Improving run

Along with the above great advice, I'd recommend finding a trail network you could use for the majority of your run training. Getting off the pavement will help with injury prevention. And I find that it is more relaxing.

In addition to the excellent run training advice, it is important that you're getting off the bike with lots of energy left.  So keeping up the bike fitness will continue to be key.    How did you feel once you got off the bike?  Ready to run or really fatigued?   Or somewhere in between?  It's normal to feel weird, but still run as well as  you hoped.    I've found in my years of triathlon that my best sprints were when I was training for something much longer.   To improve you will have to do more than the minimum, in all areas.

Once you have bike and run figured out, you could also save a minute or two with race strategy.  Do you need more or different nutrition?  Are you making fast transitions?  When you're running, how hard are you able to push yourself?   This might all seem extreme for a fun sport, but the people who place in their age group are also working on strategy.   

Happy training!   I imagine it's hard to get used to training when the days are so short.  Do you have a headlamp and reflective vest for nighttime running? 

Originally posted by Rollergirl So I had my best ever race (Sprint) last week, after putting a lot of training in this Summer, it paid off. Looking at my times compared to others on that day, it looks like my run is the weakest link. Swim and bike are in par with the best ( that day, on that little village race. I know I probably don't compare to the better AG) but I lost 2 places in the run. I was 2nd out of T1 after being 4th out of the water (love it that I gained 2 places at T1) and kept that position until halfway through the run when I got overtaken by 2 women with a much faster pace. My run went well, I did not slow down, allowing them to catch me up (if anything, I went faster during the second half) but my pace is just much slower 6 min/km, ie 30 minutes for a 5k. Many girls (even those finishing after me) did it in 25 minutes or less. So, how do I get from 6 to 5 min per km? More running, yes, but how? longer runs? more intervals? bearing in mind that the run is the sport where injuries are easier to get (for me anyway), I don't want to overdo it either. Next race is in 9 months time and I really want to have improved my running by then. Any tips BT? Or (this just occurred to me), do I try to get faster at swimming and biking instead? In other words, should you mainly focus on your strong points or your weak ones?

Well...I have to keep reminding myself NOT to compare myself to others.  I was a competitive runner for 30 years and have only been swimming and cycling for under 3 years.  When I go to a race I may be 3 minutes under my goal on the Swim and be in the bottom 50% for my age group and I may be 3 minutes over my goal on the run and in the top 5% of my age group.  

So...I try to not focus on what other people are doing and just focus on my own race.  

The things that I feel are important to a running program are 1) speed work outs 2) temp work outs 3) endurance work outs.  I plan to do one of each every week.  

My speed work outs are intervals short intervals.  The definition of "short" depends on what you are training for.  If you are training for a 5K run at the end of a sprint they may be 20 x 200m repeats, or 10 x 400m repeats.  If you are training for a longer run then they might be 3 x 1600m.  These should be a fast as you can do them with all the repeats being completed at about the same speed.

My tempo run are done close to race pace.  So if you are currently at a 6 min/km pace you might try a 7.5 km run where you do the first 1.5 km at an easy warm up pace then do 1 km and at 5:50, 500m at a recovery pace, 1km at 5:50 pace, 500m at recovery pace, etc until you complete the work out.  Your goal is to complete the work out. If you are successful two week in the row try ti do 5:45, then after completing that successfully twice try for 5:40, etc until you are down to 5:00.  (Just one example, there are many types of tempo runs and rotating types of tempo runs is usually best).

Long runs.  For a sprint triathlon I would want to build up to at least a 70 minute long run and ideally about a 90 minutes long run.  I start small.  I might do 60 minute one week, 65 minutes the next, then 70, 75.  After 4 weeks I go back the the distance of the first week (i.e. 60 minutes) then I alternate build weeks and easy weeks to where I would go to 80 minutes, then 60 minutes, then 85 minutes then 60 minutes, then 90 minutes.  You can play with this and start smaller (i.e. 45 minutes) and build longer, etc.

So my advise is three key work outs a week. You can do recover runs on other days to get more volume in if you have time, but if you are cycling and swimming three times a week too three run work outs are the minimum I would do if you want to improve.  If you want to do a run focused program you could go to 4 days of running.  I really don't have any magic recipes to make people faster runners. Just put the time in and enjoy the journey.