Running Off the Bike

There isn’t a triathlete alive who absolutely loves running off the bike.  Even the fastest athletes like Alistar Brownless and Craig Alexander probably wished the race stopped after the bike.   But a triathlon can’t be completed unless you finish the run (or it’s just an aquathalon).

So how do you run faster off the bike?

First, determine what fast is.  Typically in an Olympic triathlon, the elites will run 1 minute slower than their best 10K time.  You may want to re-think your strategy if you’re trying to run a PB during your race.

So lets say you can run 40 minutes for a 10K road race.  There are a couple of ways to increase your foot speed so you’re not far off this time.

1 – Practice makes perfect. If you’re not already running off the bike in practice you should start now.  The key is getting your legs comfortable to changing from the mechanics of pedaling to quick leg turn over on the run.  If you’re truly concerned about how fast you want to be, run after every ride.

2 – Running favours a certain body type. Look at the finish of any large running race:  “Skinny-Minny takes the Winny”.  Depending on how ambitious you are,  losing weight is beneficial for running faster.  A 10% drop in weight has been shown to improve performance by 10%.  So if you’re 150 lbs, and drop 15 lbs (10%) that means you could potentially improve from a 40 minute 10K to a 36 minute 10K.

3 – Go slower on the bike. This is the area where most triathletes destroy any hope of having a good run split.  As soon as they exit the swim, they get on their bikes and just jam it till the next transition.  Then as if unexpected, their legs tie up and they slowwwww down.  Only to cross the finish line disappointed with yet another spoiled run.

Going slower on the bike isn’t as easy as it sounds.  Figuring out how much slower requires some testing.  A powertap is the best way to accomplish this (combined with heartrate).  Basically you need to find out what your “threshold” power output/heartrate is for a typical distance.  Or in laymen’s terms: how long can you sustain an effort without slowing down.  A lab is the best way to get this information.  Peakcentre.ca is good place to start.

If you don’t have a lab at your disposal then try using a stationary bike or flat road and go as hard as you can for 15 minutes.  Your heartrate average over the last 5 minutes will be your threshold.  Now this is going to need some tinkering because the average your going to sustain for 90Kms isn’t the same as it is for a 20Km time trial.  But it will at least give you a starting number with which you can stay under for the first part of your triathlon.

Running off the bike is crucial if you want to finish high on the leader board in a triathlon race.  Being able to, takes work but is not impossible.  Try using the three steps above to help you progress as a fast finisher instead of a slow tire leak.

Here are sample workouts that can be used to help you progress into a faster runner:

Ride 2 x 15 minutes at below threshold (-10 beats) then run off the bike for 15 minutes at race pace then 10minutes at slower than race pace.

Ride 4 x 5 minutes (with 5 minute rest in between) at goal Olympic Bike Pace then immediately after run 20 minutes at goal race pace.

Ride 30 minutes at just below threshold (-5 beats) then run off the bike for 2Kms at slightly faster than race pace.