Such thing as too much biking for the plan?
97
Member
741 days
Tri Fanatic posted 19 weeks ago.
I am sort of in the same boat as you. I did a 70.3 recently and was like 700th overall in the swim and bike and 1500th overall in the run. I came from a cycling background.
The bike leg is the longest one and where you can spend and save the most time. If you have the time, you can ride all you want, but if you are short on time then YES you can ride too much. You need to put most of your effort into running because that is your weakest.
Me being a full time college student and borderline full time worker, it is hard to find time to get lots of long workouts in so I work on my running a lot. A long run for me is only like 6-8 miles and I feel fairly beat, whereas a long ride for me is like 80-100 miles. It is just easier for me to get in all my running workouts. I still do get on the bike and do 45 minute - 60 minute workouts during the week when I can squeeze them in and I do longer rides on the weekends of around 3 hours to 5 hours.
So I am saying you can bike too much if it takes away from running time.
1
Member
135 days
mikericci1 posted 19 weeks ago.
Nikkibc wrote:
I've been lurking around here for awhile, and have been learning a lot! This will be my third season of triathlons and I've done 7 sprints. This summer I'm planning to do a couple of Olympics...and it's time to train with a plan. In the past I've been doing kind of whatever I feel like, and I have been improving quite a bit, but Im sure that will end soon unless I have a plan to follow. But I'm kind of confused... I've been looking at the Trifuel Olympic plan, and was going to try to modify that to work for me.First of all, I love biking, it's definatly my favorite and also my strongest. However, the plan starts at 30min of biking, and maxes out at 90min...and I regularly do long rides of 2-3 hours. Should I cut back the lsd biking and focus more on speed and hill repeats and such? I guess Im just concerned about limiting myself to a 45min ride on an awesome ride with friends when I could be out for a couple hours instead...if that makes sense.
Also, the swim is only 30min 2x a week. I have been doing masters 3x a week for an hour for the past 8 months...so I think I'll just keep going with that since it seems to be working. Switching to 2 masters and 1 OW when it warms up a bit.
The run is definatly my weak point so that's really what I need to be focusing on and the trifuel plan looks like something I can manage. In my last sprint in March out of the 52 in my AG I placed 19th. My swim was 15th, bike 12th, and run a dismal 43rd.
Maybe I need to be training for a longer race so I can get my biking fix :)...but im not ready for that much running.
Thanks for any input!
If the swimming is at a plateau, you could drop 1 master's swim and add in a run. IF the run is truly your weakness, then you need to put more time on the run. Biking lots of LSD won't get you fast - but doing some sweet spot training will - even if you can only get in 1 hour a week in Zone 3/4 it will help you. The other rides of the week should be LT (race pace/effort focused) and the other ride should be a longer LSD ride.
The running workouts should focus on doing frequency - build up to 4-5 runs per week. Make one long, one a brick (after the long bike), one with some tempo work, and the other 1 or 2 can be solid Zone 2 runs.
I've been writing the Training Plans for the US AG World Team for quite a few years - this formula works well - just have faith in it :)
Mike Ricci
USAT Level III Coach
www.D3Multisport.com
Mike@D3Multisport.com
4212
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1558 days
kylie posted 19 weeks ago.
You are biking too much if you can't hit your goals in your other workouts. If your run can't be at the effort the plan requires, or if your other bike rides are off or missed, then it is too much. But if you have the time and energy for it, go for it. Just be aware if it is making those key workouts lack.
Miles of Life --- Powered by MarkyV
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Socket posted 19 weeks ago.
I've been following the same Oly plan for the past couple months and only because it says: "This plan is for the beginner multisport athlete who is in good health and can handle a beginning volume of 4:00 per week."
This is my first season and I don't have a lot of time to put in more than an hour or so a day, so it works for me. You likely need to upgrade from the Trifuel plan and listen to Mike there.
927
Member
261 days
TriSooner posted 19 weeks ago.
Occam's razor applies here: Keep the training the same. Race longer distances. Based on your swim and bike training, I think the issue is your chosen race distances are too short. (And that's a good problem to have. Most people train too little and bite off more race than they can chew.)
830
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1402 days
catwood posted 19 weeks ago.
I don't really see the problem with 2-3 hour rides for Oly's. When I have the time and motivation, I do that... just make sure that your quality workouts are just that. Training plans work best for those that they are meant for. This one is meant for beginners or those with little time. Most of the free training plans out there are for balanced beginners (equal abilities in all three sports). Its sounds like you've outgrown those types of plans and need to either keep training haphazardly like you are doing (nothing wrong with that depending on your goals), do some research and write your own plan, or pay someone to write one for you. If you do want to improve your running, you probably do need to run more and bike less, but keep things in moderation to avoid burnout/injury.
4
Member
898 days
Nikkibc posted 19 weeks ago.
This all makes a great deal of sense, thanks. I got a bunch of books from the library and it just all seems like so much to absorb, and everyone has a different approach, and planning the next couple of months just seems like a daunting task. One thing everyone seems to agree on though, is that the same plan will not work for everyone...which makes it even more daunting.
I think I'll start by mapping out a month of 3 bikes, 3-4 runs, 2 swims and see how it goes and go from there. This year I'll stick with Olympics and figure out what kind of training works for me and how my body responds to it, and probably do a HIM next year. I'm only 21, so I figure I've still got time to figure this out and move to longer distances :).
I've been lurking around here for awhile, and have been learning a lot! This will be my third season of triathlons and I've done 7 sprints. This summer I'm planning to do a couple of Olympics...and it's time to train with a plan. In the past I've been doing kind of whatever I feel like, and I have been improving quite a bit, but Im sure that will end soon unless I have a plan to follow. But I'm kind of confused... I've been looking at the Trifuel Olympic plan, and was going to try to modify that to work for me.
First of all, I love biking, it's definatly my favorite and also my strongest. However, the plan starts at 30min of biking, and maxes out at 90min...and I regularly do long rides of 2-3 hours. Should I cut back the lsd biking and focus more on speed and hill repeats and such? I guess Im just concerned about limiting myself to a 45min ride on an awesome ride with friends when I could be out for a couple hours instead...if that makes sense.
Also, the swim is only 30min 2x a week. I have been doing masters 3x a week for an hour for the past 8 months...so I think I'll just keep going with that since it seems to be working. Switching to 2 masters and 1 OW when it warms up a bit.
The run is definatly my weak point so that's really what I need to be focusing on and the trifuel plan looks like something I can manage. In my last sprint in March out of the 52 in my AG I placed 19th. My swim was 15th, bike 12th, and run a dismal 43rd.
Maybe I need to be training for a longer race so I can get my biking fix :)...but im not ready for that much running.
Thanks for any input!