drills.

Unfortunately, this is not entirely true. Drills are vital to improving your swim, but you must also work hard. You need to swim sets that test your ability to make times. Train under pressure. To improve in the swim you need to improve your technique through drills but you must also train hard at the pace you need to race.

Do I need a lab for testing?

It is great to have, but is not absolutely necessary in monitoring progress and predicting and gathering data.. Testing is done to monitor progress, measure your current level of fitness and provide a projected progression. You can do simple tests with a stopwatch and HR monitor. Your tests must be specific to the discipline you are testing and you must also be able to reproduce the testing protocols.

Common Mistakes

  • Excessive Training Volumes (ie more is not better)

There is a time and place for training volumes (generally the base period of training) but as mentioned above, when speed is the key to racing fast, training volumes must be closely monitored. Triathlon may be an endurance sport, but you only have so much energy in a day to train, so train effectively. Train according to your needs, not your training groups

  • Racing

Racing does not have to be restricted to only triathlon. Race skills can be developed through individual swim, bike and run events. The skill of racing under pressure takes many years to develop and if you are able to fit in some shorter races around your triathlon season, test yourself in the best in individual sports. You may surprise yourself.

  • Rest

Don’t underestimate the importance of rest - it is this time adaptations occur. Rest is vital. Make sure you have good sleep habits, have rest around training sessions and you take the time to recover between sessions properly. Recovery can be active recovery (easier training days) but rest is rest.

  • Train the mind

Everything you practice in training you will take to your races. Your mind requires training just as your body does, so spend time ensuring your approach to training and your daily routine are maintained with a high performance approach. With the right mindset and thought processes you will achieve far more.

This list is not exhaustive.  There are so many considerations and areas you need to understand and master in becoming an elite triathlete.

Just remember, no one is perfect in all areas, it is about minimising the impact of mistakes as best we can.

Emma.


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