Training works
Ok so clearly training works as otherwise people wouldn’t do it, but, I’ve never trained for an event like a triathlon so haven’t had to really monitor training progress. I’ve stayed fit and healthy, but I’ve never had to say run faster or bike more efficiently, so you can imagine my stoke that after a few winter months of various training drills on the bike and running machine in the gym (when it’s just to cold/ wet /windy/ dark outside) I’m finally noticing the benefits.
Here’s where I am.
Three months ago, my pace per kilometre was around the 7.5/8 minute mark. Pretty slow… But then I was close to 16 stone and 6’6 tall, so I had a lot of weight to carry!
So how do I get faster??
I have a monthly session with my coach and in January I asked what I could do to run more quickly. I felt I wasn’t going anywhere fast at all and didn’t feel like progressing. My swim was doing really well, I was improving on the bike but with the run, I felt like I’d hit a wall that I couldn’t get over, regardless of the amount of training I’d been doing.
So my coaches advice was in three parts.
Get the miles in.
Just get out there doing as much distance as you can in a week so that you’re used to being out there on the trails running. There is a saying “the more the merrier” and that’s the same for kilometres under your feet.
Build strength.
We did a lot of varying drills to continue to build up core strength as well as leg strength to carry me through the bike to run and make sure my muscles started working more efficiently for the transition
Run faster
This one got me. I said I would if I could but I don’t know how! So we started some interval drills. I’d already been doing them, just not that well think or not for such a positive affect on speed!
I’ll go over some example drills in a future post, but basically we started on some slow jogs then sprints between 15-20km/h. The point of this wasn’t just to help with my cardio, but it was to get my body used to running faster so that when we were on the open trails, my legs knew what it was like to run more quickly and that would only build with more time training.
Fast forward about a month and I’d lost a stone (14lbs since November) and a bmi check said I had the body of 19 year old… A result I’ve been sharing with anyone that would listen ;)! As well as more positives from the check (my inner fat is minimal too apparently- never even knew that was a thing!), more importantly… I’d shaved my per kilometre time down to on average 6.30 minute mark with quite a few stints going quicker! How awesome is that??!!
Not every run is fast, some I go for distance over speed, but what I’ve noticed is I’m way more consistent than I used to be and I’m actually enjoying going out and hitting the trails.
Training, it’s hard. Sometimes you just want to not do it! Sometimes you’ll make an excuse to not go. But you need to go. If you want to cross your tri finishing line confident you’ve done all you can to get there… You need to keep training!
See you on the trails.
Matt