Originally Posted by
Iride01
Arbitrary goals are okay. But what matters is whether or not your data shows that you are improving when compared to past rides.
Or are you looking to see how you compare to any of us?
I have no idea how I would even compare to any of you. Is there a thread where people post times or something?
Originally Posted by
base2
The difference between 18 & 20 can be a lot of little optimizations. High quality, low rolling resistance tires *could* be a big piece of that equation. But, I don't think your issue is as much equipment, or prevailing winds, or luck.
The tell is the 10 minute run pace. At a 10 min/mile pace, I don't feel I'm running. Only jogging, & jogging poorly at that.
Poor form is what causes injury. The human body is designed to either run or to walk. The sort of half-between, neither that is jogging is begging for aspirations of long durations, long distance with poor form resulting in poor adaption, unnecessary muscle-skeletal stress & eventually injury. Un-coached people when new to running will often trade speed & proper form for distance & time engaged. It's only natural & it is because nobody has told them better. Running takes years to develop. It's hard. Any yahoo can step out their door & jog their way to injury in the hopes of attending an event.
In my mind, this is what you have done here. You have not developed the capacity to sustain the minimum energy expenditure necessary for a 7-7:30 or better pace that would be actual running. This "overhead" in your cardiovascular fitness & mitochondrial adaption would go a long way to feeding your cycling ability.
base2
former runner
Ya, I never had any training to run, but I did a lot of running when I was in the Marine Corps. Back then, my best time was a 6:20 mile. But that was 30 years ago too. About six months ago I ran about an 8:20/mile pace in a 5k. I'd like to be under 8 minute/mile, but I'm pretty happy with that. I've been trying to figure out why I'm so much slower now despite only being a couple pounds heavier today and what I keep coming back to is my feet. I have no spring in my feet like I did when I was young. I watch young people run now and I see how their feet land, absorb energy and then re-release it on the stride. I just don't have that in me. My feet hit like Playdough. I don't know if I can ever get that back. And my arthritis in my knees and hips gets worse every year so I limit my running. It's a trade-off. I run as much as I can to keep the muscles working, but as little as I can to slow down the damage.
Originally Posted by
tFUnK
Really difficult to say whether 18mph is a good pace, especially in the context of a triathlon. Wind is also a factor. For example there's a short segment that I do, and I can push 16mph against a 7-10mph wind. On the return leg with tailwind I average 20mph with what feels like way less effort. I don't know if I have it in me to get to 20mph against the wind and sustain it. I've also never had 12 miles of uninterrupted flat road to try these sorts of tests.
In general though, aerodynamics make a huge difference, regardless of the rider's body type. The goal is to get to a position that reduces the frontal area as much as possible while still being able to tolerate it from a comfort perspective, and maintain strong power output to the pedals.
A dedicated tri (or TT) bike will certainly be more aero and help you ride faster but there's a trade-off in comfort. But if your TT efforts are short that may not be a problem.
Ya, I'm worried about the position on a tri bike. I'm getting pretty arthritic in my back and neck so that doesn't help. I still want to try one though, if nothing else to see how I tolerate it. At some point, I want to get fitted to my bike. I have ridden a 54cm bike in the past but that's really too tall for me. My bikes now are 49 and 50cm and they seem to be a really nice fit. I think 52cm would probably be the biggest I could really ride, but all the more reason to get professionally fitted I guess.
Originally Posted by
Seattle Forrest
Congratulations on utterly smashing the swim, doing great on the run, and still managing to do well on the bike!
Thanks. Aside from the run, I feel I did pretty well.