Running

Remember back when you first started riding your bike, you didn't get to the point you are at now overnight. Give your body time to adjust the the pounding of the run and don't give up on it. If you are getting better just hang in there. We can climb big mountains if we take small steps, this may be your mountain.

Still Tri'n
Michael

I am with you on the running! I thought I would never increase my speed. BUT...I have been training for the half marathon for the second time. Last year I finished with an average of 11:28/mile and so far with training this year I am running right at 10:00/mile.

So what I am trying to say, is that with proven success, increasing your distance over time, remember 10% rule, you will see that your speed overall will increase. Right now I am running 4.5 miles on M and W, I am diong a brick with a 3 mile run on T, and running 6.5-7 on Sat for my long runs.

Check out http://www.halhigdon.com he has several books that I am reading and they all seem to be helping. I Hope this helps.

Janet

With your cycling and swimming levels, you already have a good general endurance base. What you're missing now is running specific adaptations.

Since I don't know specifics of your background, I'll list the general attributes of running well, and some possible suggestions for improving them.

1. Neuro. Running may use the same muscles as cycling, but in a completely different way. (just ask a Tour de France rider to run a marathon). To become a good runner, you need to run more. It doesn't have to be fast or long for now, just more. Make running 3-4 times a week and back off on the others if you're time constrained at least until you're 'in the groove.' I'm guessing that you enjoy the bike much more than running (at least until you're converted!) I am the opposite and I have to really schedule myself heavy on the bike if I want to progress. Considering you already have a good set of lungs and efficient heart, this is probably the biggest factor for you.

2. Body Composition. Unlike cycling and swimming, running offers no machine or medium to support your body weight so your muscles must adapt to carry this. The more you have to carry, the slower and more taxing the run will be. Again, not knowing your personal stats, this might not be a problem at all, but unless one is an elite and/or comes from the Great Rift Valley, there's room for improvement in all of us.

3. Technique. Probably not a major holdup of running speed, but stride economy can help loads. Try to find a local coach, run expert, or running store-specific guru to take a look at your stride.

Good Luck!
Scott

Like many on the board I am more of a runner than a biker or a swimmer. As most other people have mentioned, you have to be even more careful increasing your running milage as compared to swimming and bicycling because of the pounding. When I started getting more serious about training I increased my milage too fast and ended up having knee problems. This was the case even though running was my background and individually is my strongest sport. Again I will repeat the same advice as other people, if you want to improve your weakness you have to do it more. (People tell me this about my bike and swim and I hate to hear it every time, but it is good advice.)

Other suggestions to make it more interesting is to look for a local running group. They will tend to push your times also. Also you could look at performing some short races if it fits into your training schedule. I know that I will be starting to build base for next year shortly, which includes not running any races for awhile. Another suggestion, if you have a good base built (2-4 times race distance milage weekly, or 25 miles which ever is greater) you could think about some speed work on the track or hill work. AGAIN, YOU SHOULDN'T DO THIS WITHOUT A GOOD BASE. There are articles about running speed work and pace calculators at runnersworld.com.

Good luck with your times.

im in the same boat except the swimming is my weakest. I did what Ron said for my first Tri about 3 months ago and that is spend more time on the swimming than i did with the other two. Ive been a long distance runner /cyclists for a while now so the time i put in that area is more Quality one LSD run or Ride on the weekend with some upper heart rate workouts included (hills, short sprints, etc) and maybe one short higher intensity workouts in the middle of the week. as for the swimming i just swam for endurance. about 3 to 4 times a week
working mainly on technique and form.

For your running, concentrate on increasing your weekly milage about 10% every week for 3 weeks then on the 4th week cut back. anohter word if your did 10 miles total this week do 11miles the next week then 12miles, then 13, on the forth week drop back to 11 then on the following week start off at the 13 mile spot. that back down week really helps your body recover and makes you stronger.

There are some really great pointers here. I agree with the last post about increasing, increasing, increasing and then dropping back- this periodization approach worked really well for me in the last marathon I trainined for. Joining a group was also a godsend- it added leverage to my committment (getting up for 7am long runs every Saturday of the summer!) it is great support and having people with you assists in pushing yourself as well as making the 3hr plus training session more bearable. Also one of the biggest shift I have made is to training 10 and 1's- running 10 minutes, walking 1. I was in alot of resistance to this method when I started- it made no sense to me to walk- it seemed like a cheat. I was convinced of the method after doing a half marathon and incorporating the 10 and 1s and subsequently shaving 7 minutes off my old PR. It works. Especially for longer distance- changing your gait from running to walking allows certain muscles to rest, stretch and relax. You are able to run faster during the 10 minutes beacuse you feel more rested. Jeff Galloway talkes about it in his Marathon training book- a good read for a beginner.
Other than that, stick with it and be patient, it takes time to build a strong base, eventually you will feel stronger and lighter and your runs can be a time for meditation and relaxation- rather than pain and frustration.
I on the other hand have been nursing a problematic IT band for the last month and my running base has gone from 60-70K a week to 10-20k a week the last few. I find it very difficult to be patient with my body- thankfully I have started swimming and cycling and the challenge has helped me with running withdrawl.
There are some good training plans on www.runnersworld.com
Hope some of this helps,
Amber Dawn