Get faster in Triathlon with no training! How many athletes slug their guts out all winter, or generally train really hard to get faster in triathlon? Simple answer is all of them. We do an extra swim once a week, that's about 50 hours of training a year. You make time for an extra 30 minute run every week - that is another 25 hours of training a year. So with two very simple, and realistic, examples there is 75 hours of training...
You have improved your swim by 25 seconds over 750m and your 5km run by a minute.
You come into T1 in your big race...
And struggle to get the wetsuit off. Then you cannot clip up your helmet. Now you are flustered and forget your number belt. Then you run to the mount line... and jump on just before the mount line... I have seen it happen! 75 hours of training... thrown away!
Even in an IRONMAN or an IRONMAN 70.3 you can save massive chunks of time practicing your transitions. How many athletes have that goal of breaking 5 hours and miss it by 1-2 minutes... #justathought
You can get faster in Triathlon with no training.
So here are five simple tips to help you nail transition and save time (in fact, if you practice these properly, they will GAIN you time on your rivals).
PRACTICE
Practice taking your wetsuit off. At the end of each open water swim session, get out of the water and get the wetsuit off as fast as you can! Think you can do it faster, practice at home! I know of one athlete, who would put his wetsuit on, run up the stairs and take it off again. Back to the bottom, do it again! Looked bloody funny, but he did end up with the fastest transitions around!
BRICK SESSIONS
BRICK Sessions - Love them or hate them
Another excellent opportunity to practice your bike mounts and bike to run transitions. Give yourself a limited amount of time to jump off and get your runners on. Practice putting your feet in and out of your cycling shoes whilst on the turbo trainer. Use the opportunities presented to you! If you are doing a group session make practicing that skill a race.
SET UP TRANSITION AS SIMPLY AS POSSIBLE
I see so many athletes moving into Transition with massive boxes. Why? You don't need much. For a shorter race its bike + helmet + shoes + drinks + glasses... everything else should be on the bike ready anyway. The only other stuff you need is for the run... Shoes should do it.
Your transition area should be clean, simple and set up in a way you are used to doing it.
EAT AND DRINK ON THE BIKE
Don't waste time stopping for a cup of tea in transition - no I have actually seen an athlete stop and pour a cup of tea from a flask! Eat on the bike. You can get a drink or any nutrition you need once you are on the road. Same for T2 - you can prepare for your run in advance of transition.
WALK THROUGH TRANSITION
Finally, walk through transition on race day... in every direction needed. Swim to bike to bike exit and mount line... then walk dismount line to bike in to rack to run exit. So simple and yet every race there will be at least one athlete who cannot find their bike or goes the wrong way.
Knock seconds off your Triathlon with no training!
Professional Coach Paul Jones is a British Triathlon Federation Level 3 Coach and a Triathlon Australia Performance Coach.
He is also an IRONMAN Certified Coach and a Level 2 Training Peaks Coach.
F4L Triathlon Coaching offers triathletes and other endurance athletes a full coaching and training service that caters to all levels of triathletes. F4L offers professional triathlon and endurance training support and the reliability triathletes require. Each athlete is an individual, every athlete has different needs. Coach Paul and F4L Triathlon Coaching provide you with 15 plus years of experience and professional coaching.
