Originally Posted by BeeDub
Sorry for such a newbie question, but I wanted to get the pros advice, so this I came here. Please help me.
Some friends talked me into a team triathlon in a MONTH (yikes). I'm doing the 40k cycling leg, using my brother's Trek 2300. I'm a 6'3", 225 Lb male in fair shape. I'm not much of a cyclist. My goal for this event is to not humiliate myself doing this. I hope I'm not in over my head.
What suggestions do you have for a training plan?
Should I get a heart rate monitor?
What other advice can you give me?
If you can get a HRM, all the better. You can find out what your race pace is by riding hard for 30 minutes and recording your heart rate during that 30 minute effort. From there, just do your rides no more than 5 beats lower and 5 beats higher than that number.
Go at it 4 days a week, and if your fitness level increases, bump it up to 5 days a week. Note your heart rate as you get fitter. Check in 2 weeks, then 3 weeks for your heart rate. Do the 30 minute ride as your test. If you find you're able to keep higher heart rates for longer, then you'll have to change your progam to reflect this. Often, people's lactate thresholds are lower, but as they get fitter, you can increase your lactate threshold.
Aim for 45 min to an hour of continuous riding.
Eat well and stay hydrated during your training period.
The week before your race, try to do a simulated ride on the course. Make sure your run through is continuous.
The night before, get plenty of rest. Make sure you're fully hydrated (should start hydrating about a week before) and carbo loaded (start carbo loading a few days before the race).
The day of the race, take a good hour before your start to do a good warm up. You want to start with a lower heart rate and work to your highest heart rate by the time you get to your last 10 minutes of your warm up. Interval your warm up with a ladder interval, or just straight increases in heart rate over time.
Good luck.
Koffee